Romance books are all about the happily ever after, but for Kennedy Ryan, New York Times bestselling author best known for her infamous Skyland series, she gets to be in control of all the things that happen in-between the pages.
The Skyland series encompasses three books, Before I Let Go, This Could Be Us, and Can’t Get Enough, which is the final book in the series set to release in May 2025. It follows a friend group, Yasmen Wade, Soledad Barnes, and Hendrix Barry as they discover and rediscover love in all of its many aspects: self-love, love amongst family and romantic love. But, just like in real life, love may come along with grief or heartbreak or mental health issues, themes that Ryan is not afraid to showcase.
The journey of the Skyland series began over fifteen years ago with the first draft of Before I Let Go, but not as we may know it today. The characters were different, but the sentiments were still the same. Ryan didn’t want her readers to escape from the real world. Instead, she wanted readers to picture her work as a mirror to life — an ode to beautiful things while interrogating what we think and believe, she said.
“I always say that Before I Let Go is the book that was waiting for me to grow up,” explained Ryan.
“What I mean by that is, I had over a decade to be a mom, to be a special needs mom, to be a wife, to be a better friend, to find out a lot about myself, to go through therapy.
I was a very different person, a more mature person when I came to this story a decade later. I was most concerned about [seeing] an intersection with my real life and the books that I’m writing.”
Ryan’s books are known for making readers cry for all the right reasons. From the spicy love scenes, to the hard truths many of the characters have to face, the book is a love letter to how Black people experience life and love.
“I always talk about how romance is the most natural genre landscape to discuss hurt and healing because it’s a safe space because there’s a guaranteed happily ever after. No matter how hard it might be, in the midst of it, if there is something that we’re navigating that’s difficult, in this genre, it’s gonna end well, you’re gonna have joy.”
Ryan concludes the Skyland series with Hendrix’s story in Can’t Get Enough, and readers can expect to get to know the seriously-unserious character a lot more. Hendrix, who is known for being childless by choice and focused on her career will be radically soft in this story, Ryan said.
As Black women celebrate burning their capes and focusing on making themselves a priority, Hendrix’s story will depict love, first inwardly and then of course, outwardly. In all of her essence, readers will get to know Hendrix as a whole person, not cold or selfish, just a woman who chooses where she places her love.