Queen B’s Decree: As a not-so-secret lover of fan fiction, I knew Spoiler Alert was going to be the book for me.
Marcus was an interesting character; how he hides his intelligence and portrays this dimwitted “pretty face” persona. As an actor on a hit show (very GoT-esque) he airs his grievances online on a fandom server, writing fan fiction under a fake name. There he meets another fan fiction writer, who soon becomes one of his best friends.
When a plus size fan of the show releases a cosplay photo on Twitter, Marcus gentlemanly steps in and offers a date. And in Rom-Com-y fashion, his date turns out to be April…his bff fan fiction writer. But he doesn’t tell her about his involvement.
And thus my greatest anxiety about this book. S.E.C.R.E.T.S.
April and Marcus end up developing a real connection, as Marcus slowly lowers his walls and begins to open up emotionally. We discover that both April and Marcus have some real awful parents, to be frank. April’s parents harshly judging her size, and Marcus’s parents dismissing his intelligence and ignoring his real learning disability.
Then SECRETS REVEALED and angst ensues. It felt over the top, April’s reaction to the secret, and I wish that the characters could have communicated better. I also didn’t totally love the chapter layout with the alternating fan fiction chapters, or movie scenes – it felt unnecessary and not integral to the story.
The side characters were wonderful, and I hope to see more of them (Alex – looking at you!). Overall a cute story with some surprising depth.
Book: Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
Series: standalone
Genre: Contemporary
Hotness: medium salsa
Plot Devices/Tropes: secrets