I will be recommending this book to people for the rest of my life! What a beautiful breath of fresh air. This story of love, grief, family, and the processing of trauma is so powerful, hopeful, and honest. A true testament to the powers of therapy and self-awareness for healing, this book is steamy and raw and vulnerable and just so good. I will carry the story of this second chance romance in my heart, as it was so unique and special. Highly recommend!

Hello

Apologies for the late notice, but I have decided not to review this title.

While I am certain it's obvious by now, I wanted to also clear this off NetGalley, so it's not showing as open for either of us.

I look forward to continuing to work with you in 2023 and beyond.

Laura

Absolutely consumed by this story. I’m a fan of Kennedy Ryan and have read all of her books but this is by far my favorite! Relatable, and heart rendering, I couldn’t put it down. A Must Read!

This was such a beautiful story, heartbreaking yet full of second chances. Yasmen and Josiah dealt with some hard life events that made them so realistic and their circumstances were written so well. Another beautiful story by Kennedy Ryan that grabbed my attention throughout.

I listened to the audiobook along with reading the ebook and the narrators were outstanding! My first listen with Wesleigh Siobhan and she was amazing! Jakobi Diem gave another outstanding performance and together they gave such an incredible listening experience.

This was raw to the Morrow of the bone was this second chance epic story about two exes are divorced and coparenting. The way Kennedy Ryan unwraps the layers and intricacies of how a both Yasmen and Josiah grew apart from not being able to keep their hands off one another to now divorced.

The amount of therapy talk, especially in the black community was chef’s kiss. I can not speak on the depression Rep in this book, but I know from many other reader and from how much research goes into each of Kennedy’s books that she did an excellent Rep. *chef’s kiss*
I love seeing Yasmen and Josiah come back together in their own time.

The characters in this book were amazing. I loved the way the story was told. I do suggest checking out trigger warnings as this book deals with some big subjects. The first but not the last by this author.

This would be a great book club book for those that are looking for a romance with a lot of other topics to have a discussion. It’s a great story but I personally wanted more flashbacks with a second chance romance. It was a bit sad and I just needed to see more of what they had, the tough stuff they went through instead of the end result.

📖 BOOK REVIEW

BOOK: Before I Let Go
AUTHOR: Kennedy Ryan
FORMAT: eBook
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
DID I CRY: Yes
RATING: 10/10

Thank you @readforeverpub @netgalley for my #gifted advanced copy of #BeforeILetGo 🫶🏼

MY THOUGHTS

A bookstagram darling that did not disappoint! I’ve seen glowing reviews for this book for so many months now & I slowly chipped away at it all winter long & found myself thinking about it whenever I wasn’t reading it — it’s a special one for sure.

The writing was fantastic. There were just enough detail to fulfill without straying from a perfect detail to dialogue ratio. The characters were so real & raw & flawed that it made the plot and love story a lot more realistic. I loved that they were older because it gave them a lot more lived experience to weave through their story. The tropes were my favvvv (second chance, workplace romance, love triangle, FWB, i mean come onnnn). The love story was so rich & powerful I couldn’t get enough of it. It was prettttty spicy but I think it added to the story nicely.

The most important part of this book for me was the mental health representation. I absolutely adored that each character in this book had such a different relationship with mental health & therapy & medication and that the author took this book to normalize therapy for everyone, especially men. The dialogue surrounding depression & loss/grief was so important and I think it was fantastically executed.

There are definitely a lot of triggering themes in this book so research beforehand or shoot me a message! I absolutely recommend this book & if it’s not on your tbr — add it immediately!

Kennedy Ryan just rocked my world with before I let go! The second chance, but *older* romance was EPIC! I don’t read much on divorced couples who get back together but this was soooo wonderful! I loved the themes of family, therapy rep, and the FOOD omg! I was drooling the whole time! Loved it.

I loved everything about #BeforeILetGo by Kennedy Ryan!❤️‍🔥 This book definitely lives up to all of the hype but it was more than that — it was REAL!! I was completely invested in the story, the characters, family dynamics, sisterhood and relatable life circumstances. I listened to the audiobook once the book was released (which is great!!) but had to purchase a physical copy because the cover is 🔥

This book was everything. I am a huge Kennedy Ryan fan (Grip has my heart!) and I expect everything I read to be emotional and heart wrenching-- this one did not disappoint. There's nothing i can say that others haven't, but wanted to say I was really impressed with the character growth in this one. I really love it when authors get mental health and therapy rep 'right' (what is right, though), and I think all the VERY sensitive issues were handled with so much care. I really loved this second chance romance, and loved getting to know the friends and family that surround Yas and Josiah-- excited for what's next in Skyland. Read this if you're looking for a LOT of angst and please take care of yourselves and check the TW.

This book was really hard for me, because its similar to my current life situation. I bawled at points. It was so emotionally charged and relatable. Its everything I feel is missing from a Colleen Hoover book. Emotional depth, accountability, relatability and heart.

I loved this book!!! This is a second chance romance between Yasmin and Josiah who are trying to pick up the pieces of their lives after tragedy and the dissolution of their marriage. It has been two years, and they still have not figured out how to move on or even how to move forward. Throughout the story, you get the chance to watch each of them grow and change and work on themselves and I think that’s the best part of the story. It shows that even the most secure relationship takes a lot of work and time, and you do have a lot of struggles along the way that proves there is no guarantee and how life will turn out. For each of these characters, they had a plan, an idea of what their life would be, and who they would be and things turned out very differently, but you can also say that it was for the better. So going into this book, not only will you get heartbreak and sadness but throughout the story, you’ll be rooting for those characters to have success, not only in the relationship, but also in bettering themselves.

4.75
This book broke me and put me back together all at once. The dynamic between Josiah and Yasmeen was raw, and it felt realistic. From the beginning, you could feel the love they have for each other. The topic of grief, loss, and rebuilding was written so well by Kennedy Ryan. I'm glad they got their HEA
Check TWs before reading💕

I started this book 3 times. the first two times i got only about halfway. the tension and yearning and grief of the loss of their relationship was so much, i felt like i couldnt handle it. parts of it scared me and made me reflect so much on my own relationship. i found myself at times reminding myself to breathe because these characters and their feelings felt so tangible. they felt like me and the people i know. this book is so special, the kind you hug when you finish

All I can say is wow after finishing this book! The way Kennedy was able to write this story felt so true to life. It was such a reflection of loss, life and love that was beautiful and messy! I loved the way the characters worked on themselves and owned their issues in therapy. This story is extremely well written but also has some great spice in it too!

This is my first book I’ve read by Kennedy Ryan and I will definitely be checking out more. I listened to this on audio and both narrators were amazing! This was a super strong 4.75 for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic book. Second chance romances are just something so special! Did I cry, yes. Before I Let Go is a book that everyone should read in their lifetime.

This book pulled at every single heartstring I have! It is so good.

Yasmen and Josiah have had a passionate relationship since college, which eventually turns into marriage, but falls apart after they experience loss.

It's a second-chance romance with phenomenal character development. Kennedy's writing style grabs you from the beginning and she delivers on making these characters real, imperfect, and flawed, but equally deserving of a second chance. I felt that I was right there, alongside Josiah and Yasmen, every step of the way through their journey. I felt their highs and equally, felt their lows. I definitely felt their love and passion for one another (high five on that steam level, Kennedy!) I watched them fall apart and try to put the pieces of their lives, and themselves, back together.

I especially appreciated how the barriers were broken regarding the stigma around men and mental health, especially Black men. It was woven into the story nicely and showed that men can also struggle with things, although society expects them to always be well put together when it concerns their feelings and emotions. This is my first book by Kennedy Ryan and won't be my last!

This book deals with loss, grief, pain, parenting, relationships, personal growth, love, and forgiveness. I suggest you check trigger warnings, as some of the content in this book could be hard for some.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the Forever team for an ARC of this book in exchange for my review.

Well, my heart really broke with this story. A second chance romance with such relatable characters with real life problems so many people experience. This book was full of moments that just really gutted me. These people really loved each other. I appreciated how the topic of mental health was approached and represented. I wish I read more about that in books like this. This is a super heavy book that has a lot of trigger warnings, but it is such a beautifully written story that I can't help but recommend it over and over again.

3.5 stars rounded down.

A second-chance romance with a lot of heavy topics intermingled with a lot of spicy heat. Divorced couple, Yasmen and Josiah were once madly in love. Despite severing marital ties their lives still remain linked through their children and their restaurant which they run together. They have struggles they have overcome, especially Yasmen after the loss of a late-term pregnancy. Now Yasmen is returning to her life and realizing decisions made in the thick of the grief may not have been for the best. As we get to the second half of the heat the spice level kicks up A LOT and it ends up almost being a bit much for the book (in my opinion).

I appreciated the story, the MC's journey. I just felt like the book dragged on and couldn't decide just what it wanted to be.