Long Shot

This is a romance, a lovely one, but more than that it is a story about abuse, a story about how we turn the famous into heroes and insulate them from the consequences of their actions. Parts of this were very hard for me to read, but it is beautifully done. Kennedy Ryan has moved herself into my short list of favorite romance writers I trust to create swoonworthy romances about strong and capable women.

This book stayed with me long long long after I read it and cemented Kennedy Ryan as a powerhouse author I need to devour. August and Iris tell a story together that could be anyone's (okay well minus the superstar basketball player part but shhh). From the moment the two meet, they are drawn together and even when a lot of awful things happen, that draw is still there. Told in dual POV, Long Shot takes the reader to a place of compassion, anger, happiness, sadness and keeps you there as the characters run the gamut of emotions. This will most likely be my top book of the year and we aren't even halfway through the year.

Now on to the author herself. She clearly did her research on domestic violence and abuse against women, especially show more when it comes to bargaining chips abusers will use (trying to keep it spoiler free). Yes there's abuse and yes at times this book was hard to read. Downright uncomfortable even. But these themes if done right can educate the reader and bring about an awareness that may not have been there before.

Kennedy Ryan, thank you for this book. This is my first of your books but not my last by far. show less

It took me long to get ready to read this book, I am glad I waited, it's a book like no other, the subjects that are within the story is not for everyone. Kennedy Ryan did an amazing job integrating both sides, the real deal some women face in real life with a character you can relate to. It's a book you get involved emotionally. A superb story you have to read when you are ready.

This was a very good book. Hard to read at times because of how well it was written but ultimately an excellent romance with characters you can really like.

I want to start this by saying that definitely heed the trigger warnings about abuse in this book, of all forms. The abuse is graphically described on page. It isn't gratuitous or pointless; it is a necessary part of the story but it absolutely is hard to read. There is also an element of the abuse involving coercive pregnancy which I feel the need to mention because that is something I'm very sensitive about and I want to warn other who may also be sensitive to that subject.

I really loved Iris. I thought she was an excellent main character. Even though she is the victim of vicious show more abuse, she is still strong and she always knows what her priorities are and what she wants in her life. Her relationship with her cousin and the way she relates to her family is a really interesting part of the story. August is also a really good love interest. Not everyone loves a story where the couple has an instant connection but I thought it was well done here. I liked the way August treated Iris from the very beginning, even when he had no idea she was in an abusive relationship. He was always willing to let her set the pace. Yes, they had some conflicts because August didn't know the whole story but he was kind to her in a way she hadn't experienced before. I thought the development of their relationship was well paced and made this a very enjoyable read.

If you can deal with the graphic subject matter in this book, I would definitely recommend this book. I thought the writing was great and the relationship was excellent and the difficult subject matter was handled with care and respect and this book makes excellent points about domestic violence within the story itself which I really appreciated. Even if you don't think this book is for you, the writing was excellent so maybe check out one of Ryan's other books, I know I'm planning to. show less

This book needs a much stronger content warning. In at least half of the book there is explicit domestic abuse and violent rape.

I went into this book blind, being an avid romance reader I was therefore a little shocked by the content of the story. I normally read romance as an escape for the harsh realities of the world.

SPOILERS BELOW...
That being said I understand the author was trying to tell a story portraying why women stay in abusive relationships and how harshly society judges abused women versus their abusers, especially when the abuser is rich, famous, and a professional athlete.

I did appreciate the time the FMC was given to heal after escaping her abusive relationship, but because of the ending I would at a minimum categorize show more this as a thriller romance, not a romance. show less

I’m very very conflicted on how I want to rate this book. I think I’ll revisit this after I’ve sat with the book for a while.


This book was well written. The characters were wonderfully developed. The ones you loved you loved, the ones you hated you truly hated. One of the things I didn’t like about the book is there were just so many traumatic events. At some point it felt a bit much.

When I read the synopsis of this book, I was instantly hooked. Anything written by Kennedy Ryan is on the top of my TBR list. To say that I was expecting what I read to be a happy go lucky story of a baller and his girl is totally not what I got. This book touched on some serious issues that I’m sure plague all of professional sports, not just basketball. Some scenes were hard to read but knowing that somewhere out there some woman was actually going through this, I continued on.

I have to say, if you are the faint of heart, or have triggers with violence, you may want to skip this one. BUT, if you are a fan of rising up from the bottom and making it to the top of your life, this book is for you. A story of strength, survival, and show more love, this book would not let me stop reading until the end, and then I wanted more. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would. show less