This is a fantastic sequel to Delilah Green Doesn’t Care! Astrid has been hyper focused on her interior designer career ever since she broke up with her fiancé 1 year prior. She is tasked with designing the renovation of a local inn where she is forced to work with Jordan Everwood, granddaughter of the Inn’s owner. Their relationship is developed with the back drop of a hone renovation TV show (think HGTV) and while they initially despise each other and disagree on most things (and there is some light sabotage), the tension they lean into for the cameras gives way to deeper feelings. Astrid has to take a chance to live the life she deserves!
I loved the reality TV show element because I think it helped build the chemistry of these two strong headed characters. I think the romantic tension in this book is fantastic and the on-page chemistry is perfection.
This book is not 5 stars for me because I felt the pacing was off in parts and I felt that Jordan’s character needed a bit more development.

After reading Delilah Green and loving it I knew I wanted more of that world and those characters. What I wasn’t sure about going into reading this one was if I’d like Astrid Parker as the main character. She added a lot to Delilah’s story and helped us understand where Delilah was coming from, but Astrid wasn’t terribly likeable and I didn’t know how I’d like her book.

Well, I’m so glad I got to read this and learn more about Astrid and her motivations. There is so much more substance to her than comes across in book one. Jordan was a great main character as well. I became enamored with them both and with their story. The writing was great, all the characters were fun and interesting and the story ticked all my must have boxes.

I can’t wait to read Iris’ story!

THE 411...

We're back in Bright Falls with my favorite cast of queer women and this time the spotlight is on Astrid Parker. We first met Astrid in Delilah Green Doesn't Care (my review) as the estranged step-sister of Delilah who Was set to get married and live the ideal life her mother had always dreamed of her having. Fast forward to a year later and Astrid Parker is a single woman who is laser sharp focused on her career/family owned business in interior design. The only thing is that the phones aren't ringing and the projects have slowed down, Astrid is looking for a lifeline. When Pru Everwood asks Astrid to be the designer for the Everwood Inn whose renovation is being broadcast on the popular home improvement show Innside America, Astrid seizes the lifeline. What she wasn't expecting was having all of her design ideas sabotaged by Pru's frustratingly attractive granddaughter Jordan Everwood. The Everwood is also in need of a liefeline, its been a long time since guests have booked the place. If this renovation and media coverage don't change its fortune, Pru Everwood may have to shutter its doors for good.

Jordan and her twin brother spent summers in the Everwood Inn and she feels Astrid's clean linen and modern/sleek designs don't quite capture the character of the place. As the lead carpenter on the project, she begins to make some changes to Astrid's designs that result in some tension build-up while being filmed for the show. The show runners are LIVING for it and want them both to kind of play it up some more for the ratings which would result in good publicity for them both. This was never Jordan's intention, after having her relationship fall apart unexpectedly and her work deeply affected by it...she was just looking to get back on track and prove to her brother and grandmother that she's climbing out of her depression. 

*•.¸♡ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞’𝐝 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐚 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧. 𝐒𝐡𝐞’𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰. 𝐀𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞. ♡¸.•*

WRITING & FINAL THOUGHTS...

Soulmates and Tarot. Need I say more?!? ok there's also the BEST character redemption arc I've come across in romance. I was not a fan of Astrid at all when I read Delilah green Doesn't Care and when I started reading this book, I still wasn't sold on her. Then I started seeing Astrid for who she really is, when all the need to meet her mother's expectations just stops. This is when we really start seeing Astrid, a 30 something year old who is late to discovering who she really is but is choosing to step out and do so anyways. She's exploring her sexuality and questioning her career choices. It's not often that we get stories centered around woman in their 30's redefining their lives. Jordan however is my favorite MC, she's had her heart broken by someone she cared deeply for and thought was her soulmate. This doesn't stop her from believing her soulmate is out there, her tarot cards won't let her forget. Second chances in love and life, soulmates, and rediscovering passions while having an amazing group of supportive friends/found family...I may love this one more than Delilah Green Doesn't Care? but good luck making me choose!

As Astrid Parker takes on a new project for Pru Everwood’s family inn, she comes head to head with Pru’s granddaughter, Jordan Everwood. Astrid and Jordan bump heads every single time ideas flow, however, there is a vision for the family inn that Jordan wants and that is not something Astrid likes. However, as the two bump heads at the inn, they can’t help the chemistry that bubbles between them.

I gave Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail four stars, really enjoying the gradual chemistry between Jordan and Astrid. You could tell that they were a great match together and even though they didn’t agree with too much in the beginning with the way Jordan’s family inn should be renovated, it was really nice to see them slowly get along.

I liked that both Jordan and Astrid needed to figure out how they could work with themselves and how to gain the realization that they had things that they could be proud of. I liked that it talked about struggling to appease other people when honestly not focusing on yourself. It felt real what Astrid and Jordan talked about it and I found that really interesting toward the plot and toward Astrid and Jordan’s relationship.

One of my favorite parts was the way Astrid and Jordan became friends as they continued to work with each other. In the beginning, you could really tell Astrid and Jordan didn’t like each other and I loved that the more they were forced to hang out with each other and interact, their relationship grew to be something more. I really enjoyed their romance a lot and found Astrid and Jordan’s romance fun to read.

I'm not gonna lie, I read the first one in this series and was not a fan, so I was really hoping this was going to be better.

An interior designer learns to rebuild her love life from the ground up with zero blueprints.

Astrid's last relationship failed and Astrid was raised by someone who doesn't allow for failure. So when the redesign for Everwood comes across her desk, she knows she has to get it right. Everwood isn't just another project to Jordan, this was her home growing up. So when Astrid comes in and throws around modern basic designs at her home, she feels her hackles rise. But there's something about Astrid that makes her want to compromise, instead of just take over. What is it?

So, thank you, thank you for this one. Because the first book? I HATED Delilah. She was awful. I just couldn't get beyond how she treated people. It was just bad. And I couldn't get the appeal at all. But there was something about the prose and I was living in Oregon at the time. So I really wanted to connect with the story and the series.

Then came Jordan. I LOVE Jordan. She's passionate, she's blunt, but not rude about it, and she has this side that makes me want to just be friends with her. She's pretty much what Astrid needed. Someone who would nurture her and give her love. Who would quit making Astrid feel small and like she had to be so rigid. I've met women like Astrid's mother and they're just miserable. So when I look at Astrid metaphorically, I know exactly who she is. She's someone who has been essentially emotionally abused to live to certain standards, because if she didn't, she wasn't good enough. And that's hell. This boils down to this character being so real it almost hurt. Because I know Astrid ; I've met Astrid. I'm sure we all have.

And we just got to see the beginning of Astrid coming out of her shell here. Years down the line, I imagine she'll be so much more. That's why I think this book and the relationship built with these two was really so beautiful. You got to see two people rebuilding a wonderful place and doing it together. While also building the beginning of something that would be mutually good for both of them.

I took a star off because we did have some of the characters from the last book. And they were oddly more palatable in this book? Delilah didn't seem anywhere near as bad? What the what? Weird.

Thanks for the book!

as someone who figured out her own sexual identity fairly late, this story meant the world. I relate to astrid on a molecular level and so it was just so therapeutic to read her story.

This is the first adult book I've read by this author, I previously read one of their young adult novels and loved it. I read this one before the technical first in this series, and do see that I was spoiled with the previous relationship, but still feel like I got everything I needed. I love that they each could be read as a stand alone.

Astrid was one of the most determined character I've read about in a long time. I loved her go get 'em spirit and how she makes things work in her favor. I loved Jordan in every aspect, she was so relatable and fun to read about. I thought their relationship was pretty realistic and enjoyed the bit of a roller coaster ride we were taken on.

Overall, I highly recommend this book, but maybe I would suggest reading the first in the series first if you'd like to get the most out of it. I just thought this while book was so relatable and realistic.

A sexy ode to people figuring themselves out later in life. All your favorite characters from book 1 are there and we get snippets of updates of their lives. Looking forward to Iris' book coming November of 2023.

The characters are the best part of Blake's writing. She bring many characters representing marginalized facets of society, and makes them real, not tokens, in this rainbow romance. And the heat is there too, as Astrid comes to understand her attraction for her on camera foe, Jordan. The romance seemed a bit too quick, but that's just a nit to pick.

I know this is book two but I plan on reading the other books in the series. I gave this book a five stars! I loved this so much, I loved the characters, the romance, and the friendships. I love the representation in this, I loved the necklace and I totally want to get one! I can't wait to buy this book to add to my collection. I absolutely adore this book. I loved the sapphic relationships in this book.

Ashley Herring Blake did it AGAIN. Her writing kept me wanting more and more. Her characters are some of my favorite I’ve ever read. This story follows a woman who never let herself explore her sexuality. I loved the growth Astrid had throughout the book. I loved reading about Jordan finding passion in her work again. These two characters were complete opposites. One of my favorite tropes. I cannot wait for Iris’ book to come out next year!! She is my favorite character!! Thank you so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read in exchange for a review

Going into this one I was a little wary as you don't super love Astrid until the end of Delilah Greene doesn't Care, but Ashley Herring Blake really gave us a great look at the inner thought process. This was a great one with lots of fun and touching moments. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

Astrid Parker has a lot on her plate. Her cold, unfeeling mother has high expectations of her; her engagement just ended and her ex-fiancée has moved on; her friends are all coupled up; and her job is floundering. Her one hope is to re-design a local inn for a reality TV show. If she succeeds, she could revitalize her career. But the granddaughter of the inn's owner has different ideas for the inn and the two women butt heads - then fall in love - as they learn to work together.

This was ok. I really liked Delilah Green Doesn't Care and this one felt like it was lacking the oomph of that one. Astrid and Jordan just didn't have the spark I was looking for and mostly I felt bored while reading. I even skimmed a few pages because it was repetitive and I didn't miss a thing. The whole TV show aspect was such a sidenote that it could have been taken out and nothing would have changed. And (view spoiler)

I'm still looking forward the the third book, but this one was lackluster.

Wowowowow I hated this book. I wanted so badly to like it but I just couldn’t. I loved Astrid but Jordan was so deeply unlikeable that I didn’t want her to be happy. I also think Blake has an uphill climb for her next book because Iris has been objectively terrible for two books now

Loved Astrid and Jordan and the entire Bright Falls gang! Sapphic series that keeps hitting all the marks I love in a romance novel.

I don't know enough about design to understand why Astrid and Jordan couldn't share the lead design title, felt like a contrived controversy.

What I love most about Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail is how Blake took an EXTREMELY difficult character from a prior book, and completely humanized her. Astrid's abrasive exterior hides a lot of wounds stemming from her emotionally neglectful mother. Blake does a great job tapping into that, without overwhelming the feel-good aspect of a cute small town love story. Both characters in this romance were fully realized and engaging, and the supporting cast was delightful.

4 stars - Great!

I enjoyed this - the characters, the story, the romance, the individual journeys for both women. I haven't read a lot of LGBTQ+ romance, so this reading experience felt different for me. And at the same time, all of the features I enjoy in heterosexual romances were there - a fun friend group where different characters have or will get their own books, animosity that turns into love, an engaging plot that sets up some of the relationship moments as well as conflict, etc..

I have not read the first book in the series, but I think fans of that one will find a lot to love here. And I can't wait to see what happens in book 3! (Language, sex. A thread about tarot cards and tarot reading spans the book)

If you haven’t read Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail yet, I am begging you to sprint to your nearest bookstore and buy it because this. was. so. good.

I wasn’t expecting to love Astrid and Jordan as much as I loved Claire and Delilah, but their story was even better. I loved Astrid’s character development from the closed-off imitation of her mother to her true self that she had been hiding and how Jordan helped bring that side of her back to life!

Would also 100% hire Jordan Everwood to design my house because green cabinets and dark statement walls are all I want in life.

thank you NetGalley and and Berkley for this arc i loved every minute of it!

This was such a cute book, a grumpy x grumpy wlw book that every lgbtq person needs in their life. I can say that Ashley Herring Blake nailed “Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fall”. There was so much hype surrounding this book and it honestly deserved it. There was SO MUCH lgbtq representation, I felt like I was in a dream!!

A coworker started it and was so appalled by something that happened in it that she would not continue. It was unforgivable to her, and our tastes are very similar, so I will not read this. This is unfortunate because I liked the first book very much.

I enjoyed reading about Astrid more than I thought I would, which is funny since she intrigued me the most in Delilah's story. Astrid is such a complex, interesting character and it was great to have a book mostly from her perspective, as she rediscovers herself following her breakup with her fiancé and rekindling a relationship with her step-sister. There was so much growth both for her and her love interest, Jordan, from the start of the book to the end. It was lovely to experience that with these characters, and see some insight into Astrid's relationships with her friends and family firsthand. There was so much emotional depth and growth, I absolutely adored it and I'm stoked for Iris' installation of this series.