Loved the dynamic between Iris and Angel. The story felt real and genuine. This was my first kristina forest novel and it did not disappoint. Thank you to Berkeley Romance for gifting me this arc.

I couldn’t wait to get to Iris story!
This was a book I didn’t wait to start.

So many relatable moments and parts to this book. Iris is the oldest sister and daughter, making sure everyone else around is happy and healthy and safe, except for herself. Calla and Iris have lived life without Terry, as and unexpected tragedy, but Angel, Violet’s friend, has his eye on Iris.

Their chemistry, his thoughtfulness and their acceptance of what each other needs and wants and what feels comfortable kept me wanting to know what would happen next.

Thank you Berkeley Romance for this ARC! It took me a while to get invested in this story but I was hooked at about 30% until the end. I've been waiting for Iris and Angel's story since they met in The Neighbor Favor. I love that they got their love story. What an epic conclusion to the Greene sisters trilogy!

Thanks Netgallery and Berkley for the ARC of The Love Lyric in exchange for an honest review.

I am so sad. I was SO excited for this book! I enjoyed The Neighbor Favor, and I LOVED/ADORED The Partner Plot. But this one? It just didn’t work for me at all. IMO the chemistry between them Iris and Angel was non existent and their relationship felt superficial. In a book where the relationship should be forbidden, there was no tension. I really was expecting so much more. WITH THAT BEING SAID, maybe this book can work for you!

Read if you like:
🎶 Age Gap
🎶 Love after loss
🎶 Forbidden Romance


Again thanks to Berkley for the ARC.

As a devoted fan of the Greene sisters' stories, I was thrilled to learn that Iris was finally getting her turn in the spotlight! After becoming emotionally invested in Violet and Lily’s journeys, I found myself equally captivated by Iris. She’s a corporate powerhouse with a thriving career as an executive at a beauty company, and a dedicated single mom to her six-year-old daughter, Calla.

Iris’s life has been shaped by profound loss—her husband tragically passed away just a year and a half into their marriage, shortly after Calla’s birth. As the eldest Greene sibling, Iris is the glue that holds the family together, always putting everyone’s needs above her own. Despite her polished exterior, the story doesn’t shy away from revealing her deeply felt grief and the quiet, aching loneliness of losing her partner so early in life. Kristina Forest handles these moments with a delicate yet powerful touch, immersing readers in Iris’s heartache without letting it overshadow her strength and resilience.

When Iris crosses paths with pop star Angel Harrison, the new brand ambassador for her company, their chemistry is undeniable. Though their connection begins as professional, the campaign tour they embark on pushes them into closer proximity, and their witty banter lights up the pages. Angel’s connection to Iris’s world through Violet, his stylist, adds a natural thread that ties their lives together without feeling forced.

What I love most about this book is how distinct Iris’s story feels, even within the shared world of the Greene sisters. While Violet and Lily make charming appearances, they remain secondary characters, allowing Iris’s journey to take center stage. The novel captures the warmth and coziness of family while addressing Iris’s grief and her conflicting emotions as a mother and career woman.

Forest’s portrayal of motherhood feels especially poignant—she explores the duality of Iris’s life as she juggles the demands of her high-powered career with the tender yet complex responsibility of raising a daughter alone. The story beautifully depicts Iris’s struggle to balance professional obligations with her personal life, including navigating Calla’s feelings about her mother dating again. These moments feel real and relatable, highlighting the inner conflicts many women face when striving to excel in both worlds.

This book is everything I hoped it would be. Iris’s story is emotional, heartwarming, and full of charm, with just the right amount of humor and romance to keep you hooked. Seeing Iris find happiness after so much loss feels incredibly rewarding, and her happily-ever-after feels well deserved. Kristina Forest has once again delivered a gem that left me smiling long after the final page.

Excellent wrap-up to this trilogy. I enjoyed the gentle, respectful nature of the romance between Iris and Angel, while also enjoying the steam-factor of their encounters once things heated up!

We first met both characters briefly in The Neighbor Favor, and got another glimpse of them in The Partner Plot, but they were secondary characters that did not play a major role until this third title that focused on their relationship. And I'm so glad they got their own HEA. As a first-born daughter, I can totally relate to Iris' responsible, reliable, achievement-driven personality. I can also understand why a guy like Angel - patient, respectful, focused, would be so appealing. I loved that she was his muse, his defender, while he did what he could to be her caretaker and protector. Yes, there was physical attraction, but the emotional connection and the effort each was willing to put into the relationship was what made it so impactful.

I highly recommend the whole trilogy.

3.5-4 ⭐️ and 2🌶️
Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for a chance to review and providing me with an ARC copy. 

“I felt like you could use a song.”

I love when the MMC falls first but when the FMC is dealing with grief and heartbreak, it almost seems unfair to whoever is falling head over heels. In this case, it was Angel falling. 
Grief is challenging from beginning to end because it often seems like there isn't a beginning or an end to it, you just have to manage it. That's what Iris, the oldest Greene sister, learned to do after losing her husband. 

I don't mind time jumps in stories but sometimes a little more info is needed to understand the hows and whys. I would've loved at least one flashback to Angel in the past three years that made him go from "choir boy" to "playboy." 
The sweetest thing? Throughout his personal and career growth, Iris and her black flower never left his mind after Violet's party. I love that he continued to ask about her. 
I will give Iris credit that she took the time to heal from losing her husband. Properly healing through grief can save a lot of moments of self-sabotaging or losing out on a love that is meant to be. 

I really hope this series isn't coming to an end because I really love the Greene sisters. After reading The Love Lyric, I kind of want to see all the sisters and spouses on a vacation! Hint Hint 😉🤞🏾
✨Friends to lovers
✨Love after loss
✨Check your triggers

4.25 STARS!
I love a romance that is smart, somewhat realistic, and not just full of fluff! This book has all of that! I loved the romance between Iris and Angel. Whenever I can imagine a book as a mini-series, I know I enjoyed the storyline and the writing.
The story involves more than just romance. There are more complex issues such as grief, dating after the loss of a spouse, integrating family, self-discovery and dealing with aging parents.
Plus you get a swoony, heartfelt, warm romance. It is nice to see a romance that isn't full of miscommunication, instead, there is communication that you would want to see between people who want to have a successful relationship.
And there is a little spice!
Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the ARC!
Put this on your TBR for 2025! You won't be disappointed!

Solid read and a solid sequel from Kristina Forest. Pacing and storyline were great making for a quick yet enjoyable read! It's already on order at my library! Looking forward to the next!

Thank you Berkley Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC 🫶🏾📚 pub date February 4th, 2025

What in the adorable!!! Those “out of nowhere” romances are always the best and this love story did not disappoint 🥹🤎 This was such a beautiful story about allowing love back into your life after (and during) grief + prioritizing your own needs. The romance in this book was sweet, warm and steamy. Very much a giggling and kicking your feet kind of read!

I liked a lot of things about this book y’all. I liked the depiction of Iris as a complex character who gives and gives and gives to those around her, but also struggles with grief and naming her own desires. I also liked the depiction of Angel as this non-stereotypical people pleasing celebrity with complicated family relationships and desires for his career. Although seemingly opposites, Iris and Angel had a lot of common which made their chemistry believable. Like the chemistry between Iris and Angel was legit seeping through the pages lol. I also liked how the other Greene Sisters books were interwoven in this story, but not so much that if you didn’t read any book in the series you’d be lost.

A few times, I wanted to reach through the pages and shake Iris like sis get your man!!!! But the backdrop of grief made you slow down with this character and root for her while she navigated the possibility of being open to new love. This book did have one trope that I despise so bad (and I won’t spoil which one) but it didn’t last long enough to bother me too much lol. I think I like this one more than The Neighbor Favor and I really enjoyed that one!!!

The last book of 'The Greene Sisters' series did not disappoint! I think this may be my favorite of the three. Kristina Forest's writing is one of my favorites & I look forward to reading whatever she puts out next. But "The Love Lyric" has to be her best yet!

This is definitely a romance of "right person, wrong time" where Iris is on the fence on whether she wants to pursue a relationship after the death of her husband, Terry. She struggles to find a medium between staying with what she knows & being in control or coming out of her comfort zone & dating Angel, who's so different.

But here is Angel, who only has eyes for Iris. He is so patient and decides to go after his heart to show Iris he really wants to be with her & ONLY her. This guy wrote not one, but multiple songs about his feelings for her! I was smiling and rooting for Angel & Iris the whole book! You can definitely feel the love & desire rising in this story as the tension between them builds at a steady, but realistic pace.

I appreciated that the topics of grief, letting go of toxic family members, and saying no to an unfulfilling job were mentioned in the book.

I love the fact that this is based around music. As I read, I immediately had Usher's hit song "Superstar" stuck in my head pretty much the whole time! 🤭.

Thank you to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing Group for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.❤️

This satisfying story of Iris Greene, the oldest of the Greene sisters, follows after Lily's story (The Neighbor Favor) and Violet's story (The Partner Plot). Part of what makes the story so satisfying is the love that is present, not only with the hero of the story, Angel Harrison, but also within the Greene family between the sisters, their parents, and Iris' daughter Calla.
Iris was widowed after a bare two years of marriage, leaving her with a young daughter. Understandably, she's reluctant to open herself to love and the pain of loss again, so she has focused on her career in business as an executive at a skincare company.
Angel is a celebrity R & B singer who initially met Iris a few years before he hit it big and was intrigued by her even then. When he becomes the brand spokesman for Iris' company and they are thrown together during a promotional tour of the country for the brand, sparks are flamed into something that truly scares the super-organized Iris, who much prefers things to be planned and predictable. How Iris and Angel negotiate the tricky intersection of private, public, and professional life makes for a truly wonderful story. Highly recommended.

We first saw glimpses of Iris in Neighbor Favor and Partner Plot (which you do not have to read to read this one) but they are interconnected with the characters.; however, this book follows Iris Greene as she learns how to juggle work, being a mom and getting back out on the dating scene after losing her husband to a tragic accident. I liked seeing more of the relationship Iris had with her daughter Calla and it was nice to see her let loose a little with Angel even from the beginning. I also enjoyed how Angel's character was really down to earth even though he was a famous singer he didn't let that change who he was and how he carried himself.

I was happy when Iris finally agreed to give Angel a chance and how he helped put a smile on her face; however, I didn't appreciate how her boss basically told her she had to choose between her personal love life and her job. Not everyone has that mentality and I thought it was unfair of her boss to throw her own life onto Iris and for Iris to accept that. I thought the book was going to go in a different direction at times especially when Iris was talking about her she felt about her job and when she actually sat down to think about what she wanted in her life and career.

Overall I enjoyed the book and I was happy we got our HEA but I would have liked to see more of Iris and Angel together after she agreed to dating him but that could just me being greedy...lol. This was a nice end to the Greene sisters but I wouldn't mind a holiday catch up with the whole family :). Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you Berkeley publishing for this Arc.This book was so well written just like the others. I loved iris’s story of finding love again after loss. I loved the way Angel was just everything she needed while also going through his own inner struggles. Love Lyric was a great way to wrap up a series…… if it’s the end 😉 if you are looking for a soft romance then you’ve found it! These characters experience love, loss and self growth. I enjoyed every minute of it, a very heart warming read.

Love is in the air! I really enjoyed reading Iris story and her journey to herself and love. I think her and Angel had such cute interactions that had me smiling and giggling lol.

I just loved how these two communicated. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the second book in this series, but this really won me over. Both of these characters were so mature and loving, and it was hard not to be charmed by the two of them together. Kristina Forest really just knows how to write a sweet romance.

Thank you Berkley and Netgalley for the eARC!

Thank you Berkeley for the arc! I read this book in one sitting and it didn't disappoint. I will be reading the first two books soon. I loved the characters, their chemistry, I was rooting for them since the beginning. I like how the author presented grief in a not too depressing manner and overall this book was good.

I absolutely loved this book. This book does have continuity from the previous books in the series so I think it's important to read the others prior so you have a feel for all the characters mentioned. This book follows the oldest Greene sister, Iris as she navigates being a single mom and getting herself back into the dating pool. It just so happens that Angel has had interest in Iris for years but has been unable to act on it. Angel now a big RnB star is doing some work with the beauty company Iris works for and they are brought together by having to go on tour together. This book is about overcoming the grief of losing a spouse, letting love breath life into you and finding the things that make you happy and fulfilling. One of my favorite books I have read this year!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for my ARC copy! This review contains my personal thoughts and opinions.

Whew. The Love Lyric stole my heart and then some! As the final book in the Greene Sisters series, it completely outdid its predecessors (and I loved those, too!). This one felt like it was written for a more mature audience, delivering a level of emotional depth and romance that left me swooning from start to finish.

Kristina Forest created and reintroduced such lovable characters in this story. With her type A, driven personality, Iris felt so relatable to me—it was like seeing pieces of myself reflected on the page. The romance between her and Angel was so sweet, but what really stood out were the important topics and lessons seamlessly woven into the story with an abundance of care. I feel that added a different level of depth to the story.

This book felt like a warm hug, filled with sweetness, humor, and heart. If you’ve been following the Greene Sisters series, The Love Lyric is the perfect finale. This book is a must-read for anyone who loves romance that speaks to the heart and stays with you long after the last page.

Rating: 5/5

I really enjoyed this book. I think both characters had a lot of depth to them. I felt connected throughout the whole book which kept me hooked. I think the way Iris spoke about grief was beautifully written. I didn’t feel like the book was rushed in any way. Overall I would recommend this book to others. It is definitely my second favorite in the series. I would give this series 4.5/5 stars.