So, I love this cover, and I kind of adored Claire's character. The story is mostly a good romance, with a touch of heartbreak and family drama.

Delilah is a photographer who returns to her hometown to photograph her step sisters wedding. Whilst there, she meets Claire - a single Mum and one of her step sister's best friends.

I really didn't like Delilah at all - I found her frustrating and very annoying. I also though the plot was pretty slow and seemed to really drag on.

A miss for me, unfortunately!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Do you know that feeling, when you read a book and you know it's good, really it's an objectively well written book but you just don't vibe with it?
That's how I felt while reading »Delilah Green Doesn't Care«. I expected to love this and to be fair, there are parts that I really really really liked. The small town vibes, a bit of a grump and sunshine dynamic between Delilah and Claire, how much this was about family, Iris, the fun banter.
Unfortunately, the writing style wasn't working for me. As I said, it's not badly written or anything, it just wasn't my favorite. It's written in third person which isn't my favorite in romance books and I don't know, I just couldn't really connect to the characters. I can't really explain it/pinpoint what exactly wasn't working for me but... oh well. It is what it is. I liked Delilah and Claire both a lot (but honestly, my favorite character was Iris and my favorite moments were wenn Iris and Delilah interacted because they were so much fun together because they're so similar) but I just didn't feel the chemistry between them.
Nonetheless, I'm still pretty much looking forward to the next book because I want to read more about these characters because they were my favorite thing about this book, the secondary characters maybe even more than the main characters.

4.5 Stars

Synopsis: Delilah Green is going home to Bright Falls to photograph her stepsister's wedding. But, Bright Falls holds nothing but grey and lonely memories for Delilah. Then she meets Claire, her stepsister’s childhood friend, and Delilah decides to have some fun. But more than fun seems to be in the cards.

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care, by Ashley Herring Blake is a steamy, funny, and heart-warming sapphic romance.

Heyhey, BookNerds – Surprise! Today I bring you a Rom-Com book review instead of fantasy! And a fantastic Rom-Com at that! Delilah Green Doesn’t Care, by Ashley Herring Blake was a delightful read that I absolutely adored – it was funny, witty, heart-warming, emotional and had it’s share of serious moments.

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care is a very well written romance. The prose is witty, evocative and full of heart. The book is told from the perspectives of Delilah and Claire, our MC and love interest. I love both perspectives, both worked well with the romance story and gave us insight into each character’s motivations, emotions and thoughts. Both narratives compliment each other, keep you engaged and keep the pace of the book balanced. The dialogue is also realistic, witty, emotional and flows well – it reflects the characters personalities well.

The actual plot revolves around Delilah, a queer (self described) New York artist, who is going home to Bright Falls to photograph her stepsister’s (Astrid) wedding. But Delilah and Astrid have a strained relationship, their childhood shadowed with loneliness and isolation, and Delilah really doesn’t want to go home. When Delilah returns to Bright Falls she runs into Claire, Astrid’s childhood friend. Claire is a small town book shop owner with an eleven-year-old daughter and an unreliable ex. The two’s polar opposite lifestyles collide; Claire refuses to fall for Delilah’s charms, and Delilah is determined to unsettle Claire but when the two, along with Iris (Astrid’s other childhood friend) are drawn together through the wedding festivities they plan to save Astrid from her terrible future husband.

I really enjoyed the plot of the book, it had so many elements that came together to give you something very real. From Delilah dealing with her relationship with Astrid, to her aiming for her artistic goals, to her romantic relationship with Claire, everything worked well to create realistic relationships and a dynamic story. The book, being a romance/comedy is driven by it’s characters and, because the characters are so fantastic, this works perfectly. I loved the story between Astrid and Delilah, the slow unfolding of their past and the way they worked through it. I loved Delilah’s story of being an aspiring artist, a hardworking queer artist with goals and ambitions. I enjoyed Delilah and Claire’s story, the slow unfolding of their relationship and the swinging between just casual fun or something that is more real. But I also really enjoyed Claire’s own story, her life as a mother, struggling to put herself first, and her unreliable ex adding more stress to her life. Every character had a story or connected with another’s story and it made the book all the more enjoyable.

Astrid also has a key part in this story, more specifically how her friends and stepsister want to help her leave her terrible relationship. This part of the story was an interesting balance of serious and comical – some of the schemes were definitely fun and comedic but also it dealt with some more serious issues. I really hated Astrid’s fiance, and really did want to slap him but thought the plot was done well and I was most definitely on the ‘break up’ teams side!

The cast of this book is beautifully queer and lgbtq+. Delilah, our mc, is a lesbian photographer, who also explicitly uses queer and gay to describe herself. Claire is an openly bisexual bookshop owner and mother. Iris is also an openly bisexual woman. I loved that this book is so unabashedly sapphic, and so openly deals with identity and sexuality. But it is also sensitive, intense and emotional, it is comforting and angsty all in one. All these characters are in or around their 30’s, comfortable with who they are but also imperfect – they have embraced their identities but they have flaws that they overcome over the course of the book.

Every character is dynamic and realistic. Delilah is stubborn, withdrawn and keeps things casual. She has wall around her heart, and a tendency to push people to keep them away. She is very charming when she wants to be but also very witty and good at unsettling people. I actually really did love Delilah – she’s flawed, but real and vulnerable, also her tattoos!! But that’s another story. Delilah is a great mc, and I loved watching her growth over the course of the book.

Claire is the love interest and does not do casual. She is serious, devoted to her daughter, and struggles to put herself first and is easily stressed. Claire is soft, and gentle, she deeply cares about her friends but struggles to confront people and speak up. I loved Claire, and I could really relate to her character, she made for a great character and love interest. I liked watching her development throughout the story.

Astrid. So Astrid is Delilah’s stepsister and is about to get married. She seems cold, stuck-up and distant but she has her own story, she is clever, determined and a people pleaser. It took me a while to warm to Astrid but I did, I could relate to some of her flaws and I felt for her and the horrible relationship she was in. I liked her development too but look forward to more of it in the second book.

Iris is the final friend in the group and is incredibly blunt and brutally honest, but she is also hilarious and very much knows who she is. Iris may have had the least development but her character was still well written and worked well in the group – she also definitely made me giggle at times.

We also get other characters such as Claire’s daughter, ex, and more – all of which were equally dynamic and well written. I really did love the cast of characters in this book.

Overall, Delilah Green Doesn’t Care, by Ashley Herring Blake is a steamy, witty, angsty and funny romantic comedy that tugs on the heartstrings and works its way into your heart.

*I received an eARC via #Netgalley #LittleBrownBookGroupUK in exchange for an honest review – Thank you!*

I absolutely loved this novel! It had so many great elements to it - second chance family / friendships, coparenting, estranged sisters reunited, and great queer romance and representation.
All the characters were so great and although flawed were so real. I loved seeing all the relationships develop and LOVED that the two leads in the romantics relationship were open and honest with each other. I thought this was so powerful and I loved the queer representation in their relationship and the book in general.
I really enjoyed reading this and it was so entertaining and just all round a brilliant read. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley and Piaktus for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Delilah Green Doesn't Care. It was very easy to read and the conflict did make sense. The 'villains' were a bit underdeveloped in my opinion but it worked in the context of the story. I liked Delilah and Clare's relationship, especially Delilah getting to know her daughter. I even ended up really liking Josh. Overall, a good plot with good characters that was written well.

☆☆☆½

It was a really cute book, I liked Delilah’s character and it was a fun read although I felt it dragged a little at times and there was a scene we didn’t see but I wish we did (spoilers so I can’t say) other than that it was an enjoyable (and fast) read.

I wasn’t expecting to love this book as since I’m not a big romance reader, but I ended up loving it a lot! It’s an amazing steamy, sapphic romance with so many humorous moments that make you laugh. It’s such an addicting read, I couldn’t put it down.

I especially liked how we got to learn more about the characters history without it being shoved in your face. We got various flashbacks gradually throughout the book and they fit really well into the story. Although I feel like this was on the thicker side for a romance novel, I wasn’t bored at all and I think that it was paced perfectly- not too fast but not too slow- so it inclined me to read more.

The chemistry- platonic and romantic- between the characters is written really well and it made the story very interesting to read. I also love the main cast of characters and their character development throughout the book.

I can’t wait for this book to be released because I know everyone will love it just as much as I did! I’ve never read a book by Ashley Herring Blake before, but I’ll definitely be reading more by her! I’m looking forward to the next book in this series.

Rating: 5/5 ⭐️

This book was so amazing omg and I am SO obsessed. I have to wait a YEAR for Astrid's book??? Ahhh. God, the writing was so breathtaking. I'm in love. I found my new always-buy author.

A NEW FAVOURITE BOOK? Yes please.

Tropes: sisters best friend, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, single parents.

This book is everything I wanted it to be and more. It is fun and romantic but with a depth that makes it relatable. A lot of this is due to the incredible characters and their chemistry/relationship with each other. Delilah is a badass, confident artist that all 'weird' teens want to grow up to be. Claire is a loving single mum, fiercely loyal to her friends and dedicated to growing the book store she has inherited. They shouldn't work together but they do - each one brings out the best in the other without losing any of their own identities.

Delilah and Claire are surrounded by a cast of also complex characters - Astrid (Delilah's estranged sister and Claire's best friend) and Iris (an outspoken but funny best friend) being the most important. This book tackles modern family dynamics in a refreshing way, without falling into any stereotypes. When reading, you feel like the characters are real, acting like anyone else would in their situation.

THE REPRESENTATION!! I have never felt so seen by a book. It does bisexual and lesbian representation so well. There were no harmful stereotypes and, honestly, the queerness was treated as irrelevant. The focus was on the love story, not the gender of the couple. I always worry with a small town romance that homophobia is going to be the conflict, but in this case the conflict came from internal character reflections rather than external bigotry, resulting in a small town queer romance that is actually fun to read!

I loved this book and have nothing negative to say about it at all. I 100% recommend picking it up if you want a fun, steamy, romantic read.

Thank you to Net Galley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

4⭐️

Delilah green is a 30 year old photographer in nyc just trying to pay rent. When she is offered 15k for a shoot she agrees… despite it being her step sisters wedding.

Delilah would do anything to mess with her step sister, even try to hook up with her best friend.

I wasn’t expecting to feel so sad with this book… i really feel like I related a lot to Delilah and not with just photography! She has this reputation that she doesn’t care when really she cares too much but isn’t allowed to show it.

I really loved Claire’s and Delilah’s chemistry and how she opened up to Claire about a lot of things that she was never able to before.

This book did drag a little in the beginning; the monologues didn’t really need to be that long and as often. And I feel like some of the characters (iris) was a little toxic. It was pushed aside as she sort of apologised but she just seemed like she did what she wanted and she was just a mean kid. Sometimes she was funny but I don’t think I enjoyed her as much as I should have.

This has spice, good chemistry and all around a good book!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read an arc of this and review!

Ok, I have DNF'D this one at 76% which is so disappointing because this was one of my most anticipated books of February 2022. While the sapphic sex scenes in this were 100% 5 stars, the story around it was poor dragged on and I just didn't want to pick it up anymore. Also if the two grown up women had have just SPOKEN TO EACH OTHER earlier on a lot of the stuff could be worked out!

This was a fun but also emotional romance, filled with characters I couldn't help but love, that also explored complicated family relationships.

I adored both of our MCs. There's Delilah, who's badass but secretly soft underneath, and Claire, who's soft but secretly badass underneath. Both of them come alive on the page from the very beginning, and I quickly felt like I knew them and their wants, fears and dreams. I couldn't help but root for them throughout the book, even if I did find myself saying 'yeah sure' to myself anytime one of them insisted it was 'just casual.'

I also loved the exploration of the complicated Parker-Green family dynamics, and how the terrible step-sister trope is inverted here. Delilah's step-sister, Astrid, is introduced as a stereotypical pain-in-the-arse snotty mean girl with little concern for Delilah. But through the POV of Claire, one of her best friends, we quickly see there is two sides to the story of their childhoods, and more to Astrid than how Delilah see hers. Blake does a great job of exploring their childhood grief, the pressure put upon Astrid by her mother, and Delilah's feelings of exclusion, and how this lead to the distance between them, with both & yet neither of them to blame.

On a much lighter note, I adored the creative swearing throughout the book & will definitely by using some of it in RL!

Overall, this was a great read I highly recommend for anyone looking for a Sapphic romance which is both fun & fluffy, but also ground in very human connection and experience, good and bad.

This was a delightful Sapphic romance that was full of moments that made me smile. The was great banter and lots of funny and uncomfortable moments that made for great reading. The steam level was also brilliant and I really felt the chemistry between the characters.

The character development was really well done as we got a real sense of the characters history without it being overdone and slow moving. in fact this was a really good pace and one I wanted to keep picking up.

I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

I didn't even have to read the synopsis to know I was going to love this book, the gorgeous cover itself told me all I need to know! Held as one of my most anticipated reads of 2022, Delilah Green Doesn't Care did not at all disappoint. It was steamy, sexy messy, romantic, and who can suppress themselves from a sunshine/grumpy trope? The relationships were all too die for; romantic, familial, friends, etc. The personal development within the characters were really well written and I couldn't have adored this story more.

First things first, that cover is gorgeous.
I've been waiting for this book since I first heard about it, and was not disappointed at all.
I liked that all of the characters in this book were flawed, and thought the significance placed on the different types of relationships was beautifully done.
I loved the way both sides of Delilah & Astrid's relationship were revealed, and the way the book left their narrative at the end.
The central relationship was great, beautifully developed and really sweet. This is the first in a series, so I'm glad we'll get more of their story, even if it's in the background.
I look forward to seeing this book get the hype it deserves!
(18+)

Love sure is messy! And in all its forms. While the sapphic romance (grumpy/sunshine, what more to ask for) was what made me want to read this book, I absolutely adored all the messy relationships parts. Between Delilah and Astrid, estranged stepsisters due to childhood misunderstandings mostly, between Astrid and Claire and Iris, the best friends group, and Delilah and Claire and Iris, Delilah realising that actually, these women are her friends? Even between Claire and her daughter, Ruby, with the unreliable but trying dad, Josh. Relationships are messy!!! And that's what makes it real. It was a pleasure to read these characters (Ruby, the bestest kid ever I swear), in these funny and messy and steamy scenes. Some things were predictable (I mean, a bet. Really?) but that didn't make the story less enjoyable. And after reading that sneak peek from Astrid's story coming out later this year, I'm hooked for more!
4.5/5

Thank you Piatkus and Netgalley for sending me Deliah Green Doesn't Care By Ashleigh Herring Blake.

LIVE READING REVIEW:
From the first page I am hooked by Deliahs personality, she is everything I ever wanted to be. I am really warming to her and want her to win at everything.
By chapter 3 I am predicting this book as a 5 star read.
Her history is really quite sad, and I can see that it didn't dampen her adult life. I feel inspired that despite loosing her parents, gaining a step mother that didn't want to be called mum. It's sad, her relationship with Astrid is hilarious, how she winds her up had me laughing. I feel she watched Astrid with the coven (Claire and Iris) from afar and wanted, longed to be involved with her stepsister.

Claire flirting with Deliah is so funny, I read it twice. Deliah's commentary is genius.

Oh wow this is steamy but an enticing, exciting sexy. I throughly enjoyed it, Ashley's writing here was gentle and cozy I almost felt like I was reading more slowly to take my time. Streamy award 2022 was earned in this book.

Absolutely loved this book, it was a quick read because I couldn't put it down. Would recommend this book to everyone that enjoy a tug of war in love and emotions. A beautiful sapphic love encounter.

#DelilahGreenDoesntCare #NetGalley

This book was amazing. A queer love story with a pinch of spice and beautiful characters! I found myself amazed by Delilah and Claire and how they slowly became friends. I love Delilah as a main character, which is something that rarely happens in my case. I usually find main characters annoying, but Delilah was wonderfully written and her mind was just as beautiful to discover through every page and through Claire’s eyes.
This story was realistic, truthful, easy to love and think about. I found myself wanting to read more and more of Delilah’s life and everyone around her.

Thank you to NetGalley, Little Brown Book Group UK and to the amazing author Ashley Herring Blake for letting me read this book and appreciate it. I’ll make sure to buy a copy as soon as this amazing novel hits the shelves!

A must read!

This book had everything I was looking for it. It was fun, but had it’s serious moments, and it’s sexy moments!

I was gripped from the start and couldn’t put this book down. A must read for anyone wanting a fun and sexy read.

5*’s.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this for a fair and honest review. This book was delightful. I loved Delilah. She was messy and angry and petty and hot and I loved her. I loved Claire and her bookshop and her loyalty to her friends and her daughter. For once I did not hate the kid which is a big issue in so many single parent romances I’ve read. The familial relationships were interesting to read about and I wish there were a few more steamy scenes, the overall execution was excellent and I cannot wait to own a physical copy of this book in my hands.