Iris Kelly Doesn't Date
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4.5 • 150 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
A fake relationship after a horrible one-night stand is anything but an act in this witty and heartfelt new romantic comedy by Ashley Herring Blake.
Everyone around Iris Kelly is in love. Her best friends are all coupled up, her siblings have partners that are perfect for them, and her parents are still blissfully married. And she’s happy for all of them, truly. Iris doesn’t want any of that—dating, love, romance. She’ll stick to her commitment-free hookups, thanks very much, except no one in her life will just let her be. Everyone wants to see her settled down, but she holds firmly to her no dating rule. There’s only one problem—Iris is a romance author facing an imminent deadline for her second book, and she’s completely out of ideas.
Perfectly happy to ignore her problems as per usual, Iris goes to a bar in Portland and meets a sexy stranger, Stefania, and a night of dancing and making out turns into the worst one-night stand Iris has had in her life. To get her mind off everything, Iris tries out for the lead role in a local play, a queer retelling of Much Ado About Nothing, but comes face-to-face with Stefania, whose real name turns out to be Stevie. Desperate to save face in front of her friends, Stevie asks Iris to play along as her girlfriend. Iris is shocked, but when she realizes the arrangement might provide her with some much-needed romantic content for her book, she agrees. As the two women play the part of a happy couple, lines start to blur, and they’re left wondering who will make the real first move....
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Blake's third and final Bright Falls romance (after Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail) sends the series out on a high note with more spicy sex and genuine emotion. Iris Kelly is a romance novelist who doesn't do relationships—but she does agree to an (awkward) one-night stand with eventual love interest Stevie Scott. With Iris struggling with writer's block and Stevie hoping to become less anxious around sex, the pair decide on a mutually beneficial fake-dating scheme made less typical by the extents to which they take the ruse, including rehearsed pet names and steamy practice dates. Though there's something a little after-school-special about the presentation of Stevie's anxiety—"Stevie's struggles with Generalized Anxiety Disorder were very real" comes four pages after the character is introduced—the anxiety itself is portrayed realistically, and the comfort Iris gives Stevie, as well as the balance Stevie gives to Iris, is appealingly sweet. Blake also does an admirable job of wrapping up the series, bringing all the past couples together one last time in a touching finale. This is a treat.
Customer Reviews
LOVEEEEE
I seriously loved all three books! Will absolutely read again and the endings are always the best!
Rushed
I’ve loved this entire series and re-read the others a few times. That said, this book was a let down. It started off in the usual writing style and tempo and by the end it was as if it was rushed. The intimate moments seemed like they were a copy paste from an adult film and somewhat unrealistic; as well as being far off from the intimate moments written in the past. Needless to say, I was excited for this book and was almost let down comparatively.