I don't even how to start this review because there is so much I want to say about it. Let me start with the fact that, true to her books in the past, Kennedy Ryan does not disappoint in this one. The best way I can describe it is this book has an old soul. There is love, loss, laughter, sadness, redemption, and renewal.

Yasmen and Josiah lose almost everything to discover any time you love someone, there's always a risk of losing them. No matter what shape that love comes in. I loved the themes represented in the story. Overcoming depression, seeking out professional help, and owning it when you mess up. I ESPECIALLY love how Ms. Ryan uses food, particularly soul food, to demonstrate the bond between the characters. I mean the restaurant they own is called Grits! It just doesn't get any better than that. LOL

If you are already a KR fan, you will love this work. If you are new to her world welcome, have a seat, and get the tissues because this one is going to get you.

Before I Let Go by K. Ryan, published by Forever Publishing, is the first stand-alone in the Skyland Series.
Josiah and Yasmen are a couple full of love, hope, plans. But life comes in the way and years later they're parents of two, business owners and divorced. What a ride that is.
Raw and gritty, emotional, heart-wrenchingly beautiful gives this book all the feels, leaves the reader changed too.

4.75⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am lucky enough to review an ARC of this extraordinary story provided through NetGalley.

Kennedy Ryan is an epic storyteller. continuously writes unique, intriguing, and poetic love stories which shine a light on very important issues. You can absolutely tell that Kennedy has poured her heart and soul into this story.

Yas, Si, and their family are a part of an emotionally complex journey of the deepest feelings of pain, joy, and love. The range of emotions I felt throughout this story are so powerfully raw and real. As someone who suffers from severe depression, I appreciate how Kennedy handled this topic and all of the parts regarding mental health in this story.

I couldn't recommend it more and I can't wait to do a reread while listening to the audiobook when it releases in November!

CW: stillbirth (off page), loss of loved one(off page)/grief (adults and children), major depression (with discussion of suicidal ideation), & divorce

Before I Let Go is the first book in the Skyland series by Kennedy Ryan. When you marry, the love is supposed to last forever. But when life delivers blow after blow, death after death, grief over understanding, it all becomes too much to save a marriage.

Yasmen and Josiah (Si) Wade tried. Now they are finding a new rhythm in co-parenting two kids and running Grits, their third baby which is a thriving restaurant. Working and living so close together makes them wonder if they truly should have let go. Like magnets, Yasmen and Si are drawn together then one kiss leads to another...and another...and more until old wounds reopen and joy is in jeopardy.

Let's address the book cover first. Shall I say it is FLAWLESS?! How can you not stop and be intrigued as to the contents within? Then add the book title (a nod to Frankie Beverly & Maze and Beyoncé Homecoming stans). Award-winning, bestselling, "powerhouse" author Kennedy Ryan couldn't have packaged this any better.

Did I judge this book by its cover? Damn right I did! And I was not disappointed. The supporting characters played a backseat but just enough to garner interest in their own personal stories (perhaps later on). There was the perfect amount of family drama with a heavy dose of healing and genuine love told in smooth alternating points of view.

I am assuming the next books in the series will focus on different residents of Skyland. Perhaps Yasmen's friends and the Grits chef. Either way, I am excited and looking forward to what Kennedy Ryan has planned next for the new Skyland series. So well done!

Happy Early Pub Day, Kennedy Ryan! Before I Let Go will be available Tuesday, November 15.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins.

~LiteraryMarie

I am so freaking thrilled this is the start of a series because I need to know what happens with Soledad and Hendrix!!!

Wait, back to this book. Here comes Ms. Kennedy blasting through my heart and all of my preconceived notions about second chance romances. Normally I’m not a fan…I usually find them unrealistic. This one though? When I say I was sobbing…

This book has heartache and pain and hurt done to each other and themselves. But it also has joy and happiness and growth and (heck yeah!!) THERAPYYYYY!!! Have I mentioned I love when people who are hurt or traumatized get therapy and learn how to cope and let go and hold on?? Because that is my JAM!!! I loved everything about this book, even when my heart was breaking.

This book was dragging for me for the first 55% of the book. The last 45% was really good. I feel like this book had all the components for a great book but I was not personally attached to any of the characters. I do believe the book was more of a 3.5 but I couldn't round up to 4 on here. I would definitely read more by the author. I just wish it was condensed. This is the prettiest cover I've seen this year so far!!

I read this story more than a week ago and still have a hard time finding the right words for my review. I’ve started at least five review statements. I want to write one quote but I fear it will be a spoiler. Kennedy’s words always have me rereading, soaking in the wonderfulness of some sentences. This one was no exception.

My parents divorced after many years of marriage, and their grown children knew they still loved each other. This story resonated theirs numerous times for me. All the emotions are within the chapters: heartbreak, devastation, blame, depression, survival, understanding, healing, forgiveness, trust, love; but the greatest of these is love.

“He holds me like forever was never promised and like nothing is inevitable.”

Read the story. It is amazing. Thank you, Kennedy, for another amazing read.

UNDENIABLY GOOD 💛🧡✨

I want to preface my review by saying this book was so phenomenal, I feel my intellect isn’t superior enough to formulate the proper group of words that describes how amazing it was.

Before I Let Go….. A heartbreakingly beautiful story of a love that was damn near a fairytale broken by soul crushing loss, shattered communication, depression and pain that swallows and misguides you….

Divorced, Yasmen and Josiah navigate kids, business and everyday life…They’ve been doing it well until feelings they both thought were buried start to re-emerge.... Feelings neither can deny.

What do you do when the love that broke you is the only thing that you know will make you whole again??

Kennedy never ceases to amaze me. I’m in complete awe of this woman. Her writing displays the genuine and PURE nature of her personality. She writes her characters in such a personsal way…you can’t help but attach yourself to them while simultaneously feeling everything they experience. Yet another story I’m OBSESSED with written by this women. 👌🏽🙌🏽

This book has left my breath taken and my soul soaring. What an incredible story about second chances, healing after grief and tragedy, learning how to take care of your mental health, and true love.

A friend and I were recently talking about this story and I said to her how it felt like I was intruding on the most intimate parts of someone’s marriage. Yasmen and Josiah were written so rawly and authentically - I sometimes would forget that they weren’t real people. They touched my soul tremendously.

In addition to these beautifully flawed characters, Ms. Ryan writes about mental health so beautifully and handles the topic with such care and compassion. As someone who has struggled with anxiety and depression - I appreciated this greatly.

I laughed, I cried, I swooned, and I highlighted the hell out of sections - HA! I am a Kennedy Ryan Stan through and through and Ms. Ma’am delivered and then some with this book.

If you’re a fan of Kennedy Ryan, Before I Let Go is going to blow you away! It is a departure from her other books but in the best way possible, if you’re new to Kennedy be prepared to go on an incredible journey.

An emotionally driven story centered in family, friends, tragedy, new beginnings, healing and growth. Crafted in only the way Kennedy Ryan can deliver with heart, poignancy, and poise.

Incorrect review originally submitted. Please delete and allow resubmission of review. I apologize for the confusion.

This is such a beautiful story about a divorced couple who still love each other. Kennedy Ryan touches on a storyline and dynamic that I've rarely seen before and does so brilliantly. Her compassion, her depth, and her skill at conveying multiple perspectives is comforting, insightful, and touching. While this novel covers a weightier subject, there are light and loving notes too. Don't skip this one!

When you enter a Kennedy Ryan book, you know it's going to take you in the hearts and heads of wonderful characters. Characters that are human and joyful and sad and messy and hopeful and strong. Characters that will forge a community of help and support and love.
In this book, Kennedy Ryan takes an unflinching look at two people that deal with heartache and hardship and grief in real and human ways. Yasmen and Josiah are divorced parents of two when the book opens and their story, past and present, is told in the most empathetic and loving way. There are no easy outs, there are no easy wins here. Each step they gain they fight for and each victory or defeat is felt deeply.
In addition to their epic love story, this first book in the Skyland series lays the ground work for a new community and a rich group of folks that surround the main characters and that are ready to shine in their own books. I can't wait for the rest of the series and to see how Kennedy Ryan will take her writing to the next level as she always does.

Heartwarming, marvelous and probably one of the best second chance romances I’ve ever read. I always knew Kennedy Ryan was a powerhouse after falling in love with the couple in Reel. This right here solidified that this is probably one of my favs of the year. This couple will always be in mind and my heart. The therapy aspect, the maturity, the love, the growth, and the pain. It all felt so real and beautiful and raw. I felt so many emotions reading this book. I’m going to scream to the mountain tops how great this book and how much everyone needs to read this!

Words can’t express how much I loved this book. It’s character driven and tackles heartbreak and healing in such a beautiful way.

Yas and Josiah were the couple that everyone thought would be together forever. Madly in love since college, they built a life together and have two kids and a successful restaurant. When a series of tragedies occur, it drives them apart and results in their separation. The story picks up two years into their divorce with both Yas and Josiah struggling to move on from each other and the past.

I was so emotionally invested in these characters and their journeys to forgiving each other and themselves! This is one of my favourite books of 2022.

4.5 stars

Kennedy Ryan is an official auto buy author for me. She is THAT GIRL! This book was a bit long for me but honestly I’m depressed and I feel like I was diving into the world of someone else’s problems to get away from mine.

Some people just belong together like Yasmen and Josiah. Vashti never stood a chance and honestly, she was like a bug I couldn’t get rid of the whole book. I really loved how it placed an emphasis on the importance of mental health and how it can help all members of the family, even children. It had grief, reconciliation, awareness and a happily ever. What more could you want in a romance.

Top 5 of 2022! A true love story. Totally unputdownable and I love the restaurant setting and ATLANTA! Characters with depth and totally relatable. The perfect HEA. Kennedy Ryan is the
new Queen of Romance in my word! Loved it x a million!

I don't know how to put into words how much I loved this book. From the minute I started reading it Yasmen and Josiah pulled me into their beautiful love story. Their past was revealed as you read more into the story and your heart immediately goes out to both of them. I love the dual POV so you can see both sides of the same coin in which we so often only see the side of the woman and how it affects her. This was such an amazing story and I cannot recommend it enough. I was so sad to finish and to have to say goodbye to the Wade's. This will be a book I reread many times.

Kennedy Ryan does not miss!!! This book was perfection and I cannot wait to read it again once it isn’t so fresh on my mind. Truly another must read by Ryan.

I wish I could say that I am surprised at the amount of love and appreciation this novel provided..but I cannot. Kennedy always has a knack for giving us readers the good stuff with the right amount of angst and the right amount of hotness and heartfelt moments. This story was so heartbreaking and so incredibly true to reality that I cried and cried good!

Yasmen and Josiah are the quintessential couple. They met, fell in love and it all started with cheap food and no electricity in college. The premise what just indefinable. It was just plain love and devotion. They knew right then that regardless of what they would eventually endure, that they would survive.

Then the unimaginable happens and both Josiah and Yasmen are left heartbroken for several reasons. They can't seem to find a way to fix whats broken and they are not the only ones confused. They have 2 children that are functioning in different ways. They are both left to make a decision that will leave them unfixed until an awaking happens. The awakening takes its time to help heal both of them and when they are finally able to confront the reality of the situation...They almost lose the opportunity to decide what the future has in store.

Kennedy! You seem to ALWAYS amaze me with your creative writing and your wholeself included due to your own struggles. I admire you and your husband more than you know because it takes a strong couple to endure and thrive. Thank you for giving us a beautiful story and dedicating to your hubby, son and all those that struggle with grief and acceptance. ❤️❤️❤️❤️💜💜💜💜

10 Stars if possible

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟