To be honest I did not like this book as much as I thought I would. The author's previous novel "Sammy Espinoza's Last Review" is one of my favorites. Because of this my expectations were through the roof but this fell extremely flat. The main problem I had with this novel was that I was unable to sense any chemistry between Cash and Inez. It felt like a fragmented tale and there was nothing that gave me the impression that they were connected in any way. I also did not think that there would be a "lets save this establishment" plot line and it was very annoying and too formulaic for my liking. All in all this was disappointing.

This book felt like a warm hug. It reminded me why I love queer stories and how reassuring it can be to read about someone who finds themselves again and learns to love in a new way.

Cash is such an idiot and I love her. Watching her google, "is it normal to have sex dreams about your best friend was so funny". She was so clearly in love with Inez and had no idea. They were really cute and I need a bonus chapter of them finally being together.

I received an arc through netgalley.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I enjoyed this slow burn book. This was a cute, easy read. This was a very sweet later-in-life coming out story. I enjoyed this book so much.

"Cash Delgado Is Living the Dream" really resonated with me on a personal level. I enjoyed how the novel dives deep into Cash's life in Ridley Falls, capturing the warmth of her relationships and the vibrant community she’s a part of. The depiction of her bar and the lively Karaoke Thursdays felt authentic and brought a lot of charm to the story.

Cash’s journey of self-discovery, especially with the return of Chase and her unexpected dreams about Inez, adds an intriguing layer of complexity to her character. I liked how the book explores the challenge of stepping out of one's comfort zone and the courage it takes to embrace change and love in unexpected forms. Overall, it's a heartfelt and engaging read that beautifully captures the messiness of life and relationships.

Tehlor Kay Mejia is becoming one of my favorite queer authors. They write characters that have depth to them and that I, as a reader, can't help but connect to. Cash Delgado is Living the Dream fits into that category. I loved watching Cash slowly start to realize that she was queer and that she had feelings for her best friend, Inez. She also had the most adorable daughter and an amazing community that closed ranks when a new bar came into town and threatened to close down the bar she worked at. I am eagerly awaiting her next book.

Right off the bar, the willful obliviousness of the main character turned me off. I'm usually a big fan of late queer bloomer stories, but this one, honestly, felt entirely too contrived about a cast of rather uninteresting people.

loved this romance and her mom wants her to date this guy she has these amazing friends who are all dealing with different relationship issues . loved that she found her way in the job and found love

Lovely, lovely , lovely. Tehlor Kay Mejia really knows how to write about community and identity that always feels fresh.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dell and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

I really adored the first book in this "series" so I eagerly picked up the second book. I liked the premise, I think the idea of the romance was sweet, but sadly this book just didn't hit for me! The romance had a nice premise but while I could see that their friendship was really sweet and believable, the transition to the romance was just a bit bland.

Also, a lot of the things in the story felt quite ...on the nose? Like the way the villain was set up made it almost comical. Like he was /so/ evil and the plan to set up the franchise didn't seem to be fully thought through?

I know I'm not explaining it well but while the story seem to be cute, it really felt to be generic. I did like the premise of Cash discovering that she was attracted to Inez to be really well done, I liked the family dynamic... I just wished there was a little more. But overall a quick sweet book about a small community working together.

Thanks so much to Dell and Netgalley for a chance to read and review!

This was a MOVIE! It had all the makings of a Hallmark classic (if they were brave enough to do queer stories or get a little sexy) and I loved it! While I really enjoy the friends-to-lovers plot, the relationship between Cash and her daughter was a standout for me as well. The daughter was so adorable and I really appreciated Cash's wrestling with her role as mother and her identity as an adult woman. It's a fun, quick read, highly enjoyable!

This was like a hallmark movie goes sideways - hotshot comes back to the small town but instead saving the business and falling in love, we read from the pov of the love interest who sees them trying to ruin the small business and the small town vibes, says "fuck that", rallies the town and has a queer awakening in the meantime. I enjoyed this, but I feel like the books with the "first name last name is blah blah blah" just might not be my type of book, I've not really *loved* any - they do tend towards a bit of a sitcom-like vibe, tropey characters and plots, and I found this book did fit that vibe. Enjoyable for being that, though!

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC ^_^

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️

“Cash Delgado is Living the Dream” by Tehlor Kay Mejia is a wonderful sapphic romance that explores the intricacies of friendship, love, and self-discovery in a small northwestern town where two best friends work as bartenders. Cash, a single mom, grapples with intense and spicy dreams about her best friend out and proud lesbian Inez.

I absolutely ADORED this book and as a bisexual woman who discovered her sexuality after being in long term denial I deeply related to Cash and the emotional rollercoaster she goes on in this book.

If you love friends to lovers with PALPABLE tension and amazing found family vibes this is a must read!

Thank you so much to Tehlor, NetGalley, and Dell for the ARC of this book. It was so cute and heartfelt and I really enjoyed the journey!
 
Cash Delgado follows single parent, Cash. In addition to raising her daughter, Parker, Cash works at the town bar, Joyce’s. Joyce’s is a staple for Ridley Falls, and with the help of her best friend, Inez, Cash basically runs the place. However, when an old fling of Cash’s comes back to town with plans to build a new fancy bar that would absolutely destroy Joyce’s, Cash is determined to not let that happen. In the midst of dealing with all of this, trying to find money for the upgrades needed for the bar, and raising her daughter, Cash starts to have some not-just-friends dreams about her not-so-straight best friend. This book almost read as a coming of age book but as a new phase of life and maturity while already an established adult, not as a teenager like they usually are. The journey Cash takes as she begins to rediscover herself while trying to not lose the bar or ruin her friendship with Inez was very compelling. Rediscovery even when you thought you had yourself all figured out is something that is a lot more normal in real life than people think and I enjoyed reading about Cash’s experience and rooting for her and Inez!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC.

This was an enjoyable and easy read. I appreciated the overall plot and found Cash's thought process and questioning intriguing. The representation and support that Cash received were highlights of the book. However, I felt there could have been more between Cash and Inez. Some witty banter or additional chemistry would have enhanced their relationship, similar to the spark between Cash and Chase at the beginning. I would have liked to see a deeper exploration of Cash's romantic feelings since her actions seemed more driven by her dreams than by her in person interactions with Inez.

I went in with an open mind but I sadly was lightly disappointed. I felt as if the characters were lacking chemistry and Cash was slightly over doing it with everything..
I do enjoy Taylor Kay Mejias writing style and that’s why I kept going.

A true friends to lovers that gave a great insight into Cash and her journey of new feelings and dealing with life all at the same time. Cash is such a badass mom and has a tremendous work ethic that pushes her. Ines is really her best friend and they have shown that they are there for each other, so when Cash started developing feelings I was rooting for them. Cash really dove into her past and present feelings and was able to make very important discoveries along the way about herself. I enjoyed her journey and all that came with it.

I got an ARC of this book.

This was pretty cute. It was a little angsty, which I appreciate. I like that it was two established friends. I like that there was a cute kid that just clearly ran the show. I liked the busybody grandma. I liked so much about this. The side characters were all exciting and fun. The issue I had was realizing you are into someone, because you have sex dreams is just annoying to me. It just felt like it underminded the actual feelings for me. Probably a me problem though.

The plot was fun. I was invested in if they could save the bar. I had no doubts they would. It is a romance after all. It has been a pretty common sapphic romance trope that they have to save something together and it bonds them forever. It is the third I have read in the last few months and since I have been in a reading slump thanks to school that is quite a few. The ending felt a little too put together for me. Them potentially saving the bar was great, but that last detail was eh.

The romance felt like it was all physical, because the MC was so clueless. The romance could have been so much cuter if there were more non-sexual signs. It would have make this book pretty near perfect for me to have a few more “why would I go out with anyone else? I have Inez and our movie night!” sort of comments. Either I missed them or it really was all about the sex dreams when they had such a better connection outside of it. I did appreciate the angst of falling for someone unexpected and not really knowing what was happening. It made Cash feel so real.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I just wanted a little more romance for the romance instead of just staring and drooling.

This book was super cute! A former punk rock single mom has to grapple with new feelings for her best friend and save the dive bar she runs! I love the novel’s focus on supporting small businesses and local communities banding together. I also love Inez’s farm and its residents. It seems like an incredible place to be/live and the found family was very meaningful. I want to read all of their stories now! Cash’s daughter is written a bit too cutesy for me, but I appreciated what the coparenting dynamic shows us about Inez’s commitment and the depth of their friendship.

Aside from the external conflict of saving the bar, the internal conflict was basically “friends to lovers + queer awakening= can our relationship withstand the change?” I found it a tad contrived at times, in that I wanted Cash to be less obviously deluding herself. I also didn’t quite buy the “suddenly I’m having erotic dreams about you” mechanism for catalyzing the change in the way Cash sees Inez.

That being said, I love everything about Cash’s night of epiphany, when she finally stops clinging to normalcy and is honest with herself. It rings so true that she has to enact this monumental mental shift. Essentially, she has to come out to herself, and accept herself for who she is. So moving. And once she stops trying to fight her attraction to Inez, their chemistry is so hot and so great.

Definitely recommend Cash Delgado Is Living The Dream!

Cash Delgado is a small-town bartender and single mother whose ex-hookup comes back to town to put her bar out of business and, when she refuses to sleep him, cast homophobic slurs. Galvanized, Cash sets out to save her bar from the incursions of big-city business and to absolutely not fantasize about the female best friend and business partner she's been having sex dreams about.

I loved the business side of this story, the way Cash pulled herself and her town together to fight for themselves, and the Stars-Hollow-in-the-Pacific-Northwest vibe of Ridley Falls. I also loved how well Cash and Inez meshed as friends and, although Inez didn't get too much character development, I was definitely on board with their romance.

I was a little skeptical about Cash's coming out journey. Although I could readily believe she hadn't examined her sexuality before, her degree of shock and aversion when she began having feelings for Inez felt out of character for such an independent woman. It was explained with a lot of discussion about presumptive heterosexuality and some instances of homophobia in Ridley Falls, and for a different character - perhaps one more whose material or emotional survival felt more precarious - that would have made sense. But for someone so confident and emotionally secure, and with exclusively LGBTQ+ friends and a queer-reading presentation even before she started having the dreams, it felt off.

4.5 stars. I honestly loved this story despite my quibbles.