Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of Before I Let Go.

Wow, just wow, this is my first book by Kennedy Ryan and I must say, I have been missing out a lot.
This author knows how to pull on your heartstrings, and make you feel all the feels with her beautiful, captivating words.

This book was mesmerizing and just so amazing. I loved all the characters, I hurt and laughed with them and everything they were going through, I felt it all. The story was amazing and emotional and it was everything a reader craves when it comes to romance.

And the stunning cover, OMG, I mean look at how attractive and pretty it is.

This is the mature and relatable story of a family's experiences of loss and growth.. The two main characters work their way back to contentment and model adulting for their children. This is the second book I've read by this author and the versatility of her writing is impressive. I gave this novel four stars because the number of therapy sessions became a bit much for me towards the end of the book. I would have preferred if they were stretched throughout the book more. I hope that we read about Yasmen and her friends in future novels.

Book Review:
5 Star’s

Remember how second chance romance was one of my least favorite tropes? Well Kennedy Ryan said “Hold my beer” and has fully converted me. This book was beautiful and a stunning journey through love and romance and and all the scary parts in between.

Kennedy’s writing is outstanding and will grip you from the beginning. I was immediately involved in the story and relationship of our main characters. I could feel their love and passion for one another even before reading the second POV. This story will evoke visceral reactions from you for specific characters and situations, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I had the hardest time putting this book down and had to take it all in one sitting.

What you can expect:

• Slow burn
• Second chance romance
• Black main characters and their stories without the trauma porn
• Passion
• Spice
• Incredible secondary characters
• So many delicious references to food and their recipes!

Bottom line, you are getting a true love story and romance with Before I Let Go. There are some content warnings, and I will place them below for you, but I urge everyone I know to read Yasmen and Josiah’s story. Kennedy Ryan, i am yours forever.

CW:
• parent and guardian deaths mentioned
• still birth
• dealing with grief
• sharp descriptions of depression
• divorce

I needed a few days to process my feelings. I began rooting for Yasmen and Josiah as a couple from the first page. This book was everything I didn't know I needed. Before I Let Go was about love, loss, redemption and the power of family.

Love is messy. Yasmen and Josiah's relationship was real and raw. It got ugly too and I appreciated the ugly. . It was funny how Yasmen and Josiah tried to pretend they were "over" each other. Even the dog knew they should be together. The love Yasmen and Josiah had was so strong you could feel it through the pages. Kennedy Ryan wrote the most beautiful book I have EVER read. This book is so good my words fail me. I wish I could experience this book again for the first time.

This book was my first introduction to Kennedy Ryan, and she did not disappoint. This is award winning level quality.
This was such an emotional read while also balanced with a steamy romance. This is a second chance romance between a divorced couple, that also co-parent and co-own a restaurant business together. You follow Yasmen and Josiah as they are drawn back together and overcome the challenges that drew them apart the first time - grief, mental health. Their relationship felt so real as they felt like real people, as are the issues that drew them apart.
Kennedy Ryan's writing truly shines in this book that also eloquently represents mental health struggles in a modern society. I have no doubt that this book will be the top read of the year.

*I received an e-book arc copy in exchange for my honest review from Netgalley
#netgalley

Good pacing and exposition. Stopped at 20% but easy four stars from many of our patrons.
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever publishing for the ARC.

I am so happy I started my Kennedy Ryan journey with this book. Before I let Go is pure gold; I have to say that I was able to keep all my feelings together because I really wanted to enjoy this story without crying my eyes out. However, it did put me in a place of nostalgia/depression, that I stopped reading a few weeks, till I fully recovered. The cover is amazing!! beautiful and well made. At the beginning, I was like "no, this book will break my heart, for real." Well, it did, but glued it back together, I'm happy every character is well developed; it took me a while to get the pace, because it was lots of detail, but I understand why, it was needed for us to feel what Deja, Yas, Si and the little boy (I'm sorry I forgot his name) were feeling in those moments of their lives.

Thank you, Forever for the ARC on NetGalley, it was great reading it.

Absolutely in awe. This book… hands down best marriage reconciliation book I have read. I am not sure how Kennedy Ryan does it, but she takes my heart on a journey I didn’t know it needed. Her words are so powerful and heartfelt. This book. I cried. I laughed. I definitely cried some more. Kennedy Ryan is why I read romance. And this book, it’s going to be one everyone so talking about.

I’m completely in awe of this book. It was heartbreaking, beautiful, and I’m completely in love with it.

I needed Si and Yas together so badly. I’m horrible and hated Vashti lol. But everything happened for a reason.

This book was so beautifully written.

I apologize in advance, I know that my review can never do this book credit. Also, please go add it to your TBR right now, and pre order it. It’s a book that if you’re like me, you’re going to need a physical copy in your library.

Also, I say this everytime I read/review one of her books, but if you haven’t read anything from Kennedy Ryan yet, you absolutely need to. I’d suggest starting with the King Maker, I think that series is still my favorite because of the romance and suspense combo. But you honestly can’t go wrong with any of her books, it’s nearly impossible to choose a favorite.. Definitely do check out the trigger warnings though, because she does not shy away from hard topics.

Before I Let Go-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When I saw that this book was Read Now on Netgalley, you better believe I stopped what I was doing to go grab it. Kennedy Ryan is absolutely at the top of my list of favorite authors. So it was no surprise that I absolutely adored this book. What’s even more impressive (if you read the acknowledgments at the end, was this was her first book ever written- obviously with current edit/polish)

Yasmin and Josiah’s story is one about love, family, and grief and is perhaps the absolute best 2nd chance romance I’ve ever read. It’s real, honest, heartbreaking and uplifting. Depression is a major element of the storyline, and it’s handled in such a perfect way. You really do feel the cloud that Yasmin is under. The mental health rep in the story is A+. I think we can all agree that there’s a lot of pressure from society for things to look a certain way, and take a certain path. We all know that this isn’t healthy or obtainable. Yas and Si’s path and story are a great example of that. Listening to yourself, and doing what’s right for you and your family. Be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster (used here as the best/highest compliment I can give) you’ll laugh with Yas’ group of fantastic friends, cry, get hot and bothered (the chemistry between Josiah and Yasmin is off the charts) and need all of the snacks (because all of the food from Grits +Aunt Byrd’s family recipes all sound mouth watering)

I first want to say we stan Kennedy Ryan in this house🤗. She didn’t disappoint either. I loved everything about this book. In the beginning you can still fell the connection that they still have. I love that it was so many layers to this story. I love the relationship between Yasmen and best friends. It seems so genuine. And I can’t wait for their stories. The passion that Yasmen and Josiah has each other was🥵. Otis and Josiah was so funny together. Overall this was really great read and wasn’t ready for it to be over😭. I recommend everyone reads this book.

Great book! I loved the evolution of this couple and the topics the book explored. Kennedy gave just the right amount of backstory for really good character development. I would highly recommend this book.

“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. Because it’s fickle. Because it takes when we least expect it”

Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan follows a divorced couple that has had more loss in a short time than anyone should be forced to experience. But ya’ll, despite it all, the banter between them was everything. The friendship they had was so uplifting and joyful. Married or not, they had such chemistry. And their friendships with others outside the marriage were so strong and genuine. I’m excited to read more about those friends in the future!

As a mom and wife, I feel like I live parts of this story every single day of my life. And I don’t mean that negatively. Because although there are moments in Before I Let Go that will bring you to sad tears, there are so many happy ones as well. The joy of seeing your spouse and kids succeed, the joy of seeing them be proud of you, the joy of leading by example and influencing your family to do better.

As much as I want to say, Kennedy why did you hold on to this beautiful story for 15 years?! I also know this book is releasing at a time when the world needs it most. The last few years have been so tough on so many of us. There will be readers that relate to this book from a past time in their life or even their here and now. There will also be readers that relate so much that they get the help they’ve been needing and didn’t even realize.

Whatever stage of life you are in, I think you should preorder this book immediately.

“Till the wheels fall off…”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: 5/5 | Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan

🚨Readers, please do your research and review the full list of trigger warnings🚨
Take care of yourself first. Read, second. 🤗.

Thank you, @ReadForeverPub for the ARC on Netgalley 💕

Everyone who follows me knows how much I LOVE Kennedy Ryan. I enjoy how she writes romance, the important topics that she chooses to address when she writes romance, and the due care that she takes in approaching these topics. She does her research…and it shows.

When she announced BILG and the major tropes and themes, immediately when I saw second chance love…I WAS EXCITED!

We’ve seen what Mrs. Ryan has mixed up in her lab with second chance love before (re: Block Shot, which was a masterpiece); however, I was very intrigued with how she would approach a divorced couple + grown folks + one bed + (I guessed) a little bit of miscommunication >>> My finger was already on the Pre-Order button.

In Before I Let Go, Yasmen and Josiah made a plan for a life together. Years later, life had allowed them to check off everything on their plan: a thriving business, two beautiful children, and a house out of their dreams. What hadn’t been expected was a divorce, a new normal, and the ultimate decision to let go and move on. When the divorce was fresh, there was a lot of hurt, contention, and resentment. Now, two years post-divorce, there is lingering pain but an underlying acceptance and understanding that they have children to raise and a business to continue to build. As Yasmen and Josiah continue to operate in this new normal and pursue other relationships, their continual proximity highlights the things left unsaid from the past, the implications of moving on for the future, and their budding desire in the present. Leaving Yasmen and Josiah to consider: Did they make the right decision in letting go? Or should they give in to desire and take a second look at their past before they let go?

And not only do we get an impeccable body of work, but we get the representation TOO. Black love rep, Black friendship rep, Black family rep, therapy rep…the list goes on. Before I Let Go is a masterful work about second chances, grief, forgiveness, and how the decision to work on ourselves allows us to reexamine the relationships with the ones we lost and (still) love.

An absolutely beautiful read that will steal your heart and then give it right back.

This just didn't work for me. I absolutely loved the premise of this book - a divorced couple's second chance - but the execution of it did not quite live up. Some of my favorite books are from this author so I know what a great story teller she can be. The prologue of this particular story really hooked me, but I never really felt like the journey came full circle. A lot of the tension throughout this slow burn back to each other story I found to be immature and thoughtless rather than full of sexy passion and understanding. It was forced rather than natural in so many situations until one major scene where I finally felt the connection I wanted to feel the whole time. The reasons and circumstances surrounding the initial split of this couple were compelling and honest, and I appreciated how those can tear a person down the middle of their soul. That all made sense but again a connection was lost for me. These two characters just were not the epic love story I was expecting at all.

Kennedy Ryan knows how to pull out every emotion with the words she writes. Here I am a week after reading this incredible book and I am still struggling to find the words to do this book justice. Before I Let Go was raw and real. It was painful yet beautiful. It is hands down one of my favorite books this year! While reading, I had to set the book down and walk away from it, because I was overwhelmed with feelings. Kennedy Ryan does it like nobody else. She is so thoughtful with her words. They hurt, but within the hurt there is always hope. She is a master at her art. Before I Let Go should be on everyone's reading list!

my first kennedy ryan! (why did i wait so long??) this is heartbreakingly beautiful. reads to me a little more “women’s fiction” than romance but it was so good. would love to see this be made into a movie!

The premise of this story sounded so good when I requested this book.The story goes back and forth between two exes, Josiah and Yasmen. They were a strong, power couple that had a series of traumatic events happen, that they could not recover from. I read and read and waited for this book to get good and felt a bit let down. I love romance novels and second chance stories but this didn't do it for me.

Yasmen and Josiah have been divorced for two years. They thought they would have forever together, but a traumatic event in their lives pushed them apart enough to break them. A couple years after Yasmen and Josiah's divorce, they have found a rhythm of co-parenting their two kids and running their restaurant business together. Just when they think they are moving on with their lives, there magnetism towards one another begins to pull them together more than ever before.

THIS BOOK WAS EVERYTHING!!! I love second chance romances and I didn't think one that featured a divorced couple was going to be my jam. Kennedy Ryan proved me wrong with this book.
She took me on a JOURNEY with this book and left me wanting more books like this. Each member of the Wade family had emotional issues they had to work through and it was beautiful that they could find joy after the heartbreak they had experienced. She perfectly captured the complicated emotions of Yasmen and Josia htrying to move on from the love of their life.

The connection and magnetism between Yasmen and Josiah was visceral. They had never stopped loving each other and wanting each other but Yasmen had to heal before she could be open to being loved again. When they finally acted on their want for each other, they were like fire! Those scenes were hot and some parts had me blushing.

This was one of the most unique romances that I have read. It burrowed in the depths of my soul like no other. Kennedy Ryan has outdone herself with this one. This is going on my list of all-time favorites reads and it's a must-read for all romance readers!

Steam level: 🔥🔥🔥
⚠️: divorce, stillbirth, depression, suicidal thoughts, death of a loved one, panic attacks, grief, PTSD, mention of a fatal car accident

Oh my goodness! This second chance romance is a must read of 2022. Josiah and Yasmen's chemistry is so clear and they give soulmate vibes. I loved reading about them navigating co-parenting and running a business together. I think my favorite part of this book was that both Josiah and Yasmen acted grown. I feel like in contemporary romance there is often characters not acting their age or reliance on the miscommunication trope but I didn't feel that here. The discussion of mental health in this book was so amazing and I loved the theme of therapy. I couldn't get this book off my mind after finishing it.