There is absolutely nothing wrong I could say about this book. If I could give it infinite stars, I would. Kennedy Ryan did an exemplary job with this story. I loved that the primary focus of this story wasn't the romance, as it was the journey to self-love after being told you're not good enough.

Soledad Charles is an exemplary character and I wish we had more characters in the romance community like her. She wasn't scared of the what if's, she fought with everything she had to give her children the best she could after their father was sent to jail. She didn't victimize herself, which was refreshing. I also loved the Boricua representation in this book. The way food and holidays were presented was very accurate and it made me feel close to home. Judah was another exemplary character. I adored the way he was with his kids, the relationship he still had with their mother and the way that she treated Soledad. It was beautiful seeing how she didn't push her into giving in to the relationship and how he didn't expect more than she could give.

Overall an excellent book.

I LOVED this book. I loved the journey Soledad took in this book for self love. I felt empowered for her. Adding the second chance romance trope and I was enthralled. There was the right amount of spice and a heartfelt story.

Judah was a dreamy book boyfriend. It was so amazing how he was with his two autistic sons and even his ex wife. This is book two in the series but can easily be read as a standalone.

Thank you so much to @talesfromthetash for raving about this one early on and putting it on my radar. You summed this book up well ‘This one’s for the girls’. I always loved chatting books with you. 🕊️

Thank you so much to @netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review on this incredible book.

KENNEDY RYAN SLAYS, EVERY SINGLE TIME. I have been feral for Soledad's story since we met her in Before I Let Go, and Ms. Ryan DOES NOT LET US DOWN. This Could Be Us is *chefs kiss* perfection, start to finish.

Soledad is so strong in the face of complete upheaval. Her husband (soon to be ex-husband) is arrested and charged with embezzlement, and that turns out to just be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his deception. After being a stay-at-home-mom for years, Soledad suddenly becomes a single working mom, responsible for providing for herself and her three daughters, trying to keep their lives as balanced as possible. I loved watching her grow into herself throughout the book. Judah is the ultimate book boyfriend--and dad, and ex. He's basically an incredible human being, and I love him so much. He and his ex-wife share custody of their twin boys, both of whom are autistic. Their relationship as exes is incredible, and the way they support each other is wonderful to see. His relationships with his boys? *insert melting emoji here* And somehow, he even makes accounting sexy.

The autism representation is fabulous. In her author's note, Ms. Ryan discusses her son and his diagnosis, and her desire to represent those on the autism spectrum with care and compassion. She nails it. It obviously won't reflect everyone's experiences, since autism is such a wide spectrum of lived experiences, but I saw bits and pieces of all the autistic people I love in the boys, and in Judah, to some extent as well.

If you want a romance that is swoony, steamy AF, and brimming with emotion, that shines a spotlight on the strength and resilience of women, then you neeeeeeeeeeed to read This Could Be Us. There are so many layers to the story, so much depth to Soledad and Judah's journeys--you won't want to put it down. I read it in a single day.

I love my BOTM subscription for introducing me to authors, like Kennedy Ryan, that I may not have come across otherwise. I very much enjoyed this second installment of the Skyland series, although I think I identified with Before I Let Go more than this one. I considered dropping a star because I read the whole book expecting the recipe for the "viral vinaigrette" at the end and it wasn't there...what a letdown! This was a great glimpse into loving someone with autism.

I was looking forward to this after reading Before I Let Go.! And my anticipation was rewarded with another amazing, yet different love story. In Soledad we get a strong, passionate woman who triumphs while navigating her new life without the family dynamic that she was used to. Most important is not the love she ultimately finds with a wonderful man, but the love she finds for herself! That is the greatest lesson of all in this book. I love it here in Skyland. Can't wait to see how Hendrix's story unfolds in the next volume!

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys women's fiction with a touch of romance. It's a great story of resilience, family, and love and self-love, and I found it to be a really enjoyable read. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future, I especially can't wait for Hendrix's book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I ADORED this book! I deeply appreciated the autism representation + I think the author did a great job at showing the ups + downs of being a parent to an autistic child. The love between Judah + Soledad was so real + raw! You just couldn't help but root for them. This book was so much more then just a romance. These characters will stick with me for a long time. Also f edward...that man was the worst.

"She loves an undeserving man. It's a sorrow most women experience at some point in their lives, whether it's a father who neglects or a son who forgets or a husband who betrays."

Kennedy Ryan is such an amazing storyteller. The best stories teach lessons. She is a teacher of thought and care. Her writing opens us up for understanding and growth. She incorporates real life hiccups.
What screams out to me in this book are the lessons of self-love, self awareness, self-worth, respect and patience. Soledad lost her self in her marriage. What she brought to the table was downplayed by the one she thought loved her. Her wings were clipped as a result. It takes the unveiling of deception for her to start the process of recovering herself. This book is about sisterhood and allowing your village to support you and help the healing process.
The family dynamic of Judah is how things are meant to flow. They exhibited a continuity of love that made them highly effectual in the care of their boys. The love and mutual respect was functional.
Judah learned so much about himself through his boys. The lessons continue.....
Him redefining what a relationship should be for Soledad was priceless.
The glimpse into the lives of parents with autistic children was so eye opening. The most precious part of the story. It guides to yielding for understanding. It deserves a read simply for that alone.

I was rooting for Soledad and Judah. I wasn't disappointed in the least. I expected the recipes at the end. Who doesn't love a good recipe. But the additional conversation piece was everything....IYKYK
Very thoughtful and thought provoking writing. Patiently(not so much) waiting for book 3.

Kennedy Ryan will forever be that girl!!! She has an amazing ability to craft a world that feels romantic and new but yet familiar which makes her contemporary romance novels stand out. I enjoyed the first install in this series tremendously and I did enjoy this book as well. Overall you find your self rooting for the MC and FMC in this book. Judah our MC character is passionate, kind, and strong … I truly enjoyed reading his and Soledad’s love story. At times I felt pulled out of that world because the pacing felt a bit slow. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Forever Grand Central Publishing for the digital arc !
Final Rating 3.50

Kennedy Ryan does it again with another heartfelt story, I loved getting to know Soledad better. Appreciated the love and representation of latin community and really liked the pace and flow of the story. As always her writing made me emotional more than once. What a gem of an author truly

thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review

kennedy's writing never ceases to amaze me. i would read her grocery list if asked. i still don't even know if I had words to describe the love I have for Kennedy Ryan, her books or her characters. i think every one needs to read these 2 specifically because it's lifechanging for women!

OMG This is probably one of my favorite reads of the year!! I was hooked and couldn't put it down! We were first introduced to Soledad in the first book in the Skyland series " Before I let Go" she was one of Yasmeen's two best friend. We only got a glimpse of what was going on in her marriage and something off about her husband. Well in this second installment you get the FULL picture. Soledad's husband is THEE WORST. I literally felt like punching him in the first few pages, but she overcomes it. This is a story of a woman who finds her self, learns to love herself before allowing herself to love again! Even when she meets handsome Judah Cross and both are falling hard for each other Soledad wants to make sure she doesn't lose herself again like she did in her marriage. I love how Ryan gives tribute to bell hooks book " All about love" that helps Soledad on her journey. I love how the power of friendship is portrayed with the 3 best friends and the bond Soledad has with her sisters. And Judah cross is a dream of a man especially in how dedicated he is to his two autistic sons, Highly recommend!! Go get this book

I really really wanted to like This Could Be Us as much as I liked the first in this series but I did not. At times it felt like a non fiction story with how wooden the conversations were at times. I felt no love between the main characters and just never got into the story.

Thanks, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), for the early review copy via NetGalley.

I raved about Ryan’s first book in her Syland series (named for an area of Atlanta, GA, where the stories take place), so much at my IRL book club that three members bought a copy before we even left the table. Book 2 is even better.

Soledad commanded attention even as a secondary character in BEFORE I LET GO. Resourceful and creative, she is more magician than “domestic goddess,” more MacGyver than “mother.” She put herself last to support her successful husband and talented daughters. But when her husband betrays her (on multiple levels), she learns to pull herself up by her bootstraps and weave them into a lovely macrame plant hanger. (Okay, I made that part up.) She learns to market her considerable skills and savvy to become a profitable Influencer.

Oh yeah, and there’s an awesome, empowering, caring, and patient guy. While there is romance (and steam!), these stories are so much more: they’re about the power of self-redemption, the value of loyal friends, and the importance of resiliency. And did I mention it was steamy? There’s even an explicit scene in the epilogue (!).

I loved spending time with these characters and watching as Soledad gets her groove back.

WOW! This was my first Kennedy Ryan and I am simply blown away!

If you are looking for a mature love story with real-life situations that doesn't rely on petty dramas or miscommunication, you MUST pick this up!

I couldn't read the first book in the series due to triggers but this story makes me wish I could have. I loved the respect from both the hero and heroine and how diverse this story is - lesbian sister, autistic and bi-racial children, broken families, co-parenting done RIGHT, a set of crappy, racist grandparents as well as adoring set of grandparents! This has EVERYTHING and does it in a genuine way where as so many books feel like checking off a box. The author herself has a note discussing her family's story with autistic children as well, if you are worried about the rep.

Soledad's journey to find and love herself with the addition of her friends supporting her was chef's kiss. I loved how her girls saw their mother as a strong woman and she didn't lie to them about their father to protect them. My god, what a powerful message on its own! I am so thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this story.

And yes, I will 100% be reading All About Love.

4.0 STARS

KENNEDY RYAN THE WOMAN YOU ARE!!!!!

Soledad deserves the world, Judah deserves the world!!!! God this story was so beautifully written and encapsulated a journey of healing, growth and love. Staying afloat and knowing when to leave is hard and it was so beautiful to see how she was able to nurture parts of herself that had been disregarded for so long with the help of Judah Cross being the patience she needed.

I LOVED the Afro-Latina/Peurto Rican rep, autism rep, as well as the focus on two individuals who are older, more mature and have a slew of responsibilities that can make life a bit harder to navigate.

Can’t wait for Hendrix’s story!!!

Thanks NetGalley for an arc!!!

Amazing book. I love Kennedy Ryan SO MUCH. Everything she does is freaking gold... so emotional and beautiful.

I adored the first book in this series. Not gonna lie, I was afraid this one was going to tear my heart out. It did the opposite!
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Soledad is the type of woman I love to read about. Her life implodes and instead of laying down and letting it defeat her, she rallies. This woman is strong, smart and steady. While doing all she can to be a rock for her daughters as they deal with what their father has done, she rediscovers herself and learns to love herself.
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Judah! That man. The respect he shows Soledad while she works through things, the relationship he has with his ex wife and her husband, and the type of father he is. Amazing!!
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Soledad and Jonah are definitely couple goals! If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend.
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Many thanks to Netgalley and Forever Pub for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I can’t even begin to find the words to say how amazing I thought this story was. Once I found out there was going to be a follow up to Before I I Let Go, I was excited but at the same time nervous! I got into comparison mode before even knowing what the story would be about and kept wondering how this could possibly hold up to the first book. But within a few chapters those “fears” quickly went away. Because simply put, Kennedy Ryan has done it again! Soledad’s (and Judah’s) story felt like a warm hug! I feel so fortunate to get to ready stories like this.

Soledad and Judah both have my heart! They are such a beautiful example of homebody love: Creating a home for their families that is warm, safe, welcoming and just so full of love. It was truly beautiful. And they did so in their own ways. They both have such big hearts and so much love to give. The payoff was fantastic. In their partnership they found in each other someone who accepts and appreciates their big love unabashedly.

And the writing! Exceptional, once again. Her storytelling is so passionate and raw. It’s full of introspection and reflection. It really lets you sit in those feelings and not just move on past them. Plus, Kennedy Ryan has the ability to make me care about things I otherwise don’t such as basketball, and that entire industry in depth (I’m not a sports romance gal) and also kids with prominent storylines in romance books. Usually I just don’t care, but in this story I absolutely cared about the wellbeing of the children, about how their lives were impacted, etc.

There is, once again, so much growth and healing in this story. For both Soledad and Judah in their own ways. I’m a sucker for all types of romance stories, whether more light hearted and fluffy, or ones that resonate on a deeper level such as Kennedy Ryan’s work. I especially love when you get to know the MCs outside of their relationship to each other. Both Soledad and Judah had very full lives outside of each other, so they’re coming together only enriched that for them. And just like in Before I Let Go, the friendship between Sol, Yasmin and Hendrix are front and center. Family—whether found family, blood family or extended family—is at the very heart of the story.

I didn’t even realize until attending an author event for Kennedy Ryan that she writes slow burn romances! Because the story doesn’t feel dragged out with dumb conflict, or slow for the sake of slow. There’s so much growth and healing that takes place among her main characters that it’s like yes, as much as I would just love for y’all to be together right now, I also know that right now is not the time! There needs to be more healing and growth before they come together. But in the meantime, a tension-filled friendship can grow until the oh so sweet pay off that’s well worth the wait. It all just make sense to me.

If you can’t already tell, I absolutely loved this. And I can’t wait for Hendrix’s story next!

The second book in the Skyland series giving us Soledad's story did not disappoint. This was a beautiful and heart-searing story about learning to fully love and trust yourself after life rips the rug out from under you. All off the characters in this book are written so well; I loved getting to see the collaboration between Tremaine and Judah raising their two autistic sons. I will definitely be coming back to read Hendrix's story!

Thank you to netgalley and forever pub for this eARC.