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A review by bookswithlee
Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan
5.0
4.5 stars
I loved this book as not only a Black woman who has struggled with mental health and postpartum depression, but also as a therapist. The relationship between the two main characters (Josiah and Yasmen) was so dynamic and authentic that I could feel every emotion coming to life off of the page.
There were so many things I loved about this book, but let’s first start with the mental health representation.
I can tell you first hand that I have worked with clients similar to Josiah and Yasmen who have come across similar struggles in life and stepped into my office as a final step hoping for anything to bring them back together.
I loved how Kennedy Ryan was able to depict these very real life struggles of couples, specifically Black couples as they make the leap into seeking therapy with not only nuance, but compassion.
She handle these very delicate issue with such care while also allowing the rawness of each persons very real emotions to bleed onto the page pulling you into the story and allowing you to connect and feel as they navigated through difficult situations and conversations.
My only qualm is that I wished that therapy and mental health was handled and dealt with equally between the children not just with the child who was showing the more internalized symptoms as mental health symptoms should be treated equally whether they are internal or external symptoms presented. I wished that this was touched on more instead of adding in therapy as in afterthought for one of the children as it’s often the child who appears to be doing “okay” who needs the most help and attention.
I also loved the family and friend dynamics throughout the book. I found myself laughing with Yasmen and her friends and wishing I could be apart of the family get togethers. My mouth was also watering for the food even feeling nostalgic for some that I no longer enjoy such as chitterlin’ (my mama ruined them for me once she told me what they were lol).
Overall this was a beautifully written story that dealt with a lot of difficult issues; however, each was handled with care and did a great job shining light on the importance of mental health specifically within the Black community. I cannot wait to read more from Kennedy Ryan. Great book!
I loved this book as not only a Black woman who has struggled with mental health and postpartum depression, but also as a therapist. The relationship between the two main characters (Josiah and Yasmen) was so dynamic and authentic that I could feel every emotion coming to life off of the page.
There were so many things I loved about this book, but let’s first start with the mental health representation.
I can tell you first hand that I have worked with clients similar to Josiah and Yasmen who have come across similar struggles in life and stepped into my office as a final step hoping for anything to bring them back together.
I loved how Kennedy Ryan was able to depict these very real life struggles of couples, specifically Black couples as they make the leap into seeking therapy with not only nuance, but compassion.
She handle these very delicate issue with such care while also allowing the rawness of each persons very real emotions to bleed onto the page pulling you into the story and allowing you to connect and feel as they navigated through difficult situations and conversations.
My only qualm is that I wished that therapy and mental health was handled and dealt with equally between the children not just with the child who was showing the more internalized symptoms as mental health symptoms should be treated equally whether they are internal or external symptoms presented. I wished that this was touched on more instead of adding in therapy as in afterthought for one of the children as it’s often the child who appears to be doing “okay” who needs the most help and attention.
I also loved the family and friend dynamics throughout the book. I found myself laughing with Yasmen and her friends and wishing I could be apart of the family get togethers. My mouth was also watering for the food even feeling nostalgic for some that I no longer enjoy such as chitterlin’ (my mama ruined them for me once she told me what they were lol).
Overall this was a beautifully written story that dealt with a lot of difficult issues; however, each was handled with care and did a great job shining light on the importance of mental health specifically within the Black community. I cannot wait to read more from Kennedy Ryan. Great book!