Before I Let Go
About Before I Let Go
“Real, raw, magnificent—Before I Let Go is the beautiful angst I love to read.” —Colleen Hoover, #1 New York Times bestselling author A Good Morning America Book Buzz Pick! 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).
What readers say
Readers call this second-chance romance raw and emotionally powerful, praising its honest handling of grief, loss and divorce, a positive picture of therapy, cooperative co-parenting, strong chemistry and angst, and a warm friend group many want more of. Reviewers on blogs echo that it is more than a typical romance. The most common criticism is that it reads more like women's fiction than a romance, with a slow, uneven middle and a rushed ending. Some find the sex scenes excessive or the teenage daughter grating, and a few feel it doesn't deliver the Black romance it was marketed as. Heavy content warnings apply.
Best for: Readers who want an emotional, angsty second-chance story and don't mind heavy themes.
Summary of public reader reviews, updated November 2026.