The first in Ashley Herring Blake’s Bright Falls series, Delilah Green Doesn’t Care focuses on two queer main characters, Delilah Green (obviously), and Claire Sutherland. The contrast between the characters is exciting, as Delilah is a wild and salty bad-ass and pours most of her angsty soul into her art, while Claire is a little more sweet and tame and has to be, as she is an almost-single mom raising a tween daughter. When Claire and Delilah “meet” in the story, it is not the first time; they were in one another’s lives when they were younger, but now, about a decade later, they’re not girls any more. They’re strong, multifaceted women, so they meet on a whole new level. The complexities of navigating their interest in one another are many, and it’s beautiful to see such a genuine portrayal of a relationship as well as overcoming the personal challenges that make that difficult.
When I first sought out a title to read, I’m glad I didn’t see that this book was in the romantic comedy category, or I admit, I might not have chosen it. I’m so used to formulaic, make-me-want-to gag romance, but this story was anything but that. It was funny at times, but it was also raw and beautiful and painful – all the things from real life that you want to see mirrored in a good story. And, spoiler, both the reader and Delilah herself both discover, that, underneath her pain, she really DOES care. I also really loved how the author portrayed the queer spectrum; I think this is important in a world where we are beginning to embrace the many possibilities that exist.
As always, there were a few characters I would have liked to punch in the face. Every good author delivers those jerks. However, not only were they well-crafted, but in one case, I was happy to see another view of one of the "jerks," Astrid. Astrid showed her human side, and thus, we were able to see the pain she housed that made her turn into someone who wasn’t always likeable – I mean, aren’t we all that person sometimes? It's intriguing that Astrid is the main character in the next book in the Bright Falls series.
I would absolutely recommend this book to a friend, and will be giving it a 5-star review on Amazon. While my own studies had me away from fiction for longer than I care to admit, and I was overly analytical when deciding on what title to dive into, the universe put the perfect title in my lap. It gave me that oh-so-delicious feeling – that one where you grumble about having to do anything else in life, because you just want to escape back to that story and see what the characters are going to do next. I was even able to finish the title rather quickly, and it was refreshing to get back to that place where I can speed through a story because it's so engaging. I'm grateful to Ashley for helping me dive back into fiction and remember why stories are life and life is story.
~Peace and Love, Tracey
©Tracey Love, 2023. All rights reserved.
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