 
 
From the publisher:
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.
Marcus Caster-Rupp has a secret. While the world knows him as Aeneas, the star of the biggest show on TV, Gods of the Gates, he’s known to fanfiction readers as Book!AeneasWouldNever, an anonymous and popular poster. Marcus is able to get out his own frustrations with his character through his stories, especially the ones that feature the internet’s favorite couple to ship, Aeneas and Lavinia. But if anyone ever found out about his online persona, he’d be fired. Immediately.
April Whittier has secrets of her own. A hardcore Lavinia fan, she’s hidden her fanfiction and cosplay hobby from her “real life” for years—but not anymore. When she decides to post her latest Lavinia creation on Twitter, her photo goes viral. Trolls and supporters alike are commenting on her plus-size take, but when Marcus, one half of her OTP, sees her pic and asks her out on a date to spite her critics, she realizes life is really stranger than fanfiction.
Even though their first date is a disaster, Marcus quickly realizes that he wants much more from April than a one-time publicity stunt. And when he discovers she’s actually Unapologetic Lavinia Stan, his closest fandom friend, he has one more huge secret to hide from her.
With love and Marcus’s career on the line, can the two of them stop hiding once and for all, or will a match made in fandom end up prematurely cancelled?
Review:
If you love fandom and dream of one day meeting your celebrity crush, this book is definitely up your alley.
April is a geologist by day but writes fanfiction by night for Gods of the Gates, a popular fantasy series based on a book series of the same name. Her fellow fanfic writer and online friend is none other than Marcus, one of the actors of the series. He becomes aware of her fanfic identity when he sees a picture of her cosplay online but chooses to keep his own identity a secret from her.
There is so much I love about this book – the positive plus-size rep, the unabashed passion April has for fanfiction that any of us who has indulged in fandom can recognize. She’s a fantastic, independent, talented woman who is confident and easy in her own skin and it is just such a refreshing depiction.
I was also excited to see the dyslexic rep in the person of Marcus, the gorgeous lead who doubles as fanfic writer about his own show (it sounds insanely cool, doesn’t it?). Marcus is easy to admire and these details provide complexity for his characterization.
I am a sucker for fanfiction and have been indulging in fandom for decades. The references to fandom in this novel are really little gifts to those of us who have ever been so committed to a story that they can’t help but consume everything about it and are even compelled to create art around it. April and Marcus are so lovely – there’s nothing better than a partner who shares your passions and doesn’t judge you for them. These two are relationship goals, and this novel is romance novel writing goals. Excellent read.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Where to buy: