All the Feels is my first book from Olivia Dade even though I’ve wanted to read Spoiler Alert since it came out. You can definitely read this companion novel without reading the first – I did! But now it’s convinced me to up Spoiler Alert to the top of my TBR! Keep reading this book review to read my full thoughts.
Summary
Alexander Woodroe has it all. Charm. Sex appeal. Wealth. Fame. A starring role as Cupid on TV’s biggest show, God of the Gates. But the showrunners have wrecked his character, he’s dogged by old demons, and his post-show future remains uncertain. When all that reckless emotion explodes into a bar fight, the tabloids and public agree: his star is falling.
Enter Lauren Clegg, the former ER therapist hired to keep him in line. Compared to her previous work, watching over handsome but impulsive Alex shouldn’t be especially difficult. But the more time they spend together, the harder it gets to keep her professional remove and her heart intact, especially when she discovers the reasons behind his recklessness…not to mention his Cupid fanfiction habit.
When another scandal lands Alex in major hot water and costs Lauren her job, she’ll have to choose between protecting him and offering him what he really wants—her. But he’s determined to keep his improbably short, impossibly stubborn, and extremely endearing minder in his life any way he can. And on a road trip up the California coast together, he intends to show her exactly what a falling star will do to catch the woman he loves: anything at all.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
TW: fatphobia, mentions of domestic abuse
All the Feels is perfect for fans of characters who have been taught not to value their feelings and for arrogant and charismatic softies. Don’t get me wrong, at the beginning I could not get on board with Alex and his almost too charismatic bordering on annoying personality. But I quickly fell in love with the front he puts on for the world, while hiding his soft heart. Once Dade really introduces us to Alex and Lauren it’s hard not to fall in love.
Because on the surface while they seem so different – including in height! – there’s these traits they share. Like their tendencies to forget themselves, to throw their hearts and souls so thoroughly into something, how they can allow themselves to be treated because they don’t see their worth, and their deep caring for the ones they love. So while I may have been unsure at the start, by the middle I was thoroughly smitten.
Because as soon as it clicked, as I saw Alex’s protective nature, and Lauren’s own emotional baggage, I fell fast. I loved all the details of Dade’s characters. The ways that Alex discovers fanfiction and Lauren’s passion for helping people. I think that the way that Lauren discounts her personal worth struck a chord within me. How she has to find someone who puts herself first, but, first, has to realize she’s worthy of being first. Woah. Some other elements I loved was the ADHD representation in Alex’s character and the way that Lauren and Alex both navigate the fatphobia against her.
Overall,
How it’s not about finding a white knight who will fight our battles for us, but about someone who’s supportive enough to back us up. To convince us we’re worthy of fighting. I’m even more in love with Dade’s characters and writing. So I’m sure if you’ve read, and loved, Spoiler Alert to read All the Feels is an easy choice. And if, you were like me and hadn’t read any of Dade’s books before, this one is for those who love characters hiding soft hearts and needing to take a leap.
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Find All the Feels on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.