Queen B’s Decree: I couldn’t put this one down; I couldn’t stop gushing about it to my friends.
The set-up is slightly complicated: Athena is engaged to Johnny. Athena meets Johnny’s older brother, Matthew, for the first time at their engagement party—which leads to a “moment.” Fast forward and Johnny dumps Athena a week before the wedding, at Matthew’s strong urging. But too late, Athena bought a house that is mere feet away from her ex-fiance…and the dreaded older brother, and she’s already quit her job and sold all her stuff so she’s stuck there.
What happens next is at times hilarious, heartwarming, sad, and depressing. At First Spite is so much more than a romcom; it goes into depth about depression, insecurity, the ramifications of parentification, and how grief can have a lifelong effect. It just made it feel all that more real.
Matthew is one of my favorite heroes ever, and even though he has a major misstep along the way, his grovel and legitimate apology secured my love. He was such a giver; he just adored Athena, his friends, and his brother. I just want to wrap him in a comfy blanket and make sure he’s okay. And Athena was the perfect, dorky foil to him. They just really fit together.
At First Spite was really just full of love…and potatoes.
Book: At First Spite by Olivia Date
Series: Harlot’s Bay #1
Genre: RomCom
Hotness: medium salsa
Plot Devices/Tropes: enemies-to-lovers