Kennedy Ryan knows how to write romance and heartbreak. This one was so much more elevated than anything else I’ve read by her. Iris and August have a beautiful story but it’s certainly not an easy one.

NBA romance,
Forbidden lovers.
Dual POV
This is the first of a series where several characters will be featured.

Heed the content warnings and know that you are getting an incredibly honest view of an abusive relationship and why women stay. I applaud Kennedy for giving these women a voice and hopefully more people will have compassion.

I have enjoyed anything I've read by Kennedy Ryan. Slow burns with just the right amount of spice and a build up to a great story with likable characters. I am only recently getting into sports romance, but hope that they are all this good ! Going in I didn't realize this was part of a series, but I am excited to check the others out! 4 solid stars. Thank you to Sourcebooks Bloom and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Longshot by Kennedy, Ryan, nearly pulverized my heart. It’s a miracle I’m even here to give this review, because I was left a puddle of tears, joy and emotion at the end of the story. Nothing short of amazing. Nothing short of captivating. Nothing short of a hard, real look in the eye of relationships that hide in plain sight.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Long Shot is a heart wrenching, emotional, phenomenal book! Unreal!!

I don’t want to say too much, because I don’t want to give away any part of this amazing story. Iris and August are destined to be together but the choices that were made derailed that. A lot of years pass during this book, and it has the perfect pace. I loved watching these amazing characters grow.
Iris is such a brave, strong, incredible character. August has a love for her like no other and he so sweet. The supporting characters were lovable too. This book was the perfect mix of forbidden love & sport’s romance!

Kennedy Ryan proves once again what an incredible author she is. She writes sensitive topics with such care and respect. This was an absolutely incredible read that I couldn’t put down!! I’m so excited to read the rest of this series!

📘: Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan
🗓️: August 8, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley, Kennedy Ryan, and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for this ARC!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Reviewed on NetGalley and Goodreads.

Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan is a beautifully emotional, tug-at-your-heartstrings romance that will have any reader unable to put it down. This is book #1 in the Hoops series, which is a series of interconnected standalones. Kennedy Ryan effortlessly pens beautiful books that tell such important tales with interwoven emotional stories that are captivating to read. She combines deeply powerful stories with so much heart, strength & steam.

This is a story, which I highly recommend checking content warnings before reading. At times, it is quite dark & brutally honest in the ways in which the story is told, which creates the most realistic view that thankfully ends in such a gorgeous way.

Long Shot is perfect for fans of…
💙Sports Romance
💙Forbidden Romance
💙All the Angst, Heartbreak & Eventual Heartmake

It’s heart breaking, soul shattering & emotional as all get out, but it’s also a story of immense strength, unyielding love & unwavering patience of hope all set amidst a journey of intense healing & growth & finding one’s happily ever after. I want to keep this vague because this is such an enthralling book that deserves the reader to experience in its’ fullest capacity.

Kennedy Ryan is one of a kind & writes in the most stunning manner.

If you haven’t read a Kennedy Ryan book, I highly recommend changing that now & Long Shot is a wonderful place to start!

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Bloom Books for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

Content Warnings: This book mentions &/or contains physical/mental/emotional abuse, rape, gore & cheating.

I will post to my social media soon. I’ve posted to Amazon. I am just waiting for Amazon’s approval & I will add the link once it is available.

I’m definitely in my sports romance era over here and loving it. Kennedy Ryan’s Hoops series has been on my list for a while and with the rerelease of the books, this was the perfect excuse to finally dive in.
Long Shot follows NBA star August West who meets a woman at a bar and knows immediately he wants to be with her. Unfortunately, that woman is Iris, the long term girlfriend of August’s biggest rival in the NBA. Told over a long period of time, we see that while August is pining, Iris is living in an abusive relationship she can’t escape.

This story was a tough one to get through due to the depictions of domestic and sexual abuse (NOT involving the hero). As hard as this book was to read at times, it was impossible to put down and I found myself picking it up every moment I had a chance. I NEEDED to know Iris would get her HEA despite the pain and trauma she was experiencing. I love how Kennedy Ryan writes characters that you truly feel connected to. I felt like Iris was a friend, and what she went through broke my heart into a million pieces. And when she finally got her happy ending, it was so much more beautiful because of the emotions I felt for her along the way. August and Iris’s connection was undeniable and their chemistry was off the charts. I adored them together and how August was so patient and supportive of Iris. There is no way to do this book justice in a review, but know this one will rip your heart out and put it back together in the best way.

Thank you to Bloom Books and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Completely obsessed with Kennedy Ryan. I had no idea the direction that this was going but I believe that Ryan wrote this with extreme care that highlights the other side of surviving DV. Excited to continue this series.

This was so good because it's about basketball, love, and finding yourself. I didn't expect the SA/DA part so there is.a trigger warning on that but overall great read and can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy.

This book was not at all what I expected. DEFINITELY check the trigger warnings before reading this book. This is a second chance romance that starts with one night at a bar that changes two people’s lives forever. My only critique is that the ending felt abrupt.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

Kennedy Ryan Never disappoints.
I enjoyed listening to this book.
Though it started off slow, it picked and i just could not put it down!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks bloom books editing for this ALC

Highly entertaining, emotional and action-packed adventure filled with dangerous and engaging charters, witty dialog, heart racing twists and exciting turns. Really enjoyed every heart racing twist and emotional turn.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars!! This was such a powerful story! The love that Iris and August have for each other is so strong and their bond is amazing. Iris went through so much and her journey brought me tears, and even after everything she went through she was able to open her heart again in order to be with the love of her life. August was so patient throughout Iris’ process and was there for her and Sarai even though he didn’t know what she had been through because of their connection and love that he had for her. This book will definitely be in my top 10 for 2023!

Book: Long Shot
by Kennedy Ryan
Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️
Trope:Sports romance

Kennedy Ryan is a brilliant author and she truly deserves to be a NY best seller because of the amazing heart breaking stories that she produces.

I have loved this novel and if I ca be honest, this book has put me in a slump that going on for a few days now.

Readers beware that this book comes with a list of trigger warning with topics like abuse , assault and racism. The fact that so many things were portrayed and discussed in this book along with the character development and the plot surrounding our main characters comes with hard work and being truly in tune with talent and is grateful to have read this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks bloom books editing for giving me the opportunity to review this ARC copy.

This was my first Kennedy Ryan book and I loved it.

It's an NBA romance with some heart wrenching and thought provoking parts in places.

The characters were brilliant and Kennedy does a great job of developing them and their relationships.

Highly recommend.

Listen... don't come for me.. but I did not like August. I said it!

Long Shot is a beautifully written story about an up and coming basketball player named August, and Iris the girl he falls in love with. This is a hard to read novel, as it contains explicit descriptions of sexual assault and domestic abuse, so please don't go into this novel without checking the full content warnings.

Honestly, I loved everything about this book.... except August. The writing and storytelling was absolutely beautiful. The author touches on a lot of good topics such as racism, the hardships of being a biracial person, family issues, tries, abuse and a lot more important topics. Iris was a fantastic main character and the whole time I was reading the book from her point of view, I was hooked and it was hard to put the book down.

This book is dual POV, and while I adored Iris' parts, I could not stand August's POV. There were so many red flags from this guy, he is crazy obsessed and jealous of a woman he barely knows. If I saw a guy acting like that towards me I would be running for the hills. It was very insta-lovey and I just did not see that connection between the two characters to make me believe that they were soulmates.

I will be reading the rest of the series because I loved the author's writing. I am hopeful that the other male characters will be much better, or I will be DNFing the rest of the series right away.

Thank you to Author Kennedy Ryan, Netgalley & Bloom Books for providing me with this ARC ahead of its republication. All opinions shared are my own.

I love a well written second chance, one true love style romance and the deep and persevering connection between Iris and August really showcased this. Iris went though hell with her ex, and the Author isn't shy in sharing graphic details of the violence she experienced. I encourage everyone to check the trigger warnings; there were several scenes that turned my stomach and I hadn't quite prepared myself for it ahead of reading.

Overall, an intense but good book and I'm looking forward to moving on to the second book in the series, Block Shot.

I had a hard time putting words on what I had felt after my reading.
I like all Kennedy Ryan's books but this one was particularly poignant. The meeting between August and Iris is so perfect (strangers), and all the events follow one another without us really seeing them happening.
Iris is a little naive but grows up throughout the book to become a strong woman. August is the perfect book boyfriend.
It's not easy to give an opinion without spoiling the story but this book is definitely a must read for me!

This was an easy romance read in the sense that it wasn't overly complicated. At times though the pace felt off and it felt like it dragged. But I definitely didn't see the end coming and that was an interesting twist

If you’re someone who enjoys angsty romance books, this is for you! Beautiful writing but certainly wasn’t a light fluffy read.