I'm the minority here, but I just did not like Delilah at all. I DNFed by about chapter seven. I so wanted to love this!

I loved this. It felt like the perfect romance title--the balance of sweetness, sexiness, and plot was spot on. I can't wait for more titles set in this universe. :-)

A delightful romp! If you love the opposites attract trope, you will love this book! I am recommending it to all of my romance readers.

I have been recommending this book all over! I loved the enemies to lover angle and really appreciated the bisexual representation.

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Delilah Green Doesn't Care is just what I needed - a funny and steamy novel, with the perfect amount of depth. With the sunshine/grumpy trope, and LGBTQ+ representation, this made for an entertaining swoon-worthy romcom.

I really liked the contrast between Delilah and Claire as characters. I also loved the family issues throughout the story, and how healthy the growth of the characters were. There was a lot of hype surrounding this book, and I understand why.

Overall, it was a great read!

Thanks so much to Berkley for this gifted copy!

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care was one of my most anticipated releases this year. I mean, just look at this cover! This one got SO MUCH HYPE and I was a little bit nervous when I finally sat down to read it, but it earned every enthusiastic review it’s received. This is one of the best rom coms I’ve read and certainly my favorite sapphic rom com!

I know it was marketed as being funny and steamy—and it is those things for sure—but it’s also so much more than that. I think I equally fell in love with, and wanted to be, both Delilah and Claire. Delilah with her tough, nothing can touch me exterior and soft, mushy interior and Claire who grew up fast and is doing her very best to co parent her daughter while running a business. They were each written in such a raw, vulnerable way that you cannot help but to relate to them and feel their pain and frustrations. There was some truly great snark and banter in this one and I laughed out loud so many times I lost count. The steamy scenes were A++ too, which we all know I’m always here for.

I loved Claire’s 11 year old daughter Ruby, and the very real struggles Claire has parenting her as Ruby matures and their relationship evolves. I read all the parts where Ruby is with Claire’s ex with my heart in my throat because I cannot imagine having to trust my own children with someone I have lost faith in. That is a reality for so many families and this was written with a lot of care as they learned to navigate co parenting together. I also enjoyed the dynamic between Delilah and Ruby and how quickly Delilah was able to find a way to relate to her.

Delilah’s struggles with her own family are also at the center of this book. Our memories are fallible things and so much of Delilah and Astrid’s issues were based on hurt feelings and miscommunication from past events that played out differently than they remember. This was such a great aspect of the story and I look forward to seeing more of their relationship develop in the next book.

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care, is out now and I highly recommend if you’re looking for a sweet, steamy, swoony romance with lots of great family dynamics, healthy growth and healing from childhood pain, and a truly enviable found family. I am so excited to read Astrid’s book next!

I could not finish this book. I read probably 20% of it and had to stop. Delilah was so unlikable that I couldn't wait to see if she got a redemption arc -- which I'm sure she did. But the way she treats people just put me off so much. I couldn't stomach it.

As a lesbian, I really wanted to like this and have more lesbian representation among my reads. But Delilah not even remembering her one-night-stand's name in the first chapter raised so many red flags right away. That's not cute. And there's no coming back from that for me. And then the way she treated her step sister was also hard to read. Delilah, despite her past traumas, has no excuse to treat people that way.

I will probably give this book another chance at some point when I'm done feeling salty about it.

I didn't really connect with this book, but I think I'm in the minority. It was just one of those "meh" reads for me and much like Delilah Green Doesn't Care, neither did I.

I am a fan of Ashley's middle grade so I'm so happy she is now writing adult romance! This was steamy and wonderful. I absolutely loved Delilah as a character and how she grew to see her own flaws and shortcomings. The sex scenes in this were really good. I am so excited to see more sapphic adult contemporary romances on the shelves!

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care possesses all the things that make a story a wonderful read. Its opening scene and unique writing style hooks readers right from page one. Its well-layered, engaging storytelling keeps them quickly turning pages till the very end. Ashley Herring Blake makes quite an impression with her new book, and I can’t wait to see what happens in her next one, Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail, which is planned for a November release.

The beginning of this fabulous narrative is shrewdly crafted. The opening scene finds Delilah lying naked next to a woman after a nice around of late-night casual sex with a woman who’d bought one of Delilah’s gallery photographs. While starting up at the ceiling trying to remember the woman’s name, Delilah’s thoughts are interrupted by a phone call from her sister Astrid, or “Ass-trid” as Delilah mutters under her breath. The conversation is filled with passive-aggressive tension and revolves around the details of Astrid’s upcoming wedding. Astrid demands that Delilah be there on time to photograph the wedding, a wedding Delilah clearly doesn’t want to return to her hometown for. Readers’ interest is immediately peaked with this very intriguing scene. They want to know more about Delilah and about her hesitancy to return to Bright Falls, Oregon. Mostly though, they want to know why she’s attending her sister’s wedding as the paid photographer and not as her sister’s bride’s maid.

The story itself is a romance, one that centers on Delilah and Claire, Astrid’s best friend, but there is an undercurrent of family drama threaded throughout. This sub-plot feeds the romance beautifully, making the storytelling more dynamically compelling. Furthermore, it deepens the main plot and fuels the dramatic tension. Bottom line, readers are as engaged in the sideshow of Delilah’s family drama as they are in Delilah and Claire’s romance, making this story a full-package deal.

Center stage to it all though is Delilah and Claire’s romance. It’s charming, yet heartfelt; Blake has given it some meat. The two women deal with some serious matters, some baggage from both their pasts. This dynamic provides the story with dimension and texture—a romance that doesn’t feel flat. Blake uses their backstories to keep things interesting and real. Ultimately it fuels the tension and makes readers wonder about their “will they/won’t they.” However, readers know they will. The chemistry is too hot for it not to happen.

The characters in this small-town romance are interesting, relatable, and engaging. Blake does a nice job of crafting them; they liven up the story ten-fold. Though Delilah is the protagonist in this tale, it takes an ensemble to carry the story arc to the finish line. Readers enjoy their diverse personalities immensely. They’re all well-developed and serve the story well. They have their own unique voice, with their own unique flaws, and they all work together perfectly to drive the plot forward and elevate the storytelling.

Final remarks…

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care is a great read. Told with gentle humor and quite emotion, this engaging story is both heartwarming and charming. It takes readers on a lovely journey of discovery, understanding, healing and romance. The ride is filled with great characters, sharply penned dialogue, and strong dramatic storytelling. This is a perfect book for romance lovers and should not be missed.

Strengths…

Well-written
Dynamic characters
Engaging romance
Compelling sub-plot
immersive setting
Appealing writing style

I love everything about this book.

I love its RomCom antics, I love it's central queer romance, I love it's lovingly uncomplicated portrayal of bisexuality, I love its opposites-attract dynamic, I love its sisterly reconnection subplot, and most of all I love that it is a wonderfully compelling contemporary romance that makes its queer heroines just as three-dimensional and fleshed-out as any straight leads ever are.

Here's the thing: there's a trap in some parts of the romance genre that is mostly the result of societal bullshit, in which the heroine is under-written and the only thing that saves the narrative is that at least the hero is three-dimensional. That effects f/f romances in exactly the way you'd expect: sometimes BOTH women are under-written, and then the whole thing falls flat. Recently, there has been this GLORIOUS uptick in f/f romances that DON'T fall into that trap: from authors like Alexandra Bellefleur, and Casey McQuistin, and now Ashley Herring Blake. I love it. As a queer romance reader (and bookseller!) this is the best thing that could ever happen.

Anyway, I pre-ordered a copy of this for myself, and then immediately gave it to my best friend. Now I'm going to buy another one. Probably to immediately hand to somebody, insisting they read it. I regret nothing!

I think this was a fun sapphic romance. It had a bit everything. Family issues, chaotic friendships, ex problems, romance.

It had it funny moments but it also had its serous moments. Talked about family and taking a chance on romance.

I do wish we could have gotten more of every situation but there was so much going on. I think I enjoyed Delilah fixing her relationship with her sister a tad but more than the romance. I adored Delilah’s friendship with Claire’s daughter. Overall, I think it was a still a solid romance.

I was so excited to read this because I love AHB’s middle grade books and I was super intrigued to see what she would do with an adult novel and it definitely lived up to all my expectations!! I loved how distinct all the characters were and how much the progression of the story relied on their development rather than unnecessary drama randomly inserted here and there. It was such a nice read, the sort of book that just makes you feel happy when you’re finished. I can’t wait to see what she does with Astrid’s character in the next book!

I enjoyed reading this but ultimately feel lukewarm about the romance. I really liked Delilah’s character. I thought she was dark without being a caricature, cynical without being jaded – she straddled a lot of lines making her complex, interesting and 3D. I also enjoyed Claire who was a bit less thoroughly developed but a more likable character. I understood Delilah’s draw to Claire but not vice versa. So I had a hard time believing the chemistry between the women though those scenes were well written. The side characters were great. I hope Iris gets her own book. Josh was difficult but realistic. Same with Astrid and her mother. I liked that we learn about Astrid and she isn’t just written off. There are two (or more) sides to every story and I liked that the author played with that here.

Short Summary: When her stepsister offers her an exorbitant amount to photograph her wedding, Delilah has no choice but to return to Bright Falls, the site of her sad and lonely childhood. Running into Claire isn’t a surprise since she’s best friends with the bride, but Delilah’s feelings for her are. Claire has grown up. She has a pre-teen daughter and flaky ex-husband, and she also can’t take her eyes off Delilah. Will these two women overcome their trust issues for a shot at happiness?

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, Iris thoroughly irritated me at the beginning but thankfully the romance between Delilah and Claire was enough to keep me going and I was hooked. Adding this to my list of fave sapphic romances. 10/10 would recommend.

Delilah Green cares a lot and she’s making it everyone’s problem. I love her. I love how bitter she is, I love how lonely she is, I love how she fights falling in love every step of the way.

I can’t say I love Claire but she’s cute.

I had absolutely no idea how she was going to make me like Astrid enough to care about the next book, but the journal entries did it. Excellent touch. Did so much for both Delilah and Astrid’s characters.

I did take points off for the assertion that being a white lesbian who takes angsty feminist pictures is “niche ” but whatever.

Delilah Green Doesn't Care is a sweet, witty and funny sapphic romance that left me wanting for more of these characters.

Even though this story is of Delilah and Claire, I couldn't help but fall in love with the side characters and I'm so excited to see Astrid is getting her own book as well, All in all, these characters are so well-developed and strong and really bring a lot of depth to his romantic comedy with a lot of heart. I loved Delilah and Claire's connection and the chemistry is just palpable.

So glad to have randomly to clicked on this ARC request! Thanks to Netgalley for my eARC.

4.25 Stars

CWs: some explorations of parental death, childhood trauma, abandonment, parental neglect; depression, and grief; mention of a past partner's infidelity; mention of cancer; brief reference to blood; and some explicit sexual content.

Let me start by saying that I have loved pretty much everything I've read by Ashley Herring Blake. Her sapphic middle grade books, especially, hold a very special place in my heart, and when this book was first announced I knew I would probably love it too. And I absolutely did!

Delilah Green Doesn't Care succeeds as a romance, for me, because it presents a deeply complex cast of characters who are grappling with so much more *beyond* just romance. While this story is not at all a second chance romance (well, maybe a little bit) I personally believe that it's absolutely about second chance friendship and sisterhood, which is such a worthwhile dynamic I didn't even know I needed in my life.

As a child, Delilah lost her father, and her step-family didn't give her the proper space to grieve that loss in the way that she truly needed, which has left some very deep scars on all of them. That emotional disconnect is what ultimately drove Delilah away from her family and her hometown in the first place, because she felt that she wasn't truly understood or even wanted there. Most notoriously, her step-sister, Astrid, made Delilah feel alienated simply because her grief was "inconvenient" and didn't manifest in ways that were easy to understand.

There's a sense of catharsis to the story, because Delilah is returning to this site of trauma, essentially, but she is not the same person as she was when she left. As an adult, she is much more confident in herself as a badass queer woman and artist. She has done a lot of work to recover her own voice and point of view, and she is not about to be silenced again by anyone for any reason.

This is a chance for her to have those difficult, messy conversations with Astrid about how they could have treated each other better as kids, and it's also a chance for her to prove to Astrid's friends that she's not the "weird," "creepy" kid they made her out to be. Through a bit of forced proximity and some really zany wedding sabotage shenanigans (which are much more entertaining than you would think) Delilah finds herself getting closer and closer with these people she used to be at odds with, and she's unknowingly making those genuine connections as they all conspire together. Ultimately, the story shows her getting that feeling of being wanted and included in a way that she never got to experience as a child.

To see Delilah come back to Bright Falls to confront her family and her past grief is incredibly satisfying, and I think having that journey underlying the main romance makes the focal relationship between Delilah and Claire that much more rewarding to read about. The romance itself was incredibly delightful. I appreciate how Claire is also on her own journey of working through her trust issues, finding ways to successfully co-parent (and co-exist) with her ex, and reminding herself that she is both a parent *and* someone who is desirable and worthy of love.

What kept this from being a five-star book (for me) is that I found myself myself wanting even more of a reckoning with Delilah's family. Astrid is incredibly avoidant when it comes to addressing the emotional void between her and Delilah, and while that that tension between them eventually goes reach a breaking point, I wanted to see even more from their reconciliation. Delilah's step-mom was also a major factor when it came to Delilah's childhood trauma, and I didn't see that relationship being as directly addressed as the relationship between step-sisters. Granted, maybe that's to come in future installments, but I think that would've only added to Delilah's "full circle" storyline.

So in the end, this story is about making amends, reconnecting with your home and your family, and finding love—all things I very much enjoy and appreciate! Overall this story is funny, it’s entertaining, it’s sexy, but it also balances those journeys of healing and reconciliation in really memorable and meaningful ways. I am so excited to see where this series goes next with Astrid's story, and I can't wait to read it!

- I heard about this SO MUCH so often
- It’s a romcom and it’s not realistic but that’s whatever
- It’s sapphic as heck
- Grumpy/sunshine
- Hijinks!
- You know I love a found family!
- Delilah’s hot
- Dual POV
- These characters are kind of flat but it’s a sapphic rom-com so it’s not like. A big deal?

Four stars.

3.5 - 4 stars

Steamy, sweet, sexy, and sapphic, I totally get why people love this book so much. It was a bit predictable, but I don’t mind that in a rom com. It was A LOT of fun though, which I loved, I will be up front that I had a great time reading this book, and honesty, it is still always new and exciting to me when I see Sapphic representation, when I feel like growing up we had so little. Despite all the more… constructive… feedback I will provide below, this book was a blast!

I have to say that I liked this book a lot, but it was almost in spite of the characters. I don’t think i’m going to be able to articulate exactly what I mean here - but it felt like every single character was one-dimensional, and not well drawn out. Like, I knew what we were “supposed” to think of them (we’re supposed to find Iris hilarious and fun and charming, despite the fact that she has no personality except to say snarky things) - but we get very little depth or nuance, until we are spoon fed a big ✨emotional✨ reveal, that i think was supposed to make us understand them more, but it felt a little too expository - like a little too much telling, and not enough showing. I actually assumed this was a debut book until I read the author’s note and acknowledgements!

Overall this wasn’t distracting from the book, and it wasn’t badly written, I just couldn’t shake the feeling that none of the characters ever really develop - and honestly, the relationship doesn’t either. It goes from sparks to love very quickly, and it was a bit surprising how quickly and deeply they fell in love, despite them barely talking or getting to know or spend time with each other.

I also didn’t love how some of the conflict felt “forced” (e.g. the scene with the “reveal” of the bet, and the entire “bet” subplot felt so forced, and out of character, and only there to generate conflict and a third act breakup.