Wren and Ellis fell in love young, had their son as teens, and then slowly unraveled until divorce left them living parallel lives in the same small town. But when it’s time to drop their son off at college, a road trip back home gives them one last shot at figuring it all out.

Tarah DeWitt writes heartbreak and healing with such tenderness. The chemistry, the banter, the slow-burn reconnection… every moment between Wren and Ellis felt raw and real. I adored watching them rediscover each other not as the kids they once were, but as the full, flawed, grown-up versions of themselves.

This book was full of heartache, hope, and the kind of love that shows up again and again. Easily my favorite Tarah DeWitt book yet.

Left of Forever had my heart aching and throbbing. My heart strings were pulled left and right. I was rooting for our main characters the entire time. I cried and laughed and cried some more. This book is beautifully written. The prose, the set up, the povs, and the internal monologues were incredibly descriptive. Tarah did an amazing job, this is her best work yet and it's the most beautiful work of art!!! The characters are so fleshed out that they feel real. The love and romance felt so raw and true. I loved everything about this book. I look forward to reading more of her future works.

Tarah and her one liners! This gutted me in all the right ways! This entire Spunes series has me in a chokehold, that I don’t want to escape from! Ellis and Wren are what second chances are made of!

5⭐️ i quite literally don’t even know how to put a review into words because this book is THAT PERFECT!!!! there is actually zero notes other than the fact that this hit me deep in my soul 😭🤧 i know this book is going to stick with me for years to come as one of my favorite romances ever and the best second chance romance EVER 🤍 the most romantic, intimate, beautiful love story filled with real and raw communication and emotions. it encompasses the full human experience of love, life, marriage, and family. the byrds imprinted on me and i will never be the same again 🫂🫂 go read this book right now I MEAN IT!!!

thank you so much @youhadmeathea for the ARC, ALC and the gifted copy ILY 🫶🏻🫶🏻

Their divorced
Second chance
Road trip
Parents
First love
One bed

I listened to the last 15 mins twice. back to back and cried my little eyes out. absolutely beautiful.
♾️ give me 5 more
I don't know if I can put into words how much I loved this book. I've read it with my eyeballs AND my ears and my ears twice. I will think about these two for forever. Ellis has stolen my heart. The way these two find their way back to each others orbits is just beautiful.

Loved loved loved this book. The characters 😘 chefs kiss . The story line even better. Can’t wait for a new book to come out by this author.

Oh my goodness, I loved this book SO much!!! I felt these characters in my bones - it was such a beautiful story. I love second chance romances SO much and this one is now one of my all time favorites!

Wow I love Tarah and the emotional turmoil she puts my soul through.
I need more divorced second chance romances. But this was so heart wrenching. AND HOT!!!!

This is perhaps the best second chance romance I’ve ever read?? Pulling off a post-divorce romance like this is no easy feat and I think Dewitt nailed it!

I adored the way Wren and Ellis found their way back to each other. They really talked about all of their past issues as well as what was right in their relationship, and what resulted was a love stronger than ever by the end.

Lots of beautiful quotes in this one too. Dewitt’s writing was another highlight of this book for sure.

**thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review**

I have been waiting for ellis and wren's books since I read favor it earlier this year, and it did not disappoint! the yearning between these two is what really made the book. the meddling that his family and her family did was just so wholesome and kinda worth it in the end.

Left of Forever is a second chance romance that follows a couple who were teenage parents, but since divorced, who are facing a transition as their son heads to college. The story follows them on a road trip and includes lots of reflections on the past events of their relationship.

This is the second book in a series. The first book, Savor It, was my first read by this author. I enjoyed the appearances from characters from the first book, but this could be read as a stand-alone book. I found it to be a well-developed story. As someone who has been married for a while, I enjoy a good second-chance romance because the stories are deeper and more complex than romances focused on new relationships. Left of Forever is the very best second-chance romance I’ve read.

In addition to exploring the challenges the characters faced in their relationship, this book also incorporated a lot of deep themes that I have personal experience with – infertility, body acceptance, going through therapy, and parenting. All the emotions around these topics were very well done.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Tarah DeWitt for the digital ARC.

I’ve read a few other books by Tarah DeWitt and I’ve loved this. This one was no different. I’m a sucker for a good small town, second chance romance and this one did it so well. Add in the firefighter trope and I’m sold.

The love story in this book had me absolutely swooning and on the edge just waiting for the spice to hit. Once it hit it was 🔥.

I really enjoyed the setting in this series. I feel like Spunes, OR is a place I would love to visit. I hope there will be another book in this town!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the opportunity to read Left of Forever by Tarah Dewitt.

Wren and Ellis became pregnant with their son, Sam, when they were teenagers. Their relationship becomes strained from years of unspoken concerns and insecurities eventually resulting in divorce. Now their son is college bound and the opportunity for them to reconnect presents itself.

I’m not a fan of second chance romance or past and present timelines. I do understand why stories are written this way. However, despite both of those tropes, I appreciated the vulnerability of the both characters. The realistic thought process and arguments helped make the demise of their relationship believable. It also helps understand the depth of the journey.

I recommend this romance to everyone.

this book!! was!! incredible!! tarah dewitt truly outdid herself with this one. the byrd family is simply so lovable and I was so excited to dive into this second chance romance after seeing wren and ellis' story teased in the first book. both characters were so dynamic and I am so thankful we got to see both of their perspectives throughout, allowing us to see their innermost thoughts which added so much to the story. both characters were so mature which I appreciated so much with little to no miscommunication and no frustrating third act breakup. the best part was honestly the general writing style! the descriptive language used throughout was so good and there were several lines where I honestly wish I had written them or thought to express something in that way. the story was simply so beautifully written---it even made me tear up a few times and the last lines actually had me sobbing because I was so invested. I am so excited to continue to read about the byrd family and stay in spunes, oregon for more books to come. tarah simply can do no wrong! another incredible incredible book (with one of my favorite tropes!)

Sigh

This book was just.....ugh! My heartstrings were pulled like a violin or whatever string instrument you strum the most. I loved it.

Please let Cylas have the next book!! His speech about broke me.

Left of Forever
By Tarah Dewitt

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
🌶️🌶️🌶️

ARC Review

𝑺𝒉𝒆’𝒔 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆. 𝑯𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒑𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔. 𝑭𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔. 𝑺𝒉𝒆’𝒔 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆. 𝑰’𝒎 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆.

I have been looking forward to this book since before it was announced. My favorite Tarah Dewitt book is Savor It, so getting to stay in Spunes and hang out with the Byrds some more is basically the dream. And for it to be a second chance romance (of a divorced couple) with epistolary elements? Basically my perfect book.

I loved Wren and Ellis both individually and together. They had been together in one way or another their entire lives, and I think the time they spent apart was vital to their ability to be their own people. Tarah shows, not just the happy and easy parts of marriage and life and love. She shows the devastating and difficult and she does it with so much tenderness. But in the end, these two are soulmates. They are inevitable.

Pen pals, letters and other epistolary elements are some of my favorite things in romance. There is something so intimate and special about it every time. This was no different. I only wish there had been more to that element of this book.

I love Wren's relationship with the Byrds, but I cried multiple times during this book because of Ellis' brother Silas. He's so funny but also such a loyal brother and friend. The way he supported Ellis, but was also an amazing friend to Wren while they were apart, had me in my feels.

Now I just have to hope that Tarah plans to stay in Spunes even longer because I love Silas so much and I need him to get a book. And the youngest Byrd, Micah? I swear there was a hint at a Savannah Bananas-esque book for him in this and if I'm right, I NEED IT.

𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒖𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒐 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒑. 𝑩𝒖𝒕… 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚’𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒔, 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔. 𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒃𝒊𝒓𝒅𝒔.

Read July 20-21, 2025

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced review copy.

I just loooove a second chance romance and this one between a divorced couple just hit the spot! The yearning, the longing, the love is just everything! AND he has a mustache🫠

💫 Book Review

Left of Forever
By @authortarahdewitt
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

2️⃣Second chance
🥐 baker
🧑🏻‍🚒 fire fighter
✍️ writing letters
📝 journal
🗣️Therapy
🗺️ Road trip
🚙 Forced proximity
🎠 fair
🐠 aquarium
🌶️ spicy
🍦 iykyk

This was my first Tarah Dewitt book it won’t be my last. I enjoyed it and I am going to read Savor it as well. The sweetest second chance romance with some sexy firefighters. If you loved this you should also read Where the Black Line Ends by Megan Williamson.

Thank you @netgalley @authortarahdewitt @stmartinspress for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

#leftofforever #tarahdewitt #bookreview #secondchanceromance #fivestarbookreview #romance #readingwithanicedcoffee #netgalley #netgalleyarc #advancedreadercopy #canva #momswhoread #summer #summerreading #stmartinspress

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A tender, steamy, second-chance stunner that will absolutely wreck you, in the best way.

Left of Forever is everything I want in a romance: achingly emotional, richly atmospheric, and impossibly swoony. Tarah DeWitt writes with such intimacy and vulnerability that I felt like I was living inside Wren and Ellis’s story. Watching them crumble, rebuild, and rediscover the kind of love that never really goes away.

Wren and Ellis are the kind of couple you root for with your whole chest. Their history is full of heartbreak and hard-earned love - young parents who built a life too soon, only to fall apart before they really had a chance to grow together. But this isn’t just a story of rekindled romance; it’s a slow-burning journey through forgiveness, growth, and the bittersweet beauty of second chances.

The California road trip element? Pure magic. Every stop along the way is vivid, cinematic, and dripping with chemistry—there’s tension, banter, deep conversations, and yes, plenty of steam. But what really sets this book apart is the emotional depth. DeWitt captures the nuances of co-parenting, regret, healing, and hope with such care and realism that I cried more than once and then grinned through my tears.

By the time I reached the final page, I was completely undone in the best way. Left of Forever is about more than romance. It’s about timing, trust, and finally believing that love can be better the second time around.

Highly, HIGHLY recommend for fans of Katherine Center, Abby Jimenez, and Carley Fortune. Tarah DeWitt is at the top of her game, and this one is going straight to my favorites shelf.

Left of Forever was a second chance romance that was heartwarming, laugh out loud hilarious, and had the most fabulous ending! With a road trip and forced proximity, this book was filled with deeply emotional moments plus all the fun. Left of Forever is officially my favorite Tarah DeWitt book!

This story gave us moments from their past, and it made for such a deeper connection with Wren and Ellis. They fell in love when they were kids, had a child when they were teenagers, and fell apart in their 20s. Their past could be so heart wrenching. Now that they were both in their 30s, and their son was going off to college, a road trip was in their future. It felt like their last chance. Was anything still there, or were they truly done forever?

I already adored Wren in Savor It. She ran the local bakery in town and was bestie’s with Ellis’ sister. Ellis was the oldest of his siblings, a firefighter, and he seemed to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. The story was told from both of their POVs, and they were so easy to connect with and love. Yet they both didn’t seem fully happy with their lives. Wren couldn’t stop thinking about their past, and Ellis desperately missed his wife. Watching them both struggle broke my heart. But as little moments between them caused butterflies to erupt, I held out all the hope!

Being on the road trip together forced Wren and Ellis to face their past. There was a lot of hurt and pain that needed to be worked through, so I loved how the communication was handled. They each shared their struggles from the past, yes it was gutting, but it was also beautiful watching them work through their issues. I loved how everything was laid out on the table. And even though the emotions were intense, there was hope woven through it all too.

But we were also surrounded by flirtatious moments, family intervention that will keep you smiling, a cooking scene that will have you rolling with laughter on the ground, and even occasions of holding hands made my heart soar. The sexual tension was intense, and when they crossed the line to more, it was steamy and so wonderful! Rounding out this story was the most beautiful ending and it made me cry all of the happy tears! I definitely recommend it to all of the romance lovers out there!