WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO READ THIS BOOK????

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care was the perfect RomCom to read during Pride Month, but I feel like I missed out on loving it for the MONTHS it’s been out!

Delilah left Bright Falls when she graduated high school. She packed her bags and moved to NYC with a one-way ticket and no plans to return. She’s dealt with the trauma of her past in her own way, but when her stepsister, Astrid, calls to remind her that she’s supposed to be the photographer at her upcoming wedding, all of those feelings resurface.

Claire is a single mom with an incredible daughter, Ruby. Her best friend is getting married soon, which definitely brings up thoughts about her own life without a partner. She’s bisexual and while out at a bar, her other bff, Iris, dares her to get 1 phone number that night. Of course, the hot tattooed girl at the bar would have to be Delilah Green.

I am here for more artsy MC’s please!! I don’t care whether they’re painters, sculptors, photographers, dancers, strippers… honestly, I’m here for all the artistic representation. MORE MORE MORE!!!!!

I always love a queer RomCom and I definitely do not get enough sapphic love stories in my life, so that made so happy to read about. They were so cute together and I’m happy that this series will have the other characters I’ve grown fond of, because I’m just not ready to be done with them yet.

One of my favorite romances of all time! I loved every minute of this book and will forever recommend it.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the characters and their story. This is a fantastic debut, and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Nothing wrong with this book, the story just wasn't my cup of tea. I've seen readers on Instagram saying that they loved this book though so I'd say it's still worth checking it out, especially if you enjoy LGBTQ romances!

I thoroughly enjoyed this rom-com! Delilah and Claire's relationship was paced out perfectly and felt genuine. The secondary characters were also a delight. The world of Bright Falls was easy to fall into and I'm excited for more books to revisit all of these characters.

4.5 stars

This was so cute!!! 🥺

This book follows Delilah, a take-no-shit kind of person who escaped her hometown for a new life in NYC and works hard to leave her past in the past. But, when her stepmother enlists her to photograph her stepsister's wedding for a large sum of money, Delilah can't pass up the opportunity. So, she returns to Bright Falls for the two weeks of Astrid's wedding festivities even though spending time with Astrid & co. - who made Delilah's life miserable as a child - is the last thing Delilah wants to do. When she arrives in Bright Falls, Delilah has an encounter with Astrid's friend Claire and the two strike up a bit of a flirtation. But, Delilah isn't someone who does serious and plans to leave Bright Falls in her rearview mirror, again, as soon as she can. Thus begins a will-they-won't-they romance with a dash of mischief as Delilah is enlisted by Astrid's friends to help break up Astrid's marriage to her horrible fiancé before Astrid can walk down the aisle.

This book was a little slower than I wanted it to be, but there was so much to love about it and it definitely met my expectations! Delilah and Claire were so cute together & complemented each other so well! I'd seen a few reviews saying it was unrealistic that Delilah would leave NYC for Claire when that was all she'd ever worked for, but I really disagree. To me, all Delilah ever wanted was people in her life to love and appreciate her, and she finally found that in Claire and Astrid and Iris and Ruby, so to give that up would be more unrealistic in my eyes!

Honestly, my favorite character in this book was probably Iris, so I can't wait for her book next year!!

The queer love story I've been dying for but didn't know I needed. Characters are diverse, well-rounded, and beautifully depicted. A real treat.

Delilah Green hasn't been back to Bright Falls in years. After the hell she went through living in that town she has no desire to return. Delilah is a successful photographer in New York and has left Bright Falls in the past along with her distant and cold stepfamily.

Claire Sutherland is trying to do her best in Bright Falls. A single mom to a pre-teen, life isn't always easy with an unreliable ex. But Claire has her best friends and the life she's created in Bright Falls.

Except Delilah's step-sister, Astrid, is getting married and has asked Delilah to photograph the wedding. Delilah can't pass up the opportunity to make some money and maybe push Astrid's buttons in the process even if she does have to return to the small that ratchets up her anxiety.

When Claire sees a totally attractive woman at the local pub she makes a move and doesn't realize that the woman is actually Delilah Green. The chemistry is evident and the two women keep running into each other during the wedding festivities. Soon they're working together to try to break apart Astrid's pending nuptials. Will they be able to keep their hands off of one another while they accomplish their goal?

I enjoyed Delilah Green Doesn't Care, but I do feel like there was a lot going on in this book. There was the storyline of Delilah's past with her stepfamily, Claire's history with her ex and then the drama of the group of friends trying to save Astrid from marrying her horrible fiancé. I felt like the romance between Delilah and Claire felt forced at times.

Yes, I felt the hurt and angst for both of these characters - I only wish that I felt more for them as a couple.

Overall I would give Delilah Green Doesn't Care 3.5 stars.

I definitely built this up more in my head. I’m quite sad I didn’t love this more, that I’m not jumping onto rooftops and declaring my love. But I still more than liked it?

I was incredibly invested during the first half, but somewhere in that second half Delilah just lost me. She had little to no personality, so it also made it hard for me to tag along with this relationship with Claire. Claire was so kind and forgiving and I couldn’t see them together anymore!

Anyway, as expected that resolution came and went BUT that final monologue Delilah gave not only redeemed her a bit, but almost saved the entire book MY HEART WAS A PUDDLE

Really did enjoy the writing so I’m v much looking forward to the next book and Astrid!!!


also, why the hell are these chapters so long????

This wasn't a favorite, but I definitely did enjoy it and look forward to reading the other books in this series and would recommend it to people.

This was so cute!! For so many years I thought I just wasn't a person who enjoyed romance novels. Turns out, it's the men in the romance novels that I'm not a fan of! This was so hot, just enough spice for me. With loveable but flawed characters. A perfect read for pride month!

This is the sort of queer romance that I wish had been available in my early twenties. I enjoyed Delilah's journey back to her home town, because let's face it, we all know how that goes.

More queer rom-coms, please! Aside from the (absolutely delicious, cannot get enough) romance between Delilah and Clare, the other relationships in this book are also all so complex and intricately woven. Several times I forgot I was reading a fictional book about fictional people. I'd be washing the dishes and thinking about something that happened in the book, and want to tell my spouse about the crazy antics of my "friend." (Hey, he doesn't need to know they're fictional, right?)
Love, love, LOVE this book, and I'm so excited to see what else Ashley Herring Blake has in store!

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to past me for requesting this book on NetGalley. I think it was what I needed to get out of my reading slump!

Ashley Herring Blake’s Delilah Green Doesn’t Care is a fun sapphic rom-com following our title character, Delilah Green, as she ventures back home to Bright Falls despite her not so fond childhood memories there. Living in New York, Delilah is finally building her photography career, but an offer from her stepsister draws her back to her hometown. Her plan is to get there, do her job, and leave as soon as possible. However, this plan does not account for bumping into Claire Sutherland.

I really loved how fast paced this book felt. I have been short on time recently, but whenever I had a chance to read, the story always pulled me in and kept my attention. It left me wanting to know how things would play out. I was surprised at how much I could read in a short amount of time because I was so lost in the story.

The cast of characters was really well done. I enjoyed getting to know Delilah and seeing her interactions with Astrid and her best friends. The dynamic between all of the characters were well balanced and naturally developed throughout the course of the book. Seeing Delilah find her place and form friendships was a warm experience.

I also appreciated how this book delved into loss and the complicated mess that family can often be. Character/family dynamics and messiness are some of my favorite things to read about. Delilah had to confront a lot of difficult things from her past. The realization that moving away and avoiding confrontation does not make everything go away is something I appreciate in stories. The author expertly crafts and handles these topics.

I am so excited to check out Blake’s other works after this novel. The writing and characters really drove the book and continued to shine through from start to finish. Delilah Green Doesn’t Care was such a fun read, and I cannot wait for the other Bright Falls novels!

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley Publishing Group, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!! There’s something about Delilah Green that just sucks you into her world and makes you invested from the start. I adored every character in this book (except Spencer) every character has an arc in this book and it’s amazing to watch them all unfold. Standing ovation for this debut steam on point, angst perfect dynamic and amazing characters I just loved it. Cannot wait for book 2 👏🏼

The characters had history and depth. Not a typical romance. Loved that author didn't give instant closure to relationship (family and romantic) struggles.

My immediate reaction when I finished Delilah Green Doesn't Care was that I wanted to scream "OH MY GOD YOU HAVE TO READ IT" from the top of every building. If I'm being honest, I've not moved very far beyond that in the months since I finished. I loved this book so, so much. It's difficult to articulate why. Sunshine and the grump is a favorite trope and it was made even better here when mixed with the reuniting of old friends (or is it foes?). I adored both Claire and Delilah and loved how their story unfolded against the backdrop of wedding insanity. The way that Delilah bonded with Claire's preteen daughter Ruby hit me in all of my feels, too. This book is the total package. As soon as it was released, I bought the audiobook because I know this is one I'll want to read again.

Delilah Green Doesn't Care will easily be one of my favorite books of 2022! It is so rare to find a romance novel, let alone a queer romance novel, that deals with blended-family issues, some generational trauma, single-parenthood, co-parenting, purpose, and fierce friendships. I LOVED this. The crux of the plot being a classic bet of trying to get a person to fall for you or your charms was kind of unnecessary for me but it ended up being handled in an okay way. I was still rooting for Delilah and Claire the entire book - and honestly for Claire's daughter who needed an outsider to kind of shake up her world. I loved loved loved this book and I cannot wait for more from Blake!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Berkley Publishers for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am a simple person. I hear the words "sapphic, contemporary romance" and I immediately get excited.

What to expect from Delilah Green Doesn't Care:
- grumpy/sunshine opposites attract
- Friends with benefits but whoops, feelings happened
- Single mom with a messy co-parent situation
- strong female friendships
- "men ain't shit"

Delilah Green is messy. She doesn't do relationships, she doesn't have a friend group to speak of, and she avoids thinking about her life growing up as much as possible, but she can't say no to the income offered to be the photographer at her step-sister, Astrid's, wedding. She doesn't expect, when reluctantly returning to her hometown of Bright Falls, that she would connect with Astrid and her "coven" of friends who made her feel like such an outcast growing up. She especially doesn't expect being unable to resist Astrid's best friend, the beautiful and sweet Claire.

From the very start Claire and Delilah's connection is absolute fire. There is such an undeniable passion between the two of them that leads to a beautiful vulnerability. They are both very messy people but seeing each of their journeys as they work through their past both together and separate was just so satisfying. As a result the book strikes a perfect balance of RomCom and heartfelt. Even each member of the supporting cast has an incredibly strong personality and voice that makes me incredibly excited for the upcoming books in the series. I have to shout out Claire's friendship with Astrid and Iris and just how real it felt. The 3 of them have been friends since they were kids and it shows. They support but also call each other out in a way only people who have been intertwined in each others lives for 20+ years can. I also appreciated seeing Claire dealing with the struggles of being in a complicated co-parent situation and how that factors into her relationship with Delilah.

Overall I think this is perfect for anyone looking for a steamy and earnest sapphic RomCom.

Delilah Green left Bright Falls at 18 for New York City and has rarely looked back at the stepmother, stepsister and all the lonely memories from after her father died that she left behind. Except, now her stepsister Astrid has hired her to photograph wedding, dangling an exorbitant sum on the line, so Delilah is headed back to Oregon for two weeks. Her goal? To mess with Astrid as much as possible while still getting paid and feel as few feelings as possible. The second goal goes belly up when she encounters Astrid’s best friend Claire all grown up her first night back in town. And though Claire finds herself drawn to Delilah too, she knows Delilah doesn’t do relationships, and watching her ex and daughter’s father leave them both over the years is enough pain for Claire. Suddenly, Claire and Delilah find themselves drawn together in a plot to save Astrid from her shit-shirt (you’ll get it if you read the book, I promise) fiancé, and start to wonder if it’s worth letting down the walls they’ve built so many years building up.

So you know how the saying (or line from Hamlet, rather) goes: The lady doth protest too much, methinks. And while I didn’t put a ton of thought into the title “Delilah Green Doesn’t Care” before I started reading, it became really clear at the get go that Delilah used not caring as a defense mechanism. Watching her realize that about herself too and go on the emotional journey she went on through this book was really something to behold and Ashley Herring Blake wrote an absolutely masterpiece that made me laugh, cry and put me through an overall emotional wringer. It’s hard to get into specifics about the journey for Delilah and the other characters in this one without getting spoilery, but man, when you watch the character ARCs unfold, you just know you’re in for a hell of a ride.

I think Claire was the perfect match for Delilah, in that she never ever pretended to do anything but care (except for maybe when she was pretending she could do “just sex” with Delilah. Romance reasons logic, ammirite?). Watching her try to co-parent her daughter, come to care so deeply for Delilah and be a good friend to Astrid and Iris was just so moving; I could tell that we would be best friends if we ever met. Astrid refers to Claire as one of the most caring people she’s ever met at one point and it’s just so spot on.

Part of the reason this one was a real emotional journey is that Herring Blake did not pull punches when it came to creating conflict. There is messy co-parenting, there is trauma from the loss of parents, there is cold and distant step/parenting, there’s messy and sticky family relations, trauma from bad relationships. It’s all here, and it’s real and raw. And yet, it’s tied around this hopeful and light and pure love story that strike the perfect balance. It was great.

I loved the girl-gang created in this one and was thrilled to see we’re getting another story in this world in 2023. I can’t wait to continue watching these realistic and tangible characters learn and grow. In case it wasn’t clear, I loved it and I want everyone, everywhere, to read it.