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A review by anastazia_vani
Iris Kelly Doesn't Date by Ashley Herring Blake
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
In comparison to Delilah Green and Astrid Parker, this book definitely falls short. It's an overall decent book, but not the quality I've come to expect from Ashley Herring Blake.
Some spoilers ahead.
Iris was great in the series up to this point, but the author relied a little too heavily on past books to flesh out Iris's character. Iris's struggle with self-worth was a large part of her character arc, yet we learned very little about why she felt that way unless it could be related back to something mentioned previously in the series. When new info was revealed about Iris that didn't tie back to Iris's relationships in Delilah Green or Astrid Parker, it was inserted abruptly and awkwardly.
I appreciated that a new group of queer people was introduced in this book through Stevie's friends. However, I was troubled that the author wrote off Adri's behavior off as toxic without directly addressing the signs of emotional abuse that were coming up. From the snippets we get from Stevie about her past relationship with Adri, Adri was very controlling. Even when they are broken up, we consistently see Adri try to manipulate Stevie into doing things that will benefit Adri at the cost of Stevie's own success and happiness. Stevie's internal monologue when she's reading texts from Adri sounds like someone who has had her anxiety used against her to gaslight her into thinking she's reading too much into everything. Adri has so many red flags, and although Ren does call her out for some of it, it's only in the context of Adri being a jealous ex.
I loved Iris and Stevie's relationship despite all of that. They had great chemistry and I was genuinely rooting for them to figure out their stuff as individuals so they could be in a healthy relationship together. Unfortunately, I'm not sure they did that, at least on Iris's end. It didn't feel like Iris ever learned to love herself, and the ending indicated that leaving her friends in Bright Falls to move to New York might not have been the best thing for her. Because I want her to be happy I will say that in my head it all works out for the best and Stevie and Iris get their HEA, but that wasn't the feeling I was left with when the book ended.
Some spoilers ahead.
Iris was great in the series up to this point, but the author relied a little too heavily on past books to flesh out Iris's character. Iris's struggle with self-worth was a large part of her character arc, yet we learned very little about why she felt that way unless it could be related back to something mentioned previously in the series. When new info was revealed about Iris that didn't tie back to Iris's relationships in Delilah Green or Astrid Parker, it was inserted abruptly and awkwardly.
I appreciated that a new group of queer people was introduced in this book through Stevie's friends. However, I was troubled that the author wrote off Adri's behavior off as toxic without directly addressing the signs of emotional abuse that were coming up. From the snippets we get from Stevie about her past relationship with Adri, Adri was very controlling. Even when they are broken up, we consistently see Adri try to manipulate Stevie into doing things that will benefit Adri at the cost of Stevie's own success and happiness. Stevie's internal monologue when she's reading texts from Adri sounds like someone who has had her anxiety used against her to gaslight her into thinking she's reading too much into everything. Adri has so many red flags, and although Ren does call her out for some of it, it's only in the context of Adri being a jealous ex.
I loved Iris and Stevie's relationship despite all of that. They had great chemistry and I was genuinely rooting for them to figure out their stuff as individuals so they could be in a healthy relationship together. Unfortunately, I'm not sure they did that, at least on Iris's end. It didn't feel like Iris ever learned to love herself, and the ending indicated that leaving her friends in Bright Falls to move to New York might not have been the best thing for her. Because I want her to be happy I will say that in my head it all works out for the best and Stevie and Iris get their HEA, but that wasn't the feeling I was left with when the book ended.
Content Warnings
Minor: Emotional abuse