Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - This Could Be Us

Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan

45 reviews

jennireadsmaybe's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

Kennedy Ryan, first and foremost, is THE powerhouse author of this generation!! There isn't a single book I've read from her that I haven't loved with my whole being. This Could Be Us is certainly no exception.

Soledad's story proves that coming of age happens all throughout our lives. It's a love letter to women falling in love with themselves. It's a becoming. Soledad is an example of just how powerful Kennedy Ryan's FMCs are. I love her so much.

JUDAH MF CROSS!!!! This man. This FREAKING man. He loved Soledad so deeply, so clearly, so wholeheartedly, so completely, so any way he could. From the start, he met Soledad where she was and wanted her to become who she wanted to be. I just don't think there is a fictional man that could possibly be as in love as he was.

Let it also be known that This Could Be Us has so many love stories. The love of a mother for her daughters, a sister for her sisters, a friend for her friends, a daughter for her mother, a woman for herself. There are so many versions of love that we weaved into this story. Every page is brimming with love.

The various representation throughout the novel was handled with such care. You can see just how dedicated Kennedy Ryan is to having accurate representation, even if representation can't be summed up by just one or two individuals.

Everyone should read this. Full stop.

Content Warnings

caseythereader's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Thanks to Forever for the free copy of this book.

- THIS COULD BE US is another knockout from Kennedy Ryan. It’s her signature blend of drama, longing, and heat and I couldn’t put it down.
- I loved that Soledad was so focused on figuring out who she was separate from a man. Even when she had a perfect man waiting there for her, she still put herself first.
- I do think it could have been a little shorter (Ryan’s books are always tomes!) but there was so much going on in the story that I was willing to be there with them while they untangled everything.

Content Warnings

kay_reads_books6's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional funny informative inspiring lighthearted 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? Yes

5.0

Kennedy Ryan, you did it again!

Before I Let Go was beautiful and amazing. I didn't think the second book could top it. But it did!

This Could Be Us is a slow burn romance that was burning for so long, I thought it couldn't get any hotter!

Judah and Soledad met in the most inconvenient of ways. I'm not here to spoil the book for anyone, just to say that I loved the book.

From having older, mature MCs to the beautiful writing, I'm in love. I recommend Before I Let Go and This Could Be Us to everyone I meet.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘒𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘥𝘺 𝘙𝘺𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬.

Content Warnings

readwithria's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

3.5

This Could Be Us is a beautifully written book about self love, self acceptance, and community.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I loved the writing, and most of the characters, but the actual romance fell a little flat for me. This is much more a book about learning to love yourself than it is a book about loving someone else, and because of that there were aspects of the romance that didn’t work for me personally.

Judah felt almost too perfect, with his only flaw in the book being that he puts the people he loves before himself, and while in a perfect world he would be the ideal man, he felt fictional to me. I also felt that the instant connection between Soledad and Judah was a bit insta-love feeling, and I prefer for relationships to develop through the characters getting to know each other on the page.

It’s not a book for everyone, but I think that for the right person it will hit hard and be a soul book.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the eARC and the opportunity to leave an honest, voluntary review.

Content Warnings

takarakei's review against another edition

Go to review page

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? It's complicated

4.25

Going into this knowing nothing, but having read the first book in the series, I was quite surprised by the first part of the book being our MC Soledad dealing with a very dramatic ending to her marriage. The author makes you immediately dislike her husband and you're not at all sad with what happens to him. This is a big deal because it's a life-altering event for Soledad and their 3 kids, and she is left to pick up the pieces of their life. There is great emphasis on Soledad's relationships with both her best friends (cameo of Yasmen from book 1!) and her sisters who really hold her down. This was super relatable to read about the close bonds of women.

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, they are the ones who remain. We are each other’s constants.

Soledad spends most of the book then reforming her new life and working on deprogramming the BS her ex said to her. There were some beautiful quotes and I really enjoyed reading about the self-discovery journey Soledad goes on to find her true self. I already had 'all about love' by bell hooks on my TBR for this month and this book made me even more excited to read it! It's definitely Soledad's book, she has most of the pov chapters, but we do get some from the perspective of Judah...

& Judah is a dream of a partner, really the epitome of a supportive man who has no ego, and just wants the best for Soledad. This is a fairly slow burn (not the slowest I've ever read, but def slower than most romances I read) which I honestly appreciate! He's a divorced dad with two autistic sons (he is friends with his ex and they have split custody). The author notes that she has an autistic child and did lots of research on the many varied experience of people with autism, and their families. I think there's a lot of care given to this subject.

I think my only qualm with this book is while I understand why there's so much focus at the beginning on Soledad's ex - I wish there was slightly less, and that might have allowed for a bit snappier pace.

Thank you to netgalley and Forever books for this ARC!

Content Warnings

bookishmillennial's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

"Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape." - bell hooks, All about Love: New Visions

Kennedy Ryan simply gets better and better with each book she writes. Soledad's coming-of-age story with a subplot of romance was absolute perfection. I savored every single word KR wrote, and I will be buying a physical copy ASAP so I can re-read, annotate, and highlight absolutely everything. This was one of my favorite reads this year, and I can say with absolute confidence that the KR hype is *real* and well-deserved.

I loved so much about this and to avoid writing an entire essay, I will try to succinctly sum it up in long-winded bullet points lmao:

the nods to TikTok / Instagram influencer culture - I think this book is for the BookTok/bookstagram honeys who have been hyping up KR forever lol
the care and love that went into illustrating an authentic representation of two beautiful autistic young Black men! Judah's boys, Aaron and Adam, were so sweet, smart, and precious!
Soledad's grief over losing her mom to cancer, and how All About Love by bell hooks operated as a way to work through that grief, as well as the grief of her old life and her marriage
Soledad's struggle as a newly single parent, while carefully towing the line between turning her daughters (Lupe - the eldest, probably around 16 who looks most like her white dad; Inez - middle child, who has the hardest time with recognizing that her dad and only her dad is responsible for how he got in trouble with the law; and Lottie - who I believe is ~12 years old) fully against their father who stole a fuckton of money, and helping them maintain a relationship with him in their new reality of being divorced and while he is incarcerated
The sisterhood among Soledad, Yasmen, and Hendrix: We saw a glimpse of it in Before I Let Go, and we get even more in this book. These women foster brave spaces for each other, they invite dialogue in, and they root for each other HARD! These types of friendships are invaluable.
Hendrix gets her own bullet point because she is so fucking funny: "Girl, no one could blame you under those circumstances...Of course you went to him with legs wide open." I AM DONE WITH HER HAHAHAHAHAH
Soledad's biological sisters make their mark too! I loved getting to know Lola (who is moving to TX to open a bookstore with her best friend turned possibly sapphic lover? Sign me up for that book!) and Nayeli
"My friends, my sisters, my daughters. My great loves." - The way that different kinds of love was showcased in this novel and they all shined so brightly on their own and were all equally valid and valuable! Friendship, sisterhood, motherhood, daughter-hood (is this a word?), self-love, romantic partners! It all is so beautiful and an absolute privilege. I loved the homage and tribute to all kinds of love in this novel.
Judah's curiosity around his own possible autism
Judah and his ex Tremaine's healthy co-parenting relationship and genuine friendship: I need more representation like this. How refreshing to see!
Judah's integrity and honor: he reminded me of Ned Stark (like NS dies because he's so dumb and cannot play the game for shit, my goddd) HAHAHA but better and smarter, because he would not lie or steal or do anything against his morals. I loved how strongly this man stood in his convictions!
Judah's support for and dedication to waiting for Soledad to be ready for romance again
kids, stop reading here! NIPPLE ORGASMS MY GAWWWWWWD!! KR knows how to get you hot & bothered! Steam was a 3 or 4/5 - it's a slow burn, but once it gets hot, it gets oh so steamy & delectable whewwwww!

Overall, Kennedy Ryan's writing and the characters she brings to life are an absolute gift. Her writing flows seamlessly, her characters' inner monologue is so tender and vulnerable, and the arcs simply have me in tears.

I am forever seated when she writes something new, and I will read her work until I leave earth.

Content Warnings

sarahmcg's review

Go to review page

challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted tense 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

Kennedy Ryan does it again! With emotional depth, beautiful writing, and an incredible but complex love story, I couldn’t put this book down once I started it.

It wasamazing seeing Soledad find her way and begin to trust herself again after Edward left their family shattered and with basically nothing. I also really loved Judah, as he gave her the space she needed when she asked but gave her reassurance that he would be there when she was ready. With both of them being parents, it was so important that they really thought through a relationship.

I loved that Yasmen & Hendrix were involved in this book often, they’re such a fun friend group, and I’m excited for Hen’s book when it gets here! I also thought that Soledad earning money through being a social media influencer was so fun and timely.

Also, the machete scene was iconic.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Content Warnings

aromanticreadsromance's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Words cannot describe how much this book meant to me. I may not be a 40-year-old newly-divorced single mom to three girls, but I related to Soledad SO much. This is definitely more of a "love story" than a "romance," but I didn't even mind, because it was so powerful, emotional, and beautiful (which we've all come to expect from a Kennedy Ryan novel). For about half the book, Soledad is solely on a self-love and self-partnering journey, partly thanks to bell hooks (we LOVE her). I didn't even find myself skimming these parts, because I was as much invested in Soledad and Judah as individuals as I was in Soledad AND Judah as partners. Which, by the way, Judah's story was equally beautiful. The way that man was a father above all else? Ugh, I'd marry him yesterday.

For as much as this felt like Soledad's story, the book opens with Judah and his then-wife, Tremaine, mediating the end of their marriage. It was refreshing to read about an actually amicable, mutual divorce, where we could see how much Judah and Tremaine loved each other, but were no longer in love with each other. Judah is father to twin boys, Adam and Aaron, at different points on the autism spectrum (and might be autistic himself, though he has never been formally diagnosed). At the time of the divorce, they are twelve. I loved the tender loving care with which Kennedy represented their autism. I know she is a mother to an autistic son, but even so, you can tell she did her research on how autism shows up differently in different people (and you can tell how much she loved and cared about these two/three autistic characters).

Three years later, Soledad is getting ready for her husband's company Christmas party. From the very beginning, we are privy to the ways in which her husband, Edward, neglects, undervalues, and diminishes her. He makes her feel unwanted ("You have pushed out three kids. Things get loose down there" should NEVER be words that come out of ANYONE'S mouth) and like she's nothing without him (when really, he is nothing without her... major projection). Together, they have three girls, Lupe (15/16), Inez (maybe 13?) (who worships the ground Edward walks on), and Lottie (11). At the Christmas party, Soledad and Judah meet for the first time. Edward despises Judah (but that hatred likely stems from fear... of being caught in his web of schemes and lies), and because he's jealous that Soledad and Judah had an instant connection, he has angry sex with Soledad that night. The next morning, cops show up and arrest Edward (and that's as much as I will say without spoiling anything).

I want to touch on why this book meant so much to me. After her split with Edward, Soledad needs to learn that she is whole on her own. She's not half of anything. We hear those phrases all the time - my other half, my better half - that when you're single, you start to question your completeness. Soledad starts dating herself, and she brings the world along with her (oh yeah, she becomes a major influencer... if only it were that easy!). She learns that she is not by herself; she is with herself, and that is so powerful and badass. (And Judah is SO respectful of her boundaries and her decision not to date, even though he likes her. Another reason to like him!)

I could have easily ingested this book in a day or two, but I took my time with it. I'm feeling empty without it, but it's inspired me to 1) read bell hooks' All about Love, and 2) date myself.

I cannot recommend this book enough. It is life-changing (I don't normally think of fiction in those terms, but seriously. It will change your life).

And lastly, screw you, Edward. I hope you rot in hell.

I'm beyond grateful to have received an e-ARC of this book, and I'm providing a voluntary, honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Content Warnings

rootedreader's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

Not my typical read, my first from this author. I enjoyed reading both of the mc's journey as individuals and as parents. I didn't enjoy the sexual content or the repeated descriptions of their bodies throughout. That and some of the internal and external dialogue seemed forced.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy to review.

Content Warnings

amichelle515's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

4.5

Content Warnings

More...