I was lucky enough to get an ARC from Netgalllery, and now I am voluntarily leaving a review of This Could Be Us.

Another powerful story from Kennedy Ryan. Soledad was rediscovering herself after her marriage ended, and her ex-husband ended up in jail. Judah was a forensic accountant who discovered Soledad's ex-husband misdeeds. Judah was divorced with twin sons who were autistic.

I loved that Judah was patient with Soledad, who felt like she lost much of her self-worth in her marriage. Hr gave her time to rediscover herself. I loved that Soledad and Judah respected Soledad's daughters' feelings as they formed their relationship.

I loved that Ms. Ryan crafted a story that autistic characters. Even though they were secondary characters, the care of explanation of each sons' needs and difference in developments was eye-opening. I, personally, do not know much about autism but I feel like I got a clearer understanding of autism.

My words can not do this book justice. It is well worth the read. There is not a bad thing I could say about this book.

Just know that when it written by Kennedy Ryan it would be a 5star read for me

This book was perfect the characters, the pacing... There was no draggy moment and I wanted MORE

I love Soledad so much, the way she handled her divorce, daughters and her journey to self love. Love her relationship with her sisters and best friends Yasmeen and Hendrix are the best friends everyone wishes for. How am I suppose to wait till 2025 for Hen book.😭😭😭
Judah 😘😘omg I love him so much, he's just so perfect be it with his sons, ex-wife or even with Soledad.
Love how he never deny his feelings for Soledad and shows her how he feels about her everytime. Literally the best man.

Kennedy you are a queen! This could be us slayed so many parts of my soul! I started reading romance as an escape and a way to discover me again. Through the years I started therapy and have found the value of me and taking time for myself! I still read romance as an escape sometimes but when I read Before I Let Go it spoke to my heart and this story spoke to my soul!

Sometimes I love reading stories where everything is new and fresh but with this book and Before I Let Go they are stories of the after. We done see that often and I loved experiencing the after and what it sometimes looks like! I love how powerful Soledad was but how at her core her kids were her everything! As women we often times forget ourselves so seeing Soledad discover herself again was truly inspiring!

Thank you for giving us a hero who was patient, understanding but honest! Judah was an amazing father but at his core was a man who loved fiercely and would do what it took to reach his goals!

I love these characters so much so thank you Kennedy for gifting us these beautiful stories!

I’m so happy to have gotten the arc of This Could Be Us because it was everything! I loved how with all that Soledad endured she found a way back up. The journey of self-love and self-care was beautiful. The inclusion of ASD for perfectly. This was definitely a great book by Ms. Kennedy Ryan!

I received an early copy of this book through Net Galley.

I’m pleased to say that this series is becoming one of my favs and Kennedy Ryan’s writing as well. The first book was perfect in navigating complex emotions surrounding divorce and second chance romance. This book is no different.

Firstly, the complexity of her characters, especially the women is something that I enjoy. Soledad is not a one dimensional character at all. We see her emotions and love come through page as she goes through a horrible period in her life. I also enjoy the fact that the love she displays and receives is not just through romance. It’s through her family, friends and even her fans on social media. She cares a lot and doesn’t shut herself down, even when she got taken advantage of. She rose through her pain and became strong but still remained soft at heart.

Second, Judah was where I felt this book fell somewhat short. Sometimes it felt like he was just there as either a father, lover or an accountant. Those were mostly what his plot contained. I just wish there a little more depth to him. Meaning his wants, needs and desires outside of Soledad and his kids.

The other trend I would also call out in this series are the kids being a mini villains (lol). In the last book it’s Deja blaming her mom for divorcing her dad and in this one it’s Inez blaming her mom’s boyfriend (and in turn her mom) for sending her dad to jail. I do think this book had less conflict than the first but it’s kind of sad to see the stereotypical daughters and moms not getting along because the daughter is a daddy’s girl. In this book Inez’s sisters kind of balanced it out however so it wasn’t overly dramatic.

Other than those two things, I really enjoyed the book. It definitely was made for readers to laugh, cry and feel the love between the characters. Overall, I enjoyed it and gave 4 stars because I could not put it down.

If women’s empowerment had a book track (like a soundtrack) in 2023 this text would be at the top of the soundtrack. This book was everything I didn’t know I needed. The FMC Soledad is betrayed by her husband Edward and has to start all over again financially, emotionally, and spiritually. She has to learn how trust the world again and most of all herself. She navigates her new world by focusing on love. The love she has for her children, the love she has for her late mother, her sisters, and her friends. The most difficult love for the FMC is the one she’s redeveloping for herself. Kennedy does an amazing job with making Soledad relatable and likable throughout the novel. You find yourself rooting for her and grateful that she has multiple soul mates throughout the text ( her friends, her budding love interest and the most important one herself). Judah is a loveable MMC who selflessly sacrifices for his twin sons and recognizes the love he has for Soledad is one that must grow and not be forced all while navigating being a parent of children with exceptionalities and making sacrifices. No one does hard topics like Kennedy. She wrote about autism, grief, divorce, and pain with such grace and care. This book was one of the best I read this year and I cannot wait for the third book in this series.

This Could Be Us is the second installment of the Skyland book series which follows Soledad’s journey toward self-healing and independence. Soledad is working toward a future for herself and her family, but is uncertain if she can truly trust herself. Her friends and family rally around her to make sure that she finds good footing. She doesn’t need a man, but finds a friend in Judah Cross, a single navigating parenthood of autistic children.

The biggest rub for me were points in the story when I had difficulty connecting with the characters.. In the author’s note, Kennedy Ryan speaks about wanting to write on the topic of autism with care and empathy. I think she achieves her goal with ease. However, there are times throughout the story where the writing on autism feels prescriptive or educational. During these moments I felt the most disengaged.

True to form, Ryan takes the reader on an emotional rollercoaster ride with This Could Be Us and allows the reader to imagine relationships that are not defined by societal expectations but solely by the persons involved.

True rating 3.25 stars

I’ve been awaiting this book! I love Kennedy Ryan! I loved the book color. Soledad is an amazing character. Despite the situation with her marriage she kept her head up for herself but more so for her daughters. She deserved all of her success because she definitely worked for it.

This book did not disappoint! The writing was immaculate and I could envision each character just from reading the words. The care that was taken in discussing the topic of autism was awe inspiring and miss Kennedy Ryan can do no wrong at this point. I will be rereading when I get my physical copy and listening when the audiobook is available because I simply couldn’t get enough.

amazing/phenomenal/did not want to stop reading for one single second once I started!!

Before I Let Go is one of my all-time favorite books so I was really excited for Soledad’s story and it did not disappoint. I was so invested right away and loved the autism rep with Judah’s twin sons and how he also began to understand himself better. And then Soledad’s journey of learning how to love and trust herself while raising her family, an absolute queen.

Beautiful cover and beautiful story. I found Before I let go wayy late but devoured the story in a day. This was no different! Soledad's story was beautiful told. Don't hesitate go get this!

5 stars! Finished this in 24 hours - thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the advanced reader copy!

I liked this story even more than Before I Let Go. I loved the Afrolatina and autism representation especially knowing Kennedy Ryan's personal experiences with autism. The plot was PLOTTING. My jaw dropped with every single revelation and development in part 1 (lets just say Edward put Soledad through some mess...no spoilers here)! It's clear in other romance novels when the relationship and the pining is the main story, but this was a good book all around. It was a slow burn without the miscommunication trope (thank god) and Soledad as a main character was so relatable. I absolutely loved the messages around boundaries, friendships, and found family. One quote that was so beautiful to me was, "there aren't enough sonnets for friendship. Not enough songs for the kind of love not born of blood or body but of time and care."

I also have to give a round of applause to Kennedy Ryan as an author. She puts so much care, research, and love into her stories. Her writing was already stellar but has improved so much, making this a 5 star read for me.

This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan follows the story of Soledad, who is married to Edward, and a mother to three teenaged daughters as her life feels like it is falling apart when her husband is arrested for embezzlement. Soledad goes on a journey of finding herself, and rediscovering who she is as a mother, daughter, sister, and friend... but also discovers Josiah Cross, who is a single father to two autistic teenage twin boys and happens to be the man who uncovered her husband's crimes.
This was one of the easiest five stars I have ever given, LOVED this book. Every single character (except u Edward) was so easily to love and three dimensional. The dialogue was incredibly natural, and it made these characters feel so real.

Soledad is one of my favorite book characters of all time. Her resilience and love for her children, family, and friends is unmatched. She's emotionally intelligent, and just so intelligent in general, and it was so easy to root for her, her success, and happiness from right in the beginning.


And Josiah??? You simply know this man was written by a woman, because he was so perfectly. He was smart, kind, patient, romantic, compassionate. The things this man was syaing had me BLUSHING and kicking my feet you guys... he is top notch, and perfection.
And this book was special because I feel like it captured so many different kinds of love so well - between parent child relationships, romantic relationships, love between friends, like I felt all that pouring through the pages and it was incredibly well done.
You guys have to pick this one up, I was hooked from page 1 all the way through the end, which wasn't that long because I loved it so much I read the entire thing very fast. GREAT read I would highly recommend it.

THIS COULD BE US by Kennedy Ryan is the second book in the Skyland Series. I cannot say enough that Kennedy Ryan is an auto purchase author for me, full stop. This book is a slow-burn romance where we meet Soladad again and Judah. Soledad was introduced in the first book, Before I Let You Go, and she is the best friend of Yasmen and a housewife to Edward.

Our first introduction to Soledad in this book shows her crumbling marriage. Her husband, Edward, and Soledad are headed to his annual Christmas event and are in the middle of a mini-argument. Soledad has a sixth sense that something isn't right in her marriage. She's unsure what it is, but she wants to resolve it. The audience sees right away that Edward is selfish and self-serving.

Soledad is right; there is something amiss. I dont want to spoil it, but it wouldn't be a romance between Judah and Soledad if she stayed married to Edward. After Soledad's divorce, she does a self-reflection and decides to work on her. Making space for yourself is a self-partnering concept I've never heard of. You're treating yourself just like you would a person you were dating. This means that Soledad intentionally was more nurturing, caring, and understanding toward herself. She also became a social media influencer to care for her three daughters.

When we meet Judah, he's in the middle of an amicable divorce, and he is planning, with his soon-to-be ex-wife, joint custody of their two twins who have autism. You immediately get insight into the type of father Judah is and how he sacrifices for the ones he loves. Judah is my favorite person in the novel and easily was added to the ranks of book boyfriends. The twins live with Judah five days out of the week, and he's juggling family life and a budding interest in a colleague's wife- Soledad.

Throughout the tumult of a messy separation- and other things that would spoil the book-Judah is there for Soledad. He gives freely his time, care, patience, and, ultimately, love. He is thoughtful, considerate, and kind of stalkerish- while Soeldad is self-partnering, he follows her on social media and tries to support her business with purchases and online views.

Soledad and Judah both have so much in common but are also different. She is more outgoing, and he's a self-proclaimed introvert. Both are devoted parents who sacrifice for others, even if it neglects their happiness. Both have a belief that there is more than casual sex; sex has meaning for these characters.

My one criticism is that it is TRULY a slow burn. While Soledad is in this self-reflection and finding herself, there are gaps in time spent together. I got to 56% of the way into the book; before they even kiss, Soledad is really anxious about whether this is what she wants to do right now. Should Kennedy have given more than nine months after her divorce before these two met each other again? It may be better to classify this book as a woman's fiction instead of a romance. I dont know.

Kennedy is the queen of pairing couples whose interest and love for each other is there, and outside forces are what work to keep them apart. The reader sees a clear view of a story of two people meant to be together. This novel demonstrates serendipity at its finest. It weaves of tell of what it means to meet the right person at the wrong time and how you navigate falling in love when you don't think you can love anymore.

Thank you, NetGalley and Forever Grand Publishing, for this advanced reader copybook. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I just reviewed This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan. #ThisCouldBeUs #NetGalley
www.netgalley.com

5/5

This was an absolute page turner! I could not put it down, Kennedy Ryan did it again! Her words came alive and played out like a movie in my mind as I read. I love how the author also provides a glimpse into a life of autism. This Could Be Us is book #2 in the Skyland Series, the first being Before I Let Go which is a slow more emotional read about Yasmen. Soledad was my favorite character in Before I Let Go (my least favorite being Deja, but I was most curious about Hendrix). I was thrilled to learn This Could Be Us would focus around Soledad! I was not disappointed, it was an exciting rollercoaster ride I did not want to end. The books can be read independently of each other but there are a few spoilers, or updates on where Yasmen’s life is now. This is hands down one of my favorite fiction reads of 2023.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley #ThisCouldBeUs

This was such a highly anticipated read for me considering I ADORED before I let go earlier this year, which only makes this review even more disappointing. I can’t say I particularly cared for this book. The romance was completely underutilized and underdeveloped, which made the whole thing 1) super insta-lusty and 2) took too long to actually happen. I felt no chemistry between these two characters and as the romance took a backseat in this book, the story itself was not enough to redeem the story for me

I absolutely loved Before I let go, so when my friends told me that book 2 in this interconnected stand-alone series was available on NetGalley as read now, I had to get it!!

First of all, I love the representation in this book of an adult on the spectrum, I don’t think I’ve read many of these.
Second, Kennedy Ryan’s writing is fantastic.
And third, as a caribbean girly myself, I approve of the machete.

This could be us (4⭐️) although it did lose me at certain moments was an enjoyable read that kept me thinking about the story whenever I had to put the book down. I did wish to see a bit more of Soledad’s journey and struggles right after IT happened, but maybe that’s just me being a sadist idk 🤷🏽‍♀️

In this book, Soledad had to navigate through different topics like self love, reinventing yourself and learning how to move on, all the while taking care of 3 kids…whew 😅 want to know how she did it? Read the book to find out (pub date: March 5th, 2024)

Thank you Netgalley and Kennedy Ryan for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a satisfying and smoldering, slow-burn romance. Follow Soledad and Judah as she picks up the pieces of her life and he patiently pursues her as they navigate their own roads of healing and growth.

This book was such a beautiful and authentic story for so many reasons. It was thoughtful and compelling, filled with grief, renewal, and hope. There was so much representation in this book-- for parents of children with autism (as well as individuals with autism), for Black Latina women, for children of incarcerated parents. These stories are not included in the romance genre. They just aren't. Kennedy Ryan does such an incredible job of developing dynamic and worthy characters in which each character's story matters deeply and pulls at your heart.

This book was so readable that I devoured it! Thank you Kennedy Ryan, Forever, and NetGalley for this e-ARC! I highly recommend this book as well as its predecessor, Before I Let Go.

This book was everything in more. I know this book will be deemed a romance by many, and it definitely is, but it feel like so much more than that. I absolutely loved the development between Soldedad and Judah, but I believe that Soledad journey in loving herself and building her life back up after so much betrayal and deception was so inspiring. Self love is not a linear process and while that is something that Soledad felt conflicted about at times, she really showed amazing growth in the end and choosing her happiness. I absolutely loved her and I feel like she is my favorite heroine of all time at this moment. Kennedy Ryan is amazing at writing resiliant women and I love that representation in her book.

I also really adored Judah, not only for his place in Soledad's life, but even on his own. He showed up as a great father, a great partner to his ex-wife, and respectful love interest to Soledad. He was all around a stand up guy.

One of the many things that I love about Kennedy Ryan is how intentional she is in her writing. You can tell that she does her research to ensure that when she does write about certain subjects and communities that she does it with great respect. In this book, Judah's sons are autistic. She makes note of her own personal experience, but also understands that everyones experience with autism is not linear. I think she did a great job in representing the spectrum in a way that doesn't demean the community. It gave great insight to people like me who aren't completely familiar.

Overall, this is a 5/5 star book for me.

Thank you to NetGally and Grand Central Publishing/Forever Publishing for this ARC in exchange for review.

*4.5

Kennedy Ryan truly knows how to write a romance that can make me laugh out loud on one page and then have me holding back tears on another. The first book in the Skyland series, Before I Let Go, was one of my favorite books of 2022 and I was beyond excited when I received an eARC NetGalley for the next book!

The story follows Soledad as her life is completely upended when it's discovered her husband has been stealing millions of dollars from his work and is sent to prison for his crimes. Soledad has to pull herself together to make sure her daughters don't lose the only home they've known while also trying to keep food on the table. Soledad uses her expertise in domestic duties, hosting, cleaning, and cooking to launch a career for herself and finding herself along the way. But of course this is a romance novel and when the man she shouldn't want but cannot stop thinking about, she has to learn how to trust herself again when it comes to romantic love.

Now while this is definitely a romance book, the story really does have a strong component of a woman realizing her true worth outside of a marriage, finding what her true aspirations are, and learning to love yourself completely. Kennedy Ryan did a fantastic job of showing Soledad's journey through her divorce and learning to actually take something for herself for once instead of just focusing on what others need from her.

I didn't give this the full 5 stars because I really wish we would've gotten more time with Soledad and her romantic love interest in the book (I'm not going to say who because it kind of is a surprise and once you learn WHY he's "forbidden" its all makes sense why being with him would be complicated for Soledad).

Reading the author's note at the beginning of the book about why Kennedy Ryan was hesitant to write this story because it closely ties to her life as a parent with an autistic child was incredibly thoughtful and heartwarming. You can tell Kennedy Ryan cares deeply about portraying this experience correctly and I think she did an amazing job.