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."

Reading Olivia Dade's novels always feels like such a treat and At First Spite was no different. A jilted fiancee living in a spite house between her ex and his brother who ruined the wedding? Say less!

I knew this book would be hilarious, but what I wasn't expecting was how much I would end up feeling for the main characters. This book is more complex than most of the romances I've read lately, so keep in mind this isn't your usual happy go lucky romcom. Matthew and Athena are both complicated and flawed human beings, and I thought the author handled their mental health struggles in a sensitive way. At one point in the story Athena has a very serious bout of depression and Matthew helps her find a way through it. She isn't just magically better because of his help, and I appreciated how we actually saw her working through it on the page.

The relationship that developed between Matthew and Athena seemed to happen organically and just felt really authentic. I loved how he took care of her when she needed it most, and how she was able to care for him in a completely different way. By the end of the novel we see growth from them both as they come to value their self worths.

Check this out if you love:
-Body positivity/fat main character
-Top notch banter
-Steam!
-Silly small town vibes and characters
-Pranks (murder dolls lol)
-Mental Health Rep

Thank you to Avon & NetGalley for an advanced copy. I hope this isn't a standalone as I would love to return to Harlot's Bay someday.

This book was absolutely everything I never knew I wanted and needed from a rom com!

This was my first Olivia Dade, and I am a total convert. Everything about this story is whip smart, hilarious and charming while also being deeply heartfelt and warm. I adored Athena so much from page one, and it was difficult at first to imagine a situation where Matthew could be forgiven. Somehow, though, he weasels his way into Athena’s heart with as most aloof and lovable kind of LI. This book deals with clinical depression beautifully, painting a very full picture of it without bringing the story to a different genre, and rather helping the reader resonate with the fact that all people deserve love stories.

Athena’s life is feeling like it is unraveling when we begin to meet her, and we explore a lot of the ways she thinks about and speaks to herself. This book found me when I was having a very difficult (albeit in a different way) time in my life, and it helped me reframe the way I looked at things that had been going missed in my own head. Matthew’s life story also unfolds for us at this time, and the two end up being the most perfect match. He lifts her when she doesn’t have it in her to do it for herself, but most importantly always gives her the tools to take her own steps when she is ready. Athena’s antics toward him were absolutely hilarious, but also felt like they frequently came from a place that was innately understandable to the reader.

The tension and chemistry between these two is so special. Their personalities fly off the page, even in moments where it is so painfully clear how different they are. They also have this sense of cozy support and understanding that is supplied from the beginning and never leaves.

I could go on and on about this book, but at the end of the day; this one will go down as very special to me. I would recommend it to all Tom com readers, but especially ones who have wanted to find themselves in MCs who are not always tidy, who jump to conclusions, who think the worst of themselves in bad moments and who imagine everyone else must too. Thank you so very much to Avon & Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this gem of a story!

This is my introduction to Olivia Dade's work, and I must say, it didn't disappoint. The story unfolds at an engagement party, where Olivia, navigating the social scene, feels a bit out of place. From Olivia's viewpoint, we haven't yet encountered her fiancée's brother, Matthew, who doesn't seem to hold much affection for her. Amidst the celebration, Olivia strikes up a connection with a seemingly random guest, only to realize it's Matthew. Following a private conversation, overheard by Olivia, Matthew advises against the impending marriage. Fast forward, the wedding is off, and Olivia finds herself living next door to Matthew. He grapples with guilt and increasingly complex feelings for her. Despite initial reservations about the unconventional relationship dynamics, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and wholeheartedly recommend it. Special thanks to Olivia Dade and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I approached this one with some trepidation, since the premise runs the risk of turning into a mean-spirited farce. But in Olivia Dade's careful hands, the story never descends into tiresome pettiness, and the romance soars with sweetness and spice.

After a broken engagement and career collapse, Athena moves to the small town of Harlot's Bay and finds herself living in a house of impractical and improbable dimensions, squeezed between two impossible neighbors: her ex-fiance and his brother Matthew, the stuffy pediatrician who engineered their breakup. Athena tries to irritate Matthew with low-spirited pranks, but as she flails in a new city, she can't help but notice that Matthew seems to be a nice guy who's doing everything he can to help her. And as she sinks into a deep depression, she needs a lot of help, which Matthew provides with his typical caution, care, and generosity. The characters build a friendship on a strong foundation of mutual interest, and their attraction springs organically from that. This book gave me tears and tingles and a wonderful happy ending. I finished it a few days ago and I'm already contemplating a re-read.

Many thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the eARC.

Format - E ARC (Netgalley)

Rating- ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Spice- 🌶 🌶 🌶

Series- Harlot Bay #1

Troupes- Ex- Fiancé’s Brother, enemies to lovers, he falls first, mutual pinning, grumpy/sunshine, inexperienced MMC, small town

Representation- Depression, Possible ASD or OCD

CW- undiagnosed depression

Oh my Goddess my friends! If you have read anything else by Olivia then you must read this book! If you’ve never read anything by Olivia then you also Must read this book but also all of her others as well.

Y’all I had so many feels, Athena and Mathew are just *Sigh*. This is a small town romance so we get all the warm fuzzies with everyone knowing everyones business, and everyone loves Mathew. Who admittedly is about as Swoony as a book boyfriend can be. Sweet and caring aware of his down falls and ready to admit when he was wrong and try to make it right! I mean only a woman can come up with a man like that and it is a real damn shame he is fictional.

Athena is our jilted almost bride and she’s moved to Harlots Bay to live in the house she bought her Ex Fiancé. Now as Fate would have it she living between to only 2 people she knows and Hates in town, with no savings and in desperate needs of a job.

SO here’s that things all of that on its own is RomCom worthy and promises a good time, right? But what Olivia has down is gone and thrown the most accurate and relatable description of what its like to fall into a depressive episode that I have ever read. I was sobbing right along with Athena, feeling pretty depressed myself and completely unable to put this book down.

And I know it’s Supposed to be a romcom and be fun and an escape from reality! But y’all sometimes you just need to see your lived experience in a book. It’s pretty therapeutic. So while my Depression is not exactly like Athena’s or anyone else’s it’s important to have that represented.

Ok off my soap box. Olivia has always had great spicy times and this book is no different, Athena loves her body and us not afraid to use it to get what she wants, and Mathew is nothing if not diligent and while completely inexperienced does not disappoint in any of the spicy activities!

I loved this book y’all when a book can make you laugh, cry and want to throttle the characters is sure to be a hit!

Thank you Olivia Dade, Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for this advanced e copy obviously all of the above is my own opinion.

I always appreciate reading books where the main character is fat and It’s the least interesting thing about them, and Olivia Dade never disappoints! Also, I loved that the main character has depression. It is such a perfect description of the reality of depression for some people.

I am conflicted about this. I love Olivia Dade and I really did like Athena and Matthew for the most part, but I have a really hard time when the romance is between somone and their ex's sibling.

I appreciate how Athena's depression is handled and that she isn't magically cured once Matthew starts helping her. Ofc we love a fat mc in my house and Olivia always writes them wonderfully. And Harlot's Bay as a whole was fun and I loved the people there.

When I forgot about Johnny I loved it, but then I would remember and just cringe. So yeah. (And obviously I knew that going in, but I love Olivia Dade so there was no way I wasn't going to read it.)

For some reason, I felt like I was missing a lot of context in the beginning of this book. I’ve read 40-Love and the Spoiler Alert series — are any of those books related to this one or in the same bookish universe? The way these characters were introduced on page sounded a lot like a reminder of who they were in a different book, but that could just be me! Anyway, this was a sweet enough romance (ex-fiance’s brother is the love interest and I was very much for the mess!). It wasn’t my favorite from OD but I still had fun — you can expect the usual sex and body positivity in this, but just lots more mess!!!

After her fiancé breaks off their wedding weeks before because of his brother's advice, Athena finds herself moving into the house between both brothers.

I really liked this book. Athena was a character that I connected with. The depression representation was good and I appreciated the conversations about switching jobs. Matthew as a love interest was sweet. I'm glad he wasn't an alpha male. The only negative for me is that book felt a little long at times and was too slow-burn for my personal taste.

This is my first Olivia Dade book, and I think it's landing somewhere around the 4.25 star mark for me, and that means... I liked it, but there were some things I didn't like, and it's not that those things were bad, but distracting? The second half of the book was more of a 5-star read with the feelies than a 4-star read, but it took too long to get there for me... anyways, I'm using too many words to describe this, so here we go:

There were a ton of things I enjoyed:
- It was surprisingly spicy in the best way!
- Plus-sized references were spot on, coming from a plus-sized gal
- Unhinged moments that are apparently kind of notorious for Dade (chickens and monster romance audiobooks with wiggly bits and guppy fins and something else??)
- Adult friendships and small communities are a central theme
- MENTAL HEALTH - Dade does this with tender love and care that we all deserve when we aren't feeling our best
- The FMC standing up for herself is magnificent!
- POTATOES. So many references to potatoes (which are my favorite food so... yay!)
- Matthew's grief for his family and the choices he's made to protect himself from further hurt. I just really empathized for him, and that made me believe the choices he had made in the past were driven by love and a lot by fear of what he'd lost as a child.
- The town of Harlot's Bay served as its own character in the book, and the community was also a huge part of this story, which I loved!

Things that just didn't do it for me:
- The first three chapters were FIFTEEN (!!!!) percent of the book and I was not into it at all (this is the before part, where the necessity for spite comes from)
- Once the main characters become (spoiler alert) neighbors, things really picked up, and I found myself enjoying things a lot more!
- The idea of spite was basically just, told to us over and over again? When you name your book "At First Spite," you should be expected to give readers SPITE. I wanted some true payback. Not some mild payback that the other character tolerated or barely even mentioned on page?
- Just a tad too long at 400 pages. I was ready for the drama and the getting together and the breakup and the reunion. Everything just seemed to take a little too long, so I wasn't as into it as I would've been if the pacing would've been a little quicker!
- This felt like a British rom-com set in the U.S. Some of the language or terms throughout the book felt very British and whenever it happened, that took me out of the story a bit.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager US for providing me an eARC of this book via NetGalley. These are my honest thoughts.

There is a reason that Olivia Dade is one of my top three auto-buy/read authors and this new book is exactly why. Like honestly, at this point I will read her grocery list if she ever publishes it. I am NEVER unimpressed with her writing style and the complete control her books have over me.

At First Spite is an incredibly raw and real book with spicy romance, fun banter, and just overall great vibes. Our main characters have depth, experience development and growth, and the themes that they work through over the book are written with such care.

I finished this book in two days, but that's not new for me with Dade's books. I am so excited that this is going to be a series! I cant wait to read more about Harlot's Bay residents.

This was my first read by Olivia Dade. When I would see her books, I was always intrigued but always picked up another read. Big mistake on my part. I really enjoyed Olivia's writing style. The book dealt with some complex issues, one being depression, but was written with care. The idea of living next to your ex fiance's brother was a little over the top, yet fun. I enjoyed Athena and she was very relatable. I might be one of the only fans, but I did like Matthew too. Yes, he told his brother Athena was not marriage material and not responsible, but he's also been helping take care of his somewhat irresponsible, yet charming brother most of his life. I think Matthew saw Athena and Johnny were not a right fit from the start and just communicated it not so kindly. Athena and Matthew get to know eachother for their true selves, which turned out to be they were a better match. I do not want to go any further in their relationship to give any spoilers. In all, it's not the best contemporary romance I've read, but it was a good read. Now I have to go to continue to read more books by Olivia Dade. Thank you to the publisher and Negalley for the opporltunity to read this book.

An emotional story that tackles the weighty issue of depression, in a manner that is respectful while having the light outweigh the dark.

It was very clear early on what Matthew Vine thinks of Athena Greydon, his brother's fiancée. The problem is, he has a shitty way of communicating it.
I get it. He's in a difficult spot given his brother's direct connection.
But he finds a way to be so demeaning, it is hard to recover.
This book is pretty much Matthew working nonstop to recover and make up for his mistake.

So, it goes without saying that Matthew cares for Athena quite a bit. What was surprising to me was how long it took for her to catch on. However, Matthew is forced to become more obvious about his feelings when Athena succumbs to depression. The author did a good job highlighting how minor day to day things like eating and bathing become overwhelming, and how Athena got to this dark place. If you don't fall for Matthew after he steps up to help her during this time, I can't help you, lol. Because he absolutely will steal your heart.

It does seem a bit scandalous for Athena to go from one brother to the next, but I didn't feel it came off that way. I didn't really see her connection to Johnny like I did Matthew, so the switch didn't bother me. More scandalous is the monster porn the characters enjoy with fellow town members. And Matthew's personal version was too funny.

This was my first book from the author (a fave of my co-blogger, Ivy) and it certainly won't be my last. Great characters, great storyline, with a small-town setting that I adored.

📣 she used to be engaged to his brother & now they’re neighbors

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

Wowie, I have a lot of thoughts about this one.

What I love about At First Spite by Olivia Dade:

🤍 Body positivity. I love the way Dade describes bodies. I feel like I could maybe say it more eloquently but it comes down to that fact. They’re beautiful & sexy & appreciated etc. & all of that means a lot to me as a reader & a person with a body.

🤍 Sex positivity. Those scenes seem to be lingered on in a very effective way once we get to them. The window! 🔥

🤍 Leads who cry & eventually get in touch with all of their emotions.

🤍 A pining hero.

🤍 A heroine who, by the end, knows her worth. Athena’s thoughts & insecurities feel very relatable & the realizations she comes to are striking. That journey she goes on helped remind me of something too!

🤍 A developing friendship group & sense of community in a new place! We’ve all been there.

With that being said, the conflict in this book gives me some of the dreaded ick. In the prologue, Athena is engaged to Matthew’s brother, Johnny. When the book opens, Athena & Johnny are no longer together & he is on their honeymoon, solo. There isn’t a lot of time between Athena & Johnny & Athena & Matthew & things get unnecessarily messy & in a way that I think weakens the book.

I wish some elements of the plot had been written differently. But At First Spite is a good book with some shining aspects that I think will resonate with many readers.

3 ⭐️. Out 02/13.

CWs: Depression. What I would say is passive suicide ideation. Past death of sibling. Estranged parents.

[ID: Jess’s white hand holds the ebook in front of a gold, purple, burgundy, pink, & green-painted mural.]