A review by kristinaneil
Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan

emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0



Kennedy Ryan is an absolutely lovely writer. Before I Let Go is my first foray into her oeuvre and I'm excited to return. 

Before I Let Go deals with heavy themes including pregnancy loss, grief and depression. I thought Kennedy did a stellar job of moving through these themes with immense care, compassion and kindness. 

My only real critique is that I'm not entirely sold on Josiah nor the couple's reunion, even though I'm happy for them. The difficulty I had was with the way he managed Yasmen's depression (during and after the dissolution of their marriage) and what transpired that lead to their divorce. Ryan attempts to make clear that Josiah's own complex trauma was at the forefront of his inability to reconcile that Yasmen's actions were imbricated by the extreme of losing a child. While I was empathetic and truly understanding of this, I felt that his realization came far too late in the book for me. Up until the very end, he still laid the blame of their marriage's end at her feet which I thought was truly unfair. Because of that, it felt difficult to completely root for them. 

Otherwise, pretty good read.
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