I DNF’d this book after just a couple of chapters. Which I hated to do because I love Olivia Dade’s other books. I didn’t like the MCs and the story was a little too far fetched.

Olivia Dade has never failed me and I’m adding her latest, At First Spite, to my list of 5 star books she’s written.

At First Spite is a snort-out-loud, enemies to lovers romcom. It had me grinning from the first chapter! I started this one on a recent trip and picked it up every time I had a few minutes to read.

Dade writes the most beautifully inclusive novels and this one is no different. I loved the mental health rep and the way the main character’s obstacles were so compassionately written.

In spite of (ha!) the emotional and hard scenes that appear throughout Dade’s books, I’ve never thought of them as sad. They’re funny and quirky and I always finish the book with a smile on my face.

If you’ve read Dade’s books before, this is sure to be a win. If you haven’t, this one is a great one to start with!

Perhaps I'm biased because I got to read a very early version of this book at the author's request back in 2022 but this book is exceptional. Athena is beautifully captured in all her complexities, the scenes where she is struggling with her depression are heartbreakingly accurate, her pain is visceral and at times, you just want to jump into the page and give her the softest and gentlest of hugs and make her a sandwich.

Matthew, er, Dr. Matthew Vine the third, is the best of all men, just not great at explaining himself. He holds back, has a very painful backstory dealing with grief and loss, that has colored all of the choices he has made in his life, and is irrevocably in love with Athena. The scene where he....well, for the sake of spoilers, I'll zip it but just say, the scene in which he shows up for Athena in a big way, will live rent free in my head always.

But in the midst of the depression and grief, there is so much love and warmth and humor in this book. Matthew being a true luddite and not understanding memes or Reddit or being Rickrolled will forever make me laugh.

It is a true masterpiece, deftly balancing great humor with moments of severe depression and memories of grief and loss with love and tenderness and nurturing. I adore a nurturing hero and it is easy to label Matthew as one - he is truly one of the most nurturing heroes I've ever read in a romance. But let's not forget Athena, who is a caretaker in her own way and loves and protects Matthew like no one else has ever done. These two are perfect for each other and I'm so glad this book exists so that I could meet them.

Content notes: depression, grief, loss of young brother off page in the past

ARC courtesy of publisher, opinions are all mine

Olivia Dade's "At First Spite" is a funny, romantic comedy style novel set in fictional Harlot's Bay, Maryland. The book is hilarious, romantic, and so well written. The characters contain multitudes and even secondary characters read like three-dimensional people.

Contains diverse representation include, body types, race, and LGBTQIA+ representaiton.

If you're fan of tropes like he falls first and enemies to lovers, you'll love this book.

At First Spite follows enemies turned lovers Athena and Matthew. Athena and Matthew originally meet at Athena's engagement party to Johnny, Matthew's brother. Johnny has always dreamed of purchasing the "spite house" next door, and Athena decides to buy it as an early wedding present for him. However, things turn awry when Johnny breaks off his engagement to Athena based on his brother Matthew's advice. Athena now has a house she must move into to support herself financially, and it is right across the street from both her former ex-fiancee and her nemesis, his brother.

Unfortunately, At First Spite was a huge disappointment for me. I was a huge fan of Spoiler Alert and really enjoyed the second book in the series, All the Feels. However, the last two books that I have read by Dade (Ship Wrecked & All the Feels) have been huge disappointments, and I'm not sure if I will be picking up more of her work in the future.

At First Spite has quite a few downfalls: it is far too long, attempts to tackle too many topics, and is all over the place tonally. The first fourth of the book had me hooked, and I was prepared to love this book. I really enjoyed Matthew's character and his caring nature, and I also appreciated the depiction of depression in Athena's character. However, the book just felt like it dragged on far too long. There were so many shifts in tone that was extremely jarring to the reader. I also felt uncomfortable with the idea with Athena shifting to date her ex-fiancee's brother. This is advertised in the book so I tried to withhold any opinions until seeing the execution of it, however I felt that the situation was resolved far too easily and unrealistically.

Spoilers:

At First Spite, the first book in Olivia Dade’s new Harlot’s Bay series, is set in a small, coastal Maryland town named for a lesbian couple who fled their oppressive homes and settled there in the 1690s. Over the centuries, it has become a haven for misfits. So, it’s no surprise that Dade features a lesbian couple who are friends and colleagues of the protagonists, a gruff baker with a soft center, an overwhelmed and out of his depth bookshop owner, and two people who, despite their respective traumas, find in each other a kindred spirit.

As the story opens, we find Athena Greydon at her engagement party to Johnny Vine who asked her to marry him just two months after their first meeting before they even got to know each other well. He’s promised her that, when she moves to Harlot’s Bay, she won’t have to find a new job because he’ll take care of her (promises that he’ll depend on his older brother Matthew’s generosity to keep). Feeling burned out after four years as a high school social studies teacher, her acceptance of his proposal may be due more to the promise of the comfort and shelter she seeks than any true love she may have for him. This is very evident to his older brother who makes it his mission to end the engagement, viewing Athena as too irresponsible and immature to be someone’s wife. After meeting her face-to-face for the first time at the party and forming an instant attraction before he even knows her name, it’s likely that his resistance to the engagement is no longer purely altruistic.

When Johnny heeds Matthew’s advice and calls off the engagement, Athena has already quit her job and sold her condo. So, she has no choice but to move into The Spite House, a 10’ wide townhouse built between the two brothers’ larger homes which she bought as a wedding present for Johnny, using up most of her savings. Little does she know that Matthew will be her next-door neighbor. Despite a series of harmless, petty pranks she plays against him, they slowly get to know each other (while Johnny is away on an extended solo honeymoon) and learn that they both suffered from misconceptions about each other’s lives and intentions. That’s why it was relatively easy for both Matthew and Athena to forgive each other, share their innermost thoughts, and offer emotional (and, in his case, financial) support while navigating their separate traumas. Given what caring and decent people they both are and the fact that she didn’t really know Johnny well, the cringe factor of a guy going after his younger brother’s ex-fiancée is muted.

Athena has two Masters’ degrees and dropped out of a PhD program before finishing, yet she finds herself at age 37 with no job, a spotty employment history, and a bad case of burnout and depression, unable to see herself and her career path as anything other than dismal failures. It takes Matthew, the uptight, grumpy pediatrician, to help her see that her depression is painting a false picture. He not only supports her in her darkest moments, but also shows her the way friends and loved ones view her. He offers a different perspective which carries more weight because she thought he hated her. Everyone deserves a Matthew in their life, someone who acknowledges your flaws, but loves you in spite of them. He’s definitely an A+ book boyfriend.

Athena’s story will resonate with readers who have suffered from depression and struggled to find a vocation that they are passionate about and can excel in. My one criticism is that she seems neurodivergent-coded (as does Matthew), so although his well-meaning justifications for her spotty job history may be accurate, they’re incomplete without acknowledging how her neurodivergency impacts her relationships and employment.

Of course, Matthew is also dealing with the trauma of his baby brother’s death when he was only 8 years old. After the tragedy, his parents’ relationship fell apart, and he was thrust into the paternal role of taking care of Johnny. As a result, he’s always sacrificed his own wants and needs by being caretaker for his brother and others in his life. One of the most beautiful parts of the story is when Athena reciprocates by helping Matthew navigate his own grief and path forward.

The only other criticism I have is the bizarre, erotic bestiality books featured throughout that make little sense and prove more of a distraction than a humorous element which, combined with a messy (albeit revelatory) first sex scene between Matthew and Athena, stifle any sense of passion. I just found them both cringey. Book 2 is set to feature Karl, the afore-mentioned angry baker, and the author of these books. Not sure I’m going to want to revisit the trope at any length.

Overall, though, this is one of Dade’s best books, so I highly recommend it.

While I did enjoy this one more than my first read from Olivia Dade, I didn’t love this one. I’m not against reading other titles from her in the future and giving her another chance but I just don’t think her writing so far is for me. I struggle getting into the plot and characters and it’s just alright for me.

This was my first book by Olivia Dade and it is the first book in the Harlots Bay series.

Synopsis:
After a whirlwind romance between Johnny Vine and Athena Greydon, Johnny leaves Athena high and dry days before their wedding. His brother and bestfriend, Matthew Vine, convinced him that Athena was not the girl for him, just in time for Johnny to take the one month vacation to Hawaii alone.

Unfortunately for Athena, she had already bought the townhouse connected to Johnny in hopes to tear down the walls and make it a bigger one. Even more disappointing, when Athena is moving in she discovers that Matthew, the devil himself, is also her new neighbor. Athen quit her teaching job to make the move to Harlots bay, and now has to do odd end jobs in order to stay afloat. Not only are her circumstances dire, but her mental health has plummeted even more.

Matthew can’t help but feel partly responsible, so he tries to help whenever Athena will let him. His close proximity to Athena starts to make him change his tune about her and his feelings become way more than he was expecting.

Review
There were so many fun references throughout this book from Mean Girls to The Lord of the Rings. One of my favorite parts about this book was the mental health rep. Olivia gave a very real and honest portrayal of what depression is like. Another thing I loved was how the MFC was plus size, but the focus was never on that. The ending was also adorable.

The brothers' situation felt slightly weird. I do not think that Matthew should have pursued Athena given the circumstances, OR that there should have been other reasons that Matthew tried to get Johnny to break up with her.

Will post review at the end of January to GR and Instagram.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Spice: 2/5
Plot: 4/5
Romance: 4/5

If you are looking for a contemporary romance that handles the heavy stuff with care, grace and a little humor, you definitely want to check this one out!

Things I loved:
*Mental health rep. It was done wonderfully. I related and laughed and cried and grieved over so much of Athena’s journey. It was fantastically done.
*The town was so amazing - I wish it actually existed so I could visit. Everything about it, from the bookstore to the bakery to the residents made me fall in love.
*The love interest is so unique - we get a timid, caring man who really stood out and also was amazing to read. He was so rich as a person that he felt real.

Things I liked:
*The secondary characters - I am so so so glad we get more in the Harlots Bay series. I can’t wait to see who the next book is about.
*The diversity in the town and how each person was so unique and well thought out. I want to go to a Nasty Wenches book club meeting!
*The way everyone in this town loves monster romance is hilarious.

Things:
*Whew, some parts of this book were heavy. Like, heavy heavy. But hey - life is heavy and messy and not perfect. It represented that beautifully.

Definitely pick this one up if you love a well balanced, spicy, heart-felt contemporary romance!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing the ARC for this book

This dual POV romance had me feeling the full range of all of my emotions. As always this author brings you a feel good romance with moments of joy and laughter. What I loved most however was they way she brought so many hard moments real moments that tied me to the characters and made them real to me. They were not just going through fun funny moments to find each other. They found clarity in the problems that they had within themselves individually and found that they could see themselves clearly when they let the other person see them for who they are. There is something so profound in being recognized at your lowest and finding your way to yourself and letting others find you. All difficult topics are handled with care and dignity and the book still has all the elements of laughter and spice that balance out the heavy. I HIGHLY recommend this joyous journey and will be excited to reread it again, if only for spicy audiobooks she plays for the neighborhood.

AT FIRST SPITE is a new series by Olivia Dade, so I was incredibly excited to be able to read this book! This book was a fun easy read with great representation for mental health and body positivity, but I found the relationship between the FMC and the MMC to be a bit weird and the spicy scenes did feel a bit forced and awkward.

The best parts of the novel were how accessible this book is for so many different readers who enjoy a variety of romance tropes. I flew through this book because the plot of a woman who was broken up with my her fiancé and now has to live next door to him AND the brother that helped break up her relationship was fun. The revenge that the FMC, Athena, seeks is fun and petty and totally justified. It made the story fun and an easy read. And, in typical Olivia Dade fashion, there is real, honest discussions about mental health and body acceptance, which I think added depth to the story.

Some reviews said that the pacing of the book was too slow. I disagree. In order for Athena and the MMC, Matthew, to be together, they had to deal with the fact that Matthew is partly responsible for the difficulties Athena is facing in the book. For them to get on the same page, there needed to be time for angst.

My issue is that some of the banter and spicy scenes were weird and forced. Because Athena knows a bit of everything, a whole bunch of obscure references get mixed into their conversations that Matthew doesn’t know. It made some of their conversations stilted and for me, as a reader, I found it hard to follow their conversations some time. Also, the spicy scenes were somewhat awkward in places with technical names being used. It felt forced.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and think it’s worth the read! If you’ve liked other Olivia Dade books, this one should be right up your alley!

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Athena is engaged to Johnny and she quits her job to move to Harlot's Bay. Johnny's interfering brother encourages him to break off his relationship. They are surprised to learn that she is moving into the small house that is in between the brother's houses. Matthew realizes all that Athena gave up, to relocate. He feels guilty and does little things to make her life easier. She does these hilarious things to make his structured life more chaotic.
Athena goes through highs and lows throughout this book and with the help of Matthew and her new friends, she learns a lot about herself. This book was very easy to read and I loved the personality of Athena. I am anxiously waiting for the next book in the series. I will be reading more by Olivia Dade and will recommend we purchase this book for my library.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for allowing me read this as an arc!

Thank you to Avon and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to get my hands on this book, because I loved the Spoiler Alert series by Olivia Dade. Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. I thought the setup and plot was unique, but the execution just fell short in my opinion. I honestly felt like by the end of the book I wasn’t rooting for any of the characters because they were all just awful people. Johnny should have never broken up with his girlfriend because of pressure from his brother. Matthew should have never continually flirted and perused his brother’s ex after they broke up. Athena should have never entertained any sort of entanglement with her ex’s brother after the broken engagement. I somewhat understand where Matthew’s resentment of Athena and his continued lack of support for her and Johnny’s engagement was coming from, but I honestly think it made him a bad person (especially when he then wanted to act like a savior and that Johnny was this awful person for doing exactly what he told him to do). Johnny was definitely immature, but does that mean he deserves his brother to go after the girl he was ENGAGED to and only broke up with after being told over and I’ve regain how awful she was? Like I honestly can’t move past this point. Then everyone acted like Johnny was overreacting for being upset when he found out his only family was lying to him. I just really couldn’t get behind the love/romance in this book. As always, I think Olivia Dade writes some of the best communication in romance books and the best conflict scenes. Both her MCs always reflect on their actions and take ownership for their part in conflicts and I love that. The plus size rep and depression rep was portrayed and handled really well. Just overall wasn’t for me, but I know a ton of friends have read and liked this!

It’s not you, it’s me!
The book was written well, the plot and set up on point, but I think I’m just a mood reader and this one didn’t click for me. And that’s okay! I’ll absolutely be giving other books by this author a shot. I know lots of people this book WILL appeal to, and definitely encourage people to give it a try. However, I won’t be posting a review on goodreads until much later as I don’t want to affect any overall ratings early in the book’s release.

5 stars, 10 stars, all the stars! Per usual, I am laying on the floor in a puddle of my own restorative tears after reading yet another act of radical self-love and self-discovery by Olivia Dade. I’m a wreck in all the best ways. As usual, depictions of mental illness and living in a fat body are so tenderly written and lovingly treated on page and I just…it’s best book of 2024 quality.

I truly hate writing negative reviews, especially when they're for books by authors I have loved before and wanted to love again. This book just did not mesh with me unfortunately. I love Olivia Dade, and I loved her Spoiler Alert series. I also really love and admire the representation that she gives to fat women showing them as sexy and somebody to be desired, not just the comedic relief friend like we so often see in media.
I want to start this with the parts I did like. The depression and anxiety representation felt so real, and as somebody who has struggled with both of these for the majority of her life now, it was nice to see so well done in the book. I can tell Olivia Dade put a lot of thought and care into those moments of the book.
The overarching thing I did not like about this book was how cringy it was, for me at least. I expect some cringy one-liners in romance books, it's par for the course. But there were some lines, especially during the sex scenes, made me contemplate a dnf.
Another small thing is that the male main character just seemed kind of obtuse when he didn't need to be. Like being oblivious to pop culture references is fair, especially internet memes when you're not on the internet. But he is a pediatrician, works with kids all day every day, actively looks at the childrens section in book stores, and didn't know who Where's Waldo was? I'm not buying it. I feel like not knowing some references is charming, kinda cute in a way. But he didn't know a single thing people talked about including every day things that there is just no way to avoid knowing even if you aren't chronically online.

∞ stars

Tropes:
💌Forced proximity,
💌enemies to lovers
💌Ex-fiancé's brother
💌He falls first AND he falls harder?

✍️Things to notes: some heavy topics are discussed such as depression and infant death

💭Thoughts:
I'll be honest, this was my very first Olivia Dade book. I thought the cover was cute and the premise sounded good so I requested it on NetGalley not expecting much.

When I tell you I was laying in bed, giggling and kicking my feet, I'm being 100% honest. The interactions between Athena and Matthew are 🧑‍🍳💋. How could they not be when they contain lines like

"Their time together was a crumb from a banquet he couldn't attend, no matter how he starved"

LIKE, TELL ME HOW IM SUPPOSED TO READ THIS AND NOT LOVE HIM. I don't do the whole "book boyfriend" thing, but this book had me second guessing

Also, can I point out that so many authors write plus-size women as women who aren't fully confident or women who need the approval of men. The female main character in this book is nothing like that. Athena is well educated (2 masters!), creative, funny, and likable. I was so so so thankful that this wasn't another book that had a plus-size woman who talked about her size. Athena is THAT GIRL and she's plus-size. We love to see it

It needs to be noted that one of the characters struggles with depression. It was so beautiful written and felt so raw and real. Just be aware of this incase these things are difficult for you to read!

Thank you so much to @avonbooks, @harpercollins and @netgalley for this arc!

This was my first Olivia Dade Novel. Now I am going to have to add her to my list of don't miss author's. At First Spite was everything! Hysterical and Heart-wrenching, this story took me through all the feelings and then some.

After Athena's engagement ends, she still has to move into the small townhome she bought in her ex fiancee's small town. Broke and unemployed she is trying to start over, only to find her x's brother (who was against the engagement from the beginning) lives directly across from her. Yep- sounds like a romance to me!

Honestly, I am not a big fan of the falling for the jerk brother trope, and in this case I was not expecting much would convince me to root for Mathew after he played such a negative role in ruining Athena's happiness. But to my surprise Dade got me to see him as redeemable. I absolutely loved Athena's characterization and the way she and Mathew interacted, but I was still very resistant to Mathew as a love interest, But the more I learned about him and saw his care for Athena, the more it worked. If that were it though, this would be a pretty average romance for me.

Instead, Two things made this a stand out five star read for me- ( beyond a great read for the genre). The first is the humor. It is not uncommon for romance books to add humor that relates to romance novel tropes to make fun of itself. But the way Dade incorporated "monster#unking" books in this story made me laugh like I haven't in a long time. It is simply perfection!

The second thing that made this romance stand out above many I have read was the way in which Dade compassionately and correctly depicts depression and anxiety. It isn't sugar coated, and having a hot guy or girl in love with you doesn't automatically fix everything. While rough to read, I think the representation adds so much to the story and depth of the characters while also conveying. a much needed message about the reality of living with depression, anxiety, grief and guilt. That such content is portrayed alongside Mothman romance humor and "murderdoll" Halloween pranks is simply genius!

I did not expect to love this book but I truly did! The bar has been set very high for my favorite romance of 2024.

Thanks to Avon publishing and Netgalley for providing an e ARC of this novel

At First Spite centers around a woman who ends an engagement and is forced to live next to her ex and her ex's brother, who most likely had to do with why they split up in the first place. What follows is a fun romantic comedy with the tropes of enemies to lovers, grumpy sunshine and forced proximity. The MMC is uptight and brooding with a soft side, and the FMC is spunky with a lot of charm. These are all aspects I love in a good romcom--two leads that capture my interest and a fun premise to bring them together--however I thought the book felt long and the banter sometimes forced. I prefer more of a balance of comedy with some somber moments, but this felt a little off balance for me. However, I feel that a lot of romance fans will really love it and enjoy it for what it is.

I absolutely adored this book! It is probably my favorite Olivia Dade book so far! It was so emotional and tender. It caught me off guard. I didn't expect Matthew to be so sweet! This is the very definition of "he fell first AND HARDER."