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Iris Kelly Doesn't Date by Ashley Herring Blake
Everyone around Iris Kelly is in love. Her best friends are all coupled up, her siblings have partners that are perfect for them, her parents are still in marital bliss. And she’s happy for all of them, truly. So what if she usually cries in her Lyft on the way home. So what if she misses her friends, who are so busy with their own wonderful love lives, they don’t really notice Iris is spiraling. At least she has a brand-new career writing romance novels (yes, she realizes the irony of it). She is now working on her second book but has one problem: she is completely out of ideas after having spent all of her romantic energy on her debut.
Perfectly happy to ignore her problems as per usual, Iris goes to a bar in Portland and meets a sexy stranger, Stefania, and a night of dancing and making out turns into the worst one-night stand Iris has had in her life (vomit and crying are regretfully involved). To get her mind off everything and overcome her writer's block, Iris tries out for a local play, but comes face-to-face with Stefania—or, Stevie, her real name. When Stevie desperately asks Iris to play along as her girlfriend, Iris is shocked, but goes along with it because maybe this fake relationship will actually get her creative juices flowing and she can get her book written. As the two women play the part of a couple, they turn into a constant state of hot-and-bothered and soon it just comes down to who will make the real first move…
Why you should read it: This is the charming third installment in a series I adore. Iris is such a fun character, and I enjoyed getting to spend time in her POV after seeing her at the periphery of everyone else's stories. And Stevie is just so sweet and lovely (and very believably riddled with anxiety). Plus, I'm a sucker for a good fake-dating-leads-to-real-feelings plot, and it's so well done here. A delightful read all around.
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D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins
'Instant I Do' could be Kris Zavala’s big break. She’s right on the cusp of really making it as an influencer, so a stint on reality TV is the perfect chance to elevate her brand. And $100,000 wouldn’t hurt, either.
D’Vaughn Miller is just trying to break out of her shell. She’s sort of neglected to come out to her mom for years, so a big splashy fake wedding is just the excuse she needs.
All they have to do is convince their friends and family they’re getting married in six weeks. If anyone guesses they’re not for real, they’re out. Selling their chemistry on camera is surprisingly easy, and it’s still there when no one else is watching, which is an unexpected bonus. Winning this competition is going to be a piece of wedding cake.
But each week of the competition brings new challenges, and soon the prize money’s not the only thing at stake. A reality show isn’t the best place to create a solid foundation, and their fake wedding might just derail their relationship before it even starts.
Why you should read it: This book was so very sweet. I'm not a big fan of reality TV, but I picked the book up anyway and I'm SO GLAD I did. The characters were lovely and complicated, the chemistry was incendiary, and the author delivered on an over-the-top premise in all the best ways. I really appreciated the way the story was paced and structured. I love the way it avoids detouring into a breakup to add extra drama, building momentum and tension in other ways. A lovely read all around.
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Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
Margot Cooper doesn’t do relationships. She tried and it blew up in her face, so she’ll stick with casual hookups, thank you very much. But now her entire crew has found "the one" and she’s beginning to feel like a fifth wheel. And then fate (the heartless bitch) intervenes. While touring a wedding venue with her engaged friends, Margot comes face-to-face with Olivia Grant—her childhood friend, her first love, her first… well, everything. It’s been ten years, but the moment they lock eyes, Margot’s cold, dead heart thumps in her chest.
Olivia must be hallucinating. In the decade since she last saw Margot, her life hasn’t gone exactly as planned. At almost thirty, she’s been married... and divorced. However, a wedding planner job in Seattle means a fresh start and a chance to follow her dreams. Never in a million years did she expect her important new client’s Best Woman would be the one that got away.
When a series of unfortunate events leaves Olivia without a place to stay, Margot offers up her spare room because she’s a Very Good Person. Obviously. It has nothing to do with the fact that Olivia is as beautiful as ever and the sparks between them still make Margot tingle. As they spend time in close quarters, Margot starts to question her no-strings stance. Olivia is everything she’s ever wanted, but Margot let her in once and it ended in disaster. Will history repeat itself or should she count her lucky stars that she gets a second chance with her first love?
Why you should read it: Very sweet, very lovely, and with a wildly satisfying dramatic flourish right at the end. (Seriously, I don't want to say anything specific that might ruin the moment, but it was delightfully cathartic.) The characters in this book have a complicated history between them, of being best friends who crossed some very specific lines before drifting completely apart for over a decade — and I really loved how that shifted the balance of the story, giving us two people who simultaneously know each other SO WELL and also need to spend significant effort learning how to exist together in their current lives. The stubborn miscommunications are incredibly believable, and I'm such a sucker for characters who are doing their best despite fucking up along the way. I enjoyed the hell out of this book.
Iris Kelly Doesn't Date by Ashley Herring Blake
Everyone around Iris Kelly is in love. Her best friends are all coupled up, her siblings have partners that are perfect for them, her parents are still in marital bliss. And she’s happy for all of them, truly. So what if she usually cries in her Lyft on the way home. So what if she misses her friends, who are so busy with their own wonderful love lives, they don’t really notice Iris is spiraling. At least she has a brand-new career writing romance novels (yes, she realizes the irony of it). She is now working on her second book but has one problem: she is completely out of ideas after having spent all of her romantic energy on her debut.
Perfectly happy to ignore her problems as per usual, Iris goes to a bar in Portland and meets a sexy stranger, Stefania, and a night of dancing and making out turns into the worst one-night stand Iris has had in her life (vomit and crying are regretfully involved). To get her mind off everything and overcome her writer's block, Iris tries out for a local play, but comes face-to-face with Stefania—or, Stevie, her real name. When Stevie desperately asks Iris to play along as her girlfriend, Iris is shocked, but goes along with it because maybe this fake relationship will actually get her creative juices flowing and she can get her book written. As the two women play the part of a couple, they turn into a constant state of hot-and-bothered and soon it just comes down to who will make the real first move…
Why you should read it: This is the charming third installment in a series I adore. Iris is such a fun character, and I enjoyed getting to spend time in her POV after seeing her at the periphery of everyone else's stories. And Stevie is just so sweet and lovely (and very believably riddled with anxiety). Plus, I'm a sucker for a good fake-dating-leads-to-real-feelings plot, and it's so well done here. A delightful read all around.
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D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins
'Instant I Do' could be Kris Zavala’s big break. She’s right on the cusp of really making it as an influencer, so a stint on reality TV is the perfect chance to elevate her brand. And $100,000 wouldn’t hurt, either.
D’Vaughn Miller is just trying to break out of her shell. She’s sort of neglected to come out to her mom for years, so a big splashy fake wedding is just the excuse she needs.
All they have to do is convince their friends and family they’re getting married in six weeks. If anyone guesses they’re not for real, they’re out. Selling their chemistry on camera is surprisingly easy, and it’s still there when no one else is watching, which is an unexpected bonus. Winning this competition is going to be a piece of wedding cake.
But each week of the competition brings new challenges, and soon the prize money’s not the only thing at stake. A reality show isn’t the best place to create a solid foundation, and their fake wedding might just derail their relationship before it even starts.
Why you should read it: This book was so very sweet. I'm not a big fan of reality TV, but I picked the book up anyway and I'm SO GLAD I did. The characters were lovely and complicated, the chemistry was incendiary, and the author delivered on an over-the-top premise in all the best ways. I really appreciated the way the story was paced and structured. I love the way it avoids detouring into a breakup to add extra drama, building momentum and tension in other ways. A lovely read all around.
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Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
Margot Cooper doesn’t do relationships. She tried and it blew up in her face, so she’ll stick with casual hookups, thank you very much. But now her entire crew has found "the one" and she’s beginning to feel like a fifth wheel. And then fate (the heartless bitch) intervenes. While touring a wedding venue with her engaged friends, Margot comes face-to-face with Olivia Grant—her childhood friend, her first love, her first… well, everything. It’s been ten years, but the moment they lock eyes, Margot’s cold, dead heart thumps in her chest.
Olivia must be hallucinating. In the decade since she last saw Margot, her life hasn’t gone exactly as planned. At almost thirty, she’s been married... and divorced. However, a wedding planner job in Seattle means a fresh start and a chance to follow her dreams. Never in a million years did she expect her important new client’s Best Woman would be the one that got away.
When a series of unfortunate events leaves Olivia without a place to stay, Margot offers up her spare room because she’s a Very Good Person. Obviously. It has nothing to do with the fact that Olivia is as beautiful as ever and the sparks between them still make Margot tingle. As they spend time in close quarters, Margot starts to question her no-strings stance. Olivia is everything she’s ever wanted, but Margot let her in once and it ended in disaster. Will history repeat itself or should she count her lucky stars that she gets a second chance with her first love?
Why you should read it: Very sweet, very lovely, and with a wildly satisfying dramatic flourish right at the end. (Seriously, I don't want to say anything specific that might ruin the moment, but it was delightfully cathartic.) The characters in this book have a complicated history between them, of being best friends who crossed some very specific lines before drifting completely apart for over a decade — and I really loved how that shifted the balance of the story, giving us two people who simultaneously know each other SO WELL and also need to spend significant effort learning how to exist together in their current lives. The stubborn miscommunications are incredibly believable, and I'm such a sucker for characters who are doing their best despite fucking up along the way. I enjoyed the hell out of this book.
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