Book Recommendation: ‘Before I Let Go’ by Kennedy Ryan

Recommended by KARLIE MARTENS, Bookseller, Novel Bay Booksellers

February is the time to celebrate love in all forms, but we are often left daydreaming of the fairy-tale-person-in-shining-armor type of love story. In her latest novel, Ryan throws out the fairy tale for the real world, yet she still leaves us daydreaming for a love story like this.

Yasmen and Josiah are a dynamic power couple who are building a family, restaurant and love story all at the same time. Their love is powerful (and spicy!), and it can be felt immediately from page one. 

The twist? They’re divorced.

Their love story is full of heartbreak, trauma and a lifetime of hard moments, and Ryan takes the time to share these difficult experiences. She tackles topics such as depression, therapy, raising children, divorce and love with such a real-world lens and does not shy away from exploring their real-world implications. Yet despite all they’ve been through, will Yasmen and Josiah get their fairy-tale ending after all?

Love stories are magical, but they’re also full of real life. The relationships that can stand up when the real world tries to knock them down are worth reading about – and wishing for.