Closing the series on another great book from Blake, I think she did a great at bringing all the characters from the last two books into the finale. I did feel at times the plot was a bit lost and I wanted to shake them both into doing what they both knew was the right choice but c'est la vie. This was definitely my least favorite was the three books but I still loved them a lot and liked how they were SO vastly different from the MCs in her previous novels.,

2.75 ⭐️

A better title: Iris Kelly Needs Therapy. For a rom com, this was missing the “com” part.

I wanted to love this book, I really did! After LOVING Delilah, Astrid’s story didn’t work as well for me, but I was sure Iris’ book would be my favorite. Iris is hilarious and with a setup of fake dating, I thought this book was going to be so much fun. Instead, it’s stressful and sad as you watch a character make the same mistakes and fall into the same anxieties over and over. Iris’ character completely changed from the funny, sassy one to that all being a mask to hide her deeper anxieties, which just made her so sad and didn’t even remotely match my expectations going in.

There’s so much going on in this world beyond their relationship, but this book didn’t choose to focus on any of those details, so the world building feels very surface. I would have loved more details about the play they’re in, Stevie’s acting career, even Iris’ writing career. (It actually really annoyed me that Iris had never acted before, got cast as a lead in Shakespeare, then they decided to include zero details about it but don’t worry, she got a rave review in the paper! And don’t get me started on Stevie’s acting career, but those would qualify as spoilers). There’s nothing to latch onto except their relationship which I was rooting for but got annoyingly repetitive fast. I decided I really didn’t like it at the 75% mark and the whole ending felt completely intolerable and I couldn’t wait for it to be over. Argh.

✨“I’m just a girl standing in front of another girl, asking her to fuck her senseless.”✨

I mean I think that quote pretty much sums it up! I really loved this one. I think book two remains my favorite—I would do illegal things for Astrid Parker—but Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date is definitely a close second! I loved both Iris and Stevie, and we definitely got a lot of the friend group content.

I’ve been seeing a lot of fake dating hate recently, but I really enjoy it, especially here. I loved seeing Adri get jealous because she thought they were dating—hello getting the only one bed FAKE OUT LOL—and it wasn’t a crazy leap to think that the fake dating was actually pretty logical (given the circumstances).

I only lost a bit of steam around the third act breakup. Don’t get me wrong, it needed to happen, I just lost some interest due to how it happened. But the reunion was dramatic, and the epilogue/conclusion to the series (I think???) made me tear up.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25/5 🌶️🌶️.5/5



Thanks so much to the publisher for an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.

I enjoyed this one so much! I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump and this is the first book in a while that kept me wanting to come back to it. The writing was well-paced, the characters fun and relatable, and the romance was super swoony. Definitely recommend!

The third book featuring our favorite girls from Bright Falls might be the best of the series. I don't know if it's because I identify with Stevie (part anxiety, part long term comfort dater) or if finally getting to read Iris's story, but I just really enjoyed this one.

I loved this book! From the commitment/confidence issues to the slow burn fake dating, I thought all of it was done really well. I love Ashley's writing so that's no surprise. And, as usual, very romantic! Very sexy. I've already suggested this to a few customers.

When I started this, I thought I wouldn't like it as much as the first two (something about me losing interest or something) but I actually think this may have been my favorite in the series. I love a good theater romance, and fake dating, and I loved the diverse characters in this one.

This was the perfect finale to the Bright Falls series! I loved reading about how Iris found her happily ever after, and having all of the characters I've come to love be a part of it. Blake's romcoms are some of my favorites and I cannot wait for what she writes next.

Thanks to Berkley for the copy to review.

“Maybe I was just built for you.”

Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date is the 3rd and final installment in the Bright Falls series by Ashley Herring Blake.

I always struggle to write reviews for books I love and therefore, I have been sitting on this review for quite some time. This series is so special to me and has become the ultimate comfort read.
Every time I finish a book in the series, I immediately listen to the audiobook. Kristen DiMercurio does a phenomenal job bringing the characters to life.

Blake writes endearing but flawed characters with depth and an underlying softness. I have adored every character from this series but found myself strongly resonating with Stevie.

Stevie is the sweetest; she suffers from General Anxiety Disorder and social situations can be triggering for her. Despite her shy disposition, she finds peace while performing in plays as an aspiring actress.

Iris has sworn off dating after her 2 most recent breakups left her feeling unworthy. She comes across as confident and extroverted, but deep down has a lot of pain and insecurities from those experiences.

It was so special to watch Stevie and Iris fall in love. Stevie shows Iris that she is worthy of a grand love full of romantic gestures and declarations. Iris fights her every step of the way, but Stevie is consistent and steadfast which allows Iris to finally fall.

Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date is a tender romance filled with heart, humor and heat; the perfect conclusion to a wonderful Queer series. This series has cemented Blake as an auto-buy author and I cannot wait to see what she writes next.

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for the e-ARC; all thoughts are my own.

THINGS
•Bisexual/ lesbian pairing
•Rake and wallflower but contemporary and Queer
•Romance novelist and Apsiring Actress
•Hook, Line and Sinker vibes (Iris is Fox)
•Disastrous one night stand turned Fake Dating
•Anxiety Rep
•Found family

The very first thing I wanted to point out in this one was the anxiety rep. As someone with anxiety, who often times gets migraines and pukes because of them from my anxiety, I felt SO SEEN. The day I met my husband’s aunt (who raised him) I got a migraine that made me throw up. The day I turned in my EOP test to get my Masters degree I had a migraine so bad I threw up. I know the effects of anxiety, and vomit is a nasty one, but to have it portrayed in a romance novel and for the person it happened in front of be grossed out but also so gentle with them made my eyes water. And I get it, there’s going to be someone somewhere that says this representation wasn’t great, but to that just a simple reminder that we are not all a monolith and I say for me and my anxiety, I felt seen and I would like for no one to try to erase that.

Well, that was a hell of an opening paragraph lol I almost never do that! But I was really touched by that and I thought it needed to be said. Moving on from that, I just thought it was ok. What I liked about the first two books was their friends and the small town and how they all hung out and were doing things with those same friends. In this one we get a whole new set of people, and let me tell you, I didn’t like any of them. They were all terrible and I didn’t feel like any of them were her real friends. Which was proved in the middle of the story because that dinner? WTAF. And the fact that she didn’t see it? Lordt I was like girl, are you not seeing on purpose? Had to be. Only way I’d accept that lol

Plot wise I liked it. With everything that was happening I was talking to the book out-loud, and that was saying something because my ass listened to the audio. I had to pause it, talk to Iris, and then unpause it again lol Her stubborn was unmatched and at times I was rolling my eyes because it got to be too much at some points. I get what the author was doing, and of course it needed the build up, but I did think it made the book long and drawn out. And I wish we could have seen some of the things that Iris had written while she was “learning from Stefania.” Like just small snippets of what she wrote as the time went on. It could have been really cute.

I expected more from the romance tho. Like they kept arguing about getting together and arguing about why they just knew they didn’t need to be together and it was annoying. I always find myself wishing there was more romance than they got. Like why couldn’t we get more scenes of them together? I like the build-up ok, but I stay for the love and the romance. And the things they do for each other. This was actually kinda meh. I wanted more. I mean like, if you’re giving romance lessons, GIVE SOME DAMN ROMANCE LESSONS. They seemed like an afterthought during the whole thing.

The ending was cute tho. I liked the turn the friend group took. They’ve always been my favorite, so when it was time I was crying my face off. I thought it was the perfect celebration for them and I think it went full circle. AND, as a reader I would be remiss if I were to get on here and not talk about the grand gesture. Was that not the cutest thing? Not gonna lie I think about the fact that I won’t get anything like that in real life smh lol

The narrator was someone I’ve listened to before from the rest of the series. And they were still perfection. I really don’t know how Kristen DiMercurio was able to do all of those different voices for all those different people. I still don’t know how she was able to get those characters to be completely different like that.

Was this my favorite of the series? No. Was it still a good read and worth your time? Yes. I hope all of you have followed this story till the end and I really hope this isn’t the last story in this series. Maybe we can get Ruby’s dad? Idk I just don’t want to be done with these friends/people yet!

the perfect ending to a perfect series! I knew Iris was going to be my fav of the bunch. Fake dating x romance lessons? ugh I LOVE!!!!!! this was so cute, sweet, funny and charming. The writing was sharp and I want someone written by Ashley Herring Blake. She's an auto-buy author for sure.

Iris Kelly Doesn't Date is a fake dating, horrible one night stand turned more, and a cozy sapphic found family romance. Iris is tired of being the only one who is single in her friends group, and not to mention she's trying to write her second romance novel but is running out of ideas. To get away from her problems she goes to a bar and has a horrible one night stand. She thinks she's never see the woman again but they meet again at a local play production and start fake dating.

2.5 stars!!

My first reaction to this book was damnnn it's spicy but also so relatable and real! I liked the anxiety rep. Iris was a great character and I felt so connected to her. However, I did not like Stevie lol. She was hard to root for and kind of unbearable? She is in love with her ex for a majority of this book. I wanted more for Iris and thought she deserved a little better (especially in that ending). I really liked the first two books in this series but this was unfortunately my least fav.

Thanks NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! Iris Kelly is the last of her friends to find a happy ending, after being hurt and left by previous partners. Then she meets Stevie, who due to various reasons, needs to fake date Iris. A sapphic love story ensues! This is the third (and I think last) book in this trilogy and it did a lot of great things. I really liked the intimate moments between Stevie and Iris; Blake I think is a master at writing thoughtful progression and growth through relationships and the art of getting to know your partner and falling in love. I thought that the past relationship trauma of Steve and Iris was handled great. My issues with this book were that Stevie’s friends were awful and the ending felt a little rushed (and I won’t spoil why). But these were pretty minor to an overall sweet and thoughtful ending to this great series with great female friendships and love stories. Overall, highly recommend for fans of Blake and this Bright Falls series, LGBTQ+ love stories, fake dating and Shakespeare, and contemporary steamy romance.

This book was perfect. It is bittersweet to say goodbye to Bright Falls, but Ashley Herring Blake did so in such a beautiful wrap up with Iris and Stevie. These two imperfect perfect love birds were so fun to read about, their fake dating shenanigans, and the obvious feelings they have for one another. It made me tear up at the end to think that this is it. A touching story that definitely was a top read for me this year.

This book is very adorable. The characters are endearing and the plot is fun. It's a feel good read for anyone

The absolute perfect LGBTQ comfy cozy rom-com – I lovvved it, and based off of the reviews so did many others.

I have enjoyed all 3 books in this universe. They all are cute, quick reads with an HEA. I highly recommend this author. The writing style was cute and enjoyable yet meaningful!!

I loved, loved, loved this installment from Bright Falls!!! It might be my favorite which is a bit if a surprise considering how much I didn’t care for Iris in the first book. What an amazing character arc and development for her and I absolutely adored Stevie!!

ngl I was worried about this final book because Iris was my least favorite Bright Falls girl, but holy shit was was incredible.

I loved Stevie. I loved Iris. I loved their wild relationship complete with a really shitty attempt at fake dating and romance training and sex lessons.

There's also Shakespeare and community theater and anxiety rep and so much else that I really adored. And now it is over and I will have to figure out what else to do with my life without being able to fall into these bi/lesbian sapphic romances for the first time.

I absolutely loved this book!
I have not read the first two books in the series, but will definitely go and read them now.

The author has written a wonderful story of two very different people who each need to find their confidence and strength to be successful on their terms. Through fake dating, they can be fully honest with each other, sharing their concerns and fears, take chances, and explore parts of themselves they had previously ignored.
Slowly, the fake dating becomes real, more real than they ever anticipated and perhaps can handle.

I particularly loved the ending and how we got to the HEA for Iris and Stevie. They came together on their terms, having both grown into their independence and gaining the confidence to be themselves in life and in a partnership.

An absolutely wonderful book.