This week we are discussing Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake, Ch. 24-End.
Content Warning!!! This book contains situations and subjects related to: sexual content, death of a parent, alcohol, abandonment trauma, emotional abuse, and bullying.
Spoiler Warning!!! This post is full of spoilers for Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake.
Discussion:
Michaela: Hello friends and welcome to our final discussion of Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake! So many things happened in this last section of the book. So many emotional things, I definitely cried at least once by the end of this book. I loved this book, it had so much dimension to it that I did not expect.
We picked back up the story with Astrid, Iris, and Spencer returning from their trek in the wilderness. And of course Spencer decided he did not need to follow the trails (marked for safety and care of the wilderness) and got them all lost. Are we surprised? I’m not.
Jacilyn: I’m not even a little surprised that he would be a douche canoe and decide that his way was best. I will say that his ruined leather sneakers and uhh….. Spicy crotch were well worth the adventure that poor Iris and Astrid had to go on with him. Also not surprising is the fact that he invited himself camping because of course he couldn’t believe that Astrid would be able to survive while camping. Cue eye roll here. What a pompous asshole.
This last section of the book was incredibly emotional. I had a feeling that the flippant bet that Delilah made with Astrid about sleeping with Claire was going to come back to bite her in the ass, but I was not expecting Astrid to catch them making out when she was so emotionally fragile from fighting with her horrible mother after breaking off the wedding. I can’t really blame her for being upset at finding them like that right at that moment.
Michaela: I hated Spencer’s character so so much. He fit perfectly into that misogynistic narcissistic asshole stereotype. He is an amalgamation of so many things I hate in a personality.
There’s no way that bet was not coming back around. I understand why Astrid was so hurt by seeing them but I also think she took it too far. She didn’t just hurt Delilah with bringing the bet back up, she hurt Claire too. I don’t think Astrid actually believed that this was because of the bet either, she was just hurting and that’s all she had to throw out there. I thought Astrid was going to catch Delilah reading her diaries and I was super anxious reading that whole section just waiting for Astrid to walk in. It was helping their relationship for Delilah to read those things but also a huge invasion of privacy.
Can we talk about how amazing Astrid was at standing up to her mother? She did such a good job, what a hard thing to do! Isabel did not seem to have any remorse or guilt for anything though. When Astrid brought Delilah’s name into things, Isabel said “don’t you talk to me about that girl”. That really cemented that Isabel did not care about Delilah at all, what a horrible woman. I want to know why she was so bothered by Delilah. Was it just because she was a reminder of losing her second husband? Did she never care about Delilah and then she ended up “stuck” with her? Like why was she so horrible. She treated Astrid horribly in a whole different way. Then learning about Isabel’s “sex talk” with the girls….oh my god. I have no words for how awful that was.
Jacilyn: It was a huge invasion of privacy for Delilah to go through Astrid’s diaries - but I also think it would have taken her a lot longer to believe Astrid ever had any desire to be her sister if she hadn’t read them when she did. I was really hoping that Delilah would tear into Isabel along with Astrid, but hopefully that’s something we can look forward to in the next book. One of the parts I cried at in this section was Astrid coming to New York for Delilah’s show, and the conversation they had there. It was such a great moment for both of these women that have ached for each other’s companionship for so many years. I’m ready for them to be able to have the sisterhood that they missed during their childhood. And, fuck Isabel entirely.
Before I forget, we have to talk about how Spencer literally bought a WHOLE ASS HOME for them in SEATTLE without ever even thinking about asking Astrid for her opinion. And he really had the audacity to think she was being unreasonable in her reaction!?!?!? Spencer can join Isabel in the permanent fuck you bucket.
On top of all the Delilah-Claire and last-minute-canceled-wedding drama, Josh goes AWOL for a while - or at least we thought that’s what happened. When I tell you my heart broke for Ruby, my fucking god. But all along, he was building a home for him and Ruby. He had been working so hard, and knew that he couldn’t expect Claire to believe him until he had something to show her, something concrete. And he built an entire home. I felt so proud of him! For a character that wasn’t one of the mains, I was honestly shocked at how proud that made me feel.
Michaela: Astrid throwing Spencer out was a masterpiece. I was LIVING FOR IT. Get that piece of shit out of there. He really cared more about his designer clothes being on the ground than his fiance kicking him out. He was so full of himself that he bought that whole ass house after already agreeing with Astrid to stay in Bright Falls for at least another year. Just straight up went back on his word. Oh my gods I hate him so much.
I was terrified that Josh had left again. Ruby and Claire were both messes. I’m really happy for him for building that house and starting a business. But holy mother of all that is precious was he an idiot. You can’t CALL a bitch and tell someone you’re leaving. Just all text messages as you’re already leaving to an area with no reception. Couldn’t have said ANYTHING to ANYONE? Nope just a text which he knows was unreliable. Gave me a freaking heart attack. I am glad that he established he no longer has romantic feelings for Claire, so that they both can let that part of their past go and just exist as friends and co-parents now. I can see them becoming a really good team, and the fact that Josh could see how much Claire and Delilah meant to each other was the cutest thing in the whole world.
By the end of this book everyone (Isabel and Spencer are in the trash so they don't count) was working on themselves and their relationships with others. You just love to see it! And we ended with Delilah moving back to Bright Falls, her and Claire being all adorable and shit. Then Delilah is now being absorbed into the trio. So much childhood trauma is being healed right now. I had happy misty eyes at the end of this story. I loved this book so much. The characters had so much history together and I felt like I really got to know these characters and I was rooting for them so hard the whole time.
Jacilyn: I adore that the trio has now become a quartet. I can’t wait to continue the series and read about Astrid and Iris getting their happily ever after too. If we can look forward to even a fraction of the emotion and growth that was in this book, I’ll be pleased.Thank you so much for joining us on our first read of 2023! Until next time, friends.
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