I never thought I'd be sobbing over someone cooking macaroni & cheese, but here we are. I've fallen in love with every ounce of healing, friendship, and family This Could Be Us has to offer.

“I’ve come to realize that a woman who wants more and realizes she deserves it is a dangerous thing.” Kennedy Ryan does it again! Found myself reading this at 3AM. Normalize self love, self care, and true friendships. I enjoyed Soledad’s and Judah’s story it was very much a slow burn. I look forward to the next installment with Hendrix 💖

Great read!!! I love the promotion of self love and self care!!! We need more of this shared and normalized. 10 out of 10 must read if you love a nice slow burn and a great love story!!!

I loved everything about this book! The self-love, friendship, representation/realness, anticipation of romance and considerations
from both MCs. I can’t wait until March to experience the spark and captivation this book brought to my life!! Kennedy Ryan’s writing is healing and refreshing. One of the best books I’ve ever read!

This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

It’s been a long time since I read romance book that affected me as deeply as This Could Be Us did. Everything from the author note/content warning at the beginning to the characters, this book was well written and heart warming. I’ll post a longer review closer to the publication date. I don’t want to spoil it.

Publication date: March 5, 2024

Thank you @netgalley and @readforeverpub for the ARC

Just wrapped up "This Could Be Us" by Kennedy Ryan, and it's an absolute page-turner to kick off my reading year!

Soledad's resilience, strength, and journey to self-love are incredibly relatable, especially when paired with Judah's sweetness – I was hooked! This book delves into deep topics, adding an emotional layer to the romance, with mature characters and heartwarming (and sometimes distressing) moments that left me with all the feels.

A compelling story of self-discovery, love, and resilience that has quickly become a personal favorite and a must-read for the year. Mark your calendars – it releases in March 2024! While it can be enjoyed as a standalone, it's a fantastic follow-up to "Before I Let Go."

Highly recommend! #BookReview #MustRead #KennedyRyan #ThisCouldBeUs #Bookstagram

3.5 stars

This was my first Kennedy Ryan, and I have to say I'm a fan already!

This Could Be Us follows Soledad Barnes, a stay-at-home mom who has everything figured out and everything planned. However there's nothing to prepare her when disaster strikes in the form of her husband's betrayal. Feeling as if her life's fallen apart, Soledad cannot waste time sorting through her emotions about the man she who she considered her "forever" and instead must focus on keeping the roof over her daughters' heads and food on the table. In her journey to pick up the pieces of what her husband left behind, Soledad finds herself embarking on a new journey towards self-discovery and self-fulfillment.

The one thing in the way is man to "blame" for how everything transpired: someone she knows she shouldn't want but can't help falling for anyway...

At its core, this book is a romance between two individuals, but it's also such a wonderful tribute to finding one's self and starting over. Soledad was such a lovely woman and so easy to root for in her efforts to bounce back from her husband's betrayal. I loved reading about all of her new endeavors, from becoming a content creator (even if it all felt a bit too good to be true at times...) and forming a bookclub (LOVE all the bell hooks mentions in this book!) Self-discovery and finding yourself is a really cool phenomenon to explore in a book like this, even if it didn't exactly apply to me as much (I know it will for many other readers though!)

Unfortunately, where this book fell a bit flat for me was the romance itself. Don't get me wrong, I really liked Judah as a character and really enjoyed reading about his own life and his relationship with his sons, who both have autism. In fact, I'd honestly read books about Soledad and Judah individually, just about their lives! Their relationship, however, I feel like lacked a lot of the development and build-up that I always love the most. It's not that there wasn't any foundations for them to be together nor any believable chemistry/attraction, because there definitely was. It's more that I feel that the attraction was immediate, and as a result all of their interactions were already tinted with their pre-existing desire for the other. As a result, I found the whole "will-they, won't-they" aspect of their relationship far less compelling because it was more like "DUH, they-will." I just wanted more... conflict. More tension. More stakes, I don't know. Especially since it's marketed as a type of "forbidden" romance.

I do think Kennedy Ryan is extremely talented in how she develops characters so meticulously that they feel tangible to the reader. I'm definitely going to go back and read the first installment of this series because I find the premise for Yasmen and Josiah's story even more intriguing than this one (personally! so much of romance is really just preference after all).

Overall: I recommend to those who want a romance with a lot of emotional depth and details/themes beyond just the main relationship. I also recommend to those who are also craving a reset like the one Soledad initiates in her own life because I think a lot of people will resonate with her journey to self-discovery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the digital ARC of this one <3

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. This book was about heart break, rebuilding yourself and loving yourself. I loved the self love parts of this book and Soledad finding that for herself. I absolutely loved Judah and that he was willing to wait for Soledad to love herself and that he put her needs above his own when she needed it. I’m very excited to try the recipes in this book too.

I LOVE THIS SERIES!
I 100% would recommend this book if you are into women empowerment, without it being too “on the nose”. We see the impact solid friendships have on your self esteem and choices we make through our lives. This is beautifully written, beautiful characters, realistic scenarios and realistic conclusion.

I will definitely be reading the next book in the series and anything by Kennedy Ryan.

(ARC from NetGalley) Kennedy Ryan…YOU’VE DONE IT AGAIN! This is one of those books that is written so vividly it just plays out as a movie in my mind. To be honest am a bit at a loss for words, but I’ll try my best.
First, this is equal parts fiction and romance. Sol must learn to trust and love herself as well as trust and love Judah. We start off in absolute shambles when Edward, Soledad’s husband, embezzles a ton of money and is generally just being a terrible, unsupportive spouse. She eventually meets Judah, the man who reported her husband to the FBI. They have an instant attraction and just can’t seem to stay away from each other. This story is honestly so detailed and human but the basis of it is getting to see Sol find herself again— her passions, her trust, her pleasures. All while she’s falling back in love with herself, she’s falling in love with Judah. Both characters are also incredible parents— Sol is the mother to 3 teen girls (well one is 11) and Judah is the father to 2 autistic twin boys who will need him for the rest of their lives. They both make incredibly difficult choices for their kids and those that they love.

Kennedy Ryan is one of my favorite romance authors and this book reminds me why. I love this series so much and how mature the romance is in each one. Judah and Soledad were so perfectly matched - getting Edward out of the picture early on was the best thing that could have happened to Soledad. But this book still showed how complex of a situation that still is, managing a family and children that don’t necessarily know all that has happened and still love their dad. I think that kind of complex grief was dealt with so well and it was really eye opening.

4.5 🌟 rounded up! I honestly am in love with this little community that Kennedy Ryan has built. Their relationships are always so mature and third act breakups aren’t really a thing - which is SO rare. Judah was adorable and so sweet. I loved how well their families came together at the end 🥹

Overall, I loved this one but not quite as much as Before I Let Go. This series still has my heart 🩷

Oh my goodness, I loved Soledad and her girls so much. Sol as a mother, especially how she interacted with her girls and also how she had such strong females friendships, warmed my heart and made me think about how I want to demonstrate that my futures children.
Judah was everything, more heroes like Judah! Him and his boys were the perfect balance to Sol and her girls.
The coparenting in this was divine and the diverse cast of characters made this story intriguing and enticing the whole way through.

I’m ashamed to say this was my first Kennedy Ryan book, and now I’m fighting the urge to read her whole backlist when I have several other arcs to read! THIS COULD BE US (releasing March 5th!) is actually a perfect book.

Soledad Barnes is perfect. The perfect wife and mother who has created a perfect home for her family. Until her life collapses under the betrayal of the man to whom she dedicated her life. But with three kids to care for, she doesn’t have the time to fall apart. As she rediscovers who she is, an unexpected ally turns into the only man she can’t resist. But with her life finally setting into something stable, can she take the risk on something new?

Between the two families and their friends/coworkers, it’s a massive cast, but Kennedy somehow gives every one of them incredible depth without overcomplicating the story. I felt for Soledad so deep in my bones it was like I was experiencing it with her. It also had me asking my (very confused) husband to promise he isn’t [redacted for spoilers—but trust me, y’all, it’s gloriously messy].

I love a single mom story (hence my debut’s FMC!), and the journey Soledad goes on with her girls is on another level. She handles an inconceivable situation with so much grace and joy, while still exploring the challenges of motherhood. Jonah’s experience with his twin boys was equally as compelling, even more so knowing some of it was from Kennedy’s own lived experience.

Their path to each other was grounded in such raw emotion and scorching chemistry that I couldn’t put it down. Literally, I read this in a day. And no, the irony of pawning my children off on the TV while reading about two incredible parents was not lost on me. No regrets.

As always….I never expect less from Kennedy Ryan
This was mature
A journey of self discovery after a betrayal from a husband and finding love and being loved the right way🤷🏾‍♀️ or the way you deserve

“But there’s nothing for him to save me from, because I’ve saved myself. He doesn’t have to awaken me with a kiss. I’m wide awake, reborn, rebirthed through my own fire and pain and work and wisdom"

Soledad Barnes can do it all - she has a hack, recipe, and can DIY just about anything. She thrives in her self-labeled role as a "domestic goddess," balancing all things house/home with foolproof planning. That is, until all her careful planning couldn't account for a constant turned variable.

I was enamored with the first installment in Kennedy Ryan's Skyland series, so when I saw book two was available on NetGalley I rushed to pick it up! Sol was introduced as a force to be reckoned with, and her growth throughout 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘉𝘦 𝘜𝘴 is testament to that. I think it was only fitting that Ryan chose to emphasize Sol's journey as one of self-love primarily with the added benefit of romantic love; it added nuance and depth to Sol's story, and solidified Ryan's prowess as an author that can craft multidimensional characters.

Sol and Judah's connection was undeniable from the moment they met, which is ultimately what I think made their romance fall a little flat for me. Despite the pair being so attracted to one another upon their first encounter, there was so much unnecessary tension surrounding the forbidden aspect of their desire that I didn't have to ask "will they/won't they," but rather "WHEN will they?!" Because of the prolonged angst it felt as if we didn't get to know SolxJudah as a couple so much as we got to know them as two separate individuals. I also think for the amount of emphasis placed on Ines' hatred toward Judah, there was never any true conflict or resolution for that matter.

Overall, 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘉𝘦 𝘜𝘴 was an enjoyable sophomore installment in an incredible series. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘉𝘦 𝘜𝘴 will be published March 5th, 2024!

3.5⭐️ Not gonna lie…I was a little disappointed by this book. Before I Let Go is one of my all time favorite books and I expected this book to be more similar than it was. The embezzlement plot line made the book feel way more suspense/dark romance than I enjoy. It also just caught me off guard because the synopsis and the marketing did not prepare me for it.

That being said I still enjoyed this book. Kennedy Ryan is such a beautiful writer and I particularly love how she writes about motherhood and womanhood in her books.

I loved this book so much! What I love about Kennedy Ryan books in general is that it's often a larger conversation about topics that are hard but real and that happen in life. It's very much a romance story but the backdrop is very real life situations.

More specifically, this book is a romance but the external romantic element is taking a backseat to Soledad's self love journey after a devastating betrayal by her husband.

While this isn't a "coming of age" story by definition I would say it's in the same realm in the sense of self-discovery. That was my favorite part and I love that Soledad took time for herself and to heal instead of jumping straight unto another relationship.

And Judah!!! What a man 😍

Definitely a must read for 2024!

The second book in the Skyland series absolutely blew it out of the water! I thoroughly enjoyed reading Soledad's story. This was even more beautiful than book 1. Soledad was the ultimate FMC, and was the epitome of a strong woman. I loved her journey and self-exploration. Judah and Soledad were the sweetest couple through the ups and downs. This was one of the easiest five stars I have ever given, I LOVED this book. Every single character (except u Edward) was so easily to love and three dimensional. The dialogue was incredibly natural, and it made these characters feel so real. Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing/Forever Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Kennedy Ryan for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this MASTERPIECE.

While I have not read Before I Let Go (but it is 100% on my list to read ASAP) I had no issues following what is the second book in this series. They all seem to be more of an interconnected stand-alone series as opposed to having a full blown plot running through all the books.

This book follows the story of Soledad and how she's able to lift herself up after some seriously troubling times. While this book may be categorized as a romance, it is SO much more than that. This is a book about female empowerment and finding the strength within yourself to carry on when times are horrible. It's about family and strengthening the bonds during the rough times. I honestly cannot put into words how much I loved this book. Watching Soledad move forward, heal, and make her life her own was nothing short of beautiful. Kennedy Ryan has a GIFT when it comes to storytelling and I cannot wait for more.

I would also like to say that this book has mentions of autism, and I feel like the author did such a respectful job of portraying not just autism, but the family dynamics surrounding it.

This book is everything I KNEW it would be. Kennedy Ryan always has a way of tapping into a story and creating characters that are deep, well-rounded and relatable and this book is exactly that! Soledad is a woman who was put through so much by her husband and she and her girls had no choice but to overcome it. The strength and confidence and self-worth of Soledad is something that women of color often have to exhibit, but isn't always seen on the page and that was fantastic. Side note: Soledad, you better let that man love you! I can't wait to get my physical copy!!