In Can’t Get Enough, Kennedy Ryan brings her Skyland series to a powerful crescendo, centering the unapologetically ambitious Hendrix Barry and her equally formidable counterpart, Maverick Bell. Following the emotional weight of Before I Let Go and the intimate resilience of This Could Be Us, this installment weaves a story that is at once a high-stakes romance, a nuanced portrayal of Black womanhood, and a grounded exploration of caregiving, identity, and ambition.
Where Before I Let Go redefined second-chance love and This Could Be Us elevated personal reinvention, Can’t Get Enough raises the stakes by spotlighting a woman who is already living her dream—and questioning if there’s room for love in it.
Plot Summary: When Success Isn’t the Finish Line
Hendrix Barry is the woman many aspire to become: a media mogul, founder of the Aspire Fund supporting Black female entrepreneurs, and a fierce daughter navigating the emotional complexities of caring for a mother with Alzheimer’s. Her life is curated to the last detail—until Maverick Bell enters.
Maverick, a tech billionaire with charm as tailored as his suits, first appears as a potential investor. But his emotional intelligence and disarming sincerity quickly blur professional boundaries. What begins as hesitant attraction develops into a profound connection as both Hendrix and Maverick wrestle with public perception, personal loss, and the private cost of excellence.
Unlike typical romance arcs, the story doesn’t resolve through compromise or surrender. Instead, it poses a question: Can two self-sufficient, emotionally scarred people build something that neither of them needs—but both ultimately want?
Character Analysis: Layers, Depth, and Raw Humanity
Hendrix Barry
Hendrix is not your typical romance heroine. She’s commanding, flawed, brilliant, and battle-worn. Her devotion to her mother grounds her, even as it drains her. Her relationship with Maverick isn’t a fairy tale but a dance between self-protection and surrender. Ryan crafts her not as a “strong Black woman” trope, but as a richly rendered, emotionally complex individual navigating personal, professional, and cultural expectations.
Maverick Bell
Maverick is a revelation. He is more than his wealth, more than a love interest. He listens, holds space, and respects boundaries. His restraint is as potent as his charm, making him feel real in a genre that often idealizes male protagonists. Maverick’s arc—grappling with a public breakup, rediscovering emotional intimacy, and learning to support without overshadowing—is deftly handled.
Supporting Cast
Characters like Skipper, Hendrix’s whip-smart assistant, and Bolt, Maverick’s snarky colleague, offer levity and surprising emotional resonance. Their subplot is a charming thread that enriches the main narrative rather than distracting from it.
Themes: Love as Liberation, Not Rescue
Ryan excels at embedding social and emotional themes within her romance narratives, and Can’t Get Enough is no exception.
1. Caregiving and Generational Reversals
Hendrix’s journey as a daughter caring for her mother with Alzheimer’s is portrayed with heartbreaking authenticity. Ryan doesn’t romanticize the experience; she offers the emotional toll, the small joys, the resentment, the fatigue, and the dignity.
2. Ambition and Sacrifice
Hendrix is driven by more than success—she’s driven by a sense of justice. Through the Aspire Fund and her fight for equity in venture capital, Ryan places Black excellence at the forefront. But the novel also asks what it costs to always be “on,” and whether vulnerability is compatible with ambition.
3. The Politics of Identity
Set against real-world legal battles like the attack on affirmative action and the Fearless Fund lawsuit, the book anchors its narrative in present-day cultural realities. This isn’t just a backdrop—it’s a force that shapes the characters’ motivations and worldviewsCan’t Get Enough by Ken….
4. Love as Collaboration, Not Codependence
This love story doesn’t revolve around fixing each other but supporting each other. Maverick and Hendrix don’t complete one another—they amplify each other.
Writing Style: Sophisticated, Lyrical, Unapologetic
Kennedy Ryan’s prose is a masterclass in balancing emotion and intellect. Her writing in Can’t Get Enough is lyrical without being overwrought, emotionally intense without slipping into melodrama. She uses dialogue to reveal character truths and subtext to highlight unresolved tensions.
Her stylistic trademarks:
- Alternating POVs between Hendrix and Maverick that reveal inner conflicts with aching clarity.
- Evocative metaphors (“a mourning with no sunrise,” “boing around the bouncy house in my head”) that bring depth without distraction.
- Unflinching honesty, especially when discussing race, ambition, and grief.
What Works Exceptionally Well
- Authentic representation of Black excellence and love
- Layered emotional conflict rooted in real-world issues
- Empowered yet tender romantic development
- Strong female friendship and community support systems
- Mature treatment of mental health and dementia caregiving
Where It Stumbles (Slightly)
- Pacing lags mid-book: There’s a segment where the push-pull tension between Hendrix and Maverick stagnates slightly, particularly as they juggle professional overlap with emotional uncertainty.
- Zere’s subplot resolution feels abrupt: While Zere’s falling out with Hendrix over a show pitch adds meaningful conflict, its resolution leans more functional than emotionally satisfying.
- High stakes but low external tension: The novel remains tightly character-driven, but some readers may crave a stronger antagonist force or clearer narrative “turning point.”
Series Context: A Triumphant Culmination
The Skyland series is best described as a triptych of grown-up romance:
- Book 1: Before I Let Go explored trauma, co-parenting, and reconciliation through Yasmen and Josiah’s heart-wrenching journey.
- Book 2: This Could Be Us followed Soledad’s post-betrayal rebuild and her rediscovery of love through Judah Cross.
- Book 3: Can’t Get Enough focuses on Hendrix, a secondary character in the first two novels, bringing her into the spotlight as a woman who seemingly has it all—until she must decide if vulnerability fits into her brand of power.
Each book stands on its own but forms a mosaic of love, growth, and healing when read together.
Similar Books and Why They Matter
If you loved Can’t Get Enough, consider exploring:
- Tia Williams’ Seven Days in June – another smart, culturally relevant Black romance centered around second chances and emotional depth.
- Christina C. Jones’ I Think I Might Love You – for a similar blend of humor, vulnerability, and Black joy.
- Jasmine Guillory’s While We Were Dating – tackles mental health and high-achieving Black protagonists navigating romance.
Final Verdict: A Powerful Ode to Love, Legacy, and Liberation
Kennedy Ryan’s Can’t Get Enough is not just a romance novel. It’s a multi-dimensional narrative about Black womanhood, grief, advocacy, and finding joy in unexpected places. Hendrix and Maverick are unforgettable not because they fall in love—but because of how they love, and what they teach us in the process.
While a few threads could have been tighter, the book’s emotional resonance and narrative ambition more than make up for its pacing hiccups. This is romance with a purpose. Sensual, sharp, and deeply human.
