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A review by morganish
Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
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? It's complicated
4.0
I was chatting with someone today about how they hadn't left a review for any books they'd read in months, and I was all, "Ahaha... yeah."
Let's be honest. At this point, I'm never catching up.
But it can't hurt to try anyway! So let's start off with my first completed read of the year, a trope-heavy sapphic contemporary romance about a tattooed big city photographer and a sweet bisexual single mom meeting up as adults in small-town Oregon. A good read, as these things go, though I probably wouldn't have continued on with the series if I wasn't supposed to be buddy-reading it with someone else.
Let's be honest. At this point, I'm never catching up.
But it can't hurt to try anyway! So let's start off with my first completed read of the year, a trope-heavy sapphic contemporary romance about a tattooed big city photographer and a sweet bisexual single mom meeting up as adults in small-town Oregon. A good read, as these things go, though I probably wouldn't have continued on with the series if I wasn't supposed to be buddy-reading it with someone else.
What Worked For Me
The Sapphicness! That probably sounds silly, but reading this made me realize that most of the sapphic books I've read have been speculative (sff) and/or YA. It was nice to read something grounded in adulthood (late 20s) and real-life (the single-mother love interest/POV angle was really refreshing).
The Depiction of Sex: Yes, I know I usually don't love when books heavily feature this much on-page sex. But I think I'll give this one a pass, since it felt really rooted in real-world dynamics, and I haven't come across that many contemporary sapphic stories that do that, period, much less ones which still ground most of the tension in the romance between the two. Also, the way the relationship started off as tentative and casual but built to something more, rather than using sex as payoff for the romance is a dynamic I always appreciate seeing depicted in fiction.
The Main Conflict: While the main romantic relationship is the centerpiece of the story and features both characters equally, the biggest struggle the two MCs have with one another is mostly just whether or not they can have a future together (caveat for other stuff that happens in the very last leg of the book). But most of the story's conflict comes from other familial relationships (and not because of their queerness, yay!). Delilah and sister Astrid are oozing with tons of unresolved hurt and resentment. Claire struggles to balance being a good mom to a child with an unreliable father, while figuring out how to process her daughter becoming a tween and what that means for both of them. The story takes place over the span of a few weeks, and balances emotional complexity with narrative simplicity in a satisfying way.
The Depiction of Sex: Yes, I know I usually don't love when books heavily feature this much on-page sex. But I think I'll give this one a pass, since it felt really rooted in real-world dynamics, and I haven't come across that many contemporary sapphic stories that do that, period, much less ones which still ground most of the tension in the romance between the two. Also, the way the relationship started off as tentative and casual but built to something more, rather than using sex as payoff for the romance is a dynamic I always appreciate seeing depicted in fiction.
The Main Conflict: While the main romantic relationship is the centerpiece of the story and features both characters equally, the biggest struggle the two MCs have with one another is mostly just whether or not they can have a future together (caveat for other stuff that happens in the very last leg of the book). But most of the story's conflict comes from other familial relationships (and not because of their queerness, yay!). Delilah and sister Astrid are oozing with tons of unresolved hurt and resentment. Claire struggles to balance being a good mom to a child with an unreliable father, while figuring out how to process her daughter becoming a tween and what that means for both of them. The story takes place over the span of a few weeks, and balances emotional complexity with narrative simplicity in a satisfying way.
What Wasn't My Thing
The Tropy-ness: Despite reading romance and romance-adjacent stories for decades, somehow this feels like the first time I've actually come across the "There was only one bed!" trope in the wild. That, or whenever I've come across it before, it seemed so natural I didn't really notice or mark it as unusual. Here, it was like a glaring neon sign, and while it didn't ruin the story, it was a little distracting. There was also a whole deal with a Third Act Breakup and A Bet. No shade to readers who liked this (or the writer if they genuinely enjoyed writing these tropes). But I just felt so jarred by the inclusion and handling of both. They just didn't feel necessary to the story, and really felt like just box-checking for the marketers to say they included certain tropes. The plot and character dynamics held up plenty well without them, imo, so it just kind of minimized what was an otherwise nice story.
Aspects of the Romance: These are totally personal nitpicks, which have nothing to do with the overall quality of the story or whether or not I'd recommend it to others. But I felt like a big part of Delilah's emotional storyline hinged on her not having any friends, which just felt a little confusing or not as well explained as I'd like. Also, I'm not a big opposites-attract person, generally; I like to understand how two characters build up a relationship from what they have in common. These two genuinely liked each other, but when I step back I'm not sure what they really share besides a relationship with Astrid, coming from the same small town, or both being attracted to women. Both thinking Claire's kid is cool, maybe? Lastly, the whole romance happens so quickly! Over the span of a few weeks! Okay, okay, I'm done. I'm overthinking what is meant to be a quick, fun, cozy, brain-off kind of read, and for the most part, it delivers on that really well.
One More Thing, Though: This is something that has been a big point of controversy in the queer community, and I know it's very touchy. But there are a couple instances of lowkey "Haha, men are terrible, ew!" moments/offhand remarks in this book, and that's probably the biggest turn-off for me. If I wasn't buddy-reading the next installment, I probably wouldn't continue with the series or this author because of that, no matter how fun the overall book or how nuanced some of their depictions. Before I figured out I was bi, I would have been like "Haha, yeah! Men DO suck!" And just assumed that anyone who had a problem with women saying stuff like that was weaponizing their internalized misogyny. Now, I can see (and feel) how deep the ripple affects of that kind of rhetoric go, and how the people harmed by it aren't cishet men or patriarchal systems, but usually just other women and/or queer people. This isn't the first sapphic book I've read in the last few months that incorporates those kind of subtle oversimplifications, and personally I'm just... tired.
Aspects of the Romance: These are totally personal nitpicks, which have nothing to do with the overall quality of the story or whether or not I'd recommend it to others. But I felt like a big part of Delilah's emotional storyline hinged on her not having any friends, which just felt a little confusing or not as well explained as I'd like. Also, I'm not a big opposites-attract person, generally; I like to understand how two characters build up a relationship from what they have in common. These two genuinely liked each other, but when I step back I'm not sure what they really share besides a relationship with Astrid, coming from the same small town, or both being attracted to women. Both thinking Claire's kid is cool, maybe? Lastly, the whole romance happens so quickly! Over the span of a few weeks! Okay, okay, I'm done. I'm overthinking what is meant to be a quick, fun, cozy, brain-off kind of read, and for the most part, it delivers on that really well.
One More Thing, Though: This is something that has been a big point of controversy in the queer community, and I know it's very touchy. But there are a couple instances of lowkey "Haha, men are terrible, ew!" moments/offhand remarks in this book, and that's probably the biggest turn-off for me. If I wasn't buddy-reading the next installment, I probably wouldn't continue with the series or this author because of that, no matter how fun the overall book or how nuanced some of their depictions. Before I figured out I was bi, I would have been like "Haha, yeah! Men DO suck!" And just assumed that anyone who had a problem with women saying stuff like that was weaponizing their internalized misogyny. Now, I can see (and feel) how deep the ripple affects of that kind of rhetoric go, and how the people harmed by it aren't cishet men or patriarchal systems, but usually just other women and/or queer people. This isn't the first sapphic book I've read in the last few months that incorporates those kind of subtle oversimplifications, and personally I'm just... tired.
Who This Is For
The above issues aside, I do think it's annoying that there aren't more mainstream contemporary sapphic romances featuring adults, and I think this is a solid read, one which does a nice job balancing cuteness and emotional complexity. It doesn't shy away from portraying real-world aspects of being queer: reminiscences to when they realized they were queer, the sheer joy and self-actualization that comes from being a part of a queer community, the differences of queer urban vs small-town life, etc., etc. Without ever getting bogged down in dealing with overt queerphobia or trauma. Hopefully many queer people will be able to connect with some aspect of this book, at least in the abstract. And non-queer readers willing to dip their toes into someone else's story might get a realistic glimpse of queer people just being themselves in complex, authentic ways. Without seeing the thousandth coming out story or stories where people are in same-sex attraction but not notably different in their experiences than straight people. And... it's just a fun, tropey contemporary romance.
Content Warnings
Outside of the "dating men sucks!" aspect mentioned above, I think most of the content people might take issue with comes from the painful, messy familial dynamics all the characters are coping with. The warnings below include one plot spoiler.
Warnings for:
Past parental death/orphaning. Overbearing parents, parental abandonment (physically and emotionally). Single-parenthood. Third parties actively trying to sabotage a wedding; weddings being called off. Mentions of offscreen marital tensions over the decision to have or not have children. Several on-page sex scenes. Misogyny.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Misogyny, and Abandonment
Minor: Sexism