*I received this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

What a bloody weird book tbh. It starts off really off-kilter, people are being purposefully evasive and their answers are all mysterious and none of it makes sense and for the main character (and myself as the reader), it's really frustrating.

The overall feeling by the end of this was ...well that escalated quickly, as you see how the whole town has just descended into madness by making a girl with mental health issues into a deity. The whole magical prophetic painting isn't really resolved so it's hard to categorise this book- half mystery half supernatural? Either way it wasn't a particularly enjoyable experience.

I was intrigued by both the title (I wish NetGalley offered that as a reason for choosing to request an ARC!) and the premise. And this was an interesting read. But the plotting was uneven, and ultimately the story fell a bit flat.

I wanted to enjoy this book. I have read the author before and I thought ok, lets give this a go. My biggest complaint is that the character development or lack thereof really caused the book to sink in my eyes. I just felt blah and I wanted more. The mystery was practically non existent and although it was there, it could have easily been missed. I wish everything would have been fleshed out a bit more. I think I would have enjoyed this story more if that was the case.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

A profound and moving tale of friendship.

I wasn't 100% sold on some of the themes BUT I devoured this book!

An air of mystery and searching for the truth mixed in with grief.

ACE!

The blurb caught my attention and made me want to read. I requested the book and when the release day came and went, my request was still pending, So with that being said I borrowed the book from my local library and it ended up not being my cup of tea and I ended up dnfing the book. Several months later my request was approved and I downloaded the book by accident. I don't want to use the not giving feedback feature due to the fact that the request was approved several months later and by that time I got the book from the library like a true book worm. I only rated the book 3 stars because I have to choose a rating. I personally don't like to rate a DNF since I didn't read the whole book. Thank you for the approval anyway.

My student read this book. She liked it, but wasn't a huge fan of it. she did read the entire book, but she just didn't like it that much.

Thank you to Netgalley and SourceFire books for the chance to read this novel.
I'm only sorry I couldn't leave a positive review.


I had to finish reading Before I Let Go simply because I couldn't believe someone could intentionally write a book this poor. This book was so bad, I considered enlisting my husband to write my review for me because his brand of honesty is far more hilarious than mine. To be fair, this book did not start out horribly, otherwise, I would not have finished reading. The first half of the story kept my interest with an overall eerie feel and mystery I was anxious to solve. I also love a well-done Alaskan setting, as it can contribute to a unique story. Unfortunately, as the plot progressed, I was still scratching my head. It seemed like the author got lost in the woods with her characters and completely forgot the point of the book she set out to write.

Not only were the events in the story unbelievable, but they were not even remotely fleshed out. After finishing, I can't wrap my head around the numerous plot holes and nonsensical storyline.

-What was the story about? I'm really not sure.
-What was the purpose of the characters? Haven't a clue.
-Did the characters achieve anything? Not even remotely.

Just as a reader might begin to expect the story to get interesting, they will be let down, receiving more questions and about a paragraph of actual action. I was disappointed with the constant repetition of certain points, "The town changed. The people changed." Still, I don't know why these changes occurred and it annoys me. The flashbacks, meant to give insight to the reader, and one of the most important points of the story were confusing and poorly done. I do believe the author has potential and is able to write beautiful imagery, but her plotting, at least in this book, needs clear direction. I hate to say this about a book, but Before I Let Go was utter rubbish and literally one of the worst books I have ever finished. Before you pick it up, just Let Go.

This is a very strange and creepy thriller that is sure to keep your attention. A thoroughly enjoyable story that most would enjoy!

I had read Nijkamp before and liked her writing style so I was excited to read this one. She is brilliant in the way she hooks the reader into the story. This was a tale of two best friends, but one moves away and then must come back to the town of "Lost." I'd heard the saying one never truly returns home, and man does this book make me believe it's true. It's suspenseful and well-written, but for me the ending wasn't satisfying. It left more to be desired.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Definitely an interesting read, but one that i had high expectations for after seeing so many glowing reviews. I definitely enjoyed it, though not as much as some other reviewers.

I really enjoy YA literature and this book seemed different from any other YA I've read. Sadly the differences just didn't work for me and left me more confused than anything.

The story is about Kyra and Corey, best friends who live in Alaska. Corey moves away and several months later returns to Alaska when she learns that Kyra has died and they think it was suicide. The narrative is told in back and forth chapters and while both the girls' characters were very well drawn, the rest of the characters fell flat for me and didn't seem at all believable.

I felt that the information related to the girls' sexuality was just thrown in and didn't truly have a reason for being there. There were a lot of points in the book that were hard for me to believe or that felt thrown in "just because".

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. All opinions are my own.

This novel was beautifully written although I could not really connect with this book.

Did not care for any of the characters or the style in which it was written. I felt as though things did not quite fit....

I thought that this book was a brilliant mystery, it was gripping and also full of twists and turns. I did find it to be very creepy, especially towards the end but I thought that it explored some really interesting issues regarding mental health and the conspiracy of silence in a small town. I was somewhat put off by the revelation of the true relationship of the main characters but only because I had some confusion in the beginning and I thought that the two characters had a very strange relationship. Overall, very thrilling.

This ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Before I Let Go is one of those books that has an amazing cover that will automatically pull you in. In all honesty, I didn't care what this book was about after I saw it. I assumed it would mention a murder, or two, but was just so intrigued that I just had to have it. I also have zero regrets about doing this.

Not going to lie, this book definitely had it's ups and downs. At least for me, but that honestly it couldn't been me because of how crazy my work life has become and how tired I've been lately. I feel like the characters were missing something because I wasn't fully committed to them.

Even without the commitment, I still ended up liking the book. I just wished there would've been someone that I ended up liking throughout the entire thing.

I would highly recommend this book, I read it in a day as I literally couldn't put it down, would definitely read more by you

Before I Let Go was really well written and characters I really connected with. The writing flowed beautifully and was terrifying at some points - which I loved.

My only complaint about this book is that is talked about the mystery of the town, and at times made it sound as if it was the cause of everything, but I never learned what that mystery was. It was disappointing.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to others.

This was a really unique story that I really enjoyed. It follows Corey in the present and both girls in the past sense, through flashbacks.

Corey has been waiting for her visit home. Waiting for the day when she can hug her best friend again, but that day doesn't come. Just days before she returns home Kyra dies.

Still wanting to return, Corey embarks on her trip. When she lands however, nothing is as she has expected it to be. She's no longer embraced as a member of the community, but is now treated like an outsider. All of her questions about Kyra's death go unanswered or ignored all together.

Corey wants to know what happened to her best friend. She wants to know how she could die just before they were reunited. What she learns is nothing she ever could have expected.

An odd mix of realism and fantasy. There were elements which were based firmly in realism where a bipolar girl was using art as a coping mechanism, a town takes her work to be prophetic and then goes slightly collectively mad to make sure it happens that way. All the time, she is really crying out for support, therapy and medication. Along side that are the fantasy elements where Kyra manages to paint scenes before they have happened and flowers bloom in midwinter along with whispering voices and ghostly moments.
I liked that it included an asexual character which is really unusual.
I think there could have been more exploration of whether the Hendersons were getting a kickback from the mining reopening in town and whether they were using Kyra's images as a way to reconcile the town to the industry. By the end of the novel, Mr Henderson seems to have gone completely over the edge in a very extreme scene.

I had read Ms. Nijkamp's other book and loved it, I could not wait till I got to read this book. It begins with Corey going back home to Alaska to attend her best friends funeral.
Supposedly, Kyra committed suicide...but Corey is not so sure. The townspeople all said that it was foreordained and that Corey needed to let it be. But Corey can not, she feels that she needs to find the truth for her best friend.
The writing is haunting but the story fell flat between the different mediums: Letters, phone calls, an odd theaterical screen playish chapters, and then the main storyteller.
It was a messy book but I got through it. Overall a good story. But the storytelling was not that great.

Before I Let Go is a story of friendships and secrets, buried friends and the secrets buried with them. It is a dark YA story of the love and loss of a best friend. It is about a community of secrets.

Pros: I was hooked when I read the blurb and, in general, enjoyed the book. It was heartfelt and sad and full of suspense all at the same time. It kept me wanting more and glued to the pages.

Cons: I didn't feel an incredibly close connection with any of the characters as I didn't feel like much character development was given. At the end I was left wanting resolution and I don't feel as if I found it.

Before I Let Go was for the most part a solid read and I will definitely read more by the author.

Special thanks to Netgalley and SourceFire Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.