Reel was fantastic!! Kennedy Ryan has this amazing gift of being able to create deeply complex characters that feel like real world people and are very easy to connect with. I loved loved loved Neevah and Canon as narrators and how Ryan presented and developed their story and the love between them.

Because I loved the main characters so much as individual people, the split narrative here really worked for me as a way to progress the plot. Both Neevah and Canon were so distinct from each other and had very strong voices and goals. Their perspectives complemented each other so well: Canon from the more technical side of making movies and Neevah with her passion for performing.

I also really enjoyed the little bits and pieces of the movie script we got throughout the book. It made the movie aspect more real and it was a very interesting framing device. Ryan said Dessi's story was inspired by the story of several Black creatives and I think that definitely shone through.

The romance was also so very sweet and lovely. I loved how it was set up and developed and the way in which Neevah and Canon communicated their wants and needs as they decided to take that step together. There were quite a few spicy scenes along the way as well! But what really captured my heart was how supportive they were of each other.

I also feel like I should mention that this story has a big content warning for the portrayal of a main character with an autoimmune disease (lupus) and their experience with a pretty bad flare up.