Ashley Herring Blake has written another sapphic romance that I was barely able to out down until it was finished. Iris and Stevie are incredibly cute. The book is really successful take on fake dating that actually seems like a plausible reason two people could fake date!

I loved seeing Bright Falls one last time, although I do wish there was two epilogues one for the Iris/Stevie and one for the whole cast!

Based on this trilogy, any sapphic story Ashley Herring Blake writes will be an auto-buy for me.

Many thanks to Berkley Publishing Group for an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

5*

This was Ashley Herring Blake's best work yet. Already an autoread for me, I was on pins and needles waiting for Iris' story and it didn't disappoint.

The drama, the spice, the characters, the growth, the love... all of it was stellar. It's great to have such a well-rounded cast of queer characters, represented in the way that queer people are: just living our lives, doing our best, and trying to get by.

I can't wait to see what Ashley does next.

This is my first book from Ashley Herring Blake and before I finished, I put the rest of the series on hold at the library! The author manages to write a romance novel with depth and thorough character development that also has spice AND addresses mental health. It seems like too much to squeeze into one book, but she made it seem effortless and it was such an enjoyable read.

I am looking forward to seeing what comes next from this author and would recommend this to anyone that enjoys romance or books with female characters that experience personal growth and address their past trauma/issues.

This was the perfect conclusion to the Bright Falls trilogy. Iris was always the character I connected with the least in the other two books, and after reading her story I understand why that was. The Iris in the first books slowly found herself with Stevie. That journey of discovery was perfectly matched by Stevie becoming more confident in her own abilities is both love and career. I found myself able to connect with both of them for different reasons. Stevie for her struggles with and triumphs over anxiety, and Iris for her insecurities she learned to conquer. Both characters were written with so much empathy. Blake left the series feeling complete and at ease. I cannot wait to read what comes next!

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars

Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date is yet another adorable and perfect installment of the Bright Falls series. We finally get Iris’s story and it is worth the wait. Iris is a romance author who has given up on love. Stevie is a shy, anxious theater nerd recovering from a tough breakup. The two have the worst one night stand possible and end up having to fake date (for REASONS). However, those fake feelings are turning into very real feelings.

This one was a heart kicker at times. Iris and Stevie are two soft, lovable, flawed, and complicated characters and I loved them so. I just wanted them to figure out all their problems and live happy, worry-free lives forever. I always love catching up with past characters and meeting more hilarious sidekicks (except for one. You know who you are). Overall, this series has been amazing and I need Ashley Herring Blake to write all the small town romances.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This conclusion to the Bright Falls series is just perfect. Delilah Green didn’t do it for me, but I warmed to Astrid Parker, and this book came in hot! I’m a sucker for fake dating every single time, and this book was so self and genre aware in the funniest way that it only added to the plot. Plus, there were Shakespeare quotes! It definitely feels like Blake has gotten her bearings writing for an adult audience and I can’t wait to see what she does next.

This book doesn't come out for a few months and I'm already recommending it to everyone I know.

This entire series has been such a delight, following incredible queer women (who are all so different from one another, which I love!) as they come into themselves and find love with each other. Moreover, the friendship that these women have with one another is enviable, to say the least. Representations of queer communities and support systems are so very important and in addition to this being a swoon-worthy romance that completely stole my heart, this friend group made my heart even more warm and fuzzy.

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!