I am just a reader. I am a reader who’s been touched deeply by the words that Kennedy has written in Long Shot. I have been Iris. In more ways than one. So this book hit home. It hurt and it healed. It was heartache and hope. And what is at its core .. was love in it’s most pure form.
I want to write so much but I don’t want to spoil it.
I want to say this was “life changing”. But my life won’t be changed by it. I hope someone else’s life is.
This story will stay with me forever. Close to my heart.
Thank you Kennedy for giving voices to those who don’t always have one. For letting them be heard!! For letting us know we are strong, we are worthy and we are enough. #idplayyouatthefive #taketheshot
Rated 5 out of 5
LeeAnne –
Long Shot is by far one of the best books I’ve read. Its a real life story with a very relevant story line, all set in the exciting world of basketball, with all the good, bad and the ugly.
August and Iris. The characters draw you into their lives. You feel their joy, their struggles, their pain, their successes, their loss and their love. “Oh, the feels.” They are so real. They’re human.
Their story is fiction but it could be your own story. Ok, maybe not being a basketball superstar, but that adds to the depth of the story. I don’t want to tell the secrets of the story, but there are parts that will shred you. It will make you really think. Have I ever judged someone before for this very thing? Have I missed something in someone I know? Would I recognize it and how would I handle it? What if it was me?
The supporting characters are equally as engaging. MiMi, Lo, Kenan, Deck, Jared, August’s mom.
Love waits. The timing must be right to take the shot.
My favorite quote is “I’d play you at the five”.
Long Shot is an absolute “must read”. You will love August and Iris. You will be gutted with the story. And you will fall in love as they find the strength to fight their way to that perfect moment and take the long shot.
I think the author just made the game winning shot at the buzzer from mid-court. Long Shot is amazing.
Rated 5 out of 5
Meredith Torres –
Awesome.In love. Captivating. The best book I have read so far this year.
Rated 5 out of 5
Samantha Blundell –
Did you hear that sound? That was the sound of my mind blowing. Woah…. I am so in love with this book! This book is in my Top 5 for 2018, and my top 5 EVER. Nothing I say in this review will even come close to telling you how truely amazing and remarkable this story truely is. Kennedy has knocked this out of the park, knocked it out of this world. There is a rawness to this story, there is no sugarcoating. It’s raw, it’s confronting, it takes your emotions on a roller coaster and it’s also sexy and beautiful. I had to put my kindle down a couple of times because of the powerful emotions this book was making me feel. I bawled..I felt angry, sad, happy and hot. It seriously broke me. All the pain, the heartache, the love!
August is a gorgeous star basketball player. His character is incredible and boy does he have some hot skills, on and off the court! There are so many things I want to say about him but I can’t because I do not want to give away any of the story. Iris is beautiful. Her character is so strong, one of the strongest heroines I have read about. The connection felt between August and Iris is palpable. Through every page they are together you can feel them. Their emotions, their want, their lust. These two are a match made in heaven. I loved Sarai and Lotus. Other secondary characters in the book were also great… except for one…. but I won’t get into that!
Kennedy’s writing is exceptional. Every word she writes is encased with so much emotion that you can feel it right down to your soul. This book is inspirational, it is incredible, and I absolutely loved every single bit about it. From the subject matter to the mixed heritages of the characters, to the way this book made me feel. I can not wait until I can read the next book in this series.
Rated 5 out of 5
Shabnam arora –
5 “Flower of the Bayou” stars
“Strength. Dignity. Courage. All these things belong to you. Take them back. Your soul is yours. Your heart is yours. Your body is yours. Yours to keep and yours to share.”
Remember these lines women of the world. These are your rights, never to be taken for granted and never ever to be violated. The free will counts ! As you progress in the story you will see that kennedy doesn’t hide the ugliness of an abusive relationship at all. She lays them bare for the readers to see. Stark and naked, they are right in front of your eyes , for you to take note and see all the flags.
Kennedy skillfully elaborates this sentiment in this Raw story of two kindred spirits, misfits in the world. They meet serendipitously in a bar one night, feeling a pull, a tug towards each other. Outside they seperate to go their own ways, and leave the reader hanging with “what if” moment !
Sometimes, we stand at a juncture on which our path, our very life can turn. A fork in the road. Sometimes the heart speaks in whispers, and by the time we hear, by the time we listen, it’s too late and we don’t know
And it DOES get too late for both of them . They get mauled, abandoned, broken.
“Did you ever feel like you didn’t quite fit anywhere?”
“like you were always kind of in between?”
The story is Rich, powerful, loaded !
It’s rich with really brilliant writing .
Powerful, because the characters are such a force to reckon with. Be it evil in disguise or a Phoenix rising from the ashes.
Loaded with very human emotion possible. Lust, love, bravery, endurance, persistence, courage, sacrifice and motherhood. Motherhood is THE most powerful of all emotions in this book.
A journey of girl trying to raise herself with hopes and dreams in her eyes, wings stretching just to take flight when EVERYTHING in her life just comes go a standstill. She’s snatched from her golden trail and thrown in the thorny bushes of her circumstances . And she bleeds so bad, her spirit, her soul, her dreams, her body, all are dessicated.
I cannot even begin to tell you the importance of this book. Every woman/girl/daughter/sister/mother should MUST READ this story. Especially those stuck in dark hovels where hope doesn’t shine for days/months/years. This story is a beacon of hope, that yes, there IS a light at the end of a tunnel, they only have to stand up on their own two legs and take a step.
“There were those who stayed too long.
Remained when they should have fled.
They did not live to regret it.”
A story of true survivors, though it’s fictionalized, it could be anyone we come across everyday in our lives. A neighbour, a friend, your child’s teacher, a fellow reader. This book did open some wounds for me, the ones I left behind long ago, but it definitely strengthened my belief in women being the stronger sex, esp when they have their backs to the wall and their kids hiding behind them.
I fell in love with Iris “Gumbo”, an ill-fated girl, who tried so hard to believe in her love and family, just for the sake of her daughter. Her growth from girl to woman to mother to ultimately a warrior just left me in awe. She’s got the spirit of Mighty Mississippi in her, changing course, adapting and finally wreaking havoc.
“Some people are afraid a gator will crawl out of the swamp and emerge as a threat. My nightmares star a different predator. I dream Caleb will rise out of the bayou some day and eat me whole, and next time I won’t be able to pry his jaws open and escape. ”
Her courage in the face of Clear and Present Danger is laudable and admirable. A tigress protecting her cub is the fiercest fighter indeed. A true HEROINE !
I just couldn’t stop drooling at August West, a rising star on the court and a real life hero off it. #Keeper !! His unwavering support and Unconditional Love feeds Iris’s soul and gives her strength to tackle her demons
I could hug Lotus so tight for her appearance at the most crucial juncture, to save the story and save her sister. Everybody should have a Lo in their corner #HOPSCOTCH!
I wish I had met MiMi, her wisdom and her clairvoyance guiding me too. Her cryptic support meant for Iris, could be helpful for
“Struggle does not make you weak,” she whispers back. “Struggling against those who hold us is what makes us, over time, stronger than they are. Strong enough to fight back. Strong enough to win.”
Decker, a brother in arms and guide/mentor, always a pillar for August to lean on.
And I so wish I could get my hands on Caleb! I’d choke him with my bare hands and gouge his eyes out. One thing to note, he didn’t change throughout the story, his venom never diluted, just distilled to potency and for that I must applaud Kennedy. She never gave him an out, or attributed his vehemence to obsessive love. Nope, he was pure evil through and through!
Bravo Ms.Ryan for adopting such a fearless tone while penning this unprocessed story of Domestic Abuse. You didn’t soften the blows or tone down the humiliation. Throughout the first half of the story I was crying in rage & helplessness and the Rape had me puking ! My heart just raced, my pulse went berserk and I had to calm myself down because it did transport me back to my own dismal hole many a times.
Thank you for writing this necessary story.
Thank you for showing a path to survival.
Thank you instilling courage in women everywhere.
Some unfortunate victim, somewhere might read this and find courage to save herself like Iris and you would have accomplished your mission.
Rated 5 out of 5
Becky Rendon –
Kennedy Ryan please stand up.
You aren’t a hero (and I don’t mean that in a negative way). You are the voice of a large and misunderstood population. You are a spotlight in a darkened alley. Long Shot will hopefully be a wake up call.
But for me it’s a reminder…
You see for a long time I judged the most important woman in my life. I shook my head in disgust and often didn’t take here advice. I used her experiences as a mantra. I will never, would never, and won’t ever. I never stopped to think about her. I heard her reasons and wrote them off. I heard her “excuses” and brushed them off. I never heard her pain. She only spoke in facts when talking about those times. I never heard HER.
My mother is a hero. Kennedy Ryan gave her a voice. I may never “understand” but I will never dismiss her again. This isn’t the first book I’ve read with these situations. It’s just seems to BE more.
So again, Kennedy Ryan, please stand up. Take a bow. Take a bow and KNOW that even if you can’t save them all, you are helping salvage relationships between survivors and their families.
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Nicole Lopez De Victoria –
I am just a reader. I am a reader who’s been touched deeply by the words that Kennedy has written in Long Shot. I have been Iris. In more ways than one. So this book hit home. It hurt and it healed. It was heartache and hope. And what is at its core .. was love in it’s most pure form.
I want to write so much but I don’t want to spoil it.
I want to say this was “life changing”. But my life won’t be changed by it. I hope someone else’s life is.
This story will stay with me forever. Close to my heart.
Thank you Kennedy for giving voices to those who don’t always have one. For letting them be heard!! For letting us know we are strong, we are worthy and we are enough. #idplayyouatthefive #taketheshot
LeeAnne –
Long Shot is by far one of the best books I’ve read. Its a real life story with a very relevant story line, all set in the exciting world of basketball, with all the good, bad and the ugly.
August and Iris. The characters draw you into their lives. You feel their joy, their struggles, their pain, their successes, their loss and their love. “Oh, the feels.” They are so real. They’re human.
Their story is fiction but it could be your own story. Ok, maybe not being a basketball superstar, but that adds to the depth of the story. I don’t want to tell the secrets of the story, but there are parts that will shred you. It will make you really think. Have I ever judged someone before for this very thing? Have I missed something in someone I know? Would I recognize it and how would I handle it? What if it was me?
The supporting characters are equally as engaging. MiMi, Lo, Kenan, Deck, Jared, August’s mom.
Love waits. The timing must be right to take the shot.
My favorite quote is “I’d play you at the five”.
Long Shot is an absolute “must read”. You will love August and Iris. You will be gutted with the story. And you will fall in love as they find the strength to fight their way to that perfect moment and take the long shot.
I think the author just made the game winning shot at the buzzer from mid-court. Long Shot is amazing.
Meredith Torres –
Awesome.In love. Captivating. The best book I have read so far this year.
Samantha Blundell –
Did you hear that sound? That was the sound of my mind blowing. Woah…. I am so in love with this book! This book is in my Top 5 for 2018, and my top 5 EVER. Nothing I say in this review will even come close to telling you how truely amazing and remarkable this story truely is. Kennedy has knocked this out of the park, knocked it out of this world. There is a rawness to this story, there is no sugarcoating. It’s raw, it’s confronting, it takes your emotions on a roller coaster and it’s also sexy and beautiful. I had to put my kindle down a couple of times because of the powerful emotions this book was making me feel. I bawled..I felt angry, sad, happy and hot. It seriously broke me. All the pain, the heartache, the love!
August is a gorgeous star basketball player. His character is incredible and boy does he have some hot skills, on and off the court! There are so many things I want to say about him but I can’t because I do not want to give away any of the story. Iris is beautiful. Her character is so strong, one of the strongest heroines I have read about. The connection felt between August and Iris is palpable. Through every page they are together you can feel them. Their emotions, their want, their lust. These two are a match made in heaven. I loved Sarai and Lotus. Other secondary characters in the book were also great… except for one…. but I won’t get into that!
Kennedy’s writing is exceptional. Every word she writes is encased with so much emotion that you can feel it right down to your soul. This book is inspirational, it is incredible, and I absolutely loved every single bit about it. From the subject matter to the mixed heritages of the characters, to the way this book made me feel. I can not wait until I can read the next book in this series.
Shabnam arora –
5 “Flower of the Bayou” stars
“Strength. Dignity. Courage. All these things belong to you. Take them back. Your soul is yours. Your heart is yours. Your body is yours. Yours to keep and yours to share.”
Remember these lines women of the world. These are your rights, never to be taken for granted and never ever to be violated. The free will counts ! As you progress in the story you will see that kennedy doesn’t hide the ugliness of an abusive relationship at all. She lays them bare for the readers to see. Stark and naked, they are right in front of your eyes , for you to take note and see all the flags.
Kennedy skillfully elaborates this sentiment in this Raw story of two kindred spirits, misfits in the world. They meet serendipitously in a bar one night, feeling a pull, a tug towards each other. Outside they seperate to go their own ways, and leave the reader hanging with “what if” moment !
Sometimes, we stand at a juncture on which our path, our very life can turn. A fork in the road. Sometimes the heart speaks in whispers, and by the time we hear, by the time we listen, it’s too late and we don’t know
And it DOES get too late for both of them . They get mauled, abandoned, broken.
“Did you ever feel like you didn’t quite fit anywhere?”
“like you were always kind of in between?”
The story is Rich, powerful, loaded !
It’s rich with really brilliant writing .
Powerful, because the characters are such a force to reckon with. Be it evil in disguise or a Phoenix rising from the ashes.
Loaded with very human emotion possible. Lust, love, bravery, endurance, persistence, courage, sacrifice and motherhood. Motherhood is THE most powerful of all emotions in this book.
A journey of girl trying to raise herself with hopes and dreams in her eyes, wings stretching just to take flight when EVERYTHING in her life just comes go a standstill. She’s snatched from her golden trail and thrown in the thorny bushes of her circumstances . And she bleeds so bad, her spirit, her soul, her dreams, her body, all are dessicated.
I cannot even begin to tell you the importance of this book. Every woman/girl/daughter/sister/mother should MUST READ this story. Especially those stuck in dark hovels where hope doesn’t shine for days/months/years. This story is a beacon of hope, that yes, there IS a light at the end of a tunnel, they only have to stand up on their own two legs and take a step.
“There were those who stayed too long.
Remained when they should have fled.
They did not live to regret it.”
A story of true survivors, though it’s fictionalized, it could be anyone we come across everyday in our lives. A neighbour, a friend, your child’s teacher, a fellow reader. This book did open some wounds for me, the ones I left behind long ago, but it definitely strengthened my belief in women being the stronger sex, esp when they have their backs to the wall and their kids hiding behind them.
I fell in love with Iris “Gumbo”, an ill-fated girl, who tried so hard to believe in her love and family, just for the sake of her daughter. Her growth from girl to woman to mother to ultimately a warrior just left me in awe. She’s got the spirit of Mighty Mississippi in her, changing course, adapting and finally wreaking havoc.
“Some people are afraid a gator will crawl out of the swamp and emerge as a threat. My nightmares star a different predator. I dream Caleb will rise out of the bayou some day and eat me whole, and next time I won’t be able to pry his jaws open and escape. ”
Her courage in the face of Clear and Present Danger is laudable and admirable. A tigress protecting her cub is the fiercest fighter indeed. A true HEROINE !
I just couldn’t stop drooling at August West, a rising star on the court and a real life hero off it. #Keeper !! His unwavering support and Unconditional Love feeds Iris’s soul and gives her strength to tackle her demons
I could hug Lotus so tight for her appearance at the most crucial juncture, to save the story and save her sister. Everybody should have a Lo in their corner #HOPSCOTCH!
I wish I had met MiMi, her wisdom and her clairvoyance guiding me too. Her cryptic support meant for Iris, could be helpful for
“Struggle does not make you weak,” she whispers back. “Struggling against those who hold us is what makes us, over time, stronger than they are. Strong enough to fight back. Strong enough to win.”
Decker, a brother in arms and guide/mentor, always a pillar for August to lean on.
And I so wish I could get my hands on Caleb! I’d choke him with my bare hands and gouge his eyes out. One thing to note, he didn’t change throughout the story, his venom never diluted, just distilled to potency and for that I must applaud Kennedy. She never gave him an out, or attributed his vehemence to obsessive love. Nope, he was pure evil through and through!
Bravo Ms.Ryan for adopting such a fearless tone while penning this unprocessed story of Domestic Abuse. You didn’t soften the blows or tone down the humiliation. Throughout the first half of the story I was crying in rage & helplessness and the Rape had me puking ! My heart just raced, my pulse went berserk and I had to calm myself down because it did transport me back to my own dismal hole many a times.
Thank you for writing this necessary story.
Thank you for showing a path to survival.
Thank you instilling courage in women everywhere.
Some unfortunate victim, somewhere might read this and find courage to save herself like Iris and you would have accomplished your mission.
Becky Rendon –
Kennedy Ryan please stand up.
You aren’t a hero (and I don’t mean that in a negative way). You are the voice of a large and misunderstood population. You are a spotlight in a darkened alley. Long Shot will hopefully be a wake up call.
But for me it’s a reminder…
You see for a long time I judged the most important woman in my life. I shook my head in disgust and often didn’t take here advice. I used her experiences as a mantra. I will never, would never, and won’t ever. I never stopped to think about her. I heard her reasons and wrote them off. I heard her “excuses” and brushed them off. I never heard her pain. She only spoke in facts when talking about those times. I never heard HER.
My mother is a hero. Kennedy Ryan gave her a voice. I may never “understand” but I will never dismiss her again. This isn’t the first book I’ve read with these situations. It’s just seems to BE more.
So again, Kennedy Ryan, please stand up. Take a bow. Take a bow and KNOW that even if you can’t save them all, you are helping salvage relationships between survivors and their families.
Thank you for being a voice.
Reviewed for Sweet Spot Sisterhood