Arc Review: Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake 🌈

A clever and steamy queer romantic comedy about taking chances and accepting love—with all its complications—by debut author Ashley Herring Blake.

Expected Publication: February 22nd 2022 by Berkley

Delilah Green swore she would never go back to Bright Falls—nothing is there for her but memories of a lonely childhood where she was little more than a burden to her cold and distant stepfamily. Her life is in New York, with her photography career finally gaining steam and her bed never empty. Sure, it’s a different woman every night, but that’s just fine with her.

When Delilah’s estranged stepsister, Astrid, pressures her into photographing her wedding with a guilt trip and a five-figure check, Delilah finds herself back in the godforsaken town that she used to call home. She plans to breeze in and out, but then she sees Claire Sutherland, one of Astrid’s stuck-up besties, and decides that maybe there’s some fun (and a little retribution) to be had in Bright Falls, after all.

Having raised her eleven-year-old daughter mostly on her own while dealing with her unreliable ex and running a bookstore, Claire Sutherland depends upon a life without surprises. And Delilah Green is an unwelcome surprise…at first. Though they’ve known each other for years, they don’t really know each other—so Claire is unsettled when Delilah figures out exactly what buttons to push. When they’re forced together during a gauntlet of wedding preparations—including a plot to save Astrid from her horrible fiancé—Claire isn’t sure she has the strength to resist Delilah’s charms. Even worse, she’s starting to think she doesn’t want to…

CW’s: Toxic Relationship (Astrid and her fiancé), Past: Grief, Loss of a Loved One, Unplanned Pregnancy, Cheating, Neglectful Stepparent/Guardian

Representation 🌷 Lesbian MC, Bi LI

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Thank you to Edelweiss and Berkley for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for an honest review! Quotes are taken from the Arc and subject to changes!

Delilah Green is a great main character that I could relate to. She had a tough and lonely childhood, her mother died when she was a couple years old and her dad when she was barely 10 years old. That left her with her stepmother Isabel (her only guardian) and stepsister Astrid, both caught up in her own grief. Isabel gave her the bare necessities but focused more on her own daughter, neglecting Delilah emotionally. Delilah herself escaped into books and later her photography to deal with feeling invisible to everyone else. She didn’t have any support system at Bright Falls and couldn’t wait to escape her hometown. However, many years later – now in her 30s – she’s still struggling: trying to establish a career as a photographer in New York and having many casual flings, but no one constant in her life. Delilah convinced herself she is better off caring for no one and keeping things casual, but it doesn’t help against the loneliness that still has her in its grip. I found that deeply relatable and liked how the book explored Delilah being forced to come back to her hometown and all the bad memories attached to it.

“Let the record state that I’m gallant as shit”, Delilah said. Claire laughed. “I feel very wooed.”

The romance between Delilah & Claire was tender and electric. Character tries to seduce and then falls for her estranged stepsister’s best friend is a trope I didn’t know I needed! It provided lots of angst and tension for the story, as there’s much history between Delilah, Astrid, and her friends. She used to feel isolated and mocked by them, alone while they formed their own group. Now, years later, Delilah still feels a certain draw for Claire that used to be there in high school as well. Claire is a single Mom of an 11-year old and is used to putting everyone ahead of her. With a growing teen and an unreliable co-parent/ex-boyfriend, she is exhausting herself to serve everyone but herself. I loved how kind and tender she was with Delilah, they had great chemistry and romantic/sexual tension between them. There’s also a big serving of ‘Oops I caught feelings’ and denial about said feelings from both characters. Delilah still has trust issues from her childhood and found that walking away/not caring is a way to protect herself. I liked how both characters worked together to deal with their own issues and unhelpful patterns!

There were many great themes that were discussed with nuance. Delilah and Astrid have a very difficult relationship and there’s much bad blood between them, yet their perceptions of what happened back then differ drastically. The book unpacks all the past trauma and resentment, but still shows that both step sisters have a long way to go towards any reconciliation. Delilah and Astrid’s (step)mother Isabel also shows a controlling parent who only cares about her image and not the actual wellbeing of her own daughter. The book also deals with a toxic, controlling relationship (Astrid and her fiancé) and how Astrid’s friends Claire and Iris (later with the help of Delilah) try to approach this topic. They want to save their friend from making a grave mistake that will make her unhappy, yet don’t know how to approach this topic without Astrid shutting them down. This was very well-written, as it’s difficult to help a friend in a controlling situation without losing them completely.

“God, she hadn’t felt like this in so long, like she was shrinking, like everyone else around her was more important than she was.”

IN CONCLUSION. ➽ Delilah Green Doesn’t Care is a great sapphic adult romance that I would highly recommend! It has a sizzling, but tender romance with lots of chemistry that will make you swoon. There are also themes of dysfunctional family dynamics, loneliness, grief and controlling relationships approached with nuance and care!

Are you going to read Delilah Green Doesn’t Care? What is your favorite adult book featuring a sapphic romance? 🌈

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