#kennedy ryan

I saw this on TikTok and immediately said this belongs to my tumblr community lol ladies! This is absolutely the content for us to have on this app so I’m going to continue to share it!

This video is from Margo Jefferson and the documentary name is Some American Feminists and it was created in 1977!

I feel that my “regular socials” don’t have thy r range or depth of interest to discuss these kinds of topics and this is why I am never leaving tumblr because who else can I discuss womanist theory with in a proper discussion??

I want to post more by this woman and about womanist theory on this page just for us! If you have any books you recommend on this topic please share them with me via DM if you can!

Also this whole discovery that Kennedy Ryan isn’t her real name but a pen name is hilarious and bringing so much discourse on threads!

Most writers/authors have one right? I do!

I saw her interview and thought she did a beautiful job of showing what is possible for us!

I also started reading this book and love it so far! I did go live with two black women authors on TikTok who write about romance/friendship and grief and healing in community ! I will share the recaps from the live throughout July!

“How do I look away now that I have seen you” - Rachel Mennies, The Naomi Letters

Pumped by K.M. Neuhold (January 2nd) I’m just a nerd, standing in front of a bench press, asking it not to humiliate me in front of my gym crush I’ve never walked into a gym on purpose in my life, and I’m not sure which part is more shocking, the massive beefcake who immediately challenges me to arm wrestle or the fact that I kind of want to come back. I spent years of my life refusing to lift…

Source

LInks to authors' sites so you can find out some more info on authors and the genres under which they write behind-the-cut:

Before I Let You Go follows Yasmen and Josiah, a divorced couple trying to navigate grief, parenthood, mental health, and the lingering love they still carry for each other after years together. Between raising two children, running a business together, and dealing with the emotional aftermath of loss and depression, the novel explores what it truly means to heal both individually and as a couple.

This was exactly the kind of romance novel I needed and honestly one that completely pulled me out of a reading slump.

I think I’m realizing more and more that my favorite romances are second chance romances centered around adults dealing with actual life problems rather than misunderstandings stretched over 400 pages. And this book absolutely delivered that.

What I loved most here is that Yasmen and Josiah’s separation never felt like a cheap plot device just created to manufacture angst. Their divorce felt deeply thought through. You can genuinely understand why two people who love each other immensely could still fall apart under the weight of grief, depression, emotional avoidance, and unresolved trauma. And Kennedy Ryan handles all of it with so much care and emotional maturity.

I especially loved the representation of depression through Yasmen and the way therapy was portrayed throughout the novel. It felt realistic and compassionate. Since I have chronic depression, I really related to her character so much.

I also appreciated how much importance the book gave to mental health for racialized men specifically. Seeing Josiah struggle emotionally while also learning to communicate and unpack his attachment issues felt refreshing world in a that often reduces male vulnerability to the bare minimum.

Another thing I adored was how alive the family dynamics felt. The children are not just background props here. Their reactions to the divorce, grief, and changes in their family structure felt authentic.

I also loved the humor and female friendships in this novel. Even during heavy moments, the book still felt warm and full of life. And I appreciated that the author allowed both protagonists to date other people during their separation. Honestly, after two years divorced, that simply makes sense. Even if I do think those relationships sometimes felt a little too much like plot devices rather than genuine emotional connections that could have been explored further.

The chemistry between Yasmen and Josiah was excellent. Kennedy Ryan really succeeded at showing why these two people worked so well together not only romantically, but also as co-parents, friends, and business partners.

Now, the reason this wasn’t a full five stars for me mostly comes down to two things.

First, I sometimes wish romance novels relied less heavily on sexual chemistry to carry emotional intimacy. I know it’s part of the romance genre conventions, but I would honestly love to read more romances willing to portray sexuality in a slightly messier or more imperfect way. Sometimes romance novels make couples feel constantly overwhelmed by desire in a way that starts feeling less human to me. Specially in a story where it would have been important to have the emotional talk before the sex.

And secondly (spoiler warning) I was slightly disappointed by the ending. At one point, the novel introduces an idea I actually found really beautiful: that maybe Yasmen and Josiah do not need marriage again to validate their relationship after already having gone through divorce. That maybe love, commitment, and rebuilding together could exist outside heteronormative expectations surrounding remarriage.

But then the epilogue brings back the classic proposal ending and I have to admit I sighed a little. I understand it fits romance genre conventions, but I wish the novel had trusted its own earlier reflections more and embraced a less conventional ending. (end of spoiler)

Still, despite that, this book genuinely moved me. Some passages almost made me tear up, which is honestly rare for me in romance novels. The emotional maturity, the tenderness, the exploration of grief and healing all felt incredibly sincere.

Highly recommend this one, and I’m definitely excited to read more from Kennedy Ryan. I am really excited to read Soledad's story !

I binged this trilogy and it was a really satisfying way to end the year. here is rapid fire on my thoughts of all three.

First, some thing I loved about all of them were the fact that these felt like real people with real problems. Some romances feel a little shallow because of their easily solved problems but I was really worried about these women!

Second, love the diversity. Like obviously these follow three Black women and three Black women, but I loved that they were in their early 40s. Which is not old but protagonists in romances are sooooo young so I loved how much they had lived.

Third, I really enjoyed Ryan's prose throughout. There's a really nice flow to it and was very lovely.

These books cover months, which is a long time for romances these days and it was so great to see each romantic relationship have time to build naturally!!