Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan

Book Review: Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan

Love, loss, and the long road back to each other.

★★★★★ 5/5 Stars

There are some books you feel in your bones—where the emotions sit heavy on your chest, the characters linger long after the last page, and the story somehow becomes a mirror. Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan is one of those books. Raw, lyrical, and deeply healing, it’s more than a second-chance romance—it’s a second chance at life.

The Story

Yasmen and Josiah were once each other’s everything: business partners, lovers, and best friends. But when unimaginable tragedy strikes their family, their foundation cracks, then crumbles. Now divorced and co-parenting their two children while still running a restaurant together, they’re trying to move on… even though the love between them never fully left.

As Yasmen works through her grief and mental health struggles, and Josiah tries to protect his heart (and hers), the two are forced to confront the past, their pain, and the undeniable pull that still exists between them. What follows is a tender, complicated journey toward forgiveness, growth, and maybe—just maybe—reclaiming a love they thought was gone.

What I Loved

1. The Emotional Honesty:

Kennedy Ryan doesn’t shy away from difficult topics. Depression, therapy, parental grief, identity loss—it’s all there, handled with nuance and care. Yasmen’s emotional journey is particularly resonant, offering a real portrayal of what it means to fight for yourself after everything falls apart.

2. The Black Joy & Vulnerability:

This book celebrates Black love, Black healing, and Black mental health without centering trauma as the whole story. It gives its characters space to be vulnerable, resilient, and whole.

3. The Writing Style:

Poetic but grounded. Ryan’s prose flows like a soft song, filled with quiet power. Her dialogue feels authentic, her pacing steady, and the tension between Yasmen and Josiah is palpable from page one.

4. The Grown Love Story:

This isn’t a tale of young infatuation. It’s a love that has lived, broken, and is trying to be reborn. Watching two adults wrestle with accountability, timing, trust, and co-parenting while the embers of passion still burn is both heart-wrenching and beautiful.

Re-read Worthy?

Absolutely. Especially if you’re in a season of transition, healing, or redefining what love means to you. This book hits different when your own heart has a few cracks in it.

Final Thoughts

Before I Let Go isn’t just about rekindled romance—it’s about choosing love even after it’s failed you. About making peace with your pain. About starting again, this time softer, wiser, and more open. If you’ve ever believed in second chances—whether in love or in life—this book is for you.

Highly recommended for fans of Tia Williams, Jasmine Guillory, Colleen Hoover, or anyone who wants their romance served with real-life stakes and a whole lot of soul.

Have you read Before I Let Go?

Drop your thoughts in the comments—I’d love to know what scene gutted you the most (for me, that kitchen scene… whew ).

Until next time,

Nat Reads Books & People Too