This felt like the strongest of the three and I appreciated the time jump. This time, the characters felt more placed in the world, where I felt like Jordan and Astrid were a little out of time and place. I hope Ren gets a book!

I've loved this series so much and Iris Kelly Doesn't Date was a wonderful conclusion to the trilogy. Personally, I would read anything that Blake writes, no questions asked. This book doesn't disappoint in the least and I very much recommend it to all - especially to my public library world!!

Ashley Herring Blake's witty and heartfelt romantic comedy introduces Iris Kelly, a commitment-phobic romance author, who embarks on a fake relationship following a disastrous one-night stand. Struggling to find inspiration for her next book, Iris crosses paths with Stefania aka Stevie, who is looking to prove that she is over her ex. Stevie proposes that Iris pretends to be her girlfriend. Initially reluctant, Iris agrees, hoping the charade will spark ideas for her writing. As their pretend relationship unfolds, the boundaries between fiction and reality blur, leaving both women wondering who will make the first authentic move.
This final installment of Bright Falls series wraps up the lives of all the character throughout the series; however, I would have liked to see more of Iris and Stevie at the end. I recommend this to all public libraries.

This is not a series that we have at my library, but if it was I'd be happy to purchase this book for the collection. That being said, I'd certainly purchase it if requested. I enjoyed it quite a bit, I think it's my favorite of this series so far. I really enjoyed the anxiety representation in the character of Stevie. (Incidentally, I think it's interesting that another one of my favorite characters for anxiety rep is Stevie Bell from the Truly Devious series. So many Stevies with anxiety!) I thought that the romance felt natural, real, and exciting. I'm a big fan of the fake dating trope so I knew that I'd be enjoying this one. I would highly recommend it and I look forward to Blake's next books.

I'm a big fan of the latest in this series! Iris and her little closed heart made me so happy. I loved watching her heart grow - like the Grinch ;)

This was such an amazing wrap up to this trilogy! Without a doubt this was my favourite book in the series. I could relate so much to both of the main characters - Stevie with her anxiety and Iris with her feelings of not deserving a healthy relationship.

Fake dating always gets me and I loved the setup for this relationship. The supporting characters really brought everything to another level - it's just one big queer happy family here.

It was also so nice to get a look back at our last two couples! I will miss Bright Falls, but what a perfect way to conclude the series.

This by far is my favorite book in the Bright Falls series. This book provides a new side to Iris the reader hasn't seen, and its emotional as well as impactful. You fall in love with Stevie and Iris, both as individuals and a couple. I also didn't start out as a fan of the 'fake dating' trope, but this book did it very well. This book is something to look forward to.

Iris Kelly Doesn't Date was an enjoyable and relatable story. Being able to see myself in Stevie in a contemporary romance was liberating! I also loved seeing her character growth throughout the book, as it gives me a bit of hope for myself.

I do think her friend group was...quite a lot. I understand Ren's perspective and I appreciated his role in Stevie's life, but I was baffled at how her friends viewed her, to a point where I would have been happier to see their growth with with Stevie, too. There was some but not enough with how they were acting, in my opinion!

The romance was cute, and it all flowed quite well all things considered! I think Iris needed Stevie just as much as Stevie needed Iris, and I love me a HEA at the end of it all. Sometimes you just need a read that will make you smile (and sometimes cry! I mean, their realizations about the other really got to me okay!!).

4.5 stars from me!

Man, I just love Ashley Herring Blake’s writing so much. She is SO good at writing characters. How is that across 3 books and 6 romantic leads, I have found something personal about myself reflected in every character even though they all feel like distinct individuals from one another? I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book as much as the last two, as I found Iris to be a little cartoonish as a side character, but then this book came out of nowhere and said, “Yeah Iris is like that on purpose because she thinks everyone expects her to play that role and she’s afraid that no one will love her true self” and just sucker punched me right in the gut. I could write a whole essay about the dynamic she has with Stevie and how they both help each other grow, but I don’t want to get into spoilers. I just want to say I love this book and I love this series and I’m so sad it’s over but I’m also excited to see what the author does next! 

I could probably find something to critique about this book if I searched for it. But I’m giving it 5 stars because it was just such a joy to read, and this series means a lot to me because it makes me feel so damn SEEN.

I'm finding it hard to find words for how much I loved this book. The queer romance representation in books is growing and I'm HERE.FOR.IT! The character development, the plot development, and the book overall just had my heart growing 10 sizes bigger. WOW. You need to read this book right now!

This series has gotten better with each one in my opinion and I’m sad that it’s over now. I have been looking forward to Iris’s story since I first read Delilah Green Doesn’t Care and it did not disappoint.

In my opinion the romance between Iris and Stevie was the best of the series. I loved both girls individually but together they were even better! I loved that Iris saw Stevie for who she really was and helped her to advocate for herself. On the other hand I also loved that Stevie really showed Iris she was deserving of love.

This book made me feel so many emotions and I will absolutely be recommending it to everyone whether they have read the others in this series or not. All of the moments with the prior book couples definitely made me happy too.

This is an absolute lovely end to the Bright Falls trilogy following three queer best friends finding love in a small Northwestern town. Both Iris and her love interest Stevie meet while trying to overcome professional and personal ruts that have them trying to break out of their shells.

This is a queer fake dating romance (of which there seems to be a plethora right now!), but Iris and Stevie as characters really add something unique to the mix. Iris is the kind of person who seems to only exist in romance novels to stir up plot points and get the narrative moving, so I was really curious to see how it would work to have her front and center in her own book. I do think her behavior is a bit more subdued in this versus the previous Bright Falls books, but she is still very outgoing and sex-positive. Stevie is very reserved aside from when she is acting on a stage, and also lives with general anxiety disorder. It was really interesting to see a character talk openly about anxiety, and see how that impacted her in certain situations.

I can't really say their first meeting is a "meet cute" given the projectile vomit that occurs, but the slow development of the relationship and their ability to open up to another felt grounded and I really bought into their romance. The love scenes were steamy and earned. The ending does feel a little cheesy, but it is also earned. These characters learn and grow and make some big decisions to keep their lives moving forward. It also felt like a good reversal of how the first book starts with its connection to New York City.

Blake writing queer romance is truly a gift to the queer community and to the romance genre, and I will be one of the first in line for their next outing.

Ashley Herring Blake has done it again! Iris Kelly is a good time bisexual. Stevie Scott is an anxious lesbian. They are both a bit of a disaster. So, fake dating is a great idea! I loved this romp! Iris and Stevie are so real and the family from Bright Falls is a delight as always. Loved!

This was a worthy conclusion to the beloved Bright Falls trilogy. Ashley Herring Blake once again developed robust characters and nuanced dynamics, created chemistry that was palpable and love that was believable. If you liked the first two, you're sure to enjoy this one as well!

I enjoyed this book, but I think I might have built it up too much in my head before reading it because it was not my favourite. I was REALLY looking forward to Iris’ story as I felt like she was the most relatable of the trio for me, but this just felt like it was missing something. I’m not sure if it was because the theatre production storyline was not that appealing to me, or if it’s because it felt like too much of Iris’ story focused on Stevie’s insecurities and frustrations. While I could definitely relate to Stevie as well, I think I just wanted more Iris.

What an incredible conclusion to the Bright Falls trilogy!

I was always curious about Iris since she was a background character in the previous books. Were there times when Iris annoyed me as a character? Yes. But that's mainly because she as a character had a lot of development in order to get past the rut she's in with how she views herself compared to how she is seen by others.

I absolutely ADORED Stevie! Her generalized anxiety felt so real, and it’s great to see that representation accurately portrayed by Ashley Herring Blake. At first, I was afraid that Stevie’s anxiety was going to be one of her main character traits, but this was redeemed later on in the story.

Iris and Stevie are both messy people, but that's part of what makes them great protagonists/love interests. They're able to help each other despite the denials and anxieties each of them carries with them. The "deals" they make through the fake dating scenario of the book are also messy, considering no one would do this in real life, but that's what made it so fun to read.

I also loved how diverse the cast of characters is in this book, considering all of the couples in the three books are white. This also goes for the gender identities of some of the side characters, where some of the more prominent ones aren’t cisgender and gender-neutral language is also used when unnamed characters are first introduced.

While I’m sad that there aren’t any more Bright Falls books, I’m excited to see what Blake comes out with next, like the holiday romance that is being released in the near future.

Blake does it again! She has quickly become one of my favorite romance authors. Stevie was such a relatable character and it was so refreshing to see anxiety portrayed so accurately. Iris and Stevie are perfection!

I love the fake dating trope and Ashley Herring Blake hit this one out of the park! I found this book to be such a fun read and while I can do without the drama towards the end (that stuff always gets to me) I loved this book as a whole. I know many readers are going to adore this forced proximity, fake dating romcom!

The Bright Falls gang gets a great conclusion to their stories with Iris Kelly Doesn't Date. Loved learning more about Iris and meeting Stevie. Can't say I've ever read a steamy scene that concluded the same way their first one did! Their chemistry was sexcellent. Their friends are fun. Highly recommend this inclusive romantic third installment to the Bright Falls series.

Ashley Herring Blake does it again. I already adore the Bright Falls trilogy (Astrid Parker is my all time fav sapphic romance) and she did not disappoint with the ending to the trilogy. Iris Kelly had fake dating with tons of mutual pining (but it’s all fake right?!). I also loved the plot line where Iris needed romance training and Stevie needed training in the bedroom. Such a fun addition to the classic fake dating scenario. I will say I am not a theater gay so I was hesitant when I saw the community theater plot line but I thought Ashley did a great job of balancing that they were in a play together with the rest of the plot-line.
Also for fans of the other couples from book 1 and 2 there was tons of fun cameos (with a surprising amount of Claire the romantic!) and an adorable epilogue that features all our favs together. I’m sad the series has to come to a close but I eagerly await the new books Ashley has waiting for us!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the ARC!