Long Shot (Hoops #1) summary

This page is about Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan, Hoops #1, published in 2018. It is not a summary of the trivia game. The first section avoids late-plot events. The second section is marked and gives the full arc as published reviews tell it.

Spoiler-free

Iris DuPree is a recent college graduate from Louisiana who wants to work in sports marketing. She is dating Caleb Bradley, a wealthy NBA player whose temper is already a problem. The night before a national championship game she meets August West, Caleb’s longtime rival, and the attraction is immediate. She does not leave Caleb. An unexpected pregnancy ties the next stretch of her life to him.

The book is told in alternating first person, Iris and August. The public reviews describe domestic violence and sexual abuse on the page. That harm is not committed by the hero. If that subject is unsafe for you, skip the book and skip the next section.

Full plot

Caleb isolates Iris, threatens her, and physically and sexually abuses her. She eventually leaves with their daughter, Sarai, after a deal that involves Caleb’s family and his management. Iris moves to San Diego and works at Elevation, the agency Jared Foster is building. August is Jared’s stepbrother and has arranged his own move to the San Diego Waves.

Iris and August build a relationship slowly. Caleb escalates, follows Iris to Louisiana, shoots and wounds her, and is killed in the struggle. A year later Iris and August are engaged, and August adopts Sarai. Reviews frame the themes as domestic violence, self-empowerment, and healing inside a supportive relationship.

People you will meet