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The Love Story We Rarely See in Black Romance
A confident, curvy Black woman who doesn’t want kids—and still gets the man and the spotlight.
Esther Dillard
July 28, 2025
I don’t usually read romance novels.
They often feel too predictable or disconnected from the real women I know—especially Black women.
But Kennedy Ryan’s Can’t Get Enough surprised me in all the best ways.
At the center of this story is Hendrix: a full-figured, wide-hipped, dark-skinned Black woman in her 30s who knows what she wants. She isn’t the sidekick. She isn’t the comic relief. She is the love story.
And the way Kennedy writes her? With respect, sensuality, and power.
A Story That Breaks the Mold
In so many television shows and movies, the celebrated Black woman is still a familiar formula: thin, light-skinned, highly educated, and slightly lost until someone helps her "find herself."
But Hendrix? She’s already found herself.
She isn’t trying to shrink to fit someone else’s standard.
She’s not apologizing for her size, her ambition, her softness, or her boundaries.
And what makes this story even more compelling?
A handsome Black billionaire named Maverick—fresh out of a relationship with a model-thin, light-skinned ex—turns his attention toward Hendrix. Not because she’s a “fixer-upper.” Not because he’s settling. But because he genuinely sees her.
What Makes It Work
Throughout the novel, we get layered storytelling:
Hendrix’s complex relationship with her mother, who is battling Alzheimer’s
Maverick’s reflections on fatherhood and the reasons he doesn’t want more kids
Their mutual desire for partnership without parenthood, which becomes a deeply important theme in the book
It’s rare to see two Black characters—especially a woman like Hendrix—navigate a romance where having children is not the ultimate goal. And yet, the story doesn’t feel hollow. It feels full. Mature. Intentional.
Steamy, Smart, and Substantial
Can’t Get Enough isn’t just about attraction—though it delivers on that, too. It’s about identity, choice, grief, legacy, and honoring your own truth in a world full of expectations.
And yes—it’s sexy. But it’s also emotionally and intellectually satisfying, something I rarely say about romance novels.
This story made me reflect.
It made me ask:
What would I do in that situation?
What have I been told I should want—and what do I actually want?
In this short clip, Kennedy Ryan explains how writing Hendrix gave voice to so many women who don’t usually get centered in romance—and why this story was so personal to her.