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jlstruchen's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
3.75
I loved the first book in this series. This one did not pull me in as much but I still enjoyed it.
fatime's review
emotional
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
I didn’t like this as much as I liked ‘before I let go’. That’s probably one of my favourite contemporary romances. This could be us, however, dragged on for too long. I wasn’t particularly fond of the theme of ‘self-love’. Yes it’s essential you love yourself but not at the expense of another person who is in love with you. (Yes we had our happy-ending but still..) To me that’s selfish. One should always think about the impact on the other people. From a teen or a person in their early twenties, it’s somewhat understandable but not from a woman in her 40s. Although she’s lived in a fairly sheltered life..
I think Kennedy tried to tackle many different things but because of it the romance has suffered. Yes, it’s expected from her to explore different themes but I think this time the balance wasn’t right. I wanted more Sol and Judah.
I appreciated that the protagonists were older though. As ever, she’s very good at writing supportive female characters and the friendships were strong in this one, too. The romance scenes were emotional and the built up was there. Still this novel didn’t work for me that much.. I’ll still continue with the series as, in general, I really enjoy the author’s writing.
I think Kennedy tried to tackle many different things but because of it the romance has suffered. Yes, it’s expected from her to explore different themes but I think this time the balance wasn’t right. I wanted more Sol and Judah.
I appreciated that the protagonists were older though. As ever, she’s very good at writing supportive female characters and the friendships were strong in this one, too. The romance scenes were emotional and the built up was there. Still this novel didn’t work for me that much.. I’ll still continue with the series as, in general, I really enjoy the author’s writing.
ishertay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.75
thealyssa_ann's review
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I’m now convinced nobody writes characters like Kennedy Ryan. Soledad is phenomenal, and what I love most is that she wasn’t made into this hero on a pedestal, which is so often what we see in fictional depictions of women scorned. Yes she’s strong, brave, resilient, and capable of amazing things. But she’s also angry, afraid to trust herself, and selfish (in the best way). Her journey and finding a way to love herself really resonated with me. Plus there were some truly steamy scenes.
lierinm's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
misslisa11's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Book 51 of 2024: This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan
Rating: ⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Soledad Barnes has her life all planned out. But none of her best laid plans can save her when catastrophe strikes, and the life she built with the man who was supposed to be her forever, goes up in a fire 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. 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?
Thank you so much to @netgalley for this ARC! I loved Kennedy Ryans’s Before I Let Go so much, but unfortunately this book was a miss for me and I seem to be among the very small few that did not like this. Soledad and Judah in and of themselves were solid characters and I really appreciate the autism awareness and visibility in this book. All of the kids were all great characters as well, but especially Adam and Aaron. My problem with this book is that it took FOREVER for the plot to go anywhere, and the final destination was disappointing. I felt like the novel was full of incredibly slow moments that never really built up to anything exciting—plot-wise, character development-wise, and romance-wise. The dialogue wasn’t anything to write home about and after a while I just got really tired of Judah and Soledad pining for each other but not doing anything about it. There were a lot of side plots going on that didn’t have much to do with their relationship and for me that really detracted from their chemistry. Also Inez the moody teenager seemed to get over her reservations about her mother’s new boyfriend very quickly without any explanation and that bothered me. Overall this just wasn’t for me.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Soledad Barnes has her life all planned out. But none of her best laid plans can save her when catastrophe strikes, and the life she built with the man who was supposed to be her forever, goes up in a fire 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. 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?
Thank you so much to @netgalley for this ARC! I loved Kennedy Ryans’s Before I Let Go so much, but unfortunately this book was a miss for me and I seem to be among the very small few that did not like this. Soledad and Judah in and of themselves were solid characters and I really appreciate the autism awareness and visibility in this book. All of the kids were all great characters as well, but especially Adam and Aaron. My problem with this book is that it took FOREVER for the plot to go anywhere, and the final destination was disappointing. I felt like the novel was full of incredibly slow moments that never really built up to anything exciting—plot-wise, character development-wise, and romance-wise. The dialogue wasn’t anything to write home about and after a while I just got really tired of Judah and Soledad pining for each other but not doing anything about it. There were a lot of side plots going on that didn’t have much to do with their relationship and for me that really detracted from their chemistry. Also Inez the moody teenager seemed to get over her reservations about her mother’s new boyfriend very quickly without any explanation and that bothered me. Overall this just wasn’t for me.
domspinon_'s review
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
lbn4real's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0