Reviews - Reel | The StoryGraph

2.93k reviews for:

Reel

Kennedy Ryan

4.46 AVERAGE

morybaby's review against another edition

4.25

emotional informative fast-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

I think Kennedy Ryan consistently writes some of the best black love stories.

She writes real love stories. Like there’s romance and all that but there’s also real life situations and circumstances that the characters have to deal with while navigating falling and staying in love.

This book came on my radar when she spoke about the relaunch with an added bonus epilogue and I’m like that sounds like fun!
I decided to read this with my eyes instead of audio, which is how I’ve consumed most of her books. It hits the same and maybe even more??!

I was a bit worried about the power dynamic between Canon and Neevah but oh they handled it so well. And their chemistry??? Off the charts I tell you.

It would be so pleasing to see this as a movie because it felt like a movie in a movie. Like to see Neevah and Canon together and to see my girl bring Dessi Blue to life??!!

But then again, I feel like film might not capture the magic of this book.

I liked both characters as individuals and together. I enjoyed how the relationship progressed, no third act break up!!!

I was rooting for Neevah’s success so much. Her friendship with Takira was so so precious to me

Terry and Brandon can however go straight to hell. Neevah may have forgiven her and that slut of a man but I do not.

The epilogue? Delicious.

I’m going to start predicting if couples will remain in love after the end of the book and they definitely will. That man will move mountains for her and that’s what my queen deserves 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

haileyrt's review against another edition

3.75

emotional hopeful lighthearted sad slow-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: Complicated

This is my second time reading this after about two years of having read it for the first time! Honestly I hadn't realized how much smut there was until this go around lol, but I did enjoy the writing and the way the characters developed throughout the novel. The biggest reason why I docked my first review down was because I felt like so much of the novel was them sometimes spending good quality time working or being together, but I felt like for two people who were "in love" with each other, they damn near had sex with each other almost every other scene they were together?!?! Even when she was anxious about how he'd felt about seeing her body with her lupus scars, I felt like it wasn't an appropriate time to go full fledged towards sexual attraction. I personally felt like he could've done better with showing his lover for her without it being primarily sexual if that makes sense. I know it's a big part of the relationship and is important to a few people, but I felt a bit uncomfortable when there were more scenes when they'd confess their love for each other primarily when they were sleeping with each other or were physically intimate. Don't get me wrong there were parts where you could feel their energy and I do completely understand it's an adult novel, but I feel like their sex life was such an adamant part of their relationship in the novel, there wasn't enough scenes of pure romance to convince me their relationship wasn't just a sex thing imo but I digress since I know that's some people's cup of tea.....

not saying you need to keep the smut out but god they hunched A LOT for them to get engaged only right after the premiere without really going deeper into their relationship and the connection. <\spoiler>I also didn't realize Canon was named after the camera (goodness that's so cheesy) but I feel like this was an emotionally feel good book that even though you'd expect everything that had happened, it still was a good novel. I hadn't read the epilogue (why the heck did he put the ring IN THE CHAMPAGNE HELLO?!?!) and it was a good read to conclude the novel, even though I thought their relationship needed a lot more time before engagement but comme-ci comme-ça. I listened to the audiobook and sometimes the narrator for Canon's voice was so....ehhhhh like I'd laugh at certain scenes just because of the way it was narrated lol. The voice actress for Neevah was great though! The dialogue and certain scenes were pretty cheesy and a tiny bit cringy but mind you I'm a Gen Z lesbian so not everything that is romantic to them is to me and the dialect for millennials is a bit different than us lol. This would be a good book for a first time Kennedy Ryan reader even though it is a bit longer than some of her other books, but it's still good!

salliestacks's review against another edition

5.0

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

Don’t skip the prologue! From the first page this book is filled with DRAMA! I see why Kennedy Ryan said this was her favorite novel to write. The characters are complex, relatable and pulled me in more than I expected.

What I’ve come to love about Ryan’s writing is she gives you more than spice (yes, it’s there if you’re concerned). You feel the emotion, the conflict, the yearning as Neevah and Canon wrestle with falling in love. The struggle Neevah has with her health, family and fame as she’s thrusted into Hollywood.

The pacing slowed in a few places, but the story manages to keep your attention. I listened to the audio while reading and was surprised with a bonus epilogue from Neevah and Canon. It was such a satisfying treat because I wasn’t ready to let these characters go.

Content Warnings

ohiotubagal's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH

Can’t stand the narration

briannasipes's review against another edition

4.0

emotional hopeful 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: No

we’ve got an actress and a filmmaker/director romance, but there’s so much emotion and heartfelt content within this, beyond the romance. i immersive read this (idk if that’s the correct use of the work immersion my bad) and the audiobook was absolute KILLLLERRRRR🤭