Thank you, Forever, NetGalley, and Kennedy Ryan for this early review copy! What a moving, emotional, healing journey to go on, alongside Soledad. Kennedy's writing is lyrical and lush and evocative. I can't wait for Hen's story next!!

Content notes: loss of a parent to cancer (in past but frequently discussed in present because a fellow mom friend of Soledad's is battling cancer), infidelity, emotional abuse.

As a parent of a neurodivergent child, those parts hit me in the heart. They were so accurate and I have never before seen my world in a fiction book. For that I am so grateful.

I also loved the story and how it had so much strength and resilience when life pretty much fell apart. I truly appreciated that it wasn’t ‘just’ a romance but had true growth in order to get to the romance part.

Kennedy Ryan always delivers poignant novels that blend romance and relevant and topical plot lines. I am always getting heroes to love, heroines to connect with, and a story that makes you believe in love while also pondering issues need discussed in our current society. Her voices is one of the best of our time!

I first downloaded this book while going through cancer treatment and only recently realized, after purchasing my own, I had an ARC. I can’t say enough about this amazing book. I did not think the 2nd in the Skyland series could be better than Before I Let Go but I was indeed wrong. As Soledad grapples with the fallout of her divorce, witnessing her resilience and determination to rebuild her life on her own terms, was beautiful to see. Another aspect I truly enjoyed with This Could Be Us is the friendship between Soledad, Yasmin, and Hendrix. Their friendship is an important storyline too. They are such an amazing and supportive group of friends. I love how they show up for each other with so much compassion as one friend navigates one of the toughest moments of her life. Through Soledad's story, we're reminded of the importance of self-discovery and reclaiming our power after experiencing such betrayal. Soledad's journey serves as a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of love, especially for oneself.

Of course, she did it again. Thank you netgalley for this arc because man oh man did i love this one. It is a complicated one filled with a lot of grief and complication, but at its core it’s about self love. something that i love to focus on and i think is so important. i loved this one so much, i’m so blown away. i literally might get a hornet tattooed on me. I loved this. thank you, kennedy ryan. cannot wait for hendrix’s story and to be in this world again.

If there is one thing Kennedy Ryan knows how to do it is hook me in with her heartfelt words. I was so excited to get to this book after reading Before I let go and I was not disappointed. It's crazy how much you can put your trust in people only for them to be your worst downfall. I understood every decision Soledad made and I gave her a lot of grace for her fear about starting a new relationship in the face of all she went through. She had a lot of growth to go through on her own but I appreciate how much support Judas gave her in this new journey. It was such a precious story and I absolutely cannot wait to get to Hendrix's story!

I was excited to read the follow up to “Before I Let Go”, I thought the story was interesting enough. Soledad got on my nerves at times with her “dating herself” stance, but then I felt like she was playing with Judah’s feelings. I took away a star because of how Edward’s storyline ended. I’ll just say that, so I won’t spoil it for anyone. I’d read the next story though!

Overall, Kennedy Ryan is a great author and I enjoy reading her work even though I normally read mystery and thrillers!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this book (as expected, it came from my all time favorite author). I saw soooo much of myself in Soledad and I love how Kennedy really allowed a lot of time to pass between Soledad life being upended and the couple getting together. It made it more realistic. I also like how self-partnering was incorporated and this book became a love letter to Soledad and her journey and went far beyond just being a romance story between the couple.

The writing of course was as always flawless and beautifully crafted.

4.5 stars

This story follows a woman who realizes her husband isn’t being faithful and now she has to keep the roof over her family’s head. A man begins to enter the picture but she doesn’t know if she could trust herself. I really enjoyed this book. This is the 2nd in the series but you don’t have to read the first book. I was hooked from the beginning of this book. Kennedy did an amazing job writing the story of a woman whose life changed in a second. The story shows woman’s power and I was all here for it. I do wish we got more of Soledad’s respect from the people. Kennedy handled the topics of autism, love, and betrayal so well. I learned so much from this story.

This book is told from Soledad and Judas’s pov. Soledad is recently divorced after a huge betrayal and must protect her family. I really enjoyed her character and seeing her develop and heal. She’s a wonderful role model who never gave up and I loved her for that. Then there is Judas who is such a sweetheart and knows that Soledad is the one for him. He’s supporting and never rushed Soledad. There are also many side characters in this book and most of them I absolutely loved. The romance is friends to lovers, forbidden love, and slow burn. This book had the slowest of the slow burn and let me tell you I waited so long for the couple to end up together. I understood that Soledad was healing but the tension and chemistry was high.

The ending was well done but towards the end, I kind of kind got a bit bored of the story. The book felt very long since it dealt with a lot of healing and the romance was rushed at the end. I think the book should have been a bit shorter but that’s just my perspective. Overall, I really enjoyed the story and recommend checking it out.

*this arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

A beautiful, complex story. A ton of emotions and great diverse representation. A very strong fmc that had a huge growth in this journey.

Kennedy Ryan truly never misses for me. I can always trust her to write a hard-hitting contemporary romance that features flawed characters who feel authentic. It is always so evident to me that she cares about the topics she includes in her stories and This Could Be Us was no exception.

Admittedly, the romance wasn't as strong for me as the one in Before I Let Go but I think that just comes down to the nature of the relationship. Soledad has her walls up, for good reason, and while it was frustrating to see her resist her feelings for Judah, I understood her.

I cannot wait for the third book in this series!

Kennedy Ryan does it again! This book knows how to tear a reader apart and put them back together again. I love the interwoven structure between the main characters from Before I Let Go and into This Could Be Us.
This easily could be one of the top reads of this year. I love a good book with twists and turns and this one delivered! I love the connection between Sole and Judah. There's a lot of heartache that I feel gets glossed over with a *short* time jump, but Kennedy Ryan always showcases the healing process. She does glitter some of the grieving process but more through Sole's kids than with Soledad herself.
I also love the mental health representation as well as the journey we get from Judah with his sons who both are neurotypical and autistic. Not only do the readers get to cheer on Judah and his amazing single-father tendencies, but we also get the kind of dad that SHOWS UP not only for his kids but for the women in his life. Finally a book that shows co-parenting done right!
This book is healthy for the soul. Even the drama included in this story is healthy, haha.
I would recommend this book to a million people and more!
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Kennedy Ryan has done it again! I absolutely adore her writing style and she will always be at the top of my must read list of authors.

If you want to be broken and then somehow put back together with excellent writing, lovable characters and a story that will stick with you forever, this one is for you.

This Could Be Us is the second book in the Skyland series by author Kennedy Ryan. Fear not my non series loving friends- this can be read as a stand alone but honestly, you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t read Before I Let Go as well.

It took me a bit to get into this one as I was a little nervous to dive into Soledad’s story. Many of the trigger warnings in the author’s note are concerns in my private life that can be especially painful. However, reading This Could Be Us felt therapeutic. Were tears shed? Absolutely. But my emotions felt validated more than triggered.

To keep things to the point- this book is wonderful. Soledad’s strength as a mother and dedication to remain true to herself during unthinkable times made for an amazing journey.

The friend group of Soledad, Yasmen and Hendrix are truly special as are the men they choose to love (except Edward- KICK ROCKS EDWARD). Kennedy does a beautiful job weaving the notion of found family and community as well as valuing the family you were born into.

And Judah. Oh my sweet Judah. There are no words that I am capable of writing that can do this man justice. Thank you Ms. Kennedy for the gift of Judah Cross. I am forever in your debt.

Thank you @readforeverpub for my eARC and the opportunity to spend more time in the gorgeous world of Skyland. This Could Be Us is available now!

Perfection!

Everything Kennedy Ryan writes is gold! Platinum!

As the grandmother of an autistic child, I learned so much about children on the spectrum from this book. How it truly takes a village to support the child(ren) involved and what divorce and lies can truly do to a family!

Every character in this story has a side story that ties this story together in typical Kennedy Ryan fashion. If you loved Before I Let Go, be ready for this story!

As always, Kennedy Ryan just knows how to write the most emotional romances that feel heart wrenching, hopeful, joyful, and real all at once. I don’t know if I loved this or Before I Let Go more. I think they’re pretty equal in my mind, and they’re both standout, 5 star reads for me!!!

Thank you so much @ReadForeverBooks for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 05 March 2024)

SYNOPSIS | Soledad is picking up the pieces of her life after her husband is sent to jail. She never thought her marriage would end the way that it did or that she would have to be the sole financial provider for her family.

WHAT I LIKED:
- the themes of learning to love yourself before committing to a relationship
- the authors ability to get you invested in her characters so quickly
- normalizing non-traditional families
- a rich book exploring the complexities of relationships, motherhood, autism and self-discovery after divorce

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- whilst Soladad & Judah have known each other for a while, I didn't feel like they had enough on-page time together to really KNOW each other
- this felt more like women's fiction than a true romance
- the pacing overall didn't work for me (the romance finally comes in at the 70% mark)

DNF at 52%

No one is more disappointed than me at where I have ended up with this book. I truly adore Kennedy Ryan's ability to craft a love story that feels true to life in all of its wonderful complexity and I have been looking forward to Soledad's story since Before I Let Go.

This Could Be Us has all of the hallmarks of a Ryan romance - great characters, messy life events, thorny relationships, and well-researched representation. One of my favorite parts of this book, in fact, was the beautiful relationship between Judah and his twin autistic sons Adam and Aaron. Judah's unconditional love for his boys and the little family that they have built with his ex-wife and her new husband was just sensational.

However, what absolutely killed me was the pacing of the romance plot itself. I completely understand that both characters need to go through individual growth in order to ultimately find each other, but it moves at an unbelievably glacial pace. That, contrasted with just how deep the couple's feelings are towards each other, left things feeling repetitious and bland. I knew that it was time to DNF when I could feel myself actively finding other things to do so that I wouldn't have to read this.

That being said, I think this is just a trope combination and structure that didn't appeal to me versus the author not being for me. I would gladly read more from Ryan and even from this series in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Kennedy Ryan is the queen of my heart!

All her books are amazing, and that’s just the honest truth. She continually writes so many empowering black characters, and it’s phenomenal. I could not put this book down and I highly recommend it!! She has a way with books and this was so heartfelt and sweet… I can talk about it for days!