Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Before I Let Go

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan

180 reviews

zemily83's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense 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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cassiesnextchapter's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-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

4.5 - such a lovely story of loss, grief, and second chances. There were a few things that felt like a stretch to me, or maybe I’m just jaded because my marriage crumbled in much the same way…without the happier ending.
Beautifully written though, and I’m excited for Soledad’s story next!

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abbyrose333's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring reflective slow-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

This was a phenomenal story! I loved every second and there is nothing I would change. The characters were written with such depth it felt like I was right there with them navigating each of their emotions and experiences. This wasn’t just a love story about a couple it was about love for yourself, family, friends and everyone in between.

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kerrythefire's review against another edition

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challenging emotional 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

4.5

It took me a long time to pick up this book because I knew it'd be a lot of emotion. It was. A lot of brutal stuff in here, but really beautifully written around rich, complex characters you can't help but root for. Yas and Josiah felt like real, believable people and Kennedy Ryan took such care with them and their story. The narrators also did a wonderful job with the audiobook.

Second chance romance is not my trope of choice, and I know it's a bias I have in real life that I am skeptical of couples who break up and get back together. But I was all in on this story because it felt so authentic and, tbh, will probably make me more open to the idea of it happening in real life.

This book was also a love letter to therapy which I will always be here for.

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stuffshayreads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

A beautifully written and realistic story of love, life, and friendships (and their complications) after loss. I love the representation of POC’s in this book, though it didn’t seem to be a focus. When I say it’s beautifully written, I truly mean it. The imagery that Kennedy Ryan is able to incorporate, invoked emotions to life events that I have never even come close to. I will definitely be reading more of her works.

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ayodougie's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective slow-paced

Strong character development? Yes

4.0

This one was for sure a slow burn. Writing was great! I loved that she tells her story so well and it felt real. This was real and some touchy subjects were discussed. Grief and loss and how we all cope differently and sometimes these things disrupt our whole lives. Yasmen and Josiah and their second chance and how it is all unpacked. I could most definitely relate and that is what kept me afloat during this slow burn second chance romance. Sometimes you need way more than just love during the hard times but whew when they spoke on their love I felt it in my gut. This book was therapy in a nutshell shell and I loved its positive take on therapy in black families because this is constantly overlooked in the community. Even the tough take on parenthood because it is hard with these little humans and they can pull at your heart in the worse way, it is not always great no matter how good you are to them. The dynamic they had after divorce was great because most just explode and break families up because of hurt but Josiah kept going through his hurt I get his hesitation and respect on his behalf. Well done I am not much of a romance reader but I loved the authors writing style.

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bribreez's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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

4.75

*Check Trigger Warnings before reading.

4.75⭐️/ 3🌶️

Kennedy Ryan has become one of those authors I get more and more excited reading her books. Between breaking my heart, being emotionally invested, and falling in love with both the characters and stories, there’s nothing Kennedy Ryan can’t do. This was another book of hers I had heard a lot of great things about, and I finally got the chance to pick up this gem. This story followed, Yasmen and Josiah Wade. Once happily married with their two kids, running a thriving business together, but now divorced. Through some unknown details hinted at in the beginning, this story opened up the highs and lows of Yasmen and Josiah’s relationship as they navigated co-parenting, and dealt with lingering feelings from their past.

For some reason, before reading this book, I got the feeling that I was going to be emotionally wrecked, and it ended up being true. This wasn’t a lighthearted story, this story was one that delved into Yasmen and Josiah’s lives as they juggled their business, being parents, and learning to be themselves as opposed to what they once were. I’m an anxious girlie, so even within the first few chapters, I quickly caught on to part of the reason of Yasmen and Josiah getting a divorce. Also, with the authors note before the start, I was able to know beforehand what the story was going to talk about so I wasn’t completely shocked when I was able to put the pieces together of what happened in Yasmen and Josiah’s marriage. I’m glad I read the note before, otherwise it would have been shocking to find out for myself. Goes to show trigger warnings are there for a reason and I would urge you to always check.

Anyways, I could see Yasmen and Josiah trying their best to manage all their responsibilities, but there was still that lingering pain that was in the background of everything. Not to mention, despite being divorced for two years, it was still something Yasmen, Josiah, and their two kids had to adjust to as their new “normal”. I felt bad when I saw Yasmen and Josiah had minor disagreements whether it was about their kids, their lives, or even remembering what led to their divorce. I can’t imagine the pain both Yasmen and Josiah went through, but even having moved on, some of that pain was still present.

Even being divorced, I was holding out hope for Josiah and Yasmen to somehow find their way back to each other, but apparently it wasn’t an easy way back. I get that Yasmen and Josiah were both single and able to date whoever they wanted, but seeing Josiah date someone after having been married to Yasmen was a sucker punch to my stomach. Yasmen wasn’t the only one feeling the mixed emotions at seeing her former husband with a new woman by his side.

I went into this book equal parts nervous, and intrigued. Josiah and Yasmen’s relationship was a mix up of seeing the highs and lows of co-parenting and still dealing with the residual grief that lingered. I really loved how Kennedy wrote this story from highlighting the significance of therapy especially with Josiah initially thinking therapy wasn’t “real”, to seeing Josiah taking the tools he learned in therapy to better himself and work through his grief, etc. Yasmen’s struggle with depression was raw, and eye opening especially taking into consideration how much she opened up about all that she felt during the lowest point of her life. Like most of Kennedy’s books, this was a beautifully written story with so much depth, lovable characters, and moments that made me sad and a bit emotional.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, Kennedy Ryan once again crafted such a riveting story that held my attention and made care about Yasmen and Josiah. Alongside the main characters, I also came to adore Hendrix and Soledad (Yasmen’s best friends). I’m really looking forward to future books especially with Soledad’s!! The kids in this book were endearing but also sassy (courtesy of Deja haha). Seeing the way that Yasmen and Josiah found their way back to each other wasn’t easy, but it was so satisfying seeing them once again find that connection that never went away. The love between Yasmen and Josiah was ever growing, beautiful, and meaningful. By the end, I was happy with the way Yasmen and Josiah’s story ended especially with that heartwarming moment in the epilogue. Highly recommend reading this book and any book Kennedy Ryan has written!

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ewillreadit's review against another edition

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challenging 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

3.0

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kassielovestoread's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-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

I fear that this review will be a total mess for my final thoughts! I did like it, a lot actually, but I do have a lot to say about it.

Firstly, this is NOT a contemporary romance novel like many, MANY people have advertised it to be! It does feature a second chance romance, but it takes a backseat to the anguish and the suffering the MC's have endured/will endure throughout the story. The reader can expect to witness a lot of the day to day dynamics of Yasmen and Josiah as they also navigate their complicated, evolving feelings for each other. The romance eventually manifests, about 50-60% into the book. It's a lot of will they or won't they, I'd categorize this as one of the slower burns I've read this year. I do believe a lot of the book could've been trimmed down, specifically within the first 100 pages or so. For a while I wasn't sure in which direction this book was going to take!

Back to the genre, this is women's fiction and if that's your jam: that's fine! And maybe this is more my fault for not double checking, but again, this was not the contemporary romance read that I wanted, LOL. Something I've come to understand is that I don't vibe with women's fiction. I often find that this genre features novels primarily dealing with heavy topics. Before I Let Go was definitely one of these books, and it was a journey to get through. Not sure if I'd willingly read something this heavy again.

With all that being said: I did really enjoy this book. I'm ashamed to admit that it took me a bit of time to figure out that this was either the most unique rom-com I've ever read orrrrrr I possibly picked up the wrong book in a genre I don't love, LOL. When I figured that out, I adjusted my expectations and strapped in for the ride. I loved our MC's and I did enjoy reading about the complicated dynamics of their lives! I rooted for their love the entire time, I knew it was only a matter of time before they got their HEA's . I thought the epilogue was lovely and tied things up in a heart-warming way!

Would I read the sequel? To be honest....I'm really not too sure. I'm super intrigued about Soledad's story , but can I really read a women's fiction book in earnest and not accidentally?? I don't know! I'm going to play it by ear. I can't commit to either a yes or no. However, I'm seriously interested in Kennedy Ryan as an author and I think I'm going to dive into her backlog to see if she has written any rom-coms in the past! If so, count me all the way in!!

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shaynicole's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful 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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