Through the fire!

Josiah and Yasmen are a divorced couple, who when we are introduced to them, are successfully running a business together and co-parenting two children. But as we delve into their current dynamic, and get a closer look at how they ended up at this point…and where things stand moving forward, this is where it all starts to unravel.

When reading the synopsis for this story, I was drawn in by the possibility of a second chance at love for a once very happily married couple. And I was both anticipating and dreading the unveiling of what went wrong. But as the revelations that led to their present day status were uncovered, I realized that my emotions were heavily invested in this couple. To say they were tested in ways that for most would seem to be insurmountable is an understatement. And surprisingly, I didn’t choose a side, I was rooting for them both! The angst level is 10/10 and the heat factor is 100 degrees.

Combined with a supporting cast that adds to the narrative, this is a Kennedy Ryan story that you don’t want to miss. And if you’ve never read her work, it’s a great place to start! Definitely a 5 star read!

Trigger warnings: depression, complicated grief, still birth, passive suicidal ideation.

“Thank you NetGalley and Forever publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.”

Characters: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Steam: 3/5
Plot: 5/5
Overall: 5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Kennedy Ryan for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Favorite non-spoilery quote: “I told her it wasn’t that I wanted to take my life,” she says. “But that I didn’t want to live it.”

This is my first ever book by Kennedy Ryan, and I’m pretty sure I picked her best book to start with. I’m torn between wanting to devour every book she’s ever written and never touching a single one of them because after this book, my expectations are quite literally in outer space. Before I Let Go is everything I want in a contemporary romance novel.

Let’s start with Yasmen, who was by far my favorite character. That’s not to say I didn’t absolutely love the rest of them, but she resonated with me so much. That quote I mentioned at the beginning is how I feel when my depression gets bad, but I hadn’t been able to explain it until I read that line. Yas’s experience with depression is very different than mine, but I felt it in my soul. Seeing her get back on her feet and able to live her life again was the highlight of this book for me.

I often find myself going into a romance novel with the expectation that the MMC’s entire personality will revolve around being hot and whipped. Josiah is definitely both of those things, but he’s also supportive, an incredible father, and he is willing to put in copious amounts of effort into fighting for what he wants. I didn’t relate to his character as much as I did Yas, but that’s because they coped with their grief in such different ways. I know that Josiah’s journey, heartbreaking as it is, will comfort many readers in the same way that Yasmen did for me.

The other characters in this novel stole my heart just as much as Si and Yas did. Their children, Deja and Kassim, are some of the best written kids I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. And this is coming from someone who doesn’t even want kids 😂. Yasmen’s best friends, Soledad and Hendrix, are freaking hilarious. The three women are so different yet they compliment each other perfectly. Soledad is an incredible mother, and Hendrix is the rich, childless badass I can only hope to become one day. Since BILG is book one of the Skyland series, I’m guessing (and hoping) that Hendrix and Sol will get their own books. 🤞

Before I Let Go is definitely joining the ranks of my favorite books, something I do not bestow lightly. If you’ve ever felt alone in your struggles with depression, I promise you are not. But if you want more reassurance, read this book. It wrapped my heart in a warm blanket of emotion I can still feel, even now.

TWs: depression, grief, suicidal thoughts, loss of a child, divorce

Let me tell you: this book is AMAZING. (Heed CWs but I’ll talk about them at the end)

It's a second-chance romance with grown folks: a passionate couple who fell apart due to tragedy and, as one of the MCs puts it, incompatible grieving.

Second-chances are hard to get right: If breakup was the choice previously, what changed? What IS changing? And does the thing still keeping them apart feel real or contrived? I want to understand the characters, and believe they are acting in ways that suit their backgrounds and past experiences.

Ryan absolutely delivers. Each step Yasmen and Josiah take towards reconciliation makes sense for them: we see the multiple catalysts for change and can watch the progression of them rebuilding their love and trust. And it's also very clear what is keeping each from falling into the other's arms.

I was a bit hesitant to read this because of the tragedy mentioned in the description. Crucially, the story opens as they have turned a corner in recovery, and things are looking brighter. So the MCs have the strength to deal with remembering, and almost all of the descriptions of the tragedies happen in the context of the MCs talking to each other. They start to forgive each other and themselves for mistakes and hurts. They are *healing*.

Now let's talk content warnings. I was a bit blindsided by a previous Ryan book, which warned about a theme that's not triggering to me personally. But that content went on and on, on-page, and in 'real time' as the character experienced it.

This book is *not like that.* Things are described enough to understand them, but that's all.

Details and content warnings: (view spoiler)

Let me reiterate: I truly felt that all of the above was handled gently and presented as part of a healing process.

Netgalley is how I got this ARC, all feelings are my own.

My first Kennedy Ryan read did not disappoint!

Before I Let Go is a powerful and raw story that centers around Yasmen and Josiah, a couple who fell in love fast and young, convinced their bond would carry them through life together, until the very end. Unfortunately, due to several unimaginable losses and the grief that followed, their marriage dissolved and navigating this new reality for their family has been anything but easy. As Josiah and Yasmen work to raise their two children and run their business together as seamlessly as possible, unexpected feelings and new connections complicate matters. With themes ranging from grief, parenting and friendship, the balance that Ryan delivered in Before I Let Go was so masterful.

When I was approved for and ARC of this book, I was so excited to finally jump on the Kennedy Ryan train. I've seen so much love for her work online and knew I was probably missing out on something great. In Before I Let Go, the element I was most struck by was the emphasis on therapy, both the value of it and the lack of shame one should feel if they seek out help to manage whatever it may be they struggle with. After so much pain, I felt so much hope as many of the characters shared a piece of themselves so they could learn and grow.

All at once, Josiah and Yasmen's romance was honest and lovely and moving. Though it is beautiful to think a commitment made with vows and rings will last forever, that is not always the reality of life given how people change over time and individuals experience events they rarely ever deserve, testing their faith and stability. After allowing time, distance and more to heal certain wounds and actions to repair others, the development of Yasmen and Josiah's new dynamic, as the people they have become after all they went through, was so inspiring.

Please do look up content warnings before reading. Though Before I Let Go was a wonderful read, it was a heavy one with mentions of depression, stillbirth, suicide and more.

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever and Kennedy Ryan for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks NetGallery for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I can't put into words how much this book made me feel and I hope a lot of people could read this once it's released because for me it meant a lot.

Both Yasmen and Josiah's journeys were so different but at the same time crucial in their divorce and I loved how the author handled them. Obviously the romance here was everything, I fell in love with them every chapter and the amount of angst had me sobbing the whole time. They were so realistic and relatable that I think I will never recover from their story.

I won't apologize for the person I'll become the day of the release!!!

This is a 5/5! I’ve read a lot of romance novels and this is my favorite! This was so good and beautiful! I loved Yasmen & Josiah’s relationship - the ups & downs they still loved each other deeply. It felt very real, honest and mature. Divorce couple, with two kids and a business sounds like chaos but Yasmen and Josiah’s were mature adults and handled their priorities first and their feelings towards each other last. I love how Kennedy Ryan showed the benefits of therapy. As black people we are against therapy because we think you have to be sad or crazy to have a therapist. But, we were shown the different dynamics between each character and their therapist. Everyone experience is very different! I am so happy to have receive this arc from @readforeverpub - I can’t wait to read another book from Kennedy Ryan.

Some authors carve out special spaces for readers where they can be awed by the prettiness of words, or some tell a story that sticks with you beyond the last word, and then there's Kennedy Ryan. Before I Let Go takes us on a journey of a couple overcome by so much loss that the only way they can survive is to separate. We travel with Yasmen and Josiah as they learn to come to grips with the echoes of unchecked grief and how the devastation of loss feels so final. I was in tears, rooting for love and hoping for its restorative power. I have been a fan of Kennedy Ryan and this book has reminded me why.

Before I Let Go is an adult romance by Kennedy Ryan. In this book, we follow Yasmen and Josiah, a divorced couple who co-own a restaurant and are trying to do-parent their two children. After a series of hardships drives a wedge between them, they are finally starting to get back to normal life. But sometimes when two people are magnets, it makes it impossible to stay apart. Can they keep going just staying friends or are they simply meant to be together?

I have never read a Kennedy Ryan book. She was an author that I always heard amazing things about to the point where I was scared to pick up one of her books because I was scared of being disappointed. When I saw this arc available to request on NetGalley, I decided to give it a try and boy, am I happy I did.

Of all the romance tropes that exist, I think my least favorite is second chance romance. I don’t like it. It almost never works. In order for a second chance romance to be believable, the author has to make you believe the couple loved each other, something happened that tore them apart, and somehow they end up working things out and getting back together. It’s a hard balance and usually relies on one or both characters being annoying. This book though. This second chance romance between to grown adults was different.

You can tell that even though they are divorced, Yasmen and Josiah still care about each other. The reason for the divorce makes sense. It is so refreshing to read a book about mature adults trying to get through life and not knowing what the right answer is all the time. This book doesn’t rely on miscommunication. When characters have an issue, they talk to each other about it. I will say there are more issues with not knowing how to communicate because of hard situations. But that is completely different than miscommunication.

This book is very therapy positive. Life is hard and there is nothing weak or bad about needing to get some therapy and I loved how this book discussed that. The way Josiah learned more about himself through therapy was refreshing.

The side characters were superb. Yasmen has an amazing group of friends that help each other and support one another. The kids felt like kids. They were behaving how kids those ages would behave in the situation they were in. I find often kids in books are used as a plot device and don’t feel organic but these kids didn’t feel like that.

I could go on and on about how much I enjoyed this book. While I love messy, toxic romance books, it is so refreshing to see mature people handle their problems. This is a book for “grown folk” as Kennedy Ryan pitched it. It said in the author’s note that this is the first book she wrote and she actually wrote it 15 years ago. It has been tweaked since then but the general story is the same. I am so grateful this book exists and k can’t wait to buy it when it comes out this fall.

Content warnings for death of a loved one, miscarriage, passive suicide ideation.

Yaz and Josiah Wade had it all. The house, the kids, the business. They were college sweethearts still madly in love. Until life dealt them one devastating event after another. Now divorced for 2 years and co parenting as well as being business partners things are warming back up between them. But after the heartbreaking divorce is a second chance at love even worth the risk?
This book made me cry so hard. The events they went through are very similar to things that happened to me. The dual POV between Yaz and Josiah gave tremendous insight into how there's more than one side to a story. It also shows how differently people can handle adversity and trauma. Mistakes were made and although they deeply regretted them the damage was irreversible. The story almost made me feel like I was crying and healing with them.The writing was realistic and although they loved each other there was still a deep resentment for the others actions. I felt every raw emotion of wanting to be with someone you resent. Second chance romances are only good if done well and this one was spectacular.
I think the only thing I can critique is I wanted more. I hope there's more to come of Josiah and Yazmen.

This book converted me into a second-chance romance fan!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! This is a book that makes you believe in love and just how powerful it can be! Josiah and Yasmen are a divorced couple and they’ve been through a lot together. This is really the story of how they find their way back to each other. This journey is emotional and heartbreaking at times because of the things that they’ve been through. The way that I was rooting for this couple! I was so desperate for them to be together. I was on the edge of my seat with the anticipation building on every page! The dynamics of their situation gave the space for a lot of reminiscing and pining (all the stolen glances and angst!). I also loved how fun, spontaneous, sweet, and hot this book was because I fell in love with Josiah and Yasmen and their love and desire for each other is at the heart of it! I did cry a lot but I think this story is so satisfying because it encompasses all these different factors that go into a relationship. It’s not easy, there’s a lot of grief, pain, and loss but there’s also a lot of comfort and joy. And love does prevail and that is very impactful! I know this is a book that will stay with me for a long time!

If you are looking for a quick and easy romance, this isn't the book for you - in the best way possible. This is a deep, soul-searching, messy, sad, hopeful, second chance romance. Kennedy Ryan has written such a well-rounded novel. Yasmen and Josiah have suffered great tragedy, and then ended their marriage in the midst of it all. We catch up with them two years later, as they are attempting to run their business together and co-parent their children. I love that we get both points of view, and we really get to see both Yasmen and Josiah growing and changing as individuals. There is a great host of characters that add comraderie, friendship, family. Their children are written really beautifully as well, and I love how we get to explore the relationships between the kids and their parents, as well as within the family unit. Yasmen and Josiah's relationship and marriage, while the ending may seem inevitable, we get so much tension. The issues between them, their difficulties, and their arguments feel so raw and real, in a wonderful way. I felt swept up in this story and in the entire ambience of Skyland and Grits, their restaurant. I also loved the way Ryan wrote the book in such a way as that while both characters begin to date other people, neither of those characters are villainous - its actually quite the opposite. I found this refreshing, as often times the "other woman" can be written as a villain. Such a great book! That all being said, there are w lot of content warnings: loss of a child, loss of a loved one, divorce, depression, discussion of suicide. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest reivew.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Yasmen and Josiah have been together since college, now as adults they have two kids and own a restaurant together, but when tragedy strikes they grow apart and end their marriage.

I loved how realistic this second chance romance was. The emotional journey that the couple goes on to work out their tragic past and communicate showed true character growth. I thought Kennedy’s writing was very heartfelt and brought awareness to mental health!

Before I Let Go - Kennedy Ryan ❤️


Josiah and Yasmen’s fairytale marriage had come to an end and what was left behind was bitterness and resentment. How do you recover from losing the love of your life while they are still walking around breathing?

The devastating blows between this couple and how they coped brought me to tears…. The writing in this story made these characters on the page humanlike, where you saw their fears and felt their pain. I was enveloped in the talent that is Kennedy Ryan! A must read for the human soul. A must read for anyone who has experience devastating loss. A must read for anyone who believes in love.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Before I Let Go
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 11/15/22
Author: Kennedy Ryan
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pages: 400
GR: 4.81

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Their love was supposed to last forever. But when life delivered blow after devastating blow, Yasmen and Josiah Wade found that love alone couldn’t solve or save everything. It couldn’t save their marriage. Yasmen wasn’t prepared for how her life fell apart, but she’s is finally starting to find joy again. She and Josiah have found a new rhythm, co-parenting their two kids and running a thriving business together. Soon, one stolen kiss leads to another…and then more. It's hot. It's illicit. It's all good—until old wounds reopen. Is it too late for them to find forever? Or could they even be better, the second time around?

My Thoughts: This story is compelling, raw, real, and very accurate for many households across America. Ryan has created this poignant story of love, loss, grief, anger, humor, and happiness that everyone needs to read! I just don’t think words could properly express the rollercoaster of emotions I felt while reading this story. The characters were so well developed, well fleshed out, flawed, emotional, relatable, and creatively on point. The author’s writing style was complex, beautiful, heart wrenching, intriguing, flowed effortlessly, thought provoking, brilliant, and kept me engaged throughout the story. This is the type of book that will stay with me long after I read it. There are not a lot of books that really dig into me emotionally, where I would love to read again for the first time, this is one of those books. This book would be a brilliant choice for a book club. Reviewers typically use a 5 star rating system, this book is more like 10 stars! This book does not release until November, but do not wait until then, preorder right now! I do believe this book will be a top seller, it is that powerful.

Yasmen and Josiah had that forever kind of love but when life delivered blow after devastating blow, their marriage couldn't survive. They find a steady rhythm co-parenting and running a business together. Somehow they always end up drawn back to each other and are now wondering if they're actually ready to let go of everything they once had. A stolen kiss leads to more and it's all good until old wounds reopen.

This book really makes you feel all the feelings. It felt so raw and real. Ryan does an amazing job helping us empathize with the characters and their situation. We see Yasmen on her healing journey from depression and I feel like so many people will be able to relate or find hope in that. I also loved her female friendships. Everyone needs a couple of solid friends who have your back. There is some heavy subject matter so make sure you look up the triggers if necessary.

4.5/5 rounded up to 5.

Thank you Forever and NetGalley for the ARC!

Before I Let Go is an achingly raw and emotional story about the trials and tribulations of life after loss. Where do I even begin?! I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to Kennedy Ryan. It is exactly as they say - she is a romance writing powerhouse. As a lover of the second chance romance trope, I was absolutely entranced from beginning to end. I experienced every intricate emotion while reading, even the ones I didn’t believe myself capable of. Needless to say, this is a story so compelling, I read it in one sitting and would without a doubt, do it again if given the chance. There is not a day that goes by where I don’t think about Yasmen and Josiah.

The plot was thorough and clearly well planned out. Every decision the characters made, or didn’t make, was done with intention. There were many plot points that I expected, but yet still found myself being taken aback by because of the gut-wrenching manner in which it is written.

The centric narrative of the story focused on de-stigmatizing the conversations and beliefs surrounding mental health. Like many others, I’ve struggled with the idea of therapy, believing that I am too “happy”, amongst many other reasons, to be in need of it. Instead of playing into these stereotypes, Ryan discusses therapy in a positive light, encouraging even the most “put together” individuals to seek the guidance they may need, going to show that there shouldn’t be a one size fits all approach when it comes to taking care of our emotional well being. In this story, there was no “perfect ending.” Just two individuals that grew stronger together than they were apart.

May I just say, it is so refreshing to read about adults acting like adults. Ryan doesn’t shy away from open communication and delivering hard truths that are difficult to swallow most, if not all of the time. Yet, there is not a universe that exists where I am not rooting for Yasmen and Josiah not only as a couple and family, but as individuals. The strength it took for the ex-lovers to co-parent and co-own a business all within the midst of struggling with the ghosts of their past is admirable, to say the least. As someone that is trying to navigate life while dealing with the unimaginable grief that coincides with loss, reading about characters that are trying to cope under similar circumstances makes my own pain seem more bearable. It’s an odd sense of comfort that I’m not sure many could understand. Their love is one that stands to last the test of time; true soulmates until the very end.

The angst and burning desire flaming between the two kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire journey. The chemistry between Yasmen and Josiah was electric and let me just say, *those* scenes did not disappoint. Most definitely worth the wait. Before I Let Go is the epitome of a proper slow burn.

With a dual POV structure (Yasmen and Josiah), the reader is able to experience every emotion in great depth, taking on alternating perspectives that challenge their outlooks on Yasmen and Josiah's relationship as it once was, is, and will be.

Even the supporting characters were layered and proved that family, blood or not, is the most powerful love of all. Our trio: Yasmen, Soledad, and Hendrix were serving some serious girl power.

I would also like to point out that this seems to be the first book in an ongoing series. Henceforth, it only seems right to manifest Soledad and Edward’s book next because there were too many unanswered questions for my curious mind to bear.

My words will never be enough to do this book justice, but let me just conclude by saying this was by far, one of my best reads of 2022. A shining 4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me with this ARC via Netgalley.

Another book picked solely for the cover. Gorgeous.

Oh shit, is this a romance?

And, 400 pages?!?!??!

😭😭😭😭

I'm checking back 100 pages in...

.

Well, the good news is that I forgot to check back 100 pages in and am now almost half way through the book.

I found the first 1/4 of this book very engaging. It's extremely character driven, and I do tend to prefer a more plot driven book, but I did like all the characters.

A young couple suffers a tragic loss that ends their marriage. Through processing their grief and coparenting their children, they start to reconnect. Will they reunite as a couple or move on?

Towards the half way point, I started to find things extremely repetitive.

You are hot. No, you are hot. I want to have sex with you. Me, too.

And, so it goes.

I did appreciate the attention given to mental health and destigmatizing therapy, but I felt like much of that got overshadowed by the description of broad shoulders and vanilla scented skin.

This appears to be the first book in a series (Skyland). I certainly wish the author the utmost success in that endeavor. I think the buck stops here for me, though.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you Netgalley and Forever Pub for the ARC.

Available - 11.15.22

Kennedy Ryan has been an auto-buy author for me since I devoured the GRIP series, and BEFORE I LET GO is another winner! Ryan is a magician at weaving words together that sink into your skin, and her description of grief was some of the most visceral and haunting prose that I’ve read in a long time. I’m not ashamed to say that I unintentionally stayed up the entire night to finish this book because I was that invested in the story.

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

See what I mean?

What made me fall in love with Yasmen and Josiah as a couple, and root hard for their HEA, was ultimately their connection to each other. Ryan did an excellent job writing the characters in such a way that you felt their connection jump off the page from the start of the book, which grounded the rest of the story. These are two people who experienced immense losses together and had incompatible coping mechanisms, which ultimately led to the demise of their marriage. BEFORE I LET GO is a story about two people coming back together, yes, but it is also a story about the heartbreaking and gut-wrenching work it takes to come out of a dark season, the pervasive ways that depression and complex grief wreaks havoc in our lives, the importance of therapy (holler to “on-scene” therapy done right!), a guide to positive co-parenting, a love letter to Atlanta, and the strength of female friendships.

Ultimately, if you enjoy reading about grown folks actually acting like grown folks, emotional wringers, spicy scenes, and well-developed main and side characters, then this book is for you.

BEFORE I LET GO is the first book in the Skyland series, and I for one cannot wait to read the next one.

Plus…how gorgeous is that cover!

What a roller coaster of emotions. This book is raw, full of passion, grief, depression and forgiveness.

Every page was full of heart wrenching dialogues, I would give this 10 stars. My review will never make this book justice.

Absolutely exceptional!

I had the pleasure of reading an early copy of Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan. I'm still struggling to put into words how much I love the story! I finished almost two weeks ago and I still do not know how to express the evertythingness Before I Let Go is.

The characters were so real, flaws and all. It shines light on loss, forgiving ourselves and those around us, and discusses therapy in a positive light, encouraging people to seek it without shame - even those that don't believe it can work for them. It is every emotion in every depth that you could possibly want in a book. Kennedy fleshes out the most complex thoughts from different angles and perspectives.

This book changed how I view many aspects of my life. This book changed who I am as a person.