Reading Paths: Kennedy Ryan

Since its release in 2022, before i let go Many readers have been introduced to Kennedy Ryan, and that’s why people become ride or die after reading it. It introduces us to the three central women of the Skyland series, Yasmin, Soledad, and Hendrix, but it focuses on Yasmin’s life as she comes out of a long period of grief. She and her ex-husband, Josiah, cannot hate each other; They raise two incredibly smart but powerful children and run a restaurant together. As we follow Yasmin on her journey to potentially move on and realize that moving on may mean something different than she expected, we also see a family come together, with each person bettering themselves to get the ending they deserve. Contents Notes for discussion of grief, healing, and abortion.

I know I said I’d read any and all of his books on audio, but this one is especially meaningful in that format. When the director-writer of a film about a hidden icon of the Harlem Renaissance searches for the perfect actress for the lead role, he knows he’s in trouble. There’s already deep chemistry between them, but if they’re going to work together, the power imbalance between them won’t allow them to do anything romantic.

Neeva won’t stop at anything to spoil her big break, even though she’s keeping her chronic lupus a secret from everyone beyond her nearest and dearest. reel Unleashes all the best forbidden romance feelings, while also exploring what it means to build a village. However, I hear you wondering, does this need to be read in audio? because there is music. Not only do we get to see the making of this epic film, but we also get to experience parts of it, and part of it is through song! There are original songs whose lyrics we can read in the text version, but nowhere near the experience of hearing April Christina singing in your headphones or in your car. Did I mention it also won an Audi Award? It’s good, y’all.

Even though it is responsible for Kennedy’s first (but not her last) romance award, I wouldn’t insist on picking it up as her first book unless one is looking for something incredibly specific. The first in the extremely difficult-to-read Hoops series, long shot Introduces us to Iris and August, two people who have a strong relationship even in the darkest of times. Iris is already in a relationship, and August is about to begin the busiest period of his life: entering the NBA Draft.

When they meet again years later, August is at the pinnacle of his career, but Iris’s “perfect” life with her basketball boyfriend – who happens to be one of August’s biggest rivals – is anything but. However, the two still have that intense connection, and perhaps August may be the one who can help her find her way back. There are a lot of content warnings for this book, and if you’re looking for something in particular, I recommend using your favorite method (Storygraph is a good place to start). But the most important thing to know about it is that it is based specifically on sexual violence perpetrated by professional athletes. Read very carefully.

Kennedy will alienate you with most of her books, but sometimes she writes something beautiful and sweet that brings more smiles than tears. Here, we find two high-performing media professionals whose college friendship brought them so much, but their paths diverged as their careers progressed. When they’re called together for a big interview at Homecoming (a big deal at an HBCU, no matter how long it’s been since you graduated), everything they never said comes back to haunt them, and every spark they didn’t address comes to the surface. They may have got their job and their life together, but who’s to say things can’t change for the better? coming home There was an Audible original that was later published in print, but this is another one I recommend trying in audio if you’re a regular listener (it’s homecoming! There’s a marching band!).