Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A Love Letter to Fandom; A Beautiful Romance
I am a nerd. A full throttle, Comic Con-attending nerd. A Browncoat. An X-Phile. A Clockblocker. I have photos with cast members of various TV shows and movies (Bruce Campbell FTW!) to lay claim to this, autographs galore and even a piece of wardrobe from a show in a frame that hangs proudly on my wall.
So, to me, “Spoiler Alert”, was a love letter to people like me who go online with their internet friends and discuss their beloved shows and to those more talented than me who delve into the art of fan fiction.
It was also, as always with the wonderful Olivia Dade, a story about a strong and beautiful woman who loves her body, regardless of those people who consider her “fat” by their standards. (In the book, April says that she doesn’t use “fat” as a pejorative but merely as a descriptor.) April constantly battles others who want to “fix her”, including her own Mother. She always stands strong against them to the point of weariness.
As well, with the character of Marcus, it delved into what growing up with undiagnosed dyslexia would look like. (I felt a lot of rage on Marcus’ and April’s behalf.) In public, Marcus hides behind a persona he invented because of his shyness and dyslexia, burying his intelligence and depth. Marcus is so beautifully written in this book. His character is a cinnamon roll hero. (Olivia Dade pretty much coined the term so it’s only fair that she write them!) Marcus feels his parents neglect deeply, he cries, he doesn’t always know what to do but he always tries to do what is right and his instincts, though sometimes wrong, are to protect and love April.
Another common feature of an Olivia Dade book is the way in which her characters eventually, maturely deal with their issues: in this case, April and Marcus and their respective truly horrible parents.
This was a beautiful ode to fandom with some truly hilarious interstitials of Marcus’ previous terrible films and the various Gates of the Gods fanfics. The family issues were dealt with sensitively but induced rage in myself (against the parents) and I’m sure others reading. The romance was hot, steamy, real and moving. I absolutely loved “Spoiler Alert” and wanted to live in it for days. I devoured it in less than a day, however, because I just could not put it down. I’m so looking forward to Alex and Lauren’s book.
Spoiler Alert is about:
✔ The Fan fiction world
✔ A bit of Cosplay
✔ A Games of Thrones-style show
✔ The gorgeous lead actor from the TV show
✔ A fan fiction-writing geologist who doesn’t know that she knows the actor online
✔ The lead actor asking the geologist on a date!
My Plot Summary:
Marcus Caster-Rupp is an actor who has toiled for seven years as the lead actor on Gates of the Gods, a show that can only be compared to Game of Thrones in its popularity and reach.
“If those lines in the script contradicted seasons’ worth of character development, not to mention the books that had inspired the series, he couldn’t dwell on that. Not now.” (HAH!)
He also secretly writes fan fiction as Book!AeneasWouldNever on AO3 and a server dedicated to the show which he helped create. This is where he met and where he’s been friends with April Whittier (Unapologetic Lavineas Stan) for two years.
April is a geologist by day who has kept her fandom secret but with a job change she finally feels she can be herself in the real world. April, because of this freedom, posts a photo of herself on Twitter in costume as Aeneas’ love Lavinia. This leads to Marcus asking her to dinner neither of them knowing that they already know each other.
On their date, Marcus trots out his public persona but April begins the process of digging under the surface.
“The woman before him was April, who made a living out of comparing surfaces to what lay underneath.”
Marcus discovers that April is his internet friend but keeps his identity hidden. He asks to see her again which shocks April.
Their relationship becomes a whirl of paparazzi, parents, secrets and everything that’s hidden beneath the surface, all leading to the ultimate showdown at Con of the Gates. Can a geologist and a famous actor who’s known for being all surface survive a deeper relationship?
WRITING STYLE: 5/5
PLOT: 5/5
WORLD-BUILDING: 5/5
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 5/5
ROMANCE: 5/5
HEAT: 5/5
Who is your OTP?
What are you reading right now?
Try this book.