Review: Spoiler Alert
I was so excited to have Spoiler Alert show up on my doorstep! I’ve been on such a Romance kick and this was one of my most anticipated reads of the fall!
Synopsis: “Marcus Caster-Rupp has a secret. The world may know him as Aeneas, star of the biggest show on television, but fanfiction readers call him something else: Book AeneasWouldNever. Marcus gets out his frustrations with the show through anonymous stories about the internet's favorite couple, Aeneas and Lavinia. But if anyone discovered his online persona, he'd be finished in Hollywood.
April Whittier has secrets of her own. A hardcore Lavinia fan, she's long hidden her fanfic and cosplay hobbies from her "real life"--but not anymore. When she dares to post her latest costume creation on Twitter, her plus-size take goes viral. And when Marcus asks her out to spite her internet critics, truth officially becomes stranger than fanfiction.
On their date, Marcus quickly realizes he wants more from April than a one-time publicity stunt. But when he discovers she's Unapologetic Lavinia Stan, his closest fandom friend, he has one more huge secret to keep from her.
With love and Marcus's career on the line, can the two of them stop hiding once and for all, or will a match made in fandom end up prematurely cancelled?” —From the publisher
What I Liked:
The Premise—I am a huge lover of fanfiction. I used to read it and write it religiously (sometimes I still do)! I found this book so fun and even if it wasn’t 100% believable, it still was a fun, fast read.
The Game of Thrones Comparisons—I was, and still am, a huge Game of Thrones fan and thought this was the fan fiction answer to a lot of our issues with the final season of the epic show.
The Plus Size Representation—As a mid to plus sized girl, I always appreciate seeing a woman of my size in the position of being desired. It’s not something we see a lot, especially in literature, and I thought April was a really fun character to step into. I also found her experiences with her parents and other relationships to be really relatable and true. So many people want to help, but the language used to express it can be really damaging to those of us who aren’t a size 2. It was also so great to see a dyslexic character in Marcus!
TW/CW: Fatphobia, mentions of disordered eating, strained parent/child relationships
Character Authenticity: 4/5 Steam Rating: 4/5 Overall Rating: 4.5/5