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!

This is my first book by this author. I really enjoyed it. It’s rare to see a romance book that revolves around a married couple and I really enjoyed that.

Just beautiful! Wonderful story about a second chance at love. I love books that offer such a realistic view on mental illness, especially surrounding men. Kennedy Ryan does it again!!

Absolutely amazing. I loved how the author spoke about mental illness and how if effects many people. This book felt so honest and raw, it’s a definite 5 stars for me.

This is a lovely slow burn romance told from the perspectives of Yasmen and Josiah – ex spouses. I’m not usually one for slow burn anything, but in this case, I went at it with the mindset that I was reading contemporary fiction and that seemed to work better for me. Amazing what a shift in mindset can do.

Yasmen and Josiah were supposed to be together forever, but when life took a tragic turn, they didn’t survive. While they manage to co-own a restaurant and co-parent their children, a lot of sexual tension still lingers between them even years after their split. As they both try to move on, they continue to be drawn to each other. When stole kisses lead to more and more…they begin to wonder if their split was the right decision.

This one was wonderful and really gives you pause to think. While I would never get back with an ex (they’re an ex for a reason) it worked in this book! The writing was exceptionally done and kept me wanting for more. This one is just amazing! I enjoyed the characters and was especially fond of the mental health awareness that this book presented. Therapy isn’t a bad thing and this one ensured it wasn’t portrayed in that light. There were so many layers to this book between the main characters, and all the side characters.

I am so thankful to @netgalley and the publisher, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), @readforeverpub, and the Author, Kennedy Ryan, for my e-copy in exchange for this honest review.

Check this one out now so make sure to grab it!

This was a hard read at times, and felt very real, but I found myself unable to put it down. I don’t consider this to be a romance, or even a love story. But it is about second chances. Josiah and Yasmen have been thorough a lot. I had no idea what direction the story was going to take, or even how I wanted it to play out. My heart was racing with anticipation the entire time. I thought the path of Josiah and Yasmen’s relationship felt very real and the way the story evolved left me feeling very satisfied.

This is my first book by the author, and I now need to read her backlist! This was such an emotional read for me. I cried/reared up at times, but then I also laughed at a lot of parts! With all of the heartache, hope, and healing throughout this book, be prepared!! I was not. 😆 This does have some TWs, so check those first.

The mental health/therapy rep was refreshing as therapy doesn’t mean you are a failure, something is wrong with you, or this is for other people ‘not me!’ A lot of men have that mentality, and I love how Kennedy writes about it with the MMC.
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Thank you @booksparks for the #gifted book, and for having me as an ambassador for the Fall Reading Challenge! Thanks @netgalley and @readforeverpub for the digital copy as well.

This was gorgeous. There was a scene at a street festival where Josiah asked the DJ to play a song because he knew it would make Yasmen happy and I had to put my head down on my desk. They went through so much horrible stuff in a short time period and didn't come out together but there was still love there.

This was not cheesy or lighthearted. The way back to each other wasn't easy to quick or even the goal as the book went on. Every single person felt genuine. They were adults dealing with very adult problems. There was time apart. There was therapy. There were children who were hurt by the choices of their parents. There was a business that still needed to run. There were false starts in dating other people. There were dang good friends who didn't always say what you wanted to hear.

My review is just to read it because I've read a lot this year and there wasn't anything quite like this.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.

Before I Let Go is a heartbreaking yet romantic story of two individuals, Yasmen and Josiah, who fell in love and never fell out of love but did suffer unimaginable tragedy that drove them apart. After suffering a horrific miscarriage and a family member's death in short succession, their different ways of attempting to process grief, Josiah's refusal to go to therapy, and Yasmen's depression led to their divorce--now two years ago. Attempting to co-parent two children and jointly run a restaurant, they're still constantly together even though they're now apart. And every time they're in the same room, a sizzle of sexual tension remains.

This book has more trigger warnings than I even know how to list, but include miscarriage, death of family members (past), divorce, depression, and suicidal thoughts (past). At times, it's difficult to look beyond all the sadness and pain to the beautiful love story underneath it all, but Yasmen and Josiah have such an undeniable connection and chemistry it shines through. This book would be perfect for fans of Seven Days in June. I also noticed that this book is billed as "Skyland #1," so I'm really hoping we see books for Yasmen's two BFFs... fingers crossed!

Thanks to Forever for my ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 8/10

This book was an emotional rollercoster. You will laugh, cry , and scream all in the same sitting. This is a age old tale of two people falling in love marriage and kids. It is the after that makes it interesting.! Divorce happens and we get swooped into the life of coparenting, running a business etc. The author made the book so relatable. I don't want to give spoilers . In short give this book a chance it will surprise you.

If his book was so good that I had to go out and purchase the book on hardcopy, I just got it in my book box for book of the month it was a really good book and definitely worth paying for