3.5 ( )

Peter and Maria had a one night stand, and when Maria left the hotel room while Peter was sleeping, he expected to never see her again. Except then he did at his audition that afternoon, where they were both cast in the television series, Gods of the Gates, for roles that required the two of them to work only with each other and a small crew on a small Irish island. For years. For everyone's sake, they decided not to pursue a relationship but after 6 years, the show is ending. As Peter and Maria explore the idea of dating, they'll have to determine if they can overcome their past experiences to turn their outstanding chemistry into a real relationship.

The third book in the Spoiler Alert, again overlaps in timelines with the previous two books, although almost half of this novel takes place before the previous two books. Peter and Maria's relationship is supposed to be a slow burn and the book struggles a bit with the pacing of it. I feel like the structure of the book didn't quite do justice to Peter and Maria's relationship, but I'm not entirely sure what edits would make it better. That said, their relationship is lovely and it's wonderful to see Dade writing a romance where both leads are fat. It's also steamy as heck; I can't remember the last time I picked up a romance novel that opened on a sex scene. While Peter and Maria both have their own traumas, their miscommunication issues are realistic and watching them grow as people is really rewarding. Plus the book is full of excellent banter. While not the strongest of the three books set in this universe, I still recommend it, especially for the epilogue where every character has a bow put on their happy ending. ( )

I loved this so much!!! I laughed out loud through 5 scenes. Five! That's a new record for me. I could barely breathe through Peter's recitation of Swedish aggression I was laughing so hard. And as usual for an Olivia Dade novel, there's body positivity and tricky family dynamics that make it hard for the MCs to give themselves over to love but are handled so sensitively in-story. Characters communicate, even as they work through their own roadblocks.

I love the found family in an isolated shooting location. I continue to love the group chats and overall love between the Gods of the Gates cast. (Except for Ian. Fuck that guy.) I just love this world so much. Sadly, the epilogue hints that this is the end of the series and if it is, this is a lovely way to end it. It's a lovely story. ( )

I didn't dislike this book, but it wasn't one that I really liked either. The pacing was off, and I was not a fan of the 6-year time jump, where we only got flashbacks of what happened to develop the romantic feelings between the main characters. Also, I find it super-frustrating when characters never communicate openly about the things that are most important to them: so much angst could be avoided when there aren't misunderstandings based off of lack of communication and clarification. (I suppose that would make for a much shorter book though.) This series has been pretty hit or miss for me... I don't know whether or not to hope for another book or be satisfied with this book as a conclusion. ( )

The follows on from Spoiler Alert and All the Feels, and focuses on two different cast members from a long-running TV series, Gods of the Gates, who spend years filming together on a small island.

I enjoyed the fandom references, the appearances from familiar characters and the way Dade uses her fictional TV series to make pointed commentary about Game of Thrones (which I have never watched but I’ve spent enough time on the internet to be familiar with the criticism of). I also enjoyed the moments when Peter and Maria support each other.

She intended to treat him the same way she’d treated the stray moose who’d accidentally wandered through the garden of her family’s summer home. In other words: with great caution. Because moose might be gorgeous and majestic, but they were also wild creatures. Unpredictable, sometimes cranky, huge, strong as fuck, and liable to lash out whenvever anyone got too close.
That said, if he called her Pippi again, she would be forced to beat him over the head with a jar of pickled herring in an act of extremely Swedish revenge. ( )