THIS COULD BE US is Kennedy Ryan's latest novel, book 2 in the Skyland series. (I believe) The series is of three friends, Yasmen, Soledad and Hendrix. THIS COULD BE US is Soledad's story. I haven't read Book 1 or any book by the author before this, but have always wanted to. Kennedy Ryan is a popular author from what I've read about her and her book reviews too.
THIS COULD BE US is a second-chance romance, multicultural story. Being an Indian from Southeast Asia, it's always different and yet so similar to witness the lives of mixed-race characters, even if set in fiction. This story has its lead Soledad who has parents from diverse backgrounds and is married to a white man. I may get some terms wrong but forgive me for them, as where I come from it is a part of our fabric to see diverse couples/people from various backgrounds together, all around us.
However, someone who is not a part of such upbringing will get the context correct as the author has done that very well in the way she has presented the characters in this story.
We follow Soledad's life from the moment it explodes, her marriage of almost 2 decades crashes down with the FBI blowing her house and life, literally apart. With a betrayal of epic proportions in her life, she finds herself alone for the first time and yet can't find it in her to blame the man who in a way is responsible for setting this in motion.
Judah Cross may have brought Edward, Soledad's husband down, but hurting his family is not what he wants, and is actively trying to help them in any way he is allowed to. Why you may think, it's because after his divorce it's the first time in 4 years he was attracted to a woman before he knew she was Edward's wife. He doesn't back off or stop liking her instead, he gets to know her without pushing his way into her life.
THIS COULD BE US is Soledad and Judah's second chance at love. What they realise along the way is that though they love giving in all ways possible to the people in their lives, they have not been giving themselves at all. They realise they don't take anything for themselves, they don't even stop to think they deserve to, also, love themselves. It is a journey of self-love and self-worth like I've never read before; I loved this in the story even if at times it got a bit too affirmation-y or trendy for me.
It is always a bit nerve-wracking and akin to walking on eggshells when it comes to being in a mixed-race family and facing a crisis like the characters do here, and being in public light. To add to it Soledad, after being a stay-at-home Mom and never having worked outside her house, finds herself the sole earner for the first time in her life. I loved how her new career is that of a content creator and she and her family navigates that time of their lives.
THIS COULD BE US is the story of a modern, blended family with an ever-changing dynamic given the number of people involved and it's far from the traditional mold. However, at the heart of it are people who want the best for their families and their children, and since it's the 21st century we finally have people who are also looking out for themselves. If ever there is a curiosity in your mind about how the whole "To love others I must first love myself" might look like in a family dynamic with more than one family involved pick this book up now.
Also, the best part of it all is the romance and spice between Soledad and Judah. Not for a moment did I feel they were doing wrong by how they defined their relationship. It was organic and gradual. They dealt well with the circumstances they found themselves in. Their love for their children was a lesson in strength itself. Their whole individual lives are awesome in everything they did and stood for.
In short, read it for how these characters, who are heartbrokenbut not broken individuals, rebuild their lives and teach a thing or two to their kids and the reader along the way.
My first Kennedy Ryan experience is a good one. I wanted the ex-husband to have had a different ending. But, hey that's just me and what he got in the end was more practical and realistic but a girl can wish right?
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?
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