Tropes: fake dating

This was such a cute book! This was such a cute series!!!
I'm sad it's over (but SO happy to have finished it!) and I can't wait for Ashley Herring Blake to write more adult romance. I might even have to give some of her other books a try, that's how much I really like her writing style.

"Bright Falls" follows the love lives of three queer friends in a small town in Oregon, and Iris has been sort of the comic relief and the happy-go-lucky friend in the other books, so it was really good to get to know the inner workings of her mind and heart, I found her hidden depths surprising. As for Stevie, the love interest, she's a talented actress dealing with generalised anxiety disorder (btw, it felt like really good rep for this), a recent breakup and some feelings of inadequacy.

I really loved Iris and Stevie's (fake) relationship, how supportive and understanding they were and how great they were at communicating with one another. And this is where the book came a little short for me,

the third act breakup felt a bit ridiculous and very forced for a couple who, in every other aspect of their lives were so in sink from the very beginning. Also, in the end it seemed as if only Iris was to blame for the breakup and only she had to really apologise, while it was Stevie who actually withheld very important information from her girlfriend

. Still, some ridiculousness is expected (even encouraged?!) in romance, and the final result was great.

It's such a great and colourful cast of diverse characters, and we get to see so much of the beloved couples of the past books (with some very special moments included!), and the writing itself is so effortless to read, that I absolutely recommend.