By Ava Shaffer
A commitment-phobe romance writer and up-and-coming broke actress/barista make the perfect pair in Ashley Herring Blake’s final installment in the beloved Bright Falls series. From a disastrous one night stand, to fake dating girlfriends, to romantic leads in Much Ado About Nothing, Iris and Stevie learn to see each other for their true selves. Filled to the brim with heart, humor, and head-over-heels queer love, Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date will leave readers with full hearts, wide smiles, and maybe a little blush on their cheeks.
Read This Book If You…
Rewatch the Emma Thompson Much Ado About Nothing movie religiously
Love the fake dating trope
Are searching for a heartwarming read set in a Stars Hollow-esq small town
Want more well-written, swoon worthy LGBTQ+ romances
Wow, was this cute! That is the exact reaction I had after finishing the first book in the Bright Falls series, Delilah Green Doesn’t Care. These small town queer romances just scratch the feel-good reading itch and I am so glad I stumbled upon them. Ashley Herring Blake has such a perfect romance writing style, with loveable characters, witty dialogue, well-placed steamy scenes, and believable plot. Sparks fly in her novels, and Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date is a perfect example of that.
I loved the main characters of Iris and Stevie in this story. They were both so unique in their own regards, yet I totally believed their love story as a couple. They had wonderful chemistry, some truly romantic scenes, and dialogue that makes you blush. The fake dating trope also worked perfectly in this book– the premise, set-up, and execution was all so believable and made me root for them as a couple even more. Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date also had excellent pacing, always keeping me interested in what would unfold in the next chapter.
A main reason I picked this book up was because of the Much Ado About Nothing plot, which was definitely one of my favorite parts of this book. I loved the idea of a reimagined queer Shakespeare play, with our two main characters playing Benedick and Beatrice. This subplot just made me root for Iris and Stevie even more, although I do wish it was a larger part of the book. Not enough time is spent on the stage or practicing for the show, in my opinion. The moments when Iris and Stevie are on stage together are electric, and I loved the way lines from Much Ado were inserted into the story. I just wish there was more of that, and that the story dwelled more in the locations outside of Bright Falls, like the theater and the Malibu retreat.
I’m also never a big fan of the third act conflict in romance novels. Typically I find this romance genre trope to be unnecessary and makes me frustrated at the lack of communication between the characters. Sadly, Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date was no exception. I found the final 100 pages of the book to drag a bit because of that. However, the grand romantic gesture to solve the conflict was quite adorable and won me back as a reader just as much as it brought Iris and Stevie back together.
Overall, this was such a nice conclusion to the Bright Falls trilogy. I had such a delightful time in Bright Falls with this lovely cast of queer characters. I wish there were more well-written, small town, heartwarming queer romances like this!
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