Delilah Green Doesn’t Care is a sweet sapphic romance and so much more

Ashley Herring Blake’s Delilah Green Doesn’t Care is everything you could want in a sapphic romance and more. It’s sweet, sexy, complicated, and features love, friendships, family, and even some healing from past trauma.

It all begins with Delilah Green. She’s a photographer who lives in New York City and would be happy to stay there if it wasn’t for the big check her stepmother and stepsister will be cutting her if she goes back to her hometown and photographs her stepsister’s wedding.

How much money are we talking about? $15,000! Delilah may hate her stepmother, Isabel, and her stepsister, Astrid, but she has rent to pay.

Cut to her arriving in Bright Falls, Oregon. She heads to the bar and finds herself being hit on by none other than Claire Sutherland, one of her sister’s best friends.

Considering the way Astrid’s “coven” used to make fun of Delilah when she was a kid, Delilah cannot believe it. Claire Sutherland is hitting on her!

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care is a beautiful, complicated sapphic romance

Claire doesn’t recognize Delilah when she walks up to her and has the shock of her life when Astrid shows up and tells her who she has been batting her eyelashes at.

But that first meeting puts into motion something neither Claire nor Delilah could have anticipated. They both felt a spark during that encounter, and it only grows the more time they spend together at Astrid’s pre-wedding activities.

But while Delilah would only be looking for a physical relationship, that’s not Claire’s cup of tea. She has a pre-teen daughter, Ruby, to take care of, a bookstore to run, and her less-than-reliable ex, Josh, is back in town. And really, she’s never been into casual relationships. So, she puts Delilah out of her mind. Or, she tries to.

Delilah has her relationship baggage. She was in a two-year relationship with Jax, who she found cheating in their bed. That leaves scars.

But things start happening that neither Delilah nor Claire could ever expect. It becomes clear early on that the dude Astrid is set to marry, Spencer, is a douche. There is no other word for it. He’s controlling, demanding, and awful.

Delilah, who loves to see her sister annoyed and unhappy, is fine with it. Claire and Iris (Astrid’s other best friend) not so much. But that doesn’t stop the trio from teaming up to stop Astrid’s wedding from happening. And lo and behold, Delilah starts to become friends with them!

As they scheme, Claire and Delilah become even closer and things start to get physical. Claire tries to tell herself a casual relationship will be fine, but it’s very difficult when Delilah is so good with Ruby (she supports her creativity!!) and makes Claire feel so good.

It all comes to a head when Astrid discovers Delilah and Claire in an intimate moment. Delilah said something to Astrid about Claire before Claire and she were ever a thing and it comes back to bite her in a big way.

Delilah immediately goes back to New York, and it seems like she and Claire are over. But remember, this is a romance. It has to have a happy ending, and it’s so impossibly perfect and sweet.

But this book is not just about romance. It’s also about family, the trauma they can cause, and friendship.

Delilah’s father died soon after he married Isabel, and it sent Delilah reeling. After his death, she never felt like anyone was there for her.

Isabel turned into a wicked stepmother who pretty much ignored her, and her stepsister Astrid treated her like an outcast.

Or did she?

It takes going back home for Delilah and Astrid to realize that their memories of their time together growing up may not have been what they seemed. Besides the romance, this is my favorite part of the book. Seeing these two end up supporting each other made me so happy!

Delilah becoming friends with Iris is also equally as satisfying. It becomes clear pretty early on that Delilah and Iris should be BFFs. It’s only their pasts that kept them from liking each other. I might have cried a happy tear. Adult friendships are the best!

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care is also filled with glorious shenanigans. The pranks Delilah and Claire pull on Spencer are classic and will have you laughing out loud.

And of course, Claire and Delilah’s relationship could not be sweeter. They both have reasons to hide their true feelings away. But when they’re together, they put a lot of those feelings out on the table. It’s truly beautiful to see how they develop.

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake is available now in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats.