A review by readingwithtrey
Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
Yasmen and Josiah have a once in a lifetime love. A love that they know can withstand anything and will last forever. Or so they thought. When life throws curve ball after curve ball all at once, the one thing they always thought would hold them together completely falls apart. Will their journeys of healing lead them back to each other and to different paths?
I think November may be my best reading month of this year. I have read so many great books this month, and this book is hands down now my top read of 2022. I'm not even sure I can say it lived up to the hype cause, y'all, this was not hyped up ENOUGH. There is no way anything else could top it. This book was everything. There's really not much I could say that could do this book justice. If you haven't read it yet, go ahead and stop what you're doing and pick it up. You won't regret it.
One thing that I do want to touch on was the important message regarding therapy. There's still so much stigma behind it, especially in the Black community, and I think Kennedy Ryan did an amazing job addressing that in this book.
It's fitting that I would pick this up around my 1-year anniversary of starting therapy. I experienced birth trauma and severe, unchecked postpartum depression and anxiety with my first child. It was a solid 18 months before I felt like myself and started to get a sense of hope, though I was still crippled with anxiety. After my second child, the depression and anxiety hit with a vengeance and sent me to a really dark place. My doctor put me on antidepressants that brought me back from the edge, but I still wasn't okay. When I started to have some really scary thoughts, I knew I had to do more. I was never against therapy, but I couldn't understand how just talking to someone could help pull me out of that darkness. But looking back on where I was a year ago compared to now, I can say with certainty, and through tears, that therapy saved my life. It took 4 years for me to finally seek it out and make the time. Just imagine how many more lives it could save if there was no stigma. I'm very open about my journey and what therapy has done for me not for pity, but for anyone who is hesitant to start.
I think November may be my best reading month of this year. I have read so many great books this month, and this book is hands down now my top read of 2022. I'm not even sure I can say it lived up to the hype cause, y'all, this was not hyped up ENOUGH. There is no way anything else could top it. This book was everything. There's really not much I could say that could do this book justice. If you haven't read it yet, go ahead and stop what you're doing and pick it up. You won't regret it.
One thing that I do want to touch on was the important message regarding therapy. There's still so much stigma behind it, especially in the Black community, and I think Kennedy Ryan did an amazing job addressing that in this book.
It's fitting that I would pick this up around my 1-year anniversary of starting therapy. I experienced birth trauma and severe, unchecked postpartum depression and anxiety with my first child. It was a solid 18 months before I felt like myself and started to get a sense of hope, though I was still crippled with anxiety. After my second child, the depression and anxiety hit with a vengeance and sent me to a really dark place. My doctor put me on antidepressants that brought me back from the edge, but I still wasn't okay. When I started to have some really scary thoughts, I knew I had to do more. I was never against therapy, but I couldn't understand how just talking to someone could help pull me out of that darkness. But looking back on where I was a year ago compared to now, I can say with certainty, and through tears, that therapy saved my life. It took 4 years for me to finally seek it out and make the time. Just imagine how many more lives it could save if there was no stigma. I'm very open about my journey and what therapy has done for me not for pity, but for anyone who is hesitant to start.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Child death, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Mental illness, and Pregnancy
Minor: Dementia and Infertility