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A review by cielosiluminado
Reel by Kennedy Ryan
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
4.0
there was so many emotions when reading this. this was heavy, well, heavier than i expected. the representation of chronic illness, diversity of characters and their experiences, and most importantly, the significance of the successes and cruel challenges black americans had to deal with – and still do – was woven so intricately and meaningfully in this story.
i adored the first half of this book. the way the story was introduced and told was done very well. the forbidden romance and will-they-won’t-they tension between neevah and canon from the moment they meet was *chefs kiss*
the way this was written is something i’ve never seen before and i really enjoyed it. it’s basically two life stories told into one: neevah and canon’s love story (present) and of the wonderful life of dessi blue (past); dessi’s life being told in a movie script format. any time we were transported from past to present, i could vividly picture both eras and their stories’ impact.
ok so this is a me thing, and the reason this is not a 5 star rating for me is because i am of the opinion that not every character deserves a shot at redemption. i’m too petty for that and didn’t feel like that character truly earned it in the end. i would’ve preferred if they were never forgiven, especially after the betrayal and ostracism the main character had to endure because of what that character did to them. not only that, but non-ending ending was sort of anti-climactic but, oh well. that doesn’t negate the fact that i still had a good time.
i adored the first half of this book. the way the story was introduced and told was done very well. the forbidden romance and will-they-won’t-they tension between neevah and canon from the moment they meet was *chefs kiss*
the way this was written is something i’ve never seen before and i really enjoyed it. it’s basically two life stories told into one: neevah and canon’s love story (present) and of the wonderful life of dessi blue (past); dessi’s life being told in a movie script format. any time we were transported from past to present, i could vividly picture both eras and their stories’ impact.
ok so this is a me thing, and the reason this is not a 5 star rating for me is because i am of the opinion that not every character deserves a shot at redemption. i’m too petty for that and didn’t feel like that character truly earned it in the end. i would’ve preferred if they were never forgiven, especially after the betrayal and ostracism the main character had to endure because of what that character did to them. not only that, but non-ending ending was sort of anti-climactic but, oh well. that doesn’t negate the fact that i still had a good time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content