This was a refreshing read after a long reading slump.

I knew I wanted to read all of this author's books once I finished Delilah Green Doesn't Care and Astrid Parker doesn't fail didn't disappoint.

I absolutely enjoyed this whole novel. I really love the setting of Bright Falls and how well it's done. I love the characters, the small group of friends Astrid has is amazing and I loved it in the first book as well.

I really enjoyed learning more about Astrid and seeing her come out of her conditioned shell. I loved the person she became with Jordan as well as how the book shows it's never too late to come out. I really really enjoyed it and can't wait for Iris's book

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

3 stars is not a bad rating - I didn't dislike this book - but I'm still disappointed I didn't love this more. Astrid was the side character I had the most questions about in Delilah Green Doesn't Care and I was so ready for her to have her own sapphic romance after she dumped her bellend of an ex. The romance in Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail is very cute, don't get me wrong! I'll always have a soft spot for a prim-and-proper-meets-laid-back pairing, but something was missing from this book and I'm still not entirely sure what it was.

Everything felt a little flat. Now to the book's credit I still had a great time reading this, but that was mostly because I love to sink into a fun romance novel when I'm as stressed as I was when I read this than because the book itself was amazing. I also had a fantastic time reading Emily Henry's Book Lovers, but it's become one of my favourite books of 2022 whereas this book is one I don't think I'll remember much of in a year's time, which makes me so sad when I was so ready to adore it.

I read romance novels to escape, but so much of this one felt so unbelievable to me that it kept pulling me out of the story. I just don't think people talk the way they do in this book. Perhaps the world would be a better place if we all did, but even in my romance novels I love seeing people get the chance to be messy and wrong. We know Astrid's mother is overbearing, for example, but she felt like such a caricature to me in this book, which is a real shame when we need more books to explore what it can be like to have a parent who is essentially abusive but genuinely doesn't realise that they are. Sadly, the moments when Astrid got to have her say were some of the most glossed over parts of the book.

I'm finding it difficult to put what I mean into words, to be honest. This isn't a bad book, but I know it could have been so much better.

I absolutely loved this book!!!

I was a huge fan of Delilah Green so I had high hopes for this one and I needn’t have been worried as this was even better and still included snippets of Delilah.

Thanks Netgalley and Little Brown for this advanced copy

So, let me begin with a compliment :
Ashley Herring Blake made such an enchanted story of Bi Awakening.

Both Astrid and Jordan have their relatable personality of the most of people. Their background stories are solid. Their traumas are built perfectly so the reader can empath them. It is such a good book that makes me want to finish it as soon as possible.

I also like how Ashley make the ex wife appear again in front of Jordan. It put so many dramas and conflicts, but still in acceptable doses. I don't really enjoy "the drama" in romance books, but, in this book, the drama and conflict is all I need.

Overall, Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail is a solid book for romance, and a perfect portrait of 2 broken women who try to heal each other's wound

'Astrid Park Doesn't Fail' is the sequel to the delightful 'Delilah Green Doesn't Care' - in fact, I think I enjoyed it even more than its predecessor. Astrid is still pretty raw from escaping her abusive ex-fiancé Spencer. In this Astrid centric novel, we see her hired as a designer to renovate local gem the Everwood Inn for the reality TV show Innside America. However, she is finding the owner's granddaughter Jordan Everwood a creative stumbling block with Jordan's grounded sense of tradition versus Astrid's modern and sterile style. Plus, Jordan's flirtation with Astrid is an added unanticipated distraction...

The main thing to love about this book is that Astrid deserves a break. She may be blunt and abrasive at times but the way she has been treated by Spencer and her mother Isabel has mentally broken her to a point where she needs some genuine love. Her relationship with Jordan is certainly the tonic she needs, along with some excellent moments where Astrid and Delilah grow closer and are able to be genuinely vulnerable with one another. Whilst I was not a huge fan of Jordan and Astrid's deception in order to ensure Astrid got all the recognition for Jordan's design on national TV, I was happy with the way everything landed at the end of the novel. It was a satisfying finish. Bring on Iris' story next! 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Ashley Herring Blake book, but it won’t be my last. I loved this story of a woman falling in love and finding herself. The MC, Astrid, is relateable and I was rooting for her the whole time. Jordan, the love interest, is sweet and sexy, and I liked all the supporting characters too. Can’t wait to learn more about them in future books (and also the first in the series). Warm, funny, sexy, romantic and sweet. I really loved it. And now I want a clit necklace.

As soon as I realised this sequel was available on Netgalley, I rushed to request it! I really enjoyed the first in this series and 'Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail' didn't disappoint!

This was just a really cute, heartwarming romcom which left me smiling. Now I'm really looking forward to the 3rd in the series, which I believe stars Iris!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Astrid wasn't my favourite character in delilahs story, but reading in her perspective really changed that for me, as she goes through a lot of personal growth in this book, and is definitely more care free and fun, which was what I loved so much about delilah.

There were a lot of difficult moments shared between Astrid and Jordan that I thought were handled really well, and had valuable lessons that could be taken away, especially with Astrid feeling lost and struggling with her identity.

I loved the home renovation plot as much as the slow burn chemistry building between Astrid and Jordan, but felt it at times overshadowed and confused the plot.

Overall, I'm excited for Iris' story and am really enjoying the series and the characters.

This will be shared to good reads 2 weeks before release date.

My toxic trait is thinking Astrid Parker did nothing wrong. I will DIE on this hill.

Tropes: bad first impression, rivals to lovers, forced proximity,

Delilah Green Doesn't Care is one of my favourite romances ever, so this was immediately put to the top of my most anticipated reads!

Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail follows Astrid several months after her cancelled wedding. Things are not going to plan - personally or professionally. So when she is given the chance to appear as the lead designer on a TV show, she jumps at the chance. After an unfortunate first meeting, she finds herself working with Jordan, the lead carpenter. Romance ensues.

Before I say anything else, I did really enjoy this book. The small town vibes with a great cast of characters are 10/10. It gives me gay gilmore girls vibes and I love it. Also, I enjoyed Astrid's growth as a character, realising who she is outside of other people's expectations. I feel this will also be really relatable for people who came out, or realised their identity, in their twenties.

The romance was sweet and sexy and swoon worthy. The tension was palpable between Astrid and Jordon. But where it fell short for me was the conflict. A real strength of the previous book in the series was the realism of the conflict, both internally and externally. With APDF, the internal conflict is really interesting and nuanced, but externally it is a hot mess. *spoilers* Astrid literally couldn't win in any conflict. I don't think she did anything wrong. And that made it really frustrating to read, especially at the end. *spoilers*

Thank you to NetGalley, Little Brown Book Group UK and Ashley Herring Blake for the free e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I was so pleased that Astrid was getting a novel of her own, and ended up a little disappointed. I loved Jordan and wanted more of the two of them, they just felt underdeveloped in comparison to Delilah and Claire. Enjoyable, but not as good as the first.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

The wait is finally over!

Interior designer Astrid is chosen as lead designer to renovate the Everwood Inn. While Jordan Everwood who has lived at and loved the Inn since a child is brought on as the lead carpenter.

Two wounded characters still trying to cope with blows life have dealt them are brought together to fix up the Inn, all while surrounded by a camera crew trying to film the renovation to be broadcasted for the popular home improvement show, Innside America.

The story starts off with high tension and clashes between the two MCs. Life hasn't been easy for either and emotions are high, so when a coffee collision occurs, an outburst between the two are inevitable. This carries over to both having very different visions for the Inn but Jordan and Astrid both need this renovation to go to plan so their lives too can get back on track.

Blake did a brilliant job with Delilah Green Doesn't Care, so I had high expectations for this second instalment. Unfortunately, I think this book fell a little short. It definitely had a lot of potential, the storyline was there, the characters were there but it just lacked in depth for me. The sparks between the characters were barely there too. It would be a hit and miss, some chapters I felt the sparks and at other times I felt like it was forced.

I think it was only in the last two chapters that I felt like finally something was happening between the MCs. I hate to say it but yeah I'm disappointed.

It's unfortunate because we know Herring Blake can deliver and has done so brilliantly with DGDC. Maybe I'm asking for too much but I just wanted more *feelings* but I understand it doesn't always work out. Here's hoping Iris's story will be better.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for a review.

After loving the first book, I was excited to go back and read more. But unfortunately this one just didn't connect with me.
It fell flat on the surface and I found it hard to stay focused

3.5 stars rounded to four. It felt really nice to be able to go back to this cute group of friends and family — and after the first book, and the spectacular mess that was Astrid’s comphet wedding, I was very interested in seeing where life takes her next and how she reinvents/reclaims herself. I felt that the warmth and importance of ties other than the main romance was a strength Delilah Green, and I was hoping to get them develop more as the story of Bright Falls Continued. The end result, while enjoyable in many ways, left this little bit of dissatisfaction in me and I’m struggling to put my finger on why exactly. Some of it is that the relationships around the romance didn‘t gain too much added depth: what was a nice introduction in Delilah was a bit of a simple reappearance in Astrid. Some of it was that I kept getting Jordan’s character wrong: the way the novel gives us information about her constantly took me by surprise but not in a good way, and more in a “is this consistent of this character or have I been getting her wrong”. She is the only real big addition to the cast of familiar characters, and it felt disorienting not to have a good feel for her throughout much of the book. And the other thing was — I felt the arc between Astrid and her mom could have been given more room to develop on page.

I did race through the book in a couple of days though! So thanks to #NetGalley for an arc of #AstridParkerDoesntFail.

I had fairly high expectations for this as I really enjoyed Delilah Green and, while I did enjoy this one, it just didn't live up to Delilah's book for me.

Astrid was an interesting character in Delilah's book so I was intrigued as to how her story would develop. I enjoyed reading about her figuring out her sexuality and how her past and upbringing had impacted her life so far. The romance with Jordan was also cute and I liked seeing their relationship bloom.

One thing that I wished happened was that more attention was given to Astrid and Jordan's back stories. They had both been through such difficult things, in both previous relationships and during their childhoods, and these experiences were influencing their current actions, but when they were resolved it hardly seemed to be mentioned and was almost brushed over. I just wished that with how much they had each been through, more attention was given to their resolutions.

This was a disappointment for me, I can’t lie. I was really excited to get inside Astrid’s head after reading “Delilah Green Doesn’t Care” since one of my favourite types of characters are the ones who are quite uptight and stoic because they tend to have a lot of inner turmoil— and Astrid was no different. She was definitely my favourite part of the book!

The beginning was a bit slow with not much really happening— the exposition was kind of dragged out. It didn’t really keep my attention. Instead. i kept putting the book down to do other things and was very easily distracted because there was nothing gripping to keep me interested.

The beginning of “Delilah Green Doesn’t Care” is very similar to this with the writing style (a lot of info-dumping, if I’m to put it bluntly) and the setup, but unlike its predecessor, I wasn’t particularly attached to either Astrid nor Jordan. Delilah kept me going in book one— I clung to her and rooted for her. I wanted the best for her. while neither Astrid and Jordan really grabbed me, you know? Delilah had a defiant edge to her that gripped me even if I didn’t always agree with her actions. Neither Astrid nor Jordan had anything truly distinct about them for me to hold onto.

BUT, by 35% ish, Astrid Parker really had her claws in me. I think because she’s such a prickly and misunderstood individual that it took me some time to warm up to her, to learn her nuances but once i did? God, I loved her! That being said...

I didn’t think her character was utilised properly, especially since she’s the eponymous character. Finishing the book, I still don’t feel like I know all that much about Astrid Parker. It boils down to the fact that Blake, as a writer, has a habit of constantly telling you why a character’s relationship with someone close to them is falling apart and interlaced with a lot of bitterness and resentment, but then just leaves you hanging by the end of the book. We get a brief paragraph telling us that the characters are working to rebuild their relationship and nothing else. I think when you’re writing how the breakdown of a relationship has intrinsically impacted the way how the character views themself and the way they live their life, then you need to explore how the character deals with this in far more depth.

Astrid’s relationship with her mother is briefly mentioned in the final chapter and how they’re starting from scratch... and that’s it. Astrid has three decades worth of trauma and it has impacted every relationship she’s ever had, as well as her own self-worth which is one of the main premises of the book. Her pain and insecurity are what make Astrid compelling and complex, but neither of these things were truly explored beyond the odd internal comment Astrid makes thats supposed to tug at your heart strings.

I just don’t think her character was done justice, unfortunately.

While the romance? I didn’t really feel the chemistry, unfortunately. I mean, Jordan and Astrid had some really delicious tension-filled moments with prolonged eye-contact and heat before they got together as a couple... but chemistry? It was lukewarm at best, for me. I truly didn’t understand why they wanted to be together, what attracted them to each other (beyond aesthetic motivations) and why they ultimately loved each other. Don’t get me wrong, they had some sweet moments together— their bonding at the theatre and the playground, in particular— but these moments were few and far between. I just didn’t have anything to sink my teeth into, to really immerse me in the story.

Honestly, it felt like the story had never really *begun*. like I was constantly waiting for something to happen, for the story to find its rhythm and suck me in. I felt like I was just waiting to have that “eureka” moment which unfortunately never came. I just wasn’t convinced of them as a couple. I didn’t really feel anything at all.

I think another reason I couldn’t fully root for the couple was because there were a few scenes where one main character acted a certain way towards the other main character (selfish, rude, dismissive, manipulative) and it’s completely skimmed over, and never acknowledged again. For example, Jordan going behind Astrid’s back when ignoring Astrid’s design and putting Astrid’s job as risk. Astrid making Jordan cry at the coffee shop. Jordan deciding *for* Astrid that Astrid only wants to kiss a girl (in a generic, anonymous sense) and doesn’t actually want to kiss Jordan, specifically (making assumptions and decisions about her sexuality). Astrid being willing to take credit for Jordan’s work— the latter one came with the implication that their whole relationship was just based on a lie, based on selfishness and inauthenticity.

And apparently they discuss the implications of this... but we aren’t privy to those conversations. Again, we’re just told in a paragraph at the end of the book.

Then to top it all off, the role of Meredith, Jordan’s ex, was just kind of cheap, honestly. She existed to cause drama and nothing more, and I feel like Jordan really didn’t tackle the trauma Meredith’s abandonment left behind. She occasionally cried a few tears then miraculously forgot about the whole ordeal. I just thought her purpose was very odd and misplaced.

The book, overall, just didn’t work for me. It’s left me feeling pretty frustrated and confused. I really did love Astrid but her truama and nuances really weren’t explored. She felt one-dimensional more often than not, and I’m disappointed since I do love her a lot. The execution just really let me down.

The romance is cute and they have good chemistry but I wasn't totally invested. The MCs have very convoluted backgrounds who are brought up all the time because it's the only thing that make their personalities.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review*. Astrid Parker doesn’t fail is the second book in the Bright Falls series and it follows Astrid Parker and Jordan Everwood. It is told in third person POV. Astrid is very uptight and believes failure is unacceptable. She gets picked to be the designer for the Everwood Inn’s renovation and she is over the moon. However, Jordan ends up working with Astrid on the project and there is tension between them after an encounter between the two. They get to know each other and begin to like each other more than they expected. I never read the first book in the series, and you don’t need to if you want to read this one. It is stand-alone. This was perfectly fine, but I just can’t connect with this authors writing. It feels very plain and does nothing for me. The story was lacking plot and it was boring to me. Also, some things felt a little forced like the pronoun thing and mentioning homophobia. Instead of having a non-binary side character why not make one of the main characters non-binary? It just feels stuck in for diversity. The sex scenes were very well done. Overall, this is a three star for me. I did enjoy some parts of this but I really struggle with romances written in third person.

3.5 stars.

i should probably have read 'delilah green doesn't care' BEFORE embarking on astrid's journey. however, it wasn't absolutely necessary as these two, while featuring the same characters, can technically be read as standalone's.

i think a lot of people will like this. and for the most part, i did enjoy it. the beginning mostly. there was tension, snarky banter (that i live for), and a great cast of characters; each of which had their own personalities. am... am I into bitchy blondes?...

i think the relationship between astrid and jordan developed very quickly; here i was aching for a sloooow burn - it had all the ingredients: the banter. the forbidden attraction. it WAS there, so why rush it. but, i did like them together, especially with all the communication and sureness they both offered. it did come across as realistic even if i felt it was a bit rushed.

my other main issue with this book was that their pasts, which had had a massive impact on their current lives, were seemingly fixed very easily. considering the onslaught of inner conflicts and having to unlearn behaviours etc, it all blew over in moments. i wish we'd got to delve into that more.

overall, a pretty funny romance with legitimate stakes and some good tension.

also, lesbian isn't a bad word and can be used to describe one's sexuality.

Thank you for my eARC of this Piatkus. I loved Delilah Green so was super eager to read Astrid’s story.
This didn’t disappoint, and as well as loving being back in this town/world and seeing familiar characters again, I loved seeing things from Astrid’s perspective.
The relationship between Astrid and her mum was a really complex and interesting one, I also loved the plot and adored the romance. The mixed pov is an absolute favourite of mine especially in romance books.
My favourite elements though were the friendships Astrid has ands the way Herring Blake wrote Astrid’s sexuality. It was so real and personal, and so relatable for me personally. It was wonderful to read and so heartfelt.
I loved my time with this book and can’t wait for the next.

*arc provided by NetGalley*

3.5/5 stars

I really wanted to love this book more than I did. I think after the first book it just fell slightly short. 3rd person pov that seems to alternate following the two main characters.

The first book the characters both had such a personality which was even shown in this book as side characters. The main characters of this book however had complicated backgrounds/upbringings but it didn't seem to add any depth to the characters themselves or their personality. I do think more could have been explored in this area as it was brought up but nothing built around it.

The "main event" for the plot itself I found wasn't even needed. This book could have gone on without that being the focus of the plot, which then just seemed to disappear in the end when it was cancelled. Also the tension that was supposed to be present in the start of the book just didn't seem to be there. I found it jumped from hating each other to seeing each other.

Overall I expected more from the book after reading the first one but this one just seemed to lack certain things that book had.

I did find the arc hard to read at times. I do think this is because its evident layout and editing still needs to be finished. There were some pages with absolutely no paragraphs and some where middle of sentences were dropped down to the next line. I did find this made following the story and reading certain pages very hard, I did not take this into consideration when rating the book as this would be perfected before releasing. I do think the text messages that are in the book need some way of standing out from the rest of the writing as its a lot easier to follow then.