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

When I say I had to wrestle myself to put this book down, I am not exaggerating. I was reading until 2 am in the first sitting!

Soledad's journey took us on a TRIP!!

I won't include spoilers, but if you're looking for a page turner, THIS IS THE ONE!

I especially loved the care and realness involved with the neurodivergent characters.

So well done! And if thus series doesn't become a movie or Netflix series, I WILL REVOLT!!!

I enjoyed “This Could Be Us” - it’s really the perfect follow up to “Before I Let Go”, however, it can be read as a stand alone.

While the book does feature a really beautiful love story between two of the characters, the real love story is the journey that the protagonist, Soledad, has while finding herself. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys contemporary romance, strong friendship themes, and a self-love journey!

This story is one of transformation,sisterhood, friendship,family and love. Soledad’s world literally came crashing down and she had to piece it back together with duct tape and prayer.
Judah is a single dad that is a workaholic that has found a healthy coparenting relationship with his ex wife. These two have an awkward initial meeting. But they keep finding ways to seek each other out, him more so.

Soledad is picking up the pieces to her life, raising her daughters, and trying to provide income for her family. She’s reinventing herself by using the shreds of her old life. She learning about herself and healing. She leans on her friends and family and while discovering herself she discovers things about her mom that helps her on her own journey. Now let’s be honest here for a moment. Yes, Edward was a horrible person, but I don’t feel sorry for Soledad because you married a white man with a racist mother and the rest of your family didn’t like him. There was a reason why. I applaud Soledad for fighting her way back from the pits of hell where Edward left her stranded. I applaud Soledad for finally accepting her hearts desires. I applaud Soledad for not being paralyzed in her situation.

This was a very well written story. I feel the romance was secondary but that’s ok because Soledad’s journey needed to be told . It’s a a slow burn for sure. The characters are well developed and very much someone you know. I enjoyed this story.

Kennedy Ryan is so good at this. She writes this incredibly heart-wrenching stories, but they don't feel maudlin. This Could Be Us is no exception. Soledad Barnes, who we met in Before I Let Go, is a marvel. She's one of those people who's always put together. She loves focusing on her house and her kids. And then her world comes crashing down, and she's got to find a way to make enough money for her family and hold everyone together and also deal with a truly loathsome ex-husband. And in the midst of this chaos, she connects with someone who had a hand in her downfall. This isn't a book with a big misunderstanding. It's one where we see if Soledad can get what she needs and trust herself enough to make it work with Judah, an accountant and primary parent to two autistic teenagers.

All of this seems wrought, and there's a lot going on here, but Ryan never lets it get overwrought. She has a sense of humor that comes through. She shows instead of just tells. More in the Skyland series! I'm glad that more people seem to be talking about Kennedy Ryan, but she still should be much more famous than she is.

I got an ARC from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to the @kennedyryan1, @readforeverpub and @NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

If you’d like to have your heart wrenched out, read this book.

If you want the slow burniest of burns, read this book.

If you like ‘if he wanted to he would’ve’ energy, read this book.

Damn @kennedyryan1 this was fantastic. The self love. The autism representation 🧩 The whole thing was glorious.

I'll admit, I had a hard time gathering my thoughts on This Could Be Us initially. I had no idea how to articulate what I felt reading this book in words. I experienced all the feels, y'all. And I knew whatever I had to say would not do this book justice. I will try anyway.

A while back I read Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan and fell in love with it. I loved how Yas and Sy moved through their relationship woes as flawed, every day people. And while their love story kept me turning the page until I was finished, it was the friendship group of Yas, Hendrix, and Soledad that truly captured me. It was the love, devotion, and support within their circle that truly warmed my heart.

I say all that to say this-- Soledad seemed like such a sweet, humble woman in BILG. But her husband was trash. When I found out Sole would be getting her own book, I could not wait to pull back the veil on her and Edward. This Could Be Us pulled back the veil, alright. And not in ways I expected.

This Could Be Us unfolds as Soledad, a stay at home supermom and wife finds herself at a crossroads in her marriage. Due to her husband Edward's lies and deceit, life is turned upside down. Sol is left to pick up the pieces while keeping the home stable for her 3 daughters. In Sol's journey to a different kind of life, she finds the unconditional love of her friends, a newfound devotion for her family, the love of a new man, and a fulfilling love of self.

While I don't want to give too much of the book away, I do want to point out one of the things I loved the most about This Could Be Us:
I love that this book details Sol's self-love journey. While Sol is left to deal with a failing marriage and a broken home on her own while her "husband" is in jail, Sol embarks on a beautiful self-love journey. Though her journey is not always a smooth one, she finds tools that help her become her best self for herself and those around her. Equipped with All About Love by bell hooks (one of my favorite books!), a supportive group of friends, and a man that is head-over-heels for her, Sol finds joy in self-dating, becoming a content-creator, and taking her cooking skills to the next level. I love this so much for her.

This book has been one of my favorite reads of the year and I have not stopped recommending it to everyone who will listen. Kennedy Ryan has become one of my favorite authors and I am loving how the Skyland series is unfolding. She can do no wrong in my eyes at this point! This book was everything and more!

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC of This Could Be Us.

4.5 stars
This book felt thick and yet I absolutely flew through this book, it was that good. I'd already gotten to know some details of the tension between Soledad and her husband in Before I Let Go, and knowing that she was married to Edward, someone who was not the main character of this book, had me so intrigued to find out how everything was going to play out. And oh my goodness did BIG THINGS happen for Soledad and her family to lead her to divorce.
I loved that the book takes place over a significant chunk of time, because it really allows Soledad to figure out her next steps and find her own identity as a single mother, and in a new career. I loved reading about her whole journey, with both her sisters, her closest friends, and her children to help her navigate this new path she was on.
At the same time, I loved the chemistry between her and Judah. Judah Cross is the forbidden man who played a hand in Edward's demise, but I did not care one bit. From the moment they met, I was ready for these two to be together. It's a pretty slow burn romance, but it makes the romance worth it in the end. And also just learning more about Judah was fantastic! I loved finding out more about how he navigates both blending a family and taking care of his two children.
Kennedy is an incredible writer and her prose is always perfection. Definitely my favorite of the Skyland series!

I loved everything about this. One of my favorite things about the Skyland series is Kennedy Ryan's ability to bring balance, no matter how wild the aspects of the character's lives are. Her ability to weave in such believable feelings, traumatic experiences, joy, peace, and excellent communication is award worthy. I really enjoyed how minimal Edward's part of this book was. While he's a big looming figure because of the damage he caused, so much of this is Soledad's journey to healing and a chance for us to get to know Judah. I really respected her approach to having multiple characters on the autism spectrum and Judah's realization about his own idiosyncrasies and likely place on the spectrum. I appreciated how clear and direct he was when he wasn't sure about how a conversation was going. It never felt like his need for clarification of other's emotions/thoughts was using autism as a plot device, but instead it was just a part of him and ultimately his relationship with Sol. His need for clear, direct, and honest communication continually strengthened her and at moments opened her up to things she was unsure she was deserving of. Lastly, I appreciated that the story ended in a very realistic place. With five kids between them, all at various stages, ex spouses and careers, there wasn't some grand Brady Bunch-esque shoving together of their lives in a way that didn't make sense to the story. I could have asked for a better place to leave these two until we meet again in book three.

I loved this book! The characters were developed so well and the story line was relatable. I was able to see myself in both of the main characters. I was so connected to them it was hard to put this book down. I can't wait for the next book in this series.

I loved reading about Soledad! I read before I let go and she appeared in book 1. Kennedy Ryan sure knows how to create a fmc.

Soledad had a good life until her husband is found guilty of stealing money from his company. Now forced to start over with her daughters she finds help with the guy who put her husband away, she soon finds herself having feelings for this guy but it’s not as easy as it seems.

I was excited about Soledad's story when we heard about her husband saying his assistant's name in his sleep. This was about so much more than a cheating husband. Her life was completely upended by her husband's deviousness. I loved how her friends supported her during the rough times. Sol went on a journey of self love and I was there for it. Now on to my main man Judah. I loved him. He was so thoughtful and supportive of Sol as well. I loved these characters so much. I just wish we would have gotten more of them together. I feel that something was missing. I also loved how authentic she portrayed a parent with children with autism. I truly connected with Judah and loved his character the most. Definitely feel this was more of a women's fiction read than romance.

In the sequel to Before I Let Go, Soledad is the main focus in book two and she has a lot going on. Her marriage ends up in shambles after her not-so-great husband does a lot of unthinkable things to ruin it.

She has to start over. It’s hard at first but she treks on and along the way, she finds herself quite attracted to a handsome man.

Judah Cross did his job a little too well and Sol’s husband’s sketchy ways caught up to him. Judah has a soft spot for Sol after all the drama with her husband took place but he’s felt some kind of way since they first met at a work party.

Sol has no choice but to go on a life journey of reflection, being single for the first time in a long time and making a living to support her three girls. She gave up so much to be a supportive wife and now it was time to take back her life.

Judah and Sol connect on so many levels as they’re both single with kids, dedicated to making their lives as smooth as possible for said kids and yearning for someone to be their person.

I loved that the MCs are over 35 years old. As I’m getting older, I appreciate reading books where the characters are close to my age as well. They’re grown people with real problems and have needs that need to be met. Judah Cross…this man…*sigh* he just knew what to say and do at all times. I was a little frustrated with Sol but I also understood that when it came to Judah (or any relationship with a man going forward) it would be a challenge due to what happened before.

Thank you Net-Galley and Forever for the e-ARC

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. Kennedy Ryan has a fabulous writing style and I loved this read! The story has everything but the best parts for me was the dialogue and banter! Romance, love, lifting each other up what more could you ask for? Looking forward to Ryan's next book after this one! Fabulous

This book is phenomenal! A pining, steamy, beautiful romance, page-turning family drama, and a friend group with some of the funniest banter I've ever read. I had trouble putting this one down and it only took me a week to read because I was juggling two other books, my day job, and my own edits at the same time. I absolutely cannot wait for Hendrix's story next year!

Soledad and Judah!!!🥰

❤️‍🩹 both divorced and experiencing healing love!
🏡 parenthood experience, autism rep, supportive partners and community
❤️‍🔥 spicy, heartwarming, and easy to root for MCs
🎧 fun and quick read, didn’t require too much focus, made for an enjoyable audiobook experience!

This book makes me excited to go back and read Before I Let Go!