Name: This Could Be Us
ISBN: 9781538706824

Kennedy Ryan

"Heart-searing, sensual, and life affirming." ―EMILY HENRY, #1 New York Times bestselling author Soledad Barnes has her life all planned out. Because, of course, she does. She plans everything. She designs everything. She fixes everything. She's a domestic goddess who's never met a party she couldn't host or a charge she couldn't lead. The one with all the answers and the perfect vinaigrette for that summer salad. But none of her varied talents can save her when catastrophe strikes, and the life she built with the man who was supposed to be her forever, goes poof in a cloud of betrayal and disillusion. But there is no time to pout or sulk, or even grieve the life she lost. She's too busy keeping a roof over her daughters' heads and food on the table. And in the process of saving them all, Soledad rediscovers herself. From the ashes of a life burned to the ground, something bold and new can rise. But then an unlikely man enters the picture--the forbidden one, the one she shouldn't want but can't seem to resist. She's lost it all before and refuses to repeat her mistakes. Can she trust him? Can she trust herself? After all she's lost . . .and found . . .can she be brave enough to make room for what could be? For fans of Tia Williams and Colleen Hoover comes a deeply moving and personal novel about sacrifice, self-reliance, and finding true happiness from "one of the finest romance writers of our age." ―Entertainment Weekly

This Could Be Us

Suzie

There aren't enough sonnets for friendship. Not enough songs for the kind of love not born of blood or body but of time and care. They are the ones we choose to laugh and cry and live with. When lovers come and go, friends are the ones who remain. We are each other's constants. 

Temi Awani

“As fast as God gives,” Yasmen says, “as fast as you get. One thing you shouldn’t second-guess is a blessing.”

i find comfort in kennedy ryan’s writing. you can tell she takes so much care into her words as well as storytelling especially with autism representation in this book

I appreciate the author for opening the discussion surrounding racism specifically colorism, autism, and the importance of self love. 

not only is this book about a beautiful angsty romance but this book is also soledad’s self discovery journey where she falls back in love with herself along with the help of her best friends yasmen and hendrix. the friendship between these girls has me tearing up

“there aren’t enough sonnets for friendship. not enough songs for the kind of love not born of blood or body but of time and care. they are the ones we choose to laugh and cry and live with. When lovers come and go, friends are the ones who remain. we are each other’s constants.”

btw hendrix is so real i love her can’t wait for her book !!

JUDAH CROSS!! Ugh he’s made it to my favorites list like he’s literally perfect! The way he loves not only soledad but also his twin sons is so evident even through the pages HES A GOOD MAN SAVANNAH

also the way judah YEARNS and ADORES soledad has me giggling and kicking my feet HE ATE FR 

this book served the trope: influencer and the love interest obsessed with her and stalking (in a noncreepy amount) her account hehehe obsessively checks her account

i find comfort in kennedy ryan’s writing. you can tell she takes so much care into her words as well as storytelling especially with autism representation in this book

I appreciate the author for opening the discussion surrounding racism specifically colorism, autism, and the importance of self love. 

not only is this book about a beautiful angsty romance but this book is also soledad’s self discovery journey where she falls back in love with herself along with the help of her best friends yasmen and hendrix. the friendship between these girls has me tearing up

“there aren’t enough sonnets for friendship. not enough songs for the kind of love not born of blood or body but of time and care. they are the ones we choose to laugh and cry and live with. When lovers come and go, friends are the ones who remain. we are each other’s constants.”

btw hendrix is so real i love her can’t wait for her book !!

JUDAH CROSS!! Ugh he’s made it to my favorites list like he’s literally perfect! The way he loves not only soledad but also his twin sons is so evident even through the pages HES A GOOD MAN SAVANNAH

also the way judah YEARNS and ADORES soledad has me giggling and kicking my feet HE ATE FR 

this book served the trope: influencer and the love interest obsessed with her and stalking (in a noncreepy amount) her account hehehe obsessively checks her account

What a beautiful story. Ryan's writing is amazing and the characters are so well developed. 

This book follows Soledad on her journey of rediscovering herself and a developing relationship between her and Judah. My favorite was the relationship between the two of them but I wanted a bit more of it. 

Overall it was lovely, I appreciated the author’s note, autism representation, all the characters and emotions. 

Megan BV

What a beautiful story. Ryan's writing is amazing and the characters are so well developed. 

This book follows Soledad on her journey of rediscovering herself and a developing relationship between her and Judah. My favorite was the relationship between the two of them but I wanted a bit more of it. 

Overall it was lovely, I appreciated the author’s note, autism representation, all the characters and emotions. 

A story about self-love. About friendship. About love. A story about coming into your own, realizing your self-worth. There is so much joy and empowerment in this book. I love it. 

This book was spectacular! Absolutely stunning. Kennedy Ryan writes characters that feel so real. 

Murphy-Ann Craig

INCREDIBLE. So Before I Let Go turned my world upside down and some of the hints to this book had me in anxious anticipation for Soledad’s story. Not to be dramatic but I needed it more than any 2024 release. To be clear This Could Be Us is definitely a standalone, actually in some ways more of a standalone than Before I Let Go was. Both are absolutely worth reading and are independent plots and characterizations. 

The way Soledad as a rock solid mom was written  is so unrepresented in media. She never wavers for and to her children. Yes, she has weaknesses and also more intensely in this book she is made weak by forces out of her control. But she always comes back and her moments of triumph had me in tears several times. I was always rooting for her and just fyi it never got 

 dark in that it was hard to read, it was in a hopeful and inspiring way. This is absolutely a love letter to stay at home moms and I loved her comebacks for the times her ex tried to belittle her. 

Okay, our MMC. I loved the little sprinkle of grumpy/sunshine in this. He’s standoffish but Soledad gets to see the sweetest sides to him. I just loved his relationship with his ex-wife and I liked that this book had more than just Soledad’s example for exes. Judah is an amazing dad and the single dad angle really worked for this book. I’m not usually a fan of kids in romances (never affects my ratings it’s just one of those things for me) but even though this book is full of kids between the two of them Soledad’s journey and their romance is the central plot. Judah’s kids are really awesome too.

The autism rep in this is personal to the author and I can just share that it is so varied and nuanced and wonderful. I loved have dual POV to see life through Judah and the times he related to his twin sons. It made my heart so happy. Aaron and Adam are their own people and do not exist solely to show that other characters are capable of empathy- my biggest pet peeve that disabled particularly children characters get used for, that does NOT happen in this. Their characterization is full and beautiful. 

Thank you so much to Forever for the galley, this was amazing.

Abigail

INCREDIBLE. So Before I Let Go turned my world upside down and some of the hints to this book had me in anxious anticipation for Soledad’s story. Not to be dramatic but I needed it more than any 2024 release. To be clear This Could Be Us is definitely a standalone, actually in some ways more of a standalone than Before I Let Go was. Both are absolutely worth reading and are independent plots and characterizations. 

The way Soledad as a rock solid mom was written  is so unrepresented in media. She never wavers for and to her children. Yes, she has weaknesses and also more intensely in this book she is made weak by forces out of her control. But she always comes back and her moments of triumph had me in tears several times. I was always rooting for her and just fyi it never got too dark in that it was hard to read, it was in a hopeful and inspiring way. This is absolutely a love letter to stay at home moms and I loved her comebacks for the times her ex tried to belittle her. 

Okay, our MMC. I loved the little sprinkle of grumpy/sunshine in this. He’s standoffish but Soledad gets to see the sweetest sides to him. I just loved his relationship with his ex-wife and I liked that this book had more than just Soledad’s example for exes. Judah is an amazing dad and the single dad angle really worked for this book. I’m not usually a fan of kids in romances (never affects my ratings it’s just one of those things for me) but even though this book is full of kids between the two of them Soledad’s journey and their romance is the central plot. Judah’s kids are really awesome too.

The autism rep in this is personal to the author and I can just share that it is so varied and nuanced and wonderful. I loved have dual POV to see life through Judah and the times he related to his twin sons. It made my heart so happy. Aaron and Adam are their own people and do not exist solely to show that other characters are capable of empathy- my biggest pet peeve that disabled particularly children characters get used for, that does NOT happen in this. Their characterization is full and beautiful. 

Thank you so much to Forever for the galley, this was amazing.

"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! thanks to netgalley and forever for the advance copy.