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Flawless. Another multifaceted romance masterwork from Kennedy Ryan. A 2024 must read.
This Could Be Us, the second book in Ryan’s Skyland series, follows Soledad, an Afro-Latina mom raising 3 girls, when the bottom falls out of her seemingly happy suburban life. Faced with figuring out how to hold onto her house in the aftermath of misdeeds by her husband, Soledad grapples with how she ended up where she is and how she moves forward for herself and her daughters.
This Could Be Us reinforces the notion that to find someone worthy of your love, you’ve gotta love yourself first. All the signs were there in the first book in the Skyland series: Edward is not a great husband. But in This Could Be Us, you find out just what kind of trifling ass MF’er he is. It’s the springboard for Soledad to reclaim herself, her happiness, and what it means to truly partner in a relationship.
What sets this book apart isn’t its focus on mental health/self-worth or the support network female friendships and sisterhood form in our lives, it’s that this is a romance between two grown adults dealing with complex family lives while making room for them to find love. It’s such a relief to have a 40 year old FMC who just has no choice but to get on with it. And an MMC who redefines sexy with the emotional wherewithal to support and create space without pushing away. With these two, there’s no time for wingeing about adulting when you’re trying to keep the ship steady for your girls even when everything feels like it’s falling apart.
Bravo, bravo, bravo!!
5 stars
Content advisory: healthy co-parenting with an ex, children with autism, white collar crime, influencer culture, infidelity
This Could Be Us hits shelves March 5, 2024.
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Check out my review of Before I Let Go, the first book in the Skyland series.
