Markus 🌱 reviewed All the Feels by Olivia Dade
Teit og gøy
Teit og gøy romcom. Har vore fin underhaldning på tog og kveldstid på ferie.
Paperback, 416 pages
Published Oct. 26, 2021 by Avon.
4 stars
(4 reviews)
Bryan Redeagle reviewed All the Feels by Olivia Dade
Fun, lovely characters, but the conflict could have been better done.
4 stars
Content warning Mention of a key plot point later in the book
This was a pretty fun read. It was apparently a spin off of another book, but I didn't know that going in and it didn't detract from the story at all.
I really like how Lauren and Alex interacted with each other. They take an initial antagonistic position, but that later (over the course of months) turn into a playful banter. Their conversations were fun to read, and the intimate moments were both graphic and hot. Alex is a way over the top personality, and Lauren is a little more serious, but not cold and heartless. A couple of Alex's "playful jokes" don't land very well. Namely, he describes Lauren (who is short and fat) as a bird (that he somehow explains away as a compliment), and talks a lot about her height (she's 4'11"). Some of the height jokes were, in fact, funny, and they would have felt a little more playful if Alex waited until they were more friendly with each other when he started them.
I loved the message about advocating for yourself, and Alex being supportive of that was good to see. I do have one criticism (which knocked off the star). Lauren makes a choice later in the book that leads to a classic romance misunderstanding, but that choice felt wrong for her character. It had an adverse affect on Alex due to his past trauma, and her, a licensed therapist, I don't think would have made that mistake (even with the situation being personal like it was). If she were any other character, I would have brushed it off as regular people ignorance.
enne📚 reviewed All the Feels by Olivia Dade
All the Feels
4 stars
I enjoyed this followup book to Spoiler Alert featuring some of the side characters as main characters. They're VERY different people than Marcus and April, with Alex being a giant ball of energy (and overly excited about fanfic tropes) and Lauren having some delightful quiet snark. I continue to enjoy how much all of the characters in these books are their own individuals with their own personal growth; even if this is a romance book and so it's necessarily about two folks coming together, they still continue to have their own independent needs and lives.
I think this could just be a me thing, but I think one offputting thing to me is the way that Alex is a continual insult train about Lauren's height. Given how much Lauren puts up with other people making comments about her appearance (and given that her biggest obstacle is learning to value and …
I enjoyed this followup book to Spoiler Alert featuring some of the side characters as main characters. They're VERY different people than Marcus and April, with Alex being a giant ball of energy (and overly excited about fanfic tropes) and Lauren having some delightful quiet snark. I continue to enjoy how much all of the characters in these books are their own individuals with their own personal growth; even if this is a romance book and so it's necessarily about two folks coming together, they still continue to have their own independent needs and lives.
I think this could just be a me thing, but I think one offputting thing to me is the way that Alex is a continual insult train about Lauren's height. Given how much Lauren puts up with other people making comments about her appearance (and given that her biggest obstacle is learning to value and stand up for herself), this really struck me as a weird interaction. I know that constant teasing is a way that some folks interact with each other, but this felt too insult-y for my own comfort.
If anything, I am glad to have read this book for the idea of BIG HARPY ENERGY. I certainly can use the reminder to take up more space, value myself, and care less about what other people think of me.
