Is it weird to say every character written by Ashley Herring Blake has felt like it was a self insert for me? Becuase genuinely all six of these girls in the Bright Falls sapphic coven feels like some version or other of me. Iris and Stevie are if my high school theatre kid got to grow into an adult and Iris's artist/writing self is what I would have turned into had I continued art from college.

Stevie's and Iris's struggles with self, pressures from the people who love them yet don't understand them fully is so reflective of my own experience. I enjoyed seeing them struggle through their initial meeting with incredible compassion towards each other and grow into friends and more.

I loved seeing all the other characters from previous books, seeing their love from outside of themselves and the closeness these girls share through the years. I am a husk of a person now that the series is over but just know I will be revisiting this series CONSTANTLY.

This book is delightful and I loved seeing the whole crew again! Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes, and Ashley did it so well. The way Stevie and her anxiety were written, with such care and respect, was really nice to read as someone who deals with those same issues.

And Stevie and Iris together- chef's kiss! There was sweetness, there was tension, there were some truly hot sexy times. Iris x Stevie are perfection.

I just really loved this and the whole series and I'm sad to say goodbye to Bright Falls, but it was the perfect send off!

I absolutely loved this book. It's definitely for all the queer theatre kids out there. I loved the mental health representation and that it was dealt with in a realistic, but also healthy way. I love the queer found family trope in both Iris's and Stevie's friend groups. This is definitely a book I needed while in a reading slump. Because even though there were some heavy parts, it felt light and cute and quirky.

once again, the cover art makes me want to date the characters of this book

💌 ARC from Netgalley. <b>SPOILERS AHEAD</b>

It almost seems unfair to review this book after how much I loved ASTRID PARKER DOESN'T FAIL, because having to stand up to that wound up impacting my feelings about this one.

IRIS KELLY DOESN'T DATE is the final novel in the Bright Falls series — it, once again, doesn’t improve on some of the pet peeves I had with the prior installments (in particular, the smut felt like it was being written by someone who was just … making shit up as they went along? I’m not going to make assumptions about the author’s life, but as a reader it was very noticeable? I actually wound up skipping most of smut scenes after the initial hookup and the stuff at Malibu — they were distracting and lackluster.)

I also felt like every single character in this book was introduced by their race and sexuality before anything else, which made it feel like the author was just going down a checklist of identities to showcase rather than putting thought into their characters. No one was portrayed badly, but it was … <em>prominent</em>. There certainly could have been more effort out in to introduce us to the same characters in a way that felt organic.

Aside from that, I did like this book. Iris and Stevie were less enjoyable than the other two couples to me, mostly because I don’t love reading about my own disorder in romance since it takes away from the escapism a little — I’m sure there will be people that read this book and feel represented, which is great! I’m just not one of them. I don’t think they qualified for an “actual stakes” fake dating scenario, which is the only time I tend to like the trope, but it wasn’t a bad book at all. IMO, I think this and Astrid Parker should have been switched around in the order, because I felt like that book had a stronger ending.

Still, I’ll be recommending this to people.

What a lovely conclusion to the Bright Falls series. I think this one might be my favorite. I loved the story arc, and getting to know Iris even more as she fought falling in love with Stevie. Sweet, funny, and steamy. Definitely a win.

Iris Kelly is a romance writer, struggling to get her next book into draft form after her own romantic failings. Enter Stevie. Stevie is a sweet and anxious actress who is just trying to move on from her six year long relationship. She doesn’t want her ex, she just wants to get on with her life. When Stevie meets Iris, she assumes everything will be great by their instant attraction, but one thing leads to another and soon an awkward failed one-night stand is the least of their worries! Will they be able to play opposite each other in the community theatre production of Much Ado About Nothing? Can they keep up the ruse that they’re “dating” in front of Stevie’s friends? Most importantly, can they do all this while still protecting their hearts?

Fans of the romance genre will find plenty to love in this big-hearted swoony romance. Tropes like fake-dating and romance lessons equal all the love in this amazing story. It’s steamy, it’s fun, and it has the whole Bright Falls cast. This is hit ending to the series and has everything you want in a queer romance!