A clever and steamy queer romantic comedy about taking chances and accepting love—with all its complications—from the author of Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail.
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...
We meet Delilah Green, a up and coming queer photographer who is cares about two things in life, herself and her photos. Has she always been this way? No. Life decided to deal her a terrible hand as a kid which resulted in a lonely childhood with an uncaring stepfamily. Distance was the only thing that allowed her to figure out who she was and what truly mattered in life. So what happens with the past refuses to stay there? We find out when Delilah’s stepsister, Astrid is determined to make her the photographer at her wedding. Needing the money, Delilah agrees but she decides if she is going to suffer through this event, so is everyone else. It’s all fun and games until Delilah bites off a little more than she can chew with Claire, one of Astrid’s best friends. (Not a spoiler, you can gather all of this from the back of the book).
I absolutely loved this book! I could relate to Delilah in so many ways. This book was funny, insightful, heartwarming, steamy, and realistic. Whether it has been our own journey or the journey of someone we know, we are familiar with the idea of needing to leave the past behind because of how much it has shaped who we are today. Bad childhood, bad experiences, failed relationships, dysfunctional families - we put distance between those events and ourselves to not gain perspective but to close those doors. With Delilah, we see what happens when you are forced back into those situations and what you remember, what you experienced is examined by those who were involved. How much does time change the story? What are we not seeing or remember that could completely shift what we have locked away in our heads as the reason for never looking back.
This book makes you think, makes you feel, and makes you laugh. The steamy scenes are insane but the tender scenes are just as enthralling. I highly recommend it and can’t wait to read the next book in this series - Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail.
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26 September, 2022:
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