Lottie Barnes: The Light in Soledad’s Family

Overview

Lottie Barnes is the youngest of Soledad and Edward’s three daughters in This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan. While she is not a central narrator, her presence provides a necessary lightness and stability for her mother and siblings. Caught between her older sisters Inez and Lupe, Lottie often balances the family’s emotional weight with simple, grounding needs. Her character helps readers see Soledad’s commitment to motherhood and the everyday routines that persist even after betrayal and upheaval.

Plot Role

Lottie appears in several pivotal family moments. During the Christmas party at the Callahan estate (Chapter One), Soledad thinks about Lottie’s upcoming prom and her own reluctance to see her youngest grow up. After Edward’s arrest (Chapter Three), Lottie is one of the daughters Soledad must calm during the FBI raid. Later, Lottie participates in the focaccia delivery business (Chapter Fifteen), working alongside her mother and friends to prepare baskets for neighbors. In Soledad’s Sunday routine (Chapter Twenty-Seven), she remembers driving Lottie to gymnastics – a task that anchors both mother and daughter in normalcy. Lottie’s text requesting “string cheese” (Chapter Six) is a small but telling moment that underscores her reliance on Soledad for care and the mundane pleasures of adolescence.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

Lottie’s primary motivation is to maintain a sense of stability. After her father’s arrest, she continues with school and gymnastics, as if determined to keep her world from collapsing entirely. Her texts are practical (“I need to be at the gym by 3:30,” “Can you bring string cheese?”), revealing a teenager who trusts her mother to fulfill her needs without drama. This trait – a lightness that avoids conflict – contrasts with Inez’s resentment and Lupe’s intuitive worry. Lottie’s ability to ask for what she wants directly, without pretense, echoes the self-partnering theme Soledad later adopts: being unapologetic about one’s own needs.

Chronological Arc

Lottie’s arc is subtle but meaningful. In the beginning, she is a carefree youngest child – Soledad mentions her prom and modeling opportunities. The arrest forces her to witness her mother’s vulnerability and the fragmentation of her family. During the focaccia deliveries, she works without complaint, helping with small tasks. By the end of the book, she has grown into a teen who contributes to the family’s new economy and seems less sheltered. Although the narrative does not give her a dramatic turning point, her steady presence signals resilience. She becomes part of the healing and second chances arc that defines Soledad’s journey.

Relationships

Soledad Barnes (mother): Lottie shares a warm, uncomplicated bond with Soledad. She is often the daughter who makes simple requests, allowing Soledad to feel needed without the tension that sometimes arises with Inez. Soledad’s reflections on Lottie’s prom and gymnastics show a mother trying to slow time. This relationship underscores the motherhood and family theme – Soledad’s love for her daughters drives her self-partnering.

Inez and Lupe (sisters): Lottie is the youngest, so she looks up to her sisters. Inez’s anger toward Edward and Lupe’s perceptiveness create a complex sibling dynamic. Lottie often serves as a neutral ground – she does not express the same resentment or suspicion, offering instead a lighter presence that can diffuse tension.

Edward Barnes (father): The texts do not show Lottie interacting with Edward after the arrest. Her father’s absence is largely unspoken, suggesting she may have distanced herself or that Soledad shields her from the worst fallout. This gap points to the betrayal and trust core of the novel.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Lottie’s most consequential decision is her choice to continue normal activities – gymnastics, school – after the family’s collapse. This decision has a ripple effect: it forces Soledad to remain present, driving her to maintain routines even while grappling with financial and emotional turmoil. The consequence is a thread of stability that helps the whole family heal. Without Lottie’s simple demands, Soledad might have become isolated; instead, she must engage with the world through her daughter’s schedule.

Theme and Symbol Connections

Lottie embodies the theme of self-partnering and self-love indirectly. Her unapologetic requests (“I’ll be starving!”) demonstrate a healthy self-advocacy that Soledad later learns to apply to herself. Symbolically, Lottie’s gymnastics represents discipline and grace under pressure – qualities Soledad too must cultivate. Her lightheartedness also connects to the healing and second chances theme; she is a reason Soledad looks forward, not back.

Additionally, Lottie’s presence touches on neurodiversity and parenting only peripherally – while her brothers (Adam and Aaron) are autistic, Lottie is not, but she adapts to a family that includes neurodivergent members. Her acceptance is implicit.

Five Book-Specific Questions and Answers

1. How does Lottie’s text about string cheese reveal her character?
In Chapter Six, Lottie texts Soledad: “And can you bring string cheese? I’ll be starving!” Explicitly, this shows a hungry teenager relying on her mother for a snack. Interpretively, it highlights Lottie’s need for normalcy – she asks for something simple and comforting even as her world has been upended by Edward’s arrest. The text also reveals her trust that Soledad will provide.

2. What role does Lottie play during the focaccia delivery scene (Chapter Fifteen)?
She works alongside her sisters Inez and Lupe to prepare and deliver over a hundred baskets. Explicitly, she is part of the family team. Interpretively, her participation signals that she adapts to the family’s new income stream without complaint, contributing to the self-partnering effort Soledad is building.

3. Why is Lottie’s gymnastics schedule significant for Soledad?
In Chapter Twenty-Seven, Soledad notes she must drive Lottie to gymnastics. Explicitly, it is a recurring obligation. Interpretively, it provides Soledad with a consistent routine during a period of uncertainty, anchoring her to the present. It also reminds her that her daughters still need her devotion, reinforcing motherhood and family as a source of strength.

4. How does Lottie differ from her sister Inez after the arrest?
Inez openly questions Soledad and wants to visit Edward in prison (Chapter Fifteen). Lottie does not voice similar demands. Explicitly, she appears less confrontational. Interpretively, her “lighter presence” means she avoids adding conflict, focusing instead on day-to-day activities like gymnastics. This contrast shows that the daughters process trauma differently.

5. In what way does Lottie represent the future for Soledad?
Soledad’s thoughts about Lottie’s prom and college indicate she is reluctant to let her youngest grow up. Explicitly, she says, “I’m not ready.” Interpretively, Lottie’s maturation forces Soledad to confront her own aging and independence. As Soledad builds her Me List and self-partnering journey, Lottie symbolizes the next chapter – one where Soledad can be fully present for her daughters while also turning love toward herself.

Conclusion

Lottie Barnes may not have many lines, but her role as the youngest daughter who asks for string cheese and goes to gymnastics matters deeply. She is the thread of normalcy that helps Soledad stay grounded. Through Lottie, Kennedy Ryan illustrates that even in broken families, small routines and lighthearted requests can be acts of resilience. Lottie’s character ultimately reinforces the central lesson of This Could Be Us: that healing often begins with turning love back on yourself – and that sometimes the simplest needs lead to the greatest growth.

For further reading, explore the ending explained or questions and answers about the novel.