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.

One of the best second-chance romances I have ever read. The depth this book goes into is unmatched and the history between Yasmen and Josiah is heavy and long. The way the author explored their history and their trauma as a family was fantastic. The way they navigated their grief was completely different from the other and I loved the recognition that grief is different for every person and it’s never linear. Their journey as a family after such heavy loss was so well done in this story and the chemistry between all the characters was so great. Definitely worth a read, but I suggest checking trigger warnings before reading.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Ryan writes some of the best second chance romances I ever read. Yasmen and Josiah's rekindling in this book was heart warming and breaking. Also loved all the family and friendship dynamic there was in this also.

Damn. My eyes feel completely wrung out. I don't think I've cried harder reading a book by Kennedy Ryan than Before I Let Go. I *flew* through this book. Even though I've never experienced loss, divorce, and grief the way that Yasmen and Josiah have, the feelings and emotions they go through in this book is still deeply relatable, especially with Yasmen's journey with her depression. Kennedy Ryan never fails to include commentary on social issues, and I love that this book's highlights the importance of taking care of your mental health and how services like therapy, yoga, and more are all great ways to manage your mental health needs.

I absolutely love the themes of family in this book, as well. Deja and Kassim were both so adorable, and I really liked seeing their relationship as siblings (which reminded me a lot of my relationship with my own brother) and their individual relationships with Yasmen and Josiah. I think a lot of eldest daughters, especially eldest daughters of immigrant parents will be able to empathize with Deja and Yasmen's relationship, and reading their scenes made me want to go hug my own mom.

Of course, the romance between Josiah and Yasmen, as angsty as it was, was really beautiful. Seeing these two come back to each other even while not having left each other's orbit was so special. Reading both of their POVs and how much they want each other but don't know how to express it due to the fear of being rejected again--ughhhh my heart.

This is probably one of my favorite works by Kennedy at the moment and I think all fans of hers will 100% love Before I Let Go. I see that this is the first book in a new series called Skyland, so I'm excited to see whose books we get next. 4.25 stars rounded up!

Like all Kennedy Ryan books, this is a 5 star read for me. Her character development is so spot on, you really truly feel like they’re your friends and you relate to them. I loved the storyline, and the way she reveals plot lines is unique. Her stories feel REAL I’ve read all her books and loved them all.

Kennedy Ryan never seems to fail when it comes with messing with your heart. 2nd chances is one of my favorite genres. I loved every bit of this book.

This was a book about second chances and love evolving after extreme loss. I think that Kennedy Ryan took such hard topics and weaved a really strong narrative that took the reader on a complete journey through the couple's relationship evolution.

Tropes and things you can find in this book:
- Mental health rep
- Older couple who is divorced
- Only one bed
- Just one time... only a hookup
- Atlanta city rep
- Dealing with grief
- Loss of a child

Yasmen and Josiah have suffered so much loss and were not able to keep their relationship together. They remain business partners and co-parents to their two children. After a lot of therapy, Yasmen finds herself healed in a way she never though possible. As she ventures back into her world again, creating her life from the ground up, she starts to realize how much she still feels for her ex Josiah.

Josiah was completely heart broken after the divorce and all the loss he suffered. He thinks he has to move on with someone else in order to put Yasmen behind him. As he tries to do that, he can't suppress the way he feels about Yasmen. The way he knows he will always feel about her.

These two navigate dating, parenthood, a business partnership, and all their intense feelings. There's so much they each have to unpack around their grief, feelings, and true desires for one another. Kennedy gives us a glimpse into what a real relationship is like when it hits hard times. It doesn't always survive. It can also evolve.

It was a beautiful journey that shows how far you can come even when you think there is no hope. When you think the love is gone, but it just has to be found again.

I appreciated the raw emotions, and seeing the depth of grief both main characters struggled with and how they worked so hard to create a new narrative with seeing support. It was real and the vulnerability Kennedy poured onto the pages made me have such empathy for this couple. This book also packs some heat and the chemistry between Yasmin and Josiah was off the charts!

I’m grateful I had the chance to read this one early and I look forward to tackling Kennedy’s backlist because I know from the couple of books I’ve read from her she’s a superb writer.

Thank you to Forever for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Gut wrenching goodness from Kennedy Ryan. Before I Let Go was everything and more you could ask for of a second chance romance. Grief and life and a realness that not all romance books bring to the table.

"Before I Let Go"

Love finds us on the first page, draws us deeper with each word, and never lets us go.

Kennedy Ryan has done it again. "Before I Let Go" is the breathtaking yet poignant second-chance romance story of Yasmen and Josiah, a divorced couple co-parenting and running a business together. Through Kennedy Ryan’s mastery of prose, we are transported into her characters’ world as they navigate healing and self-discovery following a series of gut-wrenching issues in the form of loss, trauma, and grief that pressure tests the bond of love between them.

I’m not going to lie. This story is raw. Kennedy Ryan is unflinching in depicting her characters’ exact emotions, which come through vividly on the pages. There were several places (ok–let’s be honest–almost every chapter) where the characters’ emotions were so intense that I had to close my eyes and breathe before opening them to read the next word. It’s that real. That good. Kennedy Ryan is that brilliant.

"Before I Let Go" is also a story of the strength of family and the bond of friendships. As we peel back the layers of Yasmen and Josiah’s life, we begin to see how their decisions impact their friends and family and vice versa.

Of course, you cannot have a Kennedy Ryan book without smoking hot passion. The sexual chemistry and love between Yasmen and Josiah leaps off the pages from the get-go and never lets up. Josiah had me at “I do.” He kept me at, “baby.” (As I fan myself.)

I definitely recommend "Before I Let Go" as a “must-read” book. I suggest you set aside a time where you can read it straight through. It’s so engaging that I couldn’t put the book down until I read the last sentence.

"Before I Let Go" is a five-star, black love, second-chance romance not to be missed.

This was one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. This story is so raw and so vulnerable. It is truly a masterpiece. Kennedy Ryan is a genius and can manipulate the character's emotions so well to tell such a unique story. I was an emotional wreck throughout reading this book, as I felt literally every single emotion while flipping through the pages. As a reader, I had such a unique point of view on the relationship between Yasmen and Josiah and I could truly feel their guilt, their jealousy, and the love that they have for each other. These two characters were so well written and Kennedy Ryan did such an amazing job capturing the invisible string that kept them attached to each other throughout the book.

I was so invested in this story and I found myself rooting for Yasmen and Josiah from the very beginning. It is so rare for me to grow that invested in characters right off the bat, but there was something so unique about this story and these characters. Kennedy Ryan is such a brilliant writer and captured this story in such a raw and beautiful way. Everyone needs to read this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this free arc in exchange for my honest review.

“It stings a little, that the ease we used to share is gone. It’s one of the things we never recovered from the most painful season of our lives.”

I started hurting as soon as I started reading this book. And the hurt and the need to cry didn’t lessen as I continued reading. I had a knot in my throat and a hurt in my heart, a need to cry because it was just so damn sad. Two souls who love each other to the moon and back lost their way, and you can tell they still love each other with their whole hearts and soul, and yet, don’t know or can’t find the way to each other.

“Two shipwrecked souls unable to figure out how to save each other. Both sinking.”

I saw how each of them attempted to move on, to forgive and forget, but it was just impossible. It felt like there was a thread that kept them together, that couldn’t be broken, no matter how each tried to break free. I was anguished as I kept reading how they accepted that the other had other interests, how they faked unconcern while they were burning with rage and jealousy inside.

“There is only one letter of difference between love and lose, and somewhere along the way, for me they became synonymous.”

I saw Yasmen’s guilt and Josiah’s distrust, and then I was the one who despaired that this wonderful couple who had formed such a beautiful family and a beautiful life, could let all this perfection go. This story really wrung my heart dry, luckily my despair turned into hope midway through the book and then I was wanting to slap both silly to get their move on!

“Our life, our love, didn’t follow the path we thought it would, but that makes it no less true.”

Not only was this a beautiful love story, but the writing was so sublime. There were so many phrases full of poetry and so fulfilling. It was a delight and a treat to read such beautiful prose! An honor indeed!

I absolutely loved this book. It was honest and visceral, while also being steamy as heck. Reading the author's note at the end, it really is evident how much work Kennedy Ryan put into this book, and it's nothing short of the product of a labour of love. Ryan does a remarkable job exploring difficult topics such as grief, depression, stillbirth, death of close family members, and the impacts of all of these things on a marriage (and subsequent divorce). It's an account of rebuilding one's life after clawing out of depression's iron jaw and figuring out what that means for them and their family. It's also a story of learning how to cope and be yourself after being irrevocably changed by traumatic events. About all, it's a story of love (familial, romantic, platonic) and healing. I was so deeply impacted by this story despite my lack of experience in some of the matters, and I can't imagine the profound impact this story will make on those who have experienced loss in the ways that the characters have. I was so moved, and so totally enthralled by Yasmen and Josiah's story.

I don’t cry when I read books.

I feel plenty when reading & listening - humor, anger, frustration, joy, sadness, heat - but rarely do those emotions take shapes much different from me randomly yelling at the characters for brief moments.

This book is…different. Yasmen and Josiah somehow had me vested, rooted in their love from the first word. The feelings they have for each other, what they built, and what they lost are so vivid and familiar to me, I found myself in the room with them holding my breath. Waiting. Hoping. Found tears slipping from my eyes because the passion and pain were visceral. And real.

I’ve read a number of Ryan’s titles, being increasingly impressed - including her award-winning work - and I think this is the best yet. Kennedy’s pen not only makes you recognize love, it makes you believe in it.

5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I truly enjoyed this book about a divorced couple who still truly loved each other. Their circumstances were relatable and heartwrenching. The ending was perfect.

CW: pregnancy loss, depression

Before I Let Go was such a great contemporary second-chance romance. It felt realistic and I was able to fully connect to the characters. I loved the relationship that Yasmen and Josiah Wade were able to maintain as a divorced couple. The co-parenting was actually quite perfect. Kennedy Ryan did an incredible job of showing raw emotions in the characters. I felt every emotion they were feeling. I could feel the love between Yasmen and Josiah, and I thought that they acted in a way that made sense. I understood why they had done the things they did. I also loved that therapy was a big element in this book, because it is stigmatized in certain cultures (in mine it was as well). However, I am glad that more people are open to admitting that they need help.

The relationship Yasmen had with her daughter Deja was strained, but I understood where she was coming from. My heart broke when Deja acted out and said things about her mother, but I could feel she was hurting as well. Josiah was amazing, I loved how he always had Yasmen's back. The attraction between the two was out of this world. Both characters grew a lot in this book, as individuals and as a couple. Yasmen's best friends were great as well, and added an additional support system for her. Before I Let Go is lovely and emotional contemporary romance. But I thought that it was so much more than just a romance novel. It was a very mature and relatable story. I can't wait for more books in the Skyland series.

This is my first Kennedy Ryan book and it did not disappoint.

I’m a sucker for a second chance romance, especially one involving a marriage. I loved the premise of this book.

What a beautiful, heartwarming and emotional read! I loved it!

Absolutely loved this book! The take on depression and therapy is incredibly authentic and it’s wonderful to see mental health being presented in this way. A small note that is an inconsistency, the birth control shot is every three months, not once a year.