Reel by Kennedy Ryan

A Four-Star Book

Kennedy Ryan is one of my favorite contemporary romance authors. She’s sharp, authentic, and creative, crafting complex stories about strong Black female leads and the men they love. That’s why I was thrilled to find Reel, which was originally published in 2021 but released in 2024 with a gorgeous cover and an extended epilogue.

Summary of Reel (No Spoilers)

Neevah Saint is an actress like none other: she’s gorgeous with a beautiful voice and can lure any audience into her character onstage. That’s what Canon Holt, the notoriously serious, mega-talented director, sees on a kismet visit to Broadway that sets Reel in motion. Canon is recovering from tabloid and career setbacks, but when he sees Neevah, he knows that she is destined to play the part of a lifetime, that of Dessi Blue, a lost voice of the Harlem Renaissance who is the topic of Canon’s passion project and sweeping biopic.

Neevah’s first foray into Hollywood film under Canon’s direction brings her closer to all the professional dreams she ever imagined. But, she feels a vibrating pull toward her moody director that is getting harder to ignore, especially when Canon appears to feel the same. How the two manage a budding romance under the Hollywood lights, along with Neevah’s  serious health condition, is the spice that gets Reel going.

“But you, I’ve seen since the first night we met, and I can’t unsee your light. You have nothing to worry about, Neevah. You hear me?”

Reel by Kennedy Ryan

(Page 254)

What I Enjoyed about Reel

Reel is a slow burn romance, but the payoff is extreme. Here are a few of the reasons I enjoyed it:

• Neevah and Canon: Chemistry, baby. Chemistry! Neevah is warmth and sunlight while Canon is steely focus, but they come together with affection, passion, and a should we or shouldn’t we energy that works. I appreciated that Ms. Ryan let these characters be open with their feelings and not hold anything back. That’s refreshing when so many romance novels try to play the miscommunication trope too far.
• Dessi Blue and the Harlem Renaissance: Canon sets out to tell the store of Dessi Blue, a Black singer from the Harlem Renaissance who was lost to history when she returned from Europe. Ms. Ryan included parts of the movie script in Reel to tell Dessi’s story, and the characters honored Dessi with their work. This was an important choice, underscored by Canon’s mission to tell more Black stories and shine a light on more people like Dessi.
• Hard Topics: Without giving away spoilers, I’ll say that the way Ms. Ryan wrote Neevah’s backstory and her health challenges was empathetic and heartfelt. Neevah is full of strength, but she has to learn how to lean on others, especially Canon, and he has to deal with his own grief, too. As Ms. Kennedy addressed autism in This Could Be Us, she writes about serious topics in Reel with realism and grace.

My Final Thoughts about Reel

Reel is labeled as 1 of 1 in Ms. Ryan’s Harlem Renaissance series, but I really hope more installments are coming in the future. I would love to revisit Neevah and Canon, or any of the other members of Dessi Blue’s cast and crew.