Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake REVIEW

Summary:

Delilah Green swore she would never go back to Bright Falls - nothing is there for her but memories of a lonely childhood in which she was little more than a burden to her cold and distant stepfamily. Her life is in New York, with her photography career finally gaining steam and her bed never empty. Sure, there's a different woman in it every night, but that's just fine with her.

When Delilah's estranged stepsister, Astrid, pressures her into photographing her wedding with a guilt trip and a five-figure check, Delilah finds herself in the godforsaken town that she used to call home. She plans to breeze in and out, but then she sees Claire Sutherland, one of Astrid's stuck-up besties, and decides that maybe there's some fun (and a little retribution) to be had in Bright Falls after all.

Having raised her eleven-year-old daughter mostly on her own while dealing with her unreliable ex and running a bookstore, Claire Sutherland depends upon a life without surprises. And Delilah Green is an unwelcome surprise . . . at first. Though they've known each other for years, they don't really know each other, so Claire is unsettled when Delilah figures out exactly what buttons to push. When they're forced together during the gauntlet of wedding preparations - including a plot to save Astrid from her horrible fiancé - Claire isn't sure she has the strength to resist Delilah's charms. Even worse, she's starting to think she doesn't want to . . . 

My Thoughts:

This was a really fun book. Delilah is estranged from her stepfamily who were distant from her as a child after she lost her father, and doesn't want to go back to her hometown. But needing the money, she goes back to be the photographer for Astrid's wedding. Claire unknowingly approaches her at the bar, but is scared off once it's revealed who she is. Delilah plans to be a pain to her stepfamily the whole time she's there, and even tells Astrid that she'd bet her that she can get Claire into her bed before the wedding. But feelings start to happen, and Delilah and Astrid reconcile. It turns out that Astrid really did want to be close to her growing up, but gave up after being rejected continuously when she asked Delilah if she wanted to hang out. Astrid realizes what a terrible person she's engaged to, and they break things off. Delilah and Claire end up together at the end. The only issue I had with this book was the lack of payoff to the reconciliation. It's brought up constantly how Delilah feels about how she grew up, but when the payoff happens, it's not really long enough to make the impact that the author likely intended, which is a shame.

My Rating: 4 stars