Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan
First in a new series but stands alone. Romance/Women’s Fiction/Divorce Fiction.
Before I Let Go was supplied by Net Galley for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links.
Let me start by saying that Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan will end up on my all-time favorites list. There was a one-day window to get the ARC of this book and I grabbed it because the cover is absolutely gorgeous and Kennedy Ryan has wowed me in the past. I didn’t read the blurb. I had no idea it would parallel my life so much and force me to make some much-needed changes.
“Depression,” she goes on, “is a liar. If it will tell you no one loves you, that you’re not good enough, that you’re a burden or, in the most extreme cases, better off dead, then it can certainly convince you that you’re better off without the man you love, and that, ultimately, he’s better off without you.”
Yasmin and Josiah were the perfect couple living a charmed life in the Atlanta suburbs. You were able to feel the love and sensuality they brought to the story, until one tragedy after another hit and they both handled their grief differently. Yasmin finally insisted on a divorce over Josiah’s objections.
They still had two kids, a restaurant business together, and they live 2 blocks apart. And they were still secretly very much attracted to each other and very much in love. But they had to move on, didn’t they?
Yasmin has spent the last two years in therapy. She has an amazing friend group. She is healed and whole again. But Josiah holds everything in and doesn’t believe in therapy. Until his son is having problems and he promises to go to set a good example for him.
My ex-husband is bi-polar and won’t go to therapy. We were married for 29 years, many of them happy, but I had filed for divorce twice before. We divorced right before the pandemic, but because of our kids we were in the same bubble and kind of clung to each other—now he is still coming over every Saturday night. We also went through a very similar loss, so Before I Let Go hits me in some very personal ways. It also pushed me to seek out a therapist for myself.
“And I think I’m most grateful for time, which doesn’t always heal all wounds, but teaches us how to be happy again even with our scars.”
Likes:
- A book about mature adults.
- The absolutely gorgeous cover.
- The 100% REAL characters.
- It made me cry so much but they were good tears.
- One of the most relatable books I have read.
- Made me finally reach out for a therapist for myself. This book was actually therapy.
- Written so beautifully yet so real and raw.
- Yas’s friend group.
- They are both great parents.
- The sex scenes were totally HOT but beautiful at the same time.
- The therapy was normalized and on the page.
- No silly plot devices or fake angst.
Dislikes:
- Only one small thing: there was a beautiful, touching scene with their daughter, Deja, and I felt like it was a missed opportunity to discuss mental illness with her.
The Down & Dirty:
Rating: 5++++ Stars, 4 Heat
Preorder Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan
**UPDATE November 22: I listened to the audiobook the day it came out. Wesleigh Siobhan, the female narrator, had a much younger, more immature voice than I had in my head. She just didn’t sound old enough to have lived as much as Yasmin. Jakobi Diem was perfect and exactly the voice I had in my head. Don’t get me wrong, I still loved the audible, but I recommend reading over listening for this title. I think it just hits harder.
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