This book follows Soledad who is a wife to Edward and mother to three daughters. Her life is very home-centric. Her role is that of wife and mother, primarily, and has been for going on nearly 20 years. When the plot of this book kicks off, it completely upends that forced dependency her bread-winning husband has created for her and in that journey to caring for her daughters and herself she rediscovers the inner strength she didn't realize she had lost. Along the way, there's also a complicated, sort of forbidden romance with Judah, a divorced father of two boys with autism.

Does that sound like a lot? Because, it is. And I think despite there being so much good in this book, there just isn't enough space to explore in depth what Kennedy Ryan tries to, even at over 400 pages!

I felt the characters lacked from the start, and since this is a romance, but also a story of a contemporary woman tackling real issues, it made everything seem a bit surface level and not as hard hitting as the issues discussed in Before I Let Go. We don't really get a complete picture of Soledad (as I described her above) before the inciting incident of the novel. So while we are supposed to be rooting for her, we are still getting to know her. I thought the male main character Judah had more depth early on and expected a bit more of that from Soledad.

Plus, and I want to avoid any spoilers here since the book isn't even out yet, there is very little on page time between Soledad and Judah for a majority of the book. It's more about their separate storylines, with his story turning from that of a father and his sons to a man who thinks about Soledad all the time. And her journey, which includes becoming a viral social media star (over a vinaigrette recipe?!) felt convenient and personally just not that interesting or believable.

This book is very dialogue heavy, too. And unfortunately most of the exposition or character development is done through stilted conversations between the characters where they explain stuff to each other for the reader's edification, which makes the dialogue feel unnatural. I would've much rather the characters speak like normal people, and since the book is written entirely in first person, each character narrating their chapter could have just directly addressed the reader or made comments to themselves about things we needed to find out. Because the dialogue suffered and the book relies so heavily on characters speaking, it definitely brought down my enjoyment of the book.

I am hoping some of these issues are resolved in the final edits before the book is published. I can't quote the book here because I read an early copy, but I really don't remember having these issues with Before I Let Go, which made reading this feel like it was from a completely different author.

I see a lot of really positive early reviews, so again, take my review with some pause and if you are still interested in reading this one, go for it. I think between those more technical issues and my disinterest in what type of romance this turned out to be, I didn't have the best time with it. But I am still willing to pick up the next book in the series when it comes out next year following Hendrix's character, when I'm in the mood for something light and romantic. I think her story could be really fun!

Kennedy Ryan knocks it out the park again with This Could Be Us. I don't know how she manages to top herself with every new release, but she never misses.

Her books always lean more Women's Fiction with a drizzle of romance within and this book is no exception. However, Soledad's journey reminded me a lot of my mom's own. Watching Soledad learn not only to love and trust herself, but Judah was really beautiful to witness. (Though it took a bit to get there). I admire the relationships she had with her daughters and sisters- how it truly reflected womanhood and how important/special it is to have a solid female presence is ones life. I loved watching Judah and his healthy co-parenting relationship with his ex-wife, her spouse, and their children.

I can't talk about the autism representation, but I did see parts of my nephew in the boys as I read through the book.

This is such a beautifully written masterpiece. I couldn't recommend it more. As always, please check trigger/content warnings before picking up the book.

Thank you Net galley for allowing me to read this before release date.

This book holds such a special place in my heart. I love everything Kennedy Ryan writes, and she will always be one of my fav authors, but this one just hit me so different. Starting with Soledad's strength as a woman/mom/friend and sister. Wow she is incredible, after everything that she went through, she stayed strong and stood her ground and showed the world what she was capable of. The autism rep with Judah and his twins was what got me. I was able to connect so much with a character the way I have never been able to before when it comes to parenting an autistic child. There are silent battles we face every day and Kennedy did such an amazing job handling/explaining these struggles. EVERYONE READDDDD THISSSS. I do not think any romance will top this book this year for me and I will happily admit that it is a bias reason.

Every book I read by Kennedy is better than the last, and this is no exception. For starters, I didn’t like Soledad’s husband from his brief appearance in Before I Let Go, and that feeling was on the money (No pun intended.) Soledad’s resilience while rebuilding her family’s lives from the ashes is something we can all take notes on. And JUDAH? Have I ever read a more emotionally mature MMC? Not sure.
Loved the autism and blending of cultures And as always, Hendrix was hysterical. Their friendship remains one of the best parts of this series.

You know when you read a book and you are not quite halfway but you know it’s going to be a top favorite for the year. This was that for me. And it continued the whole time.
5 stars no notes.

I absolutely love this series and the different complicated loves that are depicted. Especially the self love and self discovery in this book.

Soledad’s life just got upended when her husband of almost twenty years is caught embezzling a few million from the company he works for. Soledad is left trying to keep her family afloat and use her skills as a homemaker to keep her house and pay her kids private school tuition all while healing from her husband’s betrayal. She is definitely not looking for romance but romance may just be looking for her. lol.

I loved this journey and love the women of Skyland! I love when romance books have strong female friend groups and community wrapped into plot. And the romance? Are you kidding. Omg! Soledad and Judah!! Judah is like maybe the most perfect man ever?? Absolutely on my list of favorite couples.

I’m so excited for Hendrix’s book next year!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for an eARC.

Kennedy Ryan has done it again! Whew! Taking real life experiences and incoporating them into a book that was not only engaging but informative was amazing! I always appreciate how Ryan brings food and community in this series while also displaying growth in our main character. I was soo sooo sooo proud of Soledad and happy she received everything she deserved

I enjoyed soledads story very much. The love story was, to me, about the love of her children and for herself. After so much turmoil from the mistakes of her husband she is left to pick up the pieces. This part of the story really hit home for me. The romance itself is slower moving while she figures out her life. But when she figures it out it was fireworks!

WOW. Just wow. Kennedy Ryan has created yet another masterpiece for us all with This Could Be Us, Soledad’s story. I’m so very grateful to Kennedy Ryan, NetGalley, and the publisher, Forever for this ARC.
 
I really love seeing mature characters who have already experienced life get another shot to really find themselves (and love lol). Our MMC, Judah, begins the story undergoing an incredibly civil divorce with his soon to be ex-wife, Tremaine. They have twin sons who are on the autism spectrum and I just love how civil Judah and Tremaine were and how they always put their boys first. I loved every single interaction between them and Tremaine’s new husband, Kent. They are supportive, friendly, and kind. Picking up in chapter 1, Soledad is married to a not-great husband and has 3 daughters. When her husband gets arrested for embezzlement, she has to essentially start over in life. She’s gotta figure out how to pay the bills and take care of her three daughters. When she meets Judah, the man who uncovered the embezzlement, they’re both immediately attracted to each other. I love how Soledad goes through this beautiful journey of re-discovering herself and how supportive Judah was through it all. This may be their story, but it truly is Soledad’s story. She truly stole the show and I loved every second of it.
 
This is book 2 in the Skyland series and I’m just so in love with these stories. I can’t wait for book 3, focusing on Hendrix, coming out in 2025.

I really had my jaw on the floor multiple times during this, which is a win in my book lol. The fbi, the STD, so much DRAMA. My one complaint (which is my own fault) is the smut I wasn’t loving bc I am not a fan. I’m sure to those who love smut this was great for them but it’s an ick for me. But I love the writing, I love the people, I love the story. The dating myself storyline is kind of new age corny but oh well. I still really enjoyed!!

This was my first Kennedy Ryan read and will definitely not be my last. This Could Be Us is a sequel but I did not feel lost by starting with this book. We are following Sol and Judah, both divorced from their spouses for very different reasons. Sol's husband, Edward betrays her in many ways and leaves her left trying to keep her home and care for their children without financial help. Judah and his spouse fell out of love but are still very close and coparent their autistic twins. The author did a very good job and educating the reader about autism. The slow burn between Sol and Judah was very well done but the self partnering journey Sol went through was dragged out a bit for me. Overall though I really enjoyed this book.

This could be us was a fantastic read! Emotional and heartwarming.

Soledad is a stay at home mom and she's content with that, or she thinks she is until her life gets blown up. Then she has to figure out how to save her house, children's well being, and herself.

Judah has two boys on the spectrum and co-parents with his ex wife. He thinks he is content with that.

When Judah and Soledad meet its instant chemical. However, their lives get mixed together in a way that makes it challenging.

I loved all the characters (except for Edward). Judah was perfect and so patient. Soledad was so determined and just so realistic.

This was another fantastic read. I cannot wait until Hendrix's story. These have been some of my favorite books!

If you were a fan of Before I Let Go, you will love Kennedy Ryan’s follow up. I think I liked This Could Be Us even more than Before I Let Go!

This book focuses on Soledad who was a side character in Before I Let Go. I do not think you need to read Before I Let Go before starting this book, they are stand alone but I always find it more interesting to read books like these in order. This book focuses on Soledad’s journey for self love and finding herself after a divorce.

I love how well Ryan creates characters that feel complex and multifaceted. The female friendships in this series are amazing and probably my favorite thing in them.

I think the book was a tad too long and at times felt repetitive to me (I felt this way about the first book as well). I also had a few issues with her gaining 2 million followers on Instagram in like a month but that’s just me focusing on a detail that annoys me. I also felt that her ex husband was a bit too stereotypical evil guy and would have liked if he had a redeeming quality or two.

Overall, this book was great and I liked how it was deeper than a typical romance. I will continue to pick up anything she writes!

This book will break your heart and put it back together. I am such a mood reader and friends when I tell you I was not in the mood for this book when I picked it up tonight but after a couple chapters I could not put it down.
It was so good!!! This is just one of the realest romance novels I’ve read. The feelings it made me feel.

And excuse me ma’am, Judah Cross is just…. 🥵
Everything. That man is near perfect.

Bravo. This book was incredible.

This is my first Kennedy Ryan book — I shouldn’t have waited so long. Her writing is beautiful. The way she describes things makes reading feel so effortless. I appreciate the time & care she put into her research on autism.

Kennedy Ryan is the reason why I started reading contemporary romance and this book absolutely didn't disappoint .

Thank you Netgalley for the eArc.

This Could Be Us is a contemporary romance that exceeded my expectations -- I liked it even better than Before I Let Go! This time we follow Soledad and her slow-burn romance, though this book is much more about her personal journey toward self-love. It is so refreshing to read romance involving grown people. The white collar crime in the first part of the book really raised the stakes and established good pacing. Overall, a great read!

Oh. My. GOD!!! Kennedy Ryan does it again! I did not think it was possible for anyone to write something as amazing as "Before I Let Go," but I should have known better than to underestimate Kennedy Ryan!


One thing is for sure, I was not ready for the feminist masterpiece that was Soledad's story.

I love that Soledad's ex-husband's betrayal takes somewhat of a back seat in this story. Now, that man who shall not be named is absolute trash, but I love that the focal point of the story is Soledad's journey to love and trust herself again and how that journey is completed alongside the other incredibly strong women in her life, from her girls, to her best friends, to the notes left by her mom.

As always, Kennedy Ryan handles the sensitive topics in her book, in this case Judah's son's autism diagnosis, with t he utmost care, respect and grace. She is a master at portraying her characters in a real and raw way that also upholds their dignity and personhood without being fluffy (if that makes sense.

If you can't tell by now, I absolutely loved this book and couldn't stop once I started. Kennedy Ryan is now an auto buy author for me! Read this book, you will not regret it.

If I could reach out through the screen and give Kennedy Ryan a big hug, I would. When I started the book, and read the message from the author, I got a bit nervous. As an autistic parent (diagnosed as an adult) of an autistic child, I hesitate when I read autistic children depicted in books. There have been numerous times, that I have disagreed or felt badly when reading an autistic character stereotyped or portrayed terribly. So I went in with a bit of apprehension. However, I think Ryan does an absolutely stellar job of respecting the neurodivergent community. The twins are written beautifully, kindly, realistically. I have lived so much of what is on the page, especially as a parent. I loved the portrayal of Judah, and his wife, and the way they have built their lives for the benefit and success of their children. This has been very much my lived experience and to see it written felt like a big hug. I also loved seeing Soledad with Aaron and Adam - there are some people that just "get" my kid, words exchanged or not, and I think this was so lovely to see. I also appreciate Ryan writing such grown-up, adult characters, who while are still working on themselves, are mature and relatable. I would go on forever, as I loved this book fully, but know if you're falling into this book you will both be entertained and moved. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

4 stars goes to Soledad’s story. Once again Kennedy Ryan writes a story about love in such a beautiful way. In this story, our main character Soledad is going through so much with her marriage so of course the love between our two main character was going to take a minute. The self love train as well. Although this is true and I know she takes her time with her characters to make sure that the love is for sure the angst was not there until probably 70% and we didn’t get anything romantic between the two main characters until around that time. I understand she had to paint this in such a delicate light because this book is solely about self love and preservation but geez some things were a bit drawn out and that’s why I could not rate it 5 stars. I do appreciate how realistic her books are. I know in real life someone who went through the things Soledad did has to take her time and learn her self before being back in a situation with another person and for that I love Kennedy Ryan.

Ok as far as the characters go, i love the relationship Soledad had with her sisters, dare i say more than her relationship with her besties 👀. I wish we could get a story about Lola. She seems very interesting. The way that this author went out and seeked info about autism and parents that are caring for their children with autistim was wonderful and it showed in the book that she did the work. I hated her husband and that wench lol. Aaron and Adam, i wanted to hug them both. Especially Adam when the incident happened. And finally, Mr serious, Judah. He exuded sexiness from the page. I wish we could have gotten more depictions of his demeanor. I felt like it was mentioned slightly but not enough. I would have liked that to get a better picture of what he looked like and how he was.

Ok back to the chemistry. These were two great people. Judah with the way he was with his boys and Soledad with the way she is all around, good people. Initially i didn’t feel the chemistry. I felt like these were two people that just were good people that are attractive. But as the book moved along and started to get physical i felt the chemistry for sure.

Overall, i think the book was a bit slower than I like for romances. I definitely much preferred the angst, longing and yearning from the first book (BILG). This felt more like Womans fiction but it still was written beautifully.

The ending was so sweet with the recipes at the end.

I’m not sure where to start with this book…As a parent of a child on the Autism Spectrum it sometimes is very lonely and daunting and all consuming but we want to be doing it, all of it for our children to give them everything we possibly can! So I think that is one of the reasons I love Judah so much! The way he saw each of his boys was so beautiful and one of my favorite parts of this book. As for Soledad, I loved her. She is such a strong and badass woman, I loved learning about her culture and life experiences from her POV. Her husband is disgusting and I hated him for what he has done to Soledad and their girls, for not seeing the treasure she is! But Judah saw it. The forbidden attractions was delicious! For me, primarily a romance reader, this book read more as women’s fiction. So in a sense I was a little disappointed in the story because I would have preferred more romance. But overall, this was a wonderful read. Watching Soledad’s self-growth and love, her truly finding herself after she is blindsided by the betrayal of her husband and life implodes. I loved how kind and patient Judah was, truly loving her in the way she deserved!

Thank you Forever for this ARC.