Scan barcode
bumblebeekip23's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
Wow that was an intense read. Please check the trigger warnings because it can be very upsetting at times and nothing usually bothers me. I read the bulk of this in two days but life made it take longer than it normally would. This has many layers to it and is very well written. Kennedy Ryan doesn’t disappoint!
araemoore's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
emilysbookobsessed's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
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
mikinikito's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
bookishtiff1's review against another edition
5.0
This was amazing. It was raw. It was heartbreaking. And it was brilliant! I am so in love with these characters and this world! The plot/story was amazing and it was told with so much care and consideration for those who might read it who have a similar story. It was a heavy book so I do not suggest reading it all in one sitting. This is a book that will stay with me forever. There are many potential triggers so definitely check them out before going into it. I have nothing but praise for Kennedy Ryan’s writing and I cannot wait to read more from her!!
ri_ri's review against another edition
5.0
Changing my previous rating of 4.5 to 5 because I cannot stop thinking about this book and augustiris after weeks of reading it and this book deserves 5 whopping stars!
Kennedy why did you do this to me. My heart was broken by this book again and again, but augustiris mended it with their love. But I don't think I’ll ever be same after reading this book. I don't even know how to write this review without bursting into tears— because this book changed something inside me. I love and hate Kennedy and her stories and it's mostly because she make me a emotional mess everytime I read her books.
Honestly, I had no idea what I was getting myself into because this book is marketed as a forbidden romance story set in the explosive world of NBA, and while it's true it is a romance story about Iris and August and their selfless and beautiful love, it's so much more than that. It's about survival, escaping the monster disguised as human, it's about selfless love and connection that is so strong that it helped you endure all the pain and life than live it, it's about breaking cycles and making life-altering choices and decisions, it's about regrets and then finally accepting the truth and fighting for your life and survival, it's about Iris Dupree the woman who chose to be her own saviour rather than waiting for someone to come and help her, it's about how August never stopped chasing Iris and his love for her.
Kennedy's writing is exceptional and I have no words to describe it. She ripped out my heart apart with her words, then shattered it again in million pieces and then she put it back in it's place with a sweet little smile on her face. You get it how many emotions this book made me go through. She made sure I read and feel every fear, sorrow and helplessness that Iris felt when she lived her nightmare everyday of her life.
I loved the starting and the first meet-cute of Iris and August and though it was a bit insta-love on both the character's part, but I didn't mind it a bit, because when you know you know. Iris and August had this undeniable connection and they understood each other so well that August made Iris his life mission to give her the life she deserved but never got. The accidental pregnancy trope bugged me a little in the starting because of how Iris never wanted it and it was all Caleb's doing but I think I understand why it was there in the first place, because Sarai gave Iris the strength and power she needed to get out of that hell.
➸ Iris DuPree
Iris is one of the strongest woman I have ever read about in a book and I admire her for her bravery, resilience and strength she showed when everything in her life was falling apart. She always wanted to be a woman with ambitions and career but sometimes life gives you the most hard choices and she did her best with them. She was affraid but she fought for her life and her freedom and she is not just a survivor but a warrior who didn't needed a man to save her and her daughter. I get it why she made those choices and why she blamed herself for them but she never knew and all she ever wanted was to achieve her dreams and be loved. I liked that even after going through this much trauma in her life, she never stopped trying and believing in herself. She fought through the shame and guilt to find her happiness and I love her for who she is and what she did with her life.
➸ August West
August is the man you find once in a lifetime and never let go of. The charming and perfect NBA player who can make your heart melt into a puddle with his sweet words and his actions. He's just incredible and he also had his faults but above all he is an amazing human who knows how to love, care and protect his loved ones. He is selfless, kind and ambitious just like Iris and I love how he loves his life and dreams and Iris. He had been through a lot in his life, but he is a chaser who never stops and no matter how many hardships are there in his life, he is determined to get what he wants and that is an admirable trait because that determination helped him find his true-self and his true love. I loved seeing him fall in love with Iris and her daughter.
╰┈➤ Iris and August
Iris and August are the embodiment of right person, wrong time. The two misfits. The soulmates in every universe. Their journey started that night in dive bar where they pour out their hearts to each other, a night that ended bittersweet for them but they were inevitable. I love them so much and the way they loved each other was truly so beautiful and so pure. They had a few interactions but Iris and August always understood each other so well like they were always suppose to find their way back to each other. They always knew what they meant to each other but their situation made it harder for them to be together. Iris was trapped in the baby drama with Caleb and Caleb was August's rival who did everything in his power to destroy both of them.
What I really loved was how August never stopped loving Iris, he was always chasing her and loving her, encouraging her when she never believed in her potential. Their love is so beautiful and selfless that even after going through hell they both found their way back to each other. I liked how August earned her trust, gave her the slow and space she needed, encouraged her and supported her dreams, waited for her to come back to him but also never let her go, he was always there for Iris and Sarai. And their family moments have all my heart. The way Iris accepted August in her little family and the way August loved Sarai was so precious and emotional. I love the three of them so much.
The ending chapters were so painful to read but the ending was everything I wanted. Thankfully, Iris killed Caleb or I would've done it myself because that man is a monster in human flesh. Also, I loved the epilogue and bonus epilogues
“If you were mine, Iris, there would be no doubt what position you’d hold in my life. You’d be center. I’d play you at the five.”
Kennedy why did you do this to me. My heart was broken by this book again and again, but augustiris mended it with their love. But I don't think I’ll ever be same after reading this book. I don't even know how to write this review without bursting into tears— because this book changed something inside me. I love and hate Kennedy and her stories and it's mostly because she make me a emotional mess everytime I read her books.
Honestly, I had no idea what I was getting myself into because this book is marketed as a forbidden romance story set in the explosive world of NBA, and while it's true it is a romance story about Iris and August and their selfless and beautiful love, it's so much more than that. It's about survival, escaping the monster disguised as human, it's about selfless love and connection that is so strong that it helped you endure all the pain and life than live it, it's about breaking cycles and making life-altering choices and decisions, it's about regrets and then finally accepting the truth and fighting for your life and survival, it's about Iris Dupree the woman who chose to be her own saviour rather than waiting for someone to come and help her, it's about how August never stopped chasing Iris and his love for her.
“Can you miss someone you’ve never had? Because I miss Iris.”
Kennedy's writing is exceptional and I have no words to describe it. She ripped out my heart apart with her words, then shattered it again in million pieces and then she put it back in it's place with a sweet little smile on her face. You get it how many emotions this book made me go through. She made sure I read and feel every fear, sorrow and helplessness that Iris felt when she lived her nightmare everyday of her life.
I loved the starting and the first meet-cute of Iris and August and though it was a bit insta-love on both the character's part, but I didn't mind it a bit, because when you know you know. Iris and August had this undeniable connection and they understood each other so well that August made Iris his life mission to give her the life she deserved but never got. The accidental pregnancy trope bugged me a little in the starting because of how Iris never wanted it and it was all Caleb's doing but I think I understand why it was there in the first place, because Sarai gave Iris the strength and power she needed to get out of that hell.
➸ Iris DuPree
Iris is one of the strongest woman I have ever read about in a book and I admire her for her bravery, resilience and strength she showed when everything in her life was falling apart. She always wanted to be a woman with ambitions and career but sometimes life gives you the most hard choices and she did her best with them. She was affraid but she fought for her life and her freedom and she is not just a survivor but a warrior who didn't needed a man to save her and her daughter. I get it why she made those choices and why she blamed herself for them but she never knew and all she ever wanted was to achieve her dreams and be loved. I liked that even after going through this much trauma in her life, she never stopped trying and believing in herself. She fought through the shame and guilt to find her happiness and I love her for who she is and what she did with her life.
“I couldn’t have known that the first hit, that baptism into violence, doesn’t just sting the flesh. It startles the soul.”
➸ August West
August is the man you find once in a lifetime and never let go of. The charming and perfect NBA player who can make your heart melt into a puddle with his sweet words and his actions. He's just incredible and he also had his faults but above all he is an amazing human who knows how to love, care and protect his loved ones. He is selfless, kind and ambitious just like Iris and I love how he loves his life and dreams and Iris. He had been through a lot in his life, but he is a chaser who never stops and no matter how many hardships are there in his life, he is determined to get what he wants and that is an admirable trait because that determination helped him find his true-self and his true love. I loved seeing him fall in love with Iris and her daughter.
“Iris is my constellation. She took the darkness as her cue to shine. It only made her brighter, stronger, and tonight, her hard-won glimmer lights up the sky.”
╰┈➤ Iris and August
Iris and August are the embodiment of right person, wrong time. The two misfits. The soulmates in every universe. Their journey started that night in dive bar where they pour out their hearts to each other, a night that ended bittersweet for them but they were inevitable. I love them so much and the way they loved each other was truly so beautiful and so pure. They had a few interactions but Iris and August always understood each other so well like they were always suppose to find their way back to each other. They always knew what they meant to each other but their situation made it harder for them to be together. Iris was trapped in the baby drama with Caleb and Caleb was August's rival who did everything in his power to destroy both of them.
“Time is not a line. It’s a circle, and we, August and Iris, we stand at the center.”
What I really loved was how August never stopped loving Iris, he was always chasing her and loving her, encouraging her when she never believed in her potential. Their love is so beautiful and selfless that even after going through hell they both found their way back to each other. I liked how August earned her trust, gave her the slow and space she needed, encouraged her and supported her dreams, waited for her to come back to him but also never let her go, he was always there for Iris and Sarai. And their family moments have all my heart. The way Iris accepted August in her little family and the way August loved Sarai was so precious and emotional. I love the three of them so much.
“The daughter captivates me at a glance, just like her mother did, and my heart falls right out of my chest and lands at this baby’s feet.”
The ending chapters were so painful to read but the ending was everything I wanted. Thankfully, Iris killed Caleb or I would've done it myself because that man is a monster in human flesh. Also, I loved the epilogue and bonus epilogues
nicoletn97's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0