Why it’s essential
Winner of the 2022 Romance Audie Award, 's cinematic love story features deeply emotional performances from Eboni Flowers, Jakobi Diem, and Nicole Small.
Featured in .
What is Reel about?
Neevah Saint is an up-and-coming actress on Broadway who catches the eye of Canon Holt, director and filmmaker supreme. He’s looking for the star of his newest project, and Neevah is just that person. But her theatrical light isn’t the only thing that draws him to her, and the pair have to work hard to keep their relationship professional.
Editor's review
I have owned a physical copy of practically since it came out. I was drawn in not only as a fan of Kennedy Ryan but also by the absolutely gorgeous cover, which promised swoons and spice just through the look shared between the two cover models sitting together in a director’s chair. Alas, no matter how enticing its cover, I regularly avoided it due to its heft. Kennedy Ryan doesn’t mince words, so every word in that 434-page saga was going to be important, and I was never in the right place for it. One day, I finally picked it up only to stall a few chapters in. I was interested but have trouble reading print on any given day. Audio has truly been a saving grace when it comes to completing fulfilling stories and heartfelt romances when the ability to read with my eyes has evaded me. And almost every time, the audio is an even better experience than I could have imagined with the text version. There’s something magical about a good narrator telling you a story, using the words of a brilliant author.
Luckily, I had easy access to the audiobook for Reel and was immediately drawn into the narration by Jakobi Diem and Eboni Flowers, one of my favorite narrating duos, with singing—singing—by Nicole Small. What had been interesting but slow in a very nicely designed print book was enrapturing to my ears, and I found every opportunity to listen to the book, whether it was in the car, cleaning the house, or resorting to playing a game on my phone. The dual-POV narration was so incredibly well acted that tears were not an uncommon aspect of my listening experience—especially when someone was being particularly vulnerable or heartfelt.
Canon Holt is a filmmaker still mourning the loss of his mother to terminal illness, and Neevah Saint is his new star. As listeners, we shift from the present day to a script detailing another, secondary love story, and the tone shift is perfect for those brief moments. It’s in these sections that we get to hear Nicole Small sing the songs that were produced solely for the audiobook. The lyrics are in the print book, but the audiobook lets you sink further into the experience with vintage-sounding songs that bring out all the heartfelt emotion that a rising star with a secret love might need to convey.
