Iris Kelly Doesn't Date: A swoon-worthy, laugh-out-loud queer romcom

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The steamy scenes were quite steamy, and the romantic scenes were absolutely adorable. The grand gesture was so thoughtful and sweet, and I may or may not have shed several tears as I read it. I found it here, and Stevie found it in Iris. Crazy, over the top, energetic, kind, understanding Iris. All things I didn't realize until I watched her soften her pointy feelings over Stevie's too-rounded ones. I felt it every time Stevie lost the ability to breathe, and felt it ten-fold every time Iris did something silly to combat it.

I struggled with the third-act misunderstanding/breakup that is so common in contemporary romance, and I struggled with reading the self-sabotage on both sides, but even still, I was so invested in their love story that I was able to push through for that happily ever after.This was a spicy and romantic book filled with a wonderful cast of characters. Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes and the execution was well done and led to some of the best forced proximity. I loved all the cameos from the previous two books in the series, especially seeing Delilah and Claire get an extra special HEA. I also think the side details about Stevie’s acting and Iris’s romance writing process added a lot of richness to the story. There are a few small reasons why I am giving this 4 stars over 5, but I still highly recommend this! I related so much to Stevie the anxiety representation was spot on. She honestly inspires me!! She makes me feel like I can persevere through my anxiety as well!

I also felt like Stevie RLLY needed to learn how to be by herself, not jump into another relationship after the toxic shit with Adri (also, RLLY confused abt her and Vanessa’s whole deal throughout the book, they honestly, seemed like shit friends. Ren, too, for that matter. so, that was a bummer bc we saw a lot more of them than of the crew I loved from book 1). I am a big fan of Ashley Herring Blake’s Bright Falls series. Delilah Green Doesn’t Care? Five stars, fantastic, made me laugh, made me cry. Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail? Started a bit slow, but grew on me to the point where I was yet again a sobbing mess saying “aww” through my tears. So when I tell you I jumped for joy when I was approved for an arc of the final instalment in the series, Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date, just know I’m not speaking in a figurative sense. It seems... a choice to make the few POC characters obscenely rich, some of them from generational wealth A bisexual romance author burned by love and an anxious actress fake-date in hope of keeping their meddling friends at bay.

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Charming and entertaining . . . Blake’s masterful blend of sexual tension and growing affection will have readers swooning‘ Karelia Stetz-Waters I found the setup of Iris writing a romance book and agreeing to fake date Stevie so she could get inspiration for writing the romantic scenes and Stevie trying to prove to her friends that she was self-sufficient and was moving on from her past relationship by fake dating Iris quite fun, and especially loved the inclusion of a production of a Shakespearean play. As a theatre nerd and big lover of Shakespeare, that’s always a plus in my book! Speaking of support and understanding, their dynamic was fantastic. The love, care, and respect they had for each other was next level and reminded me of my relationship with my partner and how we support each other through trauma, mental health struggles, insecurities, and more. In some ways, this felt like the most real, authentic, deep, and fully developed relationship from this series, and seeing the way they communicated with each other and learned to support each other was beautiful to read.

I LOVE me some fake dating. This one definitely took it a completely new way for me and I loved it even more. When Stevie used the above quote to remind the people who love her that she can take care of herself, all I could think was... I can, too. And I loved seeing Stevie take on her dreams for herself, not for anyone else. I loved everything about her. Iris and Stevie meet at a bar one night and after a hookup gone wrong, they don't expect to see each other ever again. I can't believe this series is over. It's so bitter sweet. I fell in love with these fictional characters! First, Delilah and Claire, then Astrid and Jordan, and finally Iris and Stevie.

Reviews

Solid 4* read, I was leaning towards 3.75 but that would be unfair as I did really enjoy seeing these two figure things out on their terms. All of Iris Kelly's friends are in loving relationships but after a failed relationship and being the unknown mistress in another, she believes she isn't built for relationships. One night she goes to her favorite queer bars and meets Stevie Scott from across the room. After a failed one-night stand between the two, they meet up again during auditions for a play. They proceed to enter a fake relationship where Iris gets inspiration for her second romance novel while Stevie gets lessons in how to be confident. Two gorgeous queer women in a fake relationship…what could possibly go wrong? I also loved Iris' commentary on her friends' perspectives of her having a lot of sex. She wasn't wrong - there was definitely that judgemental tone of slut shaming without actually outright saying it.

Ofc the characters have a "disdain for literary fiction" and think it's pretentious. Boohoo a book makes you think and doesn't rely on tropes And also Stevie? She was amazing! I loved the banter between Stevie and Iris, and how they just came together so easily, even if it wasn't what they both wanted originally. It was just lovely. It was so fantastic to see snippets (and they were few and far between, sadly) of my OTP, Delilah and Claire. And, of course, Astrid and Jordan.Charming and entertaining . . . Blake's masterful blend of sexual tension and growing affection will have readers swooning' Karelia Stetz-Waters 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. While on the topic of friend groups we know how I feel about the amigo squad established in the previous two books and they do not disappoint here. Every interaction between Iris & Simon melted my heart; how she leaned on him + how he showed up for her including his patented tough love as needed. Obviously Delilah's delicious snarky quips, Claire's unwavering if sometimes overwhelming support, Astrid & Jordan's steadying input + wee Ruby's wonderful additions were so welcome and always added to the story never taking anything away from the turmoil the MCs go through to find themsleves 🙃 She is vehemently against dating after a string of bad relationships, including her last girlfriend, Jillian, cheating on her wife with Iris. So she swears off dating. And she’s happy for all of them, truly. So what if she misses her friends and family, who are busy with their perfectly paired partners. At least she has her brand-new career writing romance novels (the irony), right?