Before I Let Go: What this Book Unlocked for me

For the past year, I’ve been seeing all the hype about this book and convincing myself, “I don’t have time to read.” But here’s the thing… I’m an Audible girlie. And if I have time to listen to music and watch podcasts, then I definitely have time to indulge in a book, right?

So, this year, I told myself I’m reading or listening to 12 new books. The first one I picked up was Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan.

AMAZING.

I’m a sucker for a good love story—especially a Black love story. As I was listening, it felt like I was watching it. I could visualize every scene because they were painted so perfectly. But if you’re new here… this is not a book review.

As a platform, we often take things from pop culture and pull out the lessons (the major themes) and relate them to our own lives. We’re committed to having conversations that aren’t always the most popular. This book explores two conversations that feel incredibly timely… not just for where I am right now, but for many people I know. (Because we all got dragged in 2025.)

Those two things are grief and forgiveness.

So let’s talk about it. And I’m going to try to do this without giving anything away, because I know I’m not the only one just getting into it.

Forgiveness

Oftentimes—whether in TV or books, especially romance—forgiveness shows up after cheating. But Before I Let Go explores forgiveness from two angles.

Forgiveness of self really stuck with me because it’s just not talked about enough. It made me stop and ask: What do I need to forgive myself for? Not just in past relationships, but in general.

What grudge—if any—am I holding against myself that’s stopping me from experiencing pure joy?

Grief

Now… I’m on my own grief journey. In the book, you see how two people deal with grief very differently. And honestly, I’ve navigated grief both ways—wallowing in my feelings for so long that I got stuck there, and pushing forward because life is still happening.

Listening to how Yasmen and Josiah dealt with grief—and the impact it had on their relationship, their businesses, their family—made me wonder:

How am I really dealing with mine? Or am I avoiding it?

I lost my dad back in June. It hits me in waves, but it also shook up my world in ways I never imagined. I’ve talked to my therapist, found ways to memorialize him when it hits, and, most importantly, I allow myself to feel whatever comes up, when it comes up. Sounds good, right?

But have I really come to terms with that loss?

Because, transparently, his passing brought more than grief over his physical absence. I’m grieving what I always wanted him to be for me and what he wasn’t consistently, but was for my sisters. I’m grieving the relationship I had with one of my sisters. And I’m still trying to understand what this loss means for future moments.

I don’t know yet.

And the last thing…

My girl, Kennedy Ryan, deserves her flowers.

In the acknowledgments, she shared that this was the first book she had ever written. It was drafted nearly 15 years ago, and while things obviously changed along the way, she also revealed that she was diagnosed with depression while writing it. She said, “She wore the skin of this book and didn’t know whether that made it harder or easier to write.”

I’m betting harder.

How many things are we not doing because we’re “going through it” and feel like we have to get through it before we do the thing?

This book came out sometime ago, and while I intended to read it last year, I didn’t pick it up until now. And no, I’m not currently dealing with depression—but me and depression have met a few times before. So it made me ask myself:

The answer is yes. And you probably are too.

So what I want you to take from this isn’t just about grief and forgiveness, it’s about doing the thing. Starting the thing. Not being afraid of the drafts.

#keepstruttin