Love at First Spite (2022)

So I think I’m going to take a break from new adult romance by new-to-me authors. I’m just not really enjoying it.

Good things about the book:

1. An interesting career for our FMC. She’s an architect, sort of. She’s an interior designer who works at an architectural firm, so it’s much more than picking out throw pillows (I’m not bashing interior design, just how books often characterize it as a fluff job).
2. An interesting career for our MMC. He’s an architect. Are you sensing a trend?
3. He’s a grump (sort of) but she’s not a sunshine girl. He’s actually just reserved, with a little bit of insecurity thrown in there. She’s not a ray of sunshine who brightens everyone’s day (this trope really grates for me - I’m looking at you, Gabriella, from HSM).
4. Strong females/relationships. Except for the females in the ex’s orbit, the women weren’t particularly tropey. 
5. Great found family. Our FMC’s not close to her parents. She’s besties with her cousin and the pair find a great network of friends, including the aunt of the cousin’s BF who becomes an older aunt/mom figure. 
6. Healthy dating (multiple couples). Both the FMC and her best friend have relationships where they communicate. No one’s high emotional maintenance (in fact, our FMC’s awareness of her emotional baggage helps their relationship to be realistic and healthy when dealing with conflict). 
7. Being gay is treated as a normal part of life, rather than it being a token or a statement situation. One of the characters is gay, shares stories about her relationship (her partner has passed). It never feels like she’s a unicorn, simply an older woman sharing her life and wisdom. And it’s never hit-you-over-the-head - the wisdom or the sexuality. 
8. Legitimate reasons for the third act bump/conflict/will they be together: they both have relationship baggage and that baggage finally causes issues.

Great things about the book:

1. The house they were building. 
2. The spite pranks. 
3. FMC character growth: as the book progresses, the FMC learn things about herself, and how she navigates her relationships, and grows to handle situations differently.
4. The FMC does not suffer from ‘not like other girls’ syndrome. There isn’t a distain for the pretty because she’s smart and competent. It’s a good development/trend.
5. The MMC has a health issue (Meniere’s disease) that has impacted his life/physical activity, which I appreciate because most 20-something stories have people whose health never has issues more than something like the flu. As someone whose health has taken a hit - fibromyalgia - I could relate to the ways it’s can take a toll on your life and emotions. The MMC’s reaction to his condition feels very authentic, rather than being plopped in for the drama, and the issue isn’t cleaned up by the end of the story. 

Things that made me feel ‘meh’ about the book:

1. The resolution of the conflict between the FMC and her ex. 
2. The FMC’s heightened awareness/attraction for the MMC. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m starting to roll my eyes when modern-day people feel zings from bumping shoulders. At least he wasn’t an Adonis statue come to life, like so many MMCs. 
3. Again, it’s just feeling tired of 20-something struggles. I’ve been there, done that. I just don’t relate to it anymore.

My rating: 3.5/5 (my initial rating was a 3 but after I thought about what I really liked about the book, I raised it to a 3.5.)