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.

I was supposed to sleep early yesterday but I decided to stay up all night and read this one because it was that good!❣️ So many feels in this one!💞😭😂 Usually, I'm an angst avoider and I prefer lighter reads, but this was just amazing and I haven't felt like this about a book in a long time! ⁣
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Josiah and Yasmen were the couple that everyone envied - the one you think will stay together forever. But a series of events changes everything and it's been about two years since they divorced. They're successfully co-parenting, running a business together and moving on with their dating lives(or are they ready?). They haven't really left each other's lives but the way they interact has changed. But, the connection and attraction between them never died down completely you know? It was visible in every scene.⁣
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This is not just a second chance romance. It was a story about loss, healing, the different ways people grieve, family and many other things that I can't name. It was such a touching story about so many individuals who felt so real to me. I loved everything about Josiah, Yasmen and their kids - Kassim and Deja, along with their family and friends! Also the honest discussion about therapy and how different individuals react to it was done so well. Therapy is one thing that has helped Yasmen a lot, but Josiah is resistant to it at first. He has a different way of processing his grief and I loved watching him slowly open himself up to the healing process. I think many, even those who are in therapy, would still think that having to seek counseling makes you weak and it's a notion that's not easy to get rid of. ⁣
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And I don't think I'd need to even say much about the relationship between Yasmen and Josiah. You'll feel it from the very first chapter and it's honestly something that all of us wish we had. There was such a great mix of romance, steam, family bonding and healing in this one! Pretty much perfect tbh. Kenney Ryan's writing has always been amazing and if you haven't read her books yet, you can always start with this one!❣️✨

This book was so so good. In the beginning I had a hard time starting it, in part because of my reading slump and in part because the first couple chapters hadn't hooked me in. But I'm so so glad I forced myself to continue because I ended up really really loving it. I laughed, I cried, and felt a hundred different emotions I didn't think I was capable of feeling.

I loved all the characters, they felt so real to me, I could feel their pain and their hurt and understood and even sometimes related to the way they responded in various situations and how it connected to their past. I really felt for every member of the Wade family, specially Yasmen, as I have also dealt with depression and therapy. I was also really glad to see a different perspective through Josiah with his opposing beliefs on therapy and how it all turned out eventually. I really loved the kids too, Kassim has a special place in my heart!!

I also loved the friend group, and getting snippets of their life in this book. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series and learning about Soledad and Hendrix more and seeing them find their happy ever after!

Things to look forward to in this book!
- second chance romance (divorced couple)
- there's only one bed/ forced proximity
- discussions on mental health and therapy

I highly recommend this book to everyone, but please make sure to check the trigger warnings because this book discusses grief, depression and other triggers heavily, and I know that if I wasn't in a good place with my depression right now, I wouldn't have been able to read this. So yeah, check TWs and make sure you're in a healthy place to read this one!

Thank you so much netgalley and the publisher for my e-arc of BEFORE I LET GO by Kennedy Ryan. This one publishes TODAY, November 15, and you NEED this book! Definitely one of my top romance reads this year!

Oh my goodness did I love this book. Which actually surprised me a little, because I am neither married, divorced, or a person of colour. Despite this, my heart still hurt for Yasmen and Josiah and their heartbreaking love story. This book is a MUST read, tho make sure to check out the trigger warnings before reading!

If I could describe this book in three words, I would say: raw, real, heartbreaking.

This is a second chance love story with the two MC’s being divorced, but still very much involved due to owning a successful business together, and raising their kids together.

I felt all the emotions while reading this one. I laughed, cried, felt angry. This book shows the messy side of marriage, divorce, relationships, being partners, dating again. It’s hard to believe this is the author’s debut book- it’s THAT GOOD. I highly recommend this book! It will definitely stick with me for a long time, and I will recommend it to everyone!

I am constantly blown away by Kennedy Ryan. This book was so beautifully written. I was heartbroken and put back together throughout this book - Yasmen and Josiah were such well fleshed out characters and I was so invested in their story from page one. Second chance romances are always full of angst and pining and this one was no different. I am so glad I got to read this story, definitely a new favorite.

Thank you Netgalley & Forever for the ARC!

Any book that you choose to read should make you feel. Whether it makes you happy, breaks your heart, frightens you, or just builds up your anticipation for what could transpire on the next page, if a book doesn’t make you feel, it’s not doing its job. Kennedy Ryan delivered the story that I wanted to read. There was never a time while I was reading Before I Let Go that I didn’t feel something. This book punched me in the gut, broke me down, and still filled me with an abundance of hope.

After being married for...ahem...many years, I am always drawn to novels about married couples (or, in this case, exes). Yasmen and Josiah were the couple who were meant for each other. Theirs was a relationship that would make it. After years of building a life, family, and business together, their life was on track, until tragedy derailed it. What should have brought them closer together and given them a safe place to fall just wasn’t enough.

Was I on Team Yasmen or Team Josiah? The answer is yes! I rooted for this couple right from the get-go. Through the good times and the bad, I believed in them. I rooted for them. I wanted them to see their way back to one another. While they adapted to a new living and parenting routine, and they did it with the utmost maturity, their attraction and love was always right there filling up the pages.

If you’re looking for a second-chance romance that is mature, emotional, and superbly written, this is the next book that you should pick up. Before I Let Go does contain difficult subject matter, but Kennedy Ryan treats it with all the care and sensitivity that it deserves. As I mentioned at the top, books are meant to make you feel, and this one certainly makes its reader feel every emotion possible.

*5 Stars

This is not a great book to read when you are feeling pretty crappy and recovering from surgery. But having said that, it’s a amazing book.

At its heart, this is tremendous journey about love and loss. About hope and picking yourself up after life pushes you down as far as you think you can go. About how that journey looks different for everyone. Loved that therapy played such an important role everyone’s healing.

This also digs very deeply into some impossible grief. And I encourage everyone to seek content warnings. Reach out to me if you can’t find them. This was a two tissue box read for me.

I loved the focus on family: real family, found family - family that just shows up. And that having history folks, but also letting new people in to your lives is a blessing.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the great and abiding love Yasmen and Josiah have for each other. May we all be so blessed to have someone who both loves you so much and can’t keep his hands off you. *wink*


This was a very raw and though-provoking journey and you don’t have to have experience similar loss to sympathize with their situation. Couples and families deal with all kinds of traumas and this makes the journey relatable.

Great story. Worth the tears.

This is a second chance for divorced couple Yasmen and Josiah. Navigating coparenting, a shared business, and still their lingering feelings. This is actually one of my favorite tropes and Kennedy aced it!

I finished this book over a week ago, and it took me this long to be able to come to grips with how this book affected me.

This book broke me. It is just that simple and that complex.

Yasmen and Josiah had what most people want.... Kids, a partnership in life and business, a beautiful home and friendships. But one too many devastating emotional hits and their marriage crumbles.

They are still in each other orbits, though when this book begins they are divorced, but still partners in their business, and co-parenting their two kids. Little by little in this book you are shown what pulled them apart and little by little you see the love that still pulls them together.

I absolutely loved this book...even as the tears were streaming down my face and even as I was reliving my own pain ( 3 miscarriages, child of divorced parents, losing my mom when I was 19) I was wishing that this book would keep going. Kennedy Ryan has an amazing ability to write such an emotional story, but also keep it real. I could feel the love between Yasmen and Josiah pour off the page.

And it doesn't hurt that this story takes place in Atlanta! I love my city!! ❤️❤️

This book has it all, and is definitely worthy of 5⭐

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Books for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book is beautifully written. Yasmen is a deeply compelling character and I appreciate the way the reader slowly learns about her backstory and trauma. Kennedy Ryan is such a deeply talented author -- I hope this book finds its audience and more people discover her work.