Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail

This was a re-read for me, and the book was just as good the second time around. I love Astrid's journey of trying to figure out her identity and how that fits into her views of herself and how others have viewed her. I also love Jordan's journey of learning what love can look like again and learning to trust herself and her feelings. Also you can't go wrong with a renovation as the backdrop of the story.

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just_one_more_paige's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I really was into the first book in the Bright Falls series last year, Delilah Green Doesn't Care, and my "lean into the romance" vacation vibe meant the time was right to pick up the second in this series.

So the first book ends with Astrid making the major decision to call off her perfect (as per her mother and societal standards) wedding. This feels like it should be a fresh start for Astrid, finally casting off all the expectations and finding who/what she wants. But, as we open this book, we see it hasn't really. She's even more stuck than she was before, trying to claw her way back into her mother's good(?) graces. So when the opportunity comes for her to revitalize her life and business as the lead interior designer for the local Everwood Inn renovation (a renovation that's going to be televised on a very popular HGTV-style show), she grabs it as her chance to turn everything around. But a disastrous meet-cute the morning of the first taping, that ends up (of course!) being with Jordan Everwood, the lead carpenter on the project *and* granddaughter of the Inn's owner Pru. Despite being opposites in so many ways, and knocking heads repeatedly on the plans and vision for the inn's remodel, the tension between Astrid and Jordan turns into something different. And they'll both have to decide if their respective second chances/new directions in life will include each other or not.

I was hesitant to pick this one up after the first because honestly, I was iffy on Astrid. Her super uptight and rigid kind of character is just not my favorite to read. (Full disclosure here, as I read, I realized her internal dialogue was very familiar, perhaps too familiar? And maybe that's why I was feeling tentative about reading it - there are some parts of oneself that are not super fun to be introspective about and that just is what it is.) On the other hand, Jordan is my jam..the kind of person that I wanted to be and realized later (similar to Astrid, see?) that I maybe just wanted. But anyways, in the end, I really liked them together. Their chemistry felt real within its context. The enemies to lovers started in a place and for reasons that I feel good about them overcoming (as opposed to some really bad histories I’ve read and just can’t wrap my mind around putting in the past) and it’s making their pull towards each other feel all the more legitimate, because neither really wants but there's nothing truly bad holding them back. I was excited for them to finally give in. And when it happened...the sparks were stellar. There was also a bit of guilelessness to this relationship that you don’t always get with romance novels, and there was something so soft and sweet about it that grew on me more than I’d have expected. I was just really bought into this pairing.

A few other notes on the book. Plotwise, the setup was a good one. Reasonable and believable, which is not always a given in contemporary romance. The Inn remodel was giving Gilmore Girls vibes that were perfect for the switchover from summer to autumn. And it provided a great emotional backdrop for the rest of the story to unfold within. I could not love this friend group more, honestly, and I was thrilled to be back with them. There was a fun tarot theme woven throughout and I'm a sucker for tarot, so I did love that. I actually *gasped* out loud when this contemporary queer romance series referenced others (Written in the Stars, among others) on-page. That is the kind of book-inception I can get behind. What a deeply fulfilling nerd moment. Finally, with the (slightly) older characters and "figuring it out" late that were central to the plot and themes of this novel, I really appreciated the deeper level of the problems (both internally and externally) that Astrid and Jordan were dealing with. How flawed they were, in how they dealt with their own problems and with each other, alongside how willing to recognize and address it they were (after realizing first responses were less ideal) all rang very authentically messy-mature. I was here for it.

Overall, I enjoyed this second book more than I'd been expecting to (perhaps even against my will, a bit?). Bright Falls is a fun setting and these characters are just wonderful. Definitely ready for the next one sooner rather than later!

"For everyone who figured it out a little later in life."

“Never before doesn’t mean never ever. You know that, right?”

“There were other memories, countless moments she’d long ago chalked up to admiration or envy. Just good old-fashioned jealousy. She wanted to be those girls, or maybe even compete with them, as horrible as that sounded, not make out with them. And maybe that really was all it was sometimes. Simple observation. But maybe those tiny clues actually added up to a whole lot more, and she’d simply never let herself face it. She liked guys, so she focused on guys. It was easy to ignore anything else.”

“…and for once she was going to do what she wanted. She was going to act instead of all this constant, exhausting thinking.”

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frantically's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I just couldn't connect to these characters or their romance at all.

With Astrid, we have the bonus of already knowing her from book one, of having some idea of who she is and how she acts but for Jordan we don't have that — and still, we get nothing.

Yes, the "I'm scared this woman is just using me to figure out her sexuality"-thing is a real fear many queer women have to deal with (for example: me) but here it was portrayed in such a negative light without any opportunity for Astrid to give her two cents about it that it all seemed unfair.

I can't even tell you what I think about any of the plans regarding the inn because there Astrid AND Jordan just acted rudely and unfairly towards the other 24/7 and it brought me no enjoyment whatsoever.

My liking of the first book got me through ~⅓ but after that I really had to push myself to finish.

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prettynerdy3's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

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thewellreadlabrador's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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blewballoon's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted 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

4.5

I loved this! I really enjoyed the first book in this series Delilah Green Doesn't Care, and I was really looking forward to reading from Astrid's perspective after how that book ended. I think I may have liked this story even more. Astrid and Jordan were both compelling, interesting, and easy to root for. I loved how their romance grew from the awkward situation they started in. I love how Astrid personally grew and rediscovered herself. I was relieved at how well Astrid and Jordan communicated through most of the problems that came their way. One of the best romances I've read so far this year, I'm really looking forward to the next entry about Iris now.

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