There are some romance authors you read and immediately fall in love with. Most would say Kennedy Ryan is theirs and I have to agree especially after reading Reel.
Reel was first published by Ryan in 2021 and has now been picked up by Forever. Forever also publishes Ryan’s Skyland series with the next book coming out in 2025. Some of her other works have been published by Bloom Books as well.
As you can see, Kennedy Ryan is staying booked and busy which is good for us as readers. She’s been self-publishing for years so she has plenty of books you can go back and revisit. That’s exactly what I did with Reel.
With that being said, I’d like to thank Forever for putting this one on my radar and making me fall in love with Kennedy Ryan’s writing even more.
Reel is an absolute masterpiece by Kennedy Ryan.
When it comes to loving a book by Kennedy Ryan, it’s basically a given. She’s written so many amazing books and it feels like she continues to top herself. Going into Reel, I knew this was a lot of people’s favorite and I was honestly ready to have my heart ripped out which did happen but in a good way.
This story follows Canon, a popular director who is making a biopic on a beloved yet forgotten jazz musician. He’s been on the hunt for his Dessi Blue and immediately upon hearing Neevah sing, he knows that he’s found her. The only problem is that Neevah is relatively unknown and Canon is attracted to her.
Both things pose a problem as Canon previously had a horrible public breakup during his last big movie which cost him his role as director. Coupled with the fact that the studio isn’t entirely behind Neevah, Canon feels like he’s fighting a losing battle. Eventually, he’s able to get Neevah cast as Dessi but it’s not an easy fight.
Canon isn’t the only one with a lot going on as Neevah is excited to be working on the movie but her body is slowly fighting against her. We find out that Neevah has lupus and a majority of the story follows her managing her symptoms and figuring out what’s best for her. As you might imagine, things don’t go exactly to plan and we watch as Neevah has to fight the disease that is slowly fighting her. Since this is a romance, things work out in the end but it’s not without a tremendous fight for Neevah.
Speaking of romance, the romance between Canon and Neevah is showstopping. These two are trying so hard to fight the attraction but it’s not working and we love it. Seeing them slowly fall for each other and eventually, give in is sexy. Canon is so attentive and loving to Neevah and she compliments him beautifully by not being afraid to stand up to him and helping him to remain calm, no matter the situation. As much as I love Kennedy Ryan’s other pairings, these two have a special place in my heart.
In addition to giving us an amazing romance, we’re also learning the story of Dessi Blue who is a Black jazz performer and she has such an interesting story. She had an unlikely romance of her own and seeing her life in snippets is perfect. Honestly, I’ve read an entire story about Dessi Blue if Kennedy Ryan wrote one. Let’s be real though, I’d read anything Kennedy Ryan wrote so that’s not exactly fair.
Before wrapping things up, I have to say that Reel is very heavy so if you’re sensitive to anything related to chronic illnesses, the death of a parent, or strained family relationships, it’s probably best that you wait to read this one. However, if you can handle the subject matter, this story is so worth it. Simply put: I adore Kennedy Ryan and I truly cannot wait to read more from her.
Reel by Kennedy Ryan is out now where books are sold.