Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

Before I Let Go, by Kennedy Ryan

14 reviews

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Alcohol, Child death, Cursing, and Death

Minor: Dementia

theoceanrose's review

emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Mental illness, and Grief

Moderate: Death, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, and Medical trauma

Minor: Car accident

mymercurialnature's review against another edition

emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

“Before I Let Go” By Kennedy Ryan is a romance novel and so much more. I’ve come close to tears reading this one. Covering depression, pregnancy loss, death of loved ones, therapy, and the difficulties of parenting while depressed. Such a heartwarming and uplifting story.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, Death, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy

maurapartridge's review against another edition

dark 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Grief, Child death, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, and Death

Moderate: Blood

wblove's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book triggered so many emotions in me that I didn't even realize I was holding on to/dealing with. It is deeply emotional, but real,  and raw, and honest.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Miscarriage, Sexual content, and Cursing

Minor: Death and Medical trauma

artsyxbookish's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Sexual content, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Death

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*

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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

abbyreadsbigbooks123's review against another edition

4.0

The writing was so good I just felt like the reunion between Josiah and Yasmen was super rushed also I don't know if I think they are actually better together but the book is still amazing 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Injury/injury detail, Medical content, Death, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, and Infertility

churrosmom's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.5

This is a heavy, heavy romance novel, bordering fiction rather than romance. Trigger warnings listed below. Yasmen and Josiah are divorced, coparenting, and running a business together. Their marriage fell apart after they lost Josiah's aunt and son (stillbirth after an accident) in short succession. Yasmen fell into a deep depression and Josiah wasn't supportive of her. The story takes place two years later, after Yasmen has healed and they keep being drawn towards each other.

The star of this book is the depth of its portrayal of the main character, Yasmen's depression and grief. This is probably the most realistic depiction of therapy that I have ever read in a novel. As someone who has been in therapy for almost 7 years and has had a number of therapists, I think that the main character's struggles with depression are so accurate in that it is hard for her to find a therapist who is a good fit, and it takes a combination of medication and long-term therapy with the right therapist to heal. So many books I've read have a magical therapist where the character goes to therapy twice and everything is resolved, and that is not the case here. It's also so realistic that unfortunately her family (husband and daughter) do not understand her depression and blame her for their family falling apart, and it takes themselves going to therapy to understand. I also like that we see the husband, Josiah, perspective on therapy and depression evolve (shoutout to the feelings wheel!!).

I do feel like the romance takes a back seat in this story, for better or for worse. After reading other reviews it does make me realize that we don't actually see much of the couple's love and growth together besides their sexual attraction. There is some minor drama with other characters Yasmen and Josiah date but they were set aside really easily.

Trigger warnings: Depression/mental health, suicidal ideation, death (of parents, parental figures), stillbirth, explicit sexual content.

**Disclaimer: Received an eARC from the publisher on Netgalley.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Ableism, Child death, Miscarriage, Grief, and Death

Moderate: Injury/injury detail and Medical trauma

Minor: Car accident, Alcohol, and Cursing

carolinalopezwatt's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Miscarriage, and Child death

Minor: Car accident