Review: The Spite Date by Pippa Grant (Small Town Sisterhood #1)

Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author.

The Spite Date is the first novel in Pippa Grant's new Small Town Sisterhood series, and we've got an interesting pair of main characters in the form of an American woman who owns a food truck bus and has been the guardian of her three younger brothers since their parents died and a British man who is a successful actor and writer and co-parents his two fourteen-year-old twin sons with his ex. When twenty-nine-year-old Beatrice Best finds herself thrown in jail after the stunt Simon Luckwood's kids pulled. Everything is cleared up soon enough, but that sure as heck doesn't stop Bea from playing on the thirtysomething actor's feelings of guilt--with a bit of a push from her best friend--and has him take her on a date to make up for everything. An apology date at the restaurant her ex owns--the same one that was her late father's dream. Bea will get a bit of vengeance, and Simon will have his conscience cleared; but if there's one thing she's had to learn over the years, it's that life doesn't really follow anyone's script.

Pippa Grant has set the bar mightily high for this new series of hers, and I'm here for all of it--all the heat, heart, and humor, because no one quite does it like Grant does. Bea was a force of nature--a woman who was undeniably independent and learned to make lemonade out of life's lemons. I loved how she was with her brothers, Ryker, Griff, and Hudson, and she and Daphne were definitely #bestiegoals. Simon was unexpected, and it was clear in the beginning that Bea didn't know quite what to do with his presence, especially given that he had that bad habit of smiling all the darn time. Now, was Simon perfect? Nope, particularly because he kept something from Bea for most of the book. However, when it came time to make amends and grovel, he did, in fact, do both, so who was I to hold a grudge against someone who clearly loved Bea? From these two main characters to the supporting cast plus a story that tugged at heartstrings while tickling your funny bone, it's nothing but love for The Spite Date, which gets five stars.

Release Date: 04 September 2025

Date Read: 30 August 2025

Learn more about Pippa Grant.

Pre-order The Spite Date on Amazon.