Scan barcode
A review by jencolumb0
Iris Kelly Doesn't Date by Ashley Herring Blake
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A fitting (necessary?) end to the Bright Falls stories.
This was my least favorite of the books. Blessedly, someone involved tamped down on the tangled fingers, chest openings, and professions of fear before it crossed into “droning on” territory. While I appreciate the pieces of this book - the exploration of anxiety and fear and trust; chosen family versus family of origin; the arc back to NYC; and even the love letter to romance readers that’s baked in - there is something not quite seamless about the presentation of the story as a whole. The characters somehow flatten as the story unfolds, becoming defined by their Thing (with the exception of Adri). Given how much there was to work with going back to the first book and the complex relationships among the women at the core of the Bright Falls crowd, that was . . . disappointing. It’s almost like everyone involved thought to themselves, “it’s been a bit since folks have picked up the last two; let’s just let Ashley work through a few things here, put a rainbow-colored bow on the warm glow of Bright Falls, and move along before anyone picks up on the fact that it doesn’t quite line up.”
While it is, unquestionably, a heartfelt (and spicy) book, it lacks the complexity of the prior books, in both subject-matter and character development. The discussion of Stevie’s anxiety bordered on clinical at times. This book also lays bare the facts that AHB still has some work to do to (a) move past the performance of including “diverse” characters to . . . actually including them, and (b) move through her sophomore queer status of rainbows! Everywhere! (Yes, there are a tremendous number of places - far too many, in fact - in which queer people are not accepted as who we are and need a swaddle of rainbows/other identity flags to signal safety. HOWEVER, the modern, upper middle class, PNW white world that this crowd inhabits, where the story takes place, is not one of those places. For a story that did not involve people coming to understand their own identity/a shift therein - they both had several years of being out under their belts - the preoccupation with rainbows felt out of synch with that reality.)
So, alright. Tick mark entered. Next?
This was my least favorite of the books. Blessedly, someone involved tamped down on the tangled fingers, chest openings, and professions of fear before it crossed into “droning on” territory. While I appreciate the pieces of this book - the exploration of anxiety and fear and trust; chosen family versus family of origin; the arc back to NYC; and even the love letter to romance readers that’s baked in - there is something not quite seamless about the presentation of the story as a whole. The characters somehow flatten as the story unfolds, becoming defined by their Thing (with the exception of Adri). Given how much there was to work with going back to the first book and the complex relationships among the women at the core of the Bright Falls crowd, that was . . . disappointing. It’s almost like everyone involved thought to themselves, “it’s been a bit since folks have picked up the last two; let’s just let Ashley work through a few things here, put a rainbow-colored bow on the warm glow of Bright Falls, and move along before anyone picks up on the fact that it doesn’t quite line up.”
While it is, unquestionably, a heartfelt (and spicy) book, it lacks the complexity of the prior books, in both subject-matter and character development. The discussion of Stevie’s anxiety bordered on clinical at times. This book also lays bare the facts that AHB still has some work to do to (a) move past the performance of including “diverse” characters to . . . actually including them, and (b) move through her sophomore queer status of rainbows! Everywhere! (Yes, there are a tremendous number of places - far too many, in fact - in which queer people are not accepted as who we are and need a swaddle of rainbows/other identity flags to signal safety. HOWEVER, the modern, upper middle class, PNW white world that this crowd inhabits, where the story takes place, is not one of those places. For a story that did not involve people coming to understand their own identity/a shift therein - they both had several years of being out under their belts - the preoccupation with rainbows felt out of synch with that reality.)
So, alright. Tick mark entered. Next?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, Alcohol, and Toxic relationship