This is the first Kennedy Ryan book I have read and OH MY GOODNESS did she immediately become an auto buy author for me. I can not find the words to properly describe the emotions this read stirred in my, the true love and passion for each other was palpable. It has been a while since I have read a romance with such emotion and devotion. The way the story wrapped up was beautiful and I can absolutely understand why this book is getting the traction it does, I will be purchasing a copy for myself and some loved ones. Highly recommend.

Devastatingly beautiful. This was my first book by Kennedy Ryan, and I am grateful for an ARC. This story was so beautiful and raw, I cried and I laughed- I felt the characters rage and love and grief. This book was incredibly well written, and I will definitely be checking out more of this authors work.

Till the wheels fall off
5/5
Such a beautiful story on second chances and finding yourselves. Second chance love stories are my favorite they have such a special place in my heart <3 This book was perfect it wrecked me but also had me squealing!!!

Personal Note:

When I read this story, I felt that it was my story down to a science (Minus the Henry tragedy, but a disaster just as traumatic) Only difference is we were already married by 20 and had four children by the time we were 29 and 30. By the time I was 43, we were divorced after being married for 23 years, but we had been together since we were 14 and 15. For the first ten years, I was absolutely depressed and never knew it; I guess it was PPD. Then it was further depression after that. So, this book truly resonates with me on so many levels. There was therapy, but there was never a second chance.

Intro:

Ryan took off from the starting line and left everyone in the dust.

She did not even bother to stop and grab her cup of water at the mile marker; she just kept flying by.

WHEW!

No stopping and collecting two hundred; she is just in it to win it.

And by all things holy, she's downright "NAILED" it!

Ryan's "Before I let Go" is a MUST-read for 2022-2023; you will want to get a Hardcover and savor it


Let us begin:


Josiah and Yasmen had a love like you only see in "fairy tales," a love you only "dream" about, a love you only "wish" you had. The two met while in college and have been inseparable ever since.

They were the "IT" couple, the perfect family, the perfect house, and the ideal two children, Kassim, 10, and Deja, 13.

The two had a thriving soul food restaurant in Atlanta called "Grits.," They even have the perfect friends; life for Josiah and Yasmen is everything…." UNITL IT ISN'T!"

Tragedy strikes the young couple and upheaves their entire family.

Nothing is the way it belongs or the way it was.

Yasmen and Josiah are constantly fighting, ugly words are slung back and forth, and hurtful things are said to each other.

The children are in the middle, and no one thinks about them then, but everyone is hurting.

Josiah is dealing with his grief the way he thinks he should, shutting out the world and not saying a thing.

Yasmen is dealing with her grief the way she knows how and not wanting to be there anymore, just wanting to lay in her bed and blend in with the covers.

Until one day, she decides she wants a divorce; she cannot take the memory of things lost.

2 Years Later:


Josiah and Yasmen are Coparenting; they are trying to be friends, he is dating someone else, and she is "trying to date."

The kids are happier because their dad lives two streets over from them and sees them daily.

Yasmen is seeing a therapist and asks Josiah if he has been; Joshiah tells Yasmen that he has no interest in going; because a therapist cannot help him.

But, like most men, he does not need to pay someone to talk to when he has his boys to speak to.

Josiah and Yasmen must go on a business trip to look at a new locale for a potential expansion of their restaurant.

When they get there, they end up sleeping with each other, and sparks shoot off like fireworks.

When they get home, Kassim tells Josiah about how when he goes to therapy; it makes him feel much happier.

Josiah feels like a fool because here, his 10-year-old son is teaching him about something he should be instructing his son on.

Josiah makes an appointment with Dr. Masua, and boy is it "GUT WRENCHING" (That is all I am going to say about that)

The entire Dr. to Dr. POV part was so gut-wrenching it will have you bawling your little heart out. OMG. (Try not to think of yourself if you do not want to cry.)

And this is where I will have to leave you, my dearest readers. I have already given away way too much.

So now you will have to find out where the pieces go and come up with the middle and the end because I have left out a whole lot more to this story.

So, STOP! (Did you "HONESTLY" think I was going to "TELL" you the whole story?)


Ending:

Ryan brings the "MOST impressively, realistic, normalization of Mental Health Treatment to a novel in years."

The way the detailed therapy sessions were, gave a thought-provoking excursion into the subconscious.

Ryan's lyrical prose was "BREATHTAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL," At no time did her writing style become incomprehensible; she maintained her decisiveness and precision without any unnecessary flourishes.

Her word-building is Stellar and Motivative.

This Novel resonated!

This novel "SPOKE ON ITS OWN ACCORD...."

Ryan basks in a glowing light, and her novel turns all darkness into pure sunshine.

I think I can honestly speak for others when I say Ryan "SPOKE" for every person who suffers from Mental Health Illnesses," Whether it be from Post-Partum Depression, PTSD, MDD, AD, etc.
One hundred stars if I could give it!

YOU ARE THE BEST OF 2022

KUDOS TO YOU!

SO, BLESSED TO HAVE READ THIS EARLY RELEASE!

Thank you, NetGalley/Kennedy Ryan/Forever Grand Central Publishing Forever/ For this Phenomenal eARC for my honest review. My opnions are of my own volition.

#KennedyRyan is the best

#Forever

#GrandCentralPublishing/forever

I cannot praise this book enough. I read it in one day. Josiah and Yas have a connection and chemistry that pulls you in. You become committed to knowing if they survive the storm. I loved all of the characters, especially Hendrix. The focus on mental health and how people have to individually navigate it for themselves and their relationships won me over. I will be advocating hardcore for this book!

Beautiful, complicated story of loss, depression and navigating the fallout afterward.
As with every story Kennedy Ryan writes, the characters are rich and complicated and each must fight so hard for the love they want.
This book is not an easy read with all the personal loss and complexity post-divorce with 2 kids. The divorce might've been the fallout of post-baby loss depression and neither h/H emotionally mature enough to handle themselves and each other.
Wonder HEA. Highly recommend not missing this read.

I absolutely adore romances like these. Watching two people who clearly love each other find it difficult to show that can be daunting, but one of my favourite authors of all time managed to write one of the most beautifully written stories to exist. I was so happy reading this and hope everyone else planning on reading this feel just as connected to the characters as much as I was..

Kennedy Ryan does it again. Gut-wrenching and realistic in its depiction of grief, depression, masking, healing. Character-driven with not much in the way of plot but you get so invested in this relationship that it really doesn't take away from the story. I love that Ryan is able to sell this soul connection where you just know these people are meant to be together. Thats this book.

This book was a continuous heartbreak, but the journey of them finding their way back to each was absolutely beautiful and worth it. It was hard to put this book down, but when I had to, it was all I could think about. It consumed my heart and soul and I loved every second of the destruction it did to me.

I adore marriage reconciliation romances. Josiah and Yasmen have gone through the ringer. I cried for them. I hoped for them. I felt lots of things for them.

It was such an emotional read. Kennedy does such an amazing job at detailing depression and loss and grief. I loved that therapy was a huge part of healing.

I loved this book.

If you were to see my kindle, you would see a dozen Kennedy Ryan books I have purchased over the years. Why, oh why, is this actually the first one I've ever read? Her writing is absolutely magnificent. Smooth, flowing, prose-like even while writing about something as difficult as loss. So many different losses. When a tragic loss occurs, they say it will either make a couple stronger or break them apart. What happens when several losses occur? When people have different ways of coping with the losses? When it eventually tears you apart? While you may eventually learn to live with all this, do you always struggle with what comes next? Yasmen and Josiah have faced so much pain and while living separate lives may seem like the best and only option, there are many other issues that need to be faced. Will they have a second chance at love? I found myself rooting for these two and hoping they could find their HEA. Kennedy's descriptions of pain, and love lost have seared themselves into my soul.

"How do people do this? When the rug is pulled out from under the life they thought they would have forever, how do they pretend it’s not seismic? That the roof hasn’t fallen in and they’re trapped under a concrete beam?"

This book, like others of Ryan’s books that I’ve read, was romantic, sentimental, and full of compelling characters and storylines.

Ryan is the master of pulling on heartstrings in a way that feels authentic and earned, rather than traumatizing or schmaltzy. Rather than trying to traumatize her characters it truly feels like she’s trying to heal them.

"𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘐’𝘮 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩."

A second chance romance done right. Definitely worth the five stars.

Yasmen and Josiah Wade are that couple - made for each other, the one most likely to stay together until the end - until life threw several curveballs and they fell apart.

Told with incredibly moving writing, we follow their journey on dealing with their grief, juggling their business and family, and finding their way back to each other.

It was raw and heartfelt. I felt every emotion - the pain, guilt, shame, longing, tension, love. I was even teary-eyed 20% in. *CW* Kennedy Ryan wasn't afraid to delve into difficult topics like depression, divorce, stillbirth, and complicated grief in this one - and in such a sensitive and masterful way.

But the thing I loved most about this book was the hope that was evident in every page. Our couple went through some very difficult situations but Yasmen and Josiah worked hard to find their joy - amidst all of the pain in their past.

There was no villain, just life and circumstances no one has control over. And that makes it all the more relatable and real.

For anyone who has ever struggled with mental health problems, this is a book that encourages you to reach out and ask for help, because you never know what you will find if you do just that.

Bonus points for the positive way therapy was talked about, including all the stigma surrounding it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever / Grand Central Publishing and Kennedy Ryan for a chance to read this in advance in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is out on November 15!
Will post on my social media closer to publication date.

How can I possibly review this book and do it justice? A book that reached so deep into my soul… a book that broke my heart in the best way possible and then made it whole again. Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan is a novel that follows a divorced couple who were so in love and had their marriage fall apart due to some unimaginable tragedies that shook them to the core. This storyline follows Yasmen and Josiah learning to co-parent, attempting to meet someone new, and gives us a wonderful glimpse into two people’s journeys to self-love and healing. The way that Kennedy wrote about therapy and mental health struggles was absolutely beautiful and so well done. She was able to normalize seeking out therapy and how it can have such a positive impact in someone’s healing after trauma and loss.

Yasmen is one of my favorite female characters I’ve read about in a book and her interactions with other characters were so intentional and loving. Her personal journey was so heartbreaking and to see her find herself again was so emotional and wonderful to experience as a reader. Josiah had so much growth as well and I loved how strong he was for his family and the positive model he was for his children. Having dual points of view for this novel really worked for me and I loved being inside both of their heads as they worked through their feelings and as they applied coping strategies they learned in therapy to become more effective communicators. This second chance love story is one of my favorites to date, I was rooting so hard for an HEA because I really didn’t think my heart could take it if it didn’t work out the way I had it in my head! The familial relationships and friendships in this book were great and the support they received from those around them was so comforting to see. I honestly could go on about how much I loved this novel, I really cannot identify a fault in it. I highly recommend and I’m really hoping that we will get novels that focus on Yasmen’s girlfriends, because I would love to see their stories continue!

As painful as this book was to read at times, it was also incredibly moving and poignant and heartbreakingly tender. I do so love a marriage in trouble romance but this moved beyond marriage in trouble as the 2 leads, Yasmen and Josiah have been divorced for 2 years. Theirs is a marriage that’s suffered a lot of ups and downs, and the downs were brutal enough to send them spiraling…in completely opposite directions. There’s no cheating in this story but there are some really heavy topics regarding mental health, depression, on page therapy, stillbirth, death of family members, and two people who, despite loving each other, need to learn how to communicate with each other. It’s beautifully angsty and also realistic in its depiction of marriage and family and parenthood and what happens when life deals you an unbearably crappy hand. I hope the 2 friends also get their own books.

I loooooved this book. All the feels, all the angst - such a fantastic romance. I cannot wait to see what she writes next!! A must-read for romance fans.

I had to see if this book lived up to all of the hype...and am glad to say, yes it does! After 17 years of marriage I have great appreciation for a married romance story. Also really enjoyed the female friendships and hoping that follow up books about Hendrix and Soledad may be coming next....

Rating: 5 stars

First, thank you to Forever Publishing & Kennedy Ryan for allowing me to have early access to this absolute wonderful book!

Triggers warning beforehand: Child Loss, Depression, & grief involving death.

We follow Yasmen & Josiah who are battling numerous things after some serious hits within their family. We meet the couple two years after their divorce and watch how the two and the family navigate with the new changes. The two manage a business together while co parenting their two children & try to avoid the still present and strong feelings they have for each other.

Honestly, I loved the whole story from start to finish. I love how descriptive and captivating Kennedy Ryan's writing is and how much soul and heart was put into this book. Kennedy Ryan does her homework when it comes to research for her works and I just always admire that about her. She makes her stories feel like you are the characters and you are going through this story front row. I can't tell you how my heart just clung to every word and struggle of Yasmen. She was my favorite. I related with her on so many levels.

The character development was perfect. It wasn't rushed or unrelatable. It was a story that grabs the heart of the reader and gives you ALL the feels. I cried, I laughed, I smiled. I shouted with joy at some parts. & the hot scenes were definitely some of my favorites. Please go read this book. You won't leave feeling empty, you'll end the book with your heart feeling full. Wonderful book.

How is this my first Kennedy Ryan book? How is this my first time reading her exquisite writing? I need to fix this ASAP!

Anyone who knows me as a reader knows that I’m so opinionated I’m rarely ever turned speechless by a book. Well, this one is definitely an exception. I’m just so afraid my review for this book wouldn’t give it justice and that I won’t be able to find the right words to describe how amazing this is.

Wow! Just wow! I’m simply blown away! I’m a sucker for second chance romances and this is one of the best that I’ve read, if not the best.

The prose is gorgeous, raw, tender, golden and lyrical, with passion and longing filling my heart to the brim with each word. How Kennedy Ryan made me ache and revel with Josiah and Yasmen is beyond me. I felt every emotion, be it hurt, pain, guilt, regret and love, page after page after page. Josiah and Yasmen’s journey from how they fell apart to how they found their way back to each other may be painful and tragic but that just made the ending so fulfilling and worth it!

Content warnings abound and this was heavier than a lot of the romances that I consume, but that did not take anything away from my satisfaction from this one. In fact, this may be my BEST READ for the year. It is THAT astounding.

Again, I don’t think I’m giving this book justice but if you think you can handle heavier themes in a book, pre-order this or pick this one up once it’s out starting on November 15!

Thank you to Forever, NetGalley and Kennedy Ryan for the chance to discover this gem by providing me my early copy. All opinions are honest and my own.

Kennedy Ryan delivers again!

Ryan is one of those rare authors who can deliver not only an incredible love story but also really make you think about an important social topic with her writing.

I’m so glad that she pulled this story out of the vault (it was her first book idea!) because I loved Yasmen and Josiah’s romance back to one another.

We first meet Yasmen and Josiah two years after their divorce. They have found a rhythm to their new life co-parenting two tweens and running a restaurant where they are constantly in one another’s path.

With the prospect of starting new relationships with other people staring them in the face, is it enough to push these two soulmates back to one another?

First and foremost, I enjoyed this book because of the great writing.

Ryan set the tone for these two soulmates right from the start and moved the story along wonderfully.

Once the reason for their separation and divorce is revealed (trigger warning: loss of a child) Ryan explores the very important topic of depression and how it not only effects a person but their relationships and children as well.

She also uses this book to talk about therapy and the stigma that keeps some from getting the help they need.

Because of some of the heavy nature to this story, I don’t necessarily see myself re-reading this book, but it’s definitely a book I’d recommend because of its message and the beautiful second chance that these two people carved for themselves.

*Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

(ARC from NetGalley) This is the first Kennedy Ryan book I’ve ever read because I had been warned to prepare for heartbreak. I now give you this warning but also know there’s a happy ending.
Yas and Si have been divorced for 2 years and although all seems well on the surface, they both got a lot of feelings. Without spoilers, this story is about these two people who have experienced so much grief that they lost themselves. How do you save your marriage when you can’t save yourself?
Kennedy has this way of writing where it feels like you’re in the room with Yas and Si. Like I’m interrupting their private conversation. It’s so visceral and realistic. Truly felt the full range of human emotion and I cannot wait for the next Skyland book.