Dream On, Ramona Riley

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Dream On, Ramona Riley

By: Ashley Herring Blake

Narrated by: Gail Shalan

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About this listen

A small-town waitress and a Hollywood star's worlds collide in this new romance by Ashley Herring Blake, USA Today bestselling author of Iris Kelly Doesn't Date.

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.

Why readers love Ashley Herring Blake . . .

'A hot, frothy romcom with a relatable heart beating at its centre. I can't wait for the rest of the series!' Talia Hibbert

'A truly exquisite romance . . . I'm wildly in love with this book' Rachel Lynn Solomon

'A swoon-worthy, laugh-out-loud romp of a romance' Kosoko Jackson

'Snappy banter and seriously scorching chemistry; you'll need a very cold shower after this read!' Lana Harper

'Charming and entertaining . . . Blake's masterful blend of sexual tension and growing affection will have readers swooning' Karelia Stetz-Waters

'Snarky, steamy, and swoony in equal measure, I never wanted this book to end' Meryl Wilsner©2025 Ashley Herring Blake

Ashley Herring BlakeGail ShalanLittle, Brown Book Group

Contemporary

Romantic Comedy

Dream

Contemporary Romantic Comedy Dream

Critic reviews

Ashley Herring Blake writes sweet, sexy romances with a supporting cast of queer found family like no one else. In Dream On, Ramona Riley, I was so invested in Ramona and Dylan rediscovering the fireworks they'd felt with each other even as far back as an early teenage encounter. Set in a Schitt's Creek-esque small town filled with homey diners and gossip and secret places, this book is such a breath of fresh air. I can't wait to spend more time in Clover Lake!

Dream On, Ramona Riley is another winning sweet, sexy, sapphic, small town romance from Ashley Herring Blake. As always, Blake gives readers two complicated but lovable heroines to root for and fall in love with-as they fall in love with each other. I ate up the behind-the-scenes movie-making that descended upon Clover Lake, the family drama swirling throughout the narrative, and of course the beautiful-and sexy!-love story between Dylan and Ramona

Dream On, Ramona Riley is a lovely romance about finding the person who makes you want better for yourself. Dylan's and Ramona's respective heartaches are fully captured on the page, and yet the story still felt as cosy and comforting (and, occasionally, scorching hot) as a cup of tea in a small town café

Blake enchants with this sapphic second-chance romance . . . The ensuing relationship is equal parts sensual and sincere and the exploration of ambition, aspiration, and resilient bonds adds heart. This is a winner

This contemporary fake-dating romance is multi-layered, with plenty of deep emotion, revealing backstories, humour, and steamy scenes that scorch the pages. VERDICT Blake's fans will be over the moon at this series launch, while newcomers will find a new favourite author to follow

Most relevant

I went into this with an open mind. I love the Brightfalls trilogy, and really liked "Make the Season Bright". I love how they all connect, so I was straight in when it came out.

Yet, I was slower to love this one as much. I liked it, it was good, but I didn’t love it.

Firstly, I didn’t love either of the main characters. I struggle find relatability in celebrities so Dylan being famous kept me at arms length anyway. Any interaction with a regular person just feels contrived. Added to this that there points where she is self-centred and if she were a regular person you would be screaming at Ramona to run. Even her cast mate calls her out on a few things and it's like it's the first time anyone has said anything to her which is untrue. We were given reasons for her behaviour, but they didn't quite marry up.
For her part, Ramona didn’t do anything to change her own arc outside the romance. It just falls into her lap as a consequence of merely being around Dylan. She doesn't spend any time working on what she wants and in fact has hidden it from the world. In "Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date", Iris is trying to write a book. Her romance with Stevie is a consequence of that. Same for Delilah (paid to be at a wedding and building a portfolio for an exhibition but meets Claire) and Astrid (trying to get her life together, meets Jodan). The romance wasn't their goal, but happens as a result. I actually liked April as a character more and would read/listen to her story.

Secondly, it felt like there was an attempt to up the ante on the sex scenes. Don't get me wrong, I have no issue with sex in a book. But it felt like they felt they had to make it more explicit rather than it be naturally who these women were. Over the course of the previous books, the level of gratuity has increased. This was fine for Iris since we knew she was sex positive from the start of "Delilah". It worked in "Seasons" since the first scene is a flashback and they are a couple who had been together for a long time so even in later scenes it was about want, desire, and a return to what they had had. But here we are launched into explicit scenes and it's not earned. We are given no clues or context as to their characters being so explicit in their wants and likes. In fact, in Ramona's case it's the opposite of her character otherwise. It may be an attempt at only-this-character-makes-her-like-this, but again it isn’t earned and too much too fast.

Overall, it is good, and I would like a continuation with April as the centre character. It's a good listen and a recommend for any AHB fans.