From the author of The Things We Cannot Say, Before I Let You Go explores a hotly divisive topic and asks how far the ties of family love can be stretched before they finally break. “Kelly Rimmer skillfully takes us deep inside a world where love must make choices that logic cannot. Ripped from the headlines and from the heart, Before I Let You Go is an unforgettable novel that will amaze and … Ripped from the headlines and from the heart, Before I Let You Go is an unforgettable novel that will amaze and startle you with its impact and insight.” —Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author of The Bookshop at Water’s End
“Before I Let You Go is a heartbreaking book about an impossible decision. Kelly Rimmer writes with wisdom and compassion about the relationships between sisters, mother and daughter…. She captures the anguish of addiction, the agonizing conflict between an addict’s best and worst selves. Above all, this is a novel about the deepest love possible.” —Luanne Rice, New York Times bestselling author
The 2:00 a.m. call is the first time Lexie Vidler has heard her sister’s voice in years. Annie is a drug addict, a thief, a liar—and in trouble, again. Lexie has always bailed Annie out, given her money, a place to sleep, sent her to every kind of rehab. But this time, she’s not just strung out—she’s pregnant and in premature labor. If she goes to the hospital, she’ll lose custody of her baby—maybe even go to prison. But the alternative is unthinkable.
As the weeks unfold, Lexie finds herself caring for her fragile newborn niece while her carefully ordered life is collapsing around her. She’s in danger of losing her job, and her fiancé only has so much patience for Annie’s drama. In court-ordered rehab, Annie attempts to halt her downward spiral by confronting long-buried secrets from the sisters’ childhoods, ghosts that Lexie doesn’t want to face. But will the journey heal Annie, or lead her down a darker path?
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4 stars
Kelly Rimmer is fast becoming one of my favorite family drama authors. She gets down into the messy details and continually tugs at your heart strings. I don’t think I have read anything by her that hasn’t left me a sobbing mess at the end.
The story is told in alternating viewpoints between Lexi & Annie, which allows you to really get to know these sisters. Both of these women are so damaged, but you just cannot help but feel for them. I spent plenty of time shaking my head at their continually poor decisions, but regardless, I felt for them and felt quite bonded to these characters.
There are a lot of heavy topics in this novel: drug abuse, physical abuse, addiction in adults and newborn infants, there isn’t much that Rimmer doesn’t throw at us in Before I Let You Go. However, all of this comes together to create quite a poignant story of 2 sisters and the depths of love and family. Highly recommended (with a side of tissues).
I have loved all the other books this author has written. This story was good and the characters well developed. However the story takes place in Alabama but the author, who lives in Australia, uses phrases and speech not common to Alabama; more like Australia. This takes away from the authenticity of the story. She should stick to novels set in Australia.
Love the characters, the sisters and their bond.
Excellent book
I LOVED THIS BOOK! Such a sad story of addiction and all the sorrow it brings to a family.
I love her books anyway but this one was a great read!!
Excellent book.
A ‘Sophie’s choice’ style book – tenderly written, as heart-breaking as they come. All about family bonds and how far they can be stretched before they break completely. Kelly Rimmer is masterful when it comes to exploring human emotions. This is an intensely well written novel that makes it impossible to look away from the page even you feel as if you could do with a break. Domestic drama on steroids, and the best and worst of the decisions we sometimes have to make. Read it when you have someone around to hug you. Very highly recommended.
Wow, what an incredible book. Before I Let You Go by Kelly Rimmer was an emotional read. It gives a look into heroin addiction, how it can happen and how it can shatter and affect so many lives. It shows how healing of relationships can happen, but with great difficulty. It illustrates how our own perspectives of our situations can be so different than anyone else looking in from the outside. I would definitely recommend this book.
A powerful and thought-provoking read from Australian author Kelly Rimmer! Before I Let You Go explores drug addiction and the unbreakable bond between two sisters, and the complexities around that – co-dependency, enabling and of course, unconditional love. I’ve yet to pick up a Kelly Rimmer book that I haven’t loved and cried through. 5 stars for Before I Let You Go!
WOW this book was powerful and it grabbed my heart from the very first chapter. It was raw, beautiful, gripping, and I was pretty emotional throughout the whole thing. This was so well written, I know it is fictional but these characters felt so real. I was heartbroken for almost every single one of them but also angered by situations they put themselves in or were forced into. This book definitely opens up communication about so many topics from drug abuse to sexual assault but also family bonds and the impact that these things have for every single person involved. I loved this so much because it made me feel so many things. It is easily FIVE STARS and one of the best books I have read this year.
Good insight into the lives of those battling addiction and those that love them.
I really enjoyed the confusing relationship between the sisters and the family dynamics.
I liked this book very much but it was very sad for me.
This is a great story of two adult sisters struggling with the addiction of the younger sister –who is late in her first pregnancy. Their father dies and their mother remarries, quickly abandoning the daughters for a religiously conservative man. The characters are strong and the story is realistic; although the mother’s choice of her second husband seems inconsistent with her earlier behavior. I could not put it down and lost a lot of sleep reading late into the night.
I loved this book. Reminds us of how drug use can destroy lives. And how people can destroy others, and some can live thru abuse.
It’s wonderful
Informational, and easy to relate to. I loved it!
Great read!
I really enjoyed it, it brings you into a world of compassion and tragedy. The strong ties of two sisters was amazing and something i wish I had in my life.