“Your value doesn’t lie in how productive you are. Your value lies in who you are.”

My worst reader habit is being excited for a new release, pre-ordering and then waiting for the perfect time to read it. Unfortunately, this was the case for At First Spite by Olivia Dade. I am kicking myself for not reading this sooner because I adored Matthew and Athena.

This book follows Athena as she struggles to navigate life after her engagement ends in Harlot’s Bay, a small coastal town in Maryland. As a wedding present, she buys the “spite house” which is an extremely narrow row home with a quirky backstory. Despite her failed engagement, Athena relocates to live in the small home after having quit her job and emptied her savings in preparation for married life.

After the beginning, I didn’t know if Matthew would be able to redeem himself for aiding in the end of his younger brother’s engagement with Athena. But Matthew said, hold my cup. What a MAN! The sheer pining and longing of this man for Athena. He worships her. I don’t want to spoil all the ways he does because it had me smiling ear to ear while reading. He is down bad and quietly taking care of her however he can without wanting any recognition.

The spice also deserves a moment because !!!! A virgin hero and dirty talking FMC is going to be my new obsession because it was just that good.

Please check trigger warnings if you are sensitive to seeing on page depression and loss of a child in the past. Dade handles these topics with the utmost care. I think the depression representation was handled beautifully and how Matthew steps up as a friend and partner is just lovely.

At First Spite reminds me of all the reasons Olivia Dade is one of my favorite storytellers. Every character she writes is lush; so fully developed, endearing but also flawed. As with all her stories, this one included plus size rep. And I love how it isn’t even part of the story line because she just is who she is.

I also thought it was great that we have a 36-year-old FMC who is still trying to figure out her dream job. Not everyone figures out where they fit best early on in life, and I think it was a good reminder. Matthew thinks Athena is flaky at first for her job hoping but as he (and the reader) gains more insight into Athena’s heart, we learn that she constantly needs to be challenged and struggles to find roles where her empathy isn’t taken advantage of.

Lastly, the set up for the next story has me so excited for book 2; Second Chance Romance, the second book in the Harlot’s Bay series, is coming out November 25th. I can’t wait to read about the grumpy baker who listens to his ex-narrate monster erotica to feel close to her. There is so much potential, and with Dade’s talent, we are in good hands.

Tropes & Things
•Coastal small-town Maryland
•Ex-fiancés serious brother X bubbly romance reader
•Dirty talking FMC X Virgin hero
•Grumpy sunshine
•Dual POV
•Hurt/ comfort
•Found family
•The Nasty Wenches book club, which exclusively read erotic romance
•Depictions of depression

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book! The title and this beautiful cover drew me in and i was excited to read this book! I will be recommending this book to others for readers advisory.

I enjoyed this book! An enemies to lovers. Ex fiancés older brother. The steam was good. A female main character who is plus size. I did think maybe the chemistry between the two could have been a little better. The depression representation was very well done. Overall a very solid book.
Thank you NetGalley for an arc

olivia always writes such charming novels, and this was no exception! the connections and close proximity were excellent

I love Olivia Dade's books, and this one is no different! She effortlessly weaves together heartfelt stories, humor, and important topics to make a book that feels like a gut punch and a warm hug.

Dade's fat-positive romances are some of my favorites—romantic, swoony, spicy, and heartfelt, I always leave satisfied. This one was another hit!

I like Dade and this book was no exception, I didn't know how it would go with a former finacee being the brother of the male lead but as usual Dade did a good job

The way this book just made me so happy??? Olivia Dade is one of my favorites when it comes to contemporary romance but she truly hit it out of the ballpark with this one! The relationship and build up of romance between Athena and Matthew was perfection! Just the perfect amount of enemies to friends to lovers which was swoon worthy from the beginning to the very last page! The way he took care of Athena during her depressive episode made my heart clench with such sweetness and longing! Looking forward to the next installment in the Harlot's Bay series!

I absolutely loved this book. The way the character development continued to evolve throughout the story was perfect! Once I started reading this book I literally could not put it down (I tried i really did). I can't wait till I can read more from this author

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Digital Advanced Readers Copy, I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Rating: 4.25/5
Steam: 3/5

Thank you Avon for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was an absolute delight—soft, heartfelt, and beautifully written. Olivia Dade really knows how to create a story that feels so real, full of depth and care. Matthew Vine the Third is one of those MMCs that we all need more of—he’s kind, gentle, and full of love, all while being charmingly starchy. His character brought such warmth to the story, and the way he and Athena truly understood and took care of one another made their relationship feel so authentic.

One of the highlights for me was the honest portrayal of depression. Dade weaved this theme in with such care, presenting it in a way that felt both raw and real, without overshadowing the love story at its core. It wasn’t just an add-on to Athena’s character, it was part of her, and I appreciated how it was handled with compassion and nuance.

I also loved that we had plus-size representation without it being the entire focus of the story. Athena’s strength and her character evolution were wonderful to watch unfold. She’s fierce yet vulnerable, and it’s clear that she and Matthew are absolutely gone for each other. Their chemistry leapt off the page, and the steam was perfectly balanced—not overdone, but enough to add that extra layer of connection between them.

Olivia Dade’s way with words and storytelling always impresses me. Her ability to craft such tender, emotionally honest stories is something I adore, and this book was no exception. I’m so glad I waited until I was in a better place with my own mental health to read it. It allowed me to truly appreciate the depth and beauty of the characters and their journey together.

If you’re looking for a romance that’s equal parts soft, steamy, and full of heart, this is one you won’t want to miss.

I was able to read an ebook arc of this thanks to NetGalley. A fun romance. Great read. Would read more by this author.

I'm a big fan of Olivia Dade. I've loved everything I've ever read from her. This book was very very slow to start for me but once it got going it was so good. I laughed so much at all of the pranks Athena played on Matthew, Especially playing smutty audio books at top volume. The mental health representation was very well done. I could most definitely sympathize with Athena and the way she felt and how depression can make you feel.
The romance in this was beautiful and you definitely feel that the characters are meant to be. These were two people that needed each other.

If you like any of the following this is definitely for you.
-Pining
-slow burn
-banter
-falling for your Ex's brother
- mental health rep
- plus size rep


Once the spice hit and the emotion wheew it was amazing. I can't wait to read more.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Unfortunately i made the decision to DNF this book after multiple failed attempts to consume. I hope to pick it up again at a later time.

Olivia crushed it with this one. I fell in love with her writing when I read spoiler alert and thought nothing could top that first high of her writing. I was wrong. This is everything. I love the way she took on mental health and showed how a relationship can be healthy and normalized it. 10/10. Absolutely in love with Olivia's writing once again

This one falls somewhere between 4 and 4.5 stars. I really enjoyed the story once it got going, and i knew from their first meeting that there was a spark between Athena and Matthew. The little quirks and habits Athena had were so endearing and relatable that I enjoyed reading it so much.

I also loved how the topic of mental health was approached, and we saw what a great caretaker Matthew was to Athena during her time of need and how he was reciprocated. I got a bit of an icky feeling with her ex-fiance's brother being the love interest, but it was well-developed enough to work.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and only brought it down in rating due to the length and a bit of a pacing issue I had with it at the beginning.

Thank y0u to netgalley and Avon for an eARC of this book.

Thank you to Avon Books for the review copy!

I absolutely loved At First Spite, by Olivia Dade.

I found Athena to be an extremely relatable character with how quickly she became bored and needed a new challenge, combined with being very independent. Some readers may have difficulty with the premise - Athena starts out engaged to one brother, who dumps her, but not before she buys the house next door to him. Although they are no longer together, Athena craves a new adventure, and moves in anyway to spite her ex. What she didn’t realize is that her ex-fiance's brother, Matthew, who convinced him to break up with her, lives next door on the other side.

Matthew’s POV was really the star of the show for me. He was down BAD for Athena. I completely understood how guilty he felt about being so into his younger brother’s fiance, and all the little things he did to try and help Athena were so swoony.

I felt really bad that I was able to read my ARC by pub day, but some of the content was a bit darker than I could handle at the time. I swear, all of my favorite rom-com romance authors decided that this was THE YEAR to write about characters deeply and realistically affected by childhood trauma. On top of that, Athena struggled with depression in a deeply realistic way. Definitely consider the TWs and take care of your mental health while reading this one! Feel free to reach out if you need any details/spoilers.

🎧Joy Nash is one of my favorite narrators. She did many of the Winston Brothers books, and always creates dynamic characters and a really engaging audiobook to listen to! At First Sight was easy to follow by audiobook.

At First Spite is the first book by Olivia Dade I have read. I really enjoyed it, I was laughing with the characters and crying with the characters. I will definitely want to read more books by this author specifically in this story line.

I adored At First Spite and its realistic representation of depression and how you can support a loved one who is depressed. At no point in this novel, does anyone fault Athena, one of the protagonists, for being depressed which is a super important aspect of representation. This was the first romance I have read from Dade and it will not be my last. I can’t wait to read the upcoming sequel to this title as I fell in love with both the characters and the town they live in!