Hello everyone,
Today’s review is on Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade, which was my most favorite read of 2022. I loved it so much, that I’ve read it three times already. This review has two sections, my initial review when I read it in November 2022, and some additional thoughts from when I read it for a third time in January.
About the Book
After All the Feels and Spoiler Alert, Olivia Dade once again delivers a warm and wonderful romantic comedy about two co-stars who once had an incredible one-night stand–and after years of filming on the same remote island, are finally ready to yield to temptation again…
Maria’s one-night-stand–the thick-thighed, sexy Viking of a man she left without a word or a note–just reappeared. Apparently, Peter’s her surly Gods of the Gates co-star, and they’re about to spend the next six years filming on a desolate Irish island together. She still wants him…but he now wants nothing to do with her.
Peter knows this role could finally transform him from a forgettable character actor into a leading man. He also knows a failed relationship with Maria could poison the set, and he won’t sabotage his career for a woman who’s already walked away from him once. Given time, maybe they can be cooperative colleagues or friends–possibly even best friends–but not lovers again. No matter how much he aches for her.
For years, they don’t touch off-camera. But on their last night of filming, their mutual restraint finally shatters, and all their pent-up desire explodes into renewed passion. Too bad they still don’t have a future together, since Peter’s going back to Hollywood, while Maria’s returning to her native Sweden. She thinks she needs more than he can give her, but he’s determined to change her mind, and he’s spent the last six years waiting. Watching. Wanting.
My Thoughts
So this is going to be one long gush on why I loved Ship Wrecked! I should mention that my love it is such that I immediately re-read it after finishing it the first time. I’ve never done that before, at least not that I can remember. I loved it so much that the first time I took my time with it – I didn’t want it to end! – and the second time I read it in a span of 24-hours. I also went and ordered the first two companion books in the Spoiler Alert series – which I read early this year and loved, and I reread them as soon as I got them because I can’t get enough of Olivia Dade’s writing.
I can’t get enough of the fat representation in romance, especially as someone who is and was told for the longest time by some that romance would never be a possibility because of my body. This is a side tangent, and I’ll move back to my thoughts on the actual book. But I need to say that romance is possible! Every person is deserving of a love story (if that is what they want). Love isn’t always easy and it’s messy, but love is possible for those of us who are plus-sized, And I don’t say that glibly. I never thought I would find someone who accepts my body as is, not based on some unrealistic standard the world tells us it needs to be. And that is why books like Ship Wrecked are so important – yes, they’re romances that pack a punch, but they also let those of us who are on the plus-sized side that we are just of deserving of love; of steam , spicy romance; of passion. And I guess that is a huge reason why I love Ship Wrecked and other two books.
I think Ship Wrecked is my all-time favorite because instead of just a fat heroine, we also have a fat love interest, both of whom love each pother’s bodies and love other things about each other. I honestly love how comfortable both Maria and Peter are in their bodies, and in a lot of ways I aspire to have that. It is also refreshing to see on th3e page how their initial attraction to each other was their bodies. I could go on, but it was really neat. We need more romances where both leads are fat! Someone please make this happen.
I think where some might be turned off is on the second page where we are reading from Peter’s perspective and he mentioned them both being fat, however it isn’t in a negative way. It is in a sensual way – especially since it is in the middle of the spicy scene that the book opens up with. Fat doesn’t have to be a dirty word, when used in the right context it can be damn sexy to hear. But that could just be me and I might have issues.
Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that Maria has body hair (shocker) but it is so normalized – I love that, we need more of this in media! I also loved and appreciated the agency Maria has over her and body, and how Peter comes to respect that.
I also need to mention that I love how this is one-night-stand-lovers to enemies to colleagues to friends to lovers. Oh my gosh, I loved it so much! (If that wasn’t obvious).
Both characters were great and I loved the depth to both of their characters. On the one had you have Maria who experienced a lot of pain in her childhood, was left broken hearted and goes into relationships wanting all or nothing. Then there is Peter who has spent most of his life trying to prove himself to his father, as well as jilted by an ex-fiancée who left without a word. I liked how both characters work through their issues, as well as recognizing how it affects their relationship in the third act.
Again, I loved the spiciness, I’ll admit I wasn’t expecting the book to literally open with a bang, but it did and it didn’t disappoint. And the sexual tension between Peter and Maria felt intense, and the mutual pining . Yes, they have to work together on a remote island for 6 years where nothing really happens, except they become best friends who are deeply attracted to each other. And finally after 6 years (about 150 pages in) their feelings for each other bubble to the surface. it was worth the wait because I loved seeing the friendship between them blossom, but also how much they wanted each other. And I loved seeing their relationship take off from there and it didn’t disappoint.
I’ll admit that the third act conflict seemed a little silly, however after more thought it seems pretty realistic. It could happen. And I love dhow both of them realized their own mistakes that they made that to it.
As I mentioned before, I loved both characters, although Peter was a but of an ass near the beginning – although understandably so. I also loved that the book included text messages between Peter and Maria, and their costars, and snippets of fan fiction written about the two of them.
I think I’ve shared everything I wanted to say, expect that Olivia Dade hit it out of the park and I can’t wait to read what she puts out next. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to go spend sometime with my own thick-thighed Viking.
Further Thoughts After Third Re-read:
I loved re-reading Ship Wrecked. I had so many new thoughts about it, but my mind is a sieve.
Again, I loved the development of Maria and Peter’s relationship and how it grew over time. I definitely noticed more of the pining this time around, and I loved it. I also noticed more instances of Maria’s body being described and how sensual they were.
I loved Maria’s confidence, and how she takes a stand for what is right. I really liked seeing how as they both get to know each more, they grow to love each other. I also liked how between the tow characters we see a contrast of two somewhat different cultures, Swedish and American, how that impacts their relationship. I also liked how going to therapy and working on their mental health was mentioned and in some ways so normal. Taking care of one’s mental health needs to be more normalized!
My only gripe is that when they go to Madison, WI, Peter wants to take Maria to Culver’s to have cheese curds…okay, Culver’s is good, but Madison has some other non-chain places that have better cheese curds. Again, a very minor gripe, and I still love Culver’s.
In conclusion, I loved Ship Wrecked, and I love Olivia Dade’s work, and I need to read through her backlist. 5/5 Stars (but really all the stars…1000 stars).
Happy Reading,
Janelle L. C.
Meanderings of a BookWorm 