I think this book made me a Kennedy Ryan auto-reader!! Loved all the aspects of this book and how just when you think the conflicts are all done, bam comes another surprise!!

My favorite thing about this book is the timeline!! It spans over months which is so realistic. No rushing things here, but I also was never bored —- the best balance.

Kennedy really knows how to make us hate a character, coming off of a second chance romance in book 1, that was definitely not the vibes. The audacity of her husband is unlike any other! He had my jaw on the ground multiple times.

I will say, emotional cheating even if it’s just a few thoughts and exchanging of words. Is still cheating! The physical cheating in this book was much worse, so I don’t have too much of a bone to pick with that. No matter how crappy someone was, it will never justify cheating on them.

The fact that the FBI is involved in this book is all you need to know. I LOVED the scandal associated with this story and was always eating up the details we learned along the way. Especially with the phone call, or lack there of! The horrible actions just keep piling on. Romance, but also gossip!! <3

I love an honest mom who doesn’t shelter her kids, but who also doesn’t trauma dump. The autism representation was authentic to the authors lived experience which always just adds a person, informed touch. :)

I adored this book and the ending and will now devour every Kennedy Ryan book that exists.

Thank you, NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing)

This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan was absolutely beautiful! The exquisite care and detail taken by the author to not only describe the characters, but their lives, and weave the story of their lives left the reader not only falling in love with Soledad and her tribe, but also yearning for more of her as she grew into her own strength. The accuracy and research that Kennedy Ryan put into depicting what life can look like on the autism spectrum made me respect her so much more, not only as an Author, but for the humanity and awareness brought to this disorder the children and families. Just as I was left anxiously awaiting more after Before I Let Go, I cannot wait to read the third installment in the series when it is released next year. Through the Skyland series, Kennedy Ryan has truly captured the love and strength that lies in the bonds between a mother and her children, between a true circle of friends, and the beauty that lies in self-discovery and new beginnings. Soledad’s story truly showed us that the unknown is not scary because we are not capable, it’s only because we haven’t been there before…I felt privileged that Kennedy brought us into Soledad’s world and allowed us to witness her self-love, dreams, growth, and strength blossom right before our eyes.

I love Kennedy and she can honestly do no wrong. Like many of her other books, I was pulled in right from the start and fell in love with all the characters. And a girl knows how to write spice!

This Could Be Us will be a book I'll push into the hands of friends for quite awhile. I loved everything about this book and have come to love Kennedy Ryan's writing diving into her backlist over the last year, when I also read Before I Let Go.

This book follows alternating chapters from Judah and Soledad. After a personal tragedy hits Soledad's family, she's forced to quickly pivot and reevaluate her life and how she can make a living for her family. Judah had a hand in the downfall of Soledad's family, but she doesn't hold him accountable for what happened. He actually shows up to help her family along with her close friends Hendrix and Yasmen and their friendship slowly starts to develop into something more.

I love that in this story it shows you don't need a man to fulfill your true happiness. Don't get me wrong I love my husband, but I had to learn to love myself before we got together. That's also part of the theming of this book. Kennedy Ryan also touches on children with autism with the inclusion of Judah's sons. With her own background being a parent with an autistic child, I thought Kennedy handled that storyline with a lot of care.

Trust me and pick up This Could Be Us. I devoured it in a day and I think you'll do the same. Once you start you'll have a hard time putting it down.

Excellent read, really related to the storyline with the kids with autism. Love how the author showed different sides of the spectrum. I have a grandson with it.

RATING: 5/5 STARS

THIS COULD BE US was my first Kennedy Ryan book, and it was flawless! I loved the chemistry, characters, and heat in this one.

I was immediately drawn into this story with drama unfolding at the very beginning. I felt so much for Soledad and really found myself invested in how her story would end. Unfortunately my attention slowly dwindled. While I appreciated Soledad's journey and decision to "self-partner," I really think the repetitiveness and the influencer business annoyed me more than it endeared. All that said, I loved the author's writing style so I will definitely be reading more by her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for providing me a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

After devouring the first book I was so excited to be approved for this book through NetGalley. This was a slow burn that I just gobbled up. The main characters were well developed and I instantly fell for Judah Cross. This will not be the last book I read of this author that’s for sure!

Wow. Kennedy Ryan is a powerhouse storyteller.

This is the second in the Skyland series, this story focusing on Soledad. In an evocative 400+ pages, we are front seat on her journey to rebuild her life after tragedy.

This story starts off heavy, and as a person going through a difficult divorce, the betrayal Sol experiences is emotional and hard to stomach. When she talks about "mourning" the death of her illusions and world, I felt so seen. But similarly, it's just as powerful to watch the main character face an incredible challenge, and to overcome it through the story.

As someone who has her whole life planned, designed, and perfect, Sol's life is changed forever as betrayal and disillusion alters her idea of forever. Sol is a powerful and admirable character, rebuilding herself and her life from the ashes of her ex-husband's hurt. A true phoenix. The ultimate love story of Sol and Judah -- a forbidden love -- feels satisfactory, genuine, and earned, because she's gone on this significant self-love journey. (Plus, Judah is major SWOON.) It's empowering and healing as a reader. A truly emotional and impactful story.

I also respect how this story is able to meaningfully convey meaningful messages about friendships, loss, partnerships, parenting, and self-love. And it's a Masterclass -- capital M -- in presenting the daily life of those who love and care for those with autism. A truly powerful representative novel that Kennedy has put great care into.

I do believe this book was a *bit* too long. I think it could have been edited for a sharper, more concise narrative. Some scenes and descriptions felt overdone, and like unnecessary filler. I also found myself pulled out of the story by some genuinely cringey bits, especially during intimate scenes. Words like "slurp" and "spurt" really put me off. Ha.

Overall, a deep, powerful read that I'm glad to have picked up.

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

The first 30% or so of this book I inhaled. Yay... a plot! After that though... I had to force myself to keep going. There just wasn't a whole lot of believable tension between Sol and Judah and the whole self-love social influencer gig Sol had going on was a little nauseating. (I do find real life influencers annoying so this might just be a me thing). I know a lot of people really loved this book but for me it was... meh...

After a devastating break-up, Soledad is left to pick up the pieces for herself and her young daughters. When an unlikely man comes into the picture, Soledad must decide if she can trust him, and herself, enough to let him in.
God, Kennedy Ryan is just so good. She has an uncanny knack for filling her novels with so much warmth and emotion. I adore the way she writes about food, how smart and strong and funny and well-rounded her characters are, and the way she can balance of romance and intense, real-world issues.
Everyone told me this was even better than BEFORE I LET GO, but I think I preferred the first book. Don't get me wrong, this one is amazing, but something about the first book really did it for me.

This Could Be Us is the second installment in the Skykand series by Kennedy Ryan. Here we learn more about Soledad as she discovers her life with her husband is all smoke and mirrors.

This was a cute story. I loved how Soledad discovers her inner strength and falls in love with herself. I loved how Autism was presented and addressed in this story. I especially loved the nontoxic coparenting relationship between Judah and his ex wife. It was all a breath of fresh air…especially in a black novel.

Gah!!! She’s the best! I love her writing. She builds the tension, the spice!!, the story and the characters. Just amazing.

Kennedy Ryan has done it again!! I loved this installment of the series. Soledad in particular is such a nuanced character and goes through so much in this book. I loved following her journey. Judah is the perfect match for Soledad and I loved following his character as well.

I also really enjoyed the side characters, especially Soledad’s friends and Judah and Soledad’s children.

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: no one is writing romance like Kennedy Ryan. Such a beautiful story.

Thank you tremendously to NetGalley and Forever/Grand Central publishing for this advance copy of This Could Be Us, the highly awaited next installment of the Skyland series in exchange for this honest review.

I should start off by saying I have a very personal connection to this book, as one of our main characters Judah is an autism parent. Being the parent to a sweet little boy of my own that's been diagnosed as Level 3 and uses an aac device to communicate, I connected so deeply with Judah's journey, and I've felt every single situation he describes, and I've felt all of his feelings. Within the first 5 chapters, I knew this would be a 5-star book for me, and likely one of the best books I've read this year. I even messaged the author on Instagram to tell me how wonderful I felt the representation was portrayed, and her author's note describing her own journey was exceptionally meaningful.

Now, back to the book! Soledad and Judah's chemistry was palpable, and I totally bought that these two people were attracted to each other from the beginning, and I loved how complex Kennedy Ryan's writing weaved the struggles of attempting romance with a blended family, especially when you add in teenagers with extra needs, as well as embezzling crazy ex-husbands. I literally found myself rushing to finish what I was doing to get back to reading this book, I just couldn't get enough.

When I was going back in my journal, I classified this as a romance, but it is so much more than your typical troupe-filled romance - it's deep, almost borders contemporary fiction with a hint of romance, but it's addicting nonetheless. Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review - I would recommend this book to everyone.

Are infinite stars a possible rating? Because this book deserves all the praise and love. The opening of this book had be immediately drawn in and invested. I know Soledad's book was going to be special and affect me deeply. I loved her journey of self discovery, creating a future for herself and her girls and owning who she was. We got to see so much growth from her character and even see bits of her grief from the loss of her mom and how bits of that helped her in her current journey. I loved the parts of her reading bell hooks and the journal she found of her moms, the part where her mom writes a reflection on changes in life being compared to a butterfly " when you hurt the way we women sometimes have to, when you lose so much. when the world ends over and over again, we are no longer butterflies. Those wings are much too fragile to carry us on and through. I am a hornet. I can love. and I can sting". I felt a little piece of me heal much like I'm sure it did for Sol and the reflection Sol has on this in the epilogue had me bawling. Then there is Judah, I wasn't expecting to resonate so much with the MMC of this book but the fact that he get so real about what its like being a caregiver to your child with high needs hit be so hard. I have never highlighted and sent my husband so many book quotes in my life but they encapsulated every thought and emotion I have had about being in a similar situation. Especially this one "as parents- I guess it's true for most parents, but I've definitely noticed in parents of disabled people- sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking sacrificing everything is the greatest measure of our love. We devoted everything to our kids who need more than most. That has consumed me for years. I thought that kind of singular focus expressed the highest form of love for my boys. Your journey, your list has shown me how much I neglected anything just for me. Maybe there's value to them seeing their father happy". The relationship the two of the build is really beautiful, full of mutual respect, honesty, trust and growth. This book was so powerful in so many ways, it's more than just a romance and one I will come back to time and time again.

Kennedy Ryan does it again!!!! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Such a talented writer.. I finished this book over within 48 hours! ( Thats quick for me )
For me what makes Kennedy’s writing so beautiful and gripping is how she takes real life situations and problems and some very heavy topics and weaves them into a gripping story where you feel like you are a part of the characters lives and are rooting for them… PLUS there is spice! Like I say real life love, magic, tragedy, hardships plus a happy ending… Thats what you get!!! Highly recommend!!!

I’ll start by saying this is my first book by this author and maybe I should try another.

This just wasn’t for me.

The characters were fine I just could not get into it no matter how long I tried.

It’s very well written I just couldn’t finish it.

my most anticipated read of 2024 and it did not disappoint.

Before I let go was the book that got me back into reading in 2023 so I was pressed to read this on release day and now I’m upset that I have to wait until 2025 for Hendrick story . Kennedy Ryan did her big one with this book and deserves all her flowers.

PS Judah is the epitome of a man that we all deserve ❤️

Kennedy Ryan has quickly become one of my automatic read authors! This series has not disappointed! A relatable female lead and a novel that will have you feeling all the emotions. I look forward to the next book and will be reading other books by this author in the meantime! #ThisCouldBeUs #NetGalley