Deftly written and at turns hilarious, emotional, and heartbreaking, every word is like the kindest, gentlest hug to anyone struggling with grief or depression. I loved it!

I liked this one, as I've liked Dade's previous books, though some of the mental health issues were, perhaps, skated over in a way that helped move along the plot but probably not necessarily in a helpful, accessible way to readers who have or are experiencing depression. The whole brothers thing was a bit difficult to swallow, too.

I adore Olivia Dade, why? Because finally someone writes romance for the "fluffy" Ladies of the world.

This took a little getting used to. I fell in love with the Spoiler Alert Series. I went into this book with high hopes. Did I love this story? It was cute, I'd have to give this a 3 out of 5 stars. Will I continue to read anything Olivia writes? Yes... I'm hoping I'm more of a fan of the next couple in this new series.

There were a few scenes that just didn't feel like they worked, Particularly the bathtub scene.

So... do you love the way Olivia writes? Pick this up, give it a try. Romance is always good for the soul.

This was a more emotional story than I expected and I wish the cover art more accurately represented this story. So much of it is about depression and some form of grief which at times was very moving but ultimately I didn’t really connect with the story or their romance even though I felt like they had a deep connection. I did like how the author wrote about depression and thought it was lovely how Matthew supported her (and everyone in his life) but there was so little about Matthew as a person that i could describe as more than lovely and nice. I’m still very interested in this new series even though this one wasn’t really for me.

“𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲—𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐫.”

The slow burn romance At First Spite by Olivia Dade centers on Matthew Vine III, a business partner, and Athena Greyson, a high school teacher.

Not going to lie when I started reading this book, I thought it would be about two rivals fighting it out over a Sprite company, but it turns out that I had just misread the title.

Anyways, Matthew was the epitome of a man being bipolar because one minute he was so sweet to Athena, helping her get a job and making sure she was okay, and the next he was such a dick, treating her badly.

But despite their differences, Matthew and Athena made such a charming couple.

Although I was taken aback by the fact that Athena was Matthew's first everything, I actually liked that fact.

Overall, this was alright for me, however I would have preferred a little more angst and groveling from Matthew given that he didn't fight for Athena in the first place.

*Thank you to Netgalley, Avon & Harper Voyager and to the author, Olivia Dade, for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.*

At First Spite
Olivia Dade
Feb.13,2024
Avon
#1 Harlot’s Bay
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
* Contemporary Romance
Delightfully sexy rom-com about a woman who buys the towns famous Spite House , only to realize the infuriating man she can’t stand lives next door.
Great book! The characters are charming,
4 stars

Olivia Dade has done it again! I always enjoy reading her books and this one was no exception. I think she always does a great job of representing curvy and plus size women, and I quite enjoyed how she explored the topic of depression and gave readers a look into someone who is battling depression while showing that it's there's no immediate fix. I thought Matthew was the most adorable sweet baby angel and I loved him so much. Johnny sucks, and he's redeemed a little at the end which is nice. Mainly it's nice because I want Matthew to be happy. I really ended up caring about these characters and their relationships, and I loved hearing about the goings on in Harlot's Bay. I look forward to reading the other books that will take place there, a lot of the characters piqued my interest and I'd love to know more about them. Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for this ARC!

This arc took me longer than usual to finish, and I think it’s because the content is heavy. I was warned with trigger warnings at the beginning, but I didn’t realize how heavy it truly was. This is less of a romance and more of a journey that two people go on to heal and discover themselves before getting together.

I loved the side characters, I loved the depression storyline and seeing the dark side people struggle with. I love someone with depression and while I haven’t experienced it personally, I show up like Matthew shows up so seeing Athena’s struggles was something I could heavily relate to and made me love her all the more.

My two issues that lowered this from a 5 star read to 4 was the Matthew Virgin reveal, because it felt out of place. And how long the book was. Parts of the story dragged because of the length and heavy storyline.

All in all, good read. Dade is an automatic read for me and will continue to be. Not my favorite of hers but still good!

Absolutely loved this book, if you have enjoyed any of Olivia's past books I wholeheartedly recommend At First Spite. It is so much more than a beautiful love story. It also covers some sensitive topics in a way that felt so authentic and real. This is definitely one of the best books I have read this year and I can't wait to read whoever's love story comes next.

Ms. Dade does it again! Deep characters, true-to-life struggles - all woven together in tight, vivid prose. A wonderful read! Looking forward to the next tome in the the Harlot's Bay series.

This is definitely going on my list of favorite books this year.
The depression rep in this was heartbreakingly accurate, as someone who is manic depressive- thank you.

Athena and Matthew's love story is sweet, funny, charming and just not long enough.

Athena, in her late 30s, has never quite settled on her path in life. With multiple graduate degrees and a string of short employment stints, she falls for and plans to marry handsome and charming pediatrician Johnny Vine. That is, till Johnny's older brother, Matthew, persuades him otherwise. While Johnny jets off on Athena's dream honeymoon, on Matthew's dime, Athena moves to Harlot's Bay and into the spite house that shares a wall with Johnny's house and, unexpectedly, an alley with Matthew's. Understandably furious, Athena immediately goes on the offensive with Matthew, but he's not quite the man she thought he was, and vice versa.

Sparkling with Olivia Dade's signature wit, this is a surprisingly funny novel for one with such heavy themes (snipped to avoid spoilers) and relationship angst. Those felt a little bit incongruous with the rom-com set-up, and I felt like the (heavy issues, snipped to avoid spoilers) were dealt with a bit too neatly, but I felt like the ending was earned.

Extra points for a hilarious cast of local weirdos, lots of librarians, and the fact that monster-f*cking erotica was a major plot point. Oh, and healthy diversity, and a generously proportioned heroine whose body is not an issue for her or for anyone else (and a hero who loves her curves without fetishizing them).

I adore this book! I love so much about it, but particularly the deep emotional pain both characters have to overcome to get to their ending and find a healthy place together.
I'm a sucker for people with emotional problems slash mental health issues getting help and finding love, and that's exactly what this book is about. Athena hits rock bottom after her fiance Johnny leaves her right before the wedding, and that wound opens up all of her other issues with failure and burnout. She is the daughter of two high achieving doctors, and she feels that her degrees and various jobs aren't good enough, especially given the resources her parents have given her.
Matthew feels a lot of guilt over disrupting Athena's life when he stopped her from marrying his brother- so he tries to help her where he can. It was never about what kind of wife Athena would be, but Johnny's lack of forethought and responsibility would doom the marriage, leaving everything for his big brother to handle.
I love the forced proximity, it's one of my favorite tropes, plus I love silly stuff in old towns, and Halot's Bay certainly qualifies! I love Athena's emotional growth from feelings of total worthlessness to knowing her own value and standing up for herself. Matthew has just as much growth, he needs to move past the toxic family dynamic he grew into, and repair his relationship with his brother and himself. He carries a lot of trauma, and moving on is very challenging for him, but he needs to do it. Matthew has never had anything of his own, really, which is spelled out in his sexual inexperience.
I loved this book, though it is not light reading! I do think it's Olivia's best yet, and I hope for more books set in the Bay!

This book was everything I needed. The romance, the community, the humor–it's the whole package. Dade has become a must-read author for me and At First Spite might be my favorite book so far.

This is the first in a new series from Dade, and I am honestly so excited for book two! (Not going to lie, one of the best things about the book was the the FMC was not a spankin' new adult who hasn't lived at all.) Athena and Matthew are genuinely sweet, funny, and warm and their relationship felt authentic. I laughed a lot more than I expected, too. Highly recommend!

A wonderful story with characters that tug at your heartstrings the whole time. Watching Matthew and Athena grow was a pleasure. I stayed up way too late reading as I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

There was a lot about this book that was super weird. I’m not going to sugarcoat that. There’s a plot point with monster erotica (?) that persists throughout the book and I have no idea why that made the cut. I also don’t love when people date relatives of their exes, though I guess that’s more of a personal hang up. The monster thing though- super out of nowhere, and definitely not for me. Regardless, there are some redeeming qualities to the book- I did get drawn in by Matthew as a character, and I appreciated his difficulties with his brother. I also liked the representation of depression/mental health issues and how that plays out in relationships. But what I will remember most is…. probably the monster stuff, and not in a good way. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc.

I wanted to read this as soon as I saw the beautiful plus sized women on the cover! And the book itself was very enjoyable. This was so cute and fun and Olivia Dade knows how to write very lovable characters.

First up, serious content warnings: there is a lengthy on-page depiction of clinical depression, and it is deeply painful to read if you have experienced anything like it yourself. Give yourself permission to put the book down and do something else until you're ready to continue. The book also deals with grief and an off-page (in the past) accidental child death.

That said, I felt like the depressive episode was written as Dade's love letter to anyone who has ever endured such episodes, either from the inside or from helping someone through them. Her words really hit home as a reminder of why we need to reach out, to ask for help, even when depression tells us that no one cares.

As for the romance, I always have a bit of difficulty with the premise that one main character is in love with/engaged to their partner, that partner's sibling breaks up the couple, then that sibling turns out to be in love with the first main character, and all turns out happily ever after. It's just so messy and really can screw up multiple relationships. But here, though Matthew handled that situation really badly, he proved to be a better, softer person than I had expected, and the eventual resolution worked out on multiple levels.

Character wise, Athena was funny and quirky in a way that delighted me, and her self-doubt felt very realistic as well. Matthew definitely appears frustratingly judgmental, but the more we see him on page and learn about his background, his serious, buttoned-up image looks a lot more like someone given responsibility at way too young an age and unable to feel at ease with many people as a result. Did he need a wake-up call about his excessive caretaking nature? Yes. Did he use that caretaking ability to shower Athena with the tenderness she deserved? Also yes.

These two deeply imperfect characters had a deeply imperfect romance, but I loved it anyway. (And I would super thrilled if a future Harlot's Bay novel pairs Karl with Sadie Brazen, author of the monster erotic romances he plays at full volume at the bakery.) 4 stars.

Thank you, Avon/HarperVoyager and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: severe depressive episode (on page), anxiety, death of a child/sibling (past, recounted on page), parental abandonment (past)

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f contemporary romance
-forced proximity/neighbors
-my ex's brother
-spite house
-he falls first and hard
-forbidden relationship elements
-depression rep
-fat rep
-small town romance
-a love of monster erotica
-opposites attract

Some books just hit home when you read them and you can just tell that they are the book of someone's heart, that they ripped open a vein and just poured it out on the page. I don't even know how to review this book. This is a love letter to everyone who feels like they should have it together, who is the caretaker in their family to their detriment, to anyone who just struggles to rely on someone else. Books rarely make me cry, but this one the tears were flowing.

This had all of Olivia Dade's heart and wit, but this deals with some truly serious topics so please read with care. Athena is sparkly , chaotic, and stuck moving into a house she bought for her ex, smack in between him and his brother. But as she tries to find her place in her new hometown she falls into a deep depressive episode. Matthew has always taken care of his brother, his friends, his town, to the detriment of his own life. I adored how in helping and falling in love with Athena he also learned how to take care of himself and ask for what he needs. He was a soft, tender man, who almost read neurodiverse to me. But he adored Athena and how much eh cared for her just touched me so much.

This is a complicated and beautiful book.

Steam: 3.5