The Skyland series keeps getting better! This Could Be Us is the second book in the series, yet you don’t need to read the first to jump into this one. Soledad Barnes has worked hard to create the perfect life. Nothing can prepare her when everything shatters because of her husband’s secrets. Faced with the aftermath, Soledad is ready for a fight. Self-discovery, parenthood and an unexpected romance might be the reasons this strong woman can make a come back undefeated.

Kennedy Ryan takes the reader on an emotional rollercoaster in this novel. When I thought Soledad was finally catching a break, something else would blindside her. This story is heartbreaking, but it will uplift you in many ways. Family, friends and community were a highlight for me. Soledad has so many amazing people in her life, including a man named Judah Cross. His perspective is added to the story and you will definitely fall in love with him. I like a slow-burn romance, yet I needed an extended Epilogue because that was wasn’t enough for me!

Thank you NetGalley and Forever Publishing for this eARC.

When I started reading this book, I had no idea the amount of healing it would bring me.

This book is beautiful from the first page to the very last.

Another 5 star read in the Skyland series! Soledad is the epitome of strength in all areas and to see her grow and blossom like she did was so good.

We all know from book 1 that low-down Edward ain’t s***. He takes his ain’t sh**ery to the next level in this one that’s for sure. But our girl Soledad faces it, doesn’t sacrifice herself or her girls, and stands strong for herself and her family.

Judah is the shock I wasn’t expecting! I fully expected this to be a dual POV between Soledad and Edward but THANK GOD it was not! Judah is nerdy, certain in just about all things, and set in his ways. That mixed with the new Soledad we get in this book was such a great mix.

Reading this I felt like I was sitting in on conversations with girlfriends or watching a really good TV show. Kennedy Ryan did it again with this series and TRUST that I will be first in line for Hendrix’s story. She shined so much here and is the friend we ALL need for ourselves and the auntie our girls would love to have.

Huge thank you to NetGalley for the ARC (thoughts and opinions are all mine)!

kennedy ryan can do no wrong, i am now a kennedy ryan stan. she writes so beautifully, i love how she takes such heavy topics but talks about it in such a refreshing way. i loved everything about this book.

i absolutely adored soledad in before i let go and was so excited to read her story. i loved reading her journey and seeing how much she grew from everything that she was going through and seeing her get the happy ending that she so deserved.

i love soledad & judah together. judah was so patient and so supportive of soledad throughout her whole journey. i hope we get updates about them in hendrix's book 🤭

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This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is book 2 in a series but it stood up on its own as I hadn’t read book 1 (but I will). It explores several interesting topics: Finding oneself after divorce then romance (spicy!); family drama and neurodiversity; successful single parenting and amicable co-parenting; Mainly this is Soledad’s story ~ and she is a strong resilient woman learning to love herself after betrayal.

What I liked:
•Soledad figuring out how to do life ~ learning to love herself more than ever, starting life over as a single mother and provider and finding the love (and lover!) of her life.
•Judah Cross ~ his career, his parenting passion, and his relationship with his exwife ~ all pluses. But ~ his skills really seemed to be in being the perfect boyfriend (truly too perfect, but we can all fantasize about having that man in our life).
•Soledad’s friends and sisters ~ loyal, supportive and funny.
•Aaron & Adam, Judah’s twin sons, both autistic (using the language chosen by the author ~ see her authors note), but uniquely different. Their story was thoughtful and interesting and demonstrated how loved & cared for they were by their parents.

What I didn’t like:
•a flawless boyfriend? I’ve been married for nearly 35 years so it’s hard to remember what that looks like…but Judah is a high standard for every woman reading this book!
•I felt like I wanted more about the ex husband ~ I think I read too many mysteries and suspense, it was hard for me to believe his story just ended when he left the story (trying to avoid spoilers!).

Overall this book was very enjoyable and a lighter read after several heavier books this month! I’m definitely going to go back and read her first book Before I Let Go.

Thank you to netgalley, Kennedy Ryan and Forever Publishing for this Advanced Copy which will be available March 5, 2024.

Book 11 of 2024
Read February 23-29

What I Liked:

-The couple: I absolutely loved Soledad and Judah. They have crackling chemistry together, and the slow burn progression of their relationship was *chef's kiss*.
-The kids: Soledad's relationship with her three girls is beautiful. The challenges they went through and how Soledad navigated those so well.
Judah's dedication to his boys is amazing. The autism rep on page with both Adam & Aaron was so well done. How Judah, the boys, and Tremaine navigate their world is amazing. We Stan a great co-parenting relationship.
-Soledad's self-love journey: Probably my favorite part of the entire book. Soledad does so much work to learn how to love and trust herself again throughout the book. She learns that she can stand on her own two feet, take care of her and her girls, and really flourish all on her own.
-The adult friendships: Soledad, Yasmin, and Hendrix are such a complimentary group. They truly embody what a found family is and their love and dedication to each other is so beautiful to read

What I didn't like: Not a damn thing

This is the second book in the Skyland series. I recommend reading Before I Let Go first (mostly because it's also amazing) but you don't absolutely have to.

Soledad's life is upended by her husband, and she needs to figure out how to provide for her 3 daughters. Talk about a rockstar of a female main character! In the process, she meets Judah. And she should not want him for multiple reasons (so of course she does 😉).

This book has some excellent spice and is way deeper than what you might think of as "romance". As is Kennedy Ryan's way! For example, both Judah's sons have autism. As a mom of a son with disabilities, I can say with confidence that Ryan portrayed them and their parents really well.

Thank you @netgalley and @readforeverpub for the earc in exchange for my honest review!

I've expressed countless times over the past year my love for Kennedy Ryan's novels, and this book was among my most eagerly awaited reads of the year. Let me tell you, it surpassed every expectation!

Kennedy Ryan has a talent for creating captivating characters; this book is no exception. Soledad is a formidable woman, a mother of three, and truly embodies the spirit of a phoenix rising from the ashes.

And then there's Judah – oh, Judah! He might just be one of my all-time favorite characters penned by Ryan. His depth as a person, father, and friend is truly remarkable.

Their initial encounter sets the stage with a tension that crackles, especially given Judah's involvement in exposing Soledad's husband's embezzlement. But amidst the chaos that is Soledad's life, Judah isn't content to stand by. He becomes a silent support, a steady presence in her crazy new world.

Yet, Judah's life isn't without its own complexities; his life is about his twin boys, both of whom are autistic. Despite his priority of his boys, he remains devoted to Soledad, showing up for her when she needs him most.

The slow burn of their relationship is nothing short of mesmerizing. Witnessing them navigate the uncharted waters of a connection that defies any sense is truly beautiful.

The prose is beautifully crafted in typical Kennedy Ryan fashion, drawing readers into a world where love blossoms amidst adversity.

I'm also grateful to Kennedy Ryan for her heartfelt author's note. Her portrayal of characters with autism is done with such grace and sensitivity. Knowing that she is a mother to an autistic child adds a poignant layer to the story, and her willingness to share this vulnerability with her readers only deepens my love for her as an author.

In less than 2 weeks, I have the honor of meeting Kennedy at a book signing celebrating the release of this book, and I am absolutely fangirling!!

Empowering. Self-Discovery. Steamy.
I really enjoyed how mature this romance was, and that also made it a very refreshing read.

Soledad Barnes has been a wife and mother for the majority of her adult life, and that is something that has truly fulfilled her. When shocking news about her husband -Edward- is uncovered and results in his arrest and prison time, Soledad must find her way to support her daughters and keep them in the only home they’ve ever known.

Judah Cross who played a huge role in uncovering Edward Barnes’ crimes, has a soft-spot for Soledad and wants to protect her as much as possible from any sort of repercussions. Even before Edward’s crimes came to light, there was a certain attraction and chemistry between Soledad and Judah…

As Soledad finds her footing in her new reality she does lean on Judah, and their connection cannot be ignored. However, they both have unique circumstances in their personal lives and both want to put their children first. Would it be self-serving for Soledad and Judah to begin a real and open relationship with each other? Through this journey she learns and rediscovers herself, and her desires and realizes she’s worthy of having it all.

Thank you @netgalley and @grandcentralpublishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This Could Be Us is set to be published March 5, 2024. I’m also looking forward to reading Hendrix’s story, which is coming sometime in 2025!

I'm fairly new to Kennedy Ryan's writing. This is the second book I've read by her and I appreciate her creation of realistic and flawed characters.

I love Kennedy Ryan and her Skyland series. I was so excited to get an ARC of This Could Be Us so thank you Netgalley and the publisher. I enjoyed this one. It's different than your typical romance as the FMC starts out married in the first book in the series and the beginning of this one. I loved the themes that were discussed including self love and how important it is to love yourself and be happy in your own body and life before being able to commit to someone else. I can't wait for Hen's story coming next year.

I love Kennedy Ryan and her Skyland series. I was so excited to get an ARC of This Could Be Us so thank you Netgalley and the publisher. I enjoyed this one. It's different than your typical romance as the FMC starts out married in the first book in the series and the beginning of this one. I loved the themes that were discussed including self love and how important it is to love yourself and be happy in your own body and life before being able to commit to someone else. I can't wait for Hen's story coming next year.

Kennedy Ryan is a master of intense, realistic, fun romance. And I'd almost hesitate to put "fun" here, because this book is still sort of heavy, but compared to the first in the Skyland Series, this book is fun. It gives off more soap opera vibes in the best way possible, with Soledad dealing with her husband being just the worst guy ever, finding herself and her footing, and then finding a new love. If I had to make one nitpick, I think I'd want more interactions between Soledad and her new love interest leading up to the end. As it stands, I still thought the romance was done well and I really love Ryan's writing.

I felt this way in the first book too, but my favorite part of this series is the support system surrounding the main characters. The friendships that are featured are friendship goals. Reading those parts bring me a lot of joy.

Thanks to Netgalley and Forever Publishing for the e-ARC!

It took me a little bit to get into this book. I felt emotional for Soledad and her situation at the beginning of the story. I also liked that Soledad took the time for herself instead of running into a relationship but her self-discovery seemed to take up way too much of the book. It completely overshadowed the romance aspect of this book. I went into this book assuming it was a romance novel but instead, I would say the romance takes a secondary spot to the self-discovery journey that Soledad is on in this book. I also had to suspend my belief a bit in Soledad's social media influencer aspect of the story and how quickly she was able to make that into a career and money.

That being said, there were some parts of the story that I did think were well done. Although I don't personally have any experience with autism, I thought the autism representation was insightful and I learned quite a bit from the characters and their experiences. I'm sure that there are readers who will see themselves or their similar experiences in this book and be able to relate. I also found it refreshing to read about Judah and Tremaine's healthy co-parenting relationship after divorce.

Overall, I thought this was a really good story and I think I would have liked it more had I gone into it knowing that the book was more about Soledad finding herself after divorce rather than a romance story.

Kennedy Ryan... Kennedy-freakin-Ryan.

I love her stories. The way she writes them, the things she focuses on, and everything in between. Kennedy Ryan knows how to write so beautifully, making me fall in love every time. She focused so well on her characters that you can tell how much effort she put into writing these characters.

This series focuses a lot on broken marriages (this one primarily being on finding love after divorce) and the way she highlights each part is amazing. I would have liked it if she focused a little more on the girls and their emotions with their dad during the epilogue. The way she writes Soledad and how she must love herself first to love others fiercely, and the group of women supporting Soledad was so freaking beautiful. As much as this was a love story, it is also a love letter to sisterhood and beautiful friendships. And we can't forget how Judah would do anything and everything for her!

The topics and representation in this book were absolutely amazing. From Aaron and Adam's (even Judah's) Autism to Soledad's mixed culture, everything was well written/ thought out. You can just tell how much it meant for the author to have great accurate representation by how she wrote Soledad's Puerto Rican background. She did the research and it shows! Also, the way she talks about autism and how differently it shows in people, going as far as to give you examples of how different Aaron, Adam, and Judah are but also how similar they are was stunning to read. I loved that they all were different but also leaned on each other for security without feeling guilty.

Also, this book made me really hungry lol.

Tropes/ Themes: Friends-to-Lovers/ Single Parent/ Slow Burn/ Autism Rep/ Strong FMC/ Mixed FMC (Puerto Rican/ Black/ White)/ Black MMC

Thank you, Kennedy Ryan, Forever Publishing, and Netgalley for the eARC.

omg wow Kennedy Ryan wrote a masterpiece! I cannot believe that I have not read her until now. this book and the words written was absolutely BEAUTIFUL. Kennedy makes you feel ALL of the emotions while reading and it filled my heart with such joy. and the autism rep was amazing. as someone who has a sibling with autism, it makes me so happy to be able to read that in books. this story was everything I could of wanted and more. I will never be over this. sending you my therapy bill asap!!!!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Hatchette Publishers for allowing me to read and review This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan. This is part 2 of The Skyland series but, honestly this could be a standalone. This is Soledad story a story that we were waiting for it tells of friendship and how she is seeking a companion while raising her daughter. The characters were well written and I was rooting for the love connection. I will look forward to reading more of Kennedy Ryans books and wait to see if the characters develop and interact with each other.

I really enjoyed Soledad’s journey, it was such a beautiful experience about learning who she was outside of her marriage. Kennedy Ryan did such a great job exploring Soledad’s self love journey while also exploring the romance with Judah. Also Judah is probably one of my favorite men written!!! He dedicates his life to his family and loved ones and pays close attention to details. He is everything anyone could ever want in a partner and it’s only right that him and Soledad found each other. I can’t wait to read Hen’s story next!

Kennedy can do no wrong and I absolutely adore her, this book? Maaaaam it is 1000% worth the read! Please take a chance on it you’ll love it.

I’m still discombobulated from my read, tbh, because Kennedy Ryan completely wrecked me with this book, as per usual.

It’s an immediate purchase, instant read, automatic all the stars from me.