A review by jbeauchamp97
Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail by Ashley Herring Blake

2.0

I wanted to finish my reading this year with a book that did not require a lot of deep thinking, something lighthearted. This technically fit the bill, but i was disappointed in this sequel.

Delilah Green felt like such a genuine and passionate queer romance, full of dynamic, charming characters whose sexuality made up only a part of their full motif. Astrid Parker (a character who is annoying at best) felt like the complete opposite. The book read like a painful Hallmark movie with Wattpad-quality sex scenes.

I think this book tried to force LGBTQ themes simply for the sake of stating them. It felt tokenizing to have stated that a minor character was a different race or nonbinary, just to check a box that these static characters were diverse. It felt performative. Nothing in this sequel felt authentic, and despite the low rating, I’m hoping that Iris Kelly’s story is more robust, and i still plan on finished the trilogy. Sorry Astrid :/