Romance

Before I Let Go

Before I Let Go

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2023-01-12 08:51:58
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Kennedy Ryan
  • ISBN：1538706792
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Summary

“Real， raw， magnificent—Before I Let Go is the beautiful angst I love to read。” —Colleen Hoover， #1 New York Times bestselling author

A Good Morning America Book Buzz Pick！
Their love was supposed to last forever。 But when life delivered blow after devastating blow， Yasmen and Josiah Wade found that love alone couldn’t solve or save everything。

It couldn’t save their marriage。

Yasmen wasn’t prepared for how her life fell apart， but she’s is finally starting to find joy again。 She and Josiah have found a new rhythm， co-parenting their two kids and running a thriving business together。 Yet like magnets， they’re always drawn back to each other， and now they’re beginning to wonder if they’re truly ready to let go of everything they once had。

Soon， one stolen kiss leads to another…and then more。 It's hot。 It's illicit。 It's all good—until old wounds reopen。 Is it too late for them to find forever？ Or could they even be better， the second time around？

Award-winning and bestselling "powerhouse" author Kennedy Ryan is at her absolute best in this compelling， scorching novel about hope and healing， and what it truly means to love for a lifetime （USA Today）。

Book of the Month Club selection
NPR Best Books of 2022
Entertainment Weekly Best Romances of 2022
Washington Post 10 Best Romances of the Year
Women's Health Best Books of the Year
Publishers Weekly Best Romance Books of 2022

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Reviews

Stephanie ，

3。5/5Yasmen and Josiah met and fell in love in college。 Since then they've built a marriage， family， and business together， at this point they feel they can weather anything together。 But two years ago they divorced following the stillbirth of their third child， their marriage unable to withstand the loss。 Now they're rebuilding their lives， still co-parenting and managing their business together， trying to move on， and questioning whether they made the right choice ending their marriage， or if 3。5/5Yasmen and Josiah met and fell in love in college。 Since then they've built a marriage， family， and business together， at this point they feel they can weather anything together。 But two years ago they divorced following the stillbirth of their third child， their marriage unable to withstand the loss。 Now they're rebuilding their lives， still co-parenting and managing their business together， trying to move on， and questioning whether they made the right choice ending their marriage， or if there might still be a foundation of love to rebuild on。Before I Let Go straddles the line between contemporary and romance。 Yasmen and Josiah are both struggling to repair their emotional wellbeing and grief and loss are central to this story。 I was totally engrossed in this book and I really enjoyed the setting and supporting characters， which I imagine we will see again since this looks to be the first in a series。 A bit of a slow burn， but once that flame catches it is worth the wait！ 。。。more

M R ，

****4。6*** I got this book from the library yesterday and couldn't put it down， it was so readable！ I laughed， I cried， I nodded my head in agreement and I feel like I learned some good things through the therapy sessions the characters were having。 This isn't （just） a romance novel， but it is a book about fighting for what you believe in - yourself， your family， your love。 It was beautiful to read about a Black couple loving each other， loving their family and learning to know and take care of ****4。6*** I got this book from the library yesterday and couldn't put it down， it was so readable！ I laughed， I cried， I nodded my head in agreement and I feel like I learned some good things through the therapy sessions the characters were having。 This isn't （just） a romance novel， but it is a book about fighting for what you believe in - yourself， your family， your love。 It was beautiful to read about a Black couple loving each other， loving their family and learning to know and take care of themselves in real ways。 This was also a book about grief and depression and I don't think I've read a book that gets into this in such a way， especially about Black people。 There were some quotes and passages that really spoke to me:"Grief is a grind。 It is the work of breathing and waking and rising and moving through a world that feels emptier。 A gaping hole has been torn into your existence， and everyone around you just walks right past it like it's not even there。 But all you can do is stand and stare。""It can work like that。 You can't change what has already happened。 What you did or decided。 So you have two choices。 Wallow in it， stay in the chokehold of guilt and shame that holds you back from the next phase of your life or decide you've punished yourself long enough for things you can never change and set a date when you'll forgive yourself and move forward。""There is a corner of my heart， a room in my soul， where I must choose joy just for me and just because I want to be free of this。 I want to heal， to be the best， most complete version of myself for my children， for my mother， for my friends。 Most of all， for me。""Our traumas， the things that injure us in this life， even over time， ae not always behind us。 Sometimes they linger in the smell of a newborn baby。 They surprise us in the taste of a home-cooked meal。 They wait in the room at the end of the hall。 They are with us。 They are present。 And there are some days when memories feel more real than those who remain， than the joys of this world。""It begins with a tremor， a realization that love happens in the fragile context of our mortality。 That love and life occur just beyond the reach of our control。"And I love a book with recipes or playlists or things like that at the end， a few new recipes for me to try out this year。 Brava， Kennedy Ryan， I'm ready for the next book。 。。。more

Inessa_Akin ，

2/5 I’m kinda disappointed with this…I really， truly hated， how the guy lead can have sex and a relationship with another woman after their divorce， and her the woman lead can’t seem to fully move on。 It was annoying， frustrating and disgusting in my opinion。 I skimmed so damn much in this book， there was barely 2 things I liked about it。 I hated how everyone and their mother blamed her for their downfall in the marriage…as if it’s a one person job in what they went through。 It was ridiculous an 2/5 I’m kinda disappointed with this…I really， truly hated， how the guy lead can have sex and a relationship with another woman after their divorce， and her the woman lead can’t seem to fully move on。 It was annoying， frustrating and disgusting in my opinion。 I skimmed so damn much in this book， there was barely 2 things I liked about it。 I hated how everyone and their mother blamed her for their downfall in the marriage…as if it’s a one person job in what they went through。 It was ridiculous and so utterly frustrating， I hated this。 I hated reading it。 I don’t really recommend if you don’t like the things in this book that I talked about… 。。。more

Imane ，

Why colleen h？

Shawnaci Schroeder ，

- I finished this book two days ago and it’s taken me that long to write this review because the author did SUCH a phenomenal job of showing all sides of grief， depression， therapy， marriage， and healing。 This is not my typical type of book to read because it’s there are so many heavy topics， but there’s also so much joy within the pain too。 I could literally feel my heart hurting for Yasmin and Josiah while reading this entire book。 - This second chance romance is a TRUE second chance and I lov - I finished this book two days ago and it’s taken me that long to write this review because the author did SUCH a phenomenal job of showing all sides of grief， depression， therapy， marriage， and healing。 This is not my typical type of book to read because it’s there are so many heavy topics， but there’s also so much joy within the pain too。 I could literally feel my heart hurting for Yasmin and Josiah while reading this entire book。 - This second chance romance is a TRUE second chance and I love seeing how it was such an uphill battle for them to get to the ending because it felt so REAL。 I love how all of the characters felt like a villain at times and also the hero at times， showing that humans make mistakes and that all we can do is grow from it。 I finished this book in less than 24 hours because I just had to get to the ending！！ The book is so cinematic and I feel like a book two is coming with Yasmin’s friend group so maybe we will see more of the couple in those books too！- This was my first Kennedy Ryan book and I’ve already picked up another book of hers because this one was so so good！！！ Loved how it was so character driven and that they had so much growth by the end of the book。 I’ve heard the audiobook is really good so I think I’m going to listen to that too。 This would be such a great book for a book club！ 。。。more

Adrienne L。 Edwards ，

My。 My。 My！！！ This book was phenomenal！ Very well written。 I loved the plot details and the character building。 I fell in love with every character。 I love how the author used dialogue so beautifully and rich。 Never have I felt EVERY word ripple through my soul and spirit。 Yasmen and Josiah are two characters you will love and root for well ever you’ve turned the last page！

S LaSha Dates ，

I enjoyed this book。 I read it for a book club that I'm in。 Love， loss， grief， healing， and rebuilding are the words that come to mind when I think of this book。 I love that the writer allowed us to have both Yasmen's and Josiah's perspectives。 The whole time I was reading this book， I was hoping that Yasmen and Josiah would find their way back to each other。 I'm very pleased with the ending and can't wait to read Kennedy Ryan's next book。 I enjoyed this book。 I read it for a book club that I'm in。 Love， loss， grief， healing， and rebuilding are the words that come to mind when I think of this book。 I love that the writer allowed us to have both Yasmen's and Josiah's perspectives。 The whole time I was reading this book， I was hoping that Yasmen and Josiah would find their way back to each other。 I'm very pleased with the ending and can't wait to read Kennedy Ryan's next book。 。。。more

Tya Maitra ，

I am going to keep this short because this book doesn't make me wanna rant or obsess over it。 However it's so beautifully written that I cannot keep from rating it a full five star。。 I cannot skimp out on my stars with this because I love how realistic the characters are， how each event has been planned by the author and how beautifully she has touched the subject of trauma， therapy and fear of loss。Its quite an intense book。And its SO BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN！ I feel like I have not read such a well I am going to keep this short because this book doesn't make me wanna rant or obsess over it。 However it's so beautifully written that I cannot keep from rating it a full five star。。 I cannot skimp out on my stars with this because I love how realistic the characters are， how each event has been planned by the author and how beautifully she has touched the subject of trauma， therapy and fear of loss。Its quite an intense book。And its SO BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN！ I feel like I have not read such a well written book in a long time。 And its not like the writing is anything extraordinary， but has just the perfect amount of description and dialogues that is required to tell the story。I thought I said I'd keep it short。 😅So the story is about a couple who were madly in love， got married， built a business together from scratch， created their dream life and had two kids。 But an unexpected event catches them off guard。 Their grief overpowers their mind and body， leading to their divorce。 But even after， they love their kids and are co-parents as well as business partners。 With new love knocking at both their doors， and them still feeling a connection with each other， they are tested at every turn。 Anything they do， their kids lives are at stake as well as their business and friendship with each other。 But does their love have the capacity to withstand it all and still burn bright？Read it and find out ❤️ 。。。more

Katie ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 4。5 This was really good。 It's not my usual genre （I was gifted the book） and I could have done without all the explicit romance， but the story itself was engaging， （mostly） realistic， and it was relatable。 The characters were well-developed， too。 The ending was all too obvious and a bit cheesy for my taste。 Don't get me wrong - I was rooting for them to get back together。 It was just so。。。。 predictable。 As a therapist， I thought the counselors in the story were well done。 Ms Ryan obviously did 4。5 This was really good。 It's not my usual genre （I was gifted the book） and I could have done without all the explicit romance， but the story itself was engaging， （mostly） realistic， and it was relatable。 The characters were well-developed， too。 The ending was all too obvious and a bit cheesy for my taste。 Don't get me wrong - I was rooting for them to get back together。 It was just so。。。。 predictable。 As a therapist， I thought the counselors in the story were well done。 Ms Ryan obviously did her research to ensure the characters' stories and their counselors' contributions were appropriate。 And as I said， the character development was great。 I would have liked to see more of Hendrix - she was hilarious。 The recipes at the end are an added bonus - I'm looking forward to making Sol's vinaigrette dressing。 I don't know if I'll read any more Skyland novels （this is apparently the first one， with subsequent novels unpublished as of this date）。 This just isn't my usual genre。 Although very good， this isn't a good I would seek out on my own。 。。。more

Patrice ，

This was a refreshing read。 Sometimes we just need time。 When you’re meant for someone， it will happen。 Yasmen went through a lot and depression had her down。 Therapy definitely helped her and her family。 I’m glad that everything worked out for them in the end。

Bajen ，

4。5 stars。 KR is an amazing writer and I am constantly in awe of how deeply she explores and expresses the emotions related to the topics she explores in every book。 I have learned something new with each book and I appreciate every lesson。 Another beautiful story once again。

Madison Tavares ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 the true definition of soulmates who find their way back to each other no matter what。

Christina M （bookedtildawn） ，

This was beautiful & heartbreaking。 A tender exploration of grief and loss， depression and mental health。 The writing was vulnerable， raw and lyrical。 This book is a stunning and gut wrenching second chance romance， and I fell in love with the characters and story。 Would highly recommend！ 4。5 stars

Carolyn N ，

I enjoyed this book so much！ All of the accolades and being placed on readers best book lists of 2022 is correct。 It’s all that and so deserving of all the acknowledgments！The journey this couple makes to get back to each other is all consuming and so believable。 If you’ve ever experienced a tragedy in your life you will recognize how grief affects family members and married couple differently…that sometimes love is not enough to hold you together。 But it can be enough to bind you together if yo I enjoyed this book so much！ All of the accolades and being placed on readers best book lists of 2022 is correct。 It’s all that and so deserving of all the acknowledgments！The journey this couple makes to get back to each other is all consuming and so believable。 If you’ve ever experienced a tragedy in your life you will recognize how grief affects family members and married couple differently…that sometimes love is not enough to hold you together。 But it can be enough to bind you together if you’re willing to work for it。The friendships， the ambitions and striving， and the family dynamics are all on point。 This is a must read。 Get yourself a copy and enjoy the journey。 。。。more

Nichole L ，

I think Kennedy Ryan did a good job on this book。 Classic love story with a little spice and some moments that make you cry。 A little bit of repetition and my irritation towards Deja weighs my vote to 4 stars。

Kayla Ames ，

I really struggled with my rating of this。 I may or may not go back and change it later。 I technically rated it a 3。5。 And I feel like there’s a such a big difference between rating a book a 3/5 and rating a book a 4/5。 And I’m not sure which one is more suitable。 I had such， such high expectations of this book， which might be why this was just an okay book in my opinion。 Maybe because I held it too high。 But I don’t think that’s what’s really wrong。I just didn’t feel a connection to anything ho I really struggled with my rating of this。 I may or may not go back and change it later。 I technically rated it a 3。5。 And I feel like there’s a such a big difference between rating a book a 3/5 and rating a book a 4/5。 And I’m not sure which one is more suitable。 I had such， such high expectations of this book， which might be why this was just an okay book in my opinion。 Maybe because I held it too high。 But I don’t think that’s what’s really wrong。I just didn’t feel a connection to anything honestly。 I HATED Josiah and their daughter， Deja。 I could seriously not be more disconnected from 2 characters。 Josiah constantly gaslighted Yasmen。 He would tell her how overdramatic， overprotective， worked up， etc， that she was being。 He would also just say hella out of pocket comments to Yasmen。 He’d give her some half-assed apology。 She’d forgive him。 And that dynamic seemed to repeat at least half a dozen times。 He would also constantly let Deja walk all over him and Yasmen。 He had no backbone when it came to that girl。 Which leads me to Deja， she was AWFUL to Yasmen。 That’s all I have to say about her behavior。 And don’t get me wrong， I know Josiah and Deja had their share of pain。 That was evident， but it made me so sad for Yasmen。 It really felt like she was all alone， which made my heart hurt。But， I really， really enjoyed the discussion of depression and therapy。 This book and the author really encourage talking to a professional when having a hard time。 And something the writing reflected over and over again was that it’s okay to not to be okay and that everyone goes through stuff and there’s no shame in that。 I think it dug a little deeper and really showed how there’s a stigma that prevents men from having big emotions and seeking help。Overall though， I really didn’t view this as a romance book。 I feel like it was a domestic/contemporary fiction with a romance subplot。 Yes， there was romance。 Yes， the romance that was there was a great romance。 But I think the book dealt more with loss， grief， healing， friendship， etc。 And I personally think it did a great job talking about ALL those things in a healthy and sensitive way。 I just don’t want anyone going into this thinking it’s a sweet， second-chance romance。 Overall， the things I liked way outweighed the things I disliked。 But， where my indecision comes in， I just felt so disconnected from the book。 You can probably even tell it through my review。 There’s just 0 emotional connection。 And that’s okay。 Subjectively， it’s a great book with a heartfelt story about loss and healing。 So I would definitely recommend at least giving it a shot。 You may fall in love with the book。 I just lacked a personal connection to the story and characters。 。。。more

Jen Valletta ，

This book is everything。 All the emotions。 Plus-- female friendships， parenting， trauma， therapy。 Heavy， yet real and encouraging。

Van ，

I guess I have to explain my 3 star rating on a 5 star book。 *SPOILERS*At the risk of sounding insensitive， I just did not understand Yasmen。 I get that the family， her especially， experienced loss and were in a period of grieving。 However， her absolutely debilitating response to the loss seemed a bit extreme。 Her lack of coping when she had a supportive husband and loving kids， a support system most could only hope for， made her appear selfish and self-centered。 She went through with a whole di I guess I have to explain my 3 star rating on a 5 star book。 *SPOILERS*At the risk of sounding insensitive， I just did not understand Yasmen。 I get that the family， her especially， experienced loss and were in a period of grieving。 However， her absolutely debilitating response to the loss seemed a bit extreme。 Her lack of coping when she had a supportive husband and loving kids， a support system most could only hope for， made her appear selfish and self-centered。 She went through with a whole divorce。 Stayed divorced for over two years。 Obliterated a family already shattered by their recent losses。 Granted， she did seek therapy and did the work to get herself together but she only seemed to recognize she had a good man when he was prepared to move on with another woman。 Ms。 Ryan is a great writer but this story fell flat for me。 As well， there were points where the story dragged and there was some unnecessary filler。 This wasn't for me but I'm willing to take a chance on the writer's other works。 。。。more

Serena ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This is my first Kennedy Ryan book and she did not disappoint！ This was such a beautiful story。 I definitely teared up a few times。 For Yasmen and Josiah to go through everything they went through and still finding their way back to each other was something。 I like the way mental health was handled and talk of seeing a therapist。 I'm so happy Josiah ended up getting therapy because he had a lot to work through in regards to his parents dying when he was young and the deaths of Henry and Aunt Byr This is my first Kennedy Ryan book and she did not disappoint！ This was such a beautiful story。 I definitely teared up a few times。 For Yasmen and Josiah to go through everything they went through and still finding their way back to each other was something。 I like the way mental health was handled and talk of seeing a therapist。 I'm so happy Josiah ended up getting therapy because he had a lot to work through in regards to his parents dying when he was young and the deaths of Henry and Aunt Byrd still weighing heavy on him。 She seemed sweet but baby I did not like the woman Josiah was seeing that worked in the restaurant！ Vashti。 I was a bit mad at him for even starting a relationship up with someone who works with him。 Like dude find someone who doesn't work with you。 I'm glad Vash ended up going to Charlotte。 Also it was so cool to hear them talk about Charlotte and Noda。 I'm hoping one of the books in the series will be set there :）I'm just rambling now but this was so good and I'm glad the relationship with Yasmen and her daughter started to improve。 I wanted to strangle her daughter early on in the book。 Smiling all in Vashti's face while being rude to her mother。 I understand why she was like that but still。 Her mom did the best she could during one of the darkest times in her life。 Show some respect！ Oh and I absolutely adored Hendrix and Soledad。 PLEASE， I need to know what happens with Soledad and that ain't sh*t husband of hers。 She was so sweet and deserves so much better。I am now a Kennedy Ryan stan。 。。。more

Emily ，

Loved this book。 A pretty serious （vs fluffy） contemporary romance book and I was rooting for Yasmen and Josiah the whole time

Karla Barcena ，

Great story but this couple was so stubborn！！

Taylor Fields ，

The premise was good， but a little wordy。 I wish it was shorter。

Asia ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 4⭐️This book was very much so adorable and I really did enjoy the themes of grief and depression。 Josiah Genuinely growing to be more emotionally open with Yas through therapy was great。 This book was very much so a slow burn but it felt worth it when they ultimately found peace in the end。 Also it was great to see themes of Black Love。

Kate Suchecki ，

I loved the way this book hits on a few different topics that are often not talked about。 I got wrapped up in the story of Yasmen and Josiah and loved how the story was written from both of their perspectives。

Abigail ，

4。5

Jessica | Jessabibliophile ，

4。5 stars。 Such a beautiful， raw second chance love story that made me all up in my emotions！ The characters and the exploration of grief and mental health were written so wonderfully and I found myself feeling so much for all of them。 This book was definitely an emotional and poignant journey， but one I was so happy to read about。 It definitely had me thinking of my own marriage and family and will be a book I will be thinking about for a while。 <3

Kelsie ，

Debating between a 3。75 and 4

Haley McLaughlin ，

5 ⭐️ So beautiful。 I loved this！ A second chance romance between a divorced couple。 So eye opening about mental illness， post partum depression， grief and therapy。

Tammy Conatser ，

I wanted to love this book as everyone else seemed to。 I really enjoyed it。 There were sections of the story I loved and would give five star， but other parts I was just bored and would rate a 2 so I settled on a 3 or 3。5 star。 I'm glad I read it and love the characters but the story fell a bit flat in areas I wanted to love this book as everyone else seemed to。 I really enjoyed it。 There were sections of the story I loved and would give five star， but other parts I was just bored and would rate a 2 so I settled on a 3 or 3。5 star。 I'm glad I read it and love the characters but the story fell a bit flat in areas 。。。more

Katina ，

This book was not what I was expecting。 If you’re looking for a typical second chance romance keep scrolling。 This book is a peek into real life realness。 Mrs。 Ryan tackles subject matters that so many are navigating everyday。 I loved the dual POV which helps you empathize with each MC。 Be ready to cycle through all the emotions on this ride！

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Before I Let Go

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Before I Let Go&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Before I Let Go&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0