I always know that I'm in for a wild ride when it comes to a Kennedy Ryan book. Many thanks to the publisher, Forever, for an early, gifted copy of the book. Kennedy Ryan is a must read for me. All of her books do not shy away from hard topics and she handles the gracefully and with respect. I loved loved loved the focus on mental health in this book. Seeing how Josiah is so resistant to therapy reminded me of so many clients I saw back when I was a therapist and I loved the aha moment he had when it came to the therapy process.

This was not an easy read but it was realistic. I could feel the sorrow and despair and betrayal and anger that seeped through the pages. I also just feel like everything was handled in a way that made sense and this easily could be (and is) many real life situations. Is it too early to start petitioning for a movie?

Please take care with trigger warnings on this one. Pregnancy loss, divorce, depression, suicidal thoughts, and anxiety all make an appearance here. I look forward to reading more in this series going forward!

Such a beautifully told story! I was hesitant to go into this book, knowing it was about a divorced couple, as that hits close to home for me. Luckily, I had my friend Addie to hold my hand and read along on this incredible journey with me.

Watching the struggle that Yasmen and Josiah went through in their past, as well as trying to navigate how to live their current lives apart, was heartbreakingly beautiful. The loss is strongly felt for the reader, and I greatly appreciated the mental health and therapist rep.

I wish everyone could read this book, as it sheds light on the struggles of mental health, as well as the importance of communication and seeking help through therapy. If you need someone to hold your hand while reading this book, I'll gladly reread it with you!

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to give my honest opinion.

Before I Let Go was my First Kennedy Ryan Book but it won't be my last.

I loved the love that Josiah and Yasmen had and continue to have even when they weren't together. I loved seeing the kids and how they interacted with the parents and the community. I loved the community events and how it brought them all together. Hendrix was a riot and made me laugh more times than I will admit.

This book teaches about grief, starting over, depression and everything that a person can go through.

I Loved this book and can't stop talking about it.

Grief makes messes of us all. And we all handle it differently.

This book was amazing! I felt so many emotions and such strong emotions! I was jealous, angry, sad, passionate and satisfied.

Like I said above everyone grieves differently and sometimes when you think you are fine seeking help for the sake of your partnership is worth it. It's like waves in an ocean. Sometimes the waves are small and sometimes they are overwhelming and high.

I lost my Dad when I was 6 months pregnant and then kept getting weird readings during my pregnancy to the point they asked if I wanted to end it. If I had done that I would have been like Yasmen. I don't remember the end of that pregnancy just her birth and the smile she's given me everyday since. This book was so raw and emotional and made me feel all those feelings of hopelessness and grief. It brought back my memories of being so close to losing my first daughter who was a premie. As beautiful pregnancy can be it's traumatic and doesn't always happen for everyone or end the way you plan.

The acceptance of help with mental health from depression and grief is great to read about especially when the most of the family is talking to someone.

These two loved eachother but life pulled them apart. Through help they were able to find their way back to eachother and their family.

The scorching steam between them was also perfect.

Thank you readforeverpub and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Emotional, poignant, heart-rending. If you want a read that will wrench your heart out of your chest and put it back together again, this may not be the book. Because it WILL wrench your heart out of your chest but the putting it back together again? Well, that depends totally on you. It took me a long time to recover from this beautiful and powerful read, Highly recommend!

How do you find your way back to the love of your life after grief tears you apart? Yasmen and Josiah have managed to co-parent and continue to run their restaurant after their divorce, but when they try and move on they find that letting go harder than they thought. Can they overcome their grief and loss to find their way back to their happily ever after.

Kennedy Ryan has a way with words. The emotions that she develops make me have all the feelings. This was a realistic look into heartbreak and healing. I was emotionally invested in this one and couldn't put it down.

It is romantic, sexy, heartwarming, heartbreaking, raw, and realistic. Easily one of the best romance books of the year hands down. This is required reading--I don't make the rules.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

Thank goodness. A romance for grown folks—and a poignant, steamy one at that! Before I Let Go is an emotional look at a marriage burned to the ground and two people determined to rise from the ashes to find happiness again.

Yasmen and Josiah have the enduring type of love that would make anyone jealous. Theirs is not a connection based solely on physical attraction; although, there is some seriously hot magnetism between them. They share a mutual respect, despite the pain they inflicted on one another. I respected both of them tremendously.

The fallout from divorce affects family members in different ways. The dynamics between Josiah, Yasmen, and their kids kept me invested—particularly Yasmen’s relationship with her surly teenaged daughter.

The book delves into serious topics such as loss, grief, mental illness, and forgiveness. While parts are gut-wrenching, everything isn’t gloom and doom. It is, after all, a slow burn, epic love story. I also enjoyed Yasmen’s two best friends and their constant support of each other. I hope Soledad gets her own book. I have a feeling there’s one heck of a story there.

The pacing is slow in places, but the story is so real that I sometimes forgot I was reading a work of fiction. Before I Let Go is an inspiring, moving, romantic read.

Included as a top pick in bimonthly November New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

Some books you know without a doubt, within the first half an hour of reading are going to be an easy 5 star read. That was this book, another home run from Ms Ryan. The woman cannot write a bad book if she tried, but this one shot up high on my list of favorite KR books, and one of the best books I’ve read this year, easy. And it made me so hungry with all the food descriptions! Truly a love letter to down home cooking and the vibrant culinary landscape of Atlanta, and to a certain extent, Charlotte. Which makes it all the more ironic that I skipped dinner because I was so engrossed in the book.

It’s not all food and games, however. If you’re a seasoned KR fan, you know she takes on some heavy, sticky topics in her stories, and this book especially deals with some big ones. So check your triggers. No one does this with as much delicacy and sensitivity as her either, her writing both honest and compassionate, her words both soul shattering and healing. The autumn vibes to accompany the gravitas of the story, immaculate.

Josiah and Yasmen go through so much in their journey from being torn apart to finding their way back to each other, but your conviction as a reader never wavers that they will get past it and find their way back to love. That of course does not mean they, and you, aren’t squeezed through the wringer first. Without giving away much, Yas’s story is as hopeful as it is heartbreaking, and Josiah’s devotion to her even at the darkest of times is honestly husband goals. Even when they relentlessly, unwittingly hurt each other and themselves. Even better when he realizes that always being the stoic rock for his loved ones isn’t the answer and sometimes you just have to work through your pain rather than compartmentalize it. Something a lot of us could do to learn. And through it all, these two are electric, a five alarm fire that cannot be doused. A slow burning reconciliation with only one bed and heaps of jealousy vibes done just right? Goodness gracious where’s the fan? Seriously, I was oscillating between crying over their grief and heartache and sweating over their insane chemistry. Someone hydrate my poor, dehydrated body!

The rest of the cast is a charming little family with its own set of issues, some OW/OM action (no cheating or anything), and Yas’s lovely found family of fierce, supportive women who I hope will be getting their own books. And a giant, wise, goofball of a dog 🥹

TW:
Depression with some suicidal ideation, several references to pregnancy and stillbirth in the past, death of parents/parental figure in the past

This is a story of a real family dealing with real emotions and real loss on different levels. It asks the question…”Is love enough?”

This was quite an emotional read that deals with a ton of heavy issues, so be prepared. I very much enjoyed the vulnerability and unguarded thoughts and feelings (right or wrong) that the characters were allowed to have. The prose was beautiful and at times poetic.

This is my first Kennedy Ryan book, but it won’t be my last.

I had seen Before I Let Go floating around #bookstagram with rave reviews so I went into it with high hopes. Friends, this book did not disappoint!

Before I Let Go beautifully tells the story of Yasmen and Josiah, divorced co-parents of Deja and Kassim. Yasmen and Josiah had had the kind of marriage everyone envies - founded in connectedness and passion and true partnership. When the family experiences the passing of a beloved family member and a tragic accident leading to the stillbirth of their third child, Yasmen and Josiah loose themselves and each other in grief.

The book begins two years after Yasmen and Josiah have divorced and it tells the story of their individual and collective healing. It is beautiful in its depiction of grief and the rifts that arise from grief.

Kennedy Ryan’s characters are vibrant and alive. They are full and flawed and so lovable.

If you haven’t picked this one up yet, do yourself the favor.

PAINFUL. That’s one word I’d use to describe this book. Have you ever read a book that you could literally feel the pain seeping through the pages? A book that makes you feel as though you’re the one going through what the characters are going through? A book that makes you want to somehow hug the characters and let them know that it’s going to be alright? A book that hurts so bad? A book that aches? A book that loves so hard? A book that cries? A book that grieves loves lost? A book that tries to move on? A book that falls but gets back up? A book that encourages? A book that forgives themselves? A book that heals & seeks healing? A book of second chances? A book that strengthens? A book of passion & desire? A book that renews & reunites? A book so overwhelming, you can’t help but hold on regardless? A book of hope?


The emotions, the rawness, of this book was A LOT, but I wouldn’t change a thing. This was my first Kennedy Ryan book and I can’t wait to read more.

Thanks to Forever and NetGalley for an ARC of this bookb opinions are my own.

I was so excited to get a copy of Kennedy Ryan's new book. I love her complicated characters and realistic storylines. I always finish her books within 2 days because her writing is so engaging.

This book is a second chance for a divorced couple. I do love this trope, so I was already sold, but I found the reasons for their divorce (loss, grief, untreated depression) and their conciliation believable.

Alllll the stars.

#BeforeILetGo #NetGalley

Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan was a beautiful, and at times heart-wrenching, book that was so much more than just a second chance romance. A story about loss, finding yourself, and reconciliation, I felt so many emotions while reading.

The book and the characters felt so real and relatable. My heart hurt for Yasmen throughout the book, but I found her so strong and inspirational. She was my favourite character and I loved seeing her journey of healing throughout the book. Before I Let Go had such important representation and the author addressed the difficult topics in the book with such care. Although difficult, the topics explored in the book are so important and they represent so many people's experiences.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Kennedy Ryan is a name that I have heard over and over again in the romance community as an author who is not afraid to rip your heart out and then put it back together. Having finished Before I Let Go, I can now also attest to that statement.

Ryan is not afraid to tackle heavy-hitting issues in this romance as Josiah and Yasmen struggle to find their way back to each other after the loss of a pregnancy and a subsequent divorce. It's not always the easiest book to read, but I found it to be an exquisitely written and uncompromising look into an imperfect love between imperfect people. It's an immensely slow burn, which did have me wishing for the pace to pick up throughout the middle third of the novel, but it pays off in spades once the characters start to break down the walls of pain and suffering that they have constructed. If you are looking for an emotional read to just tear you apart, I would highly recommend picking up this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

5/5
A few CWs: stillborn birth, depression, suicidal intentions, grief, and death of loved ones.

As always friends please check TWs for this book because the material discussed can get quite heavy and if that's not for you - you're not answerable to anyone. Stay safe friends!

This book follows Yasmen and Josiah who are divorced, but still managing co-parenting and business together. They truly are the definition of soulmates. But sometimes, life gets in the way and it's difficult to continue working towards something when you can't see where you're going to land the next day. They are completely imperfect characters. They hurt each other. They make each other feel good. You root for them. You cry with them. In this sense, there is no traditional 'villains' there is nobody to blame in this story. This made the characters feel even more real.

I think that this book really gets to the completely naked core of relationships, but also people. As people, we make mistakes - Yasmen and Josiah are no exception to this. But, it's how you work through them as an individual and if you learn from them and actively try to be better, that's what matters at the end of the day. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say this has one of the best examples of character development/growth that I've ever seen. Relationships can hurt so much. Loving someone and putting yourself out there is incredibly terrifying when you aren't sure of what life will throw your way. This book is no exception. Yas and Josiah had a beautiful once in a lifetime kind of love, but when the grief and losses amassed, sometimes it becomes too difficult to manage one relationship when you can barely keep track of yourself.

This book also tackles grief in an incredible way. I really feel like you witness how it can affect someone at all stages. It's not something that can be easily sugar dusted, it's painful. It also never really goes away. I feel like you always carry a part of grief with you, it's not like a jacket you can shed - it's there, always. However, that doesn't mean it always has to weigh you down. There are good moments that can propel you out of that darkness. But what I think this book highlights really well is that you have to reach that conclusion yourself. You have to accept that you need help. What I really liked was that this book positively showcased the importance of therapy - it can really foster a change in your outlook. I enjoyed this positive outlook towards therapy and communication and the way it can really change someone.

This book is about more than just their individual relationships though. It's about friendship, hope, and also a crucial parent-child bond. I loved those moments so much and they cemented the importance of having support networks in your life - even if not to rely on - to just have a get together to enjoy each others company. Above all else, this book gave me a lot of hope. To get from these depictions of complete depression to showing hope towards betterment and love was so refreshing. In many ways it felt like a warm hug.

This book in many ways is incredibly mature - the aspects of co-parenting are done really well, they genuinely care about their children without that layer of pettiness that is often added, which was lovely to see. Additionally, there's no intentional "let me do X" to hurt you in this, and in that way it was the perfect second-chance romance for me. I think I will carry Yas and Josiah in my heart for a very long time. I loved this book and I cant recommend it enough.

Instagram Review: https://www.instagram.com/p/ClMWWNXPrLI/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Full Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4802748193?book_show_action=false

Special thanks to Netgalley and Forever Grand Publishing for the arc <3

Kennedy has the amazing gift of persuasion she keeps you captivated from the moment you open any of her books until the time you close it and even once you're done you have no choice but to keep the story and the characters on your mind. This time was no different, I laughed, shed tears, and held my breath in suspense, and I would totally recommend this book because it will take you on a journey of love like no other!

Beautiful book. I love how in between the relationship of Yasmine and Josiah and the incredible ability to co-parent their kids with class and respect to the way they can handle their business relationship..... There are so many good lessons in this book. Mental health is a big part of this book. I love how even Josiah, who first scoffs at therapy as an aid, gets so much out of his therapy sessions. Therapy really helps this interesting dynamic of a family grow.

This book made me laugh, cry, swoon and just root for these characters!