Ummm…well, I enjoyed it, but I wouldn’t say it’s going to light the world on fire or anything. It was interesting enough to keep me reading, but mostly just because I had to know if Sam did it. I wish it hadn’t been so easy to figure out what was happening next and that everyone wasn’t getting a perfectly shiny happy ending. That just doesn’t seem real. Maybe that’s not why we read these books though?

Thank you so much to HTP Publishers and Anna Collins for an advanced copy of this book. Overall, I think I'd rate it 4.5 stars.

It was so good! I really liked Wyatt and Dani. I loved the idea of a spite house and all the small details Dani added to get back at her ex. I also liked the secondary characters - Mia and Iris.

I loved the grump/sunshine trope.

There were a few small plot holes that were never addressed, which I understand why they weren't, but it was a fairly significant detail at the time. There were also a few small details that didn't match up, like someone being in a conference room ahead of time, but 3 paragraphs later that same person is walking through the door. Just small stuff.

I loved the story though. I would reread this and would buy a physical copy.

I always enjoy an enemies to lovers, and workplace romance themed books. This was a total joy to read! The premise of building a house to spite anyone (especially your ex fiancée) was so petty, but I loved it! I really enjoyed Dani and Wyatt’s relationship. They had such great chemistry and heat filled tension. Their reasons for being so guarded are completely valid and I just enjoyed their growth overall and with each other. The banter between Dani & Wyatt is great, and I enjoyed the process of them getting to know each other better, learning to trust each other and navigating a relationship while working together. My favorite part of the book was the insane trio of Dani, Mia, and Iris. The side characters were also fabulous and not afraid to call Dani out when she's being unreasonable. The conversations with her landlady and cousin, partners in the spite house, were hysterical as their contributions to the spite involved a collection of garden gnomes and LARPers. I loved that they were such a supportive group and added the exact right amount of quirk. The landlady’s Great Danes were the perfect canine sidekicks. This was a fun, light binge read that I will be recommending to others. Chapters were short, characters were endearing, and things moved quickly. I will be keeping an eye out for future books by Anna E. Collins.

Sweet, quick read. Definitely recommended if you are looking for something light and fun. Not a classic but I enjoyed it.

Love at First Spite was an interesting read. I received an eARC from NetGalley, and there were some serious kerning and display issues (every single word with an "f" had a space after it, so "f leeting" would look like that; there was "Love at First Spite" "Anna E Collins" and the page numbers randomly inserted within the text, the paragraphs were semi random if they happened at all, and there was nothing to indicated if a character was texting). I mention the display issues, because they detracted from the story.

I'm not sure what I think of the book. I greatly enjoyed parts of it, and the idea of being able to build a house specifically designed to spite the person next door is wonderful, but it also reveals some serious issues with the main character, since everything Dani does is designed to get back at her cheating ex-fiance. She's also getting back at the rest of the neighborhood with her antics, and it is never mentioned if she ever thought about that. I don't really like her as a character.

Wyatt isn't bad, when he's not being a dick. And he alternates rather rapidly between the Wyatt one loves and the Wyatt who needs to get the stick out of his ass. He was recently diagnosed with a chronic illness, and was badly burned by his then-girlfriend. I would have liked more about him and his chronic illness in the story.

And that ending. What a let down. I wasn't a huge fan of what she was doing to the rest of the neighbors with her spite house, but the whole thing was growing on me. Until the ending.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House for the eARC of Love at First Spite.

Dani is set on getting revenge against her ex-boyfriend(almost husband) for cheating. She sets out on a journey to make his life a living hell by building right across the street from the house they bought together. While trying to find an architect, through her job, that will help her build said revenge building, she gets help from her attractive, yet very serious, coworker Wyatt. The love between Wyatt and Dani is so adorable. Their love shows that no matter what you go through, people make mistakes, and that forgiveness isnt such a bad thing! I definitely suggest this read to people who love a good romcom 💜

Love at First Spite is author Anna E. Collins debut novel and I enjoyed it a lot.

The story is about what happens when you're a lying cheat and your girlfriend is resourceful. Honestly, It was all sorts of fun and entertaining and it had a unique spin on a storyline that has been told many times before.
The slow burn between Dani and Wyatt was heat-filled tension as they try to keep their relationship a secret from their coworkers. And their opposites attract vibe leads to some funny banter.

I look forward to reading more from this author.

I really enjoyed this story, but I felt the revenge plot dragged in places. I wish it would have focused more on the romance and the couple, rather than the secondary plot. However it was a good, quick read and I would definitely read something from this author in the future.

What a dazzling debut novel from Anna E. Collins.

Interior designer Dani has found her fiancé, Sam, cheated on her. Calling off the wedding and ending things was the best decision she has ever mad. The more she thinks about it, the more she realizes he has bulldozed her life and her opinions and wants were never heard. Not to mention he is still with the woman he cheated on her with, even though he claims “he made a mistake”. Now she wants Sam to hurt like she does. Hence her idea to buy up the property next door, that he never did and build a small house obscuring his view and putting all tacky things that would drive him insane. A spite house.

What she didn’t expect was for the unapproachable architect, Wyatt, at her job to offer help. As the project gets under way she finds more excuses to meet/be with Wyatt, instead of avoiding him. But the project and her feelings toward Wyatt start to go off the rails.

Throw in a cousin, her current landlady and two great danes and you have all the makings of a fantastic rom-com. Dani’s self-realization and growth was fantastic, add in some miscommunication and misperceptions and you have a realistic character that is relatable. Definitely pick this one up – you’ll want to see how it ends.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this.

This book started off strong as Dani hilariously commented on her lack of the marriage and her subsequently buying and building on the lot adjacent to her ex. Iris and Mia added further color. However, once Wyatt enters into the scene, this book became purely sexual between the two whether at the job or their homes. Could have taken a better turn

Full review will be up on pop-culturalist.com closer to pub date. Dani and Wyatt are the perfect definition of opposites attract. Wyatt's arrogant and handsome. Dani is strategic and logical.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me with access to an ARC in exchange for my review.

I think we can all imagine a time where we wanted to get back at someone who did us wrong in the past but Dani takes it a step further. After discovering that her fiancé cheated on her with the realtor that helped him buy the house that was meant to be her present, Dani decides that he hasn't suffered enough and cooks up an expensive and insane idea to build a spite house next door, directly messing with his view and his life.

This book is 100% wish fulfillment. And not necessarily in a bad way. Dani's revenge plot is subverted by her growing feelings for Wyatt Montego as he helps her with the design and build for the house, and along the way she learns that revenge is not the best way to get even with her ex-fiancé.

Although some parts of the book are highly fantastical and bordering on ludicrous, Dani and Wyatt's relationship started strong and only grew from there. The plot behind the house became secondary and my sole focus was on the newfound attraction between these two inidivuals. That being said, because the plot was a little out there, I couldn't suspend belief long enough to really get in the story.

Solid rom-com, if a bit nuts.

This is a book that I have mixed feelings about.

You know from the description that Dani builds a house to spite her ex fiancé who cheated on her with the realtor that sold them their new house. Dani just seemed to take her revenge a bit far in every aspect.

I did love the relationship with Dani and her cousin and Dani's relationship with her elderly landlord. The opening scene of Dani playing paintball in her wedding dress on what was supposed to be her wedding day was great.

The good in this book outweighed the bad. I did enjoy the book but the extreme spite just didn't sit well with me. The level of spite just needed to be toned down some for my taste.

I received an ARC of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

Collins writes a delightful read about an interior designer who broke up with her fiancé of 3 years after being cheated on with their realtor. Dani Porter decides to buy the tiny lot next to her ex's house out of spite to build an Airbnb that would ruin his view and his peace and quiet. Dani partners with the harsh but hot architect at their respective design firm out of desperation. Not quite an enemies to lovers romance Dani and Wyatt Montego engage in a slow but sensuous build full of comic relief in the form of a fun cousin and an elderly lesbian landlady.
A modern romance filled with real life issues in addition to juicy drama and family comedy is a fun and quick read.

Interior designer Dani, was cheated on by her ex-fiancee Sam. To get revenge, she decides to build a spite house next-door to his home and ruin his view of the lake and place things like gnomes in the yard just to annoy him. Dani cannot afford to buy the lot next-door and build the house, so she goes into "business" with her best friend and cousin, Mia and her new landlord, Iris. The trio decides to build a vacation house on the lot. Dani starts looking for an architect at her office that can do the job on the cheap. Much to her surprise co-worker Wyatt Montego a handsome, difficult, and critical architect offers to help. Wyatt agrees to work on the build if Dani agrees to help his grandmother with a new curtain purchase. Dani sets aside her differences and starts to work with Wyatt. Dani soon discovers that she has misjudged Wyatt and that there is an attraction there, but neither of them is looking to date. Soon the project becomes more about spending time with Wyatt. Will Dani and Wyatt act on their attraction for one another?

This was an easy, fun, read, I was able to finish the book in a couple of hours. The characters were well-developed and were easy to relate to. I enjoyed the funny moments and is a wonderful enemies to lovers story that left me wanting to read more about Dani and Wyatt. It ended too soon and left me dying to read her next book.

3.5

This was a mixed bag for me. I loved the beginning where we meet Dani and her cousin Mia as they’re playing paintball on what was supposed to be Dani’s wedding day. The girl gang with her cousin and her spunky elderly landlady was amazing.

But I wasn’t a huge fan of just how extreme Dani’s revenge “spite house” scheme became. She got really focused on making her ex’s life miserable, whereas I just wanted her to move on and pay attention to the hot architect that clearly had a crush on her.

Speaking of Wyatt, I really wanted to get in his head. This was a single perspective romance with not a lot of steam. I found the overall chemistry between the two MCs rather disappointing.

Overall a fast read that I did enjoy more than not but it won’t be one of my favourites this year. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I always say, I'm a sucker for a Hallmark Movie. This book had all the Hallmark feels.

It was a cute read. I enjoyed it. What I didn't enjoy (and I know this is an ARC) was how poorly this content came across on my Kindle. There were words in the wrong places. It was annoying - but I got use to it and figured it out.

If you're looking for a cute read, somewhat predictable, (but that's the Hallmark formula!) - definitely pick up this book.

Imagine having enough money to buy and build your own spite house just to get back at an ex. Honestly it’s goals.

That’s exactly what happens here - and it was super fun to watch. It’s a grumpy/sunshine, office romance that will have readers finishing it in one sitting. It’s cute as it is sexy

I'm here for a home renovation rom com, and Love at First Spite delivers. The romance is aggressively okay but the chemistry between the characters isn't jumping off the page. I liked how there were some surprising plot turns which I definitely was not expecting. Overall, a fun and a little bit twisted romp.

This novel has one of the most unique opening scenes that I've ever read! I was immediately hooked. A spite house isn't something I'd heard of, but evidently it is a thing. Anna E. Collins took an intriguing concept and crafted an entertaining novel. Nicely done!
Love at First Spite is a satisfying rom-com featuring a heroine determined to extract revenge against the man she thought she'd marry. When the grumpy, aloof hero joins forces with said determined heroine, sparks unexpectedly fly. I enjoyed catching glimpses of familiar locations on Seattle's east side, and the cast of secondary characters helped keep the novel's pacing where it needs to be. There's plenty of witty banter and chemistry between the characters as well.
I did not love the emotional whiplash regarding the hero and heroine. There are some on again/off again moments that didn't ring true for me. Overall, a sparkling debut that rom-com fans will enjoy.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the complimentary copy. All opinions shared here are my own.