Three Stars
This book was… fine. I wish I had more to say about it. Olivia Dade is undoubtedly an excellent writer, but I just haven’t found the right book in her backlist to click with me. ALL THE FEELS is a Hollywood romance featuring a misbehaving actor and the woman hired by the studio to watch over him.
Let me preface this by saying I thought the ADHD representation was one of the best I have ever read. Both my younger brothers have ADHD, so the fact that Alex, the hero, also has ADHD and read exactly like my middle brother was… off-putting. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought the author actually knew my brother – the constant negging for attention, the need for physical activity, the impulsiveness in actions and words, and the sensitivity were all Alex’s main traits, and are all just like my brother. So, this book might have been an “it’s not you, it’s me” problem. Don’t get me wrong, I love my brother, and I actually really liked that Alex embodied some of his best and worst characteristics; I just couldn’t see Alex as a romantic lead because of the close comparisons.
I love a body-positive book, and I liked that Lauren wasn’t ashamed of her body and real-life challenges like finding dresses on short notice and the discomfort of airplane travel were discussed; I just didn’t like Lauren all that much. She was so mild compared to Alex’s over-the-top personality – and I think that would fit in a real-life relationship; I just wanted more from her. I also didn’t love the focus on how “unattractive” Lauren is. I’ve read other books with not conventionally attractive main characters that don’t rub me the wrong way. There was just something about the wording and constant, annoying attention on her face and body that I didn’t like in this romance novel.
Now, this makes it sound like I didn’t like the book. I did! Mainly in the second half of the book, when Alex and Lauren are really exploring their romantic connection, I thought that was fun. I loved the road trip and their many hijinks/misadventures together. The whole Hollywood/the hero having lots of money made for an interesting layer in their relationship. The book was an entertaining way to spend a few hours despite my hang-ups with the main characters.
Overall, I thought this book was okay. Nothing earth-shattering, but teetering on the edge of being really good. I will keep Olivia Dade on my TBR because I just know one of her books will knock my socks off – it just wasn’t this book.
**I received a free copy of this book in order to provide an honest review**
Romance Reader 