A review by triple_m
Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan

dark emotional 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? It's complicated

2.0

I’m conflicted with how I feel about this book, but ultimately I think it’s a miss for me.

In general, there was a lot of “not like other girls”-isms that made me roll my eyes and contemplated DNFing in the first 30 pages. In general I think this book treated most side female characters very stereotypically and negatively.

The abuse:
I knew going into it that this was a book about domestic violence, but I was not prepared for how graphic it would be, nor did I anticipate such brutal rape scenes. I also have a hard time believing Iris would get herself into a situation where she 1) doesn’t even consider getting an abortion (she didn’t seem strongly religious), and 2) moved in with Caleb without her name on ANYTHING. She was smarter than that, it felt unrealistic for her character.

While Iris gets out 60% into the book, I don’t think the conclusion was worth sticking around for. If Kennedy Ryan wrote this book for DV survivors to feel seen, then I think she missed the mark with Caleb dying. Many people will have to live the rest of their lives knowing their abuser is out there.


This book is tagged as a romance, and I did like August and Iris as a couple, but they’re not really that memorable. Their romance is definitely overshadowed by the abuse.
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