A review by yourbookishbff
Reel by Kennedy Ryan

emotional hopeful sad 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? No

5.0

Reel is a love letter to Black creatives overlooked by fame and history. In Reel, we are navigating the modern-day love story of performer Neevah Saint and her director Canon Holt, and our story-within-a-story biopic on the fictional performer Dessi Blue. Through these nested narratives, we see how Black artists across generations have been constrained by racism in its many forms: socioeconomic oppression, legal persecution, day-to-day violence and disproportionately poor health outcomes. While our biopic star Dessi is launching a career in the early years of the Civil Rights movement, our modern-day protagonist, Neevah, is launching a career as she battles lupus, a disease that disproportionately impacts women and, specifically, women of color. We learn through Neevah that more than 90% of people living with lupus are women, and that it is 2-3x more prevalent among women of color. 

And this is where it is both brilliant and stressful (particularly for those who’ve experienced medical trauma, as a patient or as a caregiver - Neevah and Canon’s experiences give us perspective on both). Neevah’s experience of chronic illness shows us the highs and lows - the days she feels well and capable and strong, and the days her immune system escalates attacks on her organs, threatening her ability to work and forcing her to reevaluate her priorities in all spheres of her life. Canon cycles through fear and anger, denial and hyperfixation, rest and action, balancing his love for Neevah with his fear for her health. Readers can rest easy that this is a low-conflict love story, in that the real conflict is the battle both protagonists must wage to keep Neevah well and define their love for each other. 
I listened to this on audio, and the dual narration includes musical numbers and dialogue from Dessi Blue - I HIGHLY recommend audio if you can get it! 

 
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