Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail: A Review

I recently just finished the second book of Ashley Herring Blake’s Bright Falls series, Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail. This series, along with the the Witches of Thistle Grove series were series I picked up around the same time. I wanted to read some more romances and with me finding them in June, I ended up working it into a LGBTQ+ focused reading month (note that this wasn’t the only time I’ve read LGBTQ+ book, I just ended up deciding that I would try to focus on LGBTQ+ centered books since it was Pride Month).

I was initially hesitant if I wanted to continue on with this series, because after finishing Delilah Green Doesn’t Care and reflecting on issues I had with that book after, I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to continue the series. However, I ended up decided that I would read Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail to give the series a chance outside of the first book. The reason for giving it a chance was because I didn’t want to decide if I wanted to drop it solely on the first book. I wanted to give it a chance in the event the second book ended up being better than the first. And I ended up enjoying Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail.

Though not perfect, I do think Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail was a better book when compared to Delilah Green Doesn’t Care.

Positives

I can narrow it down to characters, how they developed, and the story. This story does see the return of characters from the previous book, like Delilah, Claire, and Iris. And Astrid, who Delilah and the gang plan to end her engagement to her fiancé, is one of the main characters alongside Jordan and part of the eventual main romance. That said, the secondary returning characters were solid enough for what they were needed for and the new characters for the most part worked.

Off the characters, I feel like Astrid and Jordan, mostly the former, had some of the best development in the story. Granted, that’s to be expected with them being the leading ladies, but their progression was done well and felt natural. They didn’t rush into a relationship and both tried to figure out what they wanted in the relationship and for the other person. I enjoyed how Astrid was able to become her own person and not what her mother wants, while also making mistakes along the way. As for Jordan, I’m glad she was finally able to find happiness after how things ended with her ex wife Meredith.

Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail also had a pretty solid storyline. While mostly from the perspectives of Astrid and Jordan, there was enough time to give the secondary characters time to shine. Astrid’s mother, Delilah, Claire, and Iris had good moments and helped Astrid when needed, with her mother being a source of conflict that she needed for personal growth. Then there’s Meredith and Jordan’s brother. Jordan’s brother brought a nice sibling dynamic between the two with her brother looking out for Jordan, while Meredith is a character that Jordan had her own personal conflicts over as Jordan started to realize that she deserved happiness and love too.

And while I may have felt like the plot was relatively simple, I thought it did a good job with the story it wanted to tell. I also feel like it did a better job with it compared to Delilah Green Doesn’t Care.

Critiques

As far as criticisms, I only really have two. This critique isn’t super serious, but it’s fine that I feel like addressing. That being some tropes that this book falls into,

Now, tropes aren’t inherently a bad thing. They are just elements that aren’t uncommon. When done well, they can be good. When not done as well, it’s noticeable. It really just depends on the book.

The tropes used here aren’t bad by any means.

Those include:

• Opposites Attract: Both have different visions for the project they’re working on, one’s vision is more modern while the other is traditional, Astrid aesthetic is bright and girly while Jordan’s ids rugged and kind of tomboyish.
• Second Chances: Both Astrid and Jordan find second chances at love with each other. Astrid finds love after calling things off with her ex fiancé and Jordan finds love again after the rough divorce between her and Meredith.
• Work Partners: They start off as work partners on renovating a house for a show. From there, they end up falling in love.

Again, I am not saying that tropes are bad. However, Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail does utilize a few romance tropes. And while I might not mind them, for the sake of critique I will say that is the one criticism I have. They don’t diminish the story enough for me to say I dislike the book. If these are tropes that you don’t particularly like, than this is your forewarning.

What I Feel it Did Better Than Delilah Green Doesn’t Care

As I mentioned at the beginning of this, I was debating if I wanted to continue on with the series. While I had initially enjoyed Delilah Green Doesn’t Care after some time had passed, I did feel like it could have been better. I was going to do a review on it, but ended up not getting it up due to motivation and my thoughts not being as concise as I would have liked when I was working on it.

Initially, my main issue with Delilah Green Doesn’t Care was that, similar to Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail, it did feel like it hit some common tropes (ex. the bet, Claire being the best friend to Astrid, Delilah’s stepsister, and happy ending). However, unlike Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail, the plot for Delilah Green Doesn’t Care to me felt like it fell to something you’d find in a Hallmark movie. Namely how it’s about Delilah coming back to her hometown, a past that had Delilah and Astrid become estranged into adulthood, making a bet with her sister to get Claire to like her, how and when it was revealed, and how it seemed to clear up almost instantly in the last chapter or two.

This isn’t necessarily a jab at Hallmark movies, but based on the ones I have seen, they do tend to share a lot of similar stories and/or tropes. And while I can say that both could possible fall into that umbrella, something about Delilah Green Doesn’t Care felt more blatant with it to me.

Since then, I have come to agree with a particular critique with Delilah Green Doesn’t Care. That being how the whole plan to break Astrid and her fiancé up feels unnecessarily over the top, where a simple conversation might have been better.

Initially, I didn’t think about that. It was just kind of there. But after reading over the criticisms of this, and actually thinking about it, I agree. I do think the story could still work for the most part with a tweaked version of Delilah and the group breaking Astrid and her fiancé up without going to the lengths they did. Maybe collect evidence as to why they feel that way, but actually sitting down with Astrid about instead of going to the lengths they did.

Conclusion

I would give Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail a four out of five stars. I thought it was a nice little romance with a natural progression and character growth that didn’t feel rushed. My only real critique would be that it utilizes a few common romance tropes. Though they aren’t done poorly, so it doesn’t really hinder the book.

Since I ended up enjoying this book, I will be continuing with this series. Which as of right now, appears to be a third and potentially final book in the form of Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date. Said third book is set to be released on November 7th 2023.

Pearl Sister: A Review

Book four of the Seven Sisters series, Pearl Sister, is the next book for me to review. Similar to the third book, Shadow Sister, this is the second of two books that I feel neutral about. However, I think I enjoyed this one a smidge more.

This is also the first book that explores a main character who falls into the LGBTQ+ community. In this book, it starts off as CeCe questioning her sexuality and is later confirmed that she and a secondary character are romantically involved.

Disclaimer

As per usual, I enter this disclaimer in the event you may not have read my previous reviews for the series.

While this series does involve each character finding their birth family, I do not believe that it was the author’s intent to diminish adopted families. Having read the series, I interpreted it as each daughter being given the choice to find their birth families if they so choose. With each daughter choosing to investigate their history

Update from Original Review and Secondary Disclaimer

When I posted my original review for this book, I did not realize that a term to describe the native groups in Australia was considered a bit problematic. I will apologize for not knowing at the time and have fixed the mistake here. This is the same review as it was written, but with proper changes when referring to Australia’s native individuals.

I apologize for the error I made and will be more mindful in the future.

Synopsis

Pearl Sister focuses on the fourth daughter of the D’Aplièse family, Celaeno, or CeCe as she goes by in the book. Starting off during Shadow Sisters to explain why she left Star in England, CeCe decides to look into her family. While she has felt like she doesn’t quite fit in in the family, with Star being the sister she was closest to, readers get to see her come out of her shell. As she travels to Sydney, Australia to follow the clues Pa Salt left her, she finds herself in Thailand where see meets some backpackers, including a young man named Ace, and with some help from him and others along the way, she is able to find out more about her family and herself.

A hundred years earlier, we get to see the story of Kitty McBride, the woman that CeCe is given the task of looking into. Kitty is the daughter of a clergyman, who finds her fate intertwined with the twin sons of a wealthy family that works with pearls. While there, she also finds herself intertwined with some of the Australian native individuals.

As CeCe discovers more about her family history, she rediscovers her creative passions and begins to discover more about herself and who she loves.

Positives

What I really enjoyed about this book was the setting and CeCe’s journey. Because I didn’t particularly like where her story ended in Shadow Sister, it was nice to see some of what was going on with CeCe during that time at the beginning of this story. And seeing her come into her own person, it was nice to see how that unfolded.

It was also nice to see how this book broke the formula a little bit. Star did a little bit too with how it approached Mouse and Orlando and who Star ended up getting with, but I liked what they did with CeCe’s a bit more. Since CeCe’s story is one of self-discovery, seeing her questioning her sexuality and her feelings for Chrissie come to light. The two get along really well, both as friends and as partners, and it was nice how Chrissie to help explain the native culture and history to CeCe.

I also enjoyed the parts in Australia alongside some of it’s history. Elements of Kitty’s story was interesting too. How her story intertwines with CeCe is different, but in a good way.

CeCe is also one of two or three sisters I kind of relate to. Tiggy being another, which I’ll get into in my review for Moon Sister, and Star possibly being the third (the only reason I’m hesitant to say I relate to Star is because I more so enjoyed the book/writing aesthetic of Shadow Sister’s setting and side characters as someone who is an avid book lover and writer). I relate to CeCe’s desire for self-discovery and creativity as a writer and occasional artist myself.

Critiques

I suppose my biggest critique with Pearl Sister is Kitty’s story. While the formula for the historical parts isn’t bad, I just didn’t find Kitty’s part as interesting. While I did enjoy aspects of it, like the mother that Kitty ends up helping and the approach to conflicts at the time, the romance subplot in it, wasn’t that compelling. I do think the use of the twins was a neat touch, I just didn’t like the execution.

The part in Thailand, though having a point, wasn’t all that memorable after reading. While certain details there were necessary, some readers do feel like it stayed around a bit too long. I can kind of agree, as I would have liked to get to Australia. However, I can see what areas of it were necessary. Mainly some character developing and investigating for CeCe’s journey.

I will also include the term used to describe Australia’s native individuals. I cannot confirm or deny any malice on Lucinda Riley’s part (much like with terms used in the next book), so I will not pass judgement until I know for sure. I won’t condone it either. I merely cannot speak for Lucinda Riley with her passing last year and the fact I found out out how problematic it was until recently.

Conclusion

I enjoyed how this story broke the mold in some areas and enjoyed CeCe’s growth. However, some duller elements and terminology did effect my enjoyment of the book. I would give this book a six and a half out of ten depending on the day since despite my neutral feelings towards it, I do enjoy it more than Shadow Sister.