Do you ever find yourself putting off the really great books? The ones that you know will be deeply moving, that will chew you up and spit you out emotionally, leaving you in a daze as you circle through and process everything that happened in this other world, to this other group of people? I felt some of that with Before I Let Go. It's the story of a divorced couple reuniting, and I knew that in the hands of Kennedy Ryan it would be an emotional rollercoaster and likely have me crying.

I was right. Before I Let Go is an amazing book, but not the ‘throw in your bag and bring to the beach’ kind. It's more of the ‘pack a box of tissues and hole up in your room’ type, but don't let that deter you from this beautiful love story.

The book opens on what may feel like a familiar scene to many people - Yasmen Wade is in the car with her two children, having just picked them up from school. She is struggling to connect with her older daughter Deja, who has looked at her with scorn since Yasmen and her husband Josiah divorced. Her younger son Kassim is still sweet to her, but sometimes seems to have the cares of the world on his shoulders. They all bicker a little as Yasmen brings them to see their father and she and Josiah do an awkward two-step around each other, caught between the memories of intimacy and the reality of divorce. It's an exhausting merry-go-round of emotion, but as the day winds down Yasmen reflects that even this bickering and awkwardness is better than who she was before.

This is the first insight we get into why Yasmen's marriage and family broke down. For all that they fight occasionally, there is no real animosity between Yasmen and Josiah. They still successfully manage Grits, the restaurant that they own together, and they don't exhibit the contempt for each other which is such a death blow to marriages. Instead they are just weary, beaten down by the tragedies they have endured and the way their communication fell apart in the aftermath.

We come to learn that the catalyst for Yasmen and Josiah's divorce was the deaths of Josiah's aunt (a stand-in mother to both of them, and original chef of Grits) and their unborn son, which happened in quick succession. Yasmen and Josiah had very different ways of processing their grief, with Yasmen falling into a deep depression while Josiah suppressed all emotion and focused on managing their suddenly struggling business. Their communication abruptly fell apart, with neither one feeling supported or heard as they handled the fallout. And so Yasmen tapped out, unable to bear the weight of what she perceived Josiah's expectations to be at a time when she could barely get out of bed.

A few years later, therapy has worked wonders for Yasmen and she's finally feeling normal again, if not exactly like her old self. She mourns the losses her family has endured, including the loss of her closeness with her daughter. But she's also determined to forge them a new path forward, which includes finding a way to accept Josiah moving on with other women and possibly getting out there herself. Yet somehow, each of these little steps she and Josiah take seem to lead them back to each other.

It's funny to think how simple the sentence "they found their way back to each other" is, when it takes a whole book to tell that story. Ryan does a good job exploring what went wrong with Yasmen and Josiah's relationship in the past without overloading the book with flashbacks, and also shows all the ways they are addressing those issues this time around. Josiah offers to see a therapist himself, and finds it unexpectedly helpful in understanding the very mixed emotions he feels toward Yasmen. Based on that new understanding, they're able to work through issues in a new way, with more productive outcomes.

One of the things I liked best about this story was how clear it was that Yasmen and Josiah loved each other all along - and how it’s equally clear that love alone is not enough when the other person can't feel it. It's the difficult truth of relationships, and it makes their fights and issues feel all the more real. It's painful and beautiful to watch this couple work through their issues - but so satisfying to know that they truly do get to the heart of things, and that they'll be stronger for it in the future.

As all truly good books do, Before I Let Go has stayed with me. Kennedy Ryan does a great job of opening up the intricacies of one couple's relationship, but also manages to invite the reader into a whole community. The food, the traditions, the hair products - every detail is put into this book intentionally, and it shows. It doesn't promise to be an easy read, but it is most definitely a good one!

Buy it at: Amazon, Audible or your local bookshop
Visit our Amazon Storefront

I want that forever love. That whenever, wherever type of love. That to the wheels fall off and even after kind of love! What Yasmen and Josiah have may not be perfect but at least its real. They are soulmates in every sense of the word. In this lifetime and the next, never to be separated for too long. May we all be so lucky to find our person and never let them go!

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Kennedy Ryan for gifting us with a ARC copy of Before I Let Go in exchange for a honest review.

One thing is for sure, Kennedy Ryan has taken the book community by storm with this book. Everywhere I turn there is someone talking about it and the impact it is having. I loved that this was my first read of Kennedy because in her acknowledgements she mentions this was the first book she's ever written.

BILG is filled with Black Culture, which is what I seek from Black Romance! I almost wished she would have added a playlist from this book but was grateful to have received the recipes. BILG centers the reality of the hardships in life and addresses them head on. Her content warning sets the tone for the care and research she's taken to address topics such as depression, thoughts of suicide, still birth, and divorce.

If you are considering whether a book with such heavy topics is for you, note that your mental health and well being should be prioritized. However there is balance with the love between the characters, the friendships they have and the glimpses into their familial live.

I’m am completely in the minority of this one. I just had a hard time wanting to read this book. The writing is absolutely beautiful and the story was engaging, but I just kept wanting more to happen. I think I will go back and read this again at another time because I feel it’s definitely a beautiful book. I just think I wasn’t in the right space to read it.
I think many will love this book and I would recommend it to all to try.

First off, I loved that these characters were closer to my age than the average romance book. It made them so much more relatable. I adored the flashbacks of Josiah and Yasmen, and the slow burn in this book was delicious torture. The passion and attraction between these two is all consuming, even with their past hanging over their heads. Loved the character growth and how this book normalizes actively seeking therapy and underlines how differently people can react to grief. This was heart-shatteringly good. *I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

✨BOOK REVIEW✨
Before I Let Go
By Kennedy Ryan

Such a powerful story!

Kennedy Ryan did an outstanding job with this book. The characters were beautifully written.

There are some topics within this book that some may find difficult. They were emotional , but very real. Death, Divorce, Stillbirth, and Depression are just some of the topics addressed.
This book had me crying, laughing, and everything in between!

This is an absolute must read, and I loved it.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
This one gets all the stars from me.

QOTD: What is your fave food truck indulgence?
A: I’m a sucker for a delicious donair anytime!

Thank you @kennedyryan1 for writing this beautiful story❤️
Thanks so much to @netgalley @readforeverpub @grandcentralpub for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

#bookreview #beforeiletgo #bookinfluencer #bookrecs #bookreccomendation #beautifulbook #kennedyryan #bookfollow #christmasdecor #holidayreads #5star #🇨🇦bookenablers #canadianbookcrew #📚 #mustread #read #addtotbr #readthis #readthisnext #booklove #bookloversofinstagram📚 #bookstagrammer #canadianbookstagrammer #booklover #fiction #romance #romancereader #emotional #lovedthisbook #bookpeople

Yasmine and Josiah’s journey to their HEA was a hard one, gritty and real. They fight through multiple losses, mental health issues, family drama and the collapse of their marriage.

Yasmine and Josiah were the golden couple- the one everyone measured their own relationships against. That is until a death of a mother-like figure and on the heels of that tragedy an accident resulting in the stillbirth of their third child. Depression envelopes Yasmine in such loss and in the end the only way she can safe herself is by sacrificing her marriage.

But that is not the end. Years pass and Yasmine and Josiah continue to be business partners and partners in parenting their two kids and all is well until Josiah starts seeing a new woman.

This is the catalyst for both Yasmine and Josiah to reassess what tore them apart and what is still there pushing them together.

Life is not easy and loss effects all of us so differently- there is no right way. I lost my mother at Christmas 3 years ago and the cloud that hangs over our former favourite holiday is heavy.

Kennedy Ryan’s portrayal of depression and mental health is raw and real and motivating.

This book was hard- but sometimes the hardest ones are the most rewarding.

Thanks to Forever Publishing for my eBook review copy. Opinions are my own.

#BeforeILetGo #KennedyRyan

Do you believe in spinnin' the block? Better yet, do you believe in second chances? Well, read this and watch as these two find love again!

I'm not a big romance reader, but the cover and the title made me want to read this book. It was refreshing to read about love, friendship, and family. Second chances, and forgiveness. Although the relationship between the exes was the main part of the story, I enjoyed the cooking, and especially the friendship. I also enjoyed the writing style of the author. The book is easy to read and follow.

"𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦."

Before I get into the book, can we take a second to admire the cover? Easily one of the top ten prettiest I've seen all year.

I went into this one with super high expectations, and I hate to say it, but I was disappointed. I didn't dislike it - I just wish I loved it more than I did.

𝗕𝗘𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗜 𝗟𝗘𝗧 𝗚𝗢 is a story of divorce, loss, grief and second chances. I liked that Yasmen and Josiah were grown-ups dealing with grown-up problems, and Ryan does a beautiful job of portraying the trauma of stillbirth and how it affected the couple. I enjoyed Yasmen's girlfriends and appreciated the normalization of therapy and addressing depression. But I had two significant issues with the book - Yasmen and Josiah were supposed to have been this super couple, destined to be together from the moment they met, but outside of their obvious and very often referenced sexual attraction to each other, I didn't get why. This leads to my second gripe - there is a LOT of sex talk. I like spicy books, but the constant references by Yasmen and Josiah to each other's crotches were distracting from an otherwise moving story of a family that fell apart and tries to find a way to rebuild.

Don't get me wrong - I liked this book but it wasn't the five star read I was hoping it would be based on other reviews I've read. 3.5 stars.

Thanks to Forever Publishing for the copy to review.

It took me a minute to start this book because I knew it would be a tear jerker. Once I started, I could not put it down. There is so much to unpack about this one: the characters were beautifully flawed and there is a depth to the story that borders on intrusive. Its like watching a real couple in the fight for their love.

Yasmen and Josiah's relationship felt rich and authentic and although they had disagreements, the love was still there. There was some tension when they started seeing other people but they each handled it with grace and class (I could never)!

I liked the care that Ms. Ryan took in writing about grief and depression and shows how everyone grieves in different ways. She also highlights the stigma associated with seeking therapy and how important it is to find a therapist you feel comfortable with.

Finally, I enjoyed the friendship between Yasmen, Soledad and Hendrix. That scene at the fountain shows how much they love and support Yasmen (and each other). I was laughing and crying in equal measure. Soledad's story cannot come fast enough as I just know her husband is up to no good.

If you want a love story that has depth and passion, pick this one up.. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy. All reviews are my own.

BEFORE I LET GO is an honest, raw, relatable story centering around love, parenthood, grief, and the the things that change us. I found this story extremely compelling and addicting. The tension between Yasmen and Josiah had me so invested, while the grief experience had me invested as well, but in a heartbreaking way. I really loved both the side characters and character development. This family will be one that will be hard to forget.

Thank you Read Forever for providing me with an ARC for an honest review.

This book starts a year after some event has occurred that leaves a family fractured that has begun to move forward. Yasmin and Josiah are co-parenting having had two kids together and running a successful restaurant together when things begin to change and Josiah starts dating Vashti.

As I started reading the book I became more and more committed to the characters and wanting to know what happened to this family. It becomes clear that the family has suffered a lot of changes and grief in the past few years. I am given enough of a sense what it might be but as a reader I want to know more and understand their story.

This book really grabbed my attention and curiosity and I wanted to keep reading it until I knew everything. It is a sad story about loss, healing and resilience. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to a friend.

Wow. I adored this book. Smart, funny, and spicy? Sign me up. I'll definitely be reading more by this author. Such a well done look at a marriage and family.

Stop what you’re doing and read this book! So emotional, raw, and relatable. I can’t get over how many emotions this book makes me feel. I relate to it so much more in my 30s then if I were to read this in my early 20s. Because you just experienced so much life you get why this story was the way it was.

I'm not big on second chance romance and i was unaware of the stillborn plotpoint with this one and i wasnt prepared for it. i loved the writing the story just didnt work for me.

This. Book.

My god. I honestly went in blind. I didn’t know what I was really getting into other than I had heard Kennedy Ryan writes some steamy stuff. So when k quick read the synopsis and saw the ARC on @netgalley I figured why not?!? I. WAS. NOT. DISAPPOINTED.

Josiah and Yasmen have such deep love for each other. But when tragedy after tragedy happen they drift. Eventually Yasmen tells Josiah she wants a divorce and our book picks up a bit after that. This books is gut-wrenchingly raw. It is authentic and real. It is a love story that shows sorrow, joy, growth, and forgiveness. This book will live within me for many years to come.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5- overall rating
🔥🔥- spice rating
❤️‍🩹💔- will break your heart and put it back together

Thank you @netgalley and @kennedyryan1 for the e-book arc. I loved it so much I bought the physical copy to have!

This book gave me ALL the emotions! Kennedy Ryan is a standout romance author and I hope she gets more and more recognized. The divorce subject matter hit home for me and I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time.

Kennedy Ryan did it again and it was absolutely an amazing read.

Kennedy Ryan always writes emotional romances and this one was no different. This was an all encompassing book with romance, growth and emotion.

LOVED this romance. It's hard to incorporate mental health themes into a romance, but this is how it's done.

Before I Let Go was raw and real, it was romantic, it was filled with laughter and fun that balanced out the darker subplots. A really great second-chance-at-love romance and I am a new fan of the author, as I've never tried one of her books until now.

Highly recommend!

I have waited so long for this book. The moment the cover was revealed, I immediately preordered and I WILL NEVER STOP RECOMMENDING IT. NEVER YOU HEAR ME? I loved it. That doesn't feel like a strong enough word but I did. I'm BLOWN away.

It's been a while since I've read a book that put my in my feels early in the book and left me there until I reached the end but I should have known Kennedy Ryan would be the one to do it.

I know this book has been called a black romance and while the romance is definitely there, it's more than that to me. It's a story about grief + depression and the many ways those things can erode at the strongest of bonds.

Yasmeen has my heart because on very subconscious level, she felt like me. The way her depression is conveyed throughout the book made my throat seize and my eyes water because I've had many moments where I felt how she felt throughout this book. It kind of got to me at moments because in order to write about it about accurately as she did, this is something Kennedy would have had to gone through herself. I deeply appreciate Kennedy for sharing those parts of herself and I think that's what makes her the amazing writer she is.