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biscuitsandgrading THIS COULD BE US by Kennedy
Ryan
(release date: March 5, 2023)
Read if you like:
independent women taking control of their life
drama
books featuring marginalized characters
- slow burn romance
novels about a woman finding herself
respectful autism representation (by an author with
a child with autism)
This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan is the 2nd novel in
the Skyland series and the follow up to the hit Before I
Let Go.
Soledad knows her marriage with Edward is different
than it was 20 years ago, but she never suspected
just how wrong everything was. All she knows is her
husband swears he is under extreme stress from his
boss, Judah Cross. And then she meets Judah - he's
someone she doesn't want, but in the dust of tragedy
she can't seem to help herself
I adore Kennedy Ryan's writing. She starts with a
romance and then uses her beautiful talent to craft an
intriguing, well thought out novel. There's romance,
but there's so much more. I devoured this one in 24
hours.
Are you adding this one to your list?

Absolutely loves this book! Kennedy Ryan can do no wrong. I wouldn't say this is strictly a romance novel, more women's fiction with a side of romance. Highly recommend and I hope we get more books in this series with other characters. 5 stars!

4.25 stars

One thing that can always be counted on when it comes to this author, is that she will make you feel all the feelings. The story, the characters, and even the experiences feel authentic. There is something special about the way that she takes pen to paper. Her stylistic choices and even her cadence in the tone of what she is writing seem to leap off the page. There is a reason she is a master wordsmith. I cannot imagine her not being a part of the literary world. Was the book my favorite that she has written? No. However, It wouldn't be at the bottom either. Soledad and Judah are special.

I would highly recommend anything that she writes.

Thank you Forever for the review copy!

Where Before I Let Go was all about rebuilding joy after grief, This Could Be Us is about learning to trust yourself after betrayal.

We knew from book 1 (which I highly recommend that you read) that Soledad’s marriage was rocky, but her husband turned out to be SO much worse than I thought!

This Could Be Us shows so many different depictions of love: romantic, familial, friendship, and self love, and all of them were done so beautifully. I cried a lot of happy tears, which was especially nice because Ryan’s last book made me ugly cry several times. I think This Could Be Us could best be described as empowering.

Judah is a top tier book boyfriend. He’s an exceptional father and co-parent to his ex wife and shows so much empathy towards Soledad at every stage of her journey.

Something that stood out to me was Soledad’s journey as an influencer. I loved Ryan’s depiction of the hard work of being a mother and homemaker, and how that could translate to being an influencer. I always love depictions of influencing as hard work and positive depictions of social media!

I hope you love This Could Be Us as much as I did!

I just loved this! I ended up getting the audiobook and loved the narration.

I loved Before I Let Go but I loved this even more.

Soledad’s life seems like it’s over when her husband is arrested by the FBI for embezzling 6 million dollars from his employer. Her house is raided and all of their assets are frozen. Soledad busts her ass to make an income to support and care for her three girls. She is such a strong amazing woman.

I also loved Judah. He was dedicated to his job and his family. It might’ve been weird for him to have a relationship with the ex-wife of the person he put in jail but their relationship just worked. I also really appreciated the autism representation. I have a neurodivergent son so it made me feel really seen. I absolutely adored Soledad’s friendships and hope Hendricks will get a book as well. I loved Soledad finding herself and wanting to make sure she was complete on her own.

I just adored this and need to check out more of Kennedy Ryan’s backlist!

I've seen comments that this book leans more towards women's fiction than romance. I'm inclined to agree but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. This book filled my heart with warmth, and healed some of the parts still broken from Before I Let Go. This Could Be Us is Soledad's story. She learns the truth about her horrible husband and is left to rebuild her life for herself and her daughters. Along the way, she discovers her strengths and what she had hidden about herself. Eventually she does fall in love with Judah and that is a beautiful story as well. He's a delightful hero and allows Soledad the time to heal herself. But this story is really a love story about Soledad and it was refreshing and heart-lifting to read.

This was my first Kennedy Ryan book and I cannot believe it took this long to read her books. The delicate topics she writes about are so beautifully approached and written. The Black representation is beautiful. The single dad. The autistic children. The embezzlement. Everything! So grateful for the opportunity to read this book early.

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

Kennedy Ryan, Kennedy Ryan, Kennedy Ryan. I fell in love with Soledad in Before I Let Go so, I was so excited when I found out she was getting her own story. This Could Be Us did not disappoint. Soledad has my heart. First, Edward is a complete a-hole. I don't want to spoil anything so that's all I'll say on him. I love Soledad for her strength. She picked up the pieces when her life fell apart. She gave herself grace and then got to work because she knew she had her daughters to take care of. That's every mother I know. It was beautiful watching her fall in love with herself. There's nothing like self-love. I felt like I was her best friend rooting for her through the whole book.
Judah Cross, that's my man. How could you not fall in love with him? A devoted father and hardworking man. I love how Kennedy Ryan is so thoughtful to her readers when approaching a subject like Judah twin boys being autistic. In my opinion her writing is always done to educate and not offend, and I love an author who does that. Judah was The Man. I loved how patient he was with Soledad but determined to have her all in the same breath. Watching their story play out was so beautiful and well worth the wait. Talk about a sloooowww burn. I would highly recommend This Could Be Us!

Ms. Ryan, you did that!!! I anticipated book 2 in this series and you surpassed my wildest imaginations. If you have read the first book in this series, you know that Soledad Barnes is a housewife with a husband that is not so nice to her. Her best friends, Yasmen and Hendrix, have never really cared for him because of the way he treated Sol. This woman is not just a housewife, she is the housewife. The one that is hand making bread after she picks up one of her three daughters from gymnastics while planning and prepping for the dinner party. Another thing I love about Sol is she has no filter. If she has a question or comment, it is coming out for the world to hear.

Her husband turns her world upside down and now the greatest housewife has to learn how to support herself and her three daughters. Her husband, Edward, was the breadwinner. What is a housewife supposed to do for money? The thing that got me is that Edward did not even care about how they were going to make it without him. He only cared about himself. Sol had to keep her feelings bottled up for her girls. That's where her girls came in. They were her shoulders and venting partners.

Soledad is on a journey to find herself. She starts a revolution of self-discovery. As always, there is someone there that she wants with every fiber of her being but cannot be with. Judah Cross is fine, fine. Unfortunately, he is also the one that figured out what Edward was doing. Doesn't that mean he is off limits? Judah has some stuff going on. He has twin boys and both are autistic. Will their attraction to each other develop into more? There are so many nuggets in this one story. Soledad's betrayal and self-love journey. Soledad's relationship with her sisters, girlfriends and daughters. Soledad's relationship with her mother. Just amazing! A must read for sure.

Kennedy Ryan really just likes breaking my heart with this series, doesn't she? Truly, this was yet again a really heavy read but also an incredible romance. The importance of family and parenthood within this book was also just so well done. Honestly, I don't think I've read many romances where the main characters were parents and the kids were this big of an aspect of the book. It felt very honest, and real, and I just really loved that aspect of the book.
Soledad was also just an incredible protagonist. Honestly, she was so strong, and such a badass. The way she totally reformed her life after being absolutely screwed over is an incredible force of strenght. I also love the love she has for her family, not just her kids but also her sisters and her found family. (Truly the friendgroup in the middle of this series is absolutely incredible. They are such a great group.) I also loved her journey of finding and loving herself again throughout the book.
I also quite liked the romance. The instant attraction between our two leads was just really well done, and just completely jumped off the page. There is a little sense of forbiddenness between them, but mostly it's just Soledad keeping her distance as she's finding herself. I truly loved how Juddah respected her boundaries, and really supported her in that journey even before anything ever happened between them. I also just really liked the emotional connection the two formed, and the respect they had for the other person's family. It was just so delightfully done.
My big complaint in this book comes from Judah though. I mean, he was a great love interest. Don't get me wrong on that. However, he wasn't a good character. I didn't feel like there was anything to him besides his love for his kids, and his attraction to Soledad. Besides the fact that he's an accoutant, and divorced I could not tell you very much more about this man. It is an absolute shame, especially in comparison to how much I could tell you about Soledad. In a book mostly about finding yourself, and not letting your love for others erase who you are, one of the two leads doesn't really have a distinct personality and it just seems completely against the morals of the book. It really did lessen my love for this book sadly enough. However, I do still highly recommend this, and I'm excited to read the next book in this series as well.

Overall Grade: A+

“Books are the mirrors of our soul.” - Virginia Woolf

“That she was indeed a hornet, not a butterfly. That the plain of her heart stretched vast enough to love two men so completely, love her children so purely, love her mother and her friends and the world around her with such a quiet fervor … because first, she loved herself.” - Kennedy Ryan

Rarely do I get personal in my book reviews. I’ve inserted my personal experience into the number of reviews I could count on one hand. Quite frankly, that seems sad. As the quote above from Virginia Woolf suggests, books are a reflection of ourselves. They help us understand life and love and longing, and it seems a shame that we don’t show authors in our reviews where we found ourselves in their book babies. If I were an author, I’d love to hear readers’ stories of the intersection of personal experience and my written word. 

Kennedy Ryan’s This Could Be Us is impassioned, intelligent, and impeccable. Her style and syntax are cinematic and breathtaking. Her words grab you by the wrist and pull you into her story, and they hold your hand as you endure and experience her story. 

I’d love to tell you how her focus on enduring female friendships in this book is the soft throw around your shoulders on a stormy day. I’d love to highlight the insight offered about the spectrum of neurodivergent characters, a spectrum so wide and vast that it makes it difficult for people to get the proper care and help. She volleys us between Aaron and Adam and Jonah to illustrate the spectrum of autism, but that’s Kennedy’s story…and it’s also a bit of my own. Unfortunately, I’m not articulate enough to explain my connection to it. 

I’d also love to tell you how the complications of Soledad and Jonah’s journey surgically fillet your soul and create a leaner, better understanding of the power of love. The distinct understanding that one’s love affair shouldn’t compare to anyone else’s is a powerful notion. Lastly, I’d love to explain how Kennedy leans into the colonial idea of Republican Motherhood as she draws Soledad’s power in the domestic sphere. This notion ran rampant through my mind as Soledad became more influential in the domestic arts, reminding us of the impact women have made for centuries even when they were stripped of their power.

Where my mind took me for this review is in my want to be a” hornet, not a butterfly.” Here is where This Could Be Us feels like a “mirror” of my soul, where I felt empowered and changed. For the past two years, I’ve been on a journey of self-discovery and change. I learned late into my marriage that my husband lands somewhere on the autism spectrum, and he lacks the self-awareness or interest in loving me as I need to be loved. I had created a very careful existence, one that leaned heavily into peace-making for myself and my son, and it left me feeling lost and alone when my son left home to go to college. Over the past two years, I’ve been working towards becoming the “hornet” that Soledad’s mother, Catelaya, writes about so beautifully in her journal. And it hasn’t been easy. And it hasn’t been perfect, but I am learning to love myself little by little. To embrace all that I am. Opening the pages of Ryan’s inviolable book felt inspired. Kennedy Ryan’s capacity to capture the human experience, manifesting it onto the fullness of the page, is why I will read her stories until the end of my time. Her books are the mirrors to our souls, to my soul, and I feel seen and changed by them. I feel challenged and disarmed by them. I feel empowered by them. 

Kennedy Ryan is an apt ambassador for romancelandia, and her books, ones like This Could Be Us, should be celebrated and held as the ultimate representation of all that is good in this genre.

Wonderful follow up to Before I Let Go. I love that we follow Soledad who was an interesting character from the first book. She grows and stands up for herself and her family. Soledad world is crumbling but she is strong. The problems she faces are ones that most can relate to in one way or another which makes the story flow. Ryan writes romance into the story which you only wish you could see on screen! Judah was a character one can easily fall for.

The friendship group helps make this story a great read and I hope to hear more about the group. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to review this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the e-book copy!

Rating: 4.5 stars

This book is definitely going to be in my top books of the year list. When I read "Before I Let Go", I was hoping that Soledad would find happiness in her own story. Kennedy Ryan ended up delivering that and more while giving this character the strength and courage needed to rebuild her life. If you like male leads who are obsessed with the female lead, then Judah Cross will deliver. The main story is also intriguing and will keep you guessing on how Soledad will come out of this. Overall, this book was a good time and I have since gained a physical copy so I can go back and annotate it. If this book or this author isn't already on your radar, then I highly recommend checking out this title or the first book in this series.

4.5 Rounded Up

This is the story of Soledad, who is a mother of three and a wife whose life seems OK. That is until her husband gets arrested for a crime of stealing $6million from his company. The man responsible for his arrest is forensic accountant Judah, who divorced several years ago and is raising 2 sons with autism. What unfolds is a beautiful story of self-love and also romance after rising up from the ashes.

I thought this was a beautiful story. Soledad has to pick up the pieces and how she does that and chooses herself while also being empathetic to her kids is lovely. Judah is the perfect male main character. His insta-love for Soledad turns into a slow burn as he waits for her to be ready. This was steamy and at the right parts. I thought the way the autistic boys were written was well done and I loved how the author took care with the wording - autistic versus a person with autism. In the diabetes community, most prefer person with diabetes versus being called a diabetic. I've had type 1 diabetes for 30 years so it doesn't bother me too much how you say it, as long as you aren't making a diabetes joke I'm good. But addressing the verbiage was interesting to me. You could tell the author was trying to handle it with care.

This was a beautiful story that was more women's contemporary fiction than romance. Majority of the book focused on Sol working through things and I enjoyed that part of it. I think it wasn't a full five star because the insta love from Judah but waiting forever seemed a little unrealistic but I did still enjoy the romance.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

Soledad & Judah my oh my!! There's so much to say but not enough words to fully wrap up this book, the feels, the lessons.

First, Kennedy Ryan you always knock it out the park! When I think I can't find any book to love more, you come out with writing so beautiful that I have to stare at the wall for a good week just to float in the feelings of pure love and joy. Happy belated release day, Queen!

Soledad & Judah's story is MUCH more than a love story.

We go with Soledad through her breaking out of a relationship that... GIRL I can't put into words how crappy that man who shall not be named was. If you know, you know!!!! But reading her transformation, the slow wrapping and unveiling from a cocoon, the butterfly on the cover is for a reason. She is a beautiful soul who comes out on the other end just beyond magnificent. You cannot help but cheer her on for the sidelines, cry with her when she's exhausted, kick your legs in the air when she's taken care of by mister Judah.

Judah is a man. My goodness, this single dad is a quirky, strong, funny, gentle, caring MANNNN!!! His love and care for his sons, his self discovery, his gentleness with Soledad. He is everything you can want in a partner, a friend, a father, for yourself or for your bestie. I do wish we got just a teeny bit more but everything was just perfect.

And I just can't say more without spoiling too much so I will end with, as I always do, go pick this up right now. You'd be doing yourself a favor by reading this book and loving it.

I love my Skyland women: Yasmen, Soledad & Hendrix. I wanna join their bestie group!

Thank you to @netgalley @readforeverpub @kennedyryan1 for releasing this ARC this past winter and letting a lot of us fall in love with Sol & Judah early, and get to fall more in love with our physicals.

Sol looks good with Yas on our shelves 🤭

Thank you to @readforever for the ARC of this book - it’s sure a special one! 😍

Kennedy Ryan, how do you do it, EVERY damn time?! Soledad and Judah’s story was one I’ll never forget and also one that I’ll hold near and dear to my heart. The pining, tension, flirting & genuine nature of these two and their relationship with one another was IMPECCABLE! Soledad’s journey to find herself & be the strong woman she needed and wanted to be was so profound & beautiful as well - overall I cannot say enough good things!

The autism representation in this book instantly drew me in, starting from the authors note - I don’t think I’ve ever highlighted an authors note more than this one because it all spoke to me so profoundly. Professionally I am a social worker for individuals with developmental disabilities & personally I am a mom to the most amazing 6 year old boy, who has autism. As I type this, tears well in my eyes because of the genuine, realistic and beautiful way in which Kennedy wrote about Judah’s two boys, Adam & Aaron, who are both on the spectrum. When I tell you that reading this book was beautiful & heartbreaking to read all at the same time - I mean it. There were experiences detailed within the story that I’ve experienced personally and professionally that tugged at my heart strings, while at the same time had me wanting to share all the profound gems and perspectives that these pages contained. One of my biggest take aways was the following quote - which put things into perspective for me not only as a professional, but most importantly as a mom…
“Why should I hold my kids hostage to useless constructs that deny them things that make them happy?” Autism or not - we should never hold kids or even other humans hostage to the useless constructs that the world gives us, especially if it denies them happiness.

Parenting is hard. Parenting a child on the spectrum is hard too. We’re all doing the best we can & I so appreciate Kennedy’s representation of this in her book & the way in which she addressed so many of the same thoughts, feelings & conversations I’ve had in my own head or with those in our support system.

This book will always hold a special place in my heart & I will be forever grateful for the way in which it has touched my life.

Kennedy Ryan is the queen of writing happy endings that you really have to fight for. You can't help but get emotionally invested into her characters and their stories and this book might be some of her best character work. Romance took a back seat in a way that I didn't mind at all— the standout love was between family and the self. Soledad and Judah stood brilliantly on their own and while their combined moments were beautiful, I felt the most poignant moments were between them and their respective families.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC— I can't wait to read the next book in the series!!

NEW RELEASE REVIEW: Multicultural contemporary romance

Thank you #partner @readforeverpub for my #gifted copy.

This Could Be Us
Kennedy Ryan
Skyland #2

📖 Soledad's life gets flipped on its head following the betrayal and incarceration of her thieving, conniving husband. As her cushy life of luxury comes crashing down, Soledad barely has time to process -- she must pick up the pieces and provide for her family, while finding herself in the process. When Judah, the man partially responsible for putting her husband in prison, becomes an unlikely ally, Soledad must decide if she's ready to let him into her wounded heart. She's coming to love the life she's creating for herself and her girls.... Is there room for someone else?

💭 I really, really liked Before I Let Go (4⭐) but this... This book is exceptional!! It's raw, it's real, it's heartfelt, it's high stakes, and just so, so beautifully and intelligently written. Ryan tackles many heavy themes here, from infidelity, to parenting, to the death of a loved one, to parental incarceration and its impact on a children, to raising kids on the spectrum, and so much more! I absolutely LOVED the focus on self love, and the ways in which Soledad focused on healing and finding herself as a single mom. I also really love the ways in which Ryan centers community and friendship. There is quite a bit of steam, but it's not over the top, nor does it occur often. And on that note, I really appreciate the respect and tenderness with which Judah approaches Soledad during the steamy scenes. 🥺 This is easily a new favorite romance novel, and I'm definitely on board the Kennedy Ryan train after this! 🚃

📌 Note: as Soledad is Puerto Rican, Ryan hired ownvoices sensitivity readers and received help creating her character in as authentic a way as possible. 💕

📌 Available now!

Title: This Could Be Us
Author: Kennedy Ryan
Length: 400 pages
Format: ebook arc
Pub Date: March 5, 2024
Genre: Romance
Rating Out of 5: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Spice Level: open door
Summary:
Soledad Barnes, a meticulous planner and domestic goddess, faces a life-shattering betrayal. As she rebuilds for her daughters, a forbidden man complicates her path, forcing her to confront trust and the possibility of new beginnings after loss.

Thoughts:
I went into this completely blind and had no idea what I was getting myself into haha. The prologue starts off with Tremaine and Judah getting a divorce. The first chapter fast forwards and is now in Soledad’s POV. I was very confused how these two were related and wasn’t instantly hooked. BUT THEN. OMG THE DRAMA. I ate it up. The pace of this book was kind of a roller coaster. It started slow, then picked up real fast, then slowed down a bit and evened out. I loved how supportive Soledad’s best friends and sisters were. I loved how real it all felt. I loved Judah’s devotion. I loved the autism representation. And the ending had it all tied up in a little perfect bow for me.

Read if you love:
Dual POV
Stellar friend group
Autism rep
Single dad hero
Self-love journey

Special thanks to the @readforeverpub and @netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

I love how Kennedy Ryan tackles difficult subjects with care and consideration. I found a few things in this second book to be heavy handed/repetitive but the representation far exceeded that complaint. I appreciated how everyone has their own story/identity and we got to see all of the individual personal growth over the course of the book. I did find the number of time jumps to be distracting at first but I can see how they were important for plot/character development. The narrators were great. Thumbs up!