{"id":59744,"date":"2021-06-09T10:52:07","date_gmt":"2021-06-09T14:52:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=59744"},"modified":"2025-08-28T09:40:37","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T13:40:37","slug":"blog-tour-arc-review-reel-hollywood-renaissance-1-by-kennedy-ryan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=59744","title":{"rendered":"Blog Tour & ARC Review: Reel (Hollywood Renaissance, #1) by Kennedy Ryan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reel, an all new epic CONTEMPORARY STANDALONE love story from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Kennedy Ryan, is available now!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Grab your copy today!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Amazon<\/a> \u00a0| \u00a0Amazon Worldwide<\/a> \u00a0| \u00a0iBooks<\/a> \u00a0| \u00a0Kobo<\/a> \u00a0| \u00a0B&N<\/a> \u00a0| \u00a0Google Play<\/a><\/strong>
\nAmazon\u00a0Paperback<\/a> \u00a0| \u00a0B&N Paperback<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0Audiobook<\/a>
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Order your signed copy<\/a> of REEL<\/em> today!\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Enter the RELEASE GIVEAWAY<\/a>\u00a0for the chance to win a\u00a0<\/strong>$50 GIFT CARD + Signed Paperback
\n<\/strong>Don’t miss the <\/strong>ZOOM RELEASE PARTY<\/strong><\/a>!<\/h4>\n

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Blurb<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Award-Winning Wall Street Journal <\/em>Bestselling author Kennedy Ryan launches a brand new series with a Hollywood tale of wild ambition, artistic obsession, and unrelenting love.<\/strong><\/p>\n

One moment in the spotlight.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

For months I stood by, an understudy waiting in the wings, preparing for my time to shine.
\nI never imagined he<\/em> would watch in the audience that night.
\nCanon Holt.
\nFamous film director.
\nFascinating. Talented. Fine.
\n<\/em>Before I could catch my breath, everything changed.
\nI went from backstage Broadway to center stage Hollywood.
\nFrom being unknown, to my name, Neevah Saint, on everyone\u2019s lips.
\nCanon casts me in a star-studded Harlem Renaissance biopic, catapulting me into another stratosphere.<\/p>\n

But stars shine brightest in the dead of night.
\nForbidden attraction, scandal and circumstances\u00a0 beyond my control jeopardize my dream.
\nCould this one shot\u2014the role of a lifetime, the love<\/em> of a lifetime\u2014cost me everything?<\/p>\n

Find\u00a0Reel\u00a0<\/em>on GOODREADS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n

5 \u201cI see you\u201d stars!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reel<\/i> is a sensational read. It\u2019s a beautifully depicted romance that is so much more than just a love story and delves into the strength of love, family, friends, as well as the future and the past. It\u2019s an inspirational, deep, and emotional as these characters fight for what they love.<\/p>\n

From the very first page I was invested. I didn\u2019t even know these characters yet but still I knew they would leave me breathless.\u00a0Neevah and Cannon are fantastic. Cannon worked hard to get where he is and the loss he experienced in the past shaped his life and moved him to make a difference. He is an amazing director and his newest work is the life changing story of Dessi Blue that touches on the truths of the 1930s as well as affects the present, especially when it comes to Neevah and the other characters involve in making this biopic.<\/p>\n

Neevah is an aspiring actress who left her hometown with a broken heart and a broken family. She has been an understudy on Broadway when she gets the chance to take the lead for a week where she shinee. She is magnetic and draws you to her strength, talent, and\u00a0perseverance. She is magic on stage and she wows everyone including Cannon.<\/p>\n

From the moment <\/i>she steps onstage\u2026 something kindles inside of me. At first it\u2019s merely a flicker of recognition. Not that I know her or have seen her before. I recognize this <\/i>feeling of finding something unexpected and exceptional.
\n\u2026
\nShe and I are not alone in the theater. I know hundreds of people around me hear her words, too, but somehow, it feels liks she delivers the words to me. To only me. I wonder if everyone listing feels that way, too.
\nThat\u2019s the alcemy of this actress. She <\/i>reaches you. With an audience this large, she makes it personal. Ina story that is pretend, she makes it feel true.
\nAnd in a moment when I wasn\u2019t looking, I\u2019ve found exactly what I was looking for.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This story is wonderfully written and well-paced, and it feels real. I got caught up in the characters and romance, in the biopic and the friendships. It\u2019s really two stories in one and I love how they are interwoven.\u00a0The whole book is consuming, exciting, and beautifully executed.<\/p>\n

There was pain in the beginning that pushes Cannon and Neevah to succeed and the way the story plays out is fantastic.\u00a0It\u2019s a forbidden romance between an unknown actress and a successful director. They share an instant connection yet it\u2019s not instant love. There is a spark when they are together but they try to ignore it.<\/p>\n

I keep slamming the door on my feelings, but there is a persistent <\/i>tap, tap, tap constantly tempting me to open it.
\nDaring me to find out what\u2019s on the other side. <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Every look and every moment between them is electric and can\u2019t deny the pull they have over each other. They put as much heat as heart into their relationship and I loved watching their connection grow. They believe in each other and push one another to be the best. They find in each other what they never knew they needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cMama always said waiting for sunsets was like waiting for a miracle you knew would come,\u201d he says, his voice graveled with the emotion in his eyes\u2014 \u201cHow happy she must be to know I finally found mine.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Reel<\/i> is just as much a love story as it is a story of the strength of friendships and family. Neevah and Cannon\u2019s friends are vital in their lives and success. They needed them for support and love throughout the easy and hard times and I can\u2019t wait for more from this group.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also about mending a broken family though healing and forgiveness. It\u2019s hard but it\u2019s beautiful to see Neevah and her family come back together.<\/p>\n

“Forgiving is harder than forgetting. Forgetting would be the oblivion of never knowing how you hurt me. Forgiving is accepting you hurt me, deciding that I’m going to keep loving you anyway.”\u00a0<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I love every part of Dessi Blue and how she was brought to life. She was part of not only the past but also the present as she affects Neevah and Connon profoundly. I cannot wait for the next book in the series because I want to see how the movie production wraps up. I also adored the ending and the fact that Neevah and Cannon put everything into their love and Cannon shows the world who Neevah really is.<\/p>\n

*ARC generously provided\u00a0by the author and\u00a0Social\u00a0Butterfly PR*<\/i><\/p>\n

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Hollywood Renaissance<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\"<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Reel (#1)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\n<\/strong>Buy: Amazon<\/a> \u00a0| \u00a0Paperback<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0Audiobook<\/a><\/p>\n

The Close-Up (#1.5)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Score (#2)<\/strong>
\nTo be released 19 May 2026
\nPre-order:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

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About Kennedy Ryan<\/b><\/h4>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/i>A USA Today<\/em> and Wall Street Journal<\/em> bestselling author, Kennedy Ryan and her writings have been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul, USA Today<\/em>, Entertainment Weekly<\/em>, Glamour<\/em>, Cosmo<\/em>, TIME, O Mag and many others. A RITA\u00ae Award winner, Kennedy writes empowered women from all walks of life and centers those who have found themselves perennially on the margins of traditional storytelling.<\/p>\n

Her Hoops Series<\/a> (Long Shot, Block Shot and Hook Shot) and All the King’s Men Series<\/a> (The Kingmaker, The Rebel King and Queen Move) have been optioned for television.<\/p>\n

An autism mom, Kennedy co-founded LIFT 4 Autism<\/span><\/a>, an annual charitable initiative, and has appeared on Headline News, Montel Williams, NPR and other media outlets as an advocate for autism families. She is a wife to her lifetime lover and mother to an extraordinary son.<\/p>\n

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Join Kennedy Ryan’s MAILING LIST<\/a><\/strong>
\nSign up for TEXT ALERTS<\/a><\/strong>
\nConnect with\u00a0BLUE BOX PRESS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Instagram<\/strong><\/a> \u00a0| \u00a0<\/strong><\/span>Facebook<\/a> \u00a0| \u00a0FB Reader Group<\/a> \u00a0| \u00a0Amazon<\/a>
\nPinterest<\/a> \u00a0| \u00a0Book+Main<\/a> \u00a0| \u00a0Website<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0BookBub<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reel, an all new epic CONTEMPORARY STANDALONE love story from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Kennedy Ryan, is available now!   Grab your copy today! Amazon \u00a0| \u00a0Amazon Worldwide \u00a0| \u00a0iBooks \u00a0| \u00a0Kobo \u00a0| \u00a0B&N […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":59080,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[57,50,49,972,9,29],"tags":[59,343,1266,762,48],"class_list":["post-59744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrities","category-favourite","category-feeeeeeels","category-forbidden","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-blog-tour","tag-hollywood-renaissance","tag-kennedy-ryan","tag-review"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/REEL_SMALL-1.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-fxC","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59744","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=59744"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59744\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/59080"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=59744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=59744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=59744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}