A review by sarahholt
Block Shot by Kennedy Ryan
Did not finish book. Stopped at 19%.
The nicest thing I can say about this book is that I'm glad it was the last book of Kennedy Ryan's that I have read, if this was the first book I tried of hers, I would not have continued reading her work.
I loved the glimpses of Jared that we got to see in Long Shot and was excited for his story with Banner but this was a let down from the beginning.
I love that Kennedy Ryan isn't afraid to write messy truths, it was what drew me to her in the first place. Life is heartbreaking and horrible and uncomfortable sometimes and that isn't often displayed in books. I read Long Shot and Hook Shot first and fell in love with the care and reverence in her writing for Iris and Lotus and interpersonal violence/assault situations.
I naively thought she would have the same care for fat characters but that couldn't be further from the truth.
I had hoped that during the time jump, Banner would have gained confidence in her body and knowing there is nothing wrong with it. Instead, the first thing we learn about her is that she is on a weight loss journey to be the "right kind of curvy."
That is where I stopped reading. If I wanted to read about a fat girl who didn't need to lose weight on weight watchers, I would have just read my journal from high school.
I'm so disappointed in this book and I don't know if I will keep reading her work.
I loved the glimpses of Jared that we got to see in Long Shot and was excited for his story with Banner but this was a let down from the beginning.
I love that Kennedy Ryan isn't afraid to write messy truths, it was what drew me to her in the first place. Life is heartbreaking and horrible and uncomfortable sometimes and that isn't often displayed in books. I read Long Shot and Hook Shot first and fell in love with the care and reverence in her writing for Iris and Lotus and interpersonal violence/assault situations.
I naively thought she would have the same care for fat characters but that couldn't be further from the truth.
Spoiler
fucking the fat girl as a hazing prank is overdone and not funny or good plot. It doesn't matter that he walked away from them when his entry to the society was based on that because in the end he did it anyway. It felt like he fucked her to prove that he wasn't fucking her for the society which, in the end, is doing it for them anyway. Based on Banner's POV, there had not been enough build up in their relationship for it to be believable that he wanted to sleep with her. The "fat girl can't tell when someone is attracted to her" trope is also over done and dehumanizing. Jared is the only MMC in any of Kennedy Ryan's books who does not make is absolutely clear before they have sex that he is obsessed with her all of her body.I had hoped that during the time jump, Banner would have gained confidence in her body and knowing there is nothing wrong with it. Instead, the first thing we learn about her is that she is on a weight loss journey to be the "right kind of curvy."
That is where I stopped reading. If I wanted to read about a fat girl who didn't need to lose weight on weight watchers, I would have just read my journal from high school.
I'm so disappointed in this book and I don't know if I will keep reading her work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Sexism