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dalmavatai's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was great! I would've liked a bit more wedding shenanigans considering the synopsis but I still enjoyed both Delilah and Claire as characters and the way in which their relationship developed. I also would've wanted a bit more emotional depth between the MC and the LI, but overall this was a highly enjoyable, cute, and sexy book with great characters & relationships.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Infidelity, Sexism, and Sexual content
kitheminges's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
An absolutely adorable romance in a genre that I never thought my closeted self could enjoy. It’s all sweetness and fluff. I loved this book and cannot wait for Astrid’s story. Just everything with both Clare and Delilah but also the resentment between siblings and loneliness and neglect all struck a note deeper than I thought it would in the best possible way. I’m so thankful my inner teen has these to read over the hetero romances I forced myself to like.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Death of parent, Grief, Misogyny, Sexism, and Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual harassment
edict's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing and Death of parent
Minor: Sexism and Cancer
lewnie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Delilah Green only came back to her small hometown of Bright Falls, Oregon to photograph her stepsister Astrid’s wedding and head back to Brooklyn $15,000 richer. She’s not interested in re-living any of the bad memories here or playing nice with Astrid and her two best friends, Claire and Iris. But when the focus turns from bridesmaid's activities to sabotaging Astrid’s relationship with her terrible fiancé, Claire and Delilah realize there might be something sparking between them. As their tension-filled flirting turns into more, Claire and Delilah have to face the reality of their situation: single-mother Claire isn’t interested in casual relationships but Delilah has a blossoming photography career waiting for her in New York.
The good: I was excited about the prospect of a f/f rom-com, particularly with such strong bisexual representation. I think that Blake really shines in her portrayal of bisexual women, and I personally felt very connected to her characters. I also appreciated the growth that both Astrid and Delilah show throughout the course of the book. They have each suffered their own childhood traumas that they are clearly continuing to work through and I enjoyed the way that Blake develops that growth without trying to jump to an immediate conclusion.
The female relationships, good and bad, are front and center here. I loved the exploration of female friendship, sisterhood, and the different iterations of mother-daughter relationships. While there is pain and toxicity in some of these relationships, there is also beauty, growth, empowerment, and love.
The female relationships, good and bad, are front and center here. I loved the exploration of female friendship, sisterhood, and the different iterations of mother-daughter relationships. While there is pain and toxicity in some of these relationships, there is also beauty, growth, empowerment, and love.
The bad: Astrid, Claire, and Iris clearly filled the role of the high school mean girls. However, Blake’s attempt to rehabilitate them fell a little flat for me. Claire’s obvious guilt for her role in bullying Delilah felt forced in her flashbacks, and I think Delilah let it go too quickly for how deeply it affected her life.
(For me personally, I couldn’t get past the setting. Being from this area of Oregon myself, I want to believe that this quaint little town could exist. However the reality of it really drew me out of the story. For anyone else, I am sure that this would not be an issue but I really struggled with it.)
Overall: This checks all of my rom-com boxes. I loved the relationships and the representations of the queer characters. I think the relationship between Delilah and Claire’s daughter Ruby was very sweet and an excellent addition. I enjoyed the growth of Delilah and Claire’s relationship as well as the relationship between Delilah and Astrid. I also think the healing process Delilah grows through is powerful and lends the overall story a little more heft than a typical rom-com. While I may harbor some resentment for the past actions of Astrid’s mean-girl clique, I don’t think it detracts from the story in a negative way. Overall, I think this is a heartwarming comfort-read. While I probably won’t read this again, I absolutely see its value in the romance canon and would recommend it to anyone looking for a great Sapphic rom-com.
For fans of Alexandra Bellefleur, Casey McQuiston, and Tessa Bailey.
Rep.: f/f relationship; lesbian mc; bi mc; bi sc.
CW: sexual content, death of a parent, grief, toxic relationship, abandonment, alcohol, bullying, misogyny.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, and Misogyny
Minor: Cancer, Classism, Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Sexism
theespressoedition's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This has got to be the cutest queer romance book I've ever read. And that's saying something. But like - I was squealing through most of the story. It was just so good.
First and foremost, I loved the cast - the entire cast. Every single person was so valuable to the story and made it so interesting and balanced. There was no singular person who I thought could've been left out.
Secondly, the deeper conflicts in the book were just as excellent - if not more - than the romance itself. The fact that Delilah struggles throughout the book with her identity as a daughter and sister, despite being so confident in every other aspect of her life was so well done.
And on the other hand, there's Claire, a bi, single mom with the intense desire to make sure everyone around her is comfortable and happy - without really taking much care of herself and her own needs. She also struggles with raising her daughter, trusting her ex, and being happy with someone who her friends don't necessarily approve of.
There's a bit of a "forbidden love" vibe, which was almost addictive. The secret dating kept things steamy throughout the entire story, which was a lot of fun (especially at the spa *wink wink*). Even though the chemistry was there very early on, it was a slow burn but in the best way possible.
Of course, Astrid's story is a huge aspect of this book, which was a bit of a surprise. I figured the "get her away from her fiancé" thing wouldn't last super long, but it wound up being a really integral part. From what I've heard, the sequel is going to be primarily about Astrid, which I love. She was fascinating to me and I can't wait to see what happens in her life.
I would absolutely read this book again. It was cute and sweet but also had a ton of great depth!
First and foremost, I loved the cast - the entire cast. Every single person was so valuable to the story and made it so interesting and balanced. There was no singular person who I thought could've been left out.
Secondly, the deeper conflicts in the book were just as excellent - if not more - than the romance itself. The fact that Delilah struggles throughout the book with her identity as a daughter and sister, despite being so confident in every other aspect of her life was so well done.
And on the other hand, there's Claire, a bi, single mom with the intense desire to make sure everyone around her is comfortable and happy - without really taking much care of herself and her own needs. She also struggles with raising her daughter, trusting her ex, and being happy with someone who her friends don't necessarily approve of.
There's a bit of a "forbidden love" vibe, which was almost addictive. The secret dating kept things steamy throughout the entire story, which was a lot of fun (especially at the spa *wink wink*). Even though the chemistry was there very early on, it was a slow burn but in the best way possible.
Of course, Astrid's story is a huge aspect of this book, which was a bit of a surprise. I figured the "get her away from her fiancé" thing wouldn't last super long, but it wound up being a really integral part. From what I've heard, the sequel is going to be primarily about Astrid, which I love. She was fascinating to me and I can't wait to see what happens in her life.
I would absolutely read this book again. It was cute and sweet but also had a ton of great depth!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexism and Abandonment
Minor: Cancer
grilledcheesd's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I LOVED THIS BOOK SO FUCKING MUCH WHAT THE HELL
so not only was it a gorgeous romance, but the side characters! they're great and i love them. also the author's writing was just really beautiful. like the descriptions of scenery and environment were straight fucking poetry! and i just really like her writing style.
the plot itself is giving queer hallmark movie in the best fucking way.
honestly i spent quite a bit of time squealing directly into the pages
so not only was it a gorgeous romance, but the side characters! they're great and i love them. also the author's writing was just really beautiful. like the descriptions of scenery and environment were straight fucking poetry! and i just really like her writing style.
the plot itself is giving queer hallmark movie in the best fucking way.
honestly i spent quite a bit of time squealing directly into the pages
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Grief, and Sexism
toffishay's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed this book! Delilah is a fun snarky character and I enjoyed her relationship with Claire. I was also surprised by the depth of the exploration into Astrid's character. The characters are a little much, but in the most fun way; they aren't caricatures and you want to see them succeed and get to their happy endings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexism, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Minor: Death of parent and Grief
milton's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Emotional abuse, Sexism, Cursing, Grief, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Infidelity
hellowildflower's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexism, Misogyny, and Infidelity
ollie_again's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The first half of the book was aiming for five stars but the book wobbled a bit towards the end. By the second half of the book I was tired of the immaturity of Delilah, and the antagonism between her, Astrid and Iris stopped making much sense. The build-up towards the conflict was good but the resolution was too quick and disjointed. While the book aims for childish comedy which I didn't mind and enjoyed, for the most part, I can understand that some people will find it too immature and get annoyed with it. If you can get behind some pranks and get behind the main character's anger over childhood memories, I think you are safe to give this book a go.
A thing that have me scratching my head in confusion was that since the very beginning of the book I read into Delilah's behaviour (apparently) too much because I was convinced she has a drinking problem. The references of her drinking, "I need a drink", holding a glass of wine or beer is pretty much in every other chapter. I was waiting for someone to address this in the book because it really sounded like 'functional' alcoholism on Delilah's part. But it was never addressed, so I think it was deemed as normal, but to me, it read really weirdly. I'm not against alcohol, but having the character (and other characters too) drink every time it's possible didn't read to me like healthy behaviour. I guess that it wasn't the author's intention and my brain just worked overtime but I think I should mention it anyway. (also, can we drop the use of the word imbecile?)
Despite all that, I liked the book and I'm definitely going to pick the next one too. The book was a fast read and it was funny and sweet for the most part. Emotions were flying in all directions, I felt homicidal towards a certain character and I hoped for a more dramatic ending and my heart was breaking towards another one, and if the story can squeeze emotional response out of me, it's always a plus.
A thing that have me scratching my head in confusion was that since the very beginning of the book I read into Delilah's behaviour (apparently) too much because I was convinced she has a drinking problem. The references of her drinking, "I need a drink", holding a glass of wine or beer is pretty much in every other chapter. I was waiting for someone to address this in the book because it really sounded like 'functional' alcoholism on Delilah's part. But it was never addressed, so I think it was deemed as normal, but to me, it read really weirdly. I'm not against alcohol, but having the character (and other characters too) drink every time it's possible didn't read to me like healthy behaviour. I guess that it wasn't the author's intention and my brain just worked overtime but I think I should mention it anyway. (also, can we drop the use of the word imbecile?)
Despite all that, I liked the book and I'm definitely going to pick the next one too. The book was a fast read and it was funny and sweet for the most part. Emotions were flying in all directions, I felt homicidal towards a certain character and I hoped for a more dramatic ending and my heart was breaking towards another one, and if the story can squeeze emotional response out of me, it's always a plus.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Sexism, and Grief