Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan Review

Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan

Series: Hoops #1

First Published: May 20, 2018

Format: Audiobook

Published By: Tantor Audio

Narrator: Sean Crisden & Jo Raylan

Source: Scribd

Genre: Romance

Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads

Long Shot follows NBA star August West ant the mysterious and beautiful Iris DuPree, who meet in a bar one night and can't deny their instant chemistry. The only problem is, Iris is already another 'baller's girl.

This is not at all what I expected. I went into this book knowing very little; just that it was a basketball sports romance. As it turns out, this was so much more. It was a truly heart-breaking, at times difficult to read, story, which dealt with some very hard topics.

HUGE trigger warnings for domestic violence and sexual assault, both of which are shown on page and in graphic detail. I don't have triggers myself, but even I struggled with a lot of the content in this book.

This book is incredibly dark. A few times I had to put it down and take a break from it. At one point, I put it down for two whole days, simply because I was scared for what was to come. This is one of the most atmospheric books I have ever read. I really felt like I was right there with these characters, experiencing not only their highs, but also the lowest of lows. It was just so well written, especially the way the darker topics were handled and discussed. I thought the discussion regarding domestic violence and victim blaming was particularly interesting and presented a lot to think about. It was clear that Kennedy Ryan didn't simply throw this topic in to make the story more interesting. She did her research and made sure to present an impactful and important take on the topic, to bring more awareness and potentially help those affected.

All of the characters in this book were very well developed and real rounded characters with such distinct personalities. I particularly loved Iris and Lotus and their relationship. Their backstories were interesting to read about, and I hope to learn more of Lotus' backstory in the third book in this series. August was an incredibly sweet hero; I just loved him and his devotion to Iris, no matter what. I also loved his relationship with his family. Although we didn't see too much of his family interactions, what we did get to see was just so wholesome and lovely. Even Caleb was such a well-developed character.

I think the thing I appreciated most about this book was the fact that it didn't do what it so easily could have. The hero did not swoop in and save the girl. August didn't suddenly appear and fix all of Iris' problems. So often in romance, the hero saves the day, Iris was a prime example of an incredibly strong, independent woman, and it made me happy and proud to see that was not taken away from her at any point.

I loved pretty much everything about this book. All that is stopping me from giving this book 5 stars is the fact it took me some time to get in to. I struggled at the beginning of the book to understand this infatuation that August and Iris seemed to have with each other after just a few hours in a bar. Although I obviously fell in love with their relationship as the book progressed, I did struggle with it at first.

This was my first book by Kennedy Ryan but I can guarantee it won't be my last.