This was ultimately a sweet book about healing and love between family members, between lovers. Lots of people stuck in the past and how it impacts their present relationships. I had trouble with the initial concept that the main character would have so much guilt over an accident and be so unwilling to look at it and communicate,. that made it hard to accept what follows.

This isn’t my normal genre, but sometimes I need to take a break from my usual doom and gloom thrillers and mysteries, and this book was just the thing I needed.

By the end I had felt every emotion possible. Sadness. Heartbreak. Relief. Happiness. Confusion. And finally, uplifted. This was a beautiful story about mothers and daughters and the bonds that form a family, blood or not.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Rochelle B Weinstein for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

When We Let Go will be released on May 17th 2022.

This isn’t my normal genre, but sometimes I need to take a break from my usual doom and gloom thrillers and mysteries, and this book was just the thing I needed.

By the end I had felt every emotion possible. Sadness. Heartbreak. Relief. Happiness. Confusion. And finally, uplifted. This was a beautiful story about mothers and daughters and the bonds that form a family, blood or not.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Rochelle B Weinstein for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

When We Let Go will be released on May 17th 2022.

DNF - I was very excited to read this story but, its writing style & inner monologue of Avery left me wth an immediate sentiment that I would not find myself enjoying this story. This also felt as though it were being targeted at a younger audience, which is fine but, that is not the group of which I am a part. Avery read as someone exceedingly immature. Perhaps she grew into herself later in the story but, as I said, I did not make it to the end.

When We Let Go is a propulsive tale of Avery, a woman whose promising future is plagued by her grief-riddled past. Told with heart and humor, Rochelle Weinstein delivers lush descriptions, complicated relationships, memorable characters, and entertaining subplots--adding yet another masterpiece to her catalogue.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a preview of this novel.

The title really fits this book, and is a gentle reminder to us all, sometimes that is all we need to do – let go. This was a fun, what I call chick-lit contemporary read. I enjoyed the easiness of the book, as well as the laughter at times and the true lessons to be learned- we are all struggling with something- current or past and sometimes it takes others for us to see the big picture.

Avery is starting to feel as if she is moving on, finally. After years of trying to be someone else and starting over she meets a man and things are good, things are comfortable and then of course he wants to change that situation and Avery let’s fear take over her emotions and uses the escape of needing to go back home to help her father as her way out.

But thing do not always happen as we plan or want, when a sullen teenager has come along for the ride. Avery is now struggling with returning home and facing her sister after all these years and now she has a teenager who hates her to also deal with. Why does this stuff happen? But there are lessons to be learned from both and being back on the farm is a chance for everyone to refresh and potentially start over.

Forgetting how therapeutic the farm life was, Avery eases back into the physical labor quite quickly and somehow her sister and teenager Elle hit it off. Her father is healing and helping trying to mend things between his girls as well as give some fatherly advise to Elle but Avery still grapples with the past and how she left things with Jude. Maybe this was the wrong decision after all. Everyone else is getting along and has moved on, why can’t she come to terms with the past, and her sister.

Thank you to Suzy Approved Book Tours for the invite and the author for the free ebook. I really enjoy these heartfelt family stories and sometimes it’s a good reminder for us to see ourselves through these characters as well.

I got early access to read When We Let Go by Rochelle B. Weinstein. I rated this novel 3.5/5! I really enjoyed several aspects of this novel, but overall, the pacing dragged for me and I had some serious issues with the characters. I loved the setting and the descriptions. I felt a strong sense of place in the Vizcaya's gardens and at the farm in Crystal. Unfortunately, I thought these moments of beauty were completely overwhelmed by the foreseeable conflict that results from a person trying to conceal an enormous trauma. If you don't like the massive secret trope, this won't be the book for you. I also thought Elle was simultaneously too old and too naïve. She was whiny and a nightmare to read. But I'm a sucker for character development and by the end of the novel there's a real depth to their relationship that is really enjoyable. This book is scheduled to be released on May 17, 2022!

4.5 Stars

This story begins in Vizcaya’s gardens with Jude Masters, Avery Beckett, and Jude’s two young sons as well as his teenage daughter Elle. Jude, a widower, and Avery, a woman who is still mourning a loss that she hasn’t shared with Jude. An event that occurred years prior that still haunts her days and nights.

She knows what he’s about to say to her, she knows she should do something to prevent the words she doesn’t want to hear, at least on this day. She loves him, but she’s not ready to have to share her past, especially today. The anniversary of that day that she can’t forget, the event she has yet to share with him. Surrounded by the scent of the flowers of Vizcaya’s gardens - Florida’s answer to the Palace of Versaille, Jude proposes. Soon after, she receives a phone call, letting her know she is needed at home. The home of her childhood, in Crystal, a small town in the mountains of North Carolina. The place she left to leave behind all the places that haunt her, the place where she will have to finally confront the memories, and find forgiveness.

She leaves the next morning, knowing that she’s hurt Jude, but is hours away from before she realizes that Jude’s daughter, Elle, has stowed away in her car. Phone calls follow and plans are made for Elle to be flown out of Charlotte Airport, but those plans soon fall apart, also.

This can be a time for bonding, or a time of torture for them all. Avery’s sister feels the tension between Elle and Avery, and after a quick shopping trip for clothes for Elle, Elle finds something about this small town that she likes enough to stay for, begs to stay for. Avery isn’t sure about this, and Jude isn’t either, but Elle gets her way.

Both Avery and Elle have lost their mothers. Elle has memories of the times they shared. Avery never knew her mother, but her older sister served to care for her in their mother’s place. Both will always grieve that loss, if in slightly different ways. Still, the loss they share begins to create a sense of understanding a little at a time. Elle’s experience between her time with Avery and her sister, as well as friends she’s made there begin to open her eyes.

A story of love, loss, forgiveness, finding and accepting hope in new possibilities for others as well as ourselves.

Pub Date: 17 May 2022


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Lake Union Publishing
#WhenWeLetGo #NetGalley

After experiencing a horrible trauma 7 years ago, Avery returns home and must face the past in order to move forward in her future.

When We Let Go is incredibly moving and emotional from the get-go. At its core, the themes of grief, reflection, and moving on were very powerful and cathartic. The emotional threads are the true heart of this work, this needs to be on everyone's TBR.

When We Let Go is a story about a woman who needs to learn how to let go of regret and open her heart to the prospect of loving openly and fully again before she can move on from an unfathomable loss. A story about forgiveness…. Begs to be read in one sitting… really tugs at your emotions, one minute I was breathless with anticipation, the next I had tears running down my face…such a lovely story!

3.5 stars, rounded down
As a stepmother to girls (now women), I’ve always had a soft spot for stories that involve that perilous relationship. So, the story blurb here drew me in. I initially struggled with this book. I have problems with characters that profess love for someone but keep major parts of their history hidden from them. But the story gradually drew me in. Everyone has secrets they’re keeping and the suspense is seeing how they’ll come out and how everyone will react.
Sixteen year old Elle would test anyone’s patience. I found myself wondering if I wouldn’t have just dropped her off on the side of the road. At times though, she didn’t come across as real, but a little too naive and stupid for a 16 year old city girl.
And while Avery initially bothered me (as mentioned above), I warmed to her as the book went on. This was a woman struggling on multiple fronts. The book deals with forgiveness on many levels.
The big twist was a big disappointment and could be seen early on. To be honest, it’s one of those twists that has been overused. The ending was also predictable, which I guess is no surprise in what’s basically a romance novel.
Overall, this was a decent read but one I’ll have forgotten a few weeks from now.
My thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union for an advance copy of this book.

I was very exciting for this book, as i LOVED This is not how it Ends. Avery moved to Miami to distance herself from her family after experiencing great loss and betrayal. When her before Jude proposes, secrets from her past haunt on that she needs to closure on before being happy. Elle, Jude’s daughter, comes to Avery with her own problems, and together they work to resolve the issues they have in their separate lives while forming a strong bond with each other. This book centers around the evolution of their relationship. I really enjoyed this book, and recommend it to everyone!!

TW: Infant and Spousal Loss

The cover of this novel drew me in with the hopes that I would love it enough to purchase and have it sitting on my shelf. Did it dissapoint? Absolutely not.

A wonderful story of how women can mend broken relationships and grow in the process. Avery returns home after a traumatic loss 7 years prior. She is home to face the demons of her past before being able to move forward into the future.

If you are looking for a novel that makes you feel feelings... this is the one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

3/5

Beautiful story about love and loss, and grief and moving on. Avery Beckett and Jude Masters have both lost people close to their hearts, and have found love in each other again. However, Avery remains haunted by her past. She is caught up in self-blame and resentment, which get in the way of her taking things further with Jude. This story and the emotions it brought up felt very visceral. I can only imagine how painful it must be to have gone through what Avery did, and I am thankful that I have an intact and loving family.

I loved the scenes where Avery was back in her childhood farm in North Carolina. I've never read many books that contained descriptions of farming, so that life has always been rather distant and alien to me.

I did think the dialogue got pretty cheesy at times, and it felt like I was reading the script of a Hallmark/Lifetime drama, which is not a great look for any novel. This feeling kicked in towards the last quarter of the book, and I really wished the book ended in a way that's more aligned with feminism, with regard to healthy relationships.

Overall, this is a workable if not kinda cliched story.

When We Let Go is all about loss, grief, guilt, love, healing, relationships, forgiveness, and second chances. The cover of this book was so exquisite that I wasn't able to resist it, and the blurb just added to its appeal. I wanted to read something that would make me cry harder and raw, and this book had what it promised.

Avery moved to Miami to get away from the place that reminded her daughter's death, her sister's deceit, and the loss of everything precious to her. Hoping for a new beginning, she bottled up her past and buried it so deep inside herself that she had forgotten a portion of it existed. When her long-time boyfriend, Jude, a widowed father, proposes to her for marriage, her tongue is tied by the guilt and heaviness of not sharing a part of herself that shapes her reality. When her estranged elder sister, Willow, informed her about her father's hospitalization, she decided to take a break from all that was going on in her recent life to face the life that she left behind in North Carolina. Avery shares her journey with the beautiful and horrifying memories of her ex-boyfriend-Oliver. Until Avery is stuck with the daughter of her boyfriend, Elle, who is still mourning the loss of her mother, dislikes Avery and disapproves of her dad's relationship with Avery.

This novel was incredibly divine; the intensity and rawness of the emotions were palpable. It keeps me on edge all the time, gives me goosebumps, raises my heart rate, and words start to blur in front of me, so I close the book to let my tears flow, and then I read the following chapter, promising not to cry again, and it happens again, several times. In every way, I thoroughly loved this book. Not only do I adore Avery, but I also love Willow and Elle. Three of them are like life support for each other. I do not want to let them go. When the past is too beautiful, too good to be true, how heartbreaking it was to move on from it, the author eloquently writes it.

I've never read any novels by Rochelle B. Weinstein, but now if I ever need to read a deeply emotional book, I'll always read one of hers. I aww with the relationship Avery shared with Oliver and was especially pleased by the one shared with Jude. This entire novel is grounded in reality and manages to bring up the critical topic of mental health. I feel the trauma of heartbreak and am astounded by the process of healing, forgiveness, and character developments.

It focuses not just on the mother-daughter relationship but also on the sisters' bond and growing up without a mother's presence. After committing too many mistakes and surviving from them, there is still hope to redeem and forgive them. Giving yourself a second chance is the most admirable part. And the romance is not soft in this book but intense, heavy, and laced with pain.

This is my first book by Rochelle B. Weinstein, but it won't be my last, and what an introduction it was. It was heartbreaking yet beautiful as well as touching, emotional and profound. I felt very honoured to be able to read it on International Women's Day. What a perfect book to to read celebrate women...we have three veery strong women as main characters in this story and it is written by a female author, very apt for the day I must say. Speaking of characters...I also have to add that even the side characters were well thought out and original. I loved how the secrets are slowly unraveled bit by bit, keeping the reader emotionally glued to the pages. I felt for Avery and everything she went through, she seemed so real and her emotions so raw. It was amazing to read about her journey with Elle but she also found a little bit about herself in the process, both of them growing in their own ways. What an amazing book about loss, motherhood in all its forms, love and finding oneself amongst the complexity of human nature.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this free Arc in exchange of an honest review!!

When it lets go tells the story about Avery and how she grows,matures,changes as she learns to let go,to put down the things that brought her a lot of guilt and unhappiness.this story shares about grief,love,loss and the courage to grow after major setbacks.it’s definitely not what I expected from the name of the book,”when we let go”.I just thought it’s gonna be a book about love and all that but I’m glad there’s more to it.the author has done a really great job with the plot and the characters.while the earlier chapters were a little too boring for me,I’m glad the focus of the book was towards the interactions of the characters and how they grew along the way instead of a typical boring romance.
It was nice watching Elle grow after spending her time with Avery and her family back at their hometown,it was also nice to see how Avery and Elle were connected in some ways they both wouldn’t have expected.A mum who lost her daughter and a daughter who lost her mum,it was really heartbreaking to see Elle kinda like “putting up a front” and seeing Jude work so hard to make sure his kids gets the love they deserve.Thankfully,Elle and Avery aren’t characters I can relate to but I totally understand why they behave in this way.when you’ve been scarred once,it’s hard to open yourself up again,and that’s what both of them are trying to do throughout the book.
it definitely wasn’t a casual or dry read,you may have to think twice before reading this book,because for all you know,the characters may leave your heart shattered in tiny bits and pieces after reading it.
Absolutely no regrets in picking this book :))

thank you NetGalley for providing an arc of this book.
When we let go is a beautiful story or love, loss, growth and forgiveness. Following the characters journeys filled my heart. I can’t recommend this book enough 5/5

Rochelle Weinstein knows her way around the human heart, creating riveting stories that capture the essence of contemporary relationships. WHEN WE LET GO, her fifth novel takes readers to Miami and a picturesque farm in South Carolina, where the lead character revisits unhealed wounds that cripple her ability to accept the marriage proposal of Jude Masters, a widower, and father of three, including Elle, a fifteen-year-old beauty beginning to navigate her romances. This book digs deep into complex but relatable family ties and the importance of resolving unfinished business that keeps us from moving forward and capturing all the joy life offers. The characters will stay with you long after you race through this book.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I absolutely loved this book and finished it in two days as I had to keep reading any chance I could get to see how it would end. All I am going to say is make sure you have a box of Kleenex handy as the tears will be flowing. So good! Can't wait to read more by this author!