Thank you so much to Kennedy Ryan and NetGalley for having made this book a Read Now option that I was able to snag for early enjoyment. It felt like CHRISTMAS getting the chance to read the next Skyland love story EARLY!

You guys, it did NOT disappoint.
Before I let go was one of my top reads of last year — Yasmen and Josiah’s story was so incredibly powerful, and I was heavily curious what the sophomore book in this series would feel like.

Well let me tell you.
It met and exceeded any possible expectations I could have possibly held. Soledad is a force of NATURE. I felt honored to go through her journey to hell and back. Sol’s story is emotional, heavy, determined, inspirational, healing, and empowering.

And Judah Cross? My new king. He is a perfect man for Soledad. His dedication as a co-parent, a father, a lover, and a human being is utterly unmatched. From the second he purchased those groceries, I knew he was going to be a top MMC for me. He utter respect for Sol and her journey was beautiful.

Beyond a love story, this is a story about healing. About coming back from unthinkable circumstances. About reclaiming a life and happiness for ourselves.

Yasmen and Hendrix were full blown joys in this story. The strong relationships between these women is actually one of my favorite parts of the book. That storyline along exemplifies how important female relationships can be, and what found family truly means.

There is nothing I have complaints about in this book. From the first chapter to the final page, I loved this journey. It makes me want to revisit Yasmen and Josiah, and it has me foaming at the mouth for Hendrix’s story.

Read this if you want a delicious slow burn love story, pining, high heat, personal growth, women’s empowerment, found family, a beautiful and honest love story, and powerful/emotional story telling.

Kennedy Ryan is the master of true romance.

5/5⭐️
2.5/5🌶️

This was a well rounded book full of finding oneself again, healing, family, and forbidden romance. This is my first Kennedy Ryan book, and after seeing so much praise for the first in the Skyland series, I had high expectations for this one, and boy did it deliver!

Soledad has her life all set for her, married, a glamorous house, lifestyle, three beautiful daughters. Until one day her husband betrays not only her but her family, and which changes everything shes' known for the past twenty years. In the road to recovery from this shocking betrayal, she meets someone who she really shouldn't be with, despite the major attraction.

There's so much love, bravery, self descovery in this story and a beautiful cast of diverse characters. Although I'm not an expert in Autism, I thought the characters and situations were written with great care that you really understood them and were some of my favorite characters in the story.

This is a self descovery book first, and a slow burn romance second. Definitely recommend!

A very thank you NetGalley and Forever for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

"this could be us" is my first kennedy ryan book, and i can safely say i was not prepared for the emotional rollercoaster i was going to go on. i honestly loved every bit of it, even the parts where i so badly wanted to jump into the book and punch edward in the face, because it all led to soledad's growth, development and self-discovery. the cast of characters was so entertaining and believable, and i loved that despite their instant connection and attraction, judah and soledad didn't jump into something immediately. they took their time, but the slow burn was so worth it in the end. their love story was so tender and beautiful, and i loved that they did it on their terms, both understanding that their children would come first, but that they still deserved to love each other. judah and soledad's care and love for their children was so evident throughout the book, and it's one of the things that made me love them and enjoy their story so much. i absolutely loved this book and can't wait to go back and read the first book in the series!

I love Soledad’s story! I loved how she was able to prioritize herself but also care for her family, as well. She made a name for herself outside of her husband and found love again. Also, Judah is my man my man my man.

Another perfect book from Kennedy Ryan! This is different enough from “Before I Let Go” to not feel formulaic, while still keeping so much of what made the first book amazing. It’s steamy romance, self discovery, navigating grief and parenthood, and the girlfriend humor is top notch!
I loved this so much I’ll read it again as soon as it’s published!

I usually only read stand alone novels but when this sequel came out I knew I had to get my hands on it as soon as possible. And I'm glad I did. I enjoy the found family and the sense of community this series creates. I feel as though I'm reading through the  life of a best friend. The story is beautifully told and we find the beauty in everyday struggles and just every day life. This book makes me feel thankful for the little joys I have in my life. The mc learns to trust herself, believe in herself, not only picks herself up, but does so with poise and dignity. Such a feel good, good for her piece. Kennedy Ryan never disappoints and is an auto-buy author for me!! Her writing and stories are just so beautiful. Thank you Netgalley, Kennedy Ryan, and Forever publishing for my arc of this title. #NetGalley #KennedyRyan #ThisIsUs

I really enjoyed this next installment of the Skyland series by Kennedy Ryan. As with the first, there is found family, navigating parenthood, dealing with heartbreak, and all the real life complexity that relationships bring. I loved getting read about Soledad finding herself after being lost as a wife and mom for so long, and I also liked Judah’s journey with having autistic sons and coparenting. There was so much more to the story than the relationship between Sol and Judah, which was nice. Edward the ex definitely felt a little bit comic book villain to me…I mean the man had zero redeeming qualities and just continued to go lower throughout the book, which felt a little unrealistic. But otherwise it was a great story with complex characters and emotions.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

{3.5 stars}

I really enjoyed Ryan's Before I Let Go, so even though contemporary romance is not always my favorite, I thought I would give this one a try. Soledad is a woman going through a transition after she finds out her husband was living a double life. She's now got to raise her three daughters on her own and find a way to support them without previously having had a career. Judah is her husband's coworker who she finds herself drawn to. He is divorced and co-parenting his two sons with autism, not really looking for love until he meets Soledad.

This one started off very soapy. Some of the aggressive interactions between Soledad and her husband were hard to read. I didn't love Soledad at the beginning of the book (although we're supposed to) who was a bit snotty about her life where she didn't need to work and paid $400 for a sweater, but I appreciated her arc as someone finding their footing in a place where she found success and joy. Judah, Tremaine and the representation of a family dealing with the ins and outs of life touched by autism (I appreciated the author's personal and honest take on this) was fabulous. It's very body positive, sex positive (perhaps a bit too spicy for me if I'm honest) and all about finding your independence as a woman on your own. I did feel it was a bit unfortunate that the only two white people in it were absolute trolls, I would have loved one redeeming white person.

Thanks to Forever and Grand Central Pub for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinons above are my own.

Review ❤️

This Could Be Us follows Soledad, the domestic housewife and mother of 3 as she rediscovers herself after being hit with multiple life altering events that leaves her family in shambles. Ryan yet again delivers another emotional story filled with many important topics that I think hit home for many women. It’s a remarkable story of resilience, strength and finding love for oneself. The characters are always so enjoyable to read about and I’ll never get enough of her trio with Yasmen and Hen. The MMC is also swoon worthy😍 I LOVED how he was written! I will say though at times the story dragged on a bit but overall it was really enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What You Get:
❤️Self Discovery & Redemption
❤️Slow-Burn Romance
❤️Dual POV
❤️Amazing Character Growth
❤️Autism Rep

(Rounded up from 3.5 stars)

In the second in the Skyland series, we’re following Soledad, a domestic goddess who, though her marriage seems to have hit a rough patch, she’s mostly happy. But then, she learns about her husband’s massive betrayal and her life, and the lives of her three daughters are turned completely upside down. And not just because of the new man who enters the picture, one who she can’t help having feelings for, while she learns to date herself.

I read Kennedy Ryan’s “Before I Let Go” early last year and gave it five huge stars. So I couldn’t wait to read this next story, set in the same world. But sadly, this one just didn’t give me the same feelings as the previous one. While the story itself was interesting, I felt bogged down several times while reading. At 400 pages, it isn’t overly long, but it FELT long and I considered giving it up a few times throughout my reading. I did truly want to know what would happen with Soledad, her daughters, and Judah, the new man. But I felt like we could’ve easily cut out 50 pages and the story would’ve flowed much better.

I very much appreciated Ryan’s insistence that Soledad date herself, learn who she is without a man in her life, and how she can build her life back up after her husband’s betrayal. But after being reminded time and time and time again that she was dating herself, the self love portions of the book began to feel like I was getting hit over the head with them. An important message for sure, but I didn’t need to be reminded of it at every turn.

The steam in this one is really spicy, something Ryan does incredibly well, and I absolutely loved the dynamic between Judah and his twin sons who are autistic, as well as Soledad’s relationships with her daughters and the various degrees of anger they held toward her for their father’s mistakes. That all felt so on point and so well done.

So while this isn’t a bad book at all, it just felt really slow and so that took away my enjoyment. There is going to be another book in this series and I’ll likely pick it up as it’ll be focusing on my favorite character in this Skyland friendship group. I’ll just cross my fingers it gives me vibes of the first book rather than this second one.

Soledad stole the show! Kennedy delivers another powerful story with a woman on fire. I loved Soledad's strength and journey of self-love, even if it meant the romance simmered instead of scorching. Some parts of the novel leaned more towards women's fiction, which is fine for me, but might not be everyone's cup of tea. The chemistry between Soledad and her love interest felt more mature, focusing on her growth rather than just steamy scenes.

Speaking of growth, Soledad's journey was inspiring! As for the other characters, the autism representation and diverse cultural blend were fantastic.

This book was a beautiful, empowering read. Highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

<quote>"I told her I am the love of my life.</quote>

We're introduced to Soledad in <i>Before I Let Go</i> as a stay-at-home mom who runs her home and family with impeccable taste and unbelievable love. She can whip up the perfect vinaigrette, shuttle her three children from school to extracurriculars, and be there for her close-knit friend group. We're also introduced to her total dud of a husband, Edward, who turns out to be even worse than we expected!

The book opens with Edward's ultimate betrayal of Soledad and their family. He's a cheat in multiple ways, he's embezzled millions from his company while having a relationship with his assistant. <i>This Could Be Us</i> tells the story of Soledad reclaiming her home, life, and self from a man who did so much to make her small throughout their 20-year relationship. While this definitely has a romance at the core of the book, it is more of a love story for Soledad about Soledad. She needs to love herself before she can love another man.

This book's core drama is high-stakes, but not as heavy as the material at the core of <i>Before I Let Go</i>. As a result, the pacing and story move more quickly and I devoured this book in basically a night. I haven't even mentioned our MMC, Judah, who is close to perfection. He is mature, steady, and loves Soledad in all of the iterations of her life, not demanding to change her, but ready to fit into her life in whatever way he can. He's also grappling with what life has thrown his way, twin boys who are autistic. The way he loves his family is truly special.

While I have autistic family members, I don't feel qualified to weigh in on whether the representation of that storyline has any issues, though it does feel like it is handled with care.

* Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for access to the eARC in exchange for my honest review! *

I'm a long time fan of Mrs. Ryan and she never fails to amaze me when it comes to the scope of her pen. This one is definitely an attention grabber right away. Per usual there were an awry of feels/emotions I felt during this read. I fell in love with the twins right automatically and I love how inclusive she was with this one. Throughly enjoyed book 2, can't wait for more.

Okay first, I love Kennedy Ryan’s writing. I loved the first book in this series so much and I was so excited for this. Unfortunately, I think I came into this with the wrong expectations.

First, I didn’t really look at the blurb or anything. I didn’t really feel like I needed to since I trust Kennedy Ryan. But...I feel like I should have. I felt like this was much more literary fiction than romance. And there’s nothing wrong with that! But I was expecting more romance. I don’t want to give things away, but for me I felt like I wasn’t really getting much romance until over halfway through and it was very much focused on Soledad’s personal journey. I just wanted more romance and found myself skimming some parts to get to the romance.

That being said, I did really love Judah! Hence why I wanted more of the romance and him haha. The relationship with his sons was so precious and I loved the way he went about everything with Soledad and her family. And I really did appreciate Soledad’s journey of loving herself. There were parts that I think could have been shortened to give us more romance and plot, but I did appreciate it.

Finally, the autism rep was perfect. I appreciated that so much and how it showed that each child has a different journey. Loved it and those kids so much.

So overall, not my favorite from Kennedy Ryan but still so glad I read it and I would still recommend! Release March 5th!

*3.5 Stars

Not what I thought.

After reading Before I Let Go by this author I couldn’t wait to read more from her. When given the chance to review This Could be Us, I jumped at the opportunity.

I admire Soledad’s strength and determination to do all she could to succeed and provide a life for her daughters that would ease the impact of their father and her husband’s betrayal as much as possible.

However, I was extremely turned off by the vulgar language and erotic scenes in this book. I found myself just waiting for the story to end.

I was given the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book by Hachette Book Group and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this story! Kennedy Ryan handled the complexity of betrayal, divorce, self discovery, family, and kiddos with neurodivergence. Thanks for the opportunity to read this book.

Loved this book! Such a good story. Can't wait for Hen's story next year!
Even better than the first book since this one had more action and drama

I received a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Soledad Barnes has the picture-perfect life, that has unfortunately been built on straw that her husband swore was gold. When it all collapses, she has to rebuild her life for herself and for her daughters. Her friends have always told her she could make a living off her cooking and cleaning tricks and abilities, now she’ll have to put that to the test. But the man who set off this chain of events, the one who showed everyone the lies her husband was weaving, she has an unavoidable attraction to him. When they are near each other everything else fades away. But she made the wrong choice before, she overlooked numerous red flags, can she truly trust herself to make the right decision?

Every now and then, if you’re lucky, you open up a book and realize it was written *for you*. That was my experience when I started reading This Could Be Us. Soledad’s journey is so very relatable. When you’ve built a life based on love and trust, only to find out it was all smoke and mirrors, it’s hard to truly trust yourself again. You question how much could have been avoided if only you’d listened to people around you, or not overlooked all those orange and red flags in the name of love and loyalty. I love that Soledad’s journey is not one where a man comes in and fixes her, and helps her realize that she is worthy, but one where he knows she’s worthy and waits on the side. He gives her the time and space to do what she needs, to find out who she truly is and what she wants out of her life. It was also a good reminder that there’s no need to settle. Better to be single with a fulfilling, honest life, than lower your standards to find a partner who is not worthy of you, or doesn’t compliment the life you deserve to live. As always, Kennedy Ryan writes stories that speak directly to my soul. I would recommend this book to fans of Kennedy Ryan, those looking for post-trauma, divorce rep, multicultural rep, autism rep, steamy romance, and anyone looking to diversify their bookshelf.

Ryan’s ability to write strong female characters and their resiliency is unmatched. I am always amazed at how relatable her characters can be and how they are able to grow and mature through their hardships. Soledad was such a heartwarming, beautiful strong character that I only wanted the best for and that is the beauty of Ryan’s writing. The way you get emotionally tied to her characters is amazing. And Judah brought the softness and sweetness that Soledad was missing. Judah’s POV was also just as emotional as Soledad’s and I loved his character so much.

Kennedy Ryan has done it again, everybody! She’s done it again with this epic and emotional follow-up to the icon that was Before I Let Go! This Could Be Us is a different couple, a different story, but still carries that powerful and transformative type of writing that Kennedy carries in all her books! This book stands out from the crowd because it tackles heavy topics with both precision and grandeur! It’s amazing- Kennedy’s evocative storytelling- and I hope everyone takes a chance on this book because these stories deserve to be heard everywhere! It’s beautiful and resonant and I’m not ready to “let go” of this world of humanly-crafted characters but I am excited for everything that is to come from Kennedy Ryan next!