This is a ridiculously silly thing to be excited about, but there are recipes at the end of this book! We get to read about all this great food and then, we can make it ourselves. I loved this book and it made me cry and laugh and ache, but then I got to the end, and those recipes are like my own personal happily ever after. This is one of the best depictions of food as love and healing that I’ve read.
Before I Let Go is a second chance romance between a divorced couple who are still running a business and raising kids together. When Yasmen and Josiah’s marriage ended, they chose to focus on being good co-parents to their two kids and good co-owners of their upscale soul fusion restaurant in Atlanta. After being divorced for two years, they’ve mostly found their rhythm.
The biggest challenge of a second chance romance is convincing the reader that the couple had good reason to break up and that enough has changed that the things that broke up the couple before won’t break them up again. The losses the couple suffered in a short period of time would challenge any couple. Yasmen has spent the two years prior to the book healing herself, learning to take care of her own emotional wellbeing, and rebuilding her life. Josiah is still trying to power through, feeling like taking care of his family’s need for financial stability is enough.
Kennedy Ryan is a master of her craft. At the beginning of the book, no matter how much love and attraction there might be between Josiah and Yasmen, it’s clear that they are not ready to be together again. There’s still too much unresolved grief and anger. Ryan gives the story time to breath and evolve without ever feeling like there are unnecessary pieces. She makes some lovely choices in showing how Yasmen and Josiah are continuing to grow as people (which relates directly to the recipes at the end of the book). Ryan is equally compassionate and tender with her characters’ fragilities and strengths. As someone who has explode their life during bouts of depression, I really appreciated the way she advocates for her characters to forgive themselves.
Before I Let Go is an angsty book, but also warm and filled with humor. I’m excited that this is the first of a series and I do hope that in addition to Yasmen’s friends getting their own books, we also see Vashti get her happily ever after. I could write all day about everything that’s right with this book, but I want you to have the joy of discovering it yourselves.
CW: grief, death of parents and parental figure off page, pregnancy loss, depression, past thoughts of self harm, therapy, trauma, divorce.
I received this as an advance reader copy from Forever and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.
