Loved this story. Kennedy Ryan, once again, has captured my heart with her writing and captivating story telling. I was immersed in this story from chapter one. Her writing is like a beautiful symphony. The flow and pace follow such an easy cadence that you can’t stop reading until the very last word. I devoured this story. I wept, smiled, and hoped with this story. It’s one of the best books I’ve read this year.

I loved this second chance romance SO MUCH. The character growth was fantastic. There were parts that ripped my heart out (the divorce scene - UGH) - but there was a lot of hope and love. THIS WAS GREAT.

“𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬.”
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𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: ★★★★★
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happy release day to this beautiful story! i’ve never met a kennedy ryan book i didn’t adore with all my heart and this one was no exception. josiah and yasmen’s story is as beautiful as it is tragic, and watching then pick up the fragments of their shattered life, and piece them together into something both new and old, was nothing short of poignant. 💛

- angsty second chance romance
- divorced couple/single parents
- one bed!!! (👀❤️‍🔥)
- mental health/therapy rep

yasmen and josiah wade had the kind of love that was supposed to last forever. until a devastating loss fractures their story, lethal blows splitting them in half until they decide to let one another go. now, yasmen has found her feet again, and has adapted to the rhythm of her new life as a co-parent and co-restaurant owner with josiah. but that rhythm is constantly interrupted by forbidden thoughts, illicit desires, and unresolved dreams that see them gravitating towards each other again. and they begin to wonder if they’re truly ready to let go of what they had.

kennedy ryan’s magic never fails to amaze me. the poignancy of her romances, the depth and intimacy she writes with, the mental health rep she tackles, and more, are all wrapped up in a beautifully painful read. she’s such a gifted artist, and this book is the latest and greatest testament to that fact. i loved everything about this book. the writing was evocative and beautiful as always, the spice immaculate, and hard topics nuanced and laced with compassion, but the characters were simply fantastic. yasmen and josiah, their kids, and even their friends, had such gravity and complexity, they felt indescribably real, making this story all the more emotional. if you’re in the market for a beautiful yet hard-hitting romance, please don’t hesitate to pick this one up! i think the above quote summarizes this book so perfectly. 💛

I haven’t cried this much reading a book in such a long time. This was such a heartbreaking journey but also so hopeful. From the start I didn’t want to put this down. It’s been some time since I’ve read a book by Kennedy Ryan but this story reminded why I love her writing so much. I felt every single thing that these characters felt and was immediately connected to the whole family.

This may be the best book I have read this year. It's both heartbreaking and soul restoring as you read the journey of Yasmen and Josiah. They are two years post-divorce and trying to find their way through co-owning a restaurant, co-parenting their two children, and overcoming devastating loss. I love a marriage-in-trouble romance and a second chance romance and this is both combined in a real and raw way. There are honest and open discussions around depression and therapy. I have never read an account of both in such a genuine way. It was very hard to read and yet also I felt so seen in some ways. I love the ways Ryan included these parts of the loss and recovery process for the family. The writing is superb. Within the first chapter, you somehow feel for these characters so deeply despite having just met them. I wanted both to find their peace and cheered them on as they found their way back together. Their connection is absolute fire. I loved every moment these two were on the same page. I would recommend this to absolutely anyway, but there are definite content warnings that are included by the author herself in the beginning of the novel. Before I Let Go is a solid 5 star read that I will be sure to revisit in the future.

This book is a top favorite of the year for me. When I saw some of my favorite bookstagrammers rave about it, I knew it was going to be good. It exceeded my expectations. I felt fully immersed and kept thinking about this couple when I wasn't reading. Still thinking about them a week later.

Yasmen and Josiah divorced two years prior, after a heartbreaking tragedy that changed their lives forever. This book follows their journey. Of owning a business together, co-parenting two kids, and realizing there might still be something between them.

This book was so powerful; encompassing themes of grief, healing and discovery. Their struggles felt raw and real, with a focus on mental health. I wanted them to reconcile so badly, hoping they would find their way back to each other. The angsty scenes gave me butterflies. What I felt was beyond chemistry between them. It was clear they were soulmates.

I was so glad this book was written in dual POV. It was important to get both perspectives as Yasmen and Josiah realize mistakes they made in the past and also what they could do to work on themselves individually. Every storyline felt necessary. From the relationship with their kids to the scenes where they tried to move on and see other people.

I will never forget this couple and highly recommend you read this one!

Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for an advance readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I even chose this as my Book of the Month because I knew I was going to love this story. And I did. All the stars!

I don't think I have ever read a story that is more real, raw and relatable than this story. This is a second chance romance between Yasmen and Josiah Wade. They have been divorced for almost two years, but they are two people who still love each other so much. They have gone through some difficult losses which led to depression for Yasmen. She didn't know how to be married anymore when it was a struggle to take care of herself. It's a beautiful love story about how loss can affect you, but that time can bring you back together and heal you.

I love how this story is in the present dealing with their issues in the past. The opening scene is in the past, but most of it is in the present. No jumping back and forth in the timeline. I loved seeing Josiah and Yasmen putting their lives back together.

I am hoping for more in this world as it is labeled as Skyland #1. Yasmen's friends, Hendrix and Soledad, deserve stories of their own.

Don't miss out on this story! I'll be thinking of it for a long time.

4.5 Stars

This is one of those reviews that is so difficult to write -I know all the things I want to say, but I can't really find the right words to describe it. Did I love it? Absolutely! Did it emotionally wreck me? Yup. Do I recommend it? OMG Yes! There are so many more amazing things I would love to say about this book, but I don't think any will do it justice.

Before I Let Go is a beautiful second-chance romance, but Kennedy Ryan doesn't sugarcoat it or pull out puppies and rainbows. It's raw and emotional, but beautiful and hopeful at the same time. The writing is phenomenal, and I definitely can't recommend it enough! However, if you are a person with a lot of triggers, please read the content warning before reading this story.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre/trope: fiction, romance, marriage in trouble
CW: depression, parental deaths, stillbirth, divorce

“𝙶𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚏 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚐𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚍. 𝙸𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚊 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚜 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚝𝚢. 𝙰 𝚐𝚊𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚡𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚜 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚒𝚝’𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎.”

This is one of the most poignant books I’ve read all year. The writing eloquently and honestly captures grief that resonates with anyone going through it - myself included - regardless of how the trauma was inflicted.

The story pivots between now in Yasmen and Josiah’s post-divorce life, and the before. The early days of their romance, and the painful time in their lives that led to their marriage failing. Two years later, they reflect on the past with newfound perspective which comes with time, distance, and the hard work of therapy and introspection. They’re trying to move on while still tethered to each other by their kids, work and history. There’s still so much love between them, and physical attraction which manifests in urgently sensual and spicy moments. They’re soulmates fighting their way back to each other and their family unit.

Kennedy Ryan’s an incredible writer who’s no stranger to writing the difficult stuff. I felt like she helped me through my own loss as she took me on this gritty, soul-bearing journey. Sharing in Yasmin and Josiah’s grief and hopes was healing and cathartic. My heart was broken and comforted. And thankfully, there is a happily ever after. Readers, be gentle with yourself if you’re feeling vulnerable.

Thanks @netgalley & @readforeverpub for my ARC. This is my honest review. Book releases 11/15.
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“To the strong girls,
To the hustlers,
To the superwomen,
Tend your hearts with ruthless
Care…and rest.”

I am unwell. This book has thrown me into one hell of a book hangover and I’m tempted to start again from page 1.

I saw so many early reviews hyping this book, and I understood why early on while reading, but I WAS NOT PREPARED.

This book has so much. Yes, it’s a second chance romance of a divorced couple who has been through a lot. While it’s far from being a light and fluffy read, the deep emotionals are so well balanced with the low-key hilarity and undeniable chemistry, all of which were handled with such care. I loved all of these characters so much! Hoping to see more of them in future installations of Skyland, and until then diving head-first into Ryan’s backlist.

Read if you like:
Mental health rep
Parenting/Co-parenting
Girl squad goals
Spicy 🌶🌶🌶
A MAN THAT GOES TO THERAPY

⚠️ CW: Death of loved one (off page), stillbirth, depression, grief, passive suicidal ideation (no attempts)
** Huge thanks to the author for including CWs!

Stunning novel by the great Kennedy Ryan!
I have found that there is an art to marriage on the rocks, or divorced couple romance books. It needs care and attention and Kennedy Ryan very eloquently crafted up a beautiful novel that is so heartfelt and validating.
Something about the couple's journey spoke deeply to me.
The plot was cohesive and the romance story, epic.
Also there is great steam!

In Before I Let Go, Kennedy Ryan creates an amazing couple, Si and Yas, who must navigate serious, heart-wrenching issues. Ryan masterfully intertwines grief and pain with unbreakable love in this genuine, poignant story. This book packs an emotional punch. It is so beautifully written and a top book of the year for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing/ Forever for the digital reviewer copy and special thanks to Kennedy Ryan for writing such an amazing book.

Two years after their divorce, Yasmen and Josiah’s are still intertwined as they co-parent two children and manage their successful Atlanta restaurant. Love alone couldn’t save their marriage, but can they have a second chance at love after some time apart and healing?

As a romance lover, I love reading about couples falling in love. As a wife of almost 25 years who understands that falling in love is just the beginning of a couple’s story, I also love reading about couples dealing with the messiness with every day life. Yasmen and Josiah’s story is about tragedy, setbacks, and comeback. In a real and raw way, we see this couple lose what they hold most dear—each other, grieve that loss, eventually revive their relationship, and evolve it into something better than it was before.

Before I Let Go has an unforgettable group of side characters. I loved Yasmen’s friends, Hendrix and Soledad. I’m so glad there’s more of this ride or die friend group to come. There also is Yasmen and Josiah’s incredible kids, Kassim and Deja. I do have to point out that Deja is the poster child for check on your friends with strong daughters!

Kennedy Ryan is a master storyteller, and Before I Let Go is a testament to her talent. This love letter to the healing power of therapy with a lot joy, steam, and laughter mixed in is my favorite book of 2022. Yep, I’m calling it now.

Because of the heavy subject matter involved in Yasmen and Josiah’s story, you may want to check the content warnings for this book.

Before I Let Go is out in the world today and I’m so excited for my fellow romance lovers to have a chance to get their hands on it! Second chance romance—especially involving married or previously married couples—has become my favorite trope, and Kennedy Ryan has created a masterpiece here. This is truly one of the very best second chance romance stories I’ve ever read. The two MCs divorce due to unprocessed grief from some very traumatic events that happened in their lives. I went in expecting some heavy topics and definitely recommend checking CWs for this one if you find those helpful.

Yasmen and Josiah continue to co parent their children together and run their successful restaurant despite being divorced for two years. They have an undeniably strong connection and love for one another that hasn’t gone away even during their long separation. When Josiah begins to move on and date someone else at the restaurant they share, Yasmen starts to face the fact that she still has very real feelings for him and she’s not ready to let him go forever. I’m not sure I’ve ever read two characters with such intense chemistry. My smoke alarm went off several times while I was reading this one, and if you’ve ever read anything by Kennedy Ryan, you know she can write some seriously good steam.

I felt this book deeply and was rooting so hard for Yasmen and Josiah to be able to overcome their old wounds and find each other again. The scenes involving their children where especially poignant and I loved how hard the two of them work to stay connected and remain friendly co parents for the sake of their kids. The parts of the book where Yasmen has to see Josiah dating someone else, and vice versa, felt like gut punches each time, that soul deep pain that comes when you have to see the person you love most in the world falling for someone new.

Before I Let Go, HURT. I cried a lot. But it was also so intensely moving and beautiful. Truly a love story that will remain with me forever. I was so fortunate to have an early copy from Forever on Netgalley and luckier still that my sweet friend Simone sent me a print copy so I could underline page upon page of my favorite and most memorable parts.

This book was an emotional roller coaster from start to finish. Yasmen and Josiah are trying to make co-parenting and co-running a restaurant work after a very emotional divorce two years ago. We get to see flashbacks and memories of the good times and what happened that led to the dissolution of their marriage. What I appreciate is that this author will fully immerse the reader into the world of the characters. It’s like we are silent observers, the fly on the wall. I also like the children in this story. Most of the time I’m not a huge fan of children in books because they tend to be very flat, but these children had such well crafted personalities and their own separate storylines. I also really enjoy seeing both Yas and Si (their nicknames) have strong friendships with other people who are also given their own separate story. Hendrix and Soledad were really fun friends and it made me happy that Yas was able to have friends who were always in her corner.

The book’s strong points revolve around the conversation around mental health and grief. The author took such care when discussing these topics and showed different ways people deal with these things in their lives.

This is a really strong, very thoughtful exploration of love in all of its forms, romantic, platonic, familial, etc. However, this is a very heavy book in places and deals with grief, death of a loved one, miscarriage/stillbirth, depression, suicidal ideation. There is very technically no cheating but if you are someone who doesn’t like to see the hero/heroine with other people, this may not be for you. My only qualm, and it is very much a me thing, is that Si’s first foray into romance after Yas is with an employee of their restaurant. This isn’t really a spoiler as we find out very quickly into the book. But Si just talks a big game about how he kept the restaurant going and it’s so important to him, but then he messes around with an employee of all people. Just annoyed me about him and I also wanted him to do a little more apologizing, but again, that’s very specifically a me thing.

I really liked the book! I noticed this is labeled as book 1 in the Skyland series, which makes me excited to read the other stories.
I think my rating is a 4.5 just for a few things that didn’t work for me other than what I’ve already mentioned but are definitely more spoilery.

[CW: stillbirth and death] It’s taken three years, but Yasmen is finally starting to feel like herself and is out of the grips of the deep depression that claimed her following the stillbirth of her third child and the death of a beloved mother figure. When she finally looks around, she realizes that Josiah, the husband she divorced in the midst of her lowest point, still draws her like no one else but also that he’s now ready to move on. Yasmen’s guilt over what has become of her family and Josiah’s belief that he could never trust Yasmen again keep them apart but they just can’t stick to it.

I love a marriage in trouble book and what’s more in trouble than already divorced? This book was hard to read and full of angst but so very beautiful. You know that visceral feeling that some books can give you? Yeah, it was that. Two very wounded people who handle things in very different ways trying to understand one another and trust again. The handling of the issue of therapy was excellent—Yasmen is fully cognizant of the fact that therapy absolutely saved her life while Josiah is skeptical of the whole concept and knows that it is definitely not for him. Fortunately both of them have great support systems (especially Yasmen, whose two best friends are absolutely wonderful and fiercely loving of Yasmen). It may take a while to recover from this book, but it will be totally worth it. Thanks to Netgalley and Forever Publishing for the eARC. Available today.

Before I Let Go is an engaging, heartfelt story about marriage, grief, life, and moving forward. I found Yasmen relatable and well developed. I felt for Josiah. I loved the growth he showed and how he was able to see his role and examine the events of the past that were shaping his future. The pages are filled with relationships that add value and substance to the story.

While the plot is predictable the messages are handled with grace and care.

Before I Let Go is a wonderful picture of the realities of marriage and loss but also of hope and love. Yasmen and Josiah experience two big losses in a row, causing their marriage to fall apart. They're clearly still meant for each other as they process and work through their grief. Life isn't always pleasant and positive, and marriage and intimacy are also made for experiencing the depths of grief together. I love the cast of characters and am excited to see that it's listed as the first in a series!

CW: Talk of depression, grief, loss of a loved one.

I have put off writing this review for a few days because I genuinely did not know how to begin. There is one word that comes to mind when thinking about this book: raw. It shows an unfiltered love story, a couple who loves each other fiercely, and more importantly, the way depression changes your view of life. This story was one of love, yes. But it was also one of grief, self-discovery, and reinvention. I cannot imagine dealing with what our main characters had to go through (which I won’t say in an effort to not spoil the book as much), but I will say I have had experiences with the outlook on life where it feels like there is nothing that can give you enough energy to even get out of bed.

It was heartbreaking to read the moments in which Yasmen recalls the days before recognizing she needed help and asked for it. I cried reading her lows, I got angry when I couldn’t understand how other characters did not seem to get how affected she really was, I held the kindle to my chest when her and Josiah were reaching a point of understanding. I think these characters really show what resilience and compromise is. Their love for each other and for their kids was big enough to overcome the hardest challenges. It was both painful and beautiful to see them go from where they were at the beginning of the book to slowly understanding the mistakes they had made and the way each of them dealt with loss in a different way. And accepting that.

I’ve seen some people recommending this book as a love story first and foremost, talking about the cute aspects of it; while that is true, I also want anyone to go into this book knowing it does address heavy topics and goes deep into how much of an impact grief and depression can have in your life. Having said this, I would love for more people to read about Yasmen and Josiah’s journey, it is raw and painful at times but it is also beautiful and inspiring. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting with an advanced copy of this book. This was my first book from this author and now I cannot wait to check out more of her work.

Queue the tissues!

I never knew I needed to read a book so much until I read Before I Let Go.

This book is just as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside. A book about soul crushing love, loss, mental health, and the ties that bind a family…even in the form of an adorable Great Dane, Otis.

I cannot say enough great things about this book! Tears were shed, laughs were had, spicy scenes were etched into my brain to live rent free forever, and endless hand to heart moments occurred. I am absolutely adding this to my shelf, and will highly recommend that you read it!

**thank you @netgalley and @readforeverpub for a eARC in exchange for my honest review**