A cute little enemies to friends to lovers rom com. Olivia Dade is hit or miss author for me, but this one was a hit. I loved the banter, the characters were well thought out, and the chemistry between the two leads was good. A definite recommend.

A slow spite but we got there! I had trouble getting into it, I just didn't see the appeal of Matthew. As the story went on, I grew to see Athena in a better light and Matthew grew on me. This book juggled some difficult topics like depression but Olivia Dade did it in such a delicate and important way. I did want more of the two of them by the end.

excellent book. was so excited to receive this ARC. it became one of my top favorite reads. cannot wait to read more from this author.

This was such a cute concept and interesting read! I felt like I learned a little bit of history. I had never heard of the concept of a spite house and that made this book a unique storyline for me!

This was a fun enemies to lovers steamy romance. I love how Olivia Dade features plus size characters. It's so refreshing to read and I adore it.
I did enjoy Athena's and Matthew's romance but it did feel a little forced at times. I wasn't overally in love with it.
This book also had depression, anxiety, and loss of a loved one representation.

Olivia Dade can do no wrong and her first book in the Harlot's Bay series, At First Spite is proof! This enemies-to-lovers tale is contemporary romance at its finest and it would be a fantastic romance just like that, but Dade takes readers deeper and tackles real issues like mental health and childhood trauma with immense care. I can't wait to see what she writes next!

At First Spite
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Author: Olivia Dade

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Avon Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: When Athena Greydon's fiancé ends their engagement, she has no choice but to move into the Spite House she recklessly bought him as a wedding gift. This is a problem, for several reasons: The house, originally built as a brick middle finger to the neighbors, is only ten feet wide. Her ex's home is attached to hers. And Dr. Matthew Vine the Freaking Third (aka the uptight, judgmental jerk who convinced his younger brother to leave her) is living on the other side, only a four-foot alley away.

If she has to see Matthew every time she looks out her windows, she might as well have some fun with the situation--by, say, playing erotic audiobooks at top volume with the windows open. A woman living in a Spite House is basically obligated to get petty payback however she can, right?

Unfortunately, loathing Matthew proves more difficult than anticipated. He helps her move. He listens. And he's kind of...hot? Dammit.

My Thoughts: This is the first book in the Harlot’s Bay series and it has started off with a BIG BANG! Dade is one of my favorite spicy romance authors. I discovered Dade through the prior series, Spoiler Alert and absolutely adored that series. I am finicky about my romance books, I will only read ones with cartoon like covers, I cannot explain why that matters, it just does. Athena gets dumped right before the wedding and has no choice but to move into the “Spite House” she bought her now ex-finance to slowly rebuild her life. The house is really narrow and small. The person that caused the breakup, Dr. Matthew Vine (the brother of her ex-finance), lives literally across the street, or rather alley from her. She does petty things, like Eroica audiobook as loud as she can have it, to get under his nerves. In the process, she finds that he actually listens to her, helped her move, and the loathe turns into another feeling. This follows the tropes of enemies to lovers, ex-finance brother, grumpy/sunshine, and plus size character representation.

I really loved how both of our MCs were broken, they healed together so beautifully, that it just melts my heart thinking about it to write this review. Just a tremendous amount of character growth. I would say the only con would be it is a really slow get together and the third act breakup, I really think we could have not done it here and the story would have been even more beautiful. Props to Dade for doing an outstanding job at mental health representation, done with grace and dignity. I love how Dade balances the really tough sensitive scenes with the heartfelt scenes to have a really balanced story. The characters were well fleshed out, well developed, had witty banter, amazing chemistry, and were intriguing. The author’s writing style was complex, spicy, thought-provoking, beautiful, and did I mention spicy? And let’s not forget to mention BRILLIANT!

Warnings: grief, anxiety, loss of a sibling (past tense, recounting event), and depression. Dade did such an amazing job with this book, I highly recommend picking up today. Dade balances witty humor with a deep dive into mental health challenges and does it in a way that really comes across as beautiful. I cannot wait for the second book, Dearly Departed, hopefully later this year. I just cannot say enough to go PICK UP THIS BOOK!

I've loved every Olivia Dade book I've read so far, and At First Spite was no exception. It's a difficult premise for an author to make work--our heroine is engaged until her fiance's brother talks him out of going through with the wedding, ostensibly because he doesn't approve of her, but also because he finds himself extremely attracted to her. She begins to fall for him as well in the aftermath, but our protagonists also have to deal with depression, burnout, and the aftereffects of family tragedy on their way to an HEA. Despite these darker themes, At First Spite still has plenty of funny and sweet moments, and I loved the dynamic between the two main characters and how much they loved one another.

I received an eARC of At First Spite from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much for.this book. All of the humor, spice, and great characters I've come to expect from an Olivia Dade book were there. But I was surprised at how compassionate the description of depression was. And how accurate, at least to my experience. Its not often that someone gets it without having experienced it. (I sincerely hope Ms. Dade has not.) I look forward eagerly to the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! Somehow this is my first read of Olivia Dade’s, however, it won’t be my last.

As a plus size woman I appreciate plus size romances so much. This was STEAMY! I had such a great time reading this, I couldn’t put it down and enjoyed the journey so much! Highly recommend for romance lovers!

Olivia Dade has an incredible talent for creating FMCs that are incredibly relatable and that shows in At First Spite. Her characters feel real and alive on page. I didn't quite connect as much with the overall romance and chemistry between the two characters in this one, compared to her other books, but this was very fun and readable.

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!