Kennedy Ryan Talks 'Seismic' Sex Scenes, Never Settling and Her Latest RomanceCan’t Get Enough(Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Kennedy Ryan and the audiobook cover of ‘Can’t Get Enough’.Photo:Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Book Group

Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Book Group

At the center of bestselling authorKennedy Ryan’s romance novels, likeBefore I Let GoandThis Could Be Us, lies an important message she tells PEOPLE is key to much of her work: female empowerment.“A lot of times, society asks us to settle. It asks us to choose, ‘You can have this or you can have this,’ ” Ryan says. “Sometimes that’s the case, but these [characters] are women who are like, ‘I may have to wait a little while, but I’m going to pursue relentlessly what’s going to make me happy.’ ”“I think if, in my storytelling, I can model that for women, it feels really intentional and purposeful for me,” the author adds.Ryan’s ethos is no different in her forthcoming release,Can’t Get Enough, out this spring from Grand Central Publishing imprint Forever. The third book in her popular Skyland series, centered on a trio of friends living in the fictional Atlanta neighborhood of the same name, the new novel follows fan-favorite character Hendrix Barry. An ambitious entertainment entrepreneur, Hendrix is also caring for her aging mother when she meets tech worker Maverick Bell at a summer party.

Though he’s in a relationship with Hendrix’s colleague, the two connect, leading Hendrix to grapple with what their future together may look like.Can’t Get Enoughis the perfect mix of sweetness and spice, as is typical of Ryan’s novels, many of which are now featured in Spotify’sSpicy Audiobooks Hub. The music streaming platform’s new hub is dedicated to romance, with designated playlists for popular subgenres, like sports-centric stories and romantasy, as well as author recommendations.

Ryan, who hasa playlist of her own favorite romance books, knows that a narrator “makes or breaks” an audiobook listening experience, particularly when it comes to the spicy scenes readers crave. As a writer, however, Ryan wants to keep a balance between her characters’ passion and emotionality.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!“I want a sex scene to be hot, yes, but I also want it to deepen the connection between the characters, and I like for it to push forward the story,” Ryan says. “When I’m writing, those scenes are not throwaway for me. They’re very purposeful… because something seismic has happened between these two people.”

Kennedy Ryan.Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Book Group

“I’ve been very intentional about the discourse that I hope we will have,” Ryan says. “Even as we’re swooning, even as we’re kissing, there’s some real things that we can interrogate as we’re reading.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Another central theme in her work? Celebrating happiness — and there’s a lot of that inCan’t Get Enough.“A lot of times, our outcomes are tougher in real life,” Ryan says. “I get to control that, and I get to make sure that Black women, brown women, queer women, disabled people, chronically ill people, queer people, get to see themselves living with joy.”Can’t Get Enoughis out on May 13 and is now available for preorder, wherever books are sold.

source: people.com