Hello, readers and writers!

This Friday I’ll be discussing a new author I’ve never read before! All over social media, I kept seeing this book by Kennedy Ryan being raved about. I’d never heard of her and had actually gotten her confused with Kendall Ryan a few times, but I wanted to give this book a shot because of all the powerfully positive reviews.

And I can definitely say I’m so glad I made time to try out this new author because this book was seriously like nothing else I have ever read. But I will say, with this novel, please be aware of the trigger warning at the beginning of the novel.

Long Shot (Hoops) by Kennedy Ryan

Synopsis:

August is a big shot college baller, ready to take on the professional world of basketball as soon as he gets his college degree. He doesn’t expect to meet Iris, the intelligent and beautiful baller fan from Louisiana. She spouts more crap than most of his teammates and they end up talking the night away. There’s something there between them. Something neither one could ever explain, but they can’t take things any further because Iris is already in a relationship with August’s long-time rival. August isn’t sure what he can possibly do to change her mind about him, especially as things become more complicated than he could ever know.

What I Didn’t Like:

• In the beginning, Iris had very obvious feelings for August that she continued to deny herself until it was too late. It bothered me that she couldn’t admit to herself earlier that her relationship with her current boyfriend was all wrong. BUT I understand the reasoning behind why she stayed for so long.
• There’s a part in the novel where she is left without anyone she can turn to, and I felt like that seemed to come out of nowhere and didn’t make much sense. I know it needed to happen for the plot, but it just didn’t feel very real and took me out of the story. I knew at that moment I was reading something written by someone else rather than being so emerged that they felt like real people. It was only that scene, though. The rest was great.

What I Did Like:

• The complication of Iris’ story. She had to go through so much throughout the novel, and I really felt it in my heart. I had a hard time putting the novel down because I didn’t want to abandon the character in these horrific times. I felt like I needed to see her escape. Needed to see her gain the happiness she deserved more than anyone.
• August’s determination to find out what was happening. He seemed to be the only one asking questions about Iris and her situation. Everyone else brushed it off as if money could buy happiness. I loved his insistence and his loyalty to Iris throughout.
• Their sex scenes together were beautiful. After everything that happened to Iris, it was nice to see her in such a safe environment with someone who believed in her and stood by her. I loved them together and wanted their HEA.
• The reality of all the trauma in the book and what they had to go through to have a safe life again. It was hard to read, but it’s the truth in some women’s lives and I felt that was so important to shine a light on. I’m very happy Kennedy Ryan did it so well.

Overall:

Amazing novel. Definite trigger warning, but give it a try if you want to read something life-changing. I’m not kidding around when I say that either. This book had me considering parts of myself I’d never thought about before, and it brought back moments in my life when I accepted terrible treatment because of different reasons. Definitely loved this book and would recommend it.

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Thanks for reading!

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Until next time! 🙂 ♥♥♥♥♥