Kennedy Ryan

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’s 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?

Award-winning and bestselling "powerhouse" author Kennedy Ryan is at her absolute best in this compelling, scorching novel about hope and healing, and what it truly means to love for a lifetime (USA Today).

Skyland #1

Before I Let Go

Jillian Roberts

I remember the nights he'd drag himself up the steps and down the hall to the nursery, staring at me in the rocker, his weariness at a standoff with my grief-induced lassitude. Two shipwrecked souls unable to figure out how to save each other. Both sinking. 

This has got to be one of the most beautiful, soul-crushing, heartbreakingly raw and honest books I have ever read. It was so refreshing to read a romance novel where the two MCs are emotionally mature and real with one another. The way the author handled the tough topics addressed in this book was remarkable. 

clau☁️

real and heartbreakingly beautiful. i held it together until the acknowledgements, then started crying🥲 i loved this story so much

A wonderful second chance romance with believable character growth.  The different reactions to grief/therapy were moving.

Jenny Engel

this book moved me so much. everything from the introduction to the conclusion was so well written and beautiful that i felt like i was watching a movie in my head. and even in the moments where i disliked a character’s actions their reasoning was always so heartbreaking i couldn’t help but to have empathy for every single character. kennedy ryan is amazing at what she does. 

lani

i’m amazed by kennedy ryan’s writing with this one! this was chefs kisses! this wasn’t just a heart-aching second chance romance but also an important story about grief and depression. i love yasmen’s friendship with her girlies hendrix and soledad <3

too late - sza
mess it up - gracie abrams

i’m amazed by kennedy ryan’s writing with this one! this was chefs kisses! this wasn’t just a heart-aching second chance romance but also an important story about grief and depression. i love yasmen’s friendship with her girlies hendrix and soledad <3

mary ˚୨୧⋆｡˚

** spoiler alert **
           « i will love you until i die. we said till death do us part.»

S’il y a bien un livre qui aura marqué mon âme en ce début d’année 2023, c’est bien ce livre. Before I Let Go aura été plus qu’un livre pour moi mais aussi un outil de réflexion psychologique.
Yasmen Wade est divorcée depuis quelques années de Josiah pour des raisons qui lui sont propres et qui sont bien tristes. Ce livre nous offre une second chance love story mais surtout nous dépeint la réalité d’une famille brisée avec le décès de personnes chères.
Ces personnages sont très profonds, ont une réelle histoire et un réel développement, ce qui fait tellement plaisir à lire maintenant. Yasmen est un personnage inspirant, elle est forte, c’est une femme battante et j’aime énormément le fait qu’elle a accepté de recevoir de l’aide. Josiah a ses défauts mais il ramène de la fraîcheur, il est si drôle et son évolution dans l’histoire est extrêmement belle. L’alchimie entre les deux divorcés s’inscrit dès le début pour moi et on attend qu’une chose : qu’ils se remettent ensemble. Ils représentent aujourd’hui l’un de mes comfort couples.
Puis l’une des meilleures choses aussi dans ce livre, c’est les séances chez les psychologues et les dialogues à cœur ouvert, ce qui manque terriblement aujourd’hui dans les familles noires, cela montre que c’est totalement normal.
Enfin, c’est extrêmement fascinant de voir à quel point Kennedy Ryan a cette facilité de faire ressentir des émotions fortes à travers sa plume, c’est magique. Ce livre a été un plaisir à lire pour moi, tout est parfait, j’en veux même plus, cela mérite amplement son 5/5.

Arianna

screaming crying throwing up
this book was great

Moradeyo

I love Kennedy Ryan’s writing and character development. There is so much emotion and love in this story and I couldn’t put it down. I am always here for therapy rep and watching characters work through so much to heal and grow. Absolutely stunning. 

Megan BV

Sara Uribe

I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

An unbelievably powerful, and raw read. I don’t know if I’ll ever have more words, or even better ones, to explain how much I love this book. It was something that I didn't know I needed. Yasmen & Josiah are so easy to fall in love with. From the first page you're thrown into their whirlwind life and, from beginning to end, no one can deny their unbelievable chemistry. No matter how much they try to ignore it. Kennedy Ryan always does such a fantastic job telling her stories. She has such a unique, powerful voice, and she’s the absolute queen of emotional reads!

I don’t think I could recommend this book enough. Hands down another great read from this author, and another book that I can add onto my list of favorites for 2022!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was incredible!! Second chance romance after divorce, emotional AF. If I wasn’t tearing up about their relationship I was tearing up at the depression rep as it was incredibly done. Huge TW for depression and stillbirth (in the past). I couldn’t put this down because the chemistry between the two was so compelling and I needed to see how this was all going to unfold. This was just so so good. 

Abigail

Fam, am I…turning into a second chance romance girlie?! Idk, but what I do know is that this was a really, really lovely rumination on life and loss wrapped up into a second chance romance story! I loved seeing Yasmen wrestle with her imperfect selves and Josiah come to terms with his grief. There was angst, but there were also 

 of delicious scenes of love & jealousy and secret affairs🔥. My only complaint is that the writing felt 

 uneven to me. There were pieces of prose that made me want to lie down and weep, followed up by paragraphs that I felt like written by a teenager. So that was a little 🥴, but over all this was a really gorgeous story on finding love again after loss ♥️. 

Sharanya Sharma

Fam, am I…turning into a second chance romance girlie?! Idk, but what I do know is that this was a really, really lovely rumination on life and loss wrapped up into a second chance romance story! I loved seeing Yasmen wrestle with her imperfect selves and Josiah come to terms with his grief. There was angst, but there were also plenty of delicious scenes of love & jealousy and secret affairs🔥. My only complaint is that the writing felt very uneven to me. There were pieces of prose that made me want to lie down and weep, followed up by paragraphs that I felt like written by a teenager. So that was a little 🥴, but over all this was a really gorgeous story on finding love again after loss ♥️. 

Charlsy Sekyere

⭐️3.5

Although I'm not a huge fan of second chance romances, mainly due to my dislike of 'Seven Days of June' by Tia Williams, I found this book to be perfectly fine.

For the most part, I found the tension and sexual chemistry (especially this) between Josiah and Yasmen to be palpable and never felt forced, out of place, or weird. As for the smut, I have no complaints.

There were some very tough discussions about healing, loss, mental health, and probably the most important subject of all, grief (particularly about how dealing with grief differs from person to person), that were so honest and weren't surface-level.

Despite this, I can't say it's a favourite of mine or I'll think about it in the future, since the book didn't seem to have the same impact on me as it did on others. Kennedy Ryan's writing is excellent, especially her prose, and the story of Yasmen and Josiah is deeply moving, but I didn't find myself feeling overly emotional or connected with either character. There was just something that kept me from fully loving this book, maybe because of my dislike of second chance romances, or maybe because I didn't entirely care if Yasmen and Josiah remained divorced (I would have much preferred that, to be honest, despite the cute epilogue), but whatever the case was, I wasn't overly smitten with this book.

Being my first Kennedy Ryan book, I had a perfectly okay time and wouldn't mind reading more from her in the future.

Michaella 

Miralis Davis

I absolutely loved this book. One of my favorite reads of 2023 so far. This book talks about mental health, loss and what it means to fight for your marriage.

Takecia Bright

I can’t even put into words how heartbreaking Yas and Si’s story is. The first two pages of the book sold me and I haven’t put it down since. Their love is so electrifying and i was gripping the pages just waiting for them to reconcile and work through their trauma. There’s not a moment in this book that’s boring. Each chapter is a progression forward for them even if it felt like 5 steps back. 

There were a lot of elements that dealt with grief, thoughts of suicide, stillborn/miscarriage and divorce.
Even though this was a work of fiction I felt as if all these aspects touched on some real important things. People are human and sometimes in our anger, grief, etc when aren’t ourselves and we can become unhealthy for the people around us. The people around us might not even know how to deal with such a matter and that’s where mercy and understanding needs to come into play and a lot of communication. 

Also, there’s that fact that Yas was already going through grief of a loved one and to go right into giving birth to her stillborn baby and dealing with the hormone imbalance that happens during and after birth is mind shattering.
Postpartum depression is a scary hole to try and crawl out of. It takes alot of strength to come out of that. She did what she could as a mother and a person.

I felt bad for Si too. He lost his mother figure and his son and didn’t have any coping mechanisms but to stay busy, he had to go through his body not working/ performing and watching his wife deteriorate and having no clue how to grasp on to her.

When you’re in a storm you can’t see anything but the howling winds and blinding rain and when the storm is over you see the destruction of it. Only thing you can do is to hope and start cleaning. That’s what Yas had the courage to do and Si had the courage to not give up even when he was scared. 


I absolutely loved it.

         I solidly suck at relationships, or at least I used to.  I have many failed romantic relationships in my rearview, and despite some truly bad characters, I kept trying.  I looked and looked and looked, embarking on relationship after relationship.  I even moved across the country, not because the well in my hometown was dry, but it did give me a new pool to fish out of.  I did finally find somebody that complimented my life pretty perfectly, and I eventually married him.  Both of us have some pretty good-sized baggage, but our baggage seems to coordinate well.  We’ve had our fair share of challenges (I’m talking about his ex…that woman is a story all by herself), but we haven’t had the types of challenges this couple went through.

            From the start, Kennedy Ryan tells the story of a couple that is truly head-over-heels in love with each other. They met in college and their love seemed to grow and flourish from there.  They seemingly lived the dream: two kids, their dream house, they even ran their own thriving soul-food restaurant.  They were completely unprepared when tragedy struck, taking two deeply loved ones.  The couple grieved in different ways, eventually grieving themselves so far away from each other, they divorced. 

            Most of us have lost a family member they loved.  It’s a hard pill to swallow, but when it’s a grandparent or older parent, it’s a natural part of human life.  The loss of a child is deeper and arguably more devastating.  Parents aren’t supposed to outlive their children.  I’m quite certain I, too, would find it hard to drag myself out of bed and live life.  The couple struggled individually, not taking the time to communicate to each other at all, which contributed to the divorce (I feel like that’s what contributes to many divorces).  It was heartbreaking to read, which means Kennedy Ryan did a damn good job. 

            I’m not going to lie here, I openly cheered when they found their way back to each other.  My body made an attempt at tears when he proposed (again), but I was able to stifle the waterworks.  This book is a well-executed tale of love and loss; poignant and real.  The characters come across as completely genuine people, not frosted over fictional versions of reality.  It was an enjoyable piece of fiction. 

Kristen Claiborn

         I solidly suck at relationships, or at least I used to.  I have many failed romantic relationships in my rearview, and despite some truly bad characters, I kept trying.  I looked and looked and looked, embarking on relationship after relationship.  I even moved across the country, not because the well in my hometown was dry, but it did give me a new pool to fish out of.  I did finally find somebody that complimented my life pretty perfectly, and I eventually married him.  Both of us have some pretty good-sized baggage, but our baggage seems to coordinate well.  We’ve had our fair share of challenges (I’m talking about his ex…that woman is a story all by herself), but we haven’t had the types of challenges this couple went through.

            From the start, Kennedy Ryan tells the story of a couple that is truly head-over-heels in love with each other. They met in college and their love seemed to grow and flourish from there.  They seemingly lived the dream: two kids, their dream house, they even ran their own thriving soul-food restaurant.  They were completely unprepared when tragedy struck, taking two deeply loved ones.  The couple grieved in different ways, eventually grieving themselves so far away from each other, they divorced. 

            Most of us have lost a family member they loved.  It’s a hard pill to swallow, but when it’s a grandparent or older parent, it’s a natural part of human life.  The loss of a child is deeper and arguably more devastating.  Parents aren’t supposed to outlive their children.  I’m quite certain I, too, would find it hard to drag myself out of bed and live life.  The couple struggled individually, not taking the time to communicate to each other at all, which contributed to the divorce (I feel like that’s what contributes to many divorces).  It was heartbreaking to read, which means Kennedy Ryan did a damn good job. 

            I’m not going to lie here, I openly cheered when they found their way back to each other.  My body made an attempt at tears when he proposed (again), but I was able to stifle the waterworks.  This book is a well-executed tale of love and loss; poignant and real.  The characters come across as completely genuine people, not frosted over fictional versions of reality.  It was an enjoyable piece of fiction. 

dija

Omg definitely a slow burn,but it was worth it it was goooooooddd,very real and very raw it's the truth about grief and marriage and parenthood and most of all healing. It has inspired to go to therapy after all these years I've been pushing it off. Such a great read in my eyes!

Kyra

Omg definitely a slow burn,but it was worth it it was goooooooddd,very real and very raw it's the truth about grief and marriage and parenthood and most of all healing. It has inspired to go to therapy after all these years I've been pushing it off. Such a great read in my eyes!



“Real, raw, magnificent—Before I Let Go is the beautiful angst I love to read.” —Colleen Hoover, #1 New York Times bestselling author 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’s 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? Award-winning and bestselling "powerhouse" author Kennedy Ryan is at her absolute best in this compelling, scorching novel about hope and healing, and what it truly means to love for a lifetime (USA Today).

celene

I don't have words for a review right now, but wow. This book completely blew me away. I spent most of it crying. The grief you feel over losing a baby it's...devastating, yet Kennedy Ryan did it with such grace and poise. Hands down a top 5 fave read of 2022.

I also loved the aspect of a divorced couple getting their second chance. It was so breathtaking and beautiful to read about.

Genesis (@whisperingchapters)

I don't have words for a review right now, but wow. This book completely blew me away. I spent most of it crying. The grief you feel over losing a baby it's...devastating, yet Kennedy Ryan did it with such grace and poise. Hands down a top 5 fave read of 2022.

I also loved the aspect of a divorced couple getting their second chance. It was so breathtaking and beautiful to read about.

this was marketed as a second chance romance, however i feel like it’s more contemporary fiction with a romance subplot. this dealt alot with trauma and hurt and grief and the importance of mental health and therapy. it was such a great take on all those important topics. lost half a star bc of much much deja and josiah angered me at times, but overall such a hard hitting story

Danyella Barajas

”Grief is a grind. It is the work of breathing and waking and rising and moving through a world that feels emptier. A gaping hole has been torn into your existence, and everyone around you just walks right past it like it's not even there.”

I loved this so much! It was so beautiful, so engaging to read, so romantic, eye opening and so grounded. I loved how it was pro therapy and talked a lot of grief and healing.

I loved the characters! Ugh I just loved it all. 

I genuinely couldn’t put this down and I can’t wait to read more from Kennedy Ryan. 

Kathryn

”Grief is a grind. It is the work of breathing and waking and rising and moving through a world that feels emptier. A gaping hole has been torn into your existence, and everyone around you just walks right past it like it's not even there.”

I loved this so much! It was so beautiful, so engaging to read, so romantic, eye opening and so grounded. I loved how it was pro therapy and talked a lot of grief and healing.

I loved the characters! Ugh I just loved it all. 

I genuinely couldn’t put this down and I can’t wait to read more from Kennedy Ryan. 

5/5⭐️’s 

I know this author mainly through their college sport romances. I was not expecting a book as deep and mature as this one. The characters were well rounded and their development through the book was very relatable. This story is about a divorced couple fighting to stay friends and the longing of wanting to be more. I thoroughly enjoyed reading their journey and I felt that their marriage struggles could be common to readers. Thank you to NetGally and the publishers for an advanced copy for reading. 

Before I Let Go Skyland #1

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