Book Review: Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan

March 9, 2026March 8, 2026 Dini @ dinipandareadsLeave a comment

Before I Let Go (Skyland #1)
Publisher: Forever
Pub Date: 15 November 2022
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Panda Rating:

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📖 SYNOPSIS

Their love was supposed to last forever. But when life delivered blow after devastating blow, Yasmen and Josiah Wade found that love alone couldn’t solve or save everything.

It couldn’t save their marriage.

Yasmen wasn’t prepared for how her life fell apart, but she is finally starting to find joy again. She and Josiah have found a new rhythm, co-parenting their two kids and running a thriving business together. Yet like magnets, they’re always drawn back to each other, and now they’re beginning to wonder if they’re truly ready to let go of everything they once had.

Soon, one stolen kiss leads to another…and then more. It’s hot. It’s illicit. It’s all good—until old wounds reopen. Is it too late for them to find forever? Or could they even be better, the second time around?

Award-winning and bestselling “powerhouse” author Kennedy Ryan is at her absolute best in this compelling, scorching novel about hope and healing, and what it truly means to love for a lifetime (USA Today).

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Domestic abuse, child abuse, trauma, violence

TL;DR: I’m writing these thoughts down well after I finished reading this because my feelings were so heightened after this experience, I wanted to let my thoughts marinate a little bit. I want to start by saying that what everyone says about this book is 100% correct. It is beautifully written, heartbreaking and an intensely emotional journey that I found myself getting swept up and away in. Kennedy Ryan is out here destroying feelings left, right and centre, and she does a fantastic job of it! I read this book with Leslie, who didn’t like this as much as I did, and despite loving it myself, I can understand why it won’t be for everyone. Please do check content/trigger warnings because this covers a very traumatic experience and the ways our protagonists deal with what happened can be triggering for some.

Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [319]

March 8, 2026 Dini @ dinipandareads5 Comments

We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve spent your time reading in bed or wish you had time to read today.

I just finished another one of my reads earlier this evening, so now I think I’m going to pick up another one of my ongoing reads, 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World. I started this on a whim last week and it reeled me in pretty quickly. I think I’ve been putting off going back to it because the topics are hard, but I’m keen to see where the story goes. Shafak’s writing is gorgeous!

What book do you have in bed with you this Sunday?

Let’s Talk Bookish: Women Who’ve Shaped Your Reading Life

March 6, 2026March 7, 2026 Dini @ dinipandareads7 Comments

✨ Welcome back to another week of LTB! ✨

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and co-hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits and myself! In this discussion meme, participants get to talk about certain topics, share opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts! Learn more about LTB, past topics and future topics HERE.

This week’s topic is:

Women Who’ve Shaped Your Reading Life

Prompts: March is Women’s History Month and March 8 is also International Women’s Day! In honour of this month celebrating women, let’s talk about the women who’ve shaped our reading lives. Was there (or is there) a woman in your life who sparked your love for reading? Who was the first woman author you remember loving? Do you tend to read more books by women authors and do you think that’s for a reason?

February 2026 Community Posts!

March 5, 2026March 4, 2026 Dini @ dinipandareads12 Comments

Hello book pandas! February has somehow come and gone which mean it’s time to share some of my favourite posts from across the book community this month. I seemed to read and enjoyed a lot of book reviews this month so… You’re in for a lot of those. All of these reviews made me want to pick up these books asap—and maybe you’ll feel the same too! 🤭

On that note, I hope you’ll take the time to visit some of these creators and show them the appreciation they deserve. ✨📖 Happy Reading! 📖✨

#WWWWednesday: 4 March 2026

March 4, 2026 Dini @ dinipandareads19 Comments

Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:

What did you read last?
What are you currently reading?
What will you read next?

#TopTenTuesday: Intimidating Fantasy Series on my TBR!

March 3, 2026 Dini @ dinipandareads47 Comments

We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week’s topic is a: Genre Freebie (Pick a genre and build a list around it. You could do historical fiction featuring strong female leads, contemporary romance set in foreign countries, mysteries starring unreliable narrators, lyrical fiction books in verse, historical romance featuring pirates, Gothic novels with birds on the cover, etc. There are so many options!)

Monthly Wrap-Up: February 2026

March 2, 2026March 2, 2026 Dini @ dinipandareads23 Comments

She blinked and somehow ~~January~~February was already over. I know February is a short month, but it felt like it was only two weeks long with how quickly it flew by? Looking back on the month, I’m not really sure what happened? We had some farewells at work with two colleagues leaving us, but other than that, it was just a whole bunch of work (🎶work, work, work, work🎶) and little else. One farewell involved karaoke and I hadn’t been to one (sober) in ages but it was actually a lot of fun. I still can’t sing to save my life, but I had a great time with my colleagues! We also had our office iftar (the evening meal to break the daily fast) on Friday hosted by our Head of Office. His wife arrived from Egypt with some amazing treats and she cooked up a delicious feast for us. It was fantastic! I drool still thinking about it. 🤤

Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [318]

March 1, 2026 Dini @ dinipandareads12 Comments

I just finished my last read and I’m not entirely sure what I’ll pick up next but I’m leaning toward the new Hazel Mack that dropped last week. It’s a monster cowboy romance and her stories are always a fun, cute, and sexy time. I’ve been highly anticipating Live Love Lasso so I might just pick it up now!

What book do you have in bed with you this Sunday?

Let’s Talk Bookish — March 2026 Topics

February 28, 2026February 28, 2026 Dini @ dinipandareads5 Comments

Happy Saturday, book lovers! Apologies for getting these topics up much later than usual, but we’ve still made it at the end of February! 😅 Honestly, this month was a lot more chaotic than anticipated but we made it through! Here’s what’s in store for the ✨March 2026 LTB Topics!✨

Let’s Talk Bookish: Reading Star Ratings

February 27, 2026 Dini @ dinipandareads7 Comments

In true dinipanda form, this post is coming out late (yet again). I honestly thought that I’d have time this week to prepare the post in advance, but it has been a bit of a hellish work week and it just wasn’t happening. I hope that my answers make sense because it’s now 11:00 pm on a Friday night, I just got home and I’m exhausted. Sorry for what might be a messy post!

✨ Welcome back to another week of LTB! ✨

This week’s topic is:

Reading Star Ratings

Prompts: This topic is inspired by Krysta @ Pages Unbound, who posted about it in 2025. How do you read star ratings from other bloggers/readers? Do you consider star ratings seen on a book blog, Bookstagram, or BookTok differently from ratings on sites like Goodreads? How much does a star rating affect your decision to purchase/borrow/read a book, and does it depend on who/where the star rating comes from?