Romance

Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail

Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail

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  • Create Date：2022-11-13 09:51:33
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Ashley Herring Blake
  • ISBN：0349432589
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Summary

An interior designer learns to rebuild her love life from the ground up with zero blueprints in this new romantic comedy by Ashley Herring Blake， author of Delilah Green Doesn't Care。

For Astrid Parker， failure is unacceptable。 Ever since she broke up with her fiancé a year ago， she’s been focused on her career—her friends might say she’s obsessed， but she’s just driven。 When Pru Everwood asks her to be the designer for the Everwood Inn’s renovation that will be broadcasted on a popular home improvement show， Innside America， Astrid knows this is the answer to everything that is wrong with her life。 It’ll be the perfect distraction from her failed love life， and her perpetually displeased mother might finally give her nod of approval。

However， Astrid never planned on Jordan Everwood， Pru’s granddaughter and lead carpenter for the inn’s renovation， who despises every modern design decision Astrid makes。 Jordan is determined to preserve the history of her family’s inn， particularly as the rest of her life is in shambles。 When that determination turns into a little light sabotage， ruffling Astrid’s perfect little feathers， the showrunners ask them to play up the tension。 But somewhere along the way， their dislike for each other turns into something quite different， and Astrid must decide what success truly means。 Is she going to pursue the life that she’s expected to lead， or the one she wants？

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Reviews

Ditte ，

Thanks for the free book PRH International。Really sad to say I DNF'ed this book at 29%I found Astrid super intriguing in Delilah Green Doesn't Care， and I mostly liked her in this book， too。 The antagonism between Astrid and builder Jordan was so off for me though and by the time I dnf'ed， I just couldn't imagine coming to like Jordan or seeing the two of them together。（view spoiler）[Yes， Astrid was unnecessarily mean to Jordan when Jordan spilled coffee on her and ruined Astrid's dress， but the Thanks for the free book PRH International。Really sad to say I DNF'ed this book at 29%I found Astrid super intriguing in Delilah Green Doesn't Care， and I mostly liked her in this book， too。 The antagonism between Astrid and builder Jordan was so off for me though and by the time I dnf'ed， I just couldn't imagine coming to like Jordan or seeing the two of them together。（view spoiler）[Yes， Astrid was unnecessarily mean to Jordan when Jordan spilled coffee on her and ruined Astrid's dress， but then Jordan sets out to basically ruin Astrid's career which seemed way over the top。 Because she didn't feel like Astrid's apology was sincere？ And despite Jordan's own family not wanting to consult Jordan on the remodel of their inn， Jordan decides she knows best and goes behind everyone's back without even having a conversation with any of them but instead leaving Astrid especially to scramble to figure out how to not look like she's utterly incompetent at her job while there are cameras on her。 Part of why Jordan was acting this way could be out of grief as she seemed to still be missing her late wife fiercely but that just seemed like yet another reason she and Astrid maybe shouldn't end up together。 （hide spoiler）]If the book hadn't been wanting to force these two together， I might've kept reading but Astrid deserved better than Jordan and I just didn't care to keep reading about their supposed love story。Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more

Vanessa ，

I think I might DNF this within 4 chapters， which is a record for me， because: 1） Jordan， the love interest crashes into Astrid and spills 3 cups of hot（！） coffee onto her， ruining her appearance on the day she starts a new job that is her business' last chance to stay afloat; 2） when Astrid understandably reacts badly to this turn of events， she's made out to be the villain。 Astrid experiences almost-immediate remorse and tries to apologize for her bad reaction when they're alone， and Jordan re I think I might DNF this within 4 chapters， which is a record for me， because: 1） Jordan， the love interest crashes into Astrid and spills 3 cups of hot（！） coffee onto her， ruining her appearance on the day she starts a new job that is her business' last chance to stay afloat; 2） when Astrid understandably reacts badly to this turn of events， she's made out to be the villain。 Astrid experiences almost-immediate remorse and tries to apologize for her bad reaction when they're alone， and Jordan responds by cutting her off and jeering at her;3） The kicker: Immediately after almost reducing Astrid to tears， Jordan thinks about how much she liked Astrid fumbling her apology and how she enjoyed Astrid's distress and discomfort。 （Yes， Jordan cried in her car after the coffee interaction。 Astrid saw her tear tracks later and felt immense guilt over making her cry。 That's a normal human reaction， as opposed to whatever pleasure Jordan seemed to take in Astrid's distress。）What on earth。 As my wife put it， "if Jordan was a man， this would be instantly recognizable as a huge red flag。" I don't know if I'll keep reading this。 I love a morally grey character and unhealthy relationship if that's what they're being portrayed as。 This is not that kind of book， so I might stop before I have to endure the author trying to romanticize this。 A huge disappointment after enjoying Delilah。 。。。more

Queen B ，

4。5 stars。The thing I loved best about Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail was Astrid Parker。 She’s flawed， falling apart， and oh so emotionally damaged。 When she has her “not so meet-cute” with Jordan， I was 100% on her side。 I mean， if someone had spilled coffee on my expensive white dress， I’d be expecting them to pay for dry cleaning too。 So I was clearly on Astrid’s side and was a little annoyed by how much Jordan got all in her feels。But Jordan grew on me。 I liked learning both her and Astrid’s bac 4。5 stars。The thing I loved best about Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail was Astrid Parker。 She’s flawed， falling apart， and oh so emotionally damaged。 When she has her “not so meet-cute” with Jordan， I was 100% on her side。 I mean， if someone had spilled coffee on my expensive white dress， I’d be expecting them to pay for dry cleaning too。 So I was clearly on Astrid’s side and was a little annoyed by how much Jordan got all in her feels。But Jordan grew on me。 I liked learning both her and Astrid’s back stories and I think the side characters gave them so much more life。Their sexual tension was off the charts and I liked seeing their friendship-slash-relationship evolve。 I think the only thing that fell flat for me was their love—I’m still not sure what drew them together beyond attraction。 But at the end of the day， I don’t even care and I loved Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail enough without it。I’m just gonna be twiddling my thumbs here until we get Iris’s story。Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the review copy。 。。。more

Jessica （the naptime writer） ，

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC。 All opinions provided are my own。​With Ashley Herring Blake’s Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail we’re back with the same magnetic， loving， boisterous & balanced friend group， this time watching Astrid—who feels an imperative to always seem calm， cool， & collected—take on the renovation of a beloved inn before the eyes of the inn’s family members， a tv crew…& as always， her overbearing mother。Also before the eyes of carpenter Jordan Everwo Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC。 All opinions provided are my own。​With Ashley Herring Blake’s Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail we’re back with the same magnetic， loving， boisterous & balanced friend group， this time watching Astrid—who feels an imperative to always seem calm， cool， & collected—take on the renovation of a beloved inn before the eyes of the inn’s family members， a tv crew…& as always， her overbearing mother。Also before the eyes of carpenter Jordan Everwood， the same woman who Astrid had a nasty moment with at the end of Delilah’s book & the beginning of her own， about some spilled coffee & her power dress。Astrid isn’t someone who is open easily—we see that even with her close circle—& it’s lovely watching her find that safe place to land with the person who she started off so antagonistically with。Jordan， too， needs that safe place。As always， my heart cheered for two people finding a home & a refuge with each other， especially when I can relate to one of them in some way （hello self-consciousnesses & fear of failure etc。 it’s nice to see you again ）。 This book has an interesting tension that strikes at the heart of what both women desire for themselves， heart-grabbing backstories about growing up & in the present， trying to wrestle back an identity & purpose for themselves， & that aforementioned wonderful group of friends。The “villain” in this story feels a bit obvious & I would have liked a bigger conclusion to that whole storyline， but on the whole， this is another emotional， powerful， sensual read with a great group of characters。 Can’t wait for Iris’s book！4。5⭐️。 Out 11/22。CWs: mother’s manipulation & overbearingness， & there’s a reference to her homophobia。 Jordan’s ex wife had cancer & left her soon after learning she was in remission。 。。。more

Chrys ，

I enjoyed this， although not quite as much as Delilah Green， it was a fun read with some interesting characters。 I liked the personal development that Astrid goes through， finally realising that she alone can choose her path and breaking free from her mother’s controlling influence。I get a real Gilmore Girls vibe from the location， especially the inn， and the general chemistry between the friends。 Although the romance is definitely a bit spicier， but in a good way。 This is easy and entertaining， I enjoyed this， although not quite as much as Delilah Green， it was a fun read with some interesting characters。 I liked the personal development that Astrid goes through， finally realising that she alone can choose her path and breaking free from her mother’s controlling influence。I get a real Gilmore Girls vibe from the location， especially the inn， and the general chemistry between the friends。 Although the romance is definitely a bit spicier， but in a good way。 This is easy and entertaining， a definite recommend。 。。。more

Becca Maree ，

Special thanks to Libro。fm for a free， electronic ALC of this novel。Expected publication date: November 22， 2022*stares at you in Two of Cups*But seriously， Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail is a sapphic love story written in the （tarot） cards and I'm so here for it。 The character development of both Astrid and Jordan could have been explored more （because c'mon those backstories are ouch）， but overall I was pleased with their dynamic and the spice level was off the charts。Check this one out even i Special thanks to Libro。fm for a free， electronic ALC of this novel。Expected publication date: November 22， 2022*stares at you in Two of Cups*But seriously， Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail is a sapphic love story written in the （tarot） cards and I'm so here for it。 The character development of both Astrid and Jordan could have been explored more （because c'mon those backstories are ouch）， but overall I was pleased with their dynamic and the spice level was off the charts。Check this one out even if you haven't read Delilah Green Doesn't Care yet （*cough* like me）。 。。。more

Alexis Hall ，

Source of book: NetGalley （thank you）Relevant disclaimers: The author and I are social media moots。Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted， in whole or in part， without explicit consent from the author。And remember: I am not here to judge your drag， I mean your book。 Books are art and art is subjective。 These are just my personal thoughts。 They are not meant to be taken as broader commentary on the general quality of the work。 Believe me， I have not enjoyed many an excellent boo Source of book: NetGalley （thank you）Relevant disclaimers: The author and I are social media moots。Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted， in whole or in part， without explicit consent from the author。And remember: I am not here to judge your drag， I mean your book。 Books are art and art is subjective。 These are just my personal thoughts。 They are not meant to be taken as broader commentary on the general quality of the work。 Believe me， I have not enjoyed many an excellent book， and my individual lack of enjoyment has not made any of those books less excellent or （more relevantly） less successful。Further disclaimer: Readers， please stop accusing me of trying to take down “my competition” because I wrote a review you didn’t like。 This is complete nonsense。 Firstly， writing isn’t a competitive sport。 Secondly， I only publish reviews of books in the subgenre where I’m best known （queer romcom） if they’re glowing。 And finally: taking time out of my life to read an entire book， then write a detailed review about it that some people on GR will look at would be a profoundly inefficient and ineffective way to damage the careers of other authors。 If you can’t credit me with simply being a person who loves books and likes talking about them， at least credit me with enough common sense to be a better villain。*******************************************Loving a book is a complicated thing。 Because it can make you unfair in a lot of equally complicated ways。 And， given I often see those complications from the other side， I don’t want to be unfair myself。 But I also want to be honest so here goes: there’s a lot I loved about Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail， but I didn’t love it quite as much as I did Delilah Green Doesn’t Care （though not loving something quite as much as Delilah still means I loved it a whole fucking lot）。 But， y’know what， I reckon that’s probably okay。 Books should be different to each other。 And they should speak to different people differently。 We last saw Astrid， at the end of Delilah Green， breaking her engagement to her horrible fiancé and partially reconciling with Delilah as they both came to better understand the ways their childhood had separately damaged them。 As Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail opens， she’s in a pretty bad way: her design business is failing， she’s still emotionally entangled with her toxic mother， and her romantic future looks bleak。 Then she gets an offer to work as the designer on a series of a reality TV show called Innside America， which focuses on renovating … inns？ In American small towns？ I don’t even know。 Is this a thing for you people？ Anyway， the job in question is the renovation of the Everwood Inn and it’s exactly what Astrid needs to re-establish both her reputation and her business。 Unfortunately， on her way to the job， a hot carpenter flings coffee all over her and Astrid is—to my mind understandably—snappish about this。 The carpenter is Jordan Everwood， heartbroken and recently divorced， and very unwilling to trust her family inn to a woman who was upset to have coffee flung over her。 Needless to say， Jordan and Astrid start out in conflict， but soon they end up working together to save the inn and … y’know … maybe each other too？ What I loved about Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail was … well。 Astrid Parker。 I think I loved her more than the book was prepared for me to love her because the coffee flinging incident was meant to be her being unacceptably rude to a stranger。 But like。 I’ve never owned an ivory pencil dress but I feel if I did own an ivory pencil dress and someone tossed three cups of coffee up it … I would want to be compensated for the dry cleaning too？ Unfortunately， my commitment to Astrid during Ivory Pencil Dressgate meant that Astrid and Jordan’s initial interactions frustrated me more than than intrigued me。 Like， not only had this carpenter ruined Astrid’s frankly amazing-sounding dress， but she was treating Astrid badly too？ Once I got over this， however， I did end up really enjoying Jordan and Astrid together: they have a lot of chemistry and it was wonderful to see Astrid finally letting go in the company of someone willing to do the work to get to know who she is。 Letting go—in various ways and forms—is a major theme of the book and it really effectively unites the stories of the two women， along with the wider arc of how best to honour the inn’s past while making space for its future。 I was also really happy to see the characters from the previous book—spending fictional time with them felt very much like meeting old friends。 I was initially worried that some of Delilah’s “Delilahness” was being dampened by the need for her a play a secondary role in someone else’s story （in the first scene she’s in， for example， she does little beyond make lovestruck faces in Claire’s direction） but once the book gets underway， and Delilah gets to have some one-on—one scenes with Astrid， she felt like herself again。 So yeah。 In summary， a lot of what I admired in Delilah Green Doesn’t Care can be found here as well。 Loveable characters， trying to navigate their damage， portrayed with care。 Wonderful banter， between lovers and friends。 Playfulness and passion between the leads。 Nuanced emotional dynamics。 Really gorgeous writing all round: “In truth， she had never been very vocal in bed， but she’d never really thought about why until this very second， with Jordan’s hot mouth searing through her shirt。 Oh was a proclamation。 So was yeah and right there and just like that and whatever other words people might say during sex。 They were tells。 They revealed a piece of yourself， something soft and vulnerable and completely at the other person’s mercy。” As for where Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail ended up losing me in places… I honestly think it might simply come down to particular differences in perspective。 And while I don’t think they made Astrid Parker a bad book or even a “less good” book than Delilah Green （that is absolutely not what I’m saying here）， they did ultimately make this a book that spoke to me less。 And I’m going to try to talk about the hows and whys of that， not because I am saying there’s anything wrong with Astrid Parker as a work of fiction， or wrong with the way it explores and presents identity， but because it’s easy to forget marginalised people aren’t monoliths。 And it’s okay to have representations of marginalised identity that—for whatever reason—do not happen to reflect the experiences and worldview of every reader who shares elements of that marginalised identity。 I think what it boiled down to， for me， was that identity was ultimately presented as something very … legible in the book。 Whether that was every character entering the text with their race immediately flagged （which， I understand， is there to push back against the problematic ‘white as default’ view that white readers are inclined to bring to books—but， at the same time， it does mean that all character descriptions follow a pattern of [characteristic] [race] [gender] [optionally with x] which can feel uncomfortably homogenising and compresses all the complexity of racial identity into a single label， which not everybody of that identity will feel reflects them） or nonbinary people introducing themselves with their pronouns （which， again， I understand some nonbinary people do but here it feels like it’s being presented as a default rather than a choice）。 There’s even a scene where Astrid goes to borrow some romance novels from Iris and， despite not having read them yet， she is somehow able to rattle off the exact identities of the protagonists to the reader despite the fact that isn’t actually information that’s contained in the back cover copy。 For example， Astrid （whose POV we are in at the time） describes Written in the Stars as “a Pride and Prejudice re-telling， queer， a bisexual woman and lesbian” and The Intimacy Experiment as being about “a male Jewish rabbi and a bisexual white female”。 It’s pretty clear from the packaging of WITS that it’s an f/f re-telling of Pride & Prejudice but you wouldn’t know Elle was explicitly bi and Darcy explicitly gay unless you’d read the book; similarly you’d only know Naomi was bi if you’d read The Intimacy Experiment。 And I’m not saying it’s wrong for either of these books not to carry this information in their packaging at all， I feel it would be detrimental if it did （it feels more important， to me， that we know Darcy is a grumpy control freak than exclusively attracted to women）; I’m just pointing out that Astrid’s queerdar is so fucking honed she can discern the sexuality of even fictional people based solely on a hundred words of marketing copy。 Or rather that this feeds back into a view of identity I find personally quite alienating。 To me， identity isn’t legible， and perhaps shouldn’t be？ It’s complicated and it’s not something that can easily find consensus because we’re all individuals， even when there are things to connect us。 And I think what happened to hit the spot for me with Delilah Green is that Delilah herself is messy and so there was scope for the world around her to be messy too; steeped in queerness， yes， but a queerness that was rooted in individual character rather than this broad notion of identity that we find not necessarily in Astrid herself but in the world where Astrid has been placed: which is to say， something listable， discernible and consumable。 。。。more

Katherine ，

Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review。Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail is like the steamy， queer， small town romance of our dreams and the perfect sequel in Ashley Herring Blake's Bright Falls series。 We follow Astrid and Jordan who do anything but see eye to eye as they are forced to work together on the renovation of Jordan's family Inn creating the perfect amount of tension and banter that we love to see in a rivals to lovers roman Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review。Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail is like the steamy， queer， small town romance of our dreams and the perfect sequel in Ashley Herring Blake's Bright Falls series。 We follow Astrid and Jordan who do anything but see eye to eye as they are forced to work together on the renovation of Jordan's family Inn creating the perfect amount of tension and banter that we love to see in a rivals to lovers romance。 They are total opposites and find each other infuriating and are definitely NOT attracted to each other， especially since Astrid is straight， right？ Did I mentioned all of this banter and tension is being filmed for a HGTV like inn renovation show？After getting to know Astrid through Claire and Delilah's eyes， I was so excited to get to know her more， especially since she is painted as a fairly unlikable character in the first book。 Throughout the story Astrid is forced to really explore her identity， both relating to her sexuality and what she is doing with her life in general。 It was honestly super refreshing to see that exploration of self from characters in adulthood who don't have their lives all figured out and are still learning about themselves， and we do see that from both Jordan and Astrid。 I absolutely loved the beautiful character development we got from the two of them as they learn to be vulnerable both with themselves and the people they care about。 I was so happy with how much I loved Astrid and Jordan together。 In addition， as with the first book I loved the strong and supportive female friendship between Astrid， Claire， and Iris （and Delilah too） throughout the book。 It made me even more excited for Iris to get the happily ever after she deserves。 。。。more

Logan ，

astrid parker is me。 I am astrid parker。

bbbeth ，

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review。3。25⭐️This book was really fun and cute in parts however it did kind of leave me wanting more。 I wanted to know the characters a little more， they didn't feel super developed。 And I would've loved to see more of Astrid and Delilah's relationship developing！ Their arc was one of my favourite parts in Delilah's book， and while it was hinted at in parts of the book， I was just hoping it would be a little stronger。 M Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review。3。25⭐️This book was really fun and cute in parts however it did kind of leave me wanting more。 I wanted to know the characters a little more， they didn't feel super developed。 And I would've loved to see more of Astrid and Delilah's relationship developing！ Their arc was one of my favourite parts in Delilah's book， and while it was hinted at in parts of the book， I was just hoping it would be a little stronger。 Mostly Delilah turns up because she's Claire's girlfriend - she's often mentioned in phrases like 'her best friends and Delilah'。On the whole， I didn't dislike this book！ But I didn't feel super connected to it either。 。。。more

Amy Coles ，

IMO even better than the first book！This is the Hallmark small town 'save the historic inn！'， enemies to lovers， bi awakening romcom we all want to read。 With a splash of HGTV。The audiobook narrated by Kirsten DiMercurio was fantastic and I'd highly recommend it。 DiMercurio just has a way of infusing the characters with even more personality and it just ties the whole narrative together perfectly。 IMO even better than the first book！This is the Hallmark small town 'save the historic inn！'， enemies to lovers， bi awakening romcom we all want to read。 With a splash of HGTV。The audiobook narrated by Kirsten DiMercurio was fantastic and I'd highly recommend it。 DiMercurio just has a way of infusing the characters with even more personality and it just ties the whole narrative together perfectly。 。。。more

Zoranne ，

RTC 4。5！！ i think i loved this even more than delilah green doesn’t care！

Carol-Anne ，

This book was so good。 It was a really nice follow up to Delilah。 I was worried about how they were going to introduce Astrid’s sexuality but I think they navigated her questioning really well。 I think some elements felt a bit rushed but overall it was great！ Looking forward to the next one！

booksnpenguins （wingspan matters） ，

love。 want。 need。 ASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSTRIDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

angelie marwaha ，

thank you to little brown book group and netgally for my ARC of astrid parker doesn't fail。ashley herring blake honestly excels at romances， i adored delilah green and completely fell in love with the characters so i was so excited to start astrid parker and it did not disappoint。the small town queer romance was done to perfection and with such warmth and incredibly detailed characters that provided for an excellent read。our two main characters had intricately developed storylines and background thank you to little brown book group and netgally for my ARC of astrid parker doesn't fail。ashley herring blake honestly excels at romances， i adored delilah green and completely fell in love with the characters so i was so excited to start astrid parker and it did not disappoint。the small town queer romance was done to perfection and with such warmth and incredibly detailed characters that provided for an excellent read。our two main characters had intricately developed storylines and background context that really built up to having excellent characterisation。 they were captivating and interesting with storylines that were different and provoking。i loved getting to know astrid more and working out what makes her tick， her relationship with her mother was raw and projected the complexity that came along with it。 she got the story she deserved and what was teased about， when we first met her in delilah green。all the characters in astrid parker are a strong point of the book， especially claire， iris and astrid。 their found family and support system of each other was part of what made me fall in love with herring blake’s work at the start。 perhaps the only complaint i had was that we did not see enough of those 3， especially when they are such an integral part of each others live’s and a reason why so many people have loved delilah green as they did。 astrid parker doesn’t fail was never boring or had a slow pace， it was an enjoyable read that i truly had fun reading。a for sure 5/5 read， that will only solidify my recommendation of herring blakes work， i loved reading it！ 。。。more

angelie marwaha ，

thank you to little brown book group and netgally for my ARC of astrid parker doesn't fail。ashley herring blake honestly excels at romances， i adored delilah green and completely fell in love with the characters so i was so excited to start astrid parker and it did not disappoint。the small town queer romance was done to perfection and with such warmth and incredibly detailed characters that provided for an excellent read。our two main characters had intricately developed storylines and background thank you to little brown book group and netgally for my ARC of astrid parker doesn't fail。ashley herring blake honestly excels at romances， i adored delilah green and completely fell in love with the characters so i was so excited to start astrid parker and it did not disappoint。the small town queer romance was done to perfection and with such warmth and incredibly detailed characters that provided for an excellent read。our two main characters had intricately developed storylines and background context that really built up to having excellent characterisation。 they were captivating and interesting with storylines that were different and provoking。i loved getting to know astrid more and working out what makes her tick， her relationship with her mother was raw and projected the complexity that came along with it。 she got the story she deserved and what was teased about， when we first met her in delilah green。all the characters in astrid parker are a strong point of the book， especially claire， iris and astrid。 their found family and support system of each other was part of what made me fall in love with herring blake’s work at the start。 perhaps the only complaint i had was that we did not see enough of those 3， especially when they are such an integral part of each others live’s and a reason why so many people have loved delilah green as they did。 astrid parker doesn’t fail was never boring or had a slow pace， it was an enjoyable read that i truly had fun reading。a for sure 5/5 read， that will only solidify my recommendation of herring blakes work， i loved reading it！ 。。。more

Amanda Longhi ，

I absolutely LOVED the second book in the Bright Falls series！ I already knew I loved these characters from reading Delilah Green， but this book gave me so much joy for so many reasons！ The enemies to lovers tension， a home renovation show setting， and all the queer friendships and badassery made this book an easy 5 star read。 I will be recommending this series to everyone with eyes and a reading comprehension， because it is the greatest。First off， the characters are *chefs kiss*。 One of my favo I absolutely LOVED the second book in the Bright Falls series！ I already knew I loved these characters from reading Delilah Green， but this book gave me so much joy for so many reasons！ The enemies to lovers tension， a home renovation show setting， and all the queer friendships and badassery made this book an easy 5 star read。 I will be recommending this series to everyone with eyes and a reading comprehension， because it is the greatest。First off， the characters are *chefs kiss*。 One of my favorite groups of friends in any series。 Claire， Delilah， Astrid and Iris are so fun to get to know more and more， and I enjoy getting to see them interact in such a witty and humorous way， but also the "drop everything immediately and support their friend" way as well。 The love they all hold for each other is almost palpable。 They make me want to be friends with them all。 Plus， all the characters we met in this novel， with Jordan and Simon Everwood being the BEST addition to the group。 Their twin relationship is so fun to get to know and I'm so excited to hopefully see them more in the upcoming Bright Falls books！ Astrid and Jordan had me smiling to myself so much！ I will say in Delilah Green Doesn't Care， Astrid was NOT my favorite， So i went into this book with a hope that I would like her more and more as I read。 And I most definitely did。 Getting to watch her discover who she is a little later in life， both in terms of sexuality and her career/just general life path， was really refreshing and wonderful。 Jordan however was a QUICK favorite character of mine。 I loved her so so much and absolutely adored these two so much together！ 。。。more

˗ˏˋsofia´ˎ˗ ，

5 STARS✨💫After absolutely loving Delilah Green Doesn’t Care， I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Astrid’s book and rightfully so。 This book was so incredibly good， it’s sweet， steamy， an amazing cast of characters。Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail is about an interior designer who is called to redesign the town historical Everwood Inn for a popular HGTV show and the owner’s granddaughter Jordan， who happens to be also be the lead carpenter， who despises every modern design。Filled with rivalry， delicious 5 STARS✨💫After absolutely loving Delilah Green Doesn’t Care， I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Astrid’s book and rightfully so。 This book was so incredibly good， it’s sweet， steamy， an amazing cast of characters。Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail is about an interior designer who is called to redesign the town historical Everwood Inn for a popular HGTV show and the owner’s granddaughter Jordan， who happens to be also be the lead carpenter， who despises every modern design。Filled with rivalry， delicious tension and whole lot of feels， Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail is an amazing sequel to Delilah’s book。 It was so interesting to be in Astrid’s head and find out that the cold， tight character we met in the first book is anything but。While this is a romance book， and a great one at that， it’s also the journey of Astrid’s personal discovery and her evolution。 Her sexuality， lifestyle， career， and relationships are all important topics throughout the book。 I really enjoyed seeing her discover herself and become someone who is happy with every aspect of their life。Jordan was the best kind of surprise。 She’s determined， passionate， hardworking and loving。 I loved getting to know her and her side of the story。I loved the rivalry but what I loved even more was when it started to involve feelings。 Basically the part where they hated each other but wanted to screw their brains out。 I also can’t help but adore the small intimate moments of almost-kisses and passing touches。 Seeing their feeling evolve was like watching fireworks and it was the best thing。I need to mention the best friend group ever， Claire， Iris and Astrid。 These girls are the best。 Their continuing support and love they have for each other is something to be jealous of。 I loved seeing their group more and I can’t wait to get more of them in Iris’ story。 。。。more

Robin ，

Thank you so much to Berkley， PRHAudio， and Netgalley for providing advanced copies of this！ All thoughts and opinions are still my own。After absolutely falling in love with Delilah Green earlier this year， I was insanely excited to continue on in this series。 I loved the concept and characters in this addition， however it didn't hit the mark quite the way the first book did。I really loved getting to explore Astrid's character。 She is so unlikeable on the surface， but I loved getting know all th Thank you so much to Berkley， PRHAudio， and Netgalley for providing advanced copies of this！ All thoughts and opinions are still my own。After absolutely falling in love with Delilah Green earlier this year， I was insanely excited to continue on in this series。 I loved the concept and characters in this addition， however it didn't hit the mark quite the way the first book did。I really loved getting to explore Astrid's character。 She is so unlikeable on the surface， but I loved getting know all the different facets of her。 I loved watching her slowly come undone at the hands of Jordan。 And those sex scenes 🥵🥵 Hot damn。 I also really like Jordan as a character。 I thought she was sweet and relatable and absolutely adorable。 But I was just never totally sold on their romance together。 I didn't think they were a bad match by any means。 I understood why they liked each other and how they fit as a couple。 But I never felt that spark with them。I also thought this plot meandered a little too long。 I loved the home renovation aspect of this。 As well as the enemies to lovers side of their romance。 But I felt like we were rehashing a lot of the same beats over and over again here。 But the biggest thing that took me out of the story was how on the nose the author was at times。 There were great discussion of pronouns， sexuality， gender， queer culture， etc。 But there were multiple moments where it felt like the story came to a screeching halt so that we could discuss why 'asking pronouns is important' or 'discovering your sexuality later in life is okay'。 It was so jarring at times that I couldn't help but be pulled out of the story。I love how inclusive AHB's romances are - in YA， MG， and adult。 But this was the first time I felt like the discussions didn't flow naturally into the story。 Overall this was just FINE for me。 Especially coming off of book 1 which I absolutely adored。 I definitely will continue on with this series， it just wasn't my personal favorite of the group。 。。。more

BernLuvsBooks ，

4。5⭐️ - I loved this so much， but Delilah is still #1 queen of my heart。 I am super excited that Iris’ story is next - she is my fave after Delilah so the expectations are high！

Liz ，

4。5 stars。 Review to come on Under the Covers Book Blog。

DeStijlx ，

The wait is finally over！ Interior designer Astrid is chosen as lead designer to renovate the Everwood Inn。 While Jordan Everwood who has lived at and loved the Inn since a child is brought on as the lead carpenter。 Two wounded characters still trying to cope with blows life have dealt them are brought together to fix up the Inn， all while surrounded by a camera crew trying to film the renovation to be broadcasted for the popular home improvement show， Innside America。 The story starts off with The wait is finally over！ Interior designer Astrid is chosen as lead designer to renovate the Everwood Inn。 While Jordan Everwood who has lived at and loved the Inn since a child is brought on as the lead carpenter。 Two wounded characters still trying to cope with blows life have dealt them are brought together to fix up the Inn， all while surrounded by a camera crew trying to film the renovation to be broadcasted for the popular home improvement show， Innside America。 The story starts off with high tension and clashes between the two MCs。 Life hasn't been easy for either and emotions are high， so when a coffee collision occurs， an outburst between the two are inevitable。 This carries over to both having very different visions for the Inn but Jordan and Astrid both need this renovation to go to plan so their lives too can get back on track。Blake did a brilliant job with Delilah Green Doesn't Care， so I had high expectations for this second instalment。 Unfortunately， I think this book fell a little short。 It definitely had a lot of potential， the storyline was there， the characters were there but it just lacked in depth for me。 The sparks between the characters were barely there too。 It would be a hit and miss， some chapters I felt the sparks and at other times I felt like it was forced。 I think it was only in the last two chapters that I felt like finally something was happening between the MCs。 I hate to say it but yeah I'm disappointed。 It's unfortunate because we know Herring Blake can deliver and has done so brilliantly with DGDC。 Maybe I'm asking for too much but I just wanted more *feelings* but I understand it doesn't always work out。 Here's hoping Iris's story will be better。 Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for a review。 。。。more

Maria Mims ，

awh so cute and gay （ARC）

Justkeepreading ，

Oh this book is hot， hot， hot。 Steamy， sexy， funny， romantic， fun。 Really well written， likeable characters， good setting， great pace。 I enjoyed it。

Amy ，

I absolutely loved the first book in this series， Delilah Green Doesn’t Care early this year so I definitely had high expectations going into this one。 While I still enjoyed this one I didn’t like it quite as much as it’s predecessor， I think it was missing some of the magic book one had for me。 BUT。 Still lots to like here， I’ve been curious about Astrid and it was nice to get her perspective， you also get Jordan’s POV too and in a romance especially I’m all for seeing both sides。 I was into th I absolutely loved the first book in this series， Delilah Green Doesn’t Care early this year so I definitely had high expectations going into this one。 While I still enjoyed this one I didn’t like it quite as much as it’s predecessor， I think it was missing some of the magic book one had for me。 BUT。 Still lots to like here， I’ve been curious about Astrid and it was nice to get her perspective， you also get Jordan’s POV too and in a romance especially I’m all for seeing both sides。 I was into the home renovation aspect of the story as well， design talk is interesting to me and it was a cute and fun backdrop for a romance。 I felt like both Astrid and Jordan were well drawn too， it’s hard to put my finger on exactly why this wasn’t the five star read I assumed it would be。 I’m still going with four stars， I loved the representation， checking in on Claire and Delilah and the authentic characters。 I think maybe it felt a little long and drawn out for me in the end， maybe？ But if you like queer romances that are super steamy and witty try this。 。。。more

Toya （the reading chemist） ，

This book was so damn good！ I have such a soft spot for messy queers navigating their sexuality in adulthood！

˗ˏˋsofia´ˎ˗ ，

5 STARS✨💫After absolutely loving Delilah Green Doesn’t Care， I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Astrid’s book and rightfully so。 This book was so incredibly good， it’s sweet， steamy， an amazing cast of characters。Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail is about an interior designer who is called to redesign the town historical Everwood Inn for a popular HGTV show and the owner’s granddaughter Jordan， who happens to be also be the lead carpenter， who despises every modern design。Filled with rivalry， delicious 5 STARS✨💫After absolutely loving Delilah Green Doesn’t Care， I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Astrid’s book and rightfully so。 This book was so incredibly good， it’s sweet， steamy， an amazing cast of characters。Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail is about an interior designer who is called to redesign the town historical Everwood Inn for a popular HGTV show and the owner’s granddaughter Jordan， who happens to be also be the lead carpenter， who despises every modern design。Filled with rivalry， delicious tension and whole lot of feels， Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail is an amazing sequel to Delilah’s book。 It was so interesting to be in Astrid’s head and find out that the cold， tight character we met in the first book is anything but。While this is a romance book， and a great one at that， it’s also the journey of Astrid’s personal discovery and her evolution。 Her sexuality， lifestyle， career， and relationships are all important topics throughout the book。 I really enjoyed seeing her discover herself and become someone who is happy with every aspect of their life。Jordan was the best kind of surprise。 She’s determined， passionate， hardworking and loving。 I loved getting to know her and her side of the story。I loved the rivalry but what I loved even more was when it started to involve feelings。 Basically the part where they hated each other but wanted to screw their brains out。 I also can’t help but adore the small intimate moments of almost-kisses and passing touches。 Seeing their feeling evolve was like watching fireworks and it was the best thing。I need to mention the best friend group ever， Claire， Iris and Astrid。 These girls are the best。 Their continuing support and love they have for each other is something to be jealous of。 I loved seeing their group more and I can’t wait to get more of them in Iris’ story。 。。。more

Anya ，

4。5 starsThanks to Berkley （via NetGalley） for the ARC！Ashley Herring Blake has another hit on her hands with this book。 For Astrid's story， we return to Bright Falls， Oregon， where things aren't going great for Astrid。 She's been chugging along since she ditched Spencer， but she's not entirely happy。 She doesn't have a partner， and she's been feeling uninspired in her design job。 She's hoping the televised job with the Everwood Inn will turn things around for her。 Then she and Jordan run into e 4。5 starsThanks to Berkley （via NetGalley） for the ARC！Ashley Herring Blake has another hit on her hands with this book。 For Astrid's story， we return to Bright Falls， Oregon， where things aren't going great for Astrid。 She's been chugging along since she ditched Spencer， but she's not entirely happy。 She doesn't have a partner， and she's been feeling uninspired in her design job。 She's hoping the televised job with the Everwood Inn will turn things around for her。 Then she and Jordan run into each other。 Literally。 It's a disastrous first meeting with coffee stains and harsh words。 Astrid doesn't know who Jordan is， only that she's never seen her before。 Jordan has moved backed to Bright Falls after her marriage fell apart to help revive her family's dying inn。 The very same Everwood Inn that Astrid was hired to design。 😱I really loved this book。 I was very excited to read Astrid's story， because I knew that after the dramatic end of her relationship with Spencer in Delilah's book， there was still so much she needed to figure out about herself and her relationship with her mother。 She'd been through a lot， but she still needed to come into her own。 And she really did in this book。Jordan was the perfect counterbalance to her as well。 She had her own problems she work on throughout the course of the book， but she also pushed Astrid。 They challenged each other （even before they got together） and made each other better and were super supportive of each other when they needed it。Astrid and Jordan start out as rivals because of a silly mistake--the aforementioned coffee spill--and the romantic and sexual tension between them as they begin to realize their feelings for each other is just *delightful。* It's so well done especially once both of them realize how petty they were being。 Astrid tries so hard to be in control of everything and Jordan wants nothing more than to push all of Astrid's buttons and make her pop and that rivalry on the renovation show blends perfectly into their actual romantic chemistry。One of my favorite things is that Astrid is 30 and is just now figuring out her sexuality。 She's never been with a woman before， never stopped to think about her feelings towards women before， and even though she is literally surrounded by queer women， they've never pressured her to do anything like that。 Astrid comes to the realization in life that she is queer （and doesn't ever really decide on a label）， and no one gives her any crap about it。 （view spoiler）[In one of my absolute favorite scenes in the book， Astrid comes out to her friends by telling them she's with Jordan， and they are completely， 100% supportive of her。 Iris does tease her a little bit because she sensed the chemistry between them， but it's all in good fun。 It was just the perfect scene because so often bisexual， pansexual and queer people who come out later in life are doubted or questioned about their feelings and if they're true or not and met with things like "why did it take you so long？？" so this scene between Astrid and her best friends in the world was truly one of my favorites。 （hide spoiler）] I also liked how Jordan was respectful of Astrid's exploration of her identity while also protecting herself from being hurt。 It was a delicate balance of wanting to explore her feelings for Astrid but not wanting to be hurt or wanting to be an experiment， and I think that was done really well。Overall， I really enjoyed this book。 I hate to compare it to Delilah， but I think I felt more of a connection to the characters in that book， which is what's preventing me from giving this a full 5 stars。 I still really loved it and have （of course） already pre-ordered it， though。 And I am really excited for Iris's book， which I got to read a preview of at the end of this。 I think her book will be lots of chaotic fun！ 。。。more

A_Stylish_Bookworm ，

Thank you @prhaudio @netgalley for a copy of the book。 This story focuses on Astrid who in the last story almost married a man that wasn't so perfect for her。 Astrid's life in limbo and she uses the opportunity of renovating a local BnB to do that。 There she meets Jordan and there's tension between the two with different ideas on the renovation。 I wanted more banter between the two but enjoyed their story。 Overall a good story about self discovery and standing up to family for Astrid。 Thank you @prhaudio @netgalley for a copy of the book。 This story focuses on Astrid who in the last story almost married a man that wasn't so perfect for her。 Astrid's life in limbo and she uses the opportunity of renovating a local BnB to do that。 There she meets Jordan and there's tension between the two with different ideas on the renovation。 I wanted more banter between the two but enjoyed their story。 Overall a good story about self discovery and standing up to family for Astrid。 。。。more

rina dunn ，

I absolutely adored Delilah Green Doesn't Care so I was super excited to get to read Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail on netgalley and I loved it just as much as the first book in the series！ If you love saphhic romance then Ashley Herring Blake needs to be your go to author because the romance elements are just everything。 I love that it's not all sweet and magical， the characters are often flawed and their relationships messy but they are definitely the kind of people you champion。 I'm so glad we go I absolutely adored Delilah Green Doesn't Care so I was super excited to get to read Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail on netgalley and I loved it just as much as the first book in the series！ If you love saphhic romance then Ashley Herring Blake needs to be your go to author because the romance elements are just everything。 I love that it's not all sweet and magical， the characters are often flawed and their relationships messy but they are definitely the kind of people you champion。 I'm so glad we got a book from Astrid's POV her journey of self discovery in this book is just beautiful to read and I'm so glad she met Jordan！ They complement each other so well and I loved following their relationship。 I loved everything about this book， The characters are so well developed， it's funny and heartwarming in equal measure and will leave you feeling like you've been hugged。 The setting is so cosy with small town vibes which is my favourite and it was delightful to spend more time with Claire， Iris and Delilah too！ I love these girls ❤️ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0