I REALLY enjoyed this! I also read Tehlor's debut prior to release, and I think they are extremely talented at writing queer characters, wherever they may be in their journey, that feel authentic and so genuinely human. I love each of the characters here, including the wise beyond her years daughter. Comp het is a very serious mindset to break within the lesbian community, so I related to Cash's feelings so deeply. I loved this book!

I didn't love this one as much as I loved Sammy Espinoza's Last Review but it was still a very enjoyable read! I loved getting to be back in Ridley Falls and see some familiar faces. I thought Cash's daughter Parker was a delight and the star of the show.

I really enjoyed reading this book! I enjoyed following Cash’s journey balancing her needs in addition to caring for her daughter. I’m now hoping to go back and read more of this authors backlist.

Thank you to Dell for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This one was ok, but nothing that really held my attention, I wanted more Cash and Inez and less Chase from the beginning, because it was obvious nothing was coming out if Chase’s involvement.

I wanted to love this one, but the beginning was very difficult for me. The first half of the book was just not gripping my attention, but I'm glad I stuck through for the ending because it was sweet and satisfying.

I loved Cash and Inez's friendship that blossoms into more, but the miscommunication was really difficult for me. I was glad to see how Cash acknowledged her own issues with managing their relationship development, but it was really a struggle to read through, as it was just frustrating!

I believe a lot of people will enjoy this book, I just think it didn't land with me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Random House Publishing for this eArc! God what a lovely read. I have grown very fond of stories where people realize they are queer later in life and this one was a delight. I felt so much for Cash as she struggled every internal wall she had ever built for herself. And the friendship with her and Inz was so pure and so beautiful I could absolutely see why she didn't want to risk it all by going with her feelings. I normally hate lack of communication as a trope but in this story its handled really well. A really wonderful book that I will truly treasure.

Friends to lovers, self-discovery, and a small town coming together to save a local institution. This could very easily be a hallmark movie if you skipped over the spicy scenes!

While there were a few bits of the story that didn’t follow, and the antagonist’s name had too many of the same letters as our heroine’s for me to keep things clear at first(cash and chase), I cried happy tears at the end and really want to read another story from this town!

I was provided a complimentary e-galley by Random House on Net Galley

This was a very sweet later-in-life coming out story. Cash was a dedicated single mom that had some tendencies to overprotect her daughter, which I think is a common experience for those who had less than awesome parents. Cash’s daughter occasionally strayed into the Hallmarky vibe of “wise beyond her years” but was still mostly portrayed as a child that worried about normal kid things.
Cash stumbled and flailed a bit while grappling with a major shift in identity, which is pretty relatable for those of us who’ve had to adjust our self perception that way. Inez was sweet, but I wish we had more time on page to get to know her. So much of the book was focused on Cash’s internal monologue about her sexuality and how much she cherished Inez as a friend. We get to see moments where Inez is there for Cash, which is great, but I wanted more depth.
Overall the book was pretty solid.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read this ARC!


Content Warning: homophobia/lesbophobia.


Cash Delgado is happy with her life. She lives in the tiny town of Ridley Falls, works as a manager at a bar called Joyce's, and enjoys every moment she gets with her six-year-old daughter, Parker. And there's Cash's best friend, too, Inez O'Connor, who has a way of making Cash feel that her every dream is somehow possible. But when Chase Stanton, Joyce's old manager -- and Cash's old flame -- comes back to town, she quickly realizes that her life as she knows it is about to get turned completely upside down. Chase has come to gauge the locals, intent on opening up a franchise bar that, ultimately, Cash knows will destroy Joyce's. To top it all off, Cash keeps having dreams about Inez -- and not the kind of dreams that one has about their best friend. Not to mention, Cash is completely straight... right? Determined to keep Joyce's open and scare Chase off their patch, Cash and Inez work together to figure out how they can maintain the peace in their small town, and as they spend long nights together and Cash continues to be plagued by her dreams, she's forced to confront the fact that she might not know who she is... or that she might have been hiding things from herself so deeply that she didn't even know it in the first place.

For full transparency, I was sent a link to this ARC by one of Random House's marketing managers (thank you, Jordan Hill Forney!) in exchange for my honest review. Initially, I was a bit reluctant to read this, as I'm typically not a fan of contemporary romances, especially ones that feature a lot of the breeziness and humor. There are exceptions to the rule, of course, like Delilah Green Doesn't Care, but for me, they're few and far between. However, I am pleasantly surprised to tell you that Cash Delgado is Living the Dream was a very enjoyable read for me, and I ended up being glad that I decided to pick it up!

Cash is a relatable character, which, ultimately, is what makes a romance worth reading. She's trying to keep on top of everything, but between being a single mom to a six-year-old, working (usually nights), and paying her bills, she's struggling to stay afloat. She's very happy with her life, though, and she's grateful for the community of Ridley Falls, who have accepted her readily as one of their own. She dreams of maybe owning her own bar one day, and has big plans for Joyce's, but unfortunately, those plans involve money that she simply doesn't have. She manages to make it all work partly because of Inez, her best friend, who is sort of like the fire to Cash's water: she's a little rash, a lot brave, and she helps Cash to be brave, too.

Now, I do have a few issues with the novel, which is obviously why it didn't end up with a full five stars. I debated between giving it three and a half and four, but ultimately, I decided that it deserved the four, as it's well-written, entertaining, and made me curious about what might be next from Mejia. My main problem has to do with Inez and Cash and the development of their relationship. It's a bit more complicated when you're doing a "friends to lovers" story, because the relationship is already halfway developed, and so you sometimes feel as if you've been thrown into the middle (not with this story, thankfully, but with some others I have read before). Mejia manages to avoid the issue I just spoke of, but the chemistry between Inez and Cash is somewhat lacking. We spend so much time caught up in Cash's head and her dreams that it feels as if the real world Inez and Cash don't do all that much interacting.

Actually, let me be a little clearer. It isn't so much the chemistry, which exists, but rather that the development feels rushed, especially considering there's not many romantic moments between Cash and Inez (that don't happen in Cash's mind, at least). The attraction is certainly there, and they have some very sexy moments together, but I wanted more of their developing feelings. I'd even go so far as to say that this isn't primarily a romance, but more about Cash's attempts to save the bar and her efforts at self-discovery, which isn't a bad thing at all, but can be a little jolting when you're expecting more of a straightforward romance.

My other problem is one that, to be honest, I think a lot of writers struggle with: writing a believable child character. Parker is just a bit too mature and wise beyond her years, serving more as narrative commentary than an actual child. However, I do think it's really difficult to strike the balance with child characters, so it wasn't too disruptive for me -- I could suspend my disbelief, mainly because Mejia's writing is so great and the story itself is so fun. There's a lot of the contemporary romance "quirkiness" which I sometimes find a little grating, but Mejia pulls it off and somehow makes it feel totally earnest and genuine.

I know I've mentioned it several times by now, but Mejia's writing really is fantastic. The tone maintained throughout is lighthearted and fun, beautifully described, but Mejia never shies away from exploring some of the heaviness of coming to terms with your sexuality and identity. All in all, I think this is definitely a success, and I'll be eager to see what Mejia comes up with next!

I mean, this book has mini donkeys. That's basically a guarantee that I'll like it.

Recommended, especially for those who like stories of found families and friendship that turns into something more.

This was cute, but ultimately the couple lacked any palpable chemistry. I liked the story and other aspects of the book, but the romance just did not hit for me.

Just like the author’s previous book, Cash Delgado Is Living the Dream is written in such an engaging way. The characters jump off the pages from the beginning, and falling into their vivid world is easy. Cash (short for Cassandra) is a single mom to her six-year-old daughter, Parker, and runs the only bar in town, Joyce’s. But when her ex-manager (and former hookup partner) Chase returns from Seattle with plans to open a new bar, Cash is determined to not only prevent his gentrifying mission, but to spruce up Joyce’s to make it an even better place for locals to gather. Joyce’s owners are reluctant to put in the money needed for its makeover, but together with Cash’s best friend Inez, they’ll do what it takes to rally the whole town of Ridley Falls together. Speaking of Inez, is it normal that Cash, a straight woman, is having sexy dreams about her best friend? What does it mean? How would Inez feel if she knew?

The biggest theme throughout Cash Delgado Is Living the Dream is Cash’s queer awakening. Despite her many rebellions as a teenager, she’s always seen herself as straight, so she doesn’t know what to do about her naughty dreams starring Inez. Is Cash a lesbian and never knew it? How could she have missed this at her age? Cash may also be using Parker as an excuse not to explore her sexuality; indeed, small towns aren’t always kind to those in the LGBTQ+ community, and Cash doesn’t want Parker to take the repercussions of her mom’s lifestyle. Moreover, Cash doesn’t want to ruin the only real friendship she has. What would Inez (an out lesbian herself) think? What if things didn’t work out between them?

In addition to the tentative friends-to-lovers romance, I also liked seeing Cash’s career perseverance and how she is able to connect with her small town community. She has big ideas and isn’t afraid to go after them. It may even involve help from Sammy Espinoza, star of the previous novel. It’s nice to catch up with where she’s at, some five years after those events. (Some other characters also make small cameos.) Cash had dropped out of high school and doesn’t have much, but she’s determined and has been a skilled manager at the bar. She deserves so much more success and control, especially given how much she’s putting into saving Joyce’s.

Cash is also a wonderful mother to Parker. Really, Parker steals every scene she’s in. She’s such a fun character, and so wise beyond her years! Granny O’Connor is on the other end of the age spectrum, but she also lights up each scene she appears in. Leave it the the very young and very old to bring the sass and charm!

Cash Delgado Is Living the Dream is a wonderfully written and captivating novel about when two women realize they may be more than just friends, even when one of them is facing redefining her entire sense of identity in the process. It straddles the line between women’s fiction and romance, creating a rich world that feels amorous yet so real. I adored this book and already can’t wait to read more from Tehlor Kay Mejia.

2.5 ⭐️
I honestly didn’t love this as much as I had hoped to. The biggest issue for me with this book was that I could just not feel any of the chemistry between Cash and Inez. There was nothing that made me feel like they had any sort of connection and it felt like a disjointed story. I also felt as though the whole dream aspect had no lead in and came out of no where so we didn’t even have a chance to see them act as just friends before that changed things for Cash. I liked the focus on the bar and their community but there were times where it felt a bit overshadowed. I really enjoyed the side characters and thought they really rounded out the cast of characters well. However I did feel like Parker’s character did not act like a 6 year old a lot of the time. The things she would say and do sometimes felt really unbelievable for a child who is supposed to be in first grade. I just wanted more from this book and feel a bit let down with how it went overall.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Cash Delgado is Living the Dream follows single mom by day, small-town bartender by night Cash Delgado as newly discovered feelings for her best friend make her question everything she knows about herself and the future she is working toward.

In all, I thought this was a really solid queer romance. All the main characters were likable, and I thought the reflections on motherhood and on the complexities of raising a child were excellent. Cash was a main character I could really root for, and I think that's the most important feature of any romance for me. My biggest beef is the breakdown of communication between Cash and Inez, which relied heavily on one of them interrupting the other, but then neither of them interrupting each other to clarify what they meant. Their spirals of misunderstanding often felt a little forced or a little too convenient to the narrative, and I found that a bit frustrating. Ultimately I think this is because there is plenty of conflict to be had between figuring out how to come out and being a single parent whose life choices have to account for childcare, so additional miscommunication on top of all that just felt like too much.

Even so, this was incredibly heartwarming to read, and I'll definitely be picking up more of Tehlor Kay Mejia's adult romance novels!

4.5/5 stars!

Cash Delgado Is Living the Dream by Tehlor Kay Mejia is a small town best friends to lovers featuring, Cash Delgado, a single mother in her journey of finding herself by breaking out of compulsory heterosexuality. Cash is the manager/bartender at the only bar, Joyce’s, in Ridley Falls, Washington. Her entire livelihood depends on this job, which is threatened when an ex-hookup/coworker, Chase, reveals that he’s trying to open a new chain bar in their small town. Amongst the chaos of trying to save Joyce’s, Cash finds that her entire sense of self is called into question when she starts having spicy dreams about her best friend, Inez.

There’s just something about Mejia’s writing that *clicks* for me. Something about the imagery that scratches my brain in all the right ways. Combined with characters’ humor and the charm of the specificity of the characters within the small town of Ridley Falls, their writing style feels almost as if it was written for *me.* It’s been a hot minute since I’ve read this story’s interconnected book, Sammy Espinoza’s Last Review (which I LOVED), and it brought me so much joy reading Sammy, Max, Willa, Brook, and Larry in their future years as fellow folks from Ridley Falls. But most of all, I found it *comforting* to be reading the minor characters that comprise their small town. Reading their community rally together and back each other up against gentrification felt like being wrapped in the softest, warmest community-built quilt.

I really feel for Cash. As a person now in my 30s who’s still in her journey of understanding if she even identifies somewhere on the queer spectrum, this book really felt like *I* was part of the intended audience. While my questioning is more related to the spectrum of asexuality as opposed to Cash’s being a lesbian, in my mid to late 20s, I have also found myself up late googling random questions that I’ve not felt comfortable speaking about with anyone, no less admitting out loud. While I don’t necessarily feel the need to take on any label (especially seeing as how none have given me a sense of home or rightness), I loved reading Cash dismantle and reconcile the expectations society and she put on herself. I have so much compassion for her and her journey to being her true self and stepping into who she really is so that she *can* live free of the expectations and constraints of cis-heteronormativity.

As for the romance between Cash and Inez— I think there’s something beautiful to be found in the ways they love and support each other in all the big and especially small, subtle ways. Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, and reading it here wrapped in the charm of a small town romance that’s queer af, sign me up every time.

I very much look forward to reading even more adult romance by Tehlor Kay Mejia. Thank you, Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group, for the ARC!

I absolutely loved reading Cash Delgado Is Living the Dream by Tehlor Kay Mejia.
These characters were realistic and interesting.
I found myself sucked into their story and enjoyed seeing how it played out.
I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would. the storyline was written so incredibly well.

Thank You NetGalley and Random House | Dell for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Cash is a wonderfully complicated character who has a lot going on that keeps her from figuring out herself. Between having a daughter, not having a partner for a while and having sex dreams about her best friend she has enough on her plate. But now, she must fight to keep the doors open at the local bar she works at, starting a war as a new franchise tries to enter the town. Overall a really cute story about how sometimes it can take a while to figure yourself out.

A quick, engaging book of queer awakening. The community aspect, in terms of how they embrace Cash, teach Cash, and also rally for Joyce's, is incredible and heartwarming.

Slow burn sapphic friends-to-lovers queer awakening cozy romance. This was well written and I enjoyed the characters. It did feel like there was a little too much going on but overall it was a quick fun read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dell/Penguin Random House for the advanced copy!!

I really enjoyed this!! I loved being back in Ridley Falls. I adored Sammy Espinoza’s Last Review and this one had that same found family, small town feeling.
We follow Cash as she is trying to save the small town bar from the big corporation chain trying to take its place. The feeling of a close knit small town was really strong and it was so sweet to see them all work together. The author did a great job of making all the characters feel so human. They felt so real with all the things they had to deal with. The side characters were all so great and added so much to the story. I flew this one because I was so attached to the story and what would happen. Highly recommend this one!!!

Thank you again to Netgalley and Dell/Penguin Random House

Can this book be ANY MORE amazing, the sense of community, and acceptance is literally the best thing about this book, aside from Cash finally coming out of her shell, her daughter Parker being the cutest thing ever, or Cash best friend/coworker Inez being literally the best person EVER, this book was awesome. The steam was steaming between the characters and like I said before the sense of community gave this book all the life it needed, I almost cried, the ending was “tears” worthy for sure.