Before I Let Go Book Review

Content warning: this review discusses stillborn births and mental health.

I’ve read plenty of romances, especially within the last two months. Yet, there is one trope that I’ve always been curious about, but never fully explored until now, and that is the second chance romance. This involves a couple breaking up, finding themselves, and possibly getting back together. An example of this is Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan. It’s a highly introspective look at a divorced couple, hope, and mental health that makes it a true standout among second chance romances.

Before I Let Go is the first book in the Skyland series. Yasmen and Josiah’s love was supposed to last forever, but one devastating blow after another, they found that love 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 starting to find joy again. Also, she and ex-husband Josiah have found a new rhythm, co-parenting their two kids, and running a business together. But, they are always drawn back together, and they wonder if they were ever truly ready to let go of everything they once had.  Soon, one stolen kiss leads to another, and they end up having secret rendezvouses. It’s all good until it reopens some wounds. Is it too late for them to find forever? Or could they even be better, the second time around?      

One of my first thoughts was how much Before I Let Go reminded me of the 1937 romantic screwball comedy The Awful Truth starring Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. In it, a rich couple splits up, but they interfere with each other’s romances because they can’t face the awful truth that they still have feelings for one another. They have similar premises and almost identical scenarios like the different partners and the trip the main couple are forced to go on together. However, there is one major difference, and that’s the tone. The Awful Truth is light and contains plenty of farce. 

On the other hand, Before I Let Go handles its situations with more gravitas. It’s grounded in the reality of how a divorced couple lives while co-parenting and running a business together. Yasmen and Josiah are, or become, aware of the consequences of their actions. This is especially true when two deaths in the family shake them in different ways. When their child Henry is stillborn, Yasmen becomes depressed and unable to do anything unless it involves their other children Deja and Kassim. Josiah buries the grief so deep that he comes off as insensitive to Yasmen, while he points out how over reactive she could be. It only takes time for them to realize what had led them to separate and why they still have feelings for another. In a subplot, Yasmen struggles to connect with their teenage daughter Deja, while Josiah has no problem getting along with her. Even though Deja certainly comes off as brooding, stubborn, and spoiled, her feelings are valid, especially when she reveals why she has so much resentment towards her mom.

Hope plays a huge role in second chance romance for obvious reasons, but Before I Let Go is realistic about it. There’s plenty of wishing, especially on Yasmen’s side because she realizes that she regrets asking for the divorce in the first place. At the same time, she is all too aware of the obstacles like Josiah dating the chef from their restaurant and her seeing someone else too. Yet, once they hook up again, their relationship becomes more complicated than ever. It becomes clear that they want to get back together, but they wonder if it’s worth it as they might reopen some wounds. Even Josiah has to lay down some ground rules while they had their rendezvous. And reader, those scenes are pretty steamy, and I was reading those parts while I was at work. Getting back to the point, I love how hope is seen in a mature light.

Another asset Before I Let Go has is the depiction of mental health and therapy. These are portrayed authentically. When readers meet Yasmen, she’s in a post-depressive state, but that doesn’t mean she’s 100%. She goes to therapy, and it took her awhile to find the right therapist, who could listen to her and give her pointers about how to deal with certain situations. When 10-year-old Kassim has some recurring thoughts about deaths of family members, Yasmen and Josiah agree to get him some therapy, so his emotional intelligence could be strengthened. While Kassim is initially reluctant, Josiah offers to go to some solo sessions to entice his son to attend his own. Again, Josiah makes it clear in the beginning that he doesn’t care all that much for therapy, thinking that it’s not for him, but I love seeing his growth and him getting in touch with feelings buried beneath him, especially when it comes to the death of his parents, during the course of the novel. The novel is fully aware of how it takes time for people to heal and therapy can help under the right circumstances. It also makes it clear that therapy is for those at the right place and at the right time. Josiah realizes that he needed it even if he was too stubborn to admit it at first. As someone who is in therapy right now, I felt that these scenes were true to life.

Of course, the biggest strength is the relationship between Yasmen and Josiah. I knew I was going to like this couple when I read how he fell in love with her when she gave him watery chicken noodle soup. It goes back and forth from each perspective, thus providing plenty of nuance to the story. They both complement each other. Josiah is neat, while Yasmen is sloppy. When he had the dream to open up a restaurant in Atlanta, she had the drive to make that happen. This is true of their faults as well. As mentioned earlier, Josiah can come off as emotionless at times, while Yasman could possibly exaggerate some of her feelings. They bring out the best and worst in each other, and they have to figure out if the relationship is worth rekindling on those merits. Even though I had a sense of what the outcome was, the book certainly had me on my toes because of all of the hoops the couple was going through. It kept me interested in their romance.

Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan is a wonderful second chance romance. It’s everything that readers would expect from this trope and more. The novel is grounded in reality that the main characters are all too aware of. The depictions of mental health and therapy are well-handled. And above all, the romance between Yasmen and Josiah will have readers rooting for them to get back together. I would recommend this to those who enjoy reading black romances as well as about business owners, co-parenting, mental health, and couples possibly reigniting their love for each other. After reading this, I know I’m not going to let this go for a while.

Now before I let you go, I want to let everyone know that I will be recording the latest episode of the Adapt Me Podcast soon. Guest and Bookstagrammer Asha Bartley and I will talk about how we would adapt this novel. Keep an eye out for the link.

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