Thank you so much to Berkley Romance, Netgalley, and PRH Audio for providing an advanced copy of this! All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

I have a lot of mixed feeling about this final book the Bright Falls series. Delilah Green was one of my favorite books of the year when it released, and none of the books since have lived up to that romance...

I was very excited for this romance about Iris. She's a character that I felt like we were only getting a small part of in the previous books and I was excited to learn about who she really was.

On one hand, I really liked Iris' backstory. She puts up such a shield to protect her from getting hurt and buries everything in fake bravado and humor. But deep down just wants someone to prove that she's worth more than a checklist of life achievements (marriage, babies, etc).

And the pressure that her family puts on her is something I think a LOT of people can relate to. It was almost painful to read about how much no one listened to Iris's desires for her own life.

I also loved the fact that we got a character with intense social anxiety. It's not always a very "sexy" disorder (proven by the fact that Stevie literally throws up on her haha), and I love seeing that representation get an HEA.

But I never really bought into any aspect of the story. I felt so separated from the characters and their romance and plot. I didn't feel a single ounce of chemistry. The familial and platonic friendships were, in all honestly, absolutely terrible. Stevie's friends in particular should have been dumped.

And the plot overall felt meandering. There was so little driving the plot forward because the main focus was put onto the fake dating element. And it just couldn't carry the plot.

So I was left feeling absolutely nothing upon finishing this romance.

I think that Ashley Herring Blake does a great job highlighting queer relationships in her stories. But I do think that sometimes it's almost TOO much... And in these last 2 books, I felt like not enough time was spent building the relationship and chemistry and too much time was spent elsewhere (discussing important, but not entirely relevant, topics, side plots, and backstory).

I'm curious to see where there author goes from here though. While her last 2 books haven't been my favorite, I love seeing trade pub'd sapphic stories, and will continue to pick up her romances. I think this one was just a casualty of me not connecting to the characters in the way I need to fall in love with a story.

I did not read the prior two books in the series - so maybe that played into my feelings about the book. But, unpopular opinion, I did not love it. I found the main characters to be annoying and childish. I felt that their story was not realistic. It felt very YA like, but that wasn't the target audience for the book. I just really struggled to connect with the characters and the story line, making it a somewhat disappointing read for me. All that being said, if you enjoyed the prior books in the series - definitely give it a try. It seems that I am in the minority with my review of this one!

Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

That was just about the cutest ending I have ever read!

What I liked: I found both Iris and Stevie relatable in a lot of ways. I love seeing good anxiety rep in books, AND good bisexual rep! Stevie’s anxiety, while different from mine, also felt so familiar. My heart ached for the way her friends took advantage of her, the way she made herself small to be more likable. Watching her journey throughout the book was so wonderful. With Iris, I really related to the way everyone in her life was constantly pressuring her to live life the way they thought would be best. Truly, these two characters are the closest I have felt to fictional people in a long time. They were nuanced and real and didn’t always make the right choices, and I loved them. And then putting them together?? Absolute magic! Their love story was so sweet, it had me wishing for a real life romance just like it.

What I didn’t like: at times I felt like this was a little bit miscommunication, or more accurately, lack of communication-y. That isn’t my favorite trope, and there were times I wanted to jump through the page and yell at them to just talk to each other!! But I also did enjoy the fake dating aspect, and know there wouldn’t have been the same buildup without -some- lack of communication.

Overall: I would highly recommend this for the artfully crafted characters, anxiety rep, and fantastic romance.

Pacing: medium
Intended audience: adult
TW: slut shaming (challenged), biphobia (challenged), toxic friendships

Review to be posted on social media soon*

Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date is the third installment in Ashley Herring Blake’s Bright Falls series. I have loved every book in this series and every wonderful character we’ve met along the way so I couldn’t wait to dive in and finally get to know more about Iris.

When we meet Iris in this new book, she has embarked on a new career as an author of romance novels. Her debut novel went well, but she is struggling to write her second book and her own lackluster love life might be part of the problem. While Iris is thrilled that Astrid, Delilah, and everyone else in their friend group has found love, she often finds herself the odd man out, so to speak. One night, she decides to forget all of her troubles and heads to a bar in Portland. She meets, and is immediately attracted to, a sexy stranger named Stefania, and the two of them really hit it off. Instead of the hookup Iris was hoping for, however, the night ends in disaster. What Iris doesn’t realize at the time, however, is that Stefania is about to become a very important person in her life.

Following her agent’s advice to get out there and do something to take her mind off her writer’s block, Iris decides to try out for a local play that is a gender-bent retelling of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. When she finds out who is playing the lead, Iris can barely believe it. It’s Stefania, whose real name turns out to be Stevie, and it becomes apparent that Stevie has told everyone involved with the play that she and Iris are dating. Stevie begs Iris to go along with it, so as not to embarrass her in front of everyone, and Iris decides to play along, figuring this ought to at least spark some ideas for writing her novel.

I loved this book so much! In spite of their failed one night stand, it’s obvious that Iris and Stevie have major chemistry. Iris is a fun and confident bisexual woman, but in this book, we finally get to see a vulnerable side to her that we haven’t seen before. Stevie is a former actor who has been dealing with anxiety and panic attacks, and the two of them were just so messy and flawed and honestly just perfect together. It was wonderful watching their relationship transform from fake to real, and to see how much they grew to care for, respect and support one another. Some of their more in-depth conversations about things they have gone through just really tugged at my heartstrings because it really made their relationship feel so authentic.

It wasn’t just all heartfelt, vulnerable moments between these two characters either. There was of course plenty of steam and humor, plus several fun appearances by the other members of Iris’ friend group. It also didn’t hurt that Much Ado About Nothing is my favorite Shakespearean comedy. Watching Iris and Stevie actually act out scenes from that play was just icing on what was already a fabulous cake for me.

Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date is another immensely satisfying and heartwarming installment in the Bright Falls series. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys sapphic romance, fake dating, and stories that feature fabulous friend groups/found families.

I'm a little late getting this review in, but since today is the official release day I figured now is as good a time as any!

I don't really know where to start with this book; Delilah Green was the book that got me into reading romance and I didn't think I could feel more in love with a character since Claire, but along came Iris and she's right there in the same category now. She was such a pleasure to get to see develop on the page and watching her find love brought me such immense joy. I definitely shed tears as I came to the end; I'll miss the Bright Falls girls so much, but this book will definitely be one that I read repeatedly for comfort.

Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date is queer romance perfection.

I absolutely couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book after reading the second book in this series, Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail. I loved it so much. I am happy to report the third and last instalment in the Bright Fall series did not disappoint. I loved everything about it too. Happily, this book can be read as a stand-alone, but the whole series is so great, you aren’t going to want to miss the other books. It is a little more fun to read them in order, as the couples from each book continue to show up in subsequent ones, but you won’t feel lost if you start here.

Ashley’s writing is just so fun, smart and filled with warmth. I loved getting sucked back into Bright Falls and all the shenanigans of this delightful found family group. This time, we get to know Iris, a character I loved in the first two books for her humour and wild nature. You can always count on Iris for a good time. But even the so-called party girl gets tired of being a party girl sometimes, and I loved the depth that we get to see in Iris in this book. Iris may have the title credit here, but we get to know Stevie just as deeply. The story is told from alternating perspectives. I LOVED Stevie. Stevie has a serious anxiety disorder and Ashley did a wonderful job of writing about Stevie’s experience of it with care. It really highlighted for me how different anxiety can look for different folks.

Now fake dating is not always a trope I enjoy, but somehow here it worked for me. I think because there was a sense of caring. Too often the fake dating is about two people using each other in a sort of ruthless fashion and I think that’s what turns me off. Here, Iris goes along with the fake dating because she is trying to help Stevie save face in front of her friends. Yes, she is also looking for inspiration for her next book, but Stevie enthusiastically wants to help her with that. And that’s the difference for me. They both genuinely, not begrudgingly, want to help each other. It makes for a more realistic transition into a real relationship. As we watch their admiration and affection for each other grow, it feels very real, very rooted, and it is a joy to read.

You cannot go wrong with Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date, I highly recommend it.

Thank you, Berkeley Romance for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Ashley Herring Blake, and Berkley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

THE PERFECT ENDING TO A PERFECT TRILOGY!!!!!! Since I first read Blake's middle grade books, I have been absolutely obsessed with her as an author, which was firmly cemented by Deliliah Green and Astrid Parker. I ADORE the Bright Falls trilogy, yes because of the romance but most importantly because of the QUEER FRIENDSHIP!! Iris Kelly has been my absolute favorite gal since book 1, and I have been not-so-patiently waiting for her story, which FAR FAR exceeded all of my expectations. This book has everything that I could want from a contemporary romance: fake dating, big personalities, realistic struggles, incredibly sexy scenes, and just so much love and life. I definitely felt I was able to relate to this story the most through Stevie's portrayal of anxiety, and I commend Blake for writing Stevie's experiences in such a realistic way. I felt so seen through both mine and my girlfriend's personal experiences with anxiety. Iris was the gem that she always is, and I LOVED getting to see her personal doubts and fears as well. I also loved the inclusion of way more diverse queer characters; that was such a fun addition to the story and really helped to make the book feel realistic too!! There were plenty of appearances of all our fave characters from the past books, and this had literally the perfect ending that made me CRY at work!! Although I love all three books, I definitely see myself rereading this one the most, and I'm so sad that as a reader my time in Bright Falls has come to an end. I genuinely am already so excited to see what Blake has coming next!!

Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date is definitely the strongest of the three books in the Bright Falls series.

I really loved the theatre aspect of this story and all the Shakespeare! There was also a lot of good discussion on GAD, and not making excuses for other’s behaviour. Iris Kelly is always a fun character to follow and the scenes with all the Bright Falls friends are some of the highlights. Their dynamic is so much fun!

With that said, after finishing the Bright Falls series… I feel like I’ve read the same book 3 different times. Some key aspects have changed but the plot remains the same in every book and there isn’t a lot of diversity at play either. I went into this series wanting to love it but left feeling a little meh.

Iris Kelly, a romance author who does not want to be in a committed relationship, is surrounded by couples in love. Her mom is pressuring her to couple up with someone—anyone really—and she cannot get the love story for her second novel to pour out of her.

Stevie Scott is an actress and barista who is stuck: stuck in smaller productions, stuck within her friend group, and stuck watching her ex and another close friend falling in love.

A club hookup that Iris expects to provide a release and Stevie wants to shake things up turns into the one-night stand they both want to forget. They never expect to see each other again but are thrown together when they are both cast in a gender-bent version of Much Ado About Nothing, directed by none other than Stevie’s ex. Iris agrees to fake date Stevie for the duration of the play, and they both agree to exchange lessons. Stevie wants the confidence to be with someone else, and Iris needs to experience more romance.

I enjoyed the wooing scenes, the tenderness between Iris and Stevie, Stevie’s vulnerability, Iris’s fire, and the support from Iris’s friend group. I appreciated the depictions of Stevie’s panic attacks and different aspects of her generalized anxiety disorder, the emphasis on the importance of feeling seen by another person, and the portrayals of how people respond differently to being scared. And the grand gesture is super swoony and a perfect fit for this couple.

This is the third book in the Bright Falls series but can be read as a standalone.

I received an advance copy from Berkley and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

Absolutely loved this final book in the Bright Falls series. It was the perfect wrap up of all the stories. This book follows Iris. We saw bits of her relationships in the first two books but in this novel we get to see Iris' story. In many romance books I don't always feel like these people would date in real life but that was not the case in this book. I absolutely loved Stevie. She was a sweet and complex character who I thought was a great representation of anxiety.

I was super excited for this book and it was a fantastic read.

Everyone around Iris is happy and in love, but here she is alone and struggling to write her second romance novel. The fact that she doesn’t date and has no recent experiences to inspire her writing isn’t helping. She’s looking for that inspiration when she meets Stefania, a sexy stranger at a bar. An attempted one night stand ends in Stefania throwing up and is truly the worst one night stand ever. So when she runs into Stevie (as she actually goes by) again, Iris is shocked that Steve wants to enter a fake relationship.

If you haven’t read the other books in this series I highly recommend picking them up. That being said I really enjoyed this story - between the fake dating, the sex lessons, and the theater setting, this book was so much fun. I especially love sweet Stevie. Her friends were garbage at times but she is such a gem. I loved her journey and how she became more confident and trusting throughout the story. One other thing this entire series explores well is the topic of found family, and how deep friendships can be so important and meaningful.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date is the third and final book in the Bright Falls series! Although it can be read as a stand alone, it’s wonderful for readers to head back to Bright Falls with familiar characters as well as brand new characters to fall in love with.

This book is the fake dating trope at its finest! When reserved Stevie sets out on a mission to come out of her shell and to get over her ex by attempting to have a one night stand with the beautiful Iris, who loves a fling but avoids commitment at all costs, then does the fun begin!! After a disastrous night and a fateful reunion, the two come up with a plan to fake date and to coach each other in the areas of romance, confidence and experience.

Blake does an excellent job keeping readers engaged with flirty banter, tons of laughs, and lots of spice. This trope filled romance is a fun read and a perfect escape back to the delightful town of Bright Falls. Add in a queer revision of a famous Shakespearean play, a lovable group of friends and supporters, and loads of relatability and this book was a winner!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and Let's Talk Books for the advanced reader copy and to PRH Audio and LibroFM for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

This is the third book in Ashley Herring Blake's Bright Falls series, and I just keep loving them more.

Though Iris is the titular character for this book, I found that Stevie stole the show (pun intended). Their initial meeting is so relatable, and I completely related to how Stevie hyped herself up by telling herself she was Stefania.

The book has so many of my favorite tropes with fake dating and sex lessons. Aspects reminded me of Business or Pleasure, another one of my favorite romances from this summer. And then we get a background of acting together in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing (one of my very favorite plays).

I really appreciated the shout out to the Trevor Project. And I loved the representation of anxiety and mental health. And for me, this whole series just embodies all I love about found family and the queer community. It shows great themes of growth, confidence, trust, and love.

The audiobook narration by Kristen DiMercurio was spectacular and brought me to Bright Falls and Portland even more. I'll read anything and everything Ashley Herring Blake writes.

It's unfair to other series that this one ended on such a fantastic note. Ashley Herring Blake took the character in the series I cared the least about, Iris Kelly, and made her into a fascinating, whole person who I rooted for. Stevie was entirely charming and vulnerably open about her struggles, and they were the opposites attract match made in heaven. Steamy, swoony, and a fantastic send off to a group of characters I've loved.

3.5 stars that I'm rounding up to 4 just because I love this series as a whole so much.

This book has everything it needs - romance, steaminess, banter, representation, etc, but I just didn't connect with it as much as the first two books in the series. Reading other reviews, I have the same complaints others have - heavy-handed inclusion, misplaced strawberry allergies, and the fact that Stevie's friends generally suck, but my biggest complaint is that I didn't buy Iris's backstory, but I often find the "I'm unloveable" trope annoying in romance, so that might just be me. I loved Stevie as a character, and her growth throughout the book (although I wanted her to yell at her friends a little bit more). Overall, I breezed through this and enjoyed my time in Bright Falls.

I will certainly read whatever Ashley Herring Blake writes next!

The last of a group of friends to find her forever after, Iris Kelly is actually very sure that she doesn't want a forever after. That doesn't mean she doesn't feel a bit lonely. So she goes out to enjoy herself with a one night stand. But... it doesn't go well.
Stefania (IRL "Stevie") is beyond embarrassed that she ruins an evening with the gorgeous Iris Kelly. She's not sure how this is ever going to work. At least she has her ex-girlfriend's gender-bending "Much Ado About Nothing" to look forward to. But who is the Benedick to her Beatrice? Somehow it's Iris.
Suddenly the two are agreeing to a fake relationship. Stevie because it means her ex is going to get off her back; for Iris... well, her friends mostly know about it but her family might finally look at her like she's accomplished something.
A highly enjoyable book and an amazing addition to this series.

Four stars
This book comes out October 24, 2023
Follows Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail
ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

I’ve loved Iris Kelly and her whole vibe since book one and I’m so thrilled to see her get her HEA. So thrilled in fact that I might have cheated and read the ending as soon as I hit the meet cute because I just couldn’t wait! Don’t worry I went back and got all the middle bits because I’m definitely not missing out on all the getting their goodness in between. And as much as I loved and anticipated Iris I do have to say Stevie stole my heart in this one. Stevie’s such an easy character for me to relate to with her anxiety and I think honestly these two characters will resonate with so many of us. I definitely recommend grabbing this one to read soon.

If there has ever been an angsty queer romance novel about creatives reluctantly falling in love, it’s Ashley Herring Blake’s Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date. The third book in the Bright Falls series brings us our surly, outgoing, romance book lover, Iris Kelly. As a new romance author, Iris is having trouble starting her second book, so to get inspiration, she embarks on a trip to a queer club in Portland for a one-night stand. There she finds Stefania, a shy but adorable lesbian Iris cannot wait to go home with, but when their night out goes disastrously wrong, she is okay calling the night a wash and leaving it all be. That is until she decides to audition for a queer local production of Much Ado About Nothing, only to find her one-night stand gone wrong kindly asking her to go along with pretending to be her girlfriend. Iris cannot turn down a fake dating set-up that would snap any romance author out of a writing slump, so she agrees. Now she just has to stop herself from falling for the adorable actress in front of her.

This is a charmingly destructive queer romance that hits every requirement. With the dual POV, we see both characters coming to terms with past relationships as they navigate their current fake relationship and the real feelings they are developing.

Iris is at a difficult turning point in her life as she starts a new career, manages the expectations of her family, and navigates the new dynamics in her friendships as the last non-partnered friend. I cannot help but fall for a character who is outwardly confident and inwardly crumbling so Iris was easy for me to like.

I also enjoyed meeting Stevie in this book. As an actress in Portland, she is struggling to make a name for herself outside the small theater scene. After breaking up with her girlfriend of six years, she is navigating the new dynamics within a friend group that contains both her ex-girlfriend and her new girlfriend. It is wonderful to see the sometimes-messy dynamics in queer friend groups when the friendships remain even as different romantic relationships develop. I also appreciated the careful exploration of the ways Stevie’s Generalized Anxiety Disorder shapes the book. Stevie is strong and clever and shy and absolutely wonderful for Iris.

If you are looking for a warm hug with a side-helping of angst, Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date is the queer contemporary romance for you. Thank you to Berkley for a reader's copy for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Delilah Green Doesn't Care; thought Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail was a step down; and now this was was another step down, when I was hoping it would have gotten better. This was one of the most convoluted stories I have ever read. All of the characters were such messes, and not in the fun way. I was looking forward to an Iris-centered book, since I enjoyed her part in the other two novels, but I unfortunately found this book to be dragging. The steamy scenes were great, but there needs to be more to the story.

My heart was aching for Stevie. I thought the anxiety rep was incredible. I hated Adri and how manipulative and controlling she was trying to be with Stevie especially after she’s the one that broke up with her. Iris deserved everything and I wanted her to know how worthy she was not just that she was good for her body. These two together was magical and made so much sense, the transition from fake to real was beautiful.