At First Spite by Olivia Dade is a contemporary rom-com and the first book in the new Harlot’s Bay series (4/5 stars)

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

I received a copy of this book to review. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the complimentary digital review copy. All opinions contained herein are my own.

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