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jencolumb0's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.75
A truly lovely story about Astrid Parker & Jordan Everwood starting to hear and trust themselves, together. AHB’s first novel for adults was a bit too heavy on the tragedy for my tastes (though Delilah Green *is* a delightfully impeccable messy lesbian), this novel finds a much more solid balance and is charmingly self-aware. (Bonus for the She-ra nods.) Though, I still find the plot element relating to cancer to be confusing. It is shocking (and clever, to the extent that someone else revealing your assumptions can feel like a clever slight of hand) to discover that Meredith didn’t die, but that shock fades pretty quickly and it is not, ultimately, an element that prompts character development. The character development that centers on what happened with Meredith is motivated by the fact that she just left one day without talking to Jordan about it . . . and the fact that she had only been in remission for a month doesn’t inherently change the truly garbage or gutting (for Jordan) nature of that action. It felt more like a particularly sh*tty thing AHB needed to excise and not something that actually brings anything to the novel.
Nonetheless, I am very much looking forward to Iris’s story and more from AHB.
Nonetheless, I am very much looking forward to Iris’s story and more from AHB.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent
kylieqrada's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
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
*face palm* Another five star romance in the last week of 2022. I really loved Delilah Green, but Astrid Parker was EVERYTHING. Not only was it such an HGTV moment, but the themes of finding yourself and trauma just hit me right in the feels. Also, if Iris Kelly isn't poly, I will riot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia, Infidelity, and Death of parent
alexiab's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
As my last review of 2022, I’m going to sing this sweet books praises.
So many aspects of this story hit home for me, and yet so much was original and had me absolutely addicted to the story. The characters are beautifully flawed and easy to empathize with, and I adore the use of dual perspective to see how they both process the same interactions differently.
Ashley Herring Green writes such brilliant characters dealing with complex emotions and trauma, and all of it feels so genuinely real that it pulls me in and doesn’t let go. Even when the characters make the wrong choice, you can’t help but root for them to find their happiness.
This is such a sweet sapphic hug for all us traumatized gays who don’t feel good enough.
So many aspects of this story hit home for me, and yet so much was original and had me absolutely addicted to the story. The characters are beautifully flawed and easy to empathize with, and I adore the use of dual perspective to see how they both process the same interactions differently.
Ashley Herring Green writes such brilliant characters dealing with complex emotions and trauma, and all of it feels so genuinely real that it pulls me in and doesn’t let go. Even when the characters make the wrong choice, you can’t help but root for them to find their happiness.
This is such a sweet sapphic hug for all us traumatized gays who don’t feel good enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
maddysbooks_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
holy shit i loved this book. literally everything about it. seeing the representation of a character learning about her sexuality a little later in life was very intriguing to read and i also think it’s a very important topic to talk about.
i always love the found family trope, so i’m not surprised at all at how much i love astrid’s group of friends. this happened to be the first book i read in this interconnected series and i’m very excited to read the others.
and of course i loved astrid and jordan. the characters individually were so well developed and i loved both of them so much. the dual pov was also written extremely well and it all flowed together very cohesively. and of course astrid and jordan’s relationship was amazing. the tension between the two of them was so good so when they finally got together it was built up so well. i also loved how they were honest with each other throughout the entire book, which is something that you don’t see a lot. and i especially loved how jordan didn’t let astrid get away with anything, and she really had to fight for her.
i do think there are certain parts in the book where the author is throwing in diverse queer and poc representation very very briefly just to kind of say “look! here’s the diversity!” while still having all of her main characters remain white, which turned me off a little bit.
however, the substance of this book was amazing and i would definitely reread.
i always love the found family trope, so i’m not surprised at all at how much i love astrid’s group of friends. this happened to be the first book i read in this interconnected series and i’m very excited to read the others.
and of course i loved astrid and jordan. the characters individually were so well developed and i loved both of them so much. the dual pov was also written extremely well and it all flowed together very cohesively. and of course astrid and jordan’s relationship was amazing. the tension between the two of them was so good so when they finally got together it was built up so well. i also loved how they were honest with each other throughout the entire book, which is something that you don’t see a lot. and i especially loved how jordan didn’t let astrid get away with anything, and she really had to fight for her.
i do think there are certain parts in the book where the author is throwing in diverse queer and poc representation very very briefly just to kind of say “look! here’s the diversity!” while still having all of her main characters remain white, which turned me off a little bit.
however, the substance of this book was amazing and i would definitely reread.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer and Toxic relationship
grets_reads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cancer, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Vomit
bisexualwentworth's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I did NOT like Astrid in Delilah Green Doesn't Care, so I was definitely a bit wary of this book, which is focused on her finding love and figuring herself out. Fortunately, Astrid comes to life as a very complex and sympathetic character in this book, and I loved it.
Some more things I loved:
Some more things I loved:
- Jordan! Such a good love interest. Just the right balance of trauma and passion. Sensitive and understanding without compromising her own boundaries or needs.
- The reality TV show plot was actually very fun. I liked Natasha Rojas and her team. And at least this book has actual named people of color in it, unlike book one.
- Yay for queer siblings and all-queer friend groups!
- This is very much a romance book, but it's much more internal than most romances, and Astrid's personal growth and journey of self-discovery is very much the main thing going on here, and I love that a lot.
- Baking bi
Sapphics going into business together! - Jordan's character arc/career trajectory was also really satisfying to read
- Love that Ruby and Josh are still characters in this book and that Josh's character development from book one carried over
- Very happy that we spent more time with Iris in this one. I feel like I'll actually care about her when we get to her book.
- Clit necklace
- The first two sex scenes are SO GOOD
- The clear references to other popular sapphic romance books in Iris's library were really cute
- I liked whatever was going on with Iris and Simon's dynamic as well. They were fun.
And I'm glad that Simon got a bit of development and his own romance, even though it happened off-page - I just generally thought that the character dynamics and general story structure were even better in this book than in Delilah Green Doesn't Care
Things that I did not like:
- The opening was really rough
- I know it was thematically significant, but the love confession stuff got a bit too woo woo for me (and I say this as someone who does own a tarot deck)
I NEVER want to hear about two characters "rubbing their pussies together" and then spontaneously orgasming together ever again. That's not how anything works, and it was especially weird when the earlier sex scenes felt so realistic in the very best way. Letting the audience think that Meredith had DIED OF CANCER for over a third of the book was a very odd choice and I was not a fan - I am once again BEGGING Ashley Herring Blake to just say "lesbian" and "sapphic" instead of constantly saying "women and nonbinary people." This book was better about that than the first one (like Jordan is actually described as a lesbian at least once and some of the books were actually described as sapphic), but it was still weird and I wish authors would just use the very useful labels that already exist to describe their characters' queer identities. It's smoother and better and doesn't make it seem like you have something against the word "lesbian."
Misc thoughts:
- FUCK YOU MEREDITH
- FUCK YOU JILLIAN
Anyway, if you like antagonists to lovers sapphics with a small-town renovation show setting and a large dose of self-exploration, you should definitely pick up Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia and Death of parent
author2223's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship
Minor: Homophobia
alexisgarcia's review against another edition
emotional
funny
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
originally, i really liked this. however, after reading all the reviews and seeing the complaints about Jordans character and also the issues with the certain terminology used by the author, i started to agree and change my mind about my original rating. i agree with those saying Jordan is slightly frustrating in that she always gets what she wants in the end and kind of makes Astrid the villain when it is not all of her fault. it was frustrating seeing Astrid take all of the blame and Jordan taking all of the credit. I wish Astrid would have gotten a slightly different love interest. aside from this, i really enjoyed Astrid's storyline. I loved how she came into her sexuality and started living her life for herself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol
maxinesf'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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Death of parent
readingqueerly's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
Just like Delilah Green Doesn't Care, I just devoured this book. I absolutely loved every bit of it. The pacing is just so well done and the characters are beautiful and the writing is phenomenal. It's easy and quick while still really dealing with the issues and even some heavier topics. This book for me also hit quite close to home in certain parts. Astrid's difficult relationship with her mother is very recognizable to me. The need to please and the mother knows best mindset is so influential and can be so destructive. I really see a lot of my own experience in Astrid's story.
I knew it would be a favourite of mine only a few pages in and I was so right. This book almost felt like a sign to me. When I found this book by coincidence at the bookstore (since I didn't think they'd ever stock this book), I didn't even doubt for one second if I should take it. I feel like there were some moments in here that I really needed to internalise.
I knew it would be a favourite of mine only a few pages in and I was so right. This book almost felt like a sign to me. When I found this book by coincidence at the bookstore (since I didn't think they'd ever stock this book), I didn't even doubt for one second if I should take it. I feel like there were some moments in here that I really needed to internalise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent