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.

Kennedy Ryan pens an emotional, second chance romance between Josiah and Yasmen. I was hooked from the opening pages and didn’t stop until the very end. This book is so raw, I am so blown away by the realism of the authors words and gripping storytelling. Brilliant and definitely a must read.

Yasmen and Josiah Wade were supposed to be in love until the “wheels fall off.” However, when life delivered loss after heartbreaking loss, love simply wasn’t enough to save their marriage. Yasmen is finally starting to come out of the fog and begin to enjoy life again. Josiah is running their business and is an excellent co-parent to their two kids. Things become surreal when Josiah reveals he’s dating and Yasmen isn’t sure how she feels about that. They both continue to feel drawn to one another, but Josiah doesn’t know if he could ever trust Yasmine with his heart again and Yasmen thinks she may have made the biggest mistake of her life by asking for a divorce.
Y’ALL, this book was everything I didn’t know I needed. If you don’t want spoilers, I recommend not reading this review prior to reading the book! This is the ultimate second chance romance and I absolutely loved Yasmen and Josiah. Ryan has a way of bringing her characters to life and making you feel everything that they feel. The emotions, particularly those that Yasmen felt, were raw and real. I loved that even though they were divorced, they were able to stay amicable not just for the sake of their kids but for their business as well. This made the hope for a reconciliation and given that they were still 100% attracted to one another more realistic and believable. I also loved how heavily therapy was discussed in this book. Both characters experienced significant losses and I think if neither had sought professional help, it wouldn’t have made sense for their reconciliation to happen. I am fully obsessed with these characters and I am so excited it is a series. Please give me the second book immediately!

Wow. What a freaking book! It was raw, emotional, and it will make you feel! It covers a lot of heavy topics (please check TWs!) so there's a lot to unpack! I love that mental health and the power of therapy was at the forefront of the book. Overall, the book was a beautifully-written second chance romance. This was my first Kennedy Ryan book but most certainly won’t be my last! Def check out the audio! The narrators were phenomenal and really elevated the story! I hope Soledad's story will be the next book in the series!

Thank you, NetGalley and Forever Pub, for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is a true love story about a couple who, even living apart, share the joys and responsibilities of parenting and owning a business together despite sharing a great loss. This story proves that even through difficult times, love always prevails. I enjoyed this book tremendously. It was very well written, kept me engaged, made me laugh and cry, but most of all it and gave me hope.

Special thanks to the author, publisher, & netgalley for my advanced readers copy!!!

The hype surrounding this book was definitely REAL because Kennedy Ryan GAVE IT. I LOOOOOVED everything about it from the rekindling, love, growth, trial and error, the second chance. We basically get a front row seat to the “What happens after a divorce.” How it affects both parties involved including the children. I mean the author captured and executed everything effortlessly.

What I liked most was that neither Yasmen nor Josiah were perfect. But everyone could see what they had was special. They were flawed in many ways which gave an authentic feel to both their characters. I loved the vulnerability and ownership they both took in the situation. Her regretting the divorce and him showing remorse for not being there when she needed him.

Knowing what lead up to their divorce was heartbreaking. After experiencing so many devastating losses and struggling with grief their marriage started to lack communication. Yasmen wasn’t in the right headspace when she made the decision to divorce and Josiah didn’t fight hard enough to prevent it.

While separated they did a wonderful job with co-parenting, running a business, and just being cordial with each other in general. That’s not something commonly seen after a divorce.

But through all of their trauma, grief, and pain something changed in them both. GROWTH, MATURITY & ACCOUNTABILITY!!! With everything that occurred time apart seemed like the worse idea but in actuality it made their bond stronger.

I could go on and on about how amazing this book was to me. All of the characters were lovable especially Yasmen’s friends. I liked how the author never physically described any of the characters distinctly in detail. Yet I was able to envision them all vividly.

TW: Depression, divorce, stillbirth, mentions of suicide

Do I recommend this book? Is that even a real question at this point . . . . . Of course I do!!! If you haven’t read it read it then tell a friend to do the same. It’s definitely worth it.

One of my favorite books this year. The depression rep waa beautiful and nuanced, the characters lovable, and the inclusion of the family members just made it feel like a warm hug to read. Will be recommending this to everyone!

My words won’t do this book justice but it’s a must read.

It’s beautifully raw and open giving all the emotions one person can feel.

This is my first book about a couple who’s divorced with kids and I’m not sure anyone could do this type of story but this author.

I felt like this story could resonate with a lot of readers. I liked that we got to see both sides of divorce because there is always two sides but we also got to experience the mental side of it and the no shame of therapy which I applaud this author for.

Yasmen and Josiah’s second chance after healing is truly beautiful.

This book was AMAZING. I went in with high expectations because of the reviews I have seen, and they were exceeded. It's my first Kennedy Ryan and definitely will not be my last. Before I Let Go is second chance romance at its finest, and I have read a lot of second chance romance because it's my favorite trope. Yasmen and Josiah work together and their story was so heartbreaking, you can tell they are meant to be together but life has a funny way of working out right? I was caught off guard by some of the tough topics and conversations in this book, but they made it so much better and really got the reader (me) to connect with Yasmen and Josiah and all of the other characters in this book. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of Before I Let Go! You need to add this to your TBR.

See below for synopsis from Goodreads:

Their love was supposed to last forever. But when life delivered blow after devastating blow, Yasmen and Josiah Wade found that love alone couldn’t solve or save everything.

It couldn’t save their marriage.

Yasmen wasn’t prepared for how her life fell apart, but she’s is finally starting to find joy again. She and Josiah have found a new rhythm, co-parenting their two kids and running a thriving business together. Yet like magnets, they’re always drawn back to each other, and now they’re beginning to wonder if they’re truly ready to let go of everything they once had.

Soon, one stolen kiss leads to another…and then more. It's hot. It's illicit. It's all good—until old wounds reopen. Is it too late for them to find forever? Or could they even be better, the second time around?

Thank you, NetGalley for this early copy!
There is nothing like Black love!
First things first, this cover is absolutely STUNNING!
Before I Let Go has been trending on social media for good reasons and has become my favorite book of 2022. Kenny Ryan's writing is brilliant and so beautiful. I love it when an author can make me feel the character's pain, happiness, and their sadness. This book dived into many realistic relationship issues such as miscarriages, divorce, and co-parenting. This was my first book by Kennedy Ryan, and I will most definitely read more of her.

This was beautifully written. Like beautifully. I loved this book like everyone said I would. I had so many emotions in those 400 pages. Yes, ugh, my heart. I had to stop reading a few times because the combination of angst, love, and longing was too much.

I really loved that everyone needed to have their own journey to heal and find themselves again after dealing with so much grief. I loved the discussion of mental health and how, when you're deep under, you're not your true self. And making decisions based on that self is not always a good thing, but it is what you need to survive in that moment.

While I understood Josiah's reasoning and the need to move on, I didn't like it or how it happened, but I understood. It had been 2 years, and based on the way things ended, it felt final. I do think it was the right decision for both parties to take a break from the relationship and work on themselves. They both needed to grow without each other and learn how to navigate all the heartache and grief. If they had continued the way they were, they would've been more broken than they were, with nothing left to come back to. Although I didn’t understand why it was as drastic as a divorce and not a separation,

On another note, if you can have me up at 2 a.m. crying and then cry again when I finish the book at 8 p.m. and still want to cry every time I think about the book, you're a 5-star read because why I'm I feeling all these emotions.
@Kennedyryan and @readforeverpub you did that! Thank you for the ARC and published copy in exchange for my honest feedback!