Before I Let Go book review
The only thing stronger than love is guilt. Guilt, guilt, guilt. Keep reading to find out what book I'm reviewing today.
Hey, y'all, it's Kyla Denanyoh. Today, we are talking about love, guilt, and relationships. The book Before I Let Go is by Kennedy Ryan. It is fiction with a theme of African American literature.
So, I've been hearing a lot about this book, and I love the cover. I had to pick it up and read it. I was like, it's giving Afro-goddess goodness. So you start reading it, and it's the story of Yasmeen and Josiah, and you're reading it. You're like, Oh, they're so cute. Okay. They fell in love. Okay. But the book starts with a disclosure. Hey, I reached out to people who've gone through these things. I tried to present these things in the most caring way.
So I'm already waiting for some big trauma, right? No one told me to read this book, so I had no idea what it was about, but I'm like, okay, I'm already anticipating some big trauma. And there was, and it was heartbreaking.
But I will tell you this: Love is stronger than guilt. Guilt seems way stronger and will keep you up all night and give you all the stuff, but love is stronger, okay?
So Yasmeen and Josiah started this restaurant. They have all this guilt and debt, and the whole story is about how they survived this momentous thing—the restaurant almost closing—and created a family together. Then life keeps happening to them, and it's like, man, when is it my turn to be out of it?
Well, Yasmeen had to realize that's not really the case. That's not how life works, right? Life is going to keep hitting you as long as you're alive. And so she has to realize, okay, will my love be stronger than the guilt? The guilt of being hurt, the guilt of my expectations not being met, the guilt of not being as happy with the things she thought she wanted.
Marriage does not guarantee you will be happy forever and walk off into the sunset together. Marriage is a commitment, and you involve the government in your relationship; that's what marriage is. And Ken and Mary completely bypassed everything that Yasmeen was thinking about. We heard from Josiah, and he was also enjoying that meeting. Still, it impacted Yasmeen, and I liked to see that because it was unexpected. Here, they come in to support the two of them. They look different, live in different cities, have different family structures, and are obsessed with each other.
This book is absolutely beautiful. And I would describe it as beautiful because beauty doesn't have to be all about roses, sunshine, and unicorns. The truth of the story was that it was a great look at marriage, relationships, and family. There are a couple of chapters in the book where I cannot stand Yasmeen.
There's a layer of guilt involved with Yasmeen and the way she parents as well because her heart was broken when their expectations for their life changed. It took her a really long time to get out of that, and it's nobody's fault the circumstances happened. It was hit after hit, and she wasn't sure how to deal. Kennedy Ryan presents her in a way that she handled it as best she could at that time.
Pick it up and give it a read because it is a phenomenal book, absolutely great, and yes, I would definitely reread it.
Until the next book review, Kyla
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