Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Reel by Kennedy Ryan

32 reviews

blakeandbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

unsuccessfulbookclub's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

takarakei's review

Go to review page

emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

  • Hollywood romance
  • Chronic Illness Rep

Was just a bit too long (but it's not a slow burn?) for my taste. I did really enjoy the audiobook presentation - since the story follows a movie being made about a jazz singer, there is some singing amidst the story.

4/5 🌶️
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

triple_m's review against another edition

Go to review page

medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I enjoyed the second half of this book a lot more than the first. I didn’t enjoy the forbidden love aspect between Canan and Neevah very much. I found myself very frustrated with her, I think her mentality about the situation was very reckless and naive. She could’ve killed her career before it truly began, yet she had this blind optimism about it. 

That being said I do think Neevah and Canon are perfect for one another. They’re a wonderful couple and really inspire and lift one another up.

I wish Neevah’s professional future was addressed. Realistically, will she be able to be a lead in a movie again? Or is the demand of acting in film too strenuous?

Also, fuck Terry. I’m sorry but in my opinion some things can never be forgiven. I do think Kennedy Ryan handled the situation realistically though. I just fault so frustrated that people felt Neevah’s was also somehow responsibility for the rift in her family. She was driven out!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

dearbookboyfriend's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

what_karla_reads's review

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

discarded_dust_jacket's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I’m going to be so honest; if I had read only the synopsis of this book and not the reviews, I probably wouldn’t have given it a chance. I didn’t think the premise sounded all that appealing, but SO MANY people were raving about it so I thought “ok I’ll see what all the fuss is about,” and BOY am I glad I did.

This is both a beautifully-crafted love story and a love letter to the Black artists who have shaped culture time and time again only to be excluded from the pages of history written by and for white people.
As someone with lupus nephritis, it was both validating and gutting to witness Neevah’s onset and rapid progression of symptoms, especially since they so closely mirrored my own. Lupus is such a misunderstood and under-represented disease, so I really appreciated that that story was told.

Not to mention the dynamic between Neevah and Canon while Neevah navigated her diagnosis at the beginning stages of a new relationship. I so intimately understand the fear that your partner will leave because they didn’t “sign up for this,” and wanting to push them away or not let them see you at your worst. That could not have hit any closer to home for me.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

serendipitysbooks's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

 
Late last year I listened to Reel, a romance between two Black creatives, Canon who is a famous film director and Neevah, a Broadway performer. I like my romances to have some depth and breadth and this book delivered. Interwoven with the main plot was a look at Black singers of an earlier era with Desi, who Neevah is selected to play in Canon’s latest film, obviously being inspired by the likes of Billie Holliday. The plot also includes great disability representation with Neevah being affected by Lupus, and requiring a transplant. There is a more minor plot line involving Canon’s mother’s multiple sclerosis. Other storylines focussed on estranged family, grief over the loss of a parent, a sapphic romance, the paparazzi, racism, and the reality of life in creative industries. The romance certainly sizzled and overall I enjoyed the book despite feeling it was a bit too long and somewhat overwritten in places. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

iisa's review

Go to review page

challenging emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

claireroad's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I did not know what to expect going into this book, but it was a gorgeous exploration of illness, love, and the history of Black artists who have been forgotten unfairly. I highly recommend it.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings