The Bright Falls series is my favorite queer romance series so I was so excited when this book was first announced. I loved this one just as much. The small Easter eggs to the Bright Falls books were great. Ramona and Dylan are both so sweet. Their story really drew me in and made me love them both immediately. I can't wait for more books in this series.

Small town waitress x celebrity who have both kissed each other many summers ago are reunited and find themselves giving into their feelings for one another... but with so many lies, pr stunts, and drama.... can their relationship last? Ramona Riley is a small town waitress who dreams about making it as a Hollywood costume designer and one summer twelve years ago she kissed her dream girl... and said girl turned out to be famous actress Dylan Monroe who is now steeped in hollywood scandal and drama. Dylan is a chaotic nepo baby who's relationships have constantly made the front pages and after her latest relationship fall out she's not getting as many jobs. Yet when her manager gets her a job on a movie about a small town, she's excited for this fresh start... but what she doesn't expect is to meet the girl she kissed all those summers ago... or for her manager to tell her to date said girl to clean up her image. Dylan doesn't tell Ramona... and when the truth gets out will their relationship? This was a small town romance and it was just fine for me. It wasn't blowing me away, and as a small town romance lover it was just fine. I do love the town setting but the relationship was just okay to me because their big miscommunications and lies... that could have been so easily fixed. I just wasn't feeling it as much compared to some of Ashley's other books but I'm sure that others will have fun reading this.

Release Date: May 13, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

"For the second time in her life, eighteen years apart, she had a crush on Ramona Riley." 💕

This was such a cute story! Ramona and Dylan met at 13 years old and were each other's first kiss. Now Dylan is back in the small town Ramona lives in for a movie role. This time, they are grown and Dylan is known as the "bad girl" actress while Ramona has been putting her dreams off to the side for her family.

Pick this up if you are looking for:
-Small town
-Second chance
-Celebrity x small town girl
-Bi4Bi Sapphic romance

I loved seeing how Dylan was navigating who she wanted to be and how open she was about going to therapy. Dylan and Ramona complimented each other sooo well imo. I loved them together and I want a bonus epilogue please. 😩

Thank you @berkleypub @netgalley for the eARC 🫶🏼

4 stars, thank you so much to Berkley for my gifted e-galley! On a summer night after her mother has left the family, Ramona Riley meets a girl on the beach, and in lieu of exchanging actual names she finds herself using a nickname and sharing her first kiss. Unbeknownst to her, she has shared said kiss with Dylan, a very well reknowned actress who is hitting a publicity snafu. She is being deemed as a problem child and one who cannot stay away from heartbreak, so when she's cast in a movie that takes place where Ramona dwells, the two are reunited once again. After being caught by paparazzi, Ramona agrees to a few dates, unknowingly being a part of a dating ploy that would raise Dylan's status. I loved the back stories, how intricate the family dynamics were, and how the conflicts were so well thought out.

This book is everything I love about sapphic romance and then some. It follows a celebrity and a normie as they are reunited when a sapphic movie comes to the small town for filming, after sharing an unforgettable kiss 18 years ago. That one moment lived rent-free in both their minds and now, fate throws them back together for some small town and fake dating shenanigans.

Chemistry is explosive. The steam is turned all the way up in this one, but never at the expense of the emotional depth. Both FMC's are beautifully messy, complex and bi as hell. The story is full of queer joy galore, mutual support and that delicious opposites attract energy.

The writing is astounding as it always is with AHB. It balances fun, flirty moments with heartfelt emotional beats. It's sexy and swoony, yes, but also deeply affirming about love, identity and second chances. This is a perfect read for anyone who loves sapphic stories that go hard on both heart and heat.

I’m in love with this second chance, fake dating, movie star/small town girl, spicy, kinky, FF romance!!!! Ramona and Dylan’s journey was so sweet and spicy. And can we talk about how there isn’t enough FF smut with degradation 🥵🥵🥵 I was reaching for ice water SEVERAL TIMES!

4.5 ⭐️// 3 🌶️

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I love AHB Bright Falls series, so I was super excited to read her new Clover Lake series!

This story is a sapphic, sort of second chance, celebrity romance. Ramona and Dylan shared their first kiss when Dylan visited the small New Hampshire town where Ramona lives as a 13 year old. They had one fun and free night as teens, but never exchanged names. Now, Dylan is back in town for a movie shoot and Ramona instantly recognizes her.

Both women are on a bit of a journey to find themselves. Ramona had dreams of being a costume designer, but had to put these on hold in order to help her single dad take care of her younger sister. Now her sister is going to college and this movie presents an opportunity with having one of her designer idols in town. Dylan is notorious in Hollywood for being the wild child of two musicians. After a very public breakup, she is trying to make a new name for herself and her reputation with this movie. I really enjoyed watching their growth and recognizing what they each needed to do to achieve these dreams.

These two had a lot of chemistry as well! I enjoyed most of their scenes together and the spice was so good as always! AHB is always good at writing an easy-to-read story that has some spice, drama, and heart, so this one fit in well!

I do have to say, while I did enjoy it overall, the drama in the book is due to lack of communication that I saw coming from a mile away. It is the kind that could have easily been avoided with a conversation, so I didn't love that, but it is more of a personal preference with tropes in books. The resolution of the drama was sweet, so I'll give it that.

I was already trying to figure out who will be the FMCs in the rest of the series. For sure we will see an April book! I even am thinking maybe Penny??

Thank you Berkley and PRH Audio for the advance copies of the book!

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

She is beauty, she is grace and she is one of my new favourite fluffy sapphic reads 💅🏻

Dream On, Ramona Riley was my exact brand of nostalgic, small town romance. I didn’t love the messiness at the start of Dylan and Ramona’s relationship, but their chemistry in the second half more than made up for it. Overall, I had a great time reading this book and would strongly recommend adding it to your TBR. Ashley Herring Blake never misses.

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅
♡ Bisexual couple
♡ Small town romance
♡ Opposites attract
♡ 90s nostalgia

Thank you to Berkley Romance for the early review copy 🫶🏻

DREAM ON, RAMONA RILEY is a swoony romance set in a small New Hampshire town. Ramona Riley had put her dreams of being a costume designer on hold to help raise her little sister. When a big-budget rom-com comes to Clover Lake to film, Ramona wonders if this could be her chance to finally follow her dreams.

Enter Dylan Monroe, the person Ramona shared her first kiss with years ago. Dylan is starring in the movie and hoping to repair her reputation as being Hollywood’s favorite wild child. Dylan convinces Ramona to take her around town to do normal people things.

Spending time together and uncovering their past only reignites their spark 💜

I am a sucker for small town romance. I adored Clover Lake and its residents. The excitement of filming a movie in town, the dynamic between the co-stars who don’t like each other, the friendships… I was here for it all.

Sprinkle in a little bit of second chance (my fav trope) with two characters who had their first kiss together… 🤩

Ramona’s relationship with her little sister was precious. They were so open with each other and had such a special bond.

🌈 everyone’s queer
💜 small town romance
🌈 complicated family dynamics
🩷 fake dating
🌈 celebrity x normie

I loved Ramona’s friendship with April. I cannot wait to get April’s love story in the next book 🙌

I absolutely loved Dream on Ramona Riley. This is my second AHB book and so far my favorite of the ones I’ve read. I really enjoyed both Ramona and Dylan as well as all the background characters. I thought it wove a beautiful love story while still dealing with more complex relationships too.

For the most part, I really enjoyed the plot of this book. Both main characters kind of hit a turning point in their life where they both are wanting a second chance at a career they love. Ramona put her life on pause to make sure her family was taken care of after her dad’s injury, and Dylan finally got the opportunity to prove herself as an actress in a genre that she had wanted to be in for years. I loved watching them navigate their insecurities and fears while also recognizing that they are talented and know what they are doing.

Personally, I found Dylan’s story to be really heartbreaking in a way that I don’t usually see because it showcased her life and her struggled while also being famous. It really just made me think about how awkward people look when they are just filming people randomly. It felt so uncomfortable being in Dylan’s point of view and constantly having that recognition of I’m in public, someone is filming me. I haven’t gotten that in other books that I’ve read where one of the characters is famous and I really felt like it added a lot of depth. Her complicated relationship with her parents was also something that I liked reading about. I always enjoy reading that type of plot specifically so I wish we got to see a little bit more of that, but no matter I thought it was handled well. Ramona also had that complex relationship with her family as she helped raised her sister after their mother abandoned them and their father got injured. Her and Olive’s dynamic was really sweet and I enjoyed seeing their growth throughout this. I could say more, but the gist is that I really enjoyed these plot points and thought it added so much to the story that made me enjoy it so much more.

The one plot point I didn’t love as much, was probably the throwback to their childhood. I didn’t mind it most of the time and thought it was cute for the most part, but I will say the cringey nicknames that stuck throughout the book as a result of their time together as 13 year olds was something I could have lived without.

I enjoyed these characters and their growth so much that I didn’t even mind the third act breakup that much. Personally I felt that everything that led up to it was more natural miscommunications due to insecurity which feels more realistic. Overall this book was beautiful. I felt like the characters had a lot of depth, and while I wish some things were addressed more later on, I think majority of things were addressed well and there was a lot of growth throughout this story.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley for an earc. All opinions are my own.

*Thank you to the publisher, Berkley for providing ARC via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own *


Heartwarming. A story that you won’t be able to put down.

This is the book where I'm not sure where to start. There were so many things I loved about this book. Dream On, Ramona Riley is the type of story that I like about romance books, and it wasn't just a romance book, but it was so much more. Dream On, Ramona Riley is a story of friendship, second chances, and dreams. I love second chance romance, especially given Ramona and Dylan's history. Even before Dylan learned who Ramona was, he could tell there was something special between them. I felt like the relationship moved a little too quickly. There were moments when I questioned Dylan's feelings for Ramona. There was something about it that initially made me hesitant. However, as the book proceeded, I saw how much Dylan cared about Ramona, but I was also concerned about what would happen once the movie finished.

I've read Ashley Herring Blake's young adult novels: Suffer Love & How To Make A Wish , but it's been years, but I recall loving those two books. Dream On, Ramona Riley was my first adult novel, and now that I've read it, I'm eager to read more of her books. I enjoyed how much character development occurred in the novel, particularly with Ramona, and how Dylan and Ramona's relationship developed, although I wish they were not hiding things from each other. I only hoped that if those secrets were exposed, the two of them could work things out. Those two belonged together. Of course, I enjoyed that it was set in a small town, which is my favorite part of romance novels.

I enjoyed how well-developed each of the minor characters were, particularly April. Aside from Ramona and Dylan, she was one of my favorite characters in the novel. I adored how April was always there for Ramona, no matter what, cheering her on and offering advice. I'm excited to read April's story in the next book in the series. I'm so glad I got the chance to read this book, and I suggest it to any romance fan!

thank you to Berkley & NetGalley for the ARC!

… sighhhh :( I was really excited for this one but it just fell flat for me unfortunately. I liked the concept and a lot of the tropes so I thought I’d love it but I just found myself bored and not invested.

tropes that I loved:
- queer love
- bisexual rep
- grumpy x sunshine
- hollywood star x small town waitress
- stars hollow-esque small town
- second chance (they were each others first kiss)

i did love the setting of this one. the town was so charming and the dynamics reminded me of Stars Hollow! I liked Ramona and Olive.

things I didn’t like:
- April’s nickname being ‘Apes’
- “bff” and “fuckboi” being used in narration voice (not dialogue or texts)
- excessive use of “c*nt” during sex scenes
- the miscommunication!!! it felt like their whole relationship was built on deceit from both sides :(

very grateful for the ARC and loved the representation

This was another great romance from Ashley Herring Blake! I'm looking forward to more in this new companion series. I enjoyed the characters' past history and their present.

A beautiful small town, dual POV, opposites attract, second chance summer romance between two queer FMCs who are reunited when a movie film comes to Ramona's town bringing the actress she had a memorable summer with as a young tween. There's great found family/queer female friendship rep, messy family drama and fun Bright Falls Easter eggs (ie a cameo by Iris Kelley, the romance author whose book is being turned into a film). It was also good on audio narrated by Gail Shalan and perfect for fans of Alexandria Bellefleur and books like Holly jolly July by Lindsay Maple. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

What could be better than a rebellious Hollywood starlet and a small town girl with big dreams falling in love?

Thank you to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for the EARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adore Ashley Herring Blake’s writing and storytelling, so I shouldn’t have been surprised that I fell head over heels for Ramona and Dylan and their love story. Not only was their romance beautiful but it was also the way they both grew and became better versions of themselves which lead them to each other.

First off I love having two bisexual women as our main characters and that was a reason I was super excited about this book. I love seeing this representation especially in sapphic books. Really I loved all the queer rep we got from our amazing side characters as well, and it’s always one of my favorite parts of reading Blake’s books.

I also loved the our main characters and how far they come with their own struggles in the book. Especially Dylan, watching her go from the bad girl of Hollywood to someone who acknowledges the pain of her past and strives to be the person she always wanted to be was incredible. It was so important to see the impacts of being not only a person in Hollywood, but how being a child in the spotlight can lead someone down a path they never wanted. But watching her heal with the help of Ramona and striving to be the person she wants to be was absolutely magical. It was a great reminder of letting others in can allow ourselves to reach out for the help we need.

Then of course there was Ramona, who left her dreams behind to care for her loved ones. But now as they are beginning new chapters of her life she has to learn how to chase after those forgotten dreams. And watching her excel when she does get the chance to shine even when she had doubt was inspiring. Of course watching her also find a new dream with Ramona was pretty great.

And of course I have to talk about the fact their romance started years ago when they were each other’s first kiss. I truly felt all the butterflies in how romantic this was. Every moment of their relationship had me giggling and swooning as I watched them find home in each other. Even when I was waiting for the shoe to drop due to some miscommunications (luckily we already knew how the perfect apology would play out).

The book is definitely the feeling of a Hallmark movie but with Queer rep and some spice…which made it so addictive and fun.

So … I enjoyed this but it’s also probably my least favorite Ashley Herring Blake book of those I’ve read. It’s cute, it’s spicy, it’s queer which are all lovely things!

Most of the plot is based around lies that would have been very easy to just be honest about, so it just felt unnecessary and I was waiting for the other shoe to drop the whole time. I’m also not the hugest fan of celebrity romance, so that’s my bad for reading it when it’s clearly described in the blurb.

Overall, I don’t know. If you’re looking for spicy, queer, small town romance and lying celebrities don’t bother you, then definitely check it out!

A beautiful life-affirming story for anyone who has ever had to take a different path to their dreams- or believed they were stepping away from them entirely. I loved Ramona. It felt like I was reading a version of myself in a different life, good and bad, and April Evans… wow that was my best friend if I’ve ever read one. I’m very excited for her story next!
Dylan was incredibly well written and her struggles with fame and her family were surprisingly relatable, as someone with absolutely no direct experience.
As always, the spice and the love story DELIVERED and I am so happy that this new chapter of stories has begun in Clover Lake!

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.25⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: contemporary romance 📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
A sweet and heartfelt romance with humor, spice and emotional depth mixed in

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Age gap
Emotional depth
Divorced dad
Forced proximity
Whimsical resort setting
Found family
Opposites attract
Hallmark movie vibes
Cozy reads

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
ADHD rep
Plus size male rep

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
The conflict resolution was tied up a little too fast
The characters could have been a little more developed

3.5⭐️

Overall this way a cute story. I really liked the chemistry between Dylan and Ramona. While I did mostly enjoy the book it was just a little too slow for my taste.

thank you to netgalley and berkley publishing group for the eARC!

this book was very cute, i really enjoyed reading it! it’s been a hot minute since i’ve read a queer romance novel, so this was a nice return to form on that front. i was very excited about this one, because i liked herring blake’s bright falls trilogy so much, and she definitely did not let me down.

ramona and dylan are adorable. they contrasted each other perfectly—small town vs city, loving family vs difficult family dynamic—which made it fun to read; it wasn’t a one note story, and the contrast made it more complex and intriguing. their relationship is a super cute premise and a fun take on the “first love” trope. i will say, i am quite glad that herring blake didn’t treat their relationship like they already knew a lot about each other, because watching them reconcile getting to know one another with the night they had been thinking about for years was necessary for their arc.

the side characters were great. herring blake knows how to write side characters, especially ones who deserve a book of their own (i.e. are interesting in their own right and not just getting a book because it’s a series). i can’t wait to read april’s story!

the plot had me stressing a little, because i thought i knew where it was going and i was not happy about it. however, i was only kind of right. i’m really not a fan of the “people tell me to fake date them but then it becomes real and then they find out and are upset” trope. it’s usually just a whole bunch of miscommunication, which to me can feel a little basic/easy as a main conflict, but because dylan was never really “fake” dating ramona i think it’s fine. i did see it coming though.

the setting is great, and good news cause we’ll be here for a bit. clover lake is the quintessential small town (read: the perfect place for a romance novel). all the townspeople we met and the places we explored were so cutesy and delightful to read about. loved it.

all in all, wonderful book. super fun and will be a perfect summer read, so i can’t wait to start recommending it!