Member Reviews

Much like the first book, I liked this one.

The book centers around two characters that seem like very real people with real people problems. Soledad realizes that she wants more from her marriage and her life so far, and Judah has to learn how to let love in while being a caretaker to his twin boys on the spectrum, which in itself is a full time job. Which brings me to what Ryan does so well which is making her characters so real and relatable. Anyone familiar with dealing with loved ones on the spectrum will appreciate Ryan’s depiction of it (she has a son on the spectrum).

Ryan does such a good job of showing the time, care and expense involved with it. I also appreciated how even though they were twins, they had different manifestations of it. While Ryan never explicity mentioned it, I did like the insinuation that Judah himself is just realizing that he might also be on the spectrum.

Was this review helpful?

ALL THE STARS. Kennedy Ryan can do no wrong.

After absolutely DYING over Before I Let Go I knew I had to get my hands on book 2 of the Skyland series.

Edward is the scum of the earth and Judah is a literal saint. The autism rep, the emotions, the journey to self rediscovery and knowing your worth. Everything is just perfect. Kennedy does it again!!!

Was this review helpful?

As always with Kennedy Ryan’s books, THIS COULD BE US is about so much more than romance. It’s about one woman’s journey to self-realization, acceptance, and love, and becoming the best version of herself above all else. It’s about the family (sisterhood!!), blood and chosen, who are unwaveringly present and supportive without toxicity or ego. And it’s about finding a love that willingly and totally compliments the new life and community she’s built without expectation of being the center of it.

Was this review helpful?

When I read Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan I feel in love with Soledad’s character and had an instant dislike for her trifling behind husband. It is due to those strong feelings I was overjoyed when Soledad was announced as the next leading lady for the series. Netgalley allowed me the opportunity to receive a Digital Advanced Reader Copy and the Review bellow contains spoilers:

Soledad and Judah have quickly become some of my favorite leading characters. Both have come from broken marriages and are trying to navigate what life looks like on the other side. Unfortunately the two have an instant attraction that is hampered by Soledad’s marriage to her trifling husband Edward. This situation quickly becomes fraught because Judah is the forensic accountant that uncovers a multi-million dollar embezzlement scheme that Soledad’s soon to be cheating ex-husband is responsible for. From this situation, with the support of some amazingly well written friends and family the two learn how to fit into each other’s live. This book also center some extremely well written parent and child relationships. Judah especially shines in these tender moments while navigating raising his autistic sons. Adam and Aaron provided so many tender moments as they worked together to balance each other and their diagnosis. Soledad on the other hand learns how to navigate being a single mom to three very opinionated little girls. Ms. Ryan gave the readers a look into a family dynamic that I have first hand knowledge of, the plight of the “married single mother”. Seeing Soledad and Judah blend their lives together while understand their limits was an amazing and I look forward to seeing what will happen next with Soledad, Yasmen and Hendrix.

Was this review helpful?

Kennedy Ryan does it again. I'm not surprised she wrote another amazing book with a strong heroine and a hero to swoon over. Also I loved the autism representation in this book.

Was this review helpful?

Kennedy Ryan knows how to write real life experiences so well in books. Before I Let Go was one of my favorite books last year, and this book was really good as well. I liked that both our characters were divorced, and it was interesting to add the whole Embezzlement of it all. I loved how much care Kennedy took in writing characters who are on the autism spectrum. This was a beautiful book as always and I feel like the next book in this series is going to be about Cora, which I am excited about.

Was this review helpful?

4/5

This book was everything I wanted it to be and more! Before I Let Go was already one of my favorite reads of the year and I fell in love with Soledad, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one.

As alluded to in the synopsis, Soledad’s marriage suddenly collapses at the beginning of the book. Obviously that’s not an easy thing to go through, especially with kids, so I’m grateful there was a bit of a time jump so Soledad could have some time to process in peace.

As a fellow accountant, I absolutely adored Judah! He was so patient and kind, but was also straightforward and clear about what he wanted. I also loved how well he coparented his two sons with his ex and I think he was the perfect match for Soledad.

My only critique is that I do think the relationship moved a bit fast once they started getting together and I wasn’t entirely convinced of how serious they were, but of course I loved them together anyway!

Was this review helpful?

Kennedy Ryan knows how to reach inside of your chest & rip your heart out while simultaneously giving it a warm hug. Her writing is incredible.

Love the emotional growth & depth in this one. She did a great job exploring the intricacies of self love, female friendships, & motherhood.


Thank you to the author, publisher, & to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Was this review helpful?

Soledad’s perfect life is turned upside down at the drop of a hat when she discovers her husband has been up to some shady stuff. Now she has to rebuild her life and figure out how to provide for her children.

Kennedy Ryan has such a beautiful way with words - her story telling is phenomenal, her characters are deep, and every single book I’ve read of hers has been a 5 star read. This Could Be Us was particularly captivating because we have a bit of suspense and mystery when it comes to her husband’s actions, we have the inspiring story of a woman rebuilding her life and finding a new way forward for herself and her family, and then we have the best slow burn romance that was so full of chemistry I was dying for it to finally happen. What a truly incredible book.

Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Was this review helpful?

Kennedy Ryan strikes again, this time with the story of Soledad, continuing the Skyland series.

I think what I really enjoyed with having Soledad as the next book was the focus on self-love and finding oneself as a theme.
I finished this book within one day (not uncommon for me with KR books). Soledad's transformation after being wronged by someone that she sacrificed so much for is a relatable topic for so many of us day to day!

Having to rediscover oneself after having a certain identity for so long while still trying to enjoy the pleasantries of life - whew. Relatable to many of my friends. To receive the love you want and most importantly, deserve, you have to love yourself first

I loved this book from beginning to end. Hendrix's story next? Man, I can't wait.

Was this review helpful?

🧠MY THOUGHTS: After reading Before I Let Go (and loving it) earlier this year, I was so excited to read the second book in this series. I love Soledad and I loved reading her story. Kennedy Ryan does such a great job of writing these characters to feel so real and relatable, even if you don't relate to the specific situation. I didn't love it quite as much as Before I Let Go, but I still really enjoyed this one and can't wait to read Hendrix's story next!
-
WHAT I LIKED
📱I just loved Soledad as a character so much and seeing her growth throughout the story felt so empowering.
🏡I love that these characters are a little bit older and have kids. I just feel like this age of characters gives them so much more depth since they have had so much more life experience.
😍Judah was amazing
❤️ Even though I loved the romance, I feel like this book really leaned into the friendship between Soledad, Hendrix, and Yasmen, and reading about strong female friendships is so nice.
🔥 The perfect amount of sweet and steamy
-
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
📚It did feel like it took just a little too long for the romance to get started for me. I can appreciate a slow burn, but it felt like we really didn't get to see much interaction between Soledad and Judah at all until after the 50% mark.
📱I've realized that I don't think I like following influencers in books, but that's me just being picky.

Was this review helpful?

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚

Kennedy Ryan does it again!

Have you ever had a book that made you cry but you also learned things along the way and felt like you were growing as a person along with the characters? That’s this book right here!

I really didn’t think I’d love It Could Be Us as much as the first book in the series, Before I Let Go. But I was wrong – both books are equally fantastic. Somehow Kennedy takes people who are broken and hurting and walks us through their journey of growth and self discovery and love. Her characters are rich and multi-faceted and the drama in this one was off the charts. I cried, I laughed, I learned. Just beautiful!

This book was all about learning to love yourself first and I found it profound and life affirming. Also, the romance is top tier (we love a competent and starchy MMC!) and there’s plenty of spice. I’ll definitely be reading whatever this author writes next!

Was this review helpful?

I've read a couple of Kennedy Ryan's books now and I have to say I really enjoy them. She gives us real characters with real life problems and enough stressors to really add to the plot.

I enjoyed Sol so much in this book. Forced to go through what no one should ever, she has her very real moments of self-pity and grief but for the most part, she picks herself up and moves on. I cannot fathom finding out the man you've shared your life with for nearly two decades is not at all the person you thought. He's betrayed her and their daughters in every way possible. He's left her destitute to clean up his destruction. Which she does admirably.

Judah. What a man. Challenged with two autistic sons, he still manages a great relationship with his ex and a career as CFO of a large company. He's such a mix of math nerd, accounting geek, sweet man and great father. He's the one who exposed Sol's husband which adds all kinds of problems to any potential relationship. I loved watching him with Sol and with his kids.

Sol and her friends are perfect. As is her relationship with her sisters. It's so encouraging to see women who 100% support each other.

This story is full of everyday life challenges and horrific unexpected problems and the telling of these people's lives is well done.

This is another great read from Ms. Ryan!

Thanks the the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Was this review helpful?

Soledad and Judah were cute. I enjoyed finally getting into Soledad's story and seeing her get what she deserves.
Hats off to Mrs. Ryan for her phenomenal job representing the Autism Community

Was this review helpful?

I'm very late with this review but I enjoyed the book. Loved the characters. Judah was a dream. I'm glad for the closure in the epilogue. All the characters were mature in how they handled things . The family dynamic was also very sweet

Was this review helpful?

Before I Let Go was one of my favorite romances of 2023. This Could Be Us was a great second book in the series. I love how the author portrayed all the different characters. So many difficult relationships and difficult characters. Kennedy Ryan does a beautiful job of writing characters that are in difficult places in their lives.

Was this review helpful?

I don’t think i enjoyed this one more than the first but it was still a good read and I’d totally recommend this series to a friend!

Was this review helpful?

rating: ★★★★.5

I know I’m like extremely behind posting this…let me be great 🤣 but no fr, y’all I may have had a lil rough patch with reading for a while. I switched to the audiobook and still didn’t finish til over a month later lol. we finally made it though 😂


anyway, this book was so good y’all!! Sol and Judah >>>

Sol’s journey was so beautiful. she went through some hard times but I think she came out on the other side even better. dating herself and falling in love with herself first was amazing and a really good decision I believe. I can see why her followers thought so as well. shoot, maybe I’ll steal a few of her ideas lol.

Judah is a GOOD man. he’s probably my fave KR mmc so far. the way he loved and cared for his sons was soooo amazing. the way he cared for and loved on Sol?! whew. his patience and kindness…yeah. he’s really HIM.

shoutout to Tremaine + Kent.

middle finger to Edward.


thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this book 🩷 even though I didn’t finish before the release date lol

side note: that strawberry-lemon prosecco sangria and those ooey-gooey brownies are what I’d like to try the most from the recipes!

Was this review helpful?

Blew through this one and really enjoyed it! Loved Soledad and Judah (what a man 😮‍💨). Kennedy really does right some of the best men. Judah for sure has been added to my book bf list. Sol’s journey to loving herself and landing on her feet for her family was super inspiring.

The drama in this one had me fully invested… even though Edward is an absolute slime ball. I think I would’ve liked to see into some of the closed door convos Sol had with her daughters regarding this situation, things just unfolded so quickly.

Loved the relationships both MCs had with their children and seeing them come together made my heart so happy. It felt like Sol and Judah’s relationship was a bit rushed and insta-lovey, would’ve liked more build up, exploration, and tension but I’m so happy they both found HEAs bc they deserved it 👏👏

Was this review helpful?

I LOVE THIS UNIVERSE. I LOVE KENNEDY RYAN. I am so glad she's getting as popular as she is, because she deserves all the bright shining stars :')

This book follows a side character from BEFORE I LET GO, the Mama Bear, very Put Together girlie, Soledad Barnes. When shit finally hits the fan with her skumbag hubby, Soledad goes into overdrive to keep her kids and herself afloat. Then, she comes across Judah Cross.... and sparks freaking fly!

Judah and Soledad have so much beautiful chemistry, and their journey together as they navigate parenthood, learning to trust, etc... will absolutely pull on your heartstrings. I have to give it to Ms Ryan, because her couplings tend not to fit the "tropes" that I typically go for in a romance... but she's just so talented and I end up rooting so hard for Judah and Soledad :') This one's going to be a hard one to top, but I cannot wait for the next installment in this lil corner of the Skyland community!

Was this review helpful?