A review by readandwright
This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan

4.0

Thank you Forever for my copy! All thoughts are my own. 
Kennedy Ryan is a masterful writer of drama and happily ever afters. I loved Before I Let Go last year, I still think of it to this day, so I could not wait for the next book in the Skyland series. This book is complex, intense, joyful, and action filed. I think it would be such a great movie! 
Synopsis: 
“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?” —NetGalley
What I Liked: 
  1. The Complexity—It’s no surprise this book tackles complex issues in relationships and in the characters’ lives; Kennedy Ryan does this best. I loved that this was a love story with an HEA but it also took us through divorce, co-parenting, infidelity, new careers, forgiveness, and new love. The story is vast and quaint. 
  2. The Setting—I loved being back in Skyland!
What Didn’t Work For Me: 
  1. Second Half Pacing—Judah got a little intense for me and I was wondering if there was going to be an issue with him pressuring Soledad too far. There was also just SO much in this book, I wasn’t sure where my attention and focus should be. 
Character Authenticity: 4/5      Spice Rating: 3.5/5     Overall Rating: 4/5
Content Warnings:
infidelity, seizures, embezzlement, racism