Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan

161 reviews

claureading's review

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense slow-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

2.5

I have to say that this rating is no way the author’s fault. I love Kennedy Ryan’s writing! I just didn’t do enough research on the book before starting it and I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I saw it recommended as a sport’s romance and immediately downloaded it on my kindle. Should’ve looked up trigger warnings first. Still, I found it difficult to connect with some characters because of the dialogue, it didn’t really feel natural to me. Anyway, I do think the abuse and circumstances of the FMC were very well represented and felt very real. I really connected with the book in that aspect, and I feel it is the only romance out there (that I’ve read) that takes the matter seriously and handles it well. Still, don’t be like me and check TW so you know what to expect. This is in no way a fun fluffy sports romance!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual harassment, Violence, Misogyny, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Grief, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Stalking

Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, and Medical content

Minor: Racism, Car accident, Infidelity, and Mental illness

cathyo_113's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I love this book, but also finding myself wanting to chuck it against the wall. I don’t think this is a Romance book. The first half the book is spent showing how Iris and August are living separate lives and come together at different points with a deep connection and tension between them. Theirs is a love story. It’s heartbreaking and for Iris, tragic, but ultimately this is not a romance novel.

There is no happy ending or happy for now for both characters before the epilogue. There’s certainly resolution of a major plot point for the MMCs.

But really, this is a contemporary sports fiction novel with romantic elements and an emotional love story between the main characters at the heart. 

I never felt - from the start of the book - that Iris was in love with Caleb.

I also never understood why her character would willingly choose to have a baby with a man who, for all intents and purposes in this book, sounds like he sabotaged their contraceptives. For all her grandstanding to August about what an independent woman she was she caved when she found out she was pregnant with someone who she barely liked.

There are descriptive depictions of physical and emotional abuse, rape, and sodomy against the FMC. Yes, there is a trigger warning at the start of the book about intimate partner violence but, this was hard to read and, admittedly I skipped those parts of the book to finish the book and intermittently went back to read/skim for context. 

I’m bothered that the real love story for Iris and August, where they can truly be together and with each other is comprised of 144 pages (prior to the Epilogue) while 264 pages are dedicated to detailing Iris’ toxic relationship with Caleb, including detailed pages of the intimate partner violence Iris suffers, and August’s pining for Iris while seeking physical pleasure with other women. 36 pages are dedicated to the epilogue and bonus epilogue where the HEA/HFN happen. 

Again, I loved the writing and story telling in the book. I kept turning each page because I had to know what was happening. But I just wish this would have been a duet rather than this all-in one story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Death, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Stalking, and Violence

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

lovethyshelfie's review against another edition

I feel bamboozled. This is not the sweet, second chance romance I thought I was getting. The MC's spend 65% of the book separated and when they do finally get together, it feels manipulative. August kept pushing himself into Iris' life but he did it in such a way that it was meant to be seen as sweet, especially when compared to his counterpart, Caleb's, actions. BUT in reality, it was just another form of manipulation. The on page domestic violence and rape was shocking. There were no trigger warnings in the book and nothing to hint at the brutality within the pages. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Rape, Violence, and Gun violence

thetaylatrese's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Mental illness, and Confinement

Minor: Death

reading2201's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Rape, Gun violence, Violence, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Torture, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship

rosanaa_bb's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad slow-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Domestic abuse, Rape, Violence, and Sexual content

Moderate: Blood, Murder, and Death

karataylor's review against another edition

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Gun violence, Torture, Rape, Domestic abuse, Blood, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Stalking, and Gaslighting

the booktok girlies need to give TWs and also seek therapy!!!!

littleredmacks's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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

4.5

4.5 stars 

Basketball romance 

Abusive relationship 

Healing 

 

What a book. So glad I read the trigger warnings before getting into this one. But wow. Kennedy Ryan is a romance goddess. 

 

Let me just say that I had visceral reactions to Caleb in the beginning of the book. VISCERAL. And as it went on those feelings just kept getting bigger and it def triggered my fight or flight a time or a two. 

 

Love it. If you can handle the content it’s a good book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Rape, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Misogyny

humelo's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

The only reason I'm giving it any stars is for the second half. 
I understand this book takes on a difficult topic, but it absolutely should not be marketed as a romance novel. The absolutely atrocious amount of details of the abuse was very unnecessary and didn't bring anything of value to the book. The warnings should be much more drastic, and the plot description should reflect the severety of the DETAILED abuse. I had to skip majority of the second quarter of it because the descriptions made me sick. I doubt anyone starting this book was expecting to read scenes where FMCs boyfriend brutally violates and physically abuses her. Repeatedly. Also the way the book just absolutely skips over abortion being a viable possibility for the FMC enraged me. She didn't love him, she didn't want to have a baby, they weren't even married and she already knew she would be dependant on him. Abortion is motioned in one sentence. Honestly tragic. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, and Pedophilia

emsanders's review against another edition

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Murder, Violence, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Rape, and Injury/Injury detail