Dream On, Ramona Riley (Clover Lake, #1) Review
Ah, romance. If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you know that it’s my favorite genre. There’s something so comforting in knowing that no matter the trials our characters face, they’ll find their way to a happy ending. This was my mindset going into "Dream On, Ramona Riley" by A.H.B., but despite my love for the genre, I found myself on a bit of a rollercoaster with this one. The promise of a second-chance romance featuring a messy Hollywood actress and a small-town waitress caught my attention, but along the way, I encountered a few bumps that left me pondering what went awry.
The book opens with a charming and electrifying premise: Ramona and Dylan share a magical moment by a lake during their teenage years, as if the universe conspired to bring them together. Present-day finds them crossing paths again, and while the logging of that initial attraction was heartwarming, it felt overshadowed by the overarching theme of mistrust and miscommunication that reared its head far too often throughout the story.
On one hand, A.H.B. excels at crafting chemistry; every stolen glance and tentative touch felt palpable. Yet, as I dove deeper, I kept tripping over the predictability of the conflict—classic setup for third-act turmoil, and not the good kind that leaves room for emotional growth. Specifically, Ramona and Dylan both hide significant truths from each other, which, for me, felt like a contrived way to manufacture tension rather than genuinely explore their relationship.
One passage in particular struck me: “Even closer now, impossibly defying physics. Ramona wanted to be closer still, crawl inside Dylan and set up a home.” Such poetic sentiment perfectly sums up what should have been a thrilling and heartfelt connection. Instead, it often slipped into frustrating territory, particularly when the characters opted for intimacy over conversation. The moments that should have been rich with dialogue often devolved into physical encounters, leaving me wishing for just one meaningful conversation instead; those emotional barriers needed to come down before the physical walls could really resonate.
The pacing felt uneven as well, with several time skips that left me yearning to witness the small, crucial moments that knit a romance together. It was hard not to sympathize with Dylan, whose character arcs brought me to tears; her struggles presented a poignant portrayal of someone grappling with their past. Yet, I was also bewildered by resolutions that didn’t resonate—like the acknowledgment of her "spoiled" reputation that felt more rooted in media fiction than the character I had come to know.
One shining star in my reading experience was the audiobook narration by Gail Shalan. Her voice breathed life into both characters, ensuring that the swoon-worthy parts still managed to hit—when they actually hit.
In the end, "Dream On, Ramona Riley" offers a unique blend of charm and frustration. While it flirts with the familiar tropes of the genre, it didn’t quite land for me due to its heavy reliance on miscommunication and a third-act conflict that felt apparent from the start. If you’re a reader who finds joy in celebrity romance or complex characters navigating the intricacies of connection, you may find delight here. For me, I’m left wishing for a tad more clarity and a tad less secrecy—so I’ll happily redirect my sights to my next read, hoping for a story where communication reigns supreme.
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