I think Olivia Dade is a phenomenal writer with absolutely wonderful representations of plus sized, sex-positive, and neurodivergent characters. I think she handled depression incredibly well in this book, too.

What did not land for me was the proximity living situation, falling for your ex-fiance's brother (who actively broke them up!) and I was completely incredulous that a 39 year old man was as inexperienced in life (all of it, not just the spicy parts!) as Matthew was written to be.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

just loved this book! Olivia Dade is one of those authors I can always count on when it comes to excellent representation, interesting and cute plots, fantastic writing, and just overall really solid stories.
One of my favorite things about this book is that the character is plus size/curvy BUT that is not the main plot of the book. She is simply *existing* in her body just like any other FMC in a romance novel! It is possible to have books with this type of representation without it being the entire plot - and Olivia proves that time and time again.

A little enemies to lovers and forced proximity are some of my personal favorite tropes. You can’t go wrong with small town charm and neighbors who are forced to be around each other, because well they’re neighbors (and he’s the brother to her ex-fiancé?! Sounds like a perfect recipe to me).

This book gets deep when dealing with depression and familial issues and it added an extra layer that as a reader I really appreciated, and quite honestly it made this book the five star read it was for me. Seeing characters find love and friendship over and through hard issues like this just made the book feel even more relatable and honest. It wasn’t all sweet nothings and sparkles - although there was plenty of that too - it just felt incredibly balanced and true.

This was a cute and sweet small town, enemies to lovers romance. It had an accurate depiction of depression and was handled beautifully. It was like an immersion into the declining mental health of the character; gradually, with some signs and foreshadowing, and then fully immerses you around 50% in. The balance between the sweet moments, the clinical depression and the cheeky banter was executed beautifully.

A few critiques I had were with the maturity of the characters and the incredulity of the living situation. I also had an issue with some of the spicy scenes. They were… awkward.

Overall, a good enemies to lovers story that I think you’ll enjoy!

I am a big fan of Olivia Dade's work...so it pains me to have to rate "At First Spite" with only 2 stars. As usual with her novels, Dade's writing style is spot on. She has such a unique voice and her prose flows so well, I often find that when I am reading her books its like I am listening to a friend tell a story. It all feels so natural and reading through her novels feels like a breeze (in the good way that reading feels breezy).

Unfortunately, a lot about Spite fell flat for me. The biggest being the plot itself. After Athena Greydon's fiancé calls of their wedding and goes on their honeymoon by himself, she has no choice but to move into the Spite House, the impractically small house literally attached to her fiancé's, that she bought him as a wedding gift. While trying to get her life on track to prove to her ex-fiancé that she isn't completely lost, she ends up starting a relationship with her next door neighbor Matthew. Matthew just so happens to be her ex-fiancé's older brother... and the person who convinced her fiancé to call off the wedding.

Initially what drew me to this novel (besides it being by Olivia Dade and having a plus size MF) was the idea of this spite house. Living in an extremely small house attached to your ex-fiancés and then falling in love with your neighbor as you get your life back on track, sounds like rom-com plot heaven!! But I think unfortunately it was executed poorly here, mainly because the connection between Athena and Matthew is just icky and truly doesn't make sense! He literally told his brother that you weren't wife material and that you were a mess. You overheard him talking bad about you to his brother at your engagement party and multiple times after that. Why would you ever go out with him, let alone fall in love with him? It doesn't make sense! Also, why would Matthew convince his brother that Athena wasn't wife material and then the moment she is free start having feelings for her? The math ain't mathing here and frankly it made me cringe.

I also had trouble with Athena and Matthew as characters. One of my favorite thing about Dade's characters is that they are complex, fully fleshed out and have strong voices. I didn't feel that way about Athena and Matthew. I feel like they both started in one place, and then throughout the book went against everything their character started out as. Especially Matthew. It didn't make sense to me how someone who was so adamant that this woman wasn't wife material or good for his brother, enough so that he would threaten to cut of his relationship with his brother if he didn't call of the wedding, would then spend the entire book falling in love with her and basically doing everything in his power to make sure that this woman lands back on her feet (including going out of his way to find her jobs, paying several months of her mortgage and finding her a doctor to help treat her depression, all without her knowing it was him doing these things). He started out very arrogant and cocky, but you got a sense that he cares very much for his brother and is looking out for his best interests. But as the book progressed I found that he became extremely insecure, obsessive and needy. Sure he could've been all those things and was just covering with fake confidence, but I felt like the change in character wasn't natural and it felt off. Personally I love how Olivia uses a lot of pop culture or current references in her books, it makes it feel like her characters and stories are actually happening in real time. But I couldn't quite understand why Matthew didn't understand extremely obvious references. I get it not everyone knows but it made him come off extremely naive. I really couldn't connect with either Athena or Matthew because I was questioningly pretty much everything they did or said.

Like I said I am a big fan of Olivia's and I will continue to read her books in the future, but "At First Spite" wasn't for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for giving me an advance copy.

This is the first book that I've read by Olivia Dade. I appreciated the mental health and depression rep in this book. I thought that Athena's depression felt very authentic, and it was handled with care. It wasn't glossed over or sugarcoated- it felt very real. I enjoyed the pranks that she pulled on Matthew- that part of the story was very fun and lighthearted. I think that Athena's character was great and interesting. I think that it can be common for someone to feel like they haven't met their potential or they are letting others down they haven't had some great achievement by a certain each. That was very relatable.

I did not care for Matthew as a character. I appreciated how he helped Athena, but I don't think that he is a nice person. He convinced his brother to breakup with Athena because she wouldn't make a good wife, but then, Matthew is interested in her for himself? It seemed to me like he manipulated his brother so that he could date Athena instead. There was so much miscommunication in this story, and that is a trope that really bothers me. Matthew said mean things about Athena to his brother, and then, he's intrigued by her and wants to be her friend and maybe something more. He just came across as two-faced, where he says mean things behind her back, but to her face, he is sweet and caring.

Another upsetting part of the book was the story about Adrian, It is included in the trigger warnings, and I think that everyone should read the warnings. As a parent, it was very hard to read that part of the book.

Because I didn't like Matthew, I couldn't get interested in the romance part of the story. It felt like a love triangle, and I generally don't like those type of stories. I think that Athena deserved better than Matthew. He continued to disappoint me the more that I read this book. He didn't get a redemption arc from me, and that was really hard to get past.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Publishing for an ARC.

At First Spite is a lovely, heartwarming, and hilarious read. This was my first Olivia Dade book and now I am going back to read her others. The FMC and MMC are relatable and people that you feel like you either are or know in real life. The FMC and MMC are hilarious in different ways and their love blossoms organically. The depictions of depression, anxiety, and grief are treated sensitively and those who have experienced one or multiples will find solace in these characters. As a plus size reader, I appreciate how the author depicts her plus size characters in the book. It is a part of who they are but it never over powers the story or is a central plot line. Instead it is just a part of who the FMC is. This book shows that no matter who you are, or what you might struggling with, you deserve love.

This book... I admit that I wasn't sure at first, because I was worried the book would primarily be about the drama between brothers. It was not. It was about the depths of the way that our trauma can impact us. It was about depression and really what those deep holes can feel like. It was about community and friendship and self-acceptance. It also had the sweetest, heart-swelling romance amidst all of that. Matthew FOREVER. I recommend this to anyone who has enjoyed an Olivia Date romance, but I also recommend for lovers of Helen Hoang and Talia Hibbert.

I was able to read an ARC of Olivia Dade’s new romance At First Spite, which publishes in February 2024. Dade wrote the super popular trilogy of romances about actors in a Game of Thrones-esque television show that I gushed about in the past. Her latest book is a cozier, quieter read with just as much lust and swooning.

This small town enemies-to-lovers romance is about a self-sacrificing Darcy-esque pediatrician and the woman his younger brother was supposed to marry… before he pressured him to break off the engagement. Unluckily for Dr. Matthew Vine, Athena bought the spite house right next to his home as a wedding present, and now she's stuck living there a few feet away from him. And she's PISSED.

Like all of Dade's books, At First Spite is a joyful, clever, filthy and empathetic read. Athena lives with depression, and it meant a great deal to me as a reader to see her receive the love and support she needs from her hero. Sometimes true romance is when your ex-fiancé’s snobby older brother washes your hair while you’re in a depressive episode.

Athena Greydon didn’t plan on living in the Spite House. She purchased it as a wedding gift for her (now ex) fiancé, with plans to renovate as it’s located right next-door to his house. But it’s not until after she moves in that she realizes her ex’s jerk of a brother, Matthew, lives right next door on the other side. Athena decides to lean into the Spite and make Matthew’s life as difficult as hers. Forced proximity never hurt anyone, right?

Do not let the description fool you, this is no cheesy romcom. Okay sometimes it’s cheesy but I had no idea the path this story would take. We’re digging into some REAL life shit here! You can find the tw at the beginning of the book.

The biggest standout for me was surprisingly REAL look at depression and how that can manifest. The writing felt so raw and authentic it broke my heart a little. Negative self-talk, feeling like a failure, unable to leave the house, too exhausted for basic hygiene, these are all things I can personally vouch for. As the story progressed, it was so eerily similar to how my husband has shown up for me in the past that it moved me to tears. The healing journey also felt very realistic and honest. I didn’t expect that realness from this book but I am so glad I got to.

The story isn’t all tough topics though, there’s wit, humor, and romance throughout! Plus, spice! And not just in the monster erotic books Athena loves to listen to. This is probably one of my favorite romance novels (non-fantasy related, also excluding Emily Henry) that I’ve read. I highly recommend this book and will 100% be reading everything Olivia Dade has written/will write in the future.

At First Spite is out on February 13th, 2024.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley! I am a bit bummed as this one was a bit slow for me and I found it hard to connect to the story... could have just been me but I loved the premise! Great plus size rep and some heavy topics such as depression in which the author approached with grace and lightness.

This book was a bit slow to me and a little hard for me to get into. I’m not sure if it was the writing style or the plot. I didn’t really appreciate the real and raw portrayal of depression. The author did a great job of taking such a heavy topic and also make the story more fun a lighthearted. Also plus size representation is another plus from this book. The book had a good mix of romance and comedy. The spice was also good! The pop culture references were a little much at time. Overall, I did enjoy the book!

I'm really sorry to say that At First Spite is going to be a DNF for me (so I won't post this review to Goodreads or Instagram). Dade is hit or miss for me. When she hits, she hits SO GOOD, so I will always give her new stuff a shot. I liked the set-up and setting of At First Spite: Harlot's Bay, a charming small town where Athena Greydon finds herself living next door to the man who is responsible for her canceled engagement. He had a good reason/has a heart of gold! She just doesn't know it yet!

Positives: smart main characters and snappy dialogue; fat positivity; mental health rep.

Negatives: sort of like with Spoiler Alert, At First Spite feels like the author has a lot of ideas she wants to champion, and is using her characters as the microphone through which to shout them. I'm not opposed to any of those ideas--in fact I support them, and love seeing them represented in popular literature! But by midway through the book, I didn't feel like I was watching a story unfold between two real people so much as like I was watching two paper cut-outs with megaphones behind them be moved around a stage. Lots of didactic speechifying.

Letting this one go and will look forward to trying out Dade's next offering.

Super excited to get an early read from Olivia Dade. I consumed all the Spoiler Alert books voraciously and was thriller to see her writing another series. This time we get Athena Greydon in her vine brother's sandwich. After her life spectacularly falls apart, she starts picking up the pieces in the most unexpected place. Right next door to her ex-fiance and his unbearable brother. This romance shouldn't have worked. I would have continued my petty revenge til death, but Matthew is just the sweetest teddy bear, so I understand why Athena caved. There was one small plot point that seems a bit unrealistic, but I was able to jump past that quickly considering you've gotten well acquainted with the characters by the time it pops up.

Spoiler Warnings:
The book does contain TWs for grief/depression and infant death. As someone with a very close relationship to both of those things, I can confirm they were portrayed devastatingly well. Depression can sometimes be a hastily used plot point, but Dade used it authentically and showed how harsh the brain can be to the body it inhabits. While the infant death does play a large role in shaping the characters, it is a past trauma and not one taken from a parental perspective.

I was really hoping that I would enjoy At First Spite more. I struggled with another one of Dade's books, thinking that it was a me thing and not an author thing, but I just don't vibe with her writing style. Overall though, this wasn't bad!

“‘I’m sorry, sweetheart,’ he murmured once he’d regathered himself. ‘I don’t intend to hurry.’

He didn’t want to rush anything about this. And Athena might sometimes be impatient with herself, but he refused to follow her lead. She deserved all his time and attention, and she’d get both, right now.”
🍓
I do not know how to properly come to words with this book. It was a rom com, certainly with how many times I laughed at Athena’s attempts to spite Matthew, and the groveling scene which had me in tears . But it was so much more than that. This book has been probably one of the most successful books I’ve ever read at showing real, bone weary depression in its truest form. Our poor girl Athena has a lot going on upstairs, and Matthew doesn’t magically wipe it away with his magical sex game. I mean, he has that, but he works so hard to help her help herself. He takes care of her, supports her, and knows her so well that when she’s finally back on her feet, she knows where to go. I cannot encapsulate just how beautiful this book works at showing the heart mending needed to show Athena how worthy she is of love and how Matthew earns every single bit of it.
🐓
Athena is soon to be married to a handsome doctor, Johnny, whose brother, Matthew, for reasons unclear does not like their upcoming nuptials. When Johnny is convinced by his big brother to break it off with Athena, she is left with a home she bought for him as a wedding present, no money, no job, and no husband. Did I mention this house was a historic home built out of spite by warring brothers, and just so happens to be situated between Johnny and Matthew’s homes? Spiteful vengeance ensues, as does the war in Athena’s own mind as she struggles with her depression. It will take the help of a patient, kind, devastatingly handsome man named Matthew, Athena’s own strength, and many of the quirky friends she has made in Harlot’s Bay to help her land in the home she deserves. Not one built out of spite, but one built on healing and well developed trust.
⚓️
This book bordered on perfection, and thank you to Netgalley and Olivia Dade for getting me an ARC! This was incredible and I will not soon forget it! ♾️/⭐️
🥔

Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read and review this before it gets released in exchange for my honest review . This was my second book by Olivia dade. I don’t think this author is for me. The storyline was cute and I loved the mental health rep, but it just fell flat for me. In the beginning, I loved the hijinks that the FMC pulled, but after awhile it got a tad old. The MMC was okay but he wasn’t doing anything specific for me. I ended up rating this 3 stars.

Dade has once again written an excellent romance with all of the trappings you look for. While the premise felt a little awkward (falls in love with ex-fiancée's brother), Dade handled it masterfully and the drama surrounding that felt realistic and provided some excellent character development. The dual povs were fun and provided great background info to fuel the 'enemies to lovers' trope. Dade also expertly included a realistic look at significant depression and mental health struggles. The only thing unexpected was the amount of times that monster erotica came up, which could be a turn-off for some readers.

4.75 Stars, if I’m being picky, cause I had a couple valid notes but overall it’s amazing. Dade’s best work ever (not that I’ve read everything she’s written). I am obsessed.

It’s funny, deep, cute, heartbreaking, heart wrenching, therapeutic, entertaining, romantic, and validating. This story contains multitudes. The balance achieved in the “enemies” portion of the book is brilliant. Justifiable wrongs made right, neither and both are the bad guy at times, and the heart and humor incorporated into it all… just… chef’s kiss.

And then the heavy comes in. It’s not a tone switch, it’s an immersion. An illustration of declining mental health done with care but in keeping with the character builds and overall plot. This is where Athena and Matthew steal every last part of the reader’s heart.

But it’s not ALL deep and serious, ‘cause it’s still a romance and Dade still provides plenty of humor. The convos and inner cheekiness is brilliant. So delightful. My only critiques came when the romance started to heat up. I thought one method of verbal enticement crossed a line and weakened a beautiful moment from a previous chapter.

But anyway, no spoilers, good or bad. I’m just gonna predict that this will be a top book of 2024 and demand you give it a read.

CW: grief, clinical depression

At First Spite is a true enemies to lovers romance that deals with realistic issues affecting men and women. Athena has had her heartbroken, she's broke and living in a space near her ex-fiance and his brother who basically shamed her. Her plan is to invoke revenge against the man she blames for her broken engagement, Matthew. Only the community begins to feel like home.

Matthew soon becomes her heroine in disguise. Together, they begin to understand the misunderstandings that have plagued their relationship, and recognize their hearts are bigger than they've each given themselves credit. This slow-burn, chemistry ridden love story is about to deeply imperfect people.

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for the complimentary copy.

olivia is an auto buy author for me, but this one didn't quite hit the mark for me. it was fun and a nice read but it didn't wow me as much as her previous work has.

but still, a great read and would def recommend for a fun, quickish read!