4 stars

Okay, I'm going to gush about this right now because, as an "anxious girly," the rep here was on point!
Everyone who knows me knows that Delilah Green is my ✨️wife✨️so colour me surprised when Stevie almost took her spot! (Almost because by the end and with some special appearances by Delilah, I love her even more now)
I related so much with Stevie, her struggles with mental issues and with her insecurities and that feeling of not knowing what to do but also not wanting to disappoint your loved ones? Ugh, I felt that so much! She was a great character and to see her flourish in the end... I was so proud.
Now Iris was amazing. I liked that with her, we could explore something that always bothers me about authors writing bisexual characters... the overly sexual bi trope. I liked how it shows the hypocrisy of it and how must bi individuals have to deal with people seeing them as fetish.
I also appreciate the talks about being the only single person in the family and the pressure they put in ourselves to fulfill social patterns of get married, have kids, etc. The only thing is that I'd appreciate our heroine standing up for herself sooner.
Overall this was a wonderful final book for the series, I loved how it wrapped up and now I can't wait to see what else Ashley Herring Blake has prepared for us.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Iris Kelly Doesn't Date is a very easy read that you will eat up in the shortest time. The writing is enticing, easy-going and fast-paced. There is a lot of diversity and a lot of people are represented which is a definite plus. While I did enjoy the story, it did not stand out that much from other stories, except for the colorful cast. The story was quite predictable but I still found myself enjoying the romance between Iris and Stevie.

Since meeting Iris in Delilah Green Doesn’t Care, I don’t think I’ve had so much excitement for a book. Bisexual disasters are my favourite and I knew she wouldn’t disappoint me!!

But, weirdly, I think it was Stevie that stole the show for me!! My heart melted a little every time she spoke or thought or threw up. Love her so much I’m actually a tad jealous of Iris, but it’s fine and I’m fine!

Yes so I adored the whole story with them both doing the play and fake dating but also sex lessons AND romance lessons but also we’re doing everything a real couple might do but haha it’s fake oh wait is it? Fantastic

Also for both Iris and Stevie just really coming into their career in their late 20s/ early 30s ish was actually really nice to read! I don’t know why I picked up in this so much but I get sick of characters in books automatically being successful in their field by age 22 when yeah that happens but not super often!!

I am as sad as I am happy! I’m genuinely just so upset that this the end of Bright Falls but I had such an amazing time reading these books and am sure I’ll have many fun rereads in the future

I don’t know what it is about Bright Falls and Ashley Herring Blake’s books but they just CONSUME me. I started reading it and then I noticed I’d somehow got through half of it without even realising and sped through to the ending. I liked the fake dating aspect as usual and I liked that neither Iris nor Stevie were perfect, they had their flaws and I they complimented each other quite nicely. This was a 5/5 for me until some of the misunderstandings and drama and without spoiling, I wasn’t super sold on the ending either. Also Stevie’s friends were just not it. I was rooting for Stevie and her career so much though!

What an AMAZING end to a great series! I loved this book and Iris and Stevie. They’re 100% my favourite couple in this series and this was my favourite book of the three as well.

Iris and Stevie’s struggles with anxiety and self-love and self-worth were so so relatable and I truly felt for them. The amount of times I cried while reading this book was ridiculous considering it isn’t a sad story but I couldn’t help it because I could see myself so clearly in both of them. For that reason, it was also especially heartwarming to see them both grow and find happiness together.

I loved Stevie’s journey and the way her confidence grew so much throughout the book. If you only read one of her earlier scenes and one of her scenes toward the end, you wouldn’t say it was the same person if you didn’t know. I also loved getting to know Iris, understanding her pain and her fears, which she always tried to hide behind her confidence and humour; the marks her past relationships left behind were evident and it was lovely seeing her open up with Stevie and realise that she was worth loving.

Iris and Stevie’s dynamic was one of the highlights of this book for me. I loved how healthy their relationship and communication was (for the most part); it couldn’t have been clearer how much they loved each other and the way they opened up to each other about their pasts and struggles and were always met with unwavering support and understanding truly was beautiful.

I also loved seeing the rest of the girls from the previous books and how supportive they were not only of Iris, but also of Stevie. They welcomed her with open arms and did everything they could to help ensure they were both happy. Stevie’s friend group, on the other hand, really sucked… even the one person I thought was good ended up doing some very questionable (wrong, really) things toward the end that really didn’t sit right with me and I felt like the toxicity in this group was never really addressed, which was a shame.

Overall, I loved this book, its characters and their chemistry. If you’re looking for a really cute fake dating, wlw romance with good anxiety representation, make sure to check this one out.

★ 4.5/5 Stars ★

A big thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK, Piatkus, and Netgalley for sending me n arc in exchange for an honest review.

Well, I knew Iris would be my favourite character of them all - I LOVED her throughout and her relationship with Simon.
I enjoyed knowing more about her background, and felt like we got to grips with why she feels the need to be the sarcy, sexy, funny girl within her relationships.

Cons - I found all of the previous main characters to be incredibly annoying outside of their books, Claire was just condescending and did they ever actually talk to her about anything other than dating - the same way as her parents. Stevie was cute but I just didn’t really get them together sadly.

Thank you NETGALLEY for the ARC.

I absolutely adored this. Ashley Herring Blake is such a strong voice in the sapphic romance genre and I have loved the entire Bright Falls series so far and this book is just the icing on the cake of a perfect series.

After heartbreak and a history of not being treated well by partners, Iris has decided she will never date again. Cue the cute, anxious disaster of Stevie who proposes a fake dating situation that Iris jumps on.

Iris and Stevie had such cute chemistry together. Stevie's character is such a good representation of GAD and you really route for growth in confidence and self-belief.

I appreciated seeing a little bit of outside of Bright Falls, with Stevie's life, acting career in Portland and her circle of fierce friends but I did relish the Bright Falls scenes more. From hanging out at the Everwood to line dancing, the feel of Bright Falls is just so comforting.

The stories of the rest of our cast from the previous books continues to play out and I love that they're still as real and vivid in Iris's story as they were in their own.

Ashley Herring Blake has written some of the best sapphic books with this series and I look forward to seeing the stories she has to tell us out with this series too.

This is the first book I have read in this series but I will definitely be going back to read the other two. I loved this book. The romance was adorable and I loved both Iris and Stevie. Stevie’s anxiety was written so well making her extremely relatable to anyone who struggles with their own anxiety. Her growth was beautiful to read. There are so many great characters with a diverse cast. This book really makes you feel all the emotions. It made me laugh and cry and was just a joy to read. The fake dating was so fun and I loved seeing their friendship bloom. The way Iris was with Stevie made my heart melt. She just knew how to support her with her anxiety as opposed to Stevies friends attempts. The 3rd act conflict was also done perfectly and really added to the story and the character growth instead of just being for some unnecessary drama. I can’t wait to read the others.


I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Iris Kelly struggles to finish this book, and so do I.
This felt as performative as a high school production of "Rent"

I really enjoyed Delilah Green Doesn't Care, I thought that it was a great deconstruction of the tropes that plagued the romance genre. Then I read Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail and realised that the cliches weren't deconstructions at all, but the features of the story. I really wanted to have hope that this book would turn the cliches around, but it took all of the things that were wrong with the series and solidified them. The diversity felt like pandering, the side characters felt like cardboard cutouts, and the plot points were constructed entirely out of cliches.

As a queer person, I felt immensely disappointed with the diversity of this book. It doesn't make me feel seen, because I have been out for more than 10 minutes. I don't swoon at seeing a trans person mentioned in a book and forgotten just as fast. Queer and POC characters show up and vanish at exactly the same speed, giving you whiplash and making it feel like they are nothing but a checked box on a long list of checked boxes. (view spoiler). The queer characters in the book don't feel like people, they feel like caricatures or set dressing. It feels like the queerness on display (both in the leads and the minor characters) is very uniform. All of the bisexuals are shown to have the same experience. The book also uses outdated terms like "latinx" that have been widely panned by the hispanic community as a whole.

All of the characters in the book feel so two-dimensional. I hoped that this was a trait that was reserved for the side characters but even the main characters of the book suffered from this. Stevie is an actress with anxiety who is struggling to break out of the Portland theatre scene. (view spoiler). Iris Kelly is struggling to get her love life together because she's "really good at sex" but struggles in relationships.(view spoiler). She runs a successful business and is a published writer but the author wants us to believe that this woman is incapable. She's perfect at everything that she sets her mind to. (view spoiler). These characters are supposed to be in their late 20s to their early 30s and they all behave like teenagers at any given moment.
The main characters from the previous installments return in this book, again with muted personalities and importance to both the plot and the characters.

The romantic leads have genuine romantic chemistry which makes the rest of the book feel lacking in comparison. It falls into so many plot contrivances to make sure that the leads don't notice each other acting and reacting a certain way to a situation. (view spoiler). The sheer amount of Deja Vu that I had felt from reading these characters pulled back and forth between themselves made me care very little about the romantic climax of the book ((view spoiler)). (view spoiler).

I truly wanted this book to be good, but I am left wondering how people are rating this at 5 stars.

this is the final book in the queer dating series by ashley herring blake. iris kelly has sworn off dating, believing she is only good for one night stands. when she meets anxious stevie, she is unsure at first but soon feelings develop between them. it has a sprinkle of fake dating and mental health rep, woven into a sweet romance set amongst a theatre production. i will seek out the earlier two books in this series, as i really enjoyed myself.

I’m loving this interlinked series of stories. The characters are fabulous and I love the fact that the friendships are so deep and close. I enjoyed seeing Stevie escape from a slightly darker and unhealthy relationship, discovering her true worth and love with Iris. Obviously the path of true love never runs smoothly, and I love reading about people overcome their own set of obstacles and challenges.
This is such a feel-good story, although I don’t remember the other two being quite so “adult”, still really joyful.

What an end to probably my favourite queer series ever!!
I was so so excited to be approved for an ARC of this book, as I have been waiting very impatiently for it to come out, and my goodness did it live up to my expectations!
I won't lie, I wasn't the biggest fan of Iris based just on the first book in the trilogy, and whilst I warmed to her a bit more in the second, I still had my reservations. In this final book though, I grew to love her so much.
Iris Kelly has been hurt big time and keeps her heart closely guarded as a result. Whilst understandable, this leads to her pushing everyone away, and refusing to see herself as more than 'the good lay, the one-night f*ck'.
Stevie Scott is a walking, talking ball of anxiety, particularly when out of her comfort zone. I related so hard to her instantly, even if some of her internal monologue made me cringe with how alike it was to my own brain.
Stevie is desperate to get back on the dating game after being dumped by her best friend and ex, Adri, who has moved on swiftly with their mutual close friend Vanessa. Iris is desperate to prove to her family that she doesn't need a relationship to be satisfied in life.
They have possibly the worst one night stand in history, before ending up playing opposite each other in a queer version of Much Ado. What follows is a hilarious and heart-warming story of fake dating, falling in love and so much character development and growth. I'm trying desperately not to give too many spoilers so I'll just say it's so worth reading, as are the first two in the series. I'll definitely be buying the paperback when it's out and rereading! (I'll secretly be hoping we get to go back to explore Bright Falls some more one day).

This was my least favorite book from the series and it was because I just couldn’t connect with the characters and found them really annoying most of the time. I do love their story and how they complement each other and they truly make a beautiful couple, but they felt unlikable to me.

Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date by Ashley Herring Blake is a sapphic romance following our two main characters Stevie and Iris. As the title states, Iris doesn’t date, she has had a difficult time in past relationships and has sworn them off. She meets Stevie, an adorable but awkward thespian, and we get to watch as their relationship blossoms.

I really enjoyed this book as not only did we see the evolution of the relationship, but the author brought a lot of depth and character growth to Stevie and Iris as well. It was a well written, cute, rom com which brought back some of our favourite characters from Blake’s other books. The diversity of the characters was amazing, and featured those of different sexual and gender identities, in addition to characters of a wider range of races.

I don’t generally read a lot of romance books; however, I will likely find myself reaching to read this one again at some point. Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an e-arc.

After having read and loved the previous two books in the Bright Falls series, I was quietly nervous about reading Iris Kelly Doesn't Date. I have a tradition at this point of starting Ashley Herring Blake's books on trains so I started the third instalment super early in the morning before work, and was instantly hooked. I spent my whole work day thinking about getting back to Bright Falls.

Iris Kelly Doesn't Date is my favourite of the three books - it's cute, fun, and made me cry on three separate occasions. It doesn't hurt that Much Ado About Nothing is my favourite Shakespeare play and that fake dating is one of the best tropes out there. Stevie is a delight and Iris really shines in this incredible novel.

If you enjoyed Delilah Green Doesn't Care and Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail, this is a must-read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.

When I read Astrid Parker back in June, I declared it my favorite romance novel of the year. Then another book took the spot for a while; and now I finished Iris Kelly and I have a new favorite.
I love this series so much, I already loved Delilah Green, but then I found myself in Astrid, and I found myself in Iris and Stevie, and it made me love these books even more.
I don't HAVE to relate to a character in order to enjoy the book, but it often does make it feel a bit more special, and Iris Kelly just really hit the spot for me.

Iris feels like a perfect representation of what it is like to be single by choice in a world that is obsessed with romance, a constant need to defend oneself, feeling judged, and feeling like the odd one out. Throw in a few bad relationship experiences that made you cynical and skeptical of love, and you get a person who is very guarded but puts on a show for the world.
Stevie on the other hand is kind of the opposite, she lost herself in a long-term relationship and is trying to find out who she is on her own. I think she truly represented the struggle of being brave enough to choose oneself and navigating how to do it without hurting others in the process or falling back into old patterns.
As someone who is newly single, I just personally really related to both characters a lot, and the book truly came to me at a time when I needed it.

I also loved the anxiety rep, I think it was written so well. It's always present for Stevie and it's not something that magically disappears as she falls in love, but she finds her own strength while also realizing that the right people will build you up, instead of profiting off your insecurities and anxiety.

As someone who usually doesn't love fake dating... I did love this. It was such a fun setup, and it just made me all giddy. The theater/romance novel aspect added so much to the story and I just had a great time with it.
The romance was beautiful and I personally actually enjoyed the third-act breakup, it fit very well within the story, and to me it didn't feel like a frustrating setback in character development.

This series has become one of my favorite romance series of all time, I love it so much and Iris Kelly was the perfect conclusion to it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for approving my request to read an arc of this book.

*DNF
I really enjoyed the authors first book in the series and although I wasn’t as keen on the second, I was excited to read the third instalment. After reading 128 pages I decided to DNF as this book just wasn’t for me. I couldn’t take to any of the characters, even the core characters from the series just felt off to me. It wasn’t a bad book by any means, I just didn’t feel a pull to want to turn the next page.

I absolutely adore this series, and this was the perfect way to close it off. Iris had always been one of my favourite of the women we meet in Bright Falls, and I loved reading more about her and her life. As someone who is Irish, reading about her Irish family was also wonderful. I really felt seen in the pages of this book.

I also enjoyed reading Stevie a lot, and found myself really resonating with her. Like Stevie, I also suffer quite a bit with anxiety, so seeing someone else with anxiety in a book, and her being written so well, was wonderful. Even down to her gut reaction (snigger) during their first night together, it was written so well.

One bugbear I had with this book was that literally every character was some flavour of LGBT. While I'm all for inclusivity, at times it felt a little too forced and far fetched,

I cannot wait to see what Ashley does next, but I'm sad to leave Bright Falls behind.

This was a really solid finish to the series, and didn't coast upon the last two books. While the characters from the previous two books were involved in this story, they didn't steal the show as often happens.
Instead the main characters - Stevie and Iris - were fully developed with their own backstories, fears, worries and triumphs. It was a real pleasure seeing the two characters grow together and by themselves.
It was a really beautiful love story and a wonderful send off for a great series!

okay, so i think out of the two i have read (i haven't read delilah's story yet), i would say this one if currently my favourite. i'll start with the positives of this:

stevie's anxiety really hit home for me - i too find making decisions difficult, i stress about mundane tasks and i can't speak to new people to save my life. she was very relatable and while others might not like her character, i understood where she was coming from. her awkwardness made her likeable - for me at least.
while i couldn't relate all that much to iris, she was enjoyable to read. her growth was slightly rushed compared to stevie's and there wasn't enough fall out for her stupid actions but it is what it isss. slightly unrealistic that she was good at ALL the creative arts ; writing, drawing and acting??? come on now, leave something for the rest of us.

these two fmcs had the most believable chemistry, and actual tension, godbless. perhaps i wanted more of a slooow burn but when stevie put on her big girl pants, i was eating the words as though i were starved let me tell you.

the not so positives: the constant queer inclusion felt forced. that hurt to say but honestly it's true. most of the time someone was revealed as queer, it added nothing to the progression of the story. like why am i being told the best friends uncles neighbours cats nephews gardner is gay? i understand that inclusivity is important but this felt like it was simply checking a box. this can also be said for the non-white characters. it feels as though they're there as an afterthought, like 'oh wait all my mains are white let me sprinkle in some side characters who's entire role will just to help move the mc's narrative along and thus have no personality at all'. ren could have been a really cool character but was neglected until needed. also, clothing does not equal entire personalities either, i don't need to know what every single human being is wearing.

the plot was fine - somewhat believable, definitely horny, and the conflict worked to an extent. overall, i did enjoy reading it it, but it would have been better if inclusivity didn't feel so forced and the conflict had been more impactful.