Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan

202 reviews

balletbookworm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Y'all won't let me give more than 5 stars....

Kennedy. Ryan. You know what you did. Ripped my heart out multiple times.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Grief, and Death

I tagged "miscarriage" but that's really not quite correct, since Yasmeen is ~36 weeks pregnant, however there weren't any other options. Aspects of her pregnancy loss/stillbirth are on the page.

bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Grief, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Child death, Death of parent, Medical content, and Car accident

laurenkimoto's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I am not okay this book has caused emotional damage. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Death, Infertility, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Grief

bookishjae's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Death

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

krissareads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Miscarriage and Mental illness

catbrainerd's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Respectful and realistic portrayal of grief and depression 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Mental illness

Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage, and Medical content

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Death of parent, and Dementia

katiejohns's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Death of parent, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Grief, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Car accident, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Death, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Dementia

jenguerrero's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Grief, Infertility, and Death of parent

louisekf's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Does love conquer all? In this beautiful story, Yasmen and Josiah are divorced, having once promised to love each other “until the wheels fall off.” Two family tragedies affected each of them in a very different way, and they fell apart. With Yasmen in a deep depression, she asked for the divorce, and Josiah had to learn to deal with that. The fact that they run a business together (a restaurant) and have two children keeps them in close contact. A couple of years later, it is clear that they have not gotten over each other. Yasmen is getting back on her feet and wants to see if they can rekindle what they had.

This is not a light read, but a powerful examination of a marriage. While Yasmen has faced her feelings, Josiah has repressed them. I loved how the author focused on psychology/therapy as a positive force. The story is told from both perspectives, with some chapters narrated by Yasmen and others by Josiah. There were some great side characters, including Yasmen’s two friends: Hendrix and Soledad, and young teen Deja.

Warning: graphic depiction of pregnancy and miscarriage/stillbirth; lots of curse words (for those who don’t like that sort of language in books); graphic open door “spice.”

I was surprised to find some recipes at the end of the book, as I’ve usually only seen those in culinary cozy mystery books They sound delicious!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I was very late to it. With the next book in the series coming out shortly, I guess I had the incentive to finally read this one! I bounced between the ARC and the published audiobook, courtesy of my public library. The audiobook was beautifully narrated by Wesleigh Siobhan and Jakobi Diem. All opinions are my own.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Cursing, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Grief

Moderate: Death of parent and Death

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

abidavisf's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I am stunned and awed by this book. Kennedy Ryan has taken my heart in her hands, broken it, and then healed it.

I can hear Yasmen and Josiah’s voices so clearly in my head, feel everything that they felt. I have been in a somewhat similar situation to Yasmen (though it cannot compare to the enormity of Yasmen’s loss), and to be able to hear both her and Josiah’s sides was completely gut-wrenching while also incredibly healing. I considered possibilities about my former partner/relationship that I never have before. The demise of a relationship, the loss of trust, it has all been captured so realistically and with so much heart. I feel like I should be devastated, but I actually feel a sense of closure.

There are moments of beauty and tragedy within Before I Let Go that are then expertly juxtaposed with humour and hope. 10/10. A must read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Child death, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Mental illness

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Mental illness, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Death

Minor: Infertility, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Dementia