I received a digital advance reader’s copy (ARC) of Get Over It, April Evans by Ashley Herring Blake. Since this version is just a proof and not the final version, I won’t quote directly and will keep my comments general.

In Get Over It, April Evans, the titular main character is seriously down on her luck. Her tattoo shop has just had to close and her love life is basically nonexistent after her fiancee dumped her for another woman, with whom she’d been cheating on April. So April takes a summer job teaching an art class at a new local resort hotel… but it turns out that the other woman teaching the class is none other than Daphne Love. In other words, the woman who stole April’s fiancee. April dreads the thought of teaching a summerlong class with her, but what’s even more bizarre is that Daphne seems sweet, and also has no idea who April is and how they’re connected. April has to re-evaluate what she believed, though this is complicated when she starts developing some very inconvenient feelings for Daphne…

I’ve read lots of Blake’s books before, and they’re always enjoyable. And apparently, when it’s a fluffy romance book, my brain can handle an ebook version without wanting to throw my phone. I’ll have to keep testing the waters with other genres to see if I can figure out how to reliably tackle this format. But I digress; this is a book review, not an essay on the merits of ebook editions.

To start, both lead characters are compelling enough protagonists. April is made rather bitter by her various unfortunate circumstances, and Daphne is full of fear and uncertainty about her future. Both are situations that the audience can relate to, especially people in their late 20s and early 30s. However, I didn’t find either character to be especially groundbreaking, especially for this author. April reminds me a lot of Delilah Green, for one thing. But regardless, both function well enough in their roles in the narrative.

And as for the narrative, the romantic tension is, luckily, not really drawn out. I didn’t have to wait an annoying amount of pages for these two to give in to their attraction, so it did allow their relationship to have a more realistic timeline of development than other romances I’ve read. Further, the truth about how they both dated the same woman once (who in fact was secretly dating both of them at the same time for a short while) comes out early on. I was so relieved, because I’d started to worry that this would be something that April hid from Daphne and would come back in the midst of the genre-typical third act breakup. Luckily, Blake is well versed in the tropes and story beats of her chosen genre and sidestepped them in favor of her protagonists actually communicating! Thank goodness!

That’s another thing I liked about this, the communication between April and Daphne. They certainly still struggle with being vulnerable, but at least their entire relationship isn’t built on a falsehood or unexplained fact. It’s a more realistic dynamic, which I deeply appreciated. And the resolution of their story is lovely; it’s mature and grounded in reality, which is refreshing.

I also quite liked the side characters, who round out this great queer cast. Even Elena, the ex, is a decent character even in her unlikeability and manipulation. I do wish that Daphne’s inner journey re: Elena had been less rushed, but their scenes together were still good. My favorite character, though, was probably Sasha. She’s so fun, and I’m 100% sure she will be the protagonist of Blake’s next book.

Related and very important side note, I think I’d commit crimes to have even a single taste of Sasha’s blackberry ricotta “pizza” that she makes. It sounds incredible and I wish I were eating it right now.

Anyway, delectable flatbreads aside, Get Over It, April Evans is a sweet love story with decent characters who have a pretty healthy dynamic. The circumstances that brought them together are wild, but their development is explored well (though the pacing toward the end leaves something to be desired). The subplots about growing distant from best friends and searching for a more fulfilling career path are also done well. The setting Cloverwild is a nice escape, a cute and idyllic New England tourist town full of charming shops and eccentric people. Even if the stories that take place there aren’t the most astounding, they’re still quite fun, and I look forward to returning there in the future.

Get Over It, April Evans will be published on February 3rd, 2026!