Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan: Review

Welcome to my review of Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan. My head must have been firmly in the sand over the past few years because I have no idea how I just now read this amazing book. I finished it in one day because I couldn’t put it down.

Cover of Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan

Title: Before I Let Go (Skyland #1)
Author: Kennedy Ryan
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Forever
Pub Date: 11/15/22

Description

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 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?

Review

I wish I could write a lengthy review on how much I adored Before I Let Go. How much it seeped right into my soul. But sometimes the books that affect me the most are the hardest to write reviews for. What I can say is Kennedy Ryan infused some of my favorite elements, like second-chance romance and grief, with authentic, messy, and lovable characters. But even in the heaviest moments of the story, there was hope. This book doesn’t drag you down, but instead lifts you up.

Having the book be told through Yasmen and Josiah’s perspectives really allowed us to see how the divorce affected them both and to see how they were both changing over the course of the story. I loved them a lot, and I was quickly rooting for their relationship to mend because these two were meant to be together. I also really enjoyed Yasmen’s friend group of Hendrix and Soledad. Hendrix is usually the character I don’t vibe with because I wished they would read the room, but I found her very outspoken nature to be hilarious.

I don’t know if I’ve read a book that presented therapy so openly and positively, and I found myself wanting to have my own session. I cannot wait to read the next book because I’m not ready to leave Skyland yet. I will also definitely be checking out some of Ryan’s other books because she’s made me a huge fan after only one.

Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kennedy Ryan writes for women from all walks of life, empowering them and placing them firmly at the center of each story and in charge of their own destinies. An EBONY Power 100 Honoree, Kennedy and her writings have been featured in NPR, Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, Glamour, Cosmo, TIME, and many others. Kennedy is an executive producer for her Skyland series, which is currently in development for television at Peacock. The cofounder of LIFT 4 Autism, an annual charitable book auction, Kennedy has a passion for raising Autism awareness. Dubbed the Queen of Hugs by her readers, she is a wife to her “lifetime lover” and mother to an extraordinary son.