Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date

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. Agent: Rebecca Podos, Rees Literary. (Oct.)