Episode 6
Love Reclaimed. Finding Romance & Renewal in “This Could Be Us” by Kennedy Ryan
The Hiatus is over and I finally getting into a groove. And what better time to come back than when one of my fave Black romance authors releases a new novel? One I couldn't put down and read over two days.
Today's show features a deep dive into 'This Could Be Us' by Kennedy Ryan with themes of self-love, empowerment, and resilience post-divorce.
I discuss how Soledad Barnes overcomes betrayal and divorce to rediscover her worth and power. Emphasizing the importance of self-partnering and setting boundaries, the story takes us on Soledad’s journey toward self-acceptance and the roles her supportive friends play in her healing process. 'This Could Be Us' challenges traditional romance narratives by focusing on self-love as the foundation for romantic love and introduces a relatable and realistic love interest, Judah Cross, a single dad of twins with autism.
Through Soledad’s story, I encourage listeners to prioritize self-care and embrace their journey of self-discovery and growth.
Find it and other recommendations at The CultureLit Digital BookShop and support independent bookstores
Culture Lit is a community in celebration of black women and black love, and a reminder that black women deserve joy, love success, second chances, and all the beautiful magic the world has to offer.
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Transcript
At the center of a lot of Black women's conversations
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:these days is self love and self care.
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:And for me, one of my most consistent
self care practices is reading.
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:If you know me or follow me on social
media, then you know for me that
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:usually involves a romance novel.
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:Today, we're exploring the transformative
power of self love after divorce,
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:featuring the captivating novel,
This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan.
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:This Could Be Us is the second
in Kennedy's Skyland series.
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:In this love story, we follow
the journey of Soledad Barnes as
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:she navigates betrayal, loss, and
ultimately the rediscovery of herself.
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:Now, I am super excited to talk
about This Could Be Us with you.
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:This podcast may or may not
be a Kennedy Ryan stand show.
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:As someone who finds joy and inspiration
in romance novels, I'm excited
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:to share the insights and lessons
we get through Soledad's journey.
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:For those of you who may have read
Before I Let Go, Soledad is one of
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:Yasmine's closest friends, along
with their third bestie, Hendrix.
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:But you don't have to have read Before
I Let Go before reading This Could Be Us.
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:They stand on their own.
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:We were briefly introduced to Soledad's
family and her husband, Edward, in Before
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:I Let Go soledad's husband, Edward,
mmm, he was really off putting for me
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:.
I absolutely did not like him.
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:When I first read Before I Let Go, I
knew this was supposed to be the first
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:of three books and assumed Soledad and
Hendrix would be getting their books too.
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:But I knew something would have to
happen with Soledad's husband because
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:I did not get good vibes from old boy.
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:I knew he had to go to
tell Soledad's story.
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:Soledad Barnes is a woman who
seems to have it all together.
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:A devoted wife, a loving
mother, and a skilled homemaker.
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:After a really great education and even
more successful career, Soledad chooses
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:to stay home to raise her children.
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:She's doing everything for her family.
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:However, her carefully crafted
life is shattered when her husband
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:Betrayal unravels everything she
thought she knew in the worst way.
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:It's a story of betrayal, of distrust.
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:Soledad has been living
in a fantasy world.
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:Unfortunately, I've heard way too many
of these stories from both men and
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:women getting themselves into these
types of relationship when it comes to
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:marriages, friendships, and relationships.
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:As Soledad grapples with the fallout
of her divorce, we witness her
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:resilience and determination to
rebuild her life on her own terms.
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:But ooh, Soledad's husband
is not a good guy at all.
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:And for me, his ass can
really go straight to hell.
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:I really want to fight him.
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:It's very possible he wasn't
always not a good guy, But there
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:clearly had to be a shift where he
changes throughout their marriage.
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:A large part of Soledad's journey
is figuring out what did she miss.
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:She's asking what red flags did I
miss, which I think are questions
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:that any woman asks when she is
confronted with this kind of betrayal.
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:What happens in her marriage is slow.
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:And over years, her husband is a
narcissist, which Soledad finally
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:realizes when she starts therapy.
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:And over years, there's been a sort
of power leakage and her husband
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:systematically makes her feel less than.
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:Which includes him diminishing Soledad
and what she does, any chance he could
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:get, which is very par for the course
with any narcissist because that comes
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:from his own insecurity, realizing
that Soledad is smarter than he is.
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:She's more capable than he is.
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:But over the years, he has slowly
made her believe that everything
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:they have is because of him.
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:When the truth is, they wouldn't have
nearly as much without her competence.
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:Soledad's ambition and influence is the
very foundation of everything they have.
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:One of the most striking aspects
of Soledad's journey is her gradual
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:realization of her own worth and agency.
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:Women who are working at home will really
relate to Soledad and be appreciated
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:for what they do for the family.
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:So often their partners are going
outside of the home, but they couldn't
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:do what they do If their partners
weren't home doing what they do.
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:That's part of what Soledad
learns and comes to realize.
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:It's a story of reclamation.
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:The reclaiming of power.
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:The rebuilding of yourself.
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:Of self actualizing.
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:Of learning to love yourself first.
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:So that you can love others fully.
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:Another aspect I truly enjoy with
This Could Be Us is the friendship
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:between Soledad, Yasmen, and Hendrix.
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:Their friendship is an
important storyline.
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:They are such an amazing and
supportive group of friends.
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:I love how they show up for each
other with so much compassion as one
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:friend navigates one of the toughest
moments of her life, but they still
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:managed to be there for each other.
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:Hendrix is very well off.
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:She has a great career
and is very wealthy.
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:She's not married and
doesn't have kids yet.
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:And there are moments when Hendrix
gifts sold that money, but she does
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:it in a way that's not rescuing her,
which I think can be unrealistic.
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:Yasmen is such an incredible friend too,
and their daughter's a best friends, so
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:she also steps up in such incredible ways.
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:Yasmen offers Soledad help while
still lifting her up and supporting
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:her in the way that she can.
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:Yes, this is a romance novel
but I think it's unique.
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:For a good portion of the story,
Soledad is self partnering.
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:She's romancing herself,
learning to love herself.
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:Soledad is such an incredible human being,
and I know quite a few women who embody
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:that same kind of light and life force.
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:Despite facing heartache and
disappointment, she refuses to be
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:defined by her past or her circumstances.
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:Instead, she embraces the
opportunity to rediscover herself
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:and pursue her own happiness.
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:Through Soledad's story, we're
reminded of the importance of self
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:discovery and reclaiming our power
after experiencing loss or betrayal.
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:Soledad's journey serves as a powerful
testament to the resilience of the
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:human spirit and the transformative
power of love, especially for oneself.
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:Central to Soledad's journey is a
theme of self love and self partnering.
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:As she navigates the ups and downs of life
post divorce, Soledad learns to prioritize
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:her own needs and desires, setting
boundaries and embracing her own worth.
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:One of my favorite lines in this book, of
which there are many, but Soledad asks,
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:What if I was the love of my own life?
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:I just love that in the context
of a romance novel, you kind of
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:know that the romance between
the main characters is the point.
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:You know the point is, she gets
with the guy, he's the point,
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:But for me, Soledad getting with
the guy is not the main point.
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:It's a part of the story,
yes, but not the main story.
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:The point is Soledad loves herself.
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:She understands herself.
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:She gets very proactive
with resetting boundaries.
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:She sets a new bar Where she unequivocally
won't accept anything less than this.
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:I deserve this.
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:That's what she discovers
about herself in this process.
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:One of the most poignant arcs in
the book for me is Soledad realizing
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:that she is the love of her own
life, a powerful affirmation of
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:self worth and self acceptance.
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:This revelation marks a major
turning point in Soledad's journey
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:as she learns to love and value
herself independent of external
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:validation or romantic relationships.
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:And then she's like, well,
I've done all this work.
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:I'm ready to invite someone into my life.
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:That's the point.
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:Soledad is like, I am the point.
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:And then comes Judah Cross and
Judah is invited into her life.
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:Ladies, there are not enough adjectives
to describe Judah Cross, but Judah is hot.
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:Kennedy Ryan does an amazing job
writing this man, but in a way
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:that's very relatable and realistic.
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:I will admit that there are times
when I'm reading and I think to
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:myself, no way is this man real.
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:But with Judah, I can truly believe
there's one phrase I say all the
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:time to my friends and homegirls.
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:If he wanted to, he would.
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:And Judah cross is what I mean when
I say that he is the embodiment
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:of if he wanted to, he would.
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:Soledad's story challenges
traditional notions of romance
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:and happily ever afters.
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:By prioritizing self-love Soledad sets
the stage for a new chapter in her life,
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:one filled with possibility and potential.
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:This could be us, defies
conventional romance expectations,
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:offering a nuanced portrayal of love
and self discovery that transcends
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:traditional romance tropes.
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:While romance is certainly a
central element of the story,
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:Soledad's journey of self love and
empowerment takes center stage.
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:Judah is a single dad of twins
who are living with autism.
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:By featuring a single father as
the love interest, I think Kennedy
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:Ryan challenges stereotypes and
adds depth to the romantic subplot.
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:herself has a child living with autism.
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:I think this is a wonderful nod to
a small bit of what parents with
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:children living with autism go through.
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:Kennedy is very explicit of saying
that this is not everyone's experience.
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:It's not a monolith.
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:There's so many ways you can
parent children with autism.
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:There's a large spectrum of
people living with autism.
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:I appreciate the way that
she showed that and the
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:representation in This Could Be Us.
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:I'm sure the way Kennedy wrote it
into the story comes from her own
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:life of navigating autism as a parent
and loving someone who is autistic.
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:And even with all Judah has going on,
Kennedy still managed to create some very
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:spicy scenes between Soledad and Judah.
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:Theirs is such a beautiful love story
featuring black and brown characters.
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:Soledad wasn't looking
for him, but he found her.
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:Through Soledad's relationship with
her love interest, we see how love can
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:evolve and flourish when rooted in mutual
respect, understanding, and acceptance.
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:Ultimately, This Could Be Us is a
celebration of second chances and the
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:power of love to heal and transform.
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:It really just show that life be
life and sometimes, but if you
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:truly love somebody, you can come
together and have and find happiness.
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:By embracing her own worth and
reclaiming her power, Soledad paves
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:the way for a future filled with
love, hope, and endless possibilities.
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:As we conclude today's episode, I want
to invite you to reflect on your own
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:journey of self love and empowerment.
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:How can you prioritize self care and
self partnering in your own life,
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:especially during challenging times.
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:I encourage you to take time for
yourself, whether it's through
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:reading a romance novel, practicing
mindfulness, or engaging in activities
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:that bring you joy and fulfillment.
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:Remember, you are worthy of
love and deserving of happiness.
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:Well, that's it for me, folks.
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:Thank you so much for joining
me on this exploration of love,
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:resilience, and second chances.
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:hope you will join me for future
episodes as I continue to celebrate
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:the power of romance literature
to inspire and empower us all.
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:That's all for today's
episode of Culture Lit.
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:I'm Octavia, and until next time,
remember to love yourself fiercely.
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:Embrace where your journey of
rediscovery and growth takes you.
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:Take care, and I'll see you soon.