e-Audio, 11:58:46
Narrated by: Gail Shalan
Release Date: May 13, 2025
Published by: Books on Tape
Read from: May 9-11, 2025
Clover Lake, #1
Source: Penguin Audio App (I received a free e-ALC from the publisher. This did nothing to influence my review.)
Content Warning: N/A
For Readers Interested In:2sLGBTQ+, Adult, Audio, Sparkly Covers, Most Anticipated, Realistic Fiction, RomanceA small-town waitress and a Hollywood star’s worlds collide in this new romance by Ashley Herring Blake, USA Today bestselling author of Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date.
Once upon a time, Ramona Riley was a student at a prestigious art school, with dreams of landing in Hollywood as a costume designer to the stars. But after her father’s car accident, she had to quit and return to her small New Hampshire town, Clover Lake, to help take care of her younger sister. Twelve years later, Ramona is still working at the town’s café, all but given up on her dream. But when a big-budget romantic comedy comes to Clover Lake to film, she wonders if this could be her chance. There’s only one problem—Dylan Monroe, her first kiss and Hollywood’s favorite wild child—is the star.
Dylan Monroe has always lived an unconventional life, having famous rock icons for parents. But she wants to prove that she’s not some chaotic, talentless nepo baby, that she has actual skills, that she’s just a normal person. To do that, Dylan takes on a project at a charming lake town—she even works at the town’s café (very quaint), shadowing a local waitress there (very cute), and asks her to take Dylan around to do Normal People Things.
But Dylan soon realizes it’s not just some small-town waitress she’s getting to know—Ramona Riley is someone she’s met before, someone who remembers her even more vividly. Before long, however, reality hits them, and both women must decide if the spark between them can fan the flames of their individual dreams, or if it will extinguish their light.
*MY THOUGHTS*
Every single time I hear about another book by Ashley Herring Blake I get excited. I won’t even know what the synopsis is, but i still add it to my TBR immediately. And this one is no different. And I gotta say this one was so good and it was so much fun!
Ok so it was fun in the sense that I loved the premise. Idk what it is, but I love the thought of being on set for a movie based on a book. It felt a bit meta lol And with the author of said book being who she was, I gotta say, I was HELLA excited to see her again. And I was glad that she gave them some kind of advice on certain things. It was very cute.
As for the characters, I was a bit let down. I LOVED Ramona! She was really a peach! But Dylan? She was a hypocrite and I just couldn’t . Granted she did get it together later on, but by then it was too late and they were already fighting. Idk why her doing this annoyed me so much tho. Maybe because she made this big ass deal about her doing it when she did it also. Other than that, they were actually good together. And ummmm, the spice? Am I the only one who thought this one was more spicy than her others? Idk what was going on in this one, but I found myself fanning myself more than usual. It wasn’t bad, just different.
I did think it was a little long and drawn out tho. I wish they had given us some more time on set. Or given us some more time getting to know her terrible parents. I know a lot of this was because it had dual POV, but it made it a bit drawn out. And no I’m not saying it would have been better without both POVs, but still. I’m not sure what the balance is, but I don’t think it exactly achieved it if that makes sense.
The ending was so cute. As someone who’s second Love Language is Words of Affirmation, to see that they remembered something that happened in one of their earlier convos, was so sweet! I loved that part so much. But I HATE when authors like leave their getting together until the very end and we hardly get to see them together. I know they have been doing it and flirting this whole time, but still. I’ve sat through this entire book I need to see them together for longer than an epilogue.
This was cute, but there are still some things I’d like to change. The next story is her bestie’s but I gotta say, I need the Lady Whistledown character to get a book too. And the sister needs a novella. I need to know her journey. I’m sure it will be fascinating.
Overall, I give this
