With Dream On, Ramona Riley, Ashley Herring Blake launches her Clover Lake series in trademark sapphic splendor. Known for her emotionally nuanced romances like Delilah Green Doesn’t Care and Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date, Blake returns with a standalone that blends second chances, summer nostalgia, and small-town coziness with a sharp commentary on ambition, identity, and belonging.
Set in the fictional town of Clover Lake, New Hampshire, this romance novel between a burnt-out former art student and a Hollywood starlet who’s more vulnerable than her tabloid persona suggests, is equal parts charming and contemplative. As expected from Blake, this novel is soaked in heart and humor, but also in the quiet ache of dreams deferred—and the giddy promise of rediscovering them.
Plot Summary: Love, Loss, and the Long Way Back to Yourself
Ramona Riley once had dreams bigger than her lakeside town. A talented costume designer-in-training, she left her art school after her father’s accident to care for her younger sister, Olive. Twelve years later, she’s still in Clover Lake, working at a local café and helping with school plays.
Enter Dylan Monroe—famous, effortlessly glamorous, and the star of the romantic comedy being filmed in town. Ramona doesn’t just recognize her from movie posters and gossip sites; she remembers her from a fleeting but intense childhood encounter—a lakeside kiss when they were both thirteen. Dylan doesn’t remember her. Not at first.
But when Dylan asks Ramona to help her “do normal people things” for the film’s method research, a hesitant friendship forms, sparking unresolved feelings and ambitions. What follows is not just a romance, but a story about reclaiming dreams, confronting insecurities, and allowing oneself to be seen.
Characters: Vivid, Queer, and Wonderfully Flawed
Blake’s greatest strength continues to be her characterization. The two leads—Ramona and Dylan—are as complex and lovable as any she’s ever written.
Ramona Riley
- Thirty-one, grounded, and deeply self-sacrificing.
- A reluctant waitress with the heart of an artist.
- Her vulnerability lies in how much she’s given up for others—especially her sister, Olive.
- Ramona is fat, queer, and unapologetically layered. Her character doesn’t chase a makeover arc—she chases self-worth.
Dylan Monroe
- Hollywood’s chaos queen, born to rock star parents and raised under paparazzi flashbulbs.
- Determined to prove she’s more than a “nepo baby.”
- Underneath her polished persona lies a sensitive, insecure woman who craves authenticity.
Supporting characters like April (Ramona’s fiercely loyal and hilarious best friend), Olive (her now-grown sister), and Mr. Riley (the wholesome dad every reader falls for) add texture and familial warmth that elevate the emotional stakes.
Themes: More Than Just Romance
1. Deferred Dreams and Late Blooming
Ramona’s arc centers around the painful tension between duty and ambition. Readers in their 30s or beyond will especially resonate with her internal conflict: Can you still dream big after life has rerouted your path?
2. Visibility and Identity
Dylan’s storyline explores fame, bisexuality, and being more than a persona. Her romance with Ramona becomes a sanctuary from performative living, a space where she can be just Dylan, not “Killin’ Dylan.”
3. Second Chances
Whether it’s romantic, familial, or professional, Dream On, Ramona Riley celebrates the redemptive power of second chances. A teenage kiss becomes the seed of an adult relationship; an abandoned career becomes a reawakening.
4. Sapphic Representation
This is, unequivocally, a sapphic romance—not only in the characters’ identities but in the emotional rhythms, the tenderness, the trust-building. Blake’s portrayal is authentic and romantic without falling into stereotypes.
Writing Style: Cozy, Lyrical, and Witty
Blake’s prose feels like a hug and a wink at the same time. Her dialogue is crisp, emotionally resonant, and often hilarious. One minute, readers are swooning over tender glances; the next, they’re snorting at a line from Penny Hampton or a chaotic costume rehearsal.
Her settings are richly sensory—especially the lakeside scenes, which shimmer with nostalgia and longing. She doesn’t rush emotions, allowing her characters’ decisions to unfold with realism and care. Her style makes small-town life feel expansive, not claustrophobic.
Highlights and Favorite Moments
- The “Cherry” and “Lollipop” revelation: a heart-tugging callback to their childhood nicknames that hits just right.
- The museum date scene: Dylan meticulously plans a day for Ramona, resulting in emotional intimacy rather than flashy gestures.
- Every single scene with April, who needs her own book. She’s inked, queer, sarcastic, and unwavering in her love for Ramona.
- Ramona’s quiet courage in finally sharing her design portfolio—and seeing her work recognized for what it is: brilliant.
- That final chapter set ten months later—domestic bliss, chosen family, and a lakeside kiss that closes the circle.
Critiques: Where It Falls Just Slightly Short
Despite the novel’s strengths, a few aspects merit critique:
- Slow First Act: The early pacing leans heavy on exposition, which could challenge readers looking for quicker romantic momentum.
- Underdeveloped Conflict: The central romantic conflict hinges on a publicity stunt revelation that, while believable, resolves rather neatly.
- Limited Career Payoff: Ramona’s artistic comeback, though satisfying, feels slightly rushed in comparison to the depth given to the romance.
- Dylan’s Memory Loss Device: The “you don’t remember me?” trope verges on cliché and could have been handled with more emotional precision.
These are minor blemishes in an otherwise delightful, deeply felt novel.
Comparison with Other Works
Fans of Blake’s Bright Falls series will find Dream On, Ramona Riley a familiar and welcome continuation of her themes and tone. While Bright Falls focused more on friend groups and second chances within established circles, Clover Lake explores new beginnings and broader ambition.
Comparable titles include:
- Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly — for queer healing arcs and slow-burn tension.
- You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi — for themes of art, grief, and reinvention.
- One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston — for queer romance with emotional resonance and playful charm.
Representation and Sensitivity
Blake includes an author’s note outlining potential content warnings, including:
- Alcohol use and past drug use
- Parental abandonment and neglect
- Explicit consensual sex scenes
She handles these with grace, neither sanitizing nor sensationalizing the experiences. Fat representation, queer identity, and mental health are written with care, empathy, and nuance.
Conclusion: A Tender Triumph for Queer Romance
Dream On, Ramona Riley is more than a love story—it’s a reclamation. Of identity. Of ambition. Of joy. It’s a beautifully rendered sapphic romance with an authentic emotional core. A few structural weaknesses keep it from perfection, but the payoff is absolutely worth the journey.
With lush writing, layered characters, and a heart-melting romance, Ashley Herring Blake reminds us that it’s never too late to dream again. Whether you’ve loved and lost, loved and paused, or never dared to love at all, this book is a gentle nudge to believe that your story still matters.
About the Author: Ashley Herring Blake
Ashley Herring Blake is the USA Today bestselling author of:
- Delilah Green Doesn’t Care
- Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail
- Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date
- Make the Season Bright
She is acclaimed for her sapphic romances that balance spice, sweetness, and soul. Dream On, Ramona Riley marks the beginning of her new Clover Lake series.
