Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date, But She Loves.

"Blake's final work of the Bright Falls series is strong and satisfying, both as a standalone novel and as an end to a trilogy. Full of heart and well-rounded characters that you'll love even from their shortest appearance."

 Now, this is how you write a fake romance.

Not even this is how you write a fake romance- this is how you write forced proximity that involves mutual sexual attraction, which then leads to a romance. Yes, there is sexual tension from the beginning, but the characters don't hate each other and then turn around to begin having sex. They're both completely developed, fleshed out, with one having a sassy streak and a confidence to match it. Gosh, this is so much better than Icebreaker. Yes, Iris is a little uptight from the expectations put on her- both self-imposed and those put on her by her family- but the frustrations are dealt with in a healthier manner. Stevie, despite her uncomfortableness at being placed into close proximity with Iris Kelly, doesn't project her feelings with the comfort space being disrupted at Iris specifically. Stevie's anxiety disorder means that she hates all change, no matter the form that it takes, and this situation is the icing on the cake. 

In a way, to differ them from the cast of Icebreaker, Iris is the selfish one. She inserts herself into Stevie's theater scene not out of the pure goodness of her heart, but also because she has a selfish reason. She is, in a not-so-subtle way, using this for inspiration. As an early-thirties romance writer with a novel due in two months- and nothing to show for it- Iris Kelly is desperate. Desperate for words, and desperate to run away from not-so-subtle judgment on her inability to "settle down." Both from her family, and from her group of friends.

 In the midst of running away from dual-sourced stressors, Iris meets Stevie. Who makes less than a stellar impression by throwing up out of anxiety during their one-night stand. The two go their separate ways, fully never expecting to see each other again, only to end up partnered on a stage. Icebreaker's use of forced proximity was the hockey and figure skating teams being forced to share an ice rink. The stage featured in Iris Kelly Doesn't Date not only provides that same proximity, but it adds on the layers of theater. How hard is it to keep your emotions at bay when they contain more ingredients than the Commonwealth Cocktail? Not only are Stevie and Iris put in the same space on a regular basis, but they also have to act both on and off the stage- be costars in the play, and fake girlfriends in real life. The lines between characters and actors are blurring, particularly for the anxiety-ridden Stevie. She plays a more confident version of herself, known as Stefania, to get through her days.

As the lines blur between their personas and the ones behind them, Iris and Stevie's fake relationship turns into something more- the kind of relationship that she thought existed nowhere besides from within her own friend group. Iris Kelly Doesn't Date is the third book in Ashley Herring Blake's Bright Falls series, but the book is solid enough to stand on its own. Not sure about anyone else, but that sounds like a win-win. A standalone finale to a three-book series and the existence of juicy character lore? Can't wait.

Iris Kelly Doesn't Date is a must-read with adult protagonists, three-dimensional characters, and the vulnerable truth: life and love don't stop at a certain age.