Award-winning author Ashley Herring Blake returns with Dream On, Ramona by Berkley Trade Original. The title goes on-sale Tuesday, May 13. This book marks the first installment in a brand new series. Blake’s latest is a small-town, sapphic romance that represents queer joy and the messy ride toward “happily ever after.”
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.
Like many queer authors, Blake was frustrated by the lack of representation in traditional publishing and wanted to add her voice to the canon. Her goal was simple: write a romance featuring two women that showed queer romances are just as valid and enjoyable as straight romances. Blake’s voice in the queer romance space has been recognized by Buzzfeed, PopSugar, Slate, Washington Post and USA Today.
Blake is known for her USA Today bestselling Bright Falls series filled with a cast of LGBTQ characters. Blake’s voice in the queer romance space has been recognized by Buzzfeed, PopSugar, Slate, Washington Post and USA Today.
–From staff reports