thewairimu's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Child death, Death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Miscarriage
Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, Infidelity, and Suicidal thoughts
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have heard nothing but amazing things about this book, so I had to pick it up and see what all of the hype is about.
"Before I Let Go" follows Yasmen and Josiah. They used to be the couple that everyone envied, and everyone believed that they were the ones who were going to last through anything life could throw at them. Yasmen and Josiah believed that too, until they were faced with the biggest challenge their marriage has ever faced and they could not make it work. Now a couple years later, Yasmen and Josiah amicably co-parent and run a very successful business together, but they both still have lingering feelings for the other. Can they finally tackle their grief and work together to repair their marriage, or are they just too incompatible?
This book is not a mere romance novel, and I think marketing it as such does it a disservice. This is a story about love, grief, mental illness, and finally having the tools to understand yourself. This story is raw, real, and absolutely devastating.
(Slight spoiler warning) Yasmen and Josiah lose their third baby when Yasmen is 36 weeks along, and it absolutely devastates both of them. Yasmen is so lost in her grief, that she does not feel strong enough to save herself AND her marriage, so when she does not think Josiah is on her team, she walks away. She could let this destroy her, but she does not, she learns to fight in her own time. She continuously shares how she gets out of bed every day because of her children, and that is what keeps her going, but through medication and therapy, she learns to live for herself, and I think this is so endlessly important to see depicted. She learns to articulate her grief and she gains the tools she needs to get herself out of her dark place. Yes, it would have been better if Yasmen and Josiah could have worked together, but they both grew so much being apart, and they are both so much better as individuals now, which makes their relationships all the stronger.
Josiah is also an amazing example of taking care of yourself. Though devastated by the divorce that he did not initiate, he never once bad mouths Yasmen, and he always has nothing but good things to say about her. He did not let the divorce break him, and when he sees that his son may need therapy, he puts his own opinions about it aside and starts to talk to someone himself, so his son sees therapy is a good thing. Josiah is far from perfect, and he is facing his own demons, but he always has so much respect for everyone in his life, and that is beautiful to see.
From the first page, I could see and feel Yasmen's and Josiah's chemistry. I knew their love story was real and I was always rooting for them. Additionally, their spicy scenes were superbly done.
I have long said that my favorite romance book is "All Your Perfects" by Collen Hoover, because of how it depicts a real relationship that is facing the most challenging adversity. I now hold "Before I Let Go" in a similar place as an all-time favorite. I 1000% will be reading from Kennedy Ryan again.
"Before I Let Go" follows Yasmen and Josiah. They used to be the couple that everyone envied, and everyone believed that they were the ones who were going to last through anything life could throw at them. Yasmen and Josiah believed that too, until they were faced with the biggest challenge their marriage has ever faced and they could not make it work. Now a couple years later, Yasmen and Josiah amicably co-parent and run a very successful business together, but they both still have lingering feelings for the other. Can they finally tackle their grief and work together to repair their marriage, or are they just too incompatible?
This book is not a mere romance novel, and I think marketing it as such does it a disservice. This is a story about love, grief, mental illness, and finally having the tools to understand yourself. This story is raw, real, and absolutely devastating.
(Slight spoiler warning) Yasmen and Josiah lose their third baby when Yasmen is 36 weeks along, and it absolutely devastates both of them. Yasmen is so lost in her grief, that she does not feel strong enough to save herself AND her marriage, so when she does not think Josiah is on her team, she walks away. She could let this destroy her, but she does not, she learns to fight in her own time. She continuously shares how she gets out of bed every day because of her children, and that is what keeps her going, but through medication and therapy, she learns to live for herself, and I think this is so endlessly important to see depicted. She learns to articulate her grief and she gains the tools she needs to get herself out of her dark place. Yes, it would have been better if Yasmen and Josiah could have worked together, but they both grew so much being apart, and they are both so much better as individuals now, which makes their relationships all the stronger.
Josiah is also an amazing example of taking care of yourself. Though devastated by the divorce that he did not initiate, he never once bad mouths Yasmen, and he always has nothing but good things to say about her. He did not let the divorce break him, and when he sees that his son may need therapy, he puts his own opinions about it aside and starts to talk to someone himself, so his son sees therapy is a good thing. Josiah is far from perfect, and he is facing his own demons, but he always has so much respect for everyone in his life, and that is beautiful to see.
From the first page, I could see and feel Yasmen's and Josiah's chemistry. I knew their love story was real and I was always rooting for them. Additionally, their spicy scenes were superbly done.
I have long said that my favorite romance book is "All Your Perfects" by Collen Hoover, because of how it depicts a real relationship that is facing the most challenging adversity. I now hold "Before I Let Go" in a similar place as an all-time favorite. I 1000% will be reading from Kennedy Ryan again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Mental illness, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Grief, and Child death
Moderate: Death of parent
michelle_my_belle's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Child death
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent
Minor: Cursing, Dementia, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcohol
ksuazo94's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Child death, Death, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Car accident, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
flosssie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Miscarriage, and Mental illness
Moderate: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical trauma
xennial_reader's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
5.0
**Minor spoilers below**
If you’re behind like I was with the amazingness of Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan, let me be another voice to tell you to bump this one up your TBR. Not only is it so, SO steamy, but it puts you through the emotional ringer. It’s smart, gut wrenching, joyous and hopeful. ALL of those things. I was hooked from the very first page.
If you’re behind like I was with the amazingness of Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan, let me be another voice to tell you to bump this one up your TBR. Not only is it so, SO steamy, but it puts you through the emotional ringer. It’s smart, gut wrenching, joyous and hopeful. ALL of those things. I was hooked from the very first page.
It starts off with Yasmen and Josiah in a season of life where they’re established in the very successful business they’ve built together, but are basically going through the motions of co-parents and business partners as a divorced couple of nearly 2 years. At first it’s hard to see how this couple with still so much obvious chemistry has separated, but eventually you find out the heartbreaking turn of events that drove them apart. And of course, spoiler alert, then witness them learn and grow and find their way back to each other (don’t worry!).
Yasmen had gone through one of the worst things any mother could experience and has dug herself out of the pits of hell to find a way to live again. She is such a strong woman but you see and feel the heavy burden of that weight on her and what it’s cost her and her family.
Josiah presents himself as a strong man in control of his life and emotions. But he has to learn to overcome the stigmas holding him back from truly connecting with his kids and that may have contributed to his divorce.
While it was easy to get into and I devoured this book, it was also emotionally exhausting, but in a way that a good therapy session is. Which is exactly what a major part of this story is about and what I LOVED. Therapy can be hard and messy but it’s so important and can literally be live saving. As a married person and a parent, this book hit hard. But married couples finding their way back to each other is one of my favorite tropes 💗
There’s some heavy CW’s in this book but it is so worth the read. This is a dual POV and it was really inspiring seeing this couple grow individually as people and as parents. I was absolutely in love with both Yasmen and Josiah and was rooting for them the whole time to find their way back together 🙌💖
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Mental illness, and Miscarriage
marena02's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Child death, Deadnaming, and Grief
j_themoodreader's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Just finished reading this and it's an automatic 5 Stars! I didn't even have to think about it. Everything about this book is beautiful and right.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Sexual content
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Car accident
thatfabchick's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
No, I can’t understand the term escapism and why people who love to read books use that term. In a real life is hard enough and so when you read a book you want to escape from the world that you’re currently living in and go to some fantasy realm or live the life of this fictional character.
I realize I do the same thing with the book selections that I tend to choose. I often don’t choose melodramatic books, because I felt like it’s often a bit too sad and it takes too long for me to feel the gratification of how beautiful the story is. But I’m trying to read different books.
So hence forth with this recommendation, and a lot of people who have set home wonderful this book was, I decided to read it. It is a wonderfully well written book and I have to tell you this Kennedy Ryan is so good at her craft. I found myself really invested in the two main characters. I wanted them to be happy, and I wanted them to communicate, and they wanted them to be with each other, and I wanted them to not be with each other. I loved the children and at the same time found the children annoying. I was fully invested into this book
I would recommend this book to anyone who’s ready to take the plunge into a Kennedy Ryan series, this is a nice book to start with. I would check your trigger warnings before reading this book .
I’m glad I took a chance to read this book and I look forward to reading my books by Ms.Ryan
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Miscarriage, and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Infertility
emmreadsbooks's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Sheer and utter devastation. That's how I feel right now after finishing this book, and somehow I'm wishing that I'd read it sooner? This story heavily features death, divorce, and depression yet is able to also focus on hope and honesty. Yasmen and Josiah's love story is hard to read at times, but they show such growth as characters throughout. Kennedy Ryan focuses on the stigma around therapy for Black men, the tragic grief that comes with losing a child, and the feeling of fighting for yourself against waves of depression. It's painful and tender, and I need the next story in the Skyland Series 10 minutes ago, thank you.
*Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*
*Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Child death, Medical content, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Car accident