05/30/2026
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SPOILERS 🚨‼️🔔
I just finished Score by Kennedy Ryan, the second book in the Hollywood Renaissance series, and whew… I might need to take a day off from reading because this book was just THAT good.
At its core, this is a beautiful second-chance love story, but it’s so much deeper than romance. Kennedy Ryan handled mental health with so much care through Verity’s journey with Bipolar I disorder. Watching her struggle with the belief that she wasn’t worthy of lasting love because of her diagnosis and because of what she witnessed growing up completely broke my heart.
Then there’s Monk. Sweet, patient, talented Monk. A man carrying his own trust issues from his parents’ relationship, yet still capable of loving Verity so deeply. Even before he knew about her diagnosis, he loved her. Even after heartbreak, he loved her. From a distance, from the shadows, afraid of being hurt again, but loving her all the same.
College-era Verity made mistakes, but she was also a young woman who wasn’t properly diagnosed and didn’t fully understand what she was experiencing. Watching her and Monk find their way back to each other through Dessi Blue, confront the past, heal old wounds, and slowly learn to trust again was everything.
And can we talk about Black love for a second? Because this book gave me exactly what I needed. A Black man loving a Black woman out loud, with patience, grace, understanding, and intention. Monk being a musical genius, a God-fearing man, and someone willing to meet Verity where she was emotionally? My heart couldn’t take it.
These two artistic souls completely won me over.
Without a doubt, Score is one of my favorite books of 2026 so far. The perfect story. The perfect growth. The perfect ending.
Now excuse me while I sit here and miss these characters for the next few days