OMG I loved this book so much. The characters and the plot was so realistic and relatable I was hooked and couldn't put this book down. Josiah and Yasmen were such an amazing couple both with their own layers and depth and I loved that the author gave us such a poignant story about marriage, love and second chances. The story was raw, angsty, emotional, and heart breaking and will give you all the feels while taking you on an intense rollercoaster ride. Kennedy Ryan has never written a book I did love and this was no exception. As with all her books, I keep saying it was my favorite and then she gives us another masterpiece to surpass her previous one and that is was this was....a masterpiece.
This phenomenal page turner was an engrossing, gripping tale and a definite must read. I would highly recommend it to lovers of second chance romance.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever for the ARC

Kennedy Ryan knows how to write raw, real, aching romance. This is a second chance romance featuring a divorced couple that have been through devastating losses (CW includes stillbirth at 36 weeks). It’s not an easy read, but the deep love and attraction between Yasmen and Josiah made the pain worth it.

My heart broke for them and what they went through, and it was satisfying to read the story of them coming together again. They each come to some significant realizations during the book, and their individual growth was really well done. I also really loved their two kids, and how the parent-child relationships were written.

This is a book that reinforces the truth that people grieve in different ways, and that underscores the importance and major impact that therapy can have in a person’s life.

All the stars in the sky couldn’t compare to the remarkable beauty of this story. From the flashbacks to the "Grief is a grind. It is the work of breathing and waking and rising and moving through a world that feels emptier."

All the stars in the sky couldn’t compare to the remarkable beauty of this story. From the flashbacks to the present, I was deeply entranced by Josiah and Yasmen. They worked hard and loved hard until it became earth shatteringly impossible. Kennedy Ryan’s portrayal of depression and the trenches in which one can get stuck in was raw and real. The losses coupled with their heartbreaking divorce affected all of them in different ways. Not only does this story show the emotions of Josiah and Yasmen, but also their children Deja and Kassim and how everything affected all four of them. I felt the devastation, but I also felt the love.

My favorite quotes:

"But I want to stand with you when it rains, when the wind comes. When it’s hard and the odds are stacked against us."

"I’ve learned that life isn’t about taking what you deserve, it’s about getting all you can while you can because it’s short."

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

“After how we’d loved each other, the way we hurt each other was destroying us.”

In true Kennedy Ryan fashion, Before I Let Go is an immersive, beautifully crafted story about characters written so well—so real—that they leap off of the page and settle into your soul.

Yasmen and Josiah Wade thought that their love was the kind that would last forever, but extreme loss and trauma caused a rift too wide to bridge. Two years after their divorce, they’ve found a new normal, co-parenting and running a business together. But, despite the separation, they always seem to pull each other back in. Is there enough of a connection to give their love a second chance, or is it time for them both to finally let go?

Firstly, I will say that this book grabbed me by the throat and did not ease the pressure until I read the epilogue. Yasmen and Josiah go through the ringer, and you’re there every step of the way. There were moments when my heart felt like it was breaking, and moments where I laughed out loud. Ryan builds a community of characters that all add depth and breadth to the story, and oft times, some much-needed levity.

Ryan is masterful at her craft; her prose has a unique lyrical quality to it that will have you constantly highlighting passages as you read. I’m typically not this effusive in my reviews, but this book was EVERYTHING. Probably my top read of the year, by a long shot. Add in that gorgeous cover, and I am all the way sold.

Fans of well-crafted angst, fantastic writing, and a unique spin second-chance romance will absolutely devour this book. I cannot wait to see if Ryan expands this universe even more.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This author had me anxiously anticipating this story with the title alone. It hinted of a story I knew would take me on an emotional ride I wouldn’t forget.
In general, this read surpassed all my expectations!
Yasmen and Josiah is an emotional story that elegantly portrays the complicated dynamics couples face when they realize that love is not enough.
Flawlessly written, it was well paced and the characters were so well developed it added to the emotional component of the story.
Smart, insightful and thought provoking, this author dared to create a story where the couple is faced with serious and delicate issues forcing them to make some tough decisions. Brutally raw and realistic, Jasmen and Josiah struggle with the push and pull of what they thought they could have to what they do have.
Are second chances always possible?
Read this story and decide for yourself!

Wow - this book tore my heart apart and put it back together no less than 10 times. I cried, I laughed, I hoped and ached with this family. Kennedy Ryan is a master writer and this story was devastatingly beautiful.
Thank you to Forever-Grand Central Published for the advanced copy of this via netgalley.

This is a beautifully written novel about loss, healing, grief, and second-chances. Anyone who’s been knocked down by hard times and had to fight their way back up again will feel a connection to these characters.

Yasmen and Josiah broke up after many years of marriage following an an incredible tragedy that struck their family. They each have their own journeys through therapy and healing in order to find their way back together again. I am amazed by Kennedy Ryan’s ability to write depression and grief in such a powerful way, and there were scenes in this book that were so heartbreaking, raw, and real that I found myself tearing up as I read them. This is an emotionally gripping novel full of hope, resiliency, love, and family. It is an easy 5-stars, and an auto-recommend, and one of the best books I read this year.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever for an arc of the newest gem from Kennedy Ryan.

Before I Let Got is an amazing second chance romance between now divorce couple Yasmen and Josiah. They divorced two years ago after some big loses, but share not only two children but a restaurant that they had dreams of expanding once upon a time. This book had some fabulous reputation of mental health especially desperation and therapy. It differently has some triggers that I will at the end of this review that people need to keep in mind, Kennedy Ryan delivered anther amazing, emotional, heart wrenching, entertaining, sizzling, romantic hopeful book that I could go on and on about how it made me feel. She also keeps giving us stories that are hard to talk about but need to be talked and written about.

Yasmen and Josiah romance you knew was going to be emotional journey from the start. I loved the realistic journey they took and worked thru. Even the journeys their children had to go thru felt realistic. Yasmen and Josiah sizzled together and you could fell even though both are trying to move on the love was still present but the hurt was also something that needed to be worked thru, The Wade family to me was half of heart of this book, The friendship between Yasmen, Soledad and Hendrix was the other half of the heart of this book. I read some great friendships in books but for me these three took the cake l they where entertaining, funny, emotional and I just wish we could have the other two women books already. I can’t say enough about the great job Kennedy Ryan did with the issues of depression, mental health, and how she tackled therapy in this book. She hit so many points when it comes to these issues. The topic of grief as well had something tackled very well in this.

Some other high points in this book for me was the character writing. I don’t think I ever appreciated Kennedy Ryan’s character writing until I read this book. Minus a couple of exceptions I wanted to hear almost ever characters story, I wanted to know more about Soledad, Hendrix, Mark, Vashti, etc stories. I even could read the children stories. I just loved the character writing in this. Loved the communication in this between characters. Yes Josiah and Yasmen do have some miscommunication but some of that is because issues they had to work thru, But other than that I felt communication was a high point in this. I loved the relationship parents had with children in this. It felt realistic. I could go on and on about this book and Kennedy Ryan as an author.

Giving Before I Let Go five big stars. Amazing book that all should pick up.

Content warning depression, grief, mental health, loss of parents/care givers/loved ones, loss of child/stillbirth, divorce, divorce from child perceived, parent dealing with Alzheimers (side characters), thoughts of suicide..

Every time I pick up a Kennedy Ryan book I always have this "oooh this will be fun" kind of feeling and then she snatches my soul from my body. This was amazing and honestly it's fulfilling a need of a second change already married that I haven't really read before. I support Yas wholeheartedly and although I'm usually really big fans of Kennedy's heros, Josiah was harder for me. I'm glad he got there though, and I really appreciated that he was down bad for Yas throughout.

I am also really happy that Kennedy is getting the mainstream recognition that she truly deserves. We love to see it and I hope that the world takes this book and runs with it,

I cannot tell you how much I love this book! It is BEYOND my brain to share how much I want Yasmen as a friend in real life. How much I identify with her parenting struggles of a tween. Her losing the baby. This will absolutely be in my top 5 books of the year, if not the #1!

My most anticipated book of the year is releasing tomorrow and I am here to tell you it is AMAZING 👏🏾 🙌🏿 💙🧡💙🧡

All the stars for this beautiful, emotional, gut-wrenching, poignant, sexy, heartfelt book Before I Let Go. ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Kennedy Ryan is one of my favorite romance authors. I always know that reading one of her books will take me on an emotional journey but also a feeling of connection. She writes the love stories of people with real life issues such as depression, grief and loss. Before I Let Go is no exception.

The protagonists Yasmen and Josiah are navigating there lives post divorce with two children. They own a successful restaurant together and share custody of their children. There is a lot of hurt, grief and anger between them but there is also still lots of love, sexual chemistry and tension that is palatable.

I was so in awe of the growth of Yasmen and Josiah in their personal journeys to find healing from grief and unimaginable loss. I was also flustered with the heat of a "hotlanta" sun with their smexy scenes together 🥵

Before I Let Go has everything you want in a romance novel and more. You may cry reading it but you will also rejoice in the power of love to heal and reconnect two people who are destined to never let go of each other.

Thank you @readforeverpub for both my ARC and finished copies. Before I Let Go releases November 15, 2022.

I loved everything about this book. I had to take my time with it because this author did an amazing job of making you feel every emotion possible in this story. These characters are so well fleshed out and the story captures you from the first few pages. The tension between these characters is unmatched and their story is raw, honest and makes you want to take your time and just enjoy every second of this book. I would recommend this story in a heartbeat to anyone. Amazing story telling.

OOOOF. This one hurt. A lot. Kennedy is an author I know and love and I knew she would not let me down, but she would take me on an amazingly emotional journey to get to where we had to go.
Yasmen and Josiah were broken. After devastating losses too close together, they just couldn't come back from the overwhelming grief and stay strong for each other, for thier kids. Now, two years later, here they are, running their restaurant, co-parenting, trying to make the best out of their situation. Yasmen has been to therapy, she has gotten her life back on track, and even though she is the one who initiated the divorce, she still can't help but hold out hope for everything working out in the end.
Josiah wants to move on, he knew that Yasmen was it for him, but if she doesn't want him, then he has to find happiness for himself, possibly with someone else. While I didn't love this aspect of the book, I do understand it and why it was put in, because it is real life. Yasmen wants to be cool with this, she knows she can't go back, she hurt Josiah so badly that even her daughter blames her for not being strong enough.
I couldn't help but feel for her, for all of her work to be better to be overlooked by the ones closest to her. Her strength was the bravest thing about her. The therapy aspect that was brought into this story was so real and it was so relatable. We hear about therapy and yet there is still a stigma about it for so many people. The strongest of us seek help from others, not the weakest.
The love and longing that jumped off the page, both ways between these two was enough to start a fire. I am tearing up just thinking about it. I love this trope because of the hope it brings. The hope that not just one person fights for the marriage, but they both do, they both fight to get back to each other because they know that person is their end, and their beginning and everything in between. Such a beautiful story about family and fighting your way back.
Thank you to Kennedy Ryan, Netgalley and Forever for an early copy.

This is a beautifully written book that is heartbreaking and yet gives you hope at the same time. Yasmin and Josiah have created a thriving business and a family together. Unfortunately love was not enough and they broke up. We find them at the stage where they are coparenting their children and running the business together in a constructive way.

It seems as if they are going to get a second chance together but it’s not an easy road. Kennedy Ryan manages to write a second chance romance that both breaks your heart and puts it together at the same time. Both characters are written with such nuance and as you go through the different stages of their relationship, you see all of the feelings and emotions that are coursing through the characters.

This is such a must read book. It shows you romance but with feelings throughout the book. I cannot recommend this book enough for everyone to read.

WE LOVE A BOOK WITH MENTAL HEALTH REP!! Kennedy Ryan does it again!! The pining in this second chance romance was off the charts!! I wasn’t prepared for how emotional this book was!! The grief depicted in this book was handled in with so much care, which i appreciated so much. It was heartfelt!! I felt their love in my bones!! 10/10!! A+!!

This was one of my favorite books of the year. Although I don't usually choose second chance romances. Kennedy Ryan's Before I Let Go was amazingly done.

After losing a close family member and a baby boy, Yasmen falls into a severe depression. Hoping to keep their family together, keep busy, and hold things down for his wife, Josiah never stops to process the losses. This eventually leads to a divorce after many fights and Josiah refusing to do therapy. A couple years later, Yasmen is finally getting back on her feet. She is being active in the restaurant her and Josiah own and is hosting community events. One of their two children, as they find, is extremely intelligent and his school is thinking about having him skip a grade. However, to make sure he is emotionally ready for the jump, the teacher encourages a therapist. Josiah agrees to go see a therapist too in order to make his son more comfortable and starts to heal himself. Through this, the couple discovers they still love each other, they just weren't good for one another during that tough time. The question becomes if they can forgive each other for all the damage that's been done.

“Depression is a liar.”

This book right here!! Before I Let Go, is in my top 5 books for this year. Kennedy Ryan has always been a brilliant writer but Before I Let Go, is truly her best work to date. This story was brilliant and captivating. This story beautifully depicted the complexities of marriage, love, loss, and mental health.

“People talk about the stages of grief, but there is a stage of depression—at least for me—where you go from feeling pain so acutely you can’t bear it, to feeling nothing at all. A blessed numbness after debilitating sadness. It’s like laying a thin film of steel over your emotions.”

Josiah and Yasmin were once college sweethearts but are now divorced. After a tragic loss, their once loving and stable marriage has devolved into hurt, anger, and sadness. Two years later both are trying to navigate their new normal. Yasmin has grown and is healing with the help of therapy and Josiah is also trying to grow and move on as well. Despite being divorced, they are still co-parenting and managing their family restaurant.

“Our traumas, the things that injure us in this life, even over time, are not always behind us.”

These two had amazing palpable chemistry. They loved strong and they loved hard but grief and depression led to Yasmin asking for a divorce. Seeing and reading about their heartbreak on these pages, I felt like I was going through it myself. You couldn’t help but want them together, but you knew that if they ever made their way back to one another it would not be an easy journey. Their story felt authentic and honest.

Their love was grand and beautiful and Kennedy did a fantastic job telling their story and making you understand and feel the love they once had. The pacing, the prose, and the detail of this story were beautiful. After reading it, I wanted to start it all over again. I cried, I cussed, and it made me want to work on my mental health. This story is truly special and Kennedy deserves her flowers for this novel.

I loved the characters, their friends, and their families and I can't wait to see more from the other characters from the Skyland series.

Imagine being on Kennedy’s level…..IMAGINE?! I knew I was going to love this because I’m such a KR fan but this was absolutely immaculate. I’m not kidding the prologue brought tears to my eyes and I was already invested in this story.
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I’m a big fan of marriage redemption/second chance romance in general so right off the bat I was into the plot. Yasmen & Josiah have a love story for the ages and I love how Kennedy holds nothing back. This book shows the good, the bad and the dark sides of falling in and out of love. It beautifully showcased people dealing with loss and the mental health rep in here was also wonderful and powerful. This story felt so real and raw and it’s easily the best written book I’ve read all year. (And I’ve read 250).
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EVERYONE READ THIS BOOK PLEASE
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*thank you netgalley for the ARC copy

Yasmen and Josiah wanted and hoped they had a love that would get them through everything, but love alone wasn't going to get it ! Divorced now, and trying to rebuild their lives. But as they are drawn back to each other over and over again, they start to wonder if it's too late for a second chance at a life together. WHEN GOING THRU TOUGH SITUATIONS WITH LOVE U WONDER IF ITS ENOUGH .HIS BOOK WAS A REAL ONE FOR ME!!! THIS HIT HOME!! THIS WAS REAL LIFE!!! THE WRITER DID AN AMAZING ON THIS BEAUTY!!! READ IT NOWWWWWW!!!

Yasmen and Josiah Wade were a happily married couple with two children and a successful restaurant in Atlanta. When two tragic events occurred, Yasmen fell into a deep depression and her grief destroyed the marriage. Two years after their divorce, they are co-parenting their children and have managed to stay in business together. Once Josiah begins a new romance, it becomes very clear to Yasmen that she still has deep feelings for her ex-husband. Josiah never stopped loving Yasmen but had no choice but to move on. As the couple starts spending more time together, they have to come to terms with their rekindled feelings and the fear that considering a second chance might bring new heartbreak.

Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan, takes the reader on a journey of two people who may or may not be meant to be together. This is an exploration of love, regret, remorse and the risk of trying again. The couple and the people in their lives are smart, appealing characters. The book takes a serious look at mental illness and shows how therapy can truly help. This was a very emotional read about healing that was very satisfying. I highly recommend it.