At First Spite

"This book offers such an actual portrayal of mental health and how to care for your loved ones when they’re going through it. It was such a sensitive and vulnerable read, and I highlighted and sticky tabbed my copy like you wouldn’t believe. There are even handwritten notes in my margins, which many would consider blasphemy, but I felt like Dade’s work deserved that kind of care. As someone who has dealt with depression most of her life and has a wonderful partner who tries his best to care for me, I think of this book as a kind of blueprint that I can hand to male customers to tell them how to act. There’s a scene that makes everyone sob, which is lovingly called ‘the bathtub scene,’ which I did love and felt was very romantic, but my heart ached most at the scene where Matthew cleans Athena’s house for her during a bout of depression. That’s the kind of romance that I can get behind. Also, the main character being plus size but not having that be her personality or what her man loves the most about her in a fetishizing way? Say less."