REVIEW: Down To My Soul by Kennedy Ryan

The last time I 'saw' Kai and Rhys I distinctly remember having some very strong reactions...probably something like: 

and 

and....

Shel: Why? Because Rhys did some reallllly dumbass controlling shit and then Kai ran and then the excerpt for the beginning of Down To My Soul with Kai and her sex tape had me...dead. I was dead. Dying. I think I had several minor meltdowns in messages to Kennedy (sorry, Kennedy? But YOU DID THIS SO...). 

So I went into this novel a little like this:

Shel: The first few chapters had me kinda holding my breath. How long would Kai hold out? How long would Rhys wait for her? Where's that tape and who all is behind it? And then...Kai and Rhys see each other and I could breathe. The sparks were flying, my heart began beating, and I settled in to see how the hell Kennedy was going to make this all better. 

Court: I was a nervous wreck the entire freaking/fracking time! What was going to happen? I didn't know, but I think that my pulse was racing pretty much the entire time. AND I  told Shelley how proud I was of Kennedy and this book because the writing was AMAZING! Kennedy stayed so true to these characters voice, and it did not take but mere pages to fall right back into this story and know what we were in for. I am in awe of the writing of this book, and Kennedy Ryan. It is really an amazing look at how to deal when you love someone, and they think their way is the ONLY right way to do something. It is hard, and really, something we all need to learn from I am sure! 

Shel: Of course Kennedy Ryan made me work for it. OF COURSE. (and I love her for it, truly).  There were all sorts of things with Kai's boss, THE TAPE, other characters who were intent on making trouble, and Rhys' family making things uncomfortable. And let's not discount Kai's stubbornness and Rhys' tendency to control things--the root of many of their problems. OH AND TRUST. Sheesh. Trust. If you don't have that in a relationship, what do you have? So, there were somethings that needed to be worked out (and I'm not even mentioning....insert emoji of me covering my mouth here...because SPOILERS!) but by the end Rhys was giving major swoon:

Court: Ugh, and don't forget about doing all of THIS stuff in the public eye with a boy who is one of the most popular boys in the country. I can't imagine coming of age that way, but I am obsessed with stories about it! Gah, it's probably a sick fascination I have! And trust. OMG. I wanted to smack Rhyson SO MANY TIMES for his pot-meet-kettle moments. What was good for the goose, wasn't quite as good for the gander...but it made for seriously interesting story telling! 

Shel: All of my heart palpations and nervous putting down the kindle and walking away for a second were worth it. I loved the magic of Kai+ Rhys from the beginning and I HOPE that we will see more of them if (WHEN!) other characters from these novels get their own books. (BRISTOL needs a book. PLEASE). Court: We need a what-to-do-guide-when-Kennedy-gives-us-heart-palpitations-book...KR, please get on that! HAhAH! Bristol DOES deserve a book, because her psych session after living under Rhys's spotlight as his twin has to be LONGGGG.

Shel: So the moral of this gif story is that Kennedy Ryan kept me on my toes, as always, and I was so very happy with how this ended. Thank you for the journey, Kennedy, it was well worth my heart palpitations, my need to strangle characters, and my high levels of anxiety --and I cannot wait to see how you break my heart and put it all back together again the next time. Court: Ditto. You guys. Every single book Kennedy Ryan has written, we have loved. She writes diverse characters with some serious issues in their love lives, and how they overcome them. Whether it be external or internal factors, she cuts right to the heart of us as readers, and then slowly sews it back up. She is on our list of go to authors, and I hope that you might add her there too!!!