I will preface by saying, Kennedy Ryan is one of my all-time favorite authors, but few authors explore what happens after the “happy ending” as she did.

What happens when the lifetime goals checklist items are ticked off and you have it all? What happens when while building it all, you grow apart? What happens when you have it all and devastation hits?

Devastation.

Yasmen and Josiah had that deep, out-of-this-world, once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. But when devastation hit their family, love couldn’t be enough.

As I read, my heart dropped many times, shattering over and over again as Kennedy Ryan etched their pain onto my soul. I could feel the love and I could feel the loss…so much like life. I felt so appreciative that a story explored divorce, the work it takes past falling in love but also in keeping yourself up when you feel that you are drowning. I know I wasn’t the only reader who reflected on my own marriage and the ups and downs it comes with. 

Kennedy was so thoughtful and considerate, tangoing over eggshells to paint this story and make those going through these hard life experiences feel witnessed.

If you are in a space to feel deeply, to be rung out, or to share your own season of darkness with another…
If you are feeling hopeless and in the dark night of the soul…
This book is for you.

A favorite line: 
*“You don’t love me anymore” “I can’t find it. I can’t find us. It’s buried under all this pain.”

Trigger warnings: Child loss, divorce, depression

I've never been a big romance reader, but I gave this book a shot after reading so many spectacular reviews. This book exceeded all my expectations and has influenced me to dive more into the romance genre.

From the first page, I fell in love with the characters. They were all personable, realistic, and completely relatable. I found myself getting sucked into the story immediately and enjoyed it more and more as it went on.
This book was a fantastic second chance romance story, and I loved every minute of it,

I'm looking forward to reading other books by this author and continuing this incredible series!

If there ever comes along a book that just makes you feel everything you cherish that book. Before I Let Go had me feeling things I didn't think a book could make me feel and I've ugly cried through my fair share of books. This book was nothing short of exceptional.



This book has some heavy themes surrounding loss, grief, and depression (TWs are addressed at the beginning of the book). But it’s also a story of love, growth, joy, healing and recovery with therapy and mental health as major themes of the story.

Yasmen and Josiah were mature and complex characters. There were times in the present when there could have been a lot more drama, but the maturity with which they handled certain situations was a pleasant surprise, and the communication between them was really good, for the most part, which I always appreciate.

What I found really unique was Josiah’s character arc. When we meet Yasmen in the present, she’s already gone through a great deal of healing. So, instead, we get to see Josiah’s journey—and I loved that and him. 🫶

I had purposefully put off reading it until over the holidays as I wanted to take my time with it and I’m so glad I did. Once I picked it up, I really struggled with putting it down and disengaging from it. It follows a recently divorced couple, Yasmen and Josiah, as they work to successfully co-parent their children and continue running a bustling restaurant in the aftermath of their changed relationship and multiple family tragedies. There are a lot of conversations regarding mental health for everyone, but especially Black men, which was so refreshing to see, and it was such a realistic story of growth that I couldn’t help but root for the two of them. There are some trigger warnings associated with this book though, so I would recommend checking those before reading.

I put off reading Before I Let Go for way too long because, quite honestly, I was not ready to be broken. Kennedy Ryan writes the most emotional books and I have to really be in an okay headspace before I can read them and sometimes I struggle to find that space. But I finally did. Or, more honestly, I forced myself to just get over it and listen to Before I Let Go and ultimately, I adored it. It also didn’t shatter me as much as I was expecting, but I would definitely advise caution if you are a person who has ever lost a child to miscarriage or stillbirth or really anything.

But the way that this book talks about depression? It was incredible. The way this book explores mental health and healing and how who you are when you’re suffering from depression is you, but it’s a you listening to all the worst lies about yourself. The way this book talks about self-compassion in a way that seems completely sensible and like, “Of course we should forgive ourselves!” I just… Magical. Kennedy Ryan is so good at writing about some of the most sensitive subjects with deftness and intense relatability even when you haven’t experienced the exact same things she’s writing about.

And the romance? Y’all. These two people BELONG together, okay? And the way she writes that!!!! There’s honestly not a single Kennedy Ryan book I’ve read where I haven’t gone, “Yep, soulmates.” Which, let’s talk about the fact that I don’t even believe in soulmates really, but KR has me convinced of the fatedness every single time in her CONTEMPORARY romances.

And the friendships?? Magical. I cannot wait for the next two books in this series. I’m so thrilled to have more Kennedy Ryan in my life and I hope she continues writing forever.

Divorced couple…Co-parenting…Restaurant…Trip…Only 1 Bed…Garage. Trust me, it all adds up to an unforgettable, book-hangover-worthy read.

Before I Let Go is a slow-burn but savory love story with lots of wow factor moments filled with emotional greatness. It is a book with all the feels and quotable lines worthy of writing down or just re-reading for the experience and pure enjoyment.

What do you do when a love that is supposed to last forever is filled with unforgettable pain and heartache from devastating life happen moments? Two people dealing with the same heartache and loss deal with them differently, suddenly finding themselves in survival for their individual selves and their family. The journey of this family is far from easy, but the realness and rawness of their feelings and emotional well-being add a bonus to your reading pleasure that keeps you on edge and turning the pages for more.

If an author ever left it all on the pages of a book, this is that book. Before I Let Go is worth every bit of the hype. Five stars are not enough for this book; I give it ten.

3.5/5 Star; 2/5 Spice

So I might get flack for this, but I think I just really don't like a broken marriage/ reconciliation trope. I was so frustrated with Josiah's anti-therapy focus, and Yasmen's struggles with her trauma and depression just broke my heart. I think this book really challenges you to look at mental health, and how often Yasmen is blamed for everything got on my nerve, especially with her daughter. Overall, I see why others enjoyed tis, its very on-par for Kennedy Ryan books, but just the plot got on my nerves more than I enjoyed following it. I WILL however be reading the next book in the series, I hope were getting on of Yasmen's best friends!

Brief Plot: Yasmen and Josiah should have been end game. But after two traumatic back to back losses, mental health played a part of their divorce. 2 years later Josiah is getting back into the dating game, and the impact it has on Yasmen shakes everything up. With two children, the co-parenting partnership, as well as their business partnership, keeps them involved in each others lives. Will all this bring them back together? Or will the problems of the past come back to be problems of the present?

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an eARC copy of Before I Let Go, written by Kennedy Ryan. This is my honest review!

Going in it I thought it would be more of a romance. I finished it but I think both of the characters needed to learn a little more from the situation.
Where the female character was self blaming, I feel like her ex never really understood what he did was wrong.

Kennedy Ryan continues to crush it when it comes to writing. This book was compelling and heart wrenching. I spent majority of the first few chapters with tears in my eyes. It was absolutely heart breaking seeing what this family experienced and seeing how everything fell apart. I was rooting for the couple to get back together because it was obvious that these two people loved each other, but more importantly I wanted this entire family to heal. And Kennedy Ryan did that for us. I think I'm always used to rooting for heroine in a M/F relationship because you're used to the hero messing up. Seeing Yasmen come to terms with what grief and depression did to her brain, how it lied to her and made her think that she had to face this alone. Seeing Josiah and Kassim go to therapy was so encouraging. There truly aren't enough words to explain how excellent this book is.

This book deserves all the stars! I highlighted so much in this book because I could relate to Yasmen on so many levels. Kennedy Ryan blew the door open on so many stigmas in the black community and I'm here for it! She writes in a way that you feel every emotion bleed from the pages. I laughed, cried and cheered on these characters with all of my heart and didn't want their story to end. I especially enjoyed the children in the book they added an extra layer to the story. I loved everything about Yasmen and Josiah's story.

"At the church where I grew up,,,they always said you ain't got a problem God can't fix. What can a therapist do that God can't? That mindset kept a lot of folks from getting help "

"Life is not about always being okay. It's about getting help when we aren't. About letting our family and friends help us."

"And I think I'm most grateful for time, which doesn't heal all wounds, but teaches us how to be happy again even with our scars."

"I've fallen in love with the warrior woman who walked through fire, the one who came through stronger, reshaped by sorrow, reformed by grief, reborn in joy."

I’m no stranger to Kennedy Ryan (having read The Kingmaker duet), and her latest romance is another example of how well she builds a relationship. This slow burn, second-chance romance between divorced co-parents and co-owners of a restaurant was heart-wrenching, raw, and beautiful. I was hooked on Josiah and Yasmen’s story from The Beginning.💋

This book has some heavy themes surrounding loss, grief, and depression (TWs are addressed at the beginning of the book). But it’s also a story of love, growth, joy, healing and recovery with therapy and mental health as major themes of the story.

Yasmen and Josiah were mature and complex characters. There were times in the present when there could have been a lot more drama, but the maturity with which they handled certain situations was a pleasant surprise, and the communication between them was really good, for the most part, which I always appreciate.

What I found really unique was Josiah’s character arc. When we meet Yasmen in the present, she’s already gone through a great deal of healing. So, instead, we get to see Josiah’s journey—and I loved that and him. 🫶

Kennedy also did a good job of depicting what Josiah and Yasmen each brought to their relationship romantically, professionally, and as parents. They were truly partners in every way which helped add some depth to their connection which was very physical. And while there wasn’t a lot of steam—when there was it was 😮‍💨—it was more in how they spoke about the physical draw they had to each other that provided great tension.

I also have to give a shoutout to Yasmen and Josiah’s kids and the role they played in the story; they had a purpose and were multi-dimensional.

✨| Oтнer Hιɢнlιɢнтѕ:

- Flashbacks for context
- Strong female friends who had their own stories
- Tight family bonds
- Therapy sessions + destigmatizing therapy for kids/teens
- Recipes at the end of the book for dishes featured in the story
- The cover!! 😍

“It begins with a tremor, a realization that love happens in the fragile context of our mortality. That love and life occur just beyond the reach of our control. There is only one letter of difference between love and lose, and somewhere along the way, for me they became synonymous.”

Whew. What a book. I often complain that I’m looking for more substance in a romance and boy does this DELIVER. Make no mistake, a second chance romance is at the center of this book, and yet, it’s so much more than what your typical second chance romances are. This is more like contemporary fiction in that it gives SO much emotional depth, nuance, and character development. I would compare this more on the level of Seven Day in June, than your typical, more fluffier, second chance romances. And ther’e nothing wrong with those fluffier romances, just know going into this, that this is not that. This is heavy, this will rake you over the coals emotionally.

“I couldn’t imagine the hows or whys of life’s irrational cruelty. I can’t go down memory lane. There are stretches of it that hurt too much, yes, but there are miles that felt too good.”

The losses and trauma Josiah and Yasmen go through are depp and while the events and trauma are handled beautifully, respectfully, and authenticaly, there’s just no getting around how hard they are. The author provides TWs right at the beginning so heed those. There is discussion of still birth and child loss, depression, death, suicidal ideation, and more. The way these events and trauma are laid on the page are so honest and you can truly feel the characters’ pain, so tread carefully.

“I know depression deceives, but how this illness warped truth, how it manipulated my emotions and turned my fears on me, takes my breath for a moment. The magnitude of what I’ve lost, what I surrendered, lands on me with the weight and heat of a meteor.”

I loved Yas and Josiah’s love and story. Their road is not easy and even 90% in, they were still working through their divorce and demons. Yes their chemistry is hot, ues their history and intimacy is there, but damn if Kennedy doesn;t really make them work for their love and reunion. It’s a messy, it’s hard, it’s very often one step forward 4 steps back, but I appreciated that this felt so real and authentic. It’s tempting to give them that sweet reunion that we know they deserve and want, but Kennedy doesn;t let us ignore their very real fears and past hurts. She doesn’t undo it, but rather she truly delivers character arcs that show independent growth and growth as a couple that hard won. The 2 years of divorce and months of depression and grief changed Josiah and Yasmen, and Kennedy embraces that instead if trying to revert them back to their pre-grief selves.

“I wonder if that’s true of everything and the truth hides somewhere between what we each remember? Reshaping our memories to be what we thought they should. Did I make it better than it was? Did I ever make it worse?”

If there’s ONE thing I wish was different, it’s in viewing the original divorce as a mistake. Without going into too much context and spoilers, I would have liked to see that decision better reframed as something Yas needed for herself instead of a mistake she let depression talk her in to. I can see how that might be the case, but given where Josiah and she were, I don’t see how anything outside of a divorce would have seen either of them emerge from that season in their lives well.

“<i>We said vows.</i> Those are words, not walls. They don’t defend. They don’t enforce. They don’t protect us from life. From pain. From how things change. And I don’t want to stay in this just because we said we would.”

Overall though, this was absolutely fantastic and one I’ll definitely look to reread. I can’t believe this is my first book by the author, it definitely won’t be my last!

This is a romance book, but it is so much more. The way the author writes about grief, pregnancy loss, depression, therapy, and healing is a punch to the gut in the very best way. The book shows different types of grief and how we can not always heal together.

This book begins two years following Yasmen and Josiah’s divorce following two significant losses. Yasmen is beginning to heal from a crippling depression. This was a relationship that broke apart not because of a lack of love but because they were in so much pain and couldn’t help each other. It was heartbreaking and relatable. They’re trying to raise their two children, run their business together, and test the dating pool waters.

I loved the strong female friendships, the honesty and growth of the characters, and how they navigate parenting, jealousy, and mental health.

Also as I would expect from a book about restaurant owners, there is the perfect amount of spice.

Trigger warnings: late term pregnancy loss (discussed after the fact) and discussions about suicide.

’m going to keep this short because so many others have written much more eloquent reviews than I ever will be able to

The hype is real. Yasmen and Josiah are outstanding and so so loving. Be prepared for the tears. This is a second chance romance that is in an emotional level all on its own.

Kennedy Ryan is incredible! This was my second book of hers that I’ve read and I really need to get to her others!! They are spicy, emotional, and soooo swoon worthy

CW/TW: pregnancy loss, death of family members

Before I let Go is one of the most beautiful romances I've ever read. Kennedy Ryan is truly a master of her craft. She captured grief, depression and anxiety so well and I truly applaud her for going the extra mile to ensure she did it iustice
Josiah and Yasmeen's story is filled with love, heartbreak, growth and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Watching them grow as individuals as well as a couple throughout was heart warming. I laughed, cried, and giggled throughout this book and I can't express how much I love it.

<strong>Stunning</strong>

One of the best books I’ve ever read. Kennedy Ryan you had me boohooing, cackling, and swooning back to back. This book is a tribute to culture, family, growth, and pride. Seeing Black excellence displayed here was so powerful to read, and the romance between Josiah and Yasmen reached into my very soul. I love them. Amazing book, I can’t recommend enough.

I had a really hard time putting this book down once I started. Although this is technically a romance, it had so much more depth.

This is a story about a couple, a family, finding their way after loss and grief broke them apart. Our two main characters, Yasmin and Josiah, are learning to find joy again after their heartbreaking divorce just 2 years earlier. Through co-parenting, running a business together, friendship, and therapy they begin to heal from the events of the past couple years and even start seeing things from each other’s perspective.

I loved the way mental health and therapy played such a big part and was normalized in this novel. And Kennedy Ryan’s writing made me feel like I was right there with the characters. I also really liked the alternation between the point of view of Yasmen and Josiah, so we got both sides of the story equally.

If you’re looking for a romance with some spice, but more depth than your average read, I would highly recommend this luminous novel.


CW: child death, stillbirth, grief, divorce, death of a parent, suicidal ideation, pregnancy, sexual content

Did not get a chance to read this novel possible in the future. I have read her book holiday swing which was quite comically and sweet.

Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan

Before I Let Go gets raw, deep and dirty. In every way. While it’s marketed as a second chance romance, which it technically is, I’d give it more than a romance and say its a fiction novel at it’s core - dealing with immense grief, loss, depression, and divorce. In saying that, it is also incredibly steamy, with the characters exploding on the page with passion and chemistry.

This book explores grief and how if affects us all in different ways. How the same traumatic event that happens to two people can handle it and be affected so differently. The dual POV of this one really made the book as we were able to properly experience both sides and characters. It was beautiful, heartbreaking, and hopeful and these characters will live with me for a long time.

This book is my favorite Kennedy Ryan book. The vulnerability of grief and mental health was so important and needs to be seen more in fiction. I'm also a sucker for second chances and this book is the manual to how to write them correctly. I'm excited to see how this series continue and thank you Mrs. Ryan for giving us this treasure.