Welcome back, friends! This month has been a hectic one, but I was still able to get some reading done… and dusted. On that foreshadowing note, this month’s review is on Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage. A perfect romcom choice for a beach read moving into summer. To accompany this month’s review, I did something I haven’t done before and I made my own cocktail. I couldn’t find a good punny cocktail for this novel, so I was inspired by scenes in the novel to come up with something on my own. I can’t think of anything creative to call it, so I’ll just call it the Done and Dusted cocktail.
Done and Dusted Cocktail Recipe
2oz Tequila
1oz Lemon Juice
2oz Orange Juice
0.5oz Simple Syrup
~2oz Soda
1 wedge Lemon
In a cocktail shaker with ice, add all ingredients except soda and shake for ~10 seconds. Strain into a sugar-rimmed martini glass and top with soda. Garnish and enjoy!
Since I made this cocktail up, I’ll explain each element of the drink instead of just one special ingredient. Basically, this is a combination of a tequila soda (Emmy’s drink of choice), a lemon drop shot (a shot that Luke makes for Emmy), and orange juice (because her name is Clementine). All that being said, this drink was really good! It was definitely a bit sweet, but you could easily add more soda to cut that. I thought it was a nice mix of sweet and tangy, so I definitely recommend trying it out! And I think it is a perfect drink for the rest of the summer season.
Done and Dusted Synopsis
(from book cover)
For the first time in her life, Clementine “Emmy” Ryder has no idea what she’s doing. She’s accomplished everything on her to-do list. She left her small hometown of Meadowlark, Wyoming; went to college; and made a career for herself by doing her favourite thing: riding horses. But after an accident makes it impossible for her to get back into the saddle, she has no choice but to return to the hometown she always wanted to escape.
Luke Brooks is Meadowlark’s most notorious bad boy, bar owner, and bachelor. He’s also the unofficial fifth member of the Ryder family. As Emmy’s older brother’s best friend, Luke spent most of his childhood antagonizing her. It’s been years since he’s seen her, but when she walks into his bar and back into his life, he can’t take his eyes off her. Despite his better judgment, he wants to do a whole lot more than just look at her.
Emmy’s got too much on her mind to think about romance. And Luke knows he should stay away from his best friend’s younger sister. But what if Luke is just what Emmy needs to get her spark back? Or will they both go up in flames?
Review
“Just because you got dusted doesn’t mean you’re done.”
Ok, so I chose this book because of the cover and going into it I thought it was just a regular non-spicy romcom… and I was mistaken. People are literally kissing on the cover! What was I thinking?! I think for some people Done and Dusted wouldn’t really be spicy, but I was expecting no smut, so my bad to my Grammie. With that being said, I still liked this book, but it definitely had its negatives.
Done and Dusted alternates between the perspectives of Emmy and Luke, and I vastly preferred Emmy’s narrative. Luke’s character was solid, but I often found myself pulled out of the story with his awkward/cringey phrasing. And I definitely found this worse during the sexy scenes. Some of the terminology he used was just awkward or didn’t suit the vibes. And while it wasn’t always during the sexy scenes, I found that his portion of the narrative just didn’t flow the same as Emmy’s and often didn’t match his character. I also didn’t love how he called her “sugar” (but that’s just a me thing) or how he kept saying that he wanted to claim her… she’s not an object!
On the other hand, I loved Emmy’s sections. They felt so genuine and flowed with her character and feelings really well. I especially loved the depiction of ADHD! As someone with ADHD, I found her sensory processing struggles and other ADHD quirks relatable. But I was also really impressed with how Sage described these things and showed how they make sense in Emmy’s brain even if they don’t make sense to everyone. This was the first novel I’ve read lately that I thought handled the representation of ADHD in a really unique, real, and interesting way.
My biggest issue with Emmy’s sections is really not that big. But the consistent use of the phrase “all of the sudden” drove me insane. I think this was meant to be a character quirk to show some of that Wyoming/cowboy culture, but it pulled me out of the story every time. Other than that, I was immersed in the story during her chapters and I enjoyed looking into her relationships with Luke and Teddy. I loved seeing Teddy and Emmy’s friendship, and I thought it was a nice depiction of girlhood and non-romantic love.
Speaking of Teddy, all of the characters in Done and Dusted, even the side characters, were extremely fleshed out. I assume this was because the author planned to make this a series following the different family members and people of Rebel Blue Ranch, but it added a lot to the story and was great for setting the groundwork of the next novels. I cared for all of the characters and was rooting for them! And I will definitely be picking up the next book in the series to see how things in this world continue to play out.
However, when it comes to the characters there is a clear lacking in diverse representation. I can’t think of any characters of colour or LGBTQIA+ representation in the novel. And while I understand the novel takes place in a very small town in Wyoming so the absence of diversity is believable, it still felt lacking in this area. But I also respect the author for not just putting in a token diverse character that wouldn’t make sense to the story. So, this is kind of a criticism, but at the same time at least the lack of diversity makes sense.
My only other bigger criticism of the novel is with the relationship dynamic. I loved Emmy and Luke, but them being like siblings in childhood is a little weird to me. And I know that they’re adults in Done and Dusted, but the fact he considers her dad to be the only father he’s ever known is still just kind of weird. I was also confused how they never bumped into each other and no one had told her anything about him on other visits she made home when he was clearly at her house all the time? So some minor plot holes there, I guess. And I know that the brother’s best friend thing is a romance trope, but there’s so many strange and cringey angles to it, and I don’t think it’s for me. Maybe because I don’t have a brother? I don’t know.
All in all, I liked Done and Dusted. It was light and fluffy and cute. It was also an extremely quick read, and thankfully wasn’t entirely smut for me. So, I think this is a great summer read! It touches on some great topics in a realistic way and gives the perfect sense of hope and happiness that you want in a romcom. But it has its negatives with the lack of diversity, awkward relationship dynamic, and general romcom cringiness. I’d definitely recommend this one if you like romcoms or cowboys and horses. But if that’s not your style and you don’t like a few spicy scenes then this one might not be for you. I do absolutely recommend trying out the cocktail though, it is going to be a perfect one for summer!
My Rating:
Thanks for reading! And, if you read the book or try the cocktail let me know in a comment or on Instagram. Also, if you haven’t yet read my previous reviews, I recommend reading The Seven Year Slip, Happy Place, and Finlay Donovan is Killing It if you liked this one!
Teghann
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