I wasn’t the biggest fan of this book. It read in an awkward manner. There were a lot of time lapses that didn’t make sense and I found myself really struggling to keep characters and timelines in place. Despite the trigger warnings as well, I found it very hard to read. I did like the growth of the main character, Iris, and of course I was rooting for her and August, but I just don’t think this book was for me.

Wow, this book was much more emotional and heart wrenching than I was anticipating, but it is a must-read. You'll feel the grief and anger emanating from this novel, but thankfully Kennedy Ryan offers sweet revenge and redemption for her characters. Woo this one was a ride, but one worth taking and I recommend.

Okay, i liked this book. i don't usually like books w cheating but i read this book so quickly. i know it's only furthered the plot but i wish she would have just ended her relationship w caleb was over sooner. also didn't like sexy breastfeeding. BUT i did like august and iris' story outside of that. it was heartfelt and warm and really made me root for them. i also LIVE for the way Kennedy writes angst between characters. *chefs kiss*

Oh man, if I thought this was a tough read the first time I read it (back in 2018) it was even harder a second time around. Because even though some the dread of the unknown was missing, the circumstances, the horrors, the fear, it still existed. It still hit me. And it was so painful and awful.

So yeah on that note hey read this book!

But seriously, huge triggers for a lot of things. Please read the content warning at the opening page. Please seek out reviewers who will give you an exhaustive list, if you need one. But know this contains graphic depiction of abuse and domestic harm and more.

"It looks like a sporty contemporary though?"

Yeah, I got fooled with that, too. Especially as I don't read blurbs most of the time. But yes, there is sports fun, there is romance, but it's hard earned, it's fraught with uncertainty, and, on a second read, it does occasionally beg some disbelief when you're trying to rationalize the connection between our two main players (not literally, though one is). But it was still lovely and angsty and the UST was on point.

If you've somehow never read a book by Ryan, what are you even doing with your reading choices! But also.. maybe don't start with this one? It's a lot. And you need to be ready for it. Though I don't want you to think it's all heavy and darkness. There is loveliness, and healing, and light, and innocence, and second chances, and all those are celebrated, too. I'm glad I got my own second chance with this one and I'm glad it's kicked my ass into continuing with the series, too.

Which I will go do now.

Major major TW in this book. Whether it is domestic or verbal abuse, guns, rape… just be aware. It was truly a powerful story around one main character Iris and her path to not just leaving but surviving and thriving. I loved her slow burn love story with August. The Louisiana and New Orleans references were fun to read. Lo was one of my other favorite characters and I want to know her love story! The two epilogues was a fun twist but I really wanted to know beyond … maybe in the subsequent books?

This was a reread for me. The story elicited many emotions and feelings, which haven’t changed over time. Iris and August had a deep-seated connection that transcended time. But at the time they met, it was wrong place, wrong time for them to start any type of relationship considering that her current boyfriend was August’s arch rival. Iris was a survivor. She endured physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. Once Sarai was born, it became even tougher to leave her relationship. The author did a tremendous job of describing the difficulties survivors of DV face. I appreciated that the author didn’t gloss over what happens, which provides insight to the reasons it is difficult to leave an abusive situation. August was the perfect partner for Iris. He understood her, believed in her, and supported her in whatever she needed when she needed it. Their relationship grew and was strong because of the time and effort they put into it. This story is most definitely not an easy one to read, but it a great eye opener.

"The heart speaks in whispers, but sometimes by the time we listen, it's too late."

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

Wow! It is so difficult to put into words to describe reading this book. On one hand it one of the most beautifully written stories that I have read in a long while, but on the other hand it is was so incredibly difficult to read many of the chapters. So much in fact that I had to do deep breathing through out those chapters. If you have trigger warnings, please ensure you are ready to read a very honest heart wrenching account of domestic abuse. That said, I was so glad by the ending of this story. I really recommend this story who wants to read a romance that does not fall into the usual tropes.

Thank you to the Author, Netgalley and Publisher for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of this story and give an unbiased review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, 🌶️🌶️🌶️

I feel like my heart was ripped through my chest and slowly put back

Such a beautiful, intense & tragic story. Kennedy wrote these heavy topics so well. Very hard scenes to read but so much awareness brought out within this story.

Loved Iris & August & their instant connection at the bar! I loved that we get Iris story through this book but it seemed like so much more than that, every women’s story who has ever been in a circumstance of this nature. && august always holding on hope for what he wants. The family support he had. && the bonus epilogue had me feeling all the emotions and such a good ending to this story

Thank you NetGalley & Sourcebooks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Guys.. this book was everything & thank you so much to Bloom for sending me an early copy of this book for review.

I was in awe of the strength and just plain bad-assery of the female lead Iris. To go through all she went through and to allow her heart to trust another man even if he is the epitome of a good man.. I have no idea how these women fine that inner strength to fight back and not allow themselves to just fall to pieces and never get back up… I can’t even begin to imagine.

This was an amazing book with such an important message about victim shaming & the plain disparity that victims of any sort of abuse suffer through. The author does such an amazing job of navigating this delicate subject matter and I can’t even begin to explain how much I recommend it.

This was a DNF for me, about 10 chapters in I would say. I really appreciated the author's note at the beginning about the interviews and knowledge she gathered from survivors of domestic abuse. I knew it was a theme going in, but I didn't realize it was going to be so prevalent for most of the book, I think I was expecting most of the plot to revolve around the female main character leaving the abusive situation.

There was also a part where August, the MMC that becomes the love interest thinks about how having threesomes and a lot of sexual partners is just part of the right of passage of being a pro athlete and I thought that was a disgusting trope to include. Just because you are famous does not mean that you cannot control who you sleep with and when, its one thing to want to, and another to just say "oh this is expected of me." Especially since he has no regard for the women he is sleeping with and is constantly thinking of Iris.

I was given an e-arc by Netgalley and Bloom Books for the rerelease in exchange for an honest review.

This book was well written. It definitely has some pretty massive triggers, with the biggest being domestic violence and sexual assault. I will be thinking about this book for awhile.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this arc.

I should have read the trigger warnings before I got into this book, I didn’t and that’s a bit on me. It was dark for sure, and not something I typically choose to read. I found it long and just overall hard to get through. Again probably with all the dark stuff I might have enjoyed the read better.

This book gets all the stars and praise! It tackles heavy content with grace and doesn't shy away or sugarcoat the grittiness of the topics. I couldn't put it down.

I had no idea what this book was about before reading it so I appreciated the author's note at the beginning with trigger warnings. I'd advise anyone wanting more specifics to look them up. It isn't a light read and I think the author handled the topics so well.

Things I loved:
-Iris and August's alternating POVs. They each had their own stories and were interwoven well.
-Multicultural characters. As a person of color, I appreciate seeing stories that are enriched by this.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start out by saying: Make sure you read and take the trigger warnings seriously.

This book was worth staying up late and reading. Iris is probably one of, if not, the strongest character I have read in a long time. She overcomes some pretty heavy circumstances and really flourishes. August is going through some tough times as well, but something draws him to Iris.

I honestly don’t have the words to adequately describe how fantastic this book is. Not only is it heartbreakingly real and Iris’ story needs to be read, digested and understood, but there are some softer aspects as well. August is honestly one of the best guys ever. He isn’t your typical athlete and their initial encounter was sweet in its own way.

The characters were well written, developed and realistic. I felt as if they could be my friends. The hurdles that life through in front of them would have stopped many people, but they found a way over them. This is one book that I couldn’t put down and highly recommended (as long as you won’t be triggered).

Not only did I receive an ARC, but I purchased a copy as well. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This was a very moving story about second chances and finding love in the wake of survival. This was a very hard story to read, but Kennedy Ryan did a fantastic job at balancing the heartache with the tenderness that came from Iris’ relationships with Lotus, August, Sarai, and Mimi. I was so moved by Iris’s resilience. I also love how she heaved herself, but Lotus and August were there to support her through her healing.

(I'm going to list all the TWs at the end, I definitely urge you to read them before picking up the book)

This is my first Kennedy Ryan book, and I'm blown away by her precision and compassion when writing about domestic abuse. Yes, there is a main romance, and both of them have povs, but what you might not know from the blurb is that it takes ~60% of the book for the FMC to come out of her abusive relationship. There is a lot of abuse on page, including physical violence and repeated rape at gunpoint, and it felt like my heart was shattering as I read through it all. But again, I need to stress here how good a job Kennedy Ryan has done in portraying the reality of abuse on page, and in writing the FMC's struggle for surviving and her eventually successful (but many times failed) fight to leave with her kid.

As for the main romance, it's super swoony, and I loved the honest and healthy relationship they both had. And the epilogue was just the best.

TWs (please, please read these before you read the book) -
(1) extreme and continual domestic by a partner including beating, hitting, threat of guns, rape at gunpoint, forcing her to have sex without him wearing a condom, threat of taking away their child if she did not comply, calling the police and social services on her when she tried to escape, cutting her off financially, cutting her off from her family, buying off some of her family members, threatening her family if she did not comply, trapping her with a pregnancy by using a condom with holes in it, stalking and attacking her after she left
(2) on page postpartum depression which is later used against her when she tries to escape
(3) deliberate foul play in a sporting event leading to massive injuries
(4) on page victim blaming of women who "failed to leave their abusers". There are cruel comments on page, and this is something the FMC struggles with when considering that her story would come to light.
(5) rape of a minor (past, secondary character)

I would also urge you to read other reviews, in case I have missed any TWs.

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

Thank you so much @Read_Bloom for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 08 August 2023)

SYNOPSIS | August meets Iris at a bar the night before his big final college basketball game & they instantly hit it off. At the end of the night Iris confesses that she has a boyfriend so their relationship cannot progress past friendship. The next day August learns that she is the girlfriend of his childhood rival and whilst they are on very different paths, they always seem to come back together.

WHAT I LIKED:
- big fan of the 'right person wrong time' trope
- that it doesn't shy away from exploring a dangerous & abusive relationship as well as reclaiming your body & mind from an abuser
- Iris's inner-strength & perseverance was a beautiful thing to read
- this is my first book by this author but it definitely won't be my last

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- I wanted more of them on the page happy together (I dislike it when couples get their HEA in the final couple of chapters)

Long Shot is the story of August and Iris, they meet by chance one night at a bar, hitting it off instantly and realising there is something special between them. Unfortunately Iris is already in a relationship with Caleb a basketball player on a rival team to August.
Caleb is an obnoxious and dangerous whose controlling behaviour towards Iris soon turns into horrific episodes of domestic violence, unable to escape this dark world she is thrust into she has to stay for the sake of her daughter.
Although a heartbreaking story August stands out above all, he has never stopped loving Iris and eventually as Iris fights her way out of her brokenness her strength and ability to heal mentally as well as physically is supported unconditionally by August.
This is a heart pounding story of love and hope, tense and at times very dark this is a page turner that leaves you breathless but above all it is uplifting with a beautiful and satisfying finale.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

Iris and August. Star-crossed, the one that got away, never really meant to be. That's what it feels like upon first meeting, when the two connect in a way neither has with another before, only to find there's something, or someone, in the way. Their worlds collide on the night of the Big Dance, but it's at the game that August discovers Iris chose his nemesis, Caleb, long before he'd stood a chance. They never forget the feeling, but each moves forward with the life they selected. August a star rookie for a new team and Iris, the partner to another star rookie. Unbeknownst to August, though, Iris wants to get away, because her basketball prince isn't a nice one, he's a tyrant.

August is the basketball star you dream about, with an ego and a heart. He's an alpha without the a-hole, a young man raised well with his dreams secured. Iris is a driven, stubborn women with huge sports dreams as well, but she's tied to a wealthy, controlling boy who only knows how to get his way. Long Shot is a story of basketball, dreams, and a wilting flower who finds a way to bloom in the darkness. It's about lust, love, heartache, and the way you hold onto your hopes with a long shot dream of them coming true. It's passionate and difficult, a story that will break you apart and put you back together. A story that, for some, will resonate in ways that they felt a book might never. For others, it will be an eye opener into the pain that many experience and the overwhelming joy and strength that comes from making it through. It's a lengthy book, but it needs to be to tell you the whole story, the true story for many, and to give you the ending readers, romance lovers, and people in general deserve to have.

If you didn't know I am a massive college basketball fan, now you know. Sometime in high school I just decided that was the sport and age group I was going to be a fan of and I went all in. March Madness is my time, I am Iris in front of the TV, so Long Shot, from the first time I read it to now, the second time, is relatable from a sports girl perspective. The extra time Ryan takes to get into the game, the feeling, some of the stats, is so important to paint the full picture and really, it's time well spent for readers like me.

Long Shot is the first in the Hoops series and it's an incredibly romantic, angsty read that I cannot recommend enough.

As per usual, Ms. Kennedy Ryan did not disappoint! I loved everything about this book! Kennedy knows how to write a romance that adds in just the perfect amount of drama and inner turmoil. This book really does this perfectly. I'll line up and read anything Kennedy Ryan writes!