Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A woman revisits old pain and experiences new love when she returns to her hometown for her stepsister’s wedding. After a childhood filled with grief from the loss of first her mother and then her father by the time she was 10, and having felt unloved by Isabel, her stepmother, and Astrid, her stepsister, 30-year-old Delilah Green is finally making her own way in the world. Living boldly and unapologetically as a struggling photographer in New York City, Delilah keeps her hookups casual and her focus solely on her art and her own well-being. So, when Astrid asks Delilah to return to Bright Falls to photograph her wedding, Delilah can’t think of anything she’d rather do less. But with a sorely needed $15,000 payday attached to the event—and guilt over her father’s wishes for the family to stick together—Delilah reluctantly agrees. She expects to trudge through Isabel’s indifference and Astrid’s iciness until she can escape back to New York to prepare for a make-or-break showing of her work as part of a queer exhibition at the Whitney Museum. What she doesn’t expect is Astrid’s childhood best friend, Claire Sutherland. Claire has a busy life raising her 11-year-old daughter, Ruby, dealing with her flaky ex, Josh, and running her bookstore in town. But from the moment Claire sees Astrid’s formerly gloomy stepsister all grown up, there’s an instant attraction neither one can deny. Thrown together for many booze-soaked pre-wedding events—and an ill-advised plot to get Astrid to dump her horrible fiance before she walks down the aisle—the women reopen old wounds, heal past hurts, and realize just how much they have yet to learn about each other, their loved ones, and themselves. Blake captures all the complications of family, friendship, and romance with humor and heart. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Publishers Weekly
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Blake (Girl Made of Stars) makes her adult debut with a broad queer rom-com. Stepsisters Astrid Parker and Delilah Green shared a household for a decade and resented every minute of it. Now Delilah’s an artist hustling in New York, but she comes home to Oregon when her stepmother promises to pay her $15,000 to be Astrid’s wedding photographer. Astrid still runs with her high school crew, Claire and Iris, whom Delilah thinks of as mean girls. That’s accurate, but Claire and Iris both loathe Astrid’s fiancé and they’re willing to make an unholy alliance with devil-may-care Delilah if it will rescue Astrid from the match. Meanwhile, Delilah has a not-quite-bet with Astrid that Delilah will wrangle shy Claire, her former high school crush, into bed. The resulting escapades are mostly alcohol-fueled pratfalls laced with bitterness. It’s Sex in the City with a Breakfast Club edge as four women with old grudges manipulate one another through the two-week run-up to Astrid’s wedding. The result is heavier on slapstick humor than feelings and will appeal more to chick lit fans than romance aficionados. Agent: Rebecca Podos, Rees Literary. (Feb.)

Library Journal
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Delilah Green is only coming back to Bright Falls, OR, to photograph her stepsister Astrid's wedding, but sparks ignite almost immediately when Delilah and her stepsister's longtime friend Claire Sutherland meet again. While they're both sure of their attraction, the pre-wedding festivities mean that their focus should be on Astrid—whether they're attending her carefully planned events or plotting to break up her engagement to a possessive misogynist. What follows is a series of fun, steamy hookups derailed by real adult life: Claire has a tween daughter, and Delilah is trying to launch her art career in New York. Can they sabotage Astrid's relationship while they build their own? This is Blake's adult debut; her experience in middle grade and young adult (Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea) shows in Claire's relationship with her daughter and her ex. VERDICT The connection among Claire's friends and the development of Delilah's backstory add depth to a fun hometown romance, planned as the start of a series of Bright Falls-set queer romances.—Katelyn Browne

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A woman revisits old pain and experiences new love when she returns to her hometown for her stepsisters wedding.After a childhood filled with grief from the loss of first her mother and then her father by the time she was 10, and having felt unloved by Isabel, her stepmother, and Astrid, her stepsister, 30-year-old Delilah Green is finally making her own way in the world. Living boldly and unapologetically as a struggling photographer in New York City, Delilah keeps her hookups casual and her focus solely on her art and her own well-being. So, when Astrid asks Delilah to return to Bright Falls to photograph her wedding, Delilah cant think of anything shed rather do less. But with a sorely needed $15,000 payday attached to the eventand guilt over her fathers wishes for the family to stick togetherDelilah reluctantly agrees. She expects to trudge through Isabels indifference and Astrids iciness until she can escape back to New York to prepare for a make-or-break showing of her work as part of a queer exhibition at the Whitney Museum. What she doesnt expect is Astrids childhood best friend, Claire Sutherland. Claire has a busy life raising her 11-year-old daughter, Ruby, dealing with her flaky ex, Josh, and running her bookstore in town. But from the moment Claire sees Astrids formerly gloomy stepsister all grown up, theres an instant attraction neither one can deny. Thrown together for many booze-soaked pre-wedding eventsand an ill-advised plot to get Astrid to dump her horrible fiance before she walks down the aislethe women reopen old wounds, heal past hurts, and realize just how much they have yet to learn about each other, their loved ones, and themselves.Blake captures all the complications of family, friendship, and romance with humor and heart. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.