This Could Be Us

“You make me forget the world when you kiss me, and it’s reckless and out of control, but yet there is no safer place. No one I trust more.”

Kennedy Ryan has done it again! This Could Be Us is the second book in the Skyland series and the follow up to the masterpiece Before I Let Go.

While there is a romance between Soledad and Judah (our MMC), what captivated me the most was Soledad’s journey of self love and self discovery once her life has been flipped upside down because of her (ex) husband, Edward. This life changing event is a catalyst to Soledad realizing her worth and the strength she has within. Even Soledad as a mom is so captivating to read. Everything she does is for the sake of her daughters and instilling such strength in them but she does not lose herself in being just a mom but she shows her daughters how to love themselves as she is going through her own journey. Kennedy does an amazing job in creating such powerful women and taking us through their journey which makes us as readers really reflect on our own lives and find ourselves relating to Soledad in different ways.

I loved the sisterhood that we see between Soledad, Yasmen, and Hendrix and how women can truly lift each other up and have such platonic love with one another. Their scenes were so beautiful to read.

Judah is such an amazing father and Kennedy really gave such beautiful representation of autism and a healthy coparenting relationship. His relationship with his children was so beautiful. He’s so attentive to their needs and extremely present. Judah comes into Soledad’s life and it’s the worst timing but it does not deter him. He is so patient and gives Soledad glimpses of a beautiful love that she hasn’t had in her life with another man. He respects Soledad’s journey and is extremely perspective of her wants and needs. This man was down bad for her from the minute he laid eyes on her. Their chemistry was incredible and the cherry on top of this book.

I could go on and on about the love I have for this book because it really is incredible. Soledad’s journey will stay with me forever.

Wow this book was awesome. We have Soledad Hermosa Barnes aka Beautifully Confident. Soledad Barnes was married to Edward Barnes who works for one of the biggest cookware companies in the world. He handles their money and has little oversight. Then enters Judah Cross a Forensic accountant who is called in to see if the money is going where it is supposed to and or if their something fishy going on with the accounts in the company. Judah Cross, who was once married to Tremaine has two sons who are both autistic and are on different levels on the autism spectrum. Adam and Aaron are twins and are both autistic. Adam is academically gifted and talks more than his brother Aaron. Aaron hardly has any speech. Aaron has this device with pictures and words that speak for him. They are different but brilliant in their own way. So, Judah has the boys during the day because Aaron needs to be near his father and Tremaine their mother has them on the weekends. As this story opens this is three years later than we found out about Judah and his sons, and it happens to be Christmas holiday. We find Soledad who is best friends with Yasmen who we met in the first book of the Skyland series and their friend Hendrix. Soledad is married to Edward Barnes who is an accountant for a worldwide bakeware business. Her husband and her seem to be not on the same page. She wants her husband's attention, and he has excuses for not wanting to touch for even kiss her. She is led to believe that he is so worried about a project he is working on with his assistant Amber and even called her name in his sleep. That should have been a big flag that something is wrong in her marriage, but she is so worried about all her children that she is just beginning to think that maybe there is something wrong with her marriage. Soledad and her husband Edward have three daughters, Lupe, Inez and Lottie. Soledad is part Puerto Rican and part African American, and her husband is Caucasian. So, the daughters all look different. Inez the middle child looks more like her father than Lupe and Lottie. When Edward and Soledad go to the party, he leaves her to go check with Amber on a project they are working on, so he says. At the company Christmas party is where Soledad and Judah Cross find their selves drawn to one another. Edward gets jealous when he sees his wife and Judah talking but we find out why that is so important is because Edward is a cheat and a liar and is embezzling funds from the company that he works for. Judah does not like him, and Edward doesn't like him. We find out later that Judah is a good upstanding man and Edward is a liar and a cheat and his betrayal to his wife and family have reverberating effect on his family. Edward wanted to blame Judah Cross for what happens to him, but we all know that when you lie and cheat eventually it will come to light. So this is the story of Judah Cross a good man who is doing his best to care for two autistic twin sons and Soledad dealing with three girls who lose their father because of the deceit that he has done and she has to find a way to keep them in Skyland in a house and in the private school they go to and how she figures out a way to take care of her own with the things she has done in her family as an influencer. She became an influencer and shared what she does online and even one of her products a dressing for salad went viral, in fact it is called the viral dressing. This book is the development of the relationship between Judah Cross and now Soledad Charles because she has divorced her husband and taken her maiden name back. This book was really awesome. Once I learned that it was in my Kindle, I hurried to read it because Kennedy Ryan is such an amazing writer. This book was well worth the purchase and as I have done with her other books, I will probably be purchasing the paperback version of the book. We found out that a person can have the companionship of another person even though they have been betrayed by another as long as ..."they first love their self. She found out that her mother who had children by two different men had enough love in her to love two different men one who had passion and the other was safe, but she couldn't have done that unless she loved herself first. Then we have the cast of characters from Before I let Go the first book in the Skyland series, Yasmen and Josiah and their daughter Deja and then there is Soledad and Hendrix and Yasmen are all a part of the Skyland community in Atlanta. Loved, loved this book. Highly recommend this book and it was an awesome read, a book that makes you go back and read again like Reel, Before I Let Go and most of Kennedy Ryan's books.

5 STARS!!!

Kennedy Ryan does it again!! "This Could Be Us" gives readers Soledad's story, the second book in the Skyland series, and boy oh boy is it a good one. Kennedy Ryan is virtually incapable of misses at this point. I found myself transfixed with Soledad and Judah's story. The pining. The passion. The longing. The lust. The caretaking. The steaminess. The scandal. The intrigue. Oh. My. God. I could NOT put this book down. I stayed up late and woke up early just to finish it because I needed to know how the story ended. Ryan weaves a delicate tapestry of self-discovery, family, friendship, angst, and love, and finds a way to balance the heaviness with some fun and lust. I love the way she writers her dialogue dripping with intensity. Her characters are as fantastic as ever. I adored Judah Cross. SWOON I loved Soledad's journey to finding herself after getting divorced from her ex-husband Edward (no spoilers, but one of the best book "villains" I have read in a long time....GOD I LOATHED HIM!). Soledad and Judah's stories are separate but ever-revolving around one another until they converge and...FIREWORKS. Their romance is sooooooo freaking good. I am going to be thinking about them for a long time. As with the first Skyland book, I absolutely loved the relationship between Soledad, Yasmen, and Hen... what an incredible display of female friendship and empowerment, women lifting each other in times of darkness. I also loved the relationship between Soledad and her sisters. This book is incredible, and I urge you to read it as soon as possible. Another tremendous notch in Kennedy Ryan's already stellar belt!

This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan 5/5 ⭐️

Soledad Barnes is the life of the party. She pays attention to detail and masters everything from cooking to hosting to cleaning. She has worked hard to create the perfect home and lifestyle for her 3 daughters and husband. Unfortunately, it all falls apart when her husband, Edward, is arrested for embezzlement.

Picking up the pieces, Soledad rearranges her priorities and rediscovers herself. She needs a job to provide for her girls but wants to stay home, so she starts a lifestyle blog. Soon enough, her summer vinaigrette goes viral, making her an influencing sensation.

The last thing Soledad is looking for is love. She commits to dating herself and finding her own passions. However, Judah stirs a new desire within her whenever she sees him. Soledad knows their attraction is complicated and asks for space. Judah hasn’t felt this way about a woman in four years so what is a little more time as long as they can be happy in the end?

Kennedy Ryan did it again! This was my most anticipated read of the year and it did not disappoint. Soledad’s strength and growth as a woman and character are inspirational. Judah’s gentleness with his sons and Soledad, as she heals, is emotionally moving. This unlikely couple is so deserving of each other. Not to mention, the amazing cultural representation of Soledad’s family and traditions. Kennedy Ryan’s writing is incredibly beautiful. Even the spicy scenes are a graceful choreography of relations. This is the second book of the Skyland series and I would highly recommend both books.

Oh Kennedy. Thank you for writing this for women.

After her husband is arrested for embezzlement charges, Soledad must try and pick up the pieces of her life for herself and her kids. She learns to lean on her friends and that she can be her own biggest cheerleader. In the midst of her self love journey, she starts to befriend Judah, the accountant responsible for finding her husband's crimes, much to the dismay of her daughters. Soledad is determined to find a love for herself and possibly for someone else while overcoming her heartbreak.

This book is a love letter to women and loving yourself and knowing that you can be the best version of yourself, even if it feels like your world is falling to pieces. I loved how Soledad was so dedicated to herself through her journey of self love and worked to discover her passions (something many moms and wives can relate to)! Soledad's commitment to her children and to their relationship with their dad was also something that is incredibly admirable. I loved the autism representation with Judah's son and how Kennedy shows a healthy co-parenting situation between Judah and his ex-wife. This entire book was just one big green flag and it was so comforting to read!

My only qualm (and super minor) is that I wish there would have been a little more between Edward (the ex-husband) and the daughters. They were so big on defending him that it would have been nice to see the conversation between him and the daughters of what happened, instead of it all falling on Soledad (although I understand the writing; it usually falls on moms anyways).

This book will likely be an anthem for women wanting to reclaim themselves, as it should be!

Boy. This story was a call to “boss up”. We have long suspected that Soledad’s husband Edward was garbage but this book laid all his sins bare. We got an inside look at just how low down and dirty Edward was as a mate. But this book was how Soledad worked hard to heal mentally, emotionally, financially and eventually sexually. How she learned that she had to be whole on her own and could take care of her three daughters with a lot of hardwork. At times I felt bad for her, I pitied her, I cheered for her and at the end, I was happy for her.

I also really admired Judah Cross for giving Sol the room to do her own thing and let her come to him when she was ready. He didn’t try to go save her, insert himself in her journey but patiently from the sidelines supported her. I also love men who care for their kids and he was a present father to his sons. Thank you to the author for using this vehicle to teach us things about autism. It made the family situation of Judah and his ex (partnership) more relatable.

I appreciate every book that Kennedy Ryan writes because she gives a thoughtful narrative. It didn’t feel like a romance more like a women’s fiction where romance was a side dish to the main story. A well written and very engrossing book.