Yes to the gender-bending production of Much Ado About Nothing; yes to practice dating and sex lessons. Beyond that, the plot was a hot mess for me, trying to both validate Iris’s singledom yet ultimately get her in a relationship. I appreciate that Blake acknowledged the difficulty of walking that tightrope, and it is a rom-com—of course it’s gonna be an HEA.
I think it’s just a strange choice to have the family AND the friend group (really, guys?!) pushing so hard to get her coupled up, even to the point of slut shaming, and then… proving them right. Going lighter on that pressure would have made more sense. What happened to the awesome, supportive friend group of book 1? What happened to the part where even all the side characters had fully developed arcs?
I initially rated it four stars, but the longer I think about it, the more certain decisions bothered me. I don’t know! I didn’t dislike it, but it was a much rougher ride than book 1 or even book 2 for me. It was tougher to gloss over the flaws when it was pushing so hard for an HEA at the expense of its character arcs. Too much like waving a magic wand to get a glossy happy ever after instead of the more satisfying choice of real people in real relationships.
(Also: NEEDS MORE ASTRID.)