My goodness. I wish I could go back and read this book for the first time again! When I first picked it up, and read the Author’s Note at the beginning, I didn’t think this was going to be for me. I put it down for a week or so. It’s not that I was trying to avoid reading about characters with autism; I just didn’t really want to read a whole book about autism. Maybe that’s a crappy thing to say, but I just wasn’t sure I’d be able to get into it.

Regardless, I did decide to pick it back up and read. First off, I love that the story spans years. It’s usually necessary to suspend belief in reality in some romance books, as people “fall deeply in love” in two days. 😉 The fact that this story develops over some time lends believability to the formation of relationships.

There’s so much to love here! The female main character has her whole world turned upside down, and instead of crumbling, she fights for what’s best for her and her daughters. I LOVE the way she communicates with her kids, too; she’s completely honest, and treats them with so much respect! She faces conflict with them so beautifully. This also carries into her other relationships. She acts like an adult, and communicates in a way that a healthy adult should.

The male main character is PHENOMENAL! He is pretty much the opposite of her husband in every way. He’s just such a shining example of an amazing father, and partner, even if his first partner wasn’t the right one for him. The relationship he has with his ex-wife is admirable, and his flexibility in raising their sons is wonderful. He treats the FMC with respect and adoration. And both of them are just so stinking honest with one another. It is SO refreshing!

As for the autism note at the beginning, it was not for me. It was for people who live adjacent to it, as a sensitivity note. And it was perfect. The boys were written with such care and genuineness, and I could see each of them as who they were. I loved how different they are from one another, even though they are twins. What an amazing representation of the wide and deep spectrum of autism.

I’ve read 285 books so far this year. This is easily in the top 3. I HIGHLY recommend this book, and its phenomenal emotional depth and satisfying ending!!

I was provided this book for free by NetGalley, but I would totally buy it!!

Kennedy Ryan just never disappoints! Kennedy Ryan has such beautiful writing that makes you feel exactly what the characters are feeling. You feel the rage, hurt, disappointment, and the inevitable healing that the main character goes through so vividly. The relationships in this book are also so well written. Whether it's the love with a partner with Judah, the love between a mother and her children, or the love between sisters, by blood or by choice, Kennedy Ryan makes them all so impactful and meaningful. I loved every single character and chapter in this book and cannot wait until everyone has a chance to read this book.

Seriously amazing 👏 Soledad’s story is so beautiful and impactful. I knew the moment we met her in “Before I Let Go” that I would love her! Her life is turned upside down when her husband makes a selfish choice that impacts their entire family. While trying to put the pieces of back together, Soledad finds a new career, a love interest and herself along the way. We see our favorite girls Yasmen and Hendrix again and they are there to support our girl the entire time. I do not want to ruin any part of the story, but there were so many moments that had my jaw on the ground and I couldn’t put this book down. So many layers to unfold in this story but such a great read!

Kennedy Ryan is a new to me author and I am so happy I read this book. I devoured it in two days and I am pretty sure I will still be thinking about it the coming weeks. Soledad was such an amazing character and to read her journey throughout the book was amazing. I laughed many times and have a support similar to hers so it made this book all the better.

Thank you to Netgalley, Kennedy Ryan, and Forever Books for a chance to read this ARC.

Wow, Wow, Wow. This book has been one of my most favorite reads this year. I was rooting for Soledad and Judah so much, but I was rooting for Soledad's growth the most. I love seeing all the girls' personalities throughout. I love the parallels she drew between Soledad and her mother. I hated Edward with a passion. 5/5, 10/10 love love loveeeee

KR back at it again with another one! This was a great contemporary romance, but also really nice to see the exploration of self love and independence. And Judah wasn’t bad either!

I was so happy this book was available as ARC on NetGalley. “Before I Let Go” left you wanting more from the characters of Skyland, and this book definitely gave a slice of that.

This book offered us a breakup that lead to rediscovery of self through Soledad’s journey. We saw Soledad overcome her relationship with her husband, move into finding herself and rediscover romance.

The layers of Soledad really elevate this story, we get Soledad, the mother , the ex, the best friend , the entrepreneu/influencer.. etc.

Similar to Soledad, this is not just a romqnce but it is layered. It’s a story about loss, about rediscovery, sisterhood , parenting.

Kennedy Ryan does an amazing job of telling a story but also making it culturally relatable. And bonus points for the recipes at the end, I will definitely be trying the Prosecco.

Kennedy Ryan has done it again - Soledad and Judah's story was heartwarming, tender, and romantic which is everything I love about her books. It also made me cry (because what book of hers hasn't) and I love the depth of emotions I felt while reading this one.

The chemistry between Sol and Judah was on point from the beginning and I was just living for their delicious tension. And my goodness were they ever charming - every interaction, every step forward, I was completely hooked. Soledad and Judah were both so loving and supportive of their families and just wanted to do whatever they could to make life a little smoother, a little easier for them. I so appreciated their commitment to taking care of themselves, their loved ones, and each other. I love this couple so much and this series has been a such a treat.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC.

📚Review: This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice:🌶️🌶️🌶️
Trope: Slow Burn/Friends to Lovers
Soundtrack Suggestion: After the Butterflies by @queennaija
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First off thank you to @netgalley and @kennedyryan1 for allowing us readers 24hrs to grab an ARC of This Could Be Us.
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I knew this book would be a classic to me once I read the prologue. As an autism mom of a girl and boy, I connected with Judah and Tremaine. The care that was taken to write about Autism the way Kennedy Ryan did, was impeccable. Thank you for shedding light on the autism community, as parents, our families stories need to be told.
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Soledad Charles is a character I will never forget. I too, am a stay at home mom and sometimes have felt I was not appreciated. Soledad finds her way through tough times and makes something more for herself and her girls. Talk about making lemonade out of lemons. Her journey of #datingmyself was such a beautiful journey to watch. Not many people realize the beauty in completely loving yourself and knowing there is beauty in solitude. Being alone doesn’t have to mean lonely.Taking the time for her self and her kids, and her friends, showed that she had so much love to give and deserved so much love in return.
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Judah Cross, my man, my man, my man! What more can you ask for in a man? He will forever be book bae! The love that this man had for his kids, the sacrifices he made was all that anyone could ask for in a man. He had so much patience throughout this book, that it made it easy to fall in love with him. It was so good to see a black man written in such a beautiful way.
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@kennedyryan1 thank you, thank you, thank you. For bringing such beautiful work to life, I can’t wait until release day to get my physical copy!

Oh boy was this one beautiful!! I had the most incredible chance to meet Kennedy this past year, and I am so grateful I did!! She is such a spark of joy, and her books are that much more poignant to me having had a conversation with her!! It is incredible the nuances you learn about a person when you get to meet them one on one!

This book was such an incredible book about the domestic Goddess Soledad Barnes, who is able to fix anything in a pinch. She is the MacGyver of life!!

But an unexpected turn in her relationship, and now she is doubting her Goddess status, and everything else in her world! But even so, pouting about it is a thing of yesterday, she has work to do, she has a daughter who needs her.

With her head down and pushing ahead, she runs into an unexpected person, a man she isn't supposed to be with, but all the sparks fly, the chemistry is there, and she can't stay away! She is adamant she won't repeat any of her past mistakes, but would he be a mistake? Could he be the piece her life has been missing? And will he bring calm to the chaos? She really wants to believe it all could be true.

This Could Be Us (Skyland Book #2)
By: Kennedy Ryan-auto buy author for me
Published 3/5/24, read 11/30/23

 ✔️Multicultural/LGBT+ rep
 ✔️ Women's Fiction
✔️ Contemporary Romance
✔️ Dual POV H/h
✔️ Divorce
✔️ Autism rep
✔️Social Media Influencer/Foodies/Recipes
✔️ grief, parental death

This is the story of Soledad Barnes and Judah Cross's instant attraction at her husband's company Christmas party. She has 3 daughters and is a homemaker extraordinaire. Judah is divorced with 2 twin boys with special needs. He just so happens to work with Soledad's husband Edward, and they don't like each other. Her husband betrays her and leaves them to struggle emotionally and financially. Judah wants to help her even though his life is all about his sons. 

The world building for Soledad and Judah's relationship is great. Her family lives in Atlanta's wealthy Skyland community. Her kids go to private school, and she gets any material thing she wants. Judah and his ex-wife Tremaine co-parent their 10-year-old boys Adam and Aaron. They have a great system in place for school and home life because the boys are both on the spectrum. When everything falls apart for Soledad, she struggles to build a new life that includes becoming a social media darling. It's inspiring what Soledad creates for her and the girls. 

The characters-Soledad's friends and family don't hesitate to step in and help her. Yasmen and Hendrix are her BFFs along with her sisters Lola and Nayeli. They provide a soft place for her to land and are the voices of reason. Soledad's husband Edward is a narcissist who is violent and cruel. He tries to turn everything into an argument about what Soledad does or doesn't do for him. In contrast, Judah's ex-wife is a gift from the heavens. She's flexible, she makes the kids her top priority, and genuinely cares about Judah.  I loved Soledad the most because of her resilience. She puts her "big girl panties" on and makes sure she and the girls are taken care of. She learns to put herself first, making "me time" by "self-partnering" and getting to know Edward. Their relationship is super steamy and definitely slow burn. They have a lot of responsibilities and handle them very maturely.

I waited for this book because after reading book #1 Before I Let Go, I knew something wasn't right with Soledad's marriage. She had serious woman's intuition but didn't want to face things. I would suggest reading book #1 because it's an awesome marriage in trouble/2nd chance trope, and you get to know their friend/family group. I can't wait for Hendrix's story to see who gets under her tough shell.

Rating: 5/5

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for this ARC 🩷! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Kennedy Ryan tells stories that play in your mind for years to come! The newest in her collection is no different. A gorgeous and well written epic story. A must read for any true love story fans.

I loved this book the connection from with the readers from the very beginning of the authors. Note to the end of the book was brilliant. You can tell how much she cares about her characters and takes the time to develop them and do it in the right way for every reader.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book.

This was a very enjoyable follow up to Before I let Go. I liked how we got to dig deeper into sols story and I loved Judahs character especially how he interacts with his boys.

This was a cute read.

Another banger by Ms. Ryan. I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved the development of these characters. Plus, the romance between these too was so lovely and the spice was spot on!

Well @kennedyryan1 did it again. Soledad’s book and journey was AMAZING! I loved the dual POV again and getting to know the characters on another level.

Okay non-spoiler-y review.

Things I loved:
Yasmen, Soledad, and Hendrix’s friendship. Amazing. The love between them is unmatched
Machete.
Soledad’s influencer career.
Judah and Tremaine’s relationship.
Judah’s mouth 😮‍💨😏
Believing in love and finding yourself.
The relationship with Soledad and her daughters

Things I didn’t like:
Edward’s trifling self.

Absolutely pick this one up when it comes out.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kennedy Ryan has a way with words that makes her books an experience. It's like you're in the book, experiencing the characters' emotions firsthand. This Could Be Us takes us through Soledad's journey of her husband's betrayal, the struggle of gaining her footing, finding self-love and acceptance.

This book was exceptional. The things I dislike about this book are the things that make it such a great book. Soledad's story was almost too real. It was inspirational, the self help book I didn't know I needed. The spice was pretty hot as well.

While I still feel that this series, starting with Before I Let You Go, is women’s fiction and not romance, this is one helluva romantic book! I loved it. Soledad’s story resonated with me so much, especially her journey to find herself. While I might not have been married or have kids, I am alone. As a woman that is hard, as there are so many expectations placed upon us to be partnered. But the overall vibe of this is to be able to love yourself and I can 100% stand behind that (finding a man like Judah or a woman like Soledad along the way would just be icing).

This book is absolutely stunning! What a beautiful story that's so empowering and so tender and romantic. We meet Soledad who's trying to rebuild her life after an incredible betrayal and who's trying not to fall for the one person she feels she shouldn't. We join Soledad as she picks herself up and tries to heal and move forward as she learns to love and trust herself again.

While this book is #2 I read it as a standalone. There are some references to the plot of the first book; however, I didn't feel that it lessened my enjoyment of this one. I'm looking forward to checking out the rest of the Skyland series!

This book is so full of love and all its forms; the love between parents and their children, siblings, friends, former partners, and of course, romantic interests. The characters are all so supportive and loyal to one another, it was so beautiful. I absolutely loved seeing the family these characters have built; this is a group of people who absolutely have one another's back through it all.

I fell in love with Soledad and I loved joining her on her journey of growth and self-discovery. She felt so relatable as a fellow woman, wife, mom. There were so many moments where I thought I've felt those same feelings, had those same doubts. It was incredible seeing her fall in love with herself and give herself permission to go after what she wanted and deserved. She was so strong and confident by the end of the book, it was really lovely to see her blossom and come into her own.

Judah was incredible! What a patient, attentive, and devoted man. He was absolutely gone for Soledad and I was rooting for him from the start. He was such a sweet father and co-parent and I loved seeing that side of him. I loved the relationship he had with Tremaine.

This book will stay with me for a very long time. This is definitely one of my top reads this year. Absolute perfection!

*ARC provided by NetGalley for review*

I have always loved Kennedy's writing style and character development and this was no different! Her books are always filled authentic and genuine characters who face realistic and relatable conflict, and I feel like that is hard to come by now as contemporary romance continues to grow in popularity.