Book Review: At First Spite by Olivia Date

Rating: 3 stars of 5

What a cute, fluffy read this was! I loved that the female main character is in her 30’s and that, whether intentional or not, she is super AuDHD coded. I don’t see a lot of neurodivergent characters in this demographic in books, so it’s always nice to come across them. I found Athena (the MFC) to be very likeable, especially in the first few chapters, and it certainly didn’t hurt that she and I share a love for wearing Keds with dresses. I also enjoyed the lighthearted tone of the writing. The wit the author sprinkled throughout is delightful.

There were a few things in the book that didn’t work for me. As the story progresses, the chemistry between Athena and the MMC starts to feel forced, flat, and clinical. I found their spicy scenes to be a bit cringe (actually, much of the last third of the book is pretty cringe). By the end of the book, I just wasn’t rooting for the two main characters as a couple anymore and I thought Athena deserved better than what the author wrote for her, which left me less than satisfied with the ending. I also found the way Athena was infantilized, either by other characters in the story or by the author, off-putting.

For these reasons, and because the book does contain some editing errors and quite a lot of language (it’s just not my thing), I’m rating this one at 3 stars. I would probably give Olivia Dade another try at some point, as I did enjoy the quippy bits of writing, but on the whole, this was just not one to end up on any of my favorites lists.

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