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It’s always fantastic when I am lucky enough to receive an ARC of a book I’m really looking forward to! And yet, in my case, the way that I always seem to wait for the finished copy to be in my hands because I want to be able to highlight and tab it is… really obnoxious honestly. But setting that aside, I’m so delighted to be able to review for you This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan, The Other Side of Dreaming by Kate Clayborn, and Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings. I had e-ARCs of the first two, but read both physically once I got my pre-orders in and then I listened to my audio ARC of Late Bloomer. So let’s talk about these books, shall we? Also, great news, y’all can go pick up any of the three that catch your eye today!

This Could Be Us
by Kennedy Ryan

This Could Be Us is a book that I think a lot of people are going to find tilts too far into the literary fiction side of things and they’re going to argue about whether it’s a romance. So in light of that, I want to be pretty clear about the plot of this book and why I think this book IS a romance so you can hopefully be equipped to pick up this book when you’re not only ready for the content, but also, when you’re in a place to appreciate what this book is doing. 

Essentially This Could Be Us is about Soledad and her journey after making the realization that her husband is an asshole and, also, he maybe committed a pretty for real white collar crime leaving Soledad and her girls in the lurch. And Julian has his own storyline, though his life is much more stable when he and Soledad meet. So he’s sort of waiting for her to be in a better place for much of this novel. But like when KR wrote Long Shot, it’s clear from the get go who the love interest in this book is and getting Soledad to the point that she’s ready for something new with someone manages to keep the romance central to the story, in my opinion. HOWEVER, if you are not interested in reading a book wherein the love interests are not on page together for a good portion of the book, don’t pick it up. If you’re not interested in a deep personal journey for a heroine, this is not the book for you. (This is not a judgment!! I support you finding the right book for you!!) 

If, however, those things I just mentioned are actually things that bring you joy or at least intrigue you, let’s talk about why This Could Be Us is a master class at what it does. Soledad has three children and Judah has two. Soledad has two really good friends and two sisters. Judah has an ex-wife that he still co-parents really well with. The side characters in this book (and there are more than just those key characters) are so well developed and Kennedy Ryan creates such a real world cast of characters that it truly feels like you should be able to walk the streets of Atlanta and meet them. Her characters are, and always have been, one of my absolute favorite parts of reading her books and this was certainly not an exception. 

Also, when Ryan is writing the specific romance scenes and the sexy times section of this book, the romance just… I can’t even explain how well I feel like it comes alive. This book really takes an attraction at first sight and builds up the intrigue, the conflict, and the appeal throughout so well that when everything explodes into sexual tension and romantic tension, you’re hooked. I could have spent way more time with Soledad and Judah in this book, honestly. I’m already so excited for the final book in this trilogy!

Content Notes: Judah’s two children are both autistic; embezzlement

The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn

The Other Side of Disappearing is a book inspired by true crime podcasts, in that Jess Greene and her sister’s mother ran off with a famous con man about a decade ago. There was a really popular podcast about him about a decade ago too and now that Jess’s younger sister is 18, the podcast host and her assistant Adam have shown up on Jess’s doorstep bringing it all back up. The plot of this book results in the four of these characters going on a road trip wherein they meet some interesting people, have a whole lot of difficult conversations, learn a lot about themselves, and also, along the way Jess and Adam fall in love. 

Setting plot aside, this book is written by Kate Clayborn and if there’s one thing that Kate Clayborn excels at, it’s writing a really gorgeous book with a melancholic tone to it. (It should be noted that Kate Clayborn is in fact really good at many things.) I mention the melancholic tone because I really think that’s an important thing to understand about her books before you pick one up. Do not pick this book up anticipating a really good, fun time because while this book is FANTASTIC, it’s not really fun. This quote from later in the book is one that resonated with me for a lot of reasons, but mostly, I think it’s just really good at getting across a lot of what I want to say about the book. “She wants me to remember loving Jess Greene wasn’t ever going to be easy.” 

Jess has walls up. Like, her walls are sky high. They are rock solid. Her entire life, since her mom left, has been about keeping her baby sister alive and well and healthy. Jess as a person in her own right is really not her priority. This affects her interactions with literally everyone in the book and it can make it hard, I think, to really understand her as the reader. But I think if you give this book a couple of chapters, it wins you over. Jess wins you over. 

But this book is dual perspective and contrasting Jess with Adam is also so interesting because Adam has depth to him. What you see on the surface is a big former football player who has a chip on his shoulder because he blames football for the fact that his best friend is dead by suicide. Both Jess and Adam have a lot of issues with trust, some issues with abandonment, and just a lot going on personally. But their connection is undeniable, no matter how hard Jess tries. 

The way the two of them stutter step their way into falling in love is absolutely magical and I loved it so much. Honestly, I really love this whole book. Give it a few chapters to fall into the world, but I have a feeling once you’re in, you’re in because you’ve got to know what happened (historically) and what’s going to happen on this road trip too. 

Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings

I talk a lot about making sure a book finds the right reader, but I think sometimes I forget how much mood can affect whether a book is for a certain reader, particularly myself. I start off with that statement because Late Bloomer is objectively a really lovely and sweet book that has so many elements I normally love. But it also features a character who buys a flower farm, sight unseen, without consulting a lawyer, a realtor, or even going HERSELF down to the property tax section in Buncombe County to pull the deed herself. And for some reason, I just really couldn’t quite move past the absolute recklessness of that. I tried so hard to move past it, I really did, but… Just please don’t do that. Like if you’re considering buying a piece of property, PLEASE do not do what she did. 

Okay, anyway, this book is about Opal, who is a people pleaser to the EXTREME and is walked all over as a result. She wins the lottery (sort of, a scratch off ticket) and then proceeds to buy a flower farm without doing ANY due diligence (my stress level, truly). When she shows up at said flower farm, it turns out Pepper is already living there, and has been, and also Pepper thinks that the farm should be hers. (Also, truly, intestate inheritance is absolutely wild, but there should have been an estate??? And Pepper could have like intervened? Asked the court for assistance?? BEEN INFORMED AT THE VERY LEAST!!!!) 

Honestly, I know that I just said that I really tried so hard to put this out of my head, but y’all, I despise property law. Hate it. Trusts and estates? Learned just enough for the bar and then threw it out of my head. The fact that this book had me thinking this hard about how none of this makes sense is distressing. I hate this part of the law. Honestly, I would prefer to think about zero laws while reading a book. (This is why books where characters commit felonies without thinking twice also stress me out. Actions have consequences!! I don’t want to think about them!!) 

Okay, I’m going to have to be quick here before I get side tracked on another rant. So, anyway, Pepper and Opal share this house and they dance around the fact that they’re both attracted to one another, but also, the other person is in the way of them having full ownership of this house. Also, Pepper is grieving her grandmother (which is a thing I love in books) and I really adored some of the things Opal does to sort of be there or support Pepper during this time. I think most people will be able to focus completely on the fact that this book is a really sweet (and steamy) sapphic romance and ignore all of the reasons why this plot is bonkers. Or they won’t care that the plot is bonkers. Equally possible. 

But also the epilogue?? The likelihood of all this legal stuff working out the way that it does in the book??? I mean. I’m just saying. I find it hard to believe. As far as the audiobook goes, I am still having trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that this is a one narrator book because Pepper and Opal sound COMPLETELY different in their perspectives and that is a sign of a truly fantastic narrator so kudos to Ellie Gossage. That’s some serious talent. Anyway, I hope you read this book and love it! 

Closing Thoughts

I really hope y’all read and love these books if they’re the books for you. If they aren’t, that’s cool too! Let me know if you’ve already read one what your thoughts are!

xx