Title: Before I Let Go
Author: Kennedy Ryan
Publisher: Forever
Publish Date: November 15, 2022
Genre: Adult Romance
Pages: 391
Format: Paperback

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?

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Content warning for child loss.

This was my first dip into romance in quite a while, and it did not disappoint. Kennedy Ryan has a great way of writing realistic characters going through realistic situations, and how those characters handle the hurdles, the joys, the sorrows that come with that are really well done in this novel.

In this book we follow two perspectives throughout: Yasmen’s and Josiah’s. They’re a relatively-recently divorced couple who went through something traumatic that caused their marriage to fall apart, but the connection and spark between them is still there, dulled as it is at the beginning of the story. Throughout the story, we see the couple dealing not only with their everyday workflow and responsibilities as parents, but as co-owners of a restaurant, and how that proximity can really have an effect on old feelings that never truly went away.

As we follow Yasmen’s side of it, I could see how strong of a woman she was, trying to mend the pieces of herself that were broken from what had happened years prior and finally feeling like she was coming back to herself. In these chapters we see her really assess what happened then that caused the couple to split, while also seeing her rely on her best friends for support, as well as a therapist, to really deal with what went down.

Not only that, but even in Josiah’s chapters we see some of that therapy talk brought up. It’s a heavy theme throughout the book to rely on others for strength and comfort and to not always rely on the self for that, to bury things down until they don’t matter anymore. I think that that representation was shown really well and encourages others to maybe reflect on their own lives and consider therapy as possible. Because not only does it affect Yasmen and Josiah, but their kids, too, and how important it is for them to talk to someone as well.

The plot follows them through this second chance romance, through ups and downs – and of course, steamy moments – and shows what love is truly capable of. Relationships are hard work, and I think the two really realize that as time goes on – especially Yasmen, who I think was hit the hardest with what had happened that had caused the divorce in the first place.

Another aspect I loved was the strong feeling of sisterhood and friendship in this book (and in the sequel, This Could Be Us). Yasmen, Solidad, and Hendrix have each other’s backs through everything and are willing to be there for each other in times of need when it’s really needed, or just to be able to get their mind off of things. I could feel the palpable love of these friends pouring off of the page. Even the relationship with the kids are something very tangible and real, and I think that Ryan does a great job of this in this book.

My only gripe is that as we were getting toward the end, there were a few times I felt that the plot became repetitive, like we had seen a similar scene not long before, and more than once, too.

Overall, I think that if you’re looking for a great second chance romance, a romance to touch your heart, or one in which you’ve also gone through similar circumstances, that you’ll really enjoy this book. I loved it, and absolutely recommend it.

★★★★.5 (4.5) stars