I wanted to DNF this book 85% of the way through and I decided to just push through it, which is out of the normal for me. I realized that I didn't like the characters, I didn't care about the story, and I thought the couple didn't have any chemistry outside of the bedroom. But despite all this, I was curious how AHB would do the infamous third-act-breakup. Maybe I've finally learned my lesson about romance novels and I'll stop requesting them on NetGalley. Spicy romance just doesn't work for me and it's entirely my fault that I keep pick them up.

This one was so much fun—possibly my new favorite Ashley Herring Blake yet!

Dream On, Ramona Riley brings all the charm of a small-town romance with the added sparkle of a Hollywood star crashing into real life. Ramona is such a relatable, quietly ambitious character who’s been stuck in place for too long, and Dylan is the perfect chaotic but lovable celebrity with something to prove. Their chemistry is electric from the start, and watching their connection deepen had me grinning (and maybe tearing up a little, too).

The dynamic between them is sweet, funny, and occasionally tense in that oh no, they’re catching feelings kind of way that makes for a perfect slow burn. I also loved the themes around reclaiming dreams, redefining success, and learning to let people in—even when it's scary.

Bonus points for the fun little crossover with Iris! Fans of Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date will definitely enjoy that.

Overall, this was a cozy, queer, feel-good romance that still managed to pack in some emotional depth. Highly recommend if you love small-town stories, sapphic slow burns, or any kind of “celebrity meets real life” trope.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars, rounded up to 4

“Heartfelt and funny, but weighed down by miscommunication.”

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Dream On, Ramona Riley is a warm, queer coming-of-age rom-com with a relatable lead, swoony moments, and a strong emotional core.

That said, the heavy reliance on the miscommunication trope really tested my patience. So many conflicts could’ve been solved with a single honest conversation, which made parts of the story feel repetitive and stalled character growth.

Still, the voice is engaging, the romance is sweet, and the journey is ultimately rewarding—just be ready to yell “just talk to each other!” a few times.

Ramona is a small town girl whose big fashion designer dreams got dashed when she needed to help her single dad care for her little sister after an accident. Dylan Monroe is the daughter of rock stars who is now in town to film a rom-com to help her bad girl image. Ramona and Dylan met when they were teenagers, though, and once they recognize each other, start on a path to rekindle things that might have been when they were a kids. But at the same time, both of them might sneakily benefit from the relationship...

I'm going to own some things right here.

1. I never read anything by this author before and had no idea what to expect.
2. I think one of my limits is heavy spice in a romance novel about a couple ladies.

I loved the falling. I love the storyline. I like all the resolution to the drama. I just didn't need the spicy stuff.

As a straight lady, I think that's where I draw my own personal line on an LGBTQA+ romance. I am still here for people to love who they love, and I'm glad that there's a romance novel for everyone, so that people who are not me get to enjoy a novel about people like them. I'm GLAD for it. I want everyone to be able to read a book about people like them.

The love story is so nicely done. I kind of enjoyed how the author loved up the plot of the movie to the plot of their relationship.

This is a great book for someone that's into a spicy FF romance. The characters both identify as bi, and are surrounded by people all up and down the spectrum of love interests.

I'm glad I read it. I'm glad I know where I draw a line for my own reading comfort and enjoyment. Because life is too short to read things you don't want to read, and my TBR pile is obscene, so knowing what to skip for my own reading is important.

Am I going to avoid books? Not necessarily. Am I going to do a bit more digging before I dive in? Probably. Is that okay? Absolutely.

Thank you to Berkley Romance for the free book and to PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own. #Berkley #BerkleyPartner

This is the start of a breand new series from Ashley Herring Blake. Ramona Riley gave up her dreams to become a costume designer and returned home to help her father raise her much younger sister. But now a film is set in their small town, and she might have a second chance at her dream. And a second chance at romance.

I thought the characters were so well paired in this romance. Both have family issues and individual baggage about their own choices. Dylan is an incredibly messy celebrity nepo baby. She and Ramona both have a lot to figure out. Neither is particularly open at the start, and watching them navigate the mess they created is part of what I enjoyed most. Their chemistry was hot, and the steamy scenes explored dynamics I hadn't expected. And I am always pleased to see a lot of necessary character growth.

The small town setting was fun. And I especially loved just how open and queer friendly it was. I'm thrilled that this will be the start of a new series because there are several characters I already want to get to know better. Plus I loved the mini cameo for Iris Kelly, one of the main characters from a previous book

I so badly wanted to love this one, but honestly, it was hard to even follow and I ended up DNFing it. There was literally SO. MUCH. INFO DUMPING that I got to where I was basically skimming the book for what was important and what wasn't. It was hard to remember who was who since the author introduced so many characters and names right off the bat, and to a degree, I understand because we're meant to believe Dylan is a celebrity and with that, we have to learn all about this world's pop culture, but even on Ramona's side of things, we're given the name of her father, best friend, ex boyfriend, kids in her father's class, the owner of the diner, another waitress at the diner, her fashion icon, her fashion icon's... enemy(?), the author of the book the movie is based off of (which was a nod to a previous work of this author's, I'm aware), another actress, and more. And that was just in chapter one. I was hopeful it would get better but the next chapter - the first in Dylan's pov - was even more info-dumpy and it got harder and harder to follow from there because more characters kept getting introduced and I couldn't even keep up with the ones that were already introduced by that point.

4.25/5 Stars 3/5 Spice

Tropes:
Small Town
Second Chance Vibes
Fake Dating
Forced Proximity
Mental Health Rep

oh dylan & ramona were everything i was hoping they would be. these two and the angsty tension + swoony storyline had me in a chokehold. i love the dreams put on hold - coming into yourself storyline was such a moment for me. i loved these two & their second chance. ashley's writing always feels like a warm hug & this one was no exception. the queer found family & mental health rep is always written so perfectly. i read it in two days & devoured every second.

Dream On, Ramona Riley is a small town, second chance romance. Ramona and Dylan met as young teens and shared a life-changing kiss before never seeing each other again… until Dylan comes to film a movie in Ramona’s small town! I loved seeing them reconnect and get to know each other through a series of dates. There’s some miscommunication, which is not my favorite trope, but I did really enjoy this book overall.

I am a big fan of Ashley Herring Blake. I have also read the Bright Falls series and Make the Season Bright. Dream On, Ramona Riley is the start of a new series and I can’t wait to read them all.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

The childhood friends to strangers to lovers hit SO HARD I couldn't handle it.

The dynamic between the two main characters was so sweet, especially the inside jokes and memories of the one day they spent together as kids genuinely made me tear up. As a reader, I could tell immediately that they were in love through their actions, even before the word love was on the page.

The spicy scenes were also insanely good, to the point where I usually don't mention spice in reviews, but I have to talk about it now, because WOW. The chemistry in and out of the bedroom between these two characters was making me scream.

I completely recommend this to any reader who wants to read a sweet and spicy book with a famous love interest, and a main couple who have palpable chemistry.

A huge thank you to Berkeley Publishing Group and Netgalley for giving me this ARC!

Thank you to @berkley for the eARC & thank you to @prhaudio for the gifted audiobook!

I love Ashley Herring Blake’s writing and she is an auto-buy author for me, one of my favorites. I loved Dylan and Ramona as a couple, the complimented each other well but I did get somewhat frustrated by the lack of communication between them - understandable considering the characterization of them individually though and I appreciated their individual growth which allowed them to have a real relationship. This is by far AHB’s spiciest book and it was clear that Dylan and Ramona were certainly compatible behind closed doors! I’m excited for the next book, seems like it will feature April, Ramona’s best friend. I highly recommend this if you’re an AHB fan or a fan of sapphic romance or romcoms in general! (

I loved the Bright Falls series and this is the start of the Clover Lake series! There are some familiar names in this book from the other series so it’s in the same universe. I love a second chance romance but they had only met for a night in their teens one magical summer and always thought of each other. They both were able to escape their problems for a few hours.

In the present day Ramona was still in her hometown working at the diner and Dylan is a movie star now. Always love when the star comes back into town and has no idea who the hometown cutie is but is attracted anyways even though they don’t recognize them. There are some hurdles and misunderstandings they had to overcome. But life is hard in the public eye and in the workplace.
Very cute romance! Love this author!

After reading Dream On, Ramona Riley I can confirm it’s the perfect summer read! When I heard a small town, second chance, sapphic romance was coming out I just knew I needed to get my hands on it, and as soon as I picked this book up I couldn’t put it down.

Ramona is the epitome of a small town girl, working long shifts at the coffee shop and making costumes for local theatre productions. I loved exploring her relationship with feeling like she had to take on that caretaker role at such a young age and the complicated feelings of how family took her away from her dreams but she wouldn’t change it for the world. Dylan is a flawed but shining star with a tense relationship with her famous parents and a short temper. Seeing her acknowledge her privilege and grow from the “diva” the media saw her as, to a woman with a soft heart had me loving every second she was on the page.

The history between the two of them meeting back when they were kids and sharing their first kiss was so touching and sweet. The secret names, how it comes back to them in the current timeline, and the invisible thread bridging the two of them together after all these years is romantic and really gave the characters that spark. The third act breakup was the fault of both of the girls’ fear of hurting the other and a bit of miscommunication thrown in. It fit the story in a way that was a little frustrating but still predictable and the intimate scenes were rich and passionate with a raw queerness about them.

I have not read the Bright Falls series but I am familiar with Ashley Herring Blake’s works, so I loved to see a nod to Iris Kelly with the movie Dylan is starring in being an adaptation of a book she wrote. This was a quick and fun read with low angst that I would definitely recommend everyone pick up, especially this summer!

4.75/5 Stars

I really enjoyed the premise and beginning but wasn’t wowed by the execution in the end. It’s a good spring summer romance

I ate this one UP. Ashley Herring Blake is an auto-read author for me and while I didn't think she could top the Bright Falls trilogy, I truly think Dream On, Ramona Riley is my favorite yet!

I am not typically a fan of second-chance romance, so my love for this book is a testament to Herring Blake's execution! I love the film backdrop, I love Ramona as a character, and I love how real this book is about dreams deferred. I laughed, I teared up, I even kicked my feet (metaphorically of course). I recommend this book to any lover of sapphic romance!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this ARC!

Dream on, Ramona Riley was a fun, spicy and overall delightful sapphic rom com.

In a great way, this book felt like a Hallmark holiday movie (despite it not being a Holliday book) with just a bittttt more spice, hehe. Ramona and Dylan had such great chemistry and I felt like they each had a solid back story that was fleshed out just enough to really get a feel for where each of them was coming from. I loved this sweet romance!

When a new Ashley book is coming out my heart is just filled with joy ! I have loved and became a forever fan of hers since Delilah became an absolute top ten book for me - and this book was just so light hearted and filled with such happiness - seeing so much of myself in these characters and love the bi representation :) hearts all around

Thank you so much @prhaudio for the gifted alc & thank you to @berkleyromance for this gifted physical copy #BerkleyPartner

This was such a fun read for me filled with so many of my favorite tropes. There’s second chance, fake dating (insert little feet kicks), and based in a small town. The chemistry between Ramona and Dylan leaped right off the page. But I also loved how much growth both characters developed throughout the story.

I will now and forever read anything by AHB! It’s swoony, sexy, I found the characters to be realistic and lovable. Olive and April are my new best friends. This sassy queer lake world definitely did it for me. Do me a favor and pick this gem up today!

What’s your go to sapphic book recommendation?

xo

Thank you to PRH Audio and Netgalley for the advanced copies of this book!

I think, unfortunately, that AHB may not be the author for me. I really enjoyed Delilah Green but haven’t found another book that really worked for me from this author. I love how they write sapphic and queer women, I really appreciate having that in my books as a bisexual woman. I do not, however, love how she writes. There is something stilted about the dialogue that just doesn’t work.

This was my second Ashley Herring Blake story and I felt the same about it as I did for Merry and Bright. I love the sapphic love story as it explores deeper connection through slow burn. It might be considered a second-chance romance (which is my least favorite trope) but it felt like both protagonists were entirely different people when they met for the second time. I think the high-profile character's challenges on the small-town character's life were highlighted perfectly and really provided a good backdrop for the differences both characters had to overcome to choose their love. Overall I think I found the story underwhelming but still cozy and enjoyable!

I loved this book. It was cutesy and relatable and fun. I think each character was built so well! They were dynamic and I was rooting for all of them (even the side characters) in their own way. The story came together perfectly, it was a great queer read for the summer

I do wish that their actual relationship was explored more after all of the drama so we could see the cute romantic moments.