Love Reclaimed. Finding Romance & Renewal in “This Could Be Us” by Kennedy Ryan

Octavia Marie: 00:00:38

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.