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A review by purplepenning
Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail by Ashley Herring Blake
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
After breaking up with her fiance in "Delilah Green Doesn't Care," ice queen Astrid Parker is struggling to regain her footing. Her interior design business is faltering, her uber-judgmental mother is looming larger than ever, and her nerves are frayed. Which almost explains her struggles to remain polite, aloof, and professional around Jordan Sherwood, the lead carpenter on the historic inn renovation project that is the key to securing Astrid's success and her mother's approval.
The Sherwood Inn has been in Jordan's family for generations and in her own heart for decades. She's recovering from heartbreak and grief and can't seem to do anything right anymore, but she can keep the inn from getting modernized into blandness by the predictably uptight Astrid.
A little light sabotage and a few power struggles raise more than the resident ghost at the inn in this enemies-to-lovers romance that features a later-in-life queer awakening and the excellent ride-or-die friends from the first book. Even though it has allllll the right vibes and backstories to appeal to me (historic inn! hot carpenter chick! perfectionist unraveling! implementing healthy boundaries!) the story and development just didn't flow for me. I'll definitely still check out Iris's story coming in book 3, though!
The Sherwood Inn has been in Jordan's family for generations and in her own heart for decades. She's recovering from heartbreak and grief and can't seem to do anything right anymore, but she can keep the inn from getting modernized into blandness by the predictably uptight Astrid.
A little light sabotage and a few power struggles raise more than the resident ghost at the inn in this enemies-to-lovers romance that features a later-in-life queer awakening and the excellent ride-or-die friends from the first book. Even though it has allllll the right vibes and backstories to appeal to me (historic inn! hot carpenter chick! perfectionist unraveling! implementing healthy boundaries!) the story and development just didn't flow for me. I'll definitely still check out Iris's story coming in book 3, though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Fatphobia, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia, Infidelity, Death, and Death of parent