This book had been on my to-read list for awhile on Goodreads and when I put my name on the waiting list at the library a few weeks ago, I was happy to get the notification that it was time for me to check out the ebook. I was first drawn to the concept and idea of this book when I read the summary on Goodreads.

The summary of Spoiler Alert states, “Olivia Dade bursts onto the scene in this delightfully fun romantic comedy set in the world of fanfiction, in which a devoted fan goes on an unexpected date with her celebrity crush, who’s secretly posting fanfiction of his own.”

When I read this blurb a few months ago, I was of course drawn to the fanfiction idea and world in which many fans write their own versions of movies or books starring their favorite celebrities. The main character, April Whittier writes fanfiction about her favorite TV show, Gods of the Gates.

Geologist by day and author of very explicit fanfiction by night, the only people April talks about her favorite TV show with are other obsessed fans through their server and chat rooms. Little does she know, she’s been friends with one of the main characters and one of the hottest actors from Gods of the Gates for awhile now…and he writes fanfiction too.

The summary from Amazon goes on by introducing, Marcus Caster-Rupp, who also 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.”

When April shares her plus-size take of her Lavinia cosplay outfit on Twitter, the post goes viral. “And when Marcus asks her out to spite her internet critics, truth officially becomes stranger than fanfiction.”

After reading the summary, I thought that this book had everything I was looking for for a nice spring read. In the last few years, I’ve been drawn to books that incorporate social media and how it can hinder our outlook on ourselves and the relationships we have. I really liked the concept of this book and how the main characters used social media to talk to one another. If they hadn’t used it, there’s a large chance that they would’ve never met.

April was tired of hiding her love for Gods of the Gates so she posted her cosplay outfit and ends up being fat-shamed. She wanted to show something that she was passionate about, but it ended up hurting her feelings. It’s a catch twenty-two; you can share what you like on social media, but once it’s out there, everyone feels as if it’s okay to say whatever they want about what you post.

The characters are strong and likable, but I found that the book dragged a bit in the middle. I wanted to finish it because I liked the characters so much, but I found that I wasn’t as engaged as I had been in the beginning. But in the end, I really liked the message the book had: no matter what you look like, you can find love and the things about yourself that you think are flaws aren’t what others view as flaws. They are usually what other people love about you. It was a good message about love and acceptance and not caring what others say when they don’t have something nice to say.