thank you to netgalley and berkley for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for my honest thoughts <3

iris kelly is the last one standing. all her friends and siblings are coupled up and her parents are still blissfully in love. she's happy for them, but she's spiraling and nobody seems to notice it. she's got a new job writing romance books; however, ever the one against her own romance, she is all out of romantic ideas for her second book. she decides, after a rough family dinner, to go out and find a new one night stand in portland. it's there that she has what could go down in history as her worst hookup with stefania. desperate to overcome her writer's block, iris audition for a local play, only to find stefania, who's actually stevie, is the lead she will acting opposite. stevie begs iris to play the role of her girlfriend. the two strike a bargain: iris will coach stevie in the art of one night stands and stevie will take iris on dates to get the romance inspiration flowing. the only problem is the dates and steamy moments lead to more. iris has no interest in a relationship and stevie is built for long term.

i loved iris kelly doesn't date!! it speaks about a point that is often overlooked in romance, what if you don't want to get married or have the 2.5 kids? what if just being with someone is all you need? i loved blake's ability to handle this with such care while also being real with the struggle of being surrounded by people who equate happiness/success with marriage and kids. i loved how iris + stevie's relationship built up from these moments that we just the two of them. they were such a sweet couple to read about and i genuinely enjoyed the addition of the play in the background. after sitting on this one for a couple days, i wish i got more at the end. it was long for a contemporary romance, but i think an epilogue showing more of iris + stevie's future specifically would have game me the extra umph to give this 5 stars. i would definitely recommend iris kelly doesn't date as well as the rest of the bright falls series. ashley herring blake is a force in the romance community!!