So happy I ended 2022 with this one. It was beautiful, sad and REAL. This is how second chance romance is done. All the stars and tears 😭

Before I Let Go is a second-chance romance with some of the highest stakes I’ve seen in a novel, and Kennedy Ryan balanced it perfectly. We’re introduced to Yasmen and Josiah as they’re coparenting their two kids and running a successful restaurant together, but there are moments where they’re still drawn together and questioning whether letting the other go was the right idea.

There are so many heavy topics at the heart of this plot, including divorce, still birth, miscarriages, grief, depression, and suicidal thoughts, but each is beautifully handled as the characters find their way through the hurts and back to each other. The writing is so easy to read, and there’s some spice for those that like that.

I’ll definitely be picking up more of Kennedy Ryan’s books.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Overall, great story! There was a lot of repeating the same lines over and over though. I kind of got bogged down with that.

I love a good second chance romance book. I actually liked how this book touched on a subject that doesn't often get talked about. For some reason, the story just didn't flow well for me. I just didn't feel the connection with the characters that I was hoping for.

Going from a love that everyone envied, to divorced and grieving, Josiah and Yasmen still prioritize what matters: their kids and their business. Before I Let Go starts off two years after the divorce and shows how a story can be heart-wrenching and heartwarming all at once. This slow burn, second chance romance shows how a couple shows up, grows up, and heals from mistakes that were made in order to find their way back where they belong - together.

This book was everything I could want and more. I knew by 25% in that it was 5/5. I saw the hype and it scared me. I often feel let down by own expectations when I read a book that is so well reviewed. BUT this book was more than I could have hoped for. I felt so strongly for these characters. There is no question of chemistry or love between them, or those they care about. You feel their pain and their fear. They are real and feel real things. And the mental health/therapy representation?! YES. I don't think I can say enough good things about this, you just need to read it.

As always, thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

This was such a binge worthy read. While I fail in my own love life, this made me invested in the love and heat between these two characters. I am looking to see what else happens in this world Kennedy Ryan has created!

First, let me say that this was one of the best books that I've read in 2022. The entire family was affected by trauma and internally screaming out for help. At first glance, the readers are led to believe that Yasmen is suffering the most, but as the story unfolds, you see that it was clearly Josiah. Yasmen and her daughter had a support system that encouraged them to press forward…Yasmen in her girlfriend and Deja in her friends and love of hair. Kassim turned to his sister for relief, by Josiah had no one, so he did what so many others do when their dealing with loss…he covered it up by turning to Vashti, which was clearly a mistake. A wise person once said that rebound situations never work, and this situationship was proof of it. Luckily, therapy was the catalyst to recovery for this family, which hopefully encourages someone to seek therapy today. If you can't afford it, find a spiritual leader to assist you.

I absolutely loved the couple in Charlotte and cringed every time Edward's name was mentioned. I cannot wait to find out what he's hiding. This was not my first read but @kennedyryan1, but it was certainly my favorite…so far. I'm looking forward to reading more of her catalog.

I loved everything about this! Kennedy Ryan is perhaps the best romance author, her characters have so much depth & heart. Josiah and Yasmen are such a great couple and following their journey was both emotional and heartwarming. Strongly recommend this one!

One of the best romance novels I have ever read. Yasmen and Josiah’s relationship is so complex and real. Beautiful, relatable story.

✨ Review ✨ Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan

CONTENT GUIDANCE: depression, complicated grief, still birth, passive suicidal ideation.

After a heartbreaking stillbirth and a long period of depression, Yasmen and Josiah separated. Still linked by the restaurant they own, coparenting their children, and the world they had created together, this book takes up their life as Yasmen is coming back into her own. Their relationship, however, is magnetic, and the pull they feel toward each other is STRONG. The tension in this book is delicious, and there's so much depth in the emotions they both explore within.

This book is open and thoughtful in its discussion of mental health and therapy, and while the feelings and grief run deep here, this open discussion was really refreshing. While this isn't your traditional romance, it was still a really engaging, exciting read. I'm here for anything Kennedy Ryan writes!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: f/m romance after divorce/grief/trauma
Location: Atlanta I think?
Pub Date: out now

Read this if you like:
⭕️ multi-layered romances
⭕️ open discussion of mental health and grief
⭕️ magnetic relationships

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing, Forever, and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book!

Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan is a love letter to Black Women who have been through some sh*t. Yes,this is beautiful, mature, community oriented Black Romance, but this was very much Yasmen’s story (to me). As a reader I fell in love with Yas as she found herself & fell in love with herself again. Reading Yas was like sitting with a friend. If I’m being frank—it felt like looking in a mirror because of how accurately the author described life deep in depression.

Can I tell you I wanted to hate Josiah? Honestly I still did, until I got the opportunity to talk with Kennedy & I asked her if she could talk to one of her Characters, which one would it be & what would she say. She chose Josiah, and she would tell him to slow down because he’s been through so much & never stops moving to process his emotions. One of my mood board pictures says “Are you healed or just distracted” & that is the new lens I look at Josiah through. This is book that shows how trauma affects the entire family in different ways. I love the space the kids were given to FEEL and express those feelings (even if I wanted to lay hands a couple times). I LOVEEEE the community Yasmen & Josiah are surrounded with because it’s apart of their story and journey back to each other.

Yasmen & Josiah have a preserved love & everybody can see it, even the dog. It is a journey getting back to them but it is necessary for a love/relationship that will stand the test of time. Please be mindful of the trigger warnings in this book and be gentle with yourself as you read.

Though it deals with very heavy subject matter and is at times heartbreaking, this is a very real and very gut-wrenching love story. A love story for the times. It's the story of two people who find their way back to each other in the most unlikely way, after a divorce during a really tough time of their life. Some sparks never die, and thank goodness the spark between Yasmen and Josiah. Such a lovely story.

I've heard nothing but praise about this emotionally devastating read, and it's certainly powerful. It was that gorgeous cover and Ryan's talent that drew me in, despite the fact that I'm not typically a second chance romance fan. This is heavy and beautiful all at once, with a storyline that straddles the line between women's fiction and romance. I personally did not find it to be a relaxing or "enjoyable " reading experience, but it's important and there's definitely an audience for it. There were some aspects of the second chance romance itself that disappointed me - not enough time showing the good, too much time on other people - but there's a ton of good here as well. So it's not a book that I would revisit, but one that I would recommend.

This was a spectacular book. I usually hate second-chance books, but this one was phenomenally done. The second-chance part was really well done. The characters actually grew and they had chemistry together.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy of the book. This is a second chance love story. Recently divorced Yasmine and Josaiah suffered a tremendous and have to weather through. Despite being divorced they are co-owners of a successful restaurant.

This book was so heartfelt and really portrayed the grief of losing so much in your life and how it can affect marriage. This book is excellent for fans of Colleen Hoover. Absolutely loved it.


Trigger warning ⚠️
Miscarriages/stillborn
Suicidal ideation

This second chance romance about a marriage that has lost its way was one of my top reads of the year!

It's a heartbreakingly realistic portrayal of the way a couple becomes out of touch with each other once children are part of the equation. It's a very grounded depiction of lost chances and stolen moments, and how the seconds you manage to eke out of your day aren't enough when you're exhausted and stressed. It's a gritty picture of settling for the things you get instead of asking for the things you want and need from a couplehood.

This book is an unconventional, insightful glimpse into a marriage in trouble, and one couple's struggle to reconnect beyond the spark of attraction that still lingers between them. It's a story of finding yourself again and re-discovering your dreams of an HEA.

Full review to come on blog...

Kennedy Ryan's Before I Let Go is a second-chance love story that centers on Josiah Wade, a business owner, and Yasmen Wade, a single mother.

This book right here is precisely how you write an angsty second chance romance, since Kennedy managed to make me bawl my eyes out the entire time, wanting Yasmen and Josiah to heal and forgive. The heartbreak was, however, well worth it in the end because reading about the couples' struggles and unconditional love was so realistic.

Though I will say I did want to lower my rating after I read the part in which (SPOILER ahead) Josiah had finally took it to the next step and slept with Vashti, despite him knowing that he still loved Yasmen. That part truly hurt and it felt like cheating, despite me knowing Yasmen and him were divorced for TWO YEARS already, and that he had every right to move on. Also, I will say I hated the daughter in the first half of the book, but then I slowly started to understand her perspective because I realized I somewhat related with her.

In all, Kennedy was able to write a great story with beautifully flawed characters that show marriage/love isn't always perfect. Basically, she portrayed the suffering and love felt by her two characters, to the point that you'll questioning why you like reading sad romance novels.

*Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and to the author, Kennedy Ryan, for providing me with this e-copy in exchange for an honest review!*

This book…, yall this book! Jesus. Okay so in education when you’re teaching kids skills they don’t know yet we call it just right interventions. This book, to end my year reading this? A just right intervention. As a woman, a married woman, a woman or color, a mother, a person who has experienced loss pain and the grief of loosing a parent and battling just life…I feel seen. I feel looked at I feel valued. I couldn’t have read this book at any other time this year it had to be now-a just right intervention. So thank you Kennedy Ryan for building a masterpiece of living, loving, loosing, sisterhood , motherhood and so much more. Y’all this one is beautiful it’s special and honestly my top 5 reads of the year. Thank you NetGalley for this amazing ARC.

WOW. I have never read a book quite like this. It was so raw, vulnerable and beautifully written! I’ll probably think about this book for a long time. Loved reading a more mature love story that deals with real life trauma and grief. I’ll definitely be reading more books by Kennedy! Well done lady :) thank you to NetGalley for allowing me a chance to read this amazing book.

This is a beautiful story of second chance love between two characters that were torn apart by trauma. Kennedy Ryan continues to create extremely relatable characters and a gripping tale of healing.