It's never too late to discover who you are--that's the message behind Tehlor Kay Mejia's latest. Cash Delgado has made a predictable life for herself in Ridley Falls, running Joyce's Bar, devoting herself to her six-year-old daughter, Parker, and hanging out with her best friend, Inez. Her busy schedule leaves her little time for herself, including dating or thinking about her dreams of expanding Joyce's.

When Joyce's Bar is threatened by a chain, Cash has to consider what she really wants. Especially when she starts having romantic dreams about Inez. Tehlor Kay Mejia creates a lovely and moving story about learning who you are and growing to be okay with that realization. As they do, they introduce us to Cash, who starts to question her sexuality after some racy dreams. Not only does Cash start to wonder about whom she loves, but she has to grapple with the idea that she's living life solely for Parker, instead of herself--and is that, in fact, the message she wants to send to her daughter?

Cash can be a bit frustrating at times, but I'll grant that she's going through a lot--single parenthood, identity issues, job stress. I did wish she would communicate more, especially with Iris. So many of the problems could have been worked through with a little more honesty. The story stutters a bit when Cash goes too much into self-actualization mode; it's far better when it focuses on action and the supporting cast. Inez, an out lesbian, is an excellent character, along with a cast of friends and family who live with her on her farm. It makes for a wonderful and diverse story.

Tehlor Kay Mejia does a strong job of building up longing and tension through Cash and Inez's friendship, using dreams and fantasies to create tension before any sort of romance ever happens. Inez and Cash's budding relationship takes place against the backdrop of Joyce's Bar, where they both work--a local institution the two must join together to save. This gives the story more depth and allows for the entrance of a variety of small town characters.

Overall this is a really cute romance with a diverse cast and an engaging plot.

I usually enjoy Tehlor Key Mejia's novels, but I struggled to engage with this one. Although I do get that rom-coms have certain expectations, such as readers knowing when a "meet cute" means something more or a friendship is about to become "more than friends," Cash Delgado Is Living the Dream felt too predictable and too easy to see what. was unfolding for Cash and Inez. I do hope the author writes another such book, but one that's queer and more complicated than this one.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

What a great book. Such a quick and easy read. I enjoyed this book. All of the characters are great. Also great story and awesome writing style.

I love a good book about small town communities and queer found families, and Cash Delgado Is Living The Dream really delivered on both of those fronts!

There’s not too much to say about the plot for this book that hasn’t already been said by the description. We follow Cash, a single mom who works at a bar she loves, but unfortunately does not own. When a former coworker (who Cash has also slept with in the past) stops by one day, Cash learns a big franchise is thinking of opening a bar in their small town, almost certainly spelling the doom of Cash’s bar unless she can figure out a way to make sure the rival bar doesn’t open a location.

Also? She’s having sex dreams about her best friend. But she’s totally straight… right?

I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! I probably shouldn’t have been, since I really enjoyed Tehlor Kay Mejia’s earlier companion novel, Sammy Espinoza’s Last Review, but Cash Delgado was not a book I expected to love as much as I did!

A big part of my enjoyment of this book was the community. Being set in a small town with a close community, it was easy to fall in love with the side characters and the way they interacted with each other! Being able to rely on the old men who come into the bar to argue about which musician did a cover of a song better or the Stitch And Bitch club meeting to do crafts together made this book feel cozy and sweet, and made Ridley Falls seem like the sort of place I would love to live!

But I also really enjoyed the queer found family in this book. Cash’s best friend she totally isn’t having sex dreams of, Inez, lives on a farm with a few other queer characters, and they’ve built their own mini community out there, helping out with whatever everyone else needs and piling their money together to pay for the house. Even though Cash is totally straight and not having sex dreams featuring another woman, this small community of LGBT people is there to help her out in any way they can, whether that’s helping Cash with her fashion choices, watching Cash’s daughter for a while, or helping Cash realize that society’s compulsory heterosexuality has made her think she can only have relationships with men (and not her best friend, who she is having sex dreams about).

If you’re in the mood for a small town community, queer found family, and a main character realizing she may not be straight and may, in fact, be in love with her best friend, I definitely recommend Cash Delgado Is Living The Dream!

As always, Tehlor Kay Mejia is a beautiful writer, tender and sexy and smart and just damn great. I loved Cash and this friends-to-lovers journey!

Delightful queer romance, with characters that do not fit into easy boxes. This will appeal to new adult readership.

Cash Delgado is living the dream and so am I. I love a gay awakening book and I will eat it up every single time!!! I enjoyed the pacing and wit of this book so much. Very fun!

Cash Delgado has found solace living in the small town of Ridley Falls. She’s created a life around her new chosen family and love’s managing Joyce’s Bar. With the help of her best friend, Inez, she has transformed Joyce’s into the town favorite while continuing to integrate into being apart of the town. However, former Joyce’s manager, Chase Stanton, walks back into town with the news of bringing in a fancy new bar and restaurant that would immediately effect Joyce’s. During this time, Cash starts having intimate dreams of Inez and tension starts building between the friends. Cash never saw herself being attracted to women, but these dreams are hitting too hard for her. As she tried to figure out what this means, she is also on a mission to save Joyce’s and the life she has created in Ridley Falls.

I love when a book isn’t necessarily in a series, but has small tie backs to another book. This book did just that, but brought those pieces in perfectly so if you had not read the other book, you would still understand the plot. I absolutely adored the characters and Cash’s daughter, Parker, stole the show. This was a wonderful book of self-discovery and while it’s a great read for anytime, certainly a prefect read for Pride month, too.

very cheesy and hallmark-y
Queer friends to lovers - I appreciated the diversity but the queer questioning seemed inauthentic
Kid was too cheesy/perfect

When I read Sammy Espinoza's Last Review, I really enjoyed the story, but I wasn't convinced by the romance. Luckily I did enjoy it enough to want to read the author's next adult romance, because I definitely enjoyed this one more! It's so much about figuring yourself out at a later age, and that always really resonates with me. I'm also a huge fan of friends to lovers, and I loved how Izzie was so supportive throughout Cash's process of figuring out she's actually a lesbian. Izzie was already an amazing friend, so I was convinced the romance would be amazing, but she also gave Cash so much room to figure things out on her own while being supportive in the background. I'm also not always a fan of kids in books, but who couldn't love Parker? It was so touching how she already considered Izzie to be family.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wonderful telling of coming out later in life, finding value in friendship, pursuing a dream, and building a found community.

I love getting to know Cash and her daughter and learning a bit about Cash’s life story and how she found herself overseeing a bar. I enjoyed the authenticity in Cash as she navigated being a consistent and supportive single parent to her daughter while also trying to build a better future for them. The community Cash created in finding her closest and longest friend Inez and the queer community Inez fosters at her farm, had my heart so warm.

This was a wonderful, heartwarming, and full of feeling story watching Cash as she frantically tries to pinpoint her growing feelings of longing towards her best friend amongst trying to save the bar she’s fully thrown herself into.


This is a great read for anyone looking for friends turned lovers, queer found family, later in life coming out, and so much more!
4 gooses
3 honkin’ peppers

Cash Delgado Is Living The Dream was a very cute and true best friends to lovers romance between adult best friends. Cash is a single mom and bar manager of pretty much the only bar in their small PNW town. The scenes primarily take place in the dive bar, including karaoke night. I loved the town ans that even though it was small, homophobia didnt play a large role in the plot. A secondary plot to the romance is Cash trying to save the bar from the big bad corporate chain moving into town (Empire Records anyone?).

Cash was a bit frustrating at points in how obviously she was denying her sexuality but as a late to come out as bi person I get it--heteronormativity is a bitch to unpack, especially if you are also attracted to the opposite gender. I'm not sure I always felt the budding tomance between Cash and Inez because Cash struggled to come to terms with her sexuality for so long. Perhaps it would have helped to be dual POV and show Inez's longterm pining for Cash.

Cash's daughter was adorable and Mejia did an excellent job capturing her voice. Some of my favorite scenes were those where she took the spotlight.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC.

I mean, what sexual awakening hasn’t including falling in love with their best friend, right?

While I sought out the audiobook on my own, many thanks to Dell and NetGalley for the complimentary copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Read if you 🩷:
• 🌈 Queer Awakening
• 👯‍♀️ Besties to Lovers
• 💙 Found Family
• 👧 Spunky Six Year Olds

Cash Delgado’s life in Ridley Falls is idyllic: managing Joyce’s Bar, raising her lively daughter, and enjoying karaoke nights with her best friend Inez. But when her ex, Chase, returns with business plans that could disrupt everything, and Cash starts having intimate dreams about Inez, her world turns upside down. Forced to confront her feelings and desires, Cash embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Will she risk everything for a love she never expected?

I’m so glad I listened to the audiobook of this novel, because I don’t think I would’ve made it through otherwise. While the plot was, at times, basic and predictable for me, I loved E A Castillo’s narration too much to stop listening. Their energetic and diverse voice acting shines in this audiobook, so much so that I still can’t believe this is their first one! I’m hoping they book more audiobooks soon, as Castillo’s ability to bring a novel to life is out of this world.

If you’re interested in reading Cash Delgado is Living The Dream, definitely consider reaching for the audiobook instead! You won’t regret it.

dnf’d this one. no one is more surprised than i, but i couldn’t get into it and from the description i fully expected a red, white, and royal blue 2.0 but something stopped me from fully immersing myself into this book. could totally be a me problem!

Cash Delgado Is Living the Dream by Tehlor Kay Mejia is a fun and engaging read. Set in the charming town of Ridley Falls, Cash's journey of self-discovery is both engaging and heartfelt. As she navigates her feelings for her best friend Inez and battles to save Joyce's Bar, her determination shines through. I loved following her story, especially with the adorable presence of her six-year-old daughter, Parker.

This books was very sweet if a little frustrating at times. It was a nice story of a later in life lesbian and I adored the interweaving her of already existing life with Cash’s sexuality, however I found her denial a little confounding at times

This is such a cute, cozy read that will have you rooting for small local businesses everywhere and of course for true love(: It's my first book by Tehlor Kay Mejia and the writing is fantastic, so I'll definitely be checking out their other titles!

Cash's daughter Parker steals the scene every time she's on the page and I LOVE it. She's adorable and reminds me of how wise kids can be because they have so much confidence and just say exactly what they think most of the time. And I love that she has a little bit of drama of her own with a classmate. Too cute. This book is definitely romantic but we see a lot more friendship between Cash and Inez since Cash spends the majority of the book trying to figure out how she feels/what she wants while Inez is just super supportive and seems to be okay waiting for Cash to decide. But I do love the spicy dreams Cash starts having about Inez and then not knowing if she should tell her about them since they are besties -- the tension/chemistry/awkwardness is great. They're clearly each other's person from the start so their romantic relationship feels inevitable. We get to see inside Cash's head as she goes from believing she's 100% heterosexual to realizing she actually is attracted to women and likely has been in love with her best friend for a long time. Discovering this part of her later in life is a journey for Cash and it's sweet to see how her friends/community support her especially after certain nasty comments. Overall, it's a great read and I definitely recommend to all the romance readers.

💙queer romance
💙single mom romance
💙best friends to lovers
💙saving a local business
💙small town romance
💙self-discovery
💙community
💙LGBTQIA+ characters

Thank you Random House | Dell for the digital ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Gosh, I loved this book. I loved the way Tehlor wrote so thoughtfully about Cash's journey to understanding her sexuality (just beginning and constantly evolving). Even more than I loved the sexual tension between Cash and her best friend Inez (and I loved it a lot!), I REALLY loved their friendship. Inez is always there for Cash and her daughter Parker. They are business partners. They want the best for each other no matter what. They band together to save their local bar when the corporate jerk Cash used to sleep with rolls back into town and threatens to open up a rival business (this part is very (You've Got Mail storyline). It's beautiful how to town comes together to save their local spot. There's also karaoke and a very funf arm with cute farm animals. What more could you want in a RomCom? And if you enjoyed Tehlor's previous novel, Sammy Espinoza (I did!), then you'll be glad to know Sammy plays a pretty pivotal role in this novel as well. I love being in the universe of these books, and can't wait to read more.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There is something about Mejia's writing that gets me everytime. I was lucky enough to read Sammy Espinoza's Last Review through NetGalley last year and was immediately hooked. The same can be 100% be said about this book. I think Cash's emotiosn and thoughts about this questioning time in her life is acurratley portrayed. Her relationship with her daughter, Parker, is well balanced and not ignored throughout the plot and she is a key to who Cash is. I love friends-to-lovers stories and this one was well developed and written. You get to see the strength and loyalty of Inez and Cash's friendship and how it feeds into their romantic relationship. This book is such a smooth read, everytime I picked it up I didn't want to put it down. I am so excited to see what Mejia does next and what they have planned for future meaningful books.

Cash Delgado lives in the small town of Ridley Falls managing Joyce’s Bar. She’s a single parent to her six year old daughter, Parker, and just trying to make ends meet. When she finds out a competing bar with big city backing is looking to open a location in Ridley Falls she is prepared to take it on. She can’t let the competition come to town because if it does she may just be out of a job. While Cash is dealing with this she is also struggling with her feelings for her best friend, Inez. Faced with a midlife journey of self discovery and a fight to save Joyce’s, Cash has her hands full but is determined to come out on top.

When I started this book I had no idea what to expect. I hadn’t read the description, but liked the cover. I was expecting a romance, but I didn’t know what kind and I didn’t know what else was in store for Cash. I was pleasantly surprised by this book and journey it took Cash on. I liked following along with her self discovery and enjoyed the way the relationship between Cash and Inez evolved. The characters were inviting and easy to get to know, but at times Cash’s obliviousness to how she was feeling got to me a bit. I do like what this book explored and really enjoyed the path Cash was on to save Joyce’s Bar. Overall this was a good romance read that was full of self discovery. I haven’t read a romance similar to this with the midlife self discovery angle, so it was a nice change of pace. If you are looking for a sweet romance centered around self discovery and a later in life coming out, sprinkled with some steamy scenes, this book is a good choice.