Love Olivia Dade’s contemporary romance and how well she writes rivals-to-lovers in particular. Also, her books have the best covers!

This was a great first start to a series. I enjoyed Matthews character but found Athena a bit annoying at times. I will definitely be continuing with the series when more come out.

Olivia Dade is an auto-read author for me. She's my favorite romance writer and I absolutely adore her.

At First Spite is another fantastic Dade read! We live for the forced-proximity trope and of course plus size representation is everything! Matthew (or should I say Dr. Vine) is the perfect love interest and I rooted so hard for him and Athena. Dade writes great tension and characters. I'm always ready for her next book!

This was a bit more of a serious romance. The slow-burn was good, and eventual hook-up satisfying. The depictions of self-sacrifice and depression were interesting in how each character was able to come to terms with their issue and deal with it in a way that felt genuine. Athena and Matthew truly deserve each other and their happiness in the end was well-earned. Recommended for those who enjoy a slow-burn romance with a bit of forced proximity and discussions of tough subjects.

I really enjoyed this one. It's a great book, and you will definitely like it if you've read and enjoyed Olivia Dade's past books.

I was given an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m going to be honest and say, even though I KNEW I was going to love whatever story Olivia Dade gave me, because she has such a way of twisting my heart and making me happy with her words…

Two brothers being in love with the same girl just makes me want to run away from the book as far as possible. And I was scared that this might be the book where my distaste for that trope and my distaste for love triangles would beat out my love for the author.

I am so very happy that Olivia proved me wrong. She EXCELLED in creating a situation where I found myself rooting for the Older Brother. Where I found myself giggling and swooning over the chemistry Athena and Matthew had. Where I CRIED because the internal struggle Athena goes through has NOTHING to do with picking which brother she wants to be with and EVERYTHING to do with working on her mental health and realizing she was worthy of more than what she was going to settle for.

This isn’t a story where she lingers in the past, but it is one where she sinks into the unknown and tries her best not to drown. It’s a story where depression shows up and it made me cry to see some moments that I’ve gone through myself reflected, and yet she isn’t villainized for this. She isn’t unloveable or gross or unworthy. And to see how people in her life care for her and show up for her had me weeping at night.

Also MATTHEW. God my heart was unprepared for his POV. For his pain and for his self sacrifice. I just wanted to bundle him up with so much love. Even when I wanted to shake him and go “ WHAT ARE YOU DOING???” It was out of love and knowing he deserved HAPPINESS.

Please PLEASE pick up this book. It has so much to tug at your heart strings but I didn’t even begin to touch all the moments that made me ugly cackle. The way other characters in the small town had me wanting books of them next. Just a pleasure all around.

At First Spite by Olivia Dade is a contemporary rom-com and the first book in the new Harlot's Bay series.

After Athena's fiancé breaks up with her just before the wedding, she has no choice but to move into the Spite House she bought him with her life savings as a wedding gift. Her ex's home is connected on one side, and his brother Matthew--who convinced his younger brother to leave Athena in the first place--owns the house on her other flank.

I enjoyed Spoiler Alert by this author, so I was excited to see a new series from her! I love the concept of spite houses, and thought it was really cool that this book was set within my home state.

As someone who suffers from depression, I think she did a great job featuring a neurodiverse heroine here. I don't read a lot of "ex's sibling" romances, but I was along for the ride for this story.

I laughed out loud several times, which was a great balance to the darker themes of the book. When Athena is trying to mess with Matthew, one of the things she does is to loudly play erotic monster romance audiobooks with her windows open. These scenes were so hilarious!

Tropes in this book include: ex's brother, enemies to friends to lovers

This was spectacular!! The characters were charming, it was well written, and a perfect description of what it feels like to have depression. I really connected with this character and loved this story.

This was a BEAUTIFUL story! I was not expecting this to handle certain topics that moved me to tears. The characters were wonderful and I loved the story from start to finish. The plus size heroine was amazing to read about and the way her mental health was dealt with so tenderly pierced my heart in the best way. I can't wait for the rest of this series!

Note for Readers: The author and I follow each other on social media and have been friendly for some years. Regardless, this review is my honest opinion.

Content notes: Grief, depression, death of a child (off page but recalled in the book).

Dear Olivia Dade,

I look forward to your books every year – it’s not unusual for them to turn up in my best of lists – and you are a reliably good author for me. I know I’ll always like a book from you, possibly even love it.

At First Spite is a book I liked a lot but did not love. From what I’ve read online already I may be an outlier here.

When the book begins, Athena Greydon, 37, is engaged to Dr Johnny Vine, 31 and they are celebrating their engagement in Johnny’s home town of Harlot’s Bay, Maryland. Athena’s friends and family aren’t at the party so, apart from Johnny, Athena doesn’t know anyone. Johnny’s off talking to friends and at the buffet, Athena meets a handsome man around of about her same age or perhaps a little older and they hit it off, bonding over mutual insatiable curiosity and love of potato-based food. Then it turns out that this stranger is Dr Matthew Vine, Johnny’s older brother whom she had not met previously, the same brother who has been trash-talking Athena since the engagement began and who has made it clear he does not support the marriage. She then overhears an argument between Johnny and Matthew where Matthew says more negative things about her, so it’s fair to say Athena is not in the Dr Matthew Vine the Third’s fan club. (By the by: what kind of self-respecting fiance leaves his betrothed alone for so much of the engagement party, especially when he knows she doesn’t know any of the other guests?)

Eight months later, Athena moves to Harlot’s Bay a single woman, Johnny having finally caved to Matthew’s urgings and broken off the engagement only weeks before the wedding. Athena had purchased the spite house immediately next door to Johnny’s house in the bay as a wedding gift for him. (Well, she used all her savings for the deposit but she still has a mortgage. Is it really a gift if you bring the mortgage too? I admit I was a little confused by this.) Now that they’re not together, Athena, having quit her job in preparation for moving to the area in order to live with Johnny once they were married, has no money and nowhere else to go. So, she moves in to the spite house.

Up until that point, Athena had been largely supported by her parents, who are well-off as a result of lucrative careers as paediatric cardiologists. Athena has multiple degrees and has been something of a career dilettante – staying in a job for a few years, and then moving on due to boredom or burnout. Matthew raised Johnny after their parents checked out following the death of their middle brother, Adrian, as a baby (only slightly older than Johnny was at the time). Matthew was eight. Johnny has been indulged and supported by Matthew for his whole life, perhaps to try and make up for the lack of other family. Matthew still pays half of Johnny’s student loans even though they are both paediatricians who (a) have jobs (Johnny works with Matthew in the practice he co-owns with his best friend Yvonna) and (b) own their own houses free and clear (Matthew’s house was gifted to him by his parents, Johnny’s house was willed to him by his grandmother). Why can’t Johnny pay his own loans?

Much of Matthew’s initial resistance to the relationship between Athena and Johnny was because he feared he would end up supporting both of them instead of just Johnny. (Johnny had told Athena he would support her until she found her next career and she should take all the time she needed to decide Which makes me question that spite house mortgage again.) Plus, they’d only known each other a couple of months before getting engaged. From where Matthew is standing, it all looks very reckless and unwise.

After Matthew met Athena in person, his reasons changed, even though he feels ashamed about it. In any event, Matthew knows that Johnny would never make Athena happy in the long term. And, he couldn’t bear seeing her married to his brother and long for her for the rest of his life. Matthew feels a lot of guilt about his part in breaking them up but he still believes their marriage would not have been successful.

Athena is aware of the first reasons for Matthew’s objections, if not his later ones. She’s hurt and angry and stung. She’s determined she will not take more from her parents and hasn’t told them she has basically no money and no job and she’s in a house only ten feet wide by necessity rather than choice.

As it happens, while the spite house is directly attached to Johnny’s house, Matthew’s house is on the other side of a narrow alleyway on the other side. Athena’s and Matthew’s windows into the alley are effectively windows into each other’s houses.

Athena is initially very angry with Matthew but after a while they develop a friendship because Matthew apologises genuinely and because he feels so much guilt he accepts all of Athena’s pranks (signing him up for newsletters, multi-level marketing calls, etc) as his due. And, because, let’s face it, they belong together. After a while, Athena realises that Matthew is actually a really nice guy and they do have a lot in common. Johnny is away on the honeymoon-that-wasn’t and Athena and Matthew start to spend a lot of time together.

However, Athena’s mental health is at rock bottom and she falls into a deep depression. Matthew, already desperately in love with her, helps her see what’s happening, cares for her and helps her to get treatment. Those are some of the most beautiful and moving parts of the story.

Along the way, Athena falls in love with Matthew too. But… she used to be engaged to his brother and how can Matthew betray his beloved sibling that way? How could they possibly be together?

I felt it was a reasonable thing for Matthew to be worried about, particularly given the dynamic between the siblings.

Athena’s thinking was a little different.

Yeah, it was weird that she’d been engaged to his brother. She got his hesitance. She didn’t share it—Johnny was a grown-ass man who’d dumped her of his own free will, and he’d get over any damage to his ego sooner or later—but she got it.

I thought that Athena was being incredibly naive and unrealistic.

It’s obvious all along that Matthew and Athena belong together. But I did have a disconnect. Why was she ever with Johnny? They didn’t appear to have much in common. There wasn’t a lot of Johnny in the book really. I was told he was charming and funny but I didn’t see much of that for myself. Mostly he was a sponge who expected others to do things for him and who didn’t have much of a backbone. What attracted Athena to him in the first place? Why were they engaged? There is a suggestion that perhaps Athena was looking for an exit from some unhappiness in her job and in her life’s direction and got together with Johnny to give her that off ramp but it was not really explored. And it doesn’t explain why Johnny was engaged to Athena. (I liked Athena very much. But why did Johnny like her?) Of course, me believing in Johnny/Athena runs the risk of me being conflicted by Matthew/Athena so this may be one of those dilemmas where there is no perfect answer.

Also, on page at least, it never bothered Matthew that Johnny had been intimate with Athena. Maybe I’m just weird but that would bother me. I’d at least think about it. I think I could move on from it but it would not be a non-issue.

Matthew is a such a caretaker I was very very glad when I read this:

Matthew had spent his entire life protecting others and taking on their burdens. His parents. His brothers. His grandmother. His patients. Her. But who protected him? Who shouldered his burdens when he labored under their weight?

I’d have liked to see more of Matthew being taken care of actually but that wasn’t really the story. Still, there were glimpses enough that I could tell that Athena would be there for him in a way he had not experienced before.

Athena meets a number of people in Harlot’s Bay and makes good and strong friendships. One of the links between these friendships is a mutual love of erotic romance, particularly monster-fucking books. While I have read and enjoyed a few monster romances I can’t say they’re my go-to reads. The “excerpts” featuring an arachnid monster (shudder), a yeti and a guppy-man, were, I think designed to lovingly parody the subgenre. They were pretty bad – deliberately so but still, bad. At lot of the humour in the book comes from these stories. I suspect others will enjoy this humour better than I did. Me, I felt a little disconnected from it.

There were some beautiful things in the book. They way Matthew took care of Athena when she was deeply struggling and at her lowest with depression, for one.

“I know you’re lost right now, Athena. I know you’re damaged. But you’re seeking new worlds, sweetheart, and sometimes that’s what happens. It doesn’t mean you’ll never set sail again. And no matter what happened before, no matter what happens next, you couldn’t be anything less than glorious if you tried.”

I enjoyed the friendships Athena built so easily. Her curiosity about life and just about everything. Harlot’s Bay itself was fascinating; the backstory and it’s quirky street and business names. I’m very curious about the mysterious “Sadie Brazen” and her narrator. I’m glad that by the end, Johnny and Matthew had a much healthier dynamic. Up until then, even though based in love, their relationship seemed very unhealthy to me.

Perhaps because some of the humour didn’t quite land for me, I found the story more melancholy than intended. It does explicitly with some heavy topics. Those heavy topics are treated with care and sensitivity but there were times I found them hard going.

At First Spite has much to recommend it and I certainly liked it but other of your books have worked better for me.

Grade: B

Regards,
Kaetrin

I think I have a crush on Matthew, the male protagonist of this book! The story was so entertaining and cute, even if the premise sounded kind of crazy ot me. As all of Olivia Dade's books it was just a great read and i'd recommend it to all romance lovers!

This book was one of the first romances that I’ve read in a long time where I was legit STOKED to see where it would go. It was romantic, heartfelt, healing, sexy, and just…so fucking great.

🏠 REVIEW: At First Spite 🏠

If you're looking for contemporary romance fan fiction of Mark Darcy, specifically as played by Matthew McFadden in the 2005 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, then this is your book.

SUMMARY: Athena is feeling lost at her own engagement party until she connects with a tall, dark, and handsome party guest – who just so happens to be her fiance Johnny’s older brother – the same brother who’s been naysaying the couple’s engagement from the start. Fast forward 10 months, and Athena is single, jobless, and broke – and forced to move into the only property to her name: the alley-width “spite house” that shares a wall with her ex-fiance’s home.

This was a fun contemporary romance with strong P&P themes: A happy-go-lucky pushover convinced he shouldn’t go through with a marriage; an uptight and responsibility-driven older brother who falls for a forthright heroine determined to speak her own mind; overheard conversations and more.

I liked it and thought it had one of the least depressing on-page representations of depression I’ve ever read. It was empathetic and kind to a character who needed to be cared for, and that felt so unusual to me!

If you’ve made it this far and this sounds like something you would like, then check it out! It came out Feb. 13 and is now available everywhere.

Thank you to @netgalley @avonbooks and the author for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sweet and sexy rom com; enemies to lovers. Written in Olivia Dade's signature style- great characters, banter, tension, and chemistry.

I wasn’t sure this story would work for me given that the main trope is sibling’s ex, but Olivia Dade wove such a thoughtful and quietly tender novel. The content warnings from the author (included below) were very helpful to me and I strongly urge readers to check them prior to reading this one.

Things to look forward to:
- a wonderfully laugh out loud and eclectic found family
- opposites attract
- small town romance
- an entire forest of pining
- some of the best caretaking scenes I’ve ever encountered
- super starchy stern brunch daddy who’s actually an absolute softie inside
- a hero who listens and learns so he can be crowned the Champion of Head ;)
- he falls first (and HARD!)
- forced proximity/neighbors
- fat rep
- enemies-ish to friends to lovers
- a hilarious nod to monster romance/erotica

There was a lot going on for the characters in this book and sometimes that felt overwhelming. It also made the book feel overly long, but I understand that the author was setting the world up for future books. I know some readers mentioned feeling uncomfortable with Matthew and Athena's first meeting and their flirting/connection, but I felt like it was rooted more in camaraderie and finding a kindred soul. It also drove home what a poor match her and Johnny were and that he didn't truly see or know her. Speaking of Johnny, I didn't love his return and the drama at the end, but I could understand why all the characters might respond this way given their histories. I'm glad that it didn't last long though and it also set up some very hilarious (and sweet) grovel. Overall, this was a very tender (and funny) love story and I'm very intrigued that surly (but secret sweetheart) Karl's book is next!

CW (from the author's website): Heat level is steamy (the story contains graphic sex scenes and other sexual references). Athena is experiencing clinical depression, although she doesn’t recognize it immediately. Her symptoms do not include suicidal ideation; that said, she sometimes has a vague longing to disappear. Once she acknowledges her depression, she seeks treatment. Matthew still grieves the death of his infant brother in an accidental drug overdose three decades before. Salty language is used frequently and lovingly.

*I voluntarily read a review copy of this book and listened to the audio via my library/Libby*

Great! I really loved Athena and Matthew and especially the depression rep in this, and I'm very excited to learn who the next book is about.

Olivia Dade's At First Spite was one of my favorite reads for the first few months of 2024!

Athena Greydon is moving into the spite house at Harlot's Bay, single with two glaring problems. A: The house is in the middle of her ex and his rude brother. B: It's next door to the obnoxious Matthew. Matthew, the man she will never see as someone other than the man who tore apart her relationship. What's the issue of having some fun now that they're next door neighbors? A little fun never killed nobody!

The depression rep in At First Spite is chef's kiss! I related oh so much to Athena's feelings towards leaving teaching and Matthew telling her she just can't always take care of everyone. I adored the dual pov, vulnerable characters and the love/care Dade brought to the sexual scenes. I CANNOT WAIT to read the next in this series!

4.5 stars rounded up

I wasn't sure how I would feel about a romance with an ex's sibling, but Olivia Dade did not disappoint! At First Spite balances humor and banter with a heavier exploration of depression and mental health challenges.

When Athena's fiancee breaks up with her two weeks before the wedding (partly at his brothers suggestion), she has no option but to move into the spite house she bought next door as a wedding present to him. Only to discover that his uptight brother, Dr. Matthew Vine, lives on the other side of the house. So while her ex is off on the honeymoon SHE planned, she decides to mess with the brother who ruined her life. But maybe he isn't as bad as she thinks, and maybe he has his own childhood trauma he's coping with.

There is a point in the book where Athena goes through a major depressive episode (and while this isn't said on page, I suspect she might also be neurodivergent in some way) and while it's graphic, it's handled with such care and compassion. And Matthew's care for her during it is also really great. It's a case of both of them re-evaluating their first impressions of each other and what it is they really want and need in life. Parts of it are a little heavier than what she typically reads, but it's also hilarious. Like when she blasts steamy monster romance audiobooks out her window while trying to mess with the hero. Definitely one to pick up! I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

I genuinely fell so in love with this story between Matthew and Athena. They were such at odds when they first met and with everything that went down but slowly they started almost thawing for each other.

At First Spite had so much heart and warmth, even during the petty moments - you couldn’t help but enjoy them! Athena is such a strong-headed character and I loved being able to see her vulnerable side and seeing her let her defenses down around Matthew. And don’t get me started on Matthew - the softest human ever! I just wanted to shelter him from all the bad and ugly in the world!

If acts of service is something you live for - you’re gonna eat this one up!

This book was fabulous! This book is the funniest so far and the banter and spiteful little games are laugh out loud funny. Again she gives us a strong, smart plus size heroine in Athena.

We really appreciated how she wrote Athena and her depressions. Mental health representation was flawlessly done including an epilogue talking about how meds and therapy don’t cure you, that you may still have bad days/seasons. Athena is amazing and real and I connected so hard with her. To see someone care for her responsibly and delicately was beautiful and something every depressed person deserves. Matthew was the best partner she could have asked for. We get to see their love bloom from enemies to frenemies to friends to lovers. He allows her space to be a responsible adult while also carefully taking care of her in small and big ways that are always the most thoughtful. We also loved how we get to see Matthew’s weak moments not just hers.

Spoilers follow
Matthew convinces his brother to drop his fiance, Athena right before her wedding never thinking of the consequences and she is spiraling after the betrayal and stuck in a house between both brothers. In the small town she makes friends and slowly learns about herself and Matthew is determined to make up for ruining her life.

We learn Matthew feels responsible for his brother and knew his brother wasn’t ready to be married so insisted on breaking them up. His other brother dies young and it’s also why he’s such a control freak afraid of so many things like murder dolls (hilarious) lightening and heights.

Athena feels like a failure because no job sticks and she gets bored easily she feels irresponsible and useless. She learns she needs therapy and has depression after she spirals and Matthew climbs up her house to check on her. He cleans. He cooks. He bathes her.

Funniest moments of the book (possible spoiler but maybe not): monster f*cking audiobooks broadcast via speaker to the neighborhood for an hour every night that the male bakery owner, Karl, introduced her to and that every neighbor loves for in the evening LOL. Also murder dolls and emotional support silkie chicken. Epic!

This is a VERY slow burn so they don’t hook up for like 85 percent of the book which did suck but in the context makes sense so we didn’t mind it. Confrontation with Johnny the brother really showcases how immature and selfish he is. But they make up and the epilogue is awesome because she manages the local bookstore which feels perfect for her.

Overall another winning book by Olivia Dade and we cannot wait for Karl’s book next!