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A review by booktheshelves
Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
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
4.75
STATS
Stars: 4.75/5 ⭐️
Spice: 3/5 🌶️
Emotional Damage: 15/5 😭
Overview: I had reservations at first. The first few chapters didnt immediately hook me. But, I’ve found recently that a book doesn’t have to draw me in right away for it to change who I am. I had no idea where this book would lead, and it lead to some very triggering, dark places. And yet, those places were also therapeutic. The romance was almost a side-plot, sorta. The DV and Iris getting her life back took center stage, for at least a good portion of the book. It’s definitely slow burn, which I usually don’t love, but Long Shot had great pacing. It was not too fast nor too slow. It gave justice to everything Iris and August needed to work through to end up with each other.
You know how people say certain books change your brain chemistry? Well, this story certainly did that to my brain.
Something I think to myself a lot when I love a book is “I wish I had read this sooner.” But, this book came at the exact perfect time. If I had read it 2 years ago, I might not have liked it. It was dark and it was emotionally draining. As someone who has experienced DV (very minor compared to Iris’ experiences, but still DV nonetheless) this book changed so many things about my thinking process. I could put myself in Iris’s place, I could feel her pain as vividly as I felt my own.
Kennedy Ryan has such a beautiful way with words. Some of the quotes from this book absolutely shattered my heart. Iris and August’s story tugged at my heartstrings and gave me hope again.
Stars: 4.75/5 ⭐️
Spice: 3/5 🌶️
Emotional Damage: 15/5 😭
Overview: I had reservations at first. The first few chapters didnt immediately hook me. But, I’ve found recently that a book doesn’t have to draw me in right away for it to change who I am. I had no idea where this book would lead, and it lead to some very triggering, dark places. And yet, those places were also therapeutic. The romance was almost a side-plot, sorta. The DV and Iris getting her life back took center stage, for at least a good portion of the book. It’s definitely slow burn, which I usually don’t love, but Long Shot had great pacing. It was not too fast nor too slow. It gave justice to everything Iris and August needed to work through to end up with each other.
You know how people say certain books change your brain chemistry? Well, this story certainly did that to my brain.
Something I think to myself a lot when I love a book is “I wish I had read this sooner.” But, this book came at the exact perfect time. If I had read it 2 years ago, I might not have liked it. It was dark and it was emotionally draining. As someone who has experienced DV (very minor compared to Iris’ experiences, but still DV nonetheless) this book changed so many things about my thinking process. I could put myself in Iris’s place, I could feel her pain as vividly as I felt my own.
Kennedy Ryan has such a beautiful way with words. Some of the quotes from this book absolutely shattered my heart. Iris and August’s story tugged at my heartstrings and gave me hope again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Death of parent