This is a heavy read!! It is not a light and fluffy sports romance like it might seem. You def want to read trigger warnings before diving into this one! That being said I did enjoy the story! It is a hard read at many times but I think it’s worth it. I don’t normally read stuff like this but I’m glad I did. This book will stay with me!

Long Shot. Whew. This book is not for the faint of heart. Kennedy Ryan writes a romance that is filled with longing and hardships and love and angst and so much brutal honesty. My friend told me that this is heavy and that I just might need to put it in the freezer. She was not wrong. This is the story of Iris and August. They meet in a bar in college and feel an instant connection. But the timing wasn't right for either of them. Iris ends up in a situation that is impossible and more than anyone could imagine and he has no idea. This is their journey. It's HARD. It's definitely a freezer book. But the HEA is just what we want.

Thank you to NetGalley, sourcebooks, and bloom books for letting me read this arc!

This book was an incredible and difficult read for me. This book has trigger warnings for a reason and think everyone should take a look before jumping right in. That being said WOW!! This was my first book by Kennedy Ryan and I was hooked from the prologue. I really like her writing style and the research she put into this book.

For the character I loved Iris and August they might be my favorite book couple! Iris has overcome a lot throughout this book from her childhood all the way to adulthood. She had aspirations and goals that were slowly taken away from her by her ex Caleb. August patiently waits for Iris even though she's in a relationship with Caleb and even more after their break up. The care August took with Iris was everything.

There were really hard moments for me in this story to read that made my gut twist. I was angry and emotionally obliterated during some of the scenes. The portrayal of what does on in domestic violence and the aftermath was heart breaking. Even though there is a lot of tragedy I could not put this book down!

I can't wait to read more by her! I recommend whole heartedly.

I really enjoyed this book, I think I ended up reading it in two days. I thought it was well paced and the romance was interesting to read. I think it tackles the issue of domestic violence in an interesting way, and that's an important topic to address. I don't know anything about basketball but I didn't feel like I needed to in order to enjoy the book. Would I read the other books in the series? I'm honestly not sure. August and Iris were the most interesting characters, in my opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for this ARC!

Content warning: graphic scenes of domestic violence, rape, and stalking. Controlling behavior. Take the content warning at the beginning of the book and multiply it by 10. I had a hard time reading it, but was curious how it was going to end up. If I had realized it was so graphic, I would have skipped it. Having said that, the author talks about why she wrote a book with domestic violence in it and the research she did to write it. I would suggest starting at the second part of the book if you are sensitive to graphic scenes but would like to read it.

I re read the content warning at the beginning when I finished the book and feel like it should be more clear about how intense the abuse is in the book. (I will def read more into content warnings from now on!)

Things I liked: the chemistry between Iris and August. Iris and Lo's relationship, and their grandmother.

Also, the dedication the author took in writing realistic scenes and consulting with women who were abused.

Things I didn't like: the way the characters talked about women. The dual point of view between August and Iris while she is fighting for her life. I also had a hard time switching to HEA, but I understand the author wanted to leave us with hope and encouragement that after surviving abuse, you can find happiness again.

Overall, this was a powerful book, it was just too graphic and intense for me.

Thank you to Kennedy Ryan and NetGalley for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 4 / 5 Stars!

I enjoyed this book so much! The writing style is amazing and it was also a very emotional story. I was so invested and enjoyed so much!

I wasn’t the biggest fan of this book. It read in an awkward manner. There were a lot of time lapses that didn’t make sense and I found myself really struggling to keep characters and timelines in place. Despite the trigger warnings as well, I found it very hard to read. I did like the growth of the main character, Iris, and of course I was rooting for her and August, but I just don’t think this book was for me.

Wow, this book was much more emotional and heart wrenching than I was anticipating, but it is a must-read. You'll feel the grief and anger emanating from this novel, but thankfully Kennedy Ryan offers sweet revenge and redemption for her characters. Woo this one was a ride, but one worth taking and I recommend.

Okay, i liked this book. i don't usually like books w cheating but i read this book so quickly. i know it's only furthered the plot but i wish she would have just ended her relationship w caleb was over sooner. also didn't like sexy breastfeeding. BUT i did like august and iris' story outside of that. it was heartfelt and warm and really made me root for them. i also LIVE for the way Kennedy writes angst between characters. *chefs kiss*

Oh man, if I thought this was a tough read the first time I read it (back in 2018) it was even harder a second time around. Because even though some the dread of the unknown was missing, the circumstances, the horrors, the fear, it still existed. It still hit me. And it was so painful and awful.

So yeah on that note hey read this book!

But seriously, huge triggers for a lot of things. Please read the content warning at the opening page. Please seek out reviewers who will give you an exhaustive list, if you need one. But know this contains graphic depiction of abuse and domestic harm and more.

"It looks like a sporty contemporary though?"

Yeah, I got fooled with that, too. Especially as I don't read blurbs most of the time. But yes, there is sports fun, there is romance, but it's hard earned, it's fraught with uncertainty, and, on a second read, it does occasionally beg some disbelief when you're trying to rationalize the connection between our two main players (not literally, though one is). But it was still lovely and angsty and the UST was on point.

If you've somehow never read a book by Ryan, what are you even doing with your reading choices! But also.. maybe don't start with this one? It's a lot. And you need to be ready for it. Though I don't want you to think it's all heavy and darkness. There is loveliness, and healing, and light, and innocence, and second chances, and all those are celebrated, too. I'm glad I got my own second chance with this one and I'm glad it's kicked my ass into continuing with the series, too.

Which I will go do now.

Major major TW in this book. Whether it is domestic or verbal abuse, guns, rape… just be aware. It was truly a powerful story around one main character Iris and her path to not just leaving but surviving and thriving. I loved her slow burn love story with August. The Louisiana and New Orleans references were fun to read. Lo was one of my other favorite characters and I want to know her love story! The two epilogues was a fun twist but I really wanted to know beyond … maybe in the subsequent books?

This was a reread for me. The story elicited many emotions and feelings, which haven’t changed over time. Iris and August had a deep-seated connection that transcended time. But at the time they met, it was wrong place, wrong time for them to start any type of relationship considering that her current boyfriend was August’s arch rival. Iris was a survivor. She endured physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. Once Sarai was born, it became even tougher to leave her relationship. The author did a tremendous job of describing the difficulties survivors of DV face. I appreciated that the author didn’t gloss over what happens, which provides insight to the reasons it is difficult to leave an abusive situation. August was the perfect partner for Iris. He understood her, believed in her, and supported her in whatever she needed when she needed it. Their relationship grew and was strong because of the time and effort they put into it. This story is most definitely not an easy one to read, but it a great eye opener.

"The heart speaks in whispers, but sometimes by the time we listen, it's too late."

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

Wow! It is so difficult to put into words to describe reading this book. On one hand it one of the most beautifully written stories that I have read in a long while, but on the other hand it is was so incredibly difficult to read many of the chapters. So much in fact that I had to do deep breathing through out those chapters. If you have trigger warnings, please ensure you are ready to read a very honest heart wrenching account of domestic abuse. That said, I was so glad by the ending of this story. I really recommend this story who wants to read a romance that does not fall into the usual tropes.

Thank you to the Author, Netgalley and Publisher for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of this story and give an unbiased review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, 🌶️🌶️🌶️

I feel like my heart was ripped through my chest and slowly put back

Such a beautiful, intense & tragic story. Kennedy wrote these heavy topics so well. Very hard scenes to read but so much awareness brought out within this story.

Loved Iris & August & their instant connection at the bar! I loved that we get Iris story through this book but it seemed like so much more than that, every women’s story who has ever been in a circumstance of this nature. && august always holding on hope for what he wants. The family support he had. && the bonus epilogue had me feeling all the emotions and such a good ending to this story

Thank you NetGalley & Sourcebooks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Guys.. this book was everything & thank you so much to Bloom for sending me an early copy of this book for review.

I was in awe of the strength and just plain bad-assery of the female lead Iris. To go through all she went through and to allow her heart to trust another man even if he is the epitome of a good man.. I have no idea how these women fine that inner strength to fight back and not allow themselves to just fall to pieces and never get back up… I can’t even begin to imagine.

This was an amazing book with such an important message about victim shaming & the plain disparity that victims of any sort of abuse suffer through. The author does such an amazing job of navigating this delicate subject matter and I can’t even begin to explain how much I recommend it.

This was a DNF for me, about 10 chapters in I would say. I really appreciated the author's note at the beginning about the interviews and knowledge she gathered from survivors of domestic abuse. I knew it was a theme going in, but I didn't realize it was going to be so prevalent for most of the book, I think I was expecting most of the plot to revolve around the female main character leaving the abusive situation.

There was also a part where August, the MMC that becomes the love interest thinks about how having threesomes and a lot of sexual partners is just part of the right of passage of being a pro athlete and I thought that was a disgusting trope to include. Just because you are famous does not mean that you cannot control who you sleep with and when, its one thing to want to, and another to just say "oh this is expected of me." Especially since he has no regard for the women he is sleeping with and is constantly thinking of Iris.

I was given an e-arc by Netgalley and Bloom Books for the rerelease in exchange for an honest review.

This book was well written. It definitely has some pretty massive triggers, with the biggest being domestic violence and sexual assault. I will be thinking about this book for awhile.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this arc.

I should have read the trigger warnings before I got into this book, I didn’t and that’s a bit on me. It was dark for sure, and not something I typically choose to read. I found it long and just overall hard to get through. Again probably with all the dark stuff I might have enjoyed the read better.

This book gets all the stars and praise! It tackles heavy content with grace and doesn't shy away or sugarcoat the grittiness of the topics. I couldn't put it down.

I had no idea what this book was about before reading it so I appreciated the author's note at the beginning with trigger warnings. I'd advise anyone wanting more specifics to look them up. It isn't a light read and I think the author handled the topics so well.

Things I loved:
-Iris and August's alternating POVs. They each had their own stories and were interwoven well.
-Multicultural characters. As a person of color, I appreciate seeing stories that are enriched by this.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start out by saying: Make sure you read and take the trigger warnings seriously.

This book was worth staying up late and reading. Iris is probably one of, if not, the strongest character I have read in a long time. She overcomes some pretty heavy circumstances and really flourishes. August is going through some tough times as well, but something draws him to Iris.

I honestly don’t have the words to adequately describe how fantastic this book is. Not only is it heartbreakingly real and Iris’ story needs to be read, digested and understood, but there are some softer aspects as well. August is honestly one of the best guys ever. He isn’t your typical athlete and their initial encounter was sweet in its own way.

The characters were well written, developed and realistic. I felt as if they could be my friends. The hurdles that life through in front of them would have stopped many people, but they found a way over them. This is one book that I couldn’t put down and highly recommended (as long as you won’t be triggered).

Not only did I receive an ARC, but I purchased a copy as well. This is my honest and voluntary review.