Presented as a short collection of letters or essays to her growing, very nearly independent son, Kirsten Wreggitt here gives us a touching and meaningful look at parenting while human. She talks about her own experiences and emotions, the reasons for her fervent hope for a son rather than a daughter, mistakes and regrets - all the things which feel too raw and immediate still to openly talk about with her child.

I think any mother (any parent) will find themselves empathising with the author in at least some points throughout the less than 200 page work which is 'Before I Let You Go: Stories for My Grown Son'. I know I did on first reading and even more so now that my own son is officially an adult.

Recommended to anyone struggling to raise a child, or dealing with similar 'near adult' worries and self-doubt. Reading this will perhaps be an emotional journey, but Wreggitt's shared thoughts and feelings will make any mother (parent) feel less alone. I would also recommend it to any teenage or newly adult child who might want to try to understand 'the other side' of a strained relationship; and, in fact, anyone newly a parent or planning/hoping to be.

This memoir about motherhood and marriage will touch the heart of every mother, whether or not you have a son. Kristen Wreggitt shares her story of mistakes and victories, self-discovery and struggles. She is honest and vulnerable about how becoming a mother changed her, and why she was petrified of having a daughter. She shares what it looked like as she struggled to find her purpose and the main question she asked herself at the end of her motherhood road, through it all, did I love me?

This book will make you laugh and cry, and desire to be a better wife, mother and person. It will help you realize how important self-love is, accepting yourself for who you are, right now in this moment and how the resilience of children can help you get past the regretful decisions you made at a certain time.

It's an amazing read for any parent, and definitely one I will read again in the future!

I enjoyed reading the advice that Kirsten gave her son via journal entry type stories. Separating these into themes vs putting them in chronological order made the book flow better for me.

A lovely collection of stories and conversations that a Mother wishes she could have had with her son face to face at poignant times in both their lives. Basically a self help book full of tips, advice and a reminder that love, including loving yourself, is so important when being a Mother. Enjoyable read.

I had such high hopes for Before I Let You Go. Having just had a baby boy 8 months ago, I loved the idea of a mom writing a book of things she wants to say to her son before he leaves her house to move out on his own. I've often thought of doing something similar for my daughter and now son as well. I'm sure it isn't an entirely original idea. But I was so excited to see what this book was all about.

However, I quickly realized that Kirsten Wreggitt and I have some very different thoughts on life, parenting, and especially religion. First off, I was confused about her intro to Before I Let You Go where she discusses being unable to have serious/in depth conversations with her son. And I found this pretty sad. Of course, I don't want to be too judgemental yet considering that my children are quite young. But my parents never shied away from difficult conversations with me. And even aunts and cousins and various other family members. I won't say that anyone enjoys difficult conversations, but the importance of them and the love we have for each other prompt us to move past discomfort in order to get to the heart of things. Of course though, there have been specific people in my life that are particularly difficult to have a deep conversation with so I can understand...a little.

Also I'm a Christian and I'm quite confident in my faith and beliefs. I wasn't far into Before I Let You Go when I first had the thought that Kirsten Wreggitt needs God in her life. This isn't a judgment upon her. She just seems so lost. Her letter to her son (at least the portion that I read) was filled more of questions than answers for him. And while I don't claim to have all of the answers to life's big questions, I do know the One who does have those answers. Kirsten Wreggitt has a section dedicated to "church", and it was during this section that I couldn't stop thinking "she's missing the entire point." First off, the modern American version of "church" is quite different from what the Biblical meaning of the word and what we see in the first century. While God does know that we need each other and He designed us to help each other on our journey from Earth to Heaven, the thing that she's missing is Jesus. Even if she mentioned His name...what she "got out of church" was "community". It was about this point that I started pondering DNF. Once I reached her section about sitting down with a spiritual teacher I confirmed my decision and only kept reading until 25% to meet my own requirements for a DNF review.

Ultimately the differences in my faith, parenting philosophies, and general outlook on life made me realize that Before I Let You Go and I aren't the right fit for each other. I'm not the right reader for it, and it isn't the right book for me. I DNF'd Before I Let You Go at 25%. Have you read Before I Let You Go ? What did you think? Let me know!

I give this book 4 stars ****. I very much enjoyed this "memoir" of sorts written by Ms. Wreggit. It's a well was written novel of tidbits of advice and takeaways for her son. She is very open and honest about her doubts and mistakes all the way. I would definitely urge my other mom friends ( & even ones that aren't yet) to add this book to their "to read" list.

This is an introspective book which many mothers will be able to relate to. The author shares with her son her thoughts and lesson learned over the years in hopes of passing on wisdom and greater understanding to a son who will soon be independently living his own life. Rather than being told in chronological order, the author organizes her letters to her son in categories of themes. It felt more like something one would share with a daughter more so than a son, but it was endearing nonetheless.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this for an honest review!

Can you raise the perfect child?
This book is short! Less than 200 pages. It felt like a memoir, a help book, full of ideas, advice, sometimes all over the place. It's several stories, sometimes hard to follow but still interesting.
I give it 4 stars. Not what I expected but not bad!

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