47 pages • 1 hour read
Kennedy RyanThis Could Be Us
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2024A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
Read Before I Let Go, the first novel in this series. How do Soledad and Yasmen change from that novel to this one? What role does Soledad play as a supporting character in that novel? What role does Yasmen play as a foil to Soledad in this one? What themes do the books share?
How does Soledad’s self-partnering quest equip her to fully embrace love of herself and of others? What role does her mother Catelaya’s story play in this transformation?
What aspects of characterization show that Judah and Soledad are suited for one another? How does Ryan use and subvert the “enemies to lovers” trope?
How does the book educate readers about autism and autistic behaviors? What does it add to Judah’s character that he shares some of these traits with his boys?
Ryan weaves social issues into her novels. What issues does This Could Be Us address? How do these social issues fundamentally shape the story and its themes?
How does Soledad’s Puerto Rican ancestry add to her character development? Given Soledad’s multi-ethnic and multi-racial heritage, why does she identify most with her Puerto Rican roots?
What role does bell hooks’s collection of essays All About Love play in the novel? Why are so many characters shown reading it, and what does this say about them?
Discuss the sisterhood in the novel: the friendship between Yasmen, Soledad, and Hendrix; Soledad’s relationship with her sisters; or the relationship between Soledad’s children. What are the best things about these friendships and support systems? Do they have any downsides?
What does Edward contribute to Soledad’s character growth as both an antagonist and a catalyst for her change? How is Edward a foil to Judah?
Consider generational inheritance in the novel. How do parents affect their adult children, or grandparents their grandchildren? What patterns of behavior, bias, and outlook on life are passed down through the novel’s families, and why?
