I disagree. Coming from python, my first foray into web frontend was a SPA for mobile. Both my coworkers convinced me to go right to react + redux (after some bumbling first with more "traditional" ajax). After a few weeks of utter bewilderment, I have to say I really enjoy this stack. Some say it's overkill, but the framework really helps me organize things into cognitive chunks, and makes debugging so much easier.

Ever had a class in school which you hated at the time because it felt super hard, but loved in hindsight because of how much you learned? same sort of vibe. Fight through the pain.