About The Book
Iris Kelly is a romance author with no interest in love and a serious case of writer’s block. After a disastrous one-night stand, she tries out for a local queer play and runs into her hookup, Stevie. When Stevie asks Iris to pretend to be her girlfriend to save face, Iris agrees, seeing a chance to fuel her novel. But as they grow closer, both women must decide if they’re ready to take a chance on love.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/4mYXZ65
My Rating
This is the third and final book in the Bright Falls series, and as someone who adored the first two, I went into this one with high hopes. The story follows Iris, one of Astrid Parker’s closest friends—a bold, proudly bisexual artist turned author who has always made it clear she doesn’t want kids or marriage. I was excited to finally get Iris’s story, especially since she’s been such a vibrant presence in the previous books. Unfortunately, I didn’t love this romance quite as much as the others, but I still appreciated getting a deeper look at Iris as a character.
The story begins when Iris has an almost one-night stand with Stevie, a community theater actress who is basically her opposite in every way. Stevie is anxious, unsure of herself, and nowhere near as bold as Iris. But soon after their disastrous night together, the two end up cast in the same play and agree to a fake relationship that, of course, starts to feel a little too real.
I’ll be honest, I don’t usually love the “one of them is a writer” storyline because it’s starting to feel a little overdone. That said, I still enjoyed it here because Ashley Herring Blake’s writing is just that good. I also really liked Stevie as a character and appreciated that she had her own circle of friends outside of the main cast.
“Romance was nothing but brain chemicals and some pretty words, a nice setting. That’s all it was. A fiction brains told to hearts.”
One thing I really loved about this book was how much emotional depth it had. Iris, despite her confident exterior, is dealing with loneliness and pressure from her well-meaning but pushy family. Her character arc felt heartfelt and relatable, especially as she watched her close friends settle down and started feeling like the odd one out. Stevie’s growth was just as compelling. I enjoyed watching her learn to speak up for herself and make it clear that she wasn’t weak or in need of constant protection.
Even though this was the most emotional book in the series for me, I have to admit the pacing felt a little slow at times. It just didn’t stick with me quite like Delilah’s or Astrid’s stories did. But the ending? Absolutely perfect. It brought all the characters’ journeys to a close in a way that felt warm, satisfying, and full of hope. It was exactly what I wanted from the final book in a series.
Overall, if you’re in the mood for a heartfelt story about finding love, learning to be vulnerable, and letting go of fear, this one is worth picking up. Just a heads up: like the first two books, this is very much an open-door romance, so expect a few steamy scenes. If that’s not your thing, you might want to pass on this series or avoid those scenes.
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Until the next chapter,
Bunny