Tarah can do no wrong and she continues to make us fall in love with both her characters and ourselves while reading her books! I was so interested in hearing more about these two from Savor It and Left of Forever exceeded expectations. It's the year of second-chance romance!

I wanted to like this book so bad. The cover drew me in, gave me werewolf vibes, I was excited! But then comes the kid. I just do not like a plot that revolves around a kid, whether its the main character's kid, or one of the main character's kids, I'm just not a fan. So this fell flat for me, I'd give this author another chance, I'm just not into this trope personally. But the style is good and the writing is entertaining and fluid.

4⭐️. I thought this was so cute!! It’s not necessarily a story that will stick with me but I’m not usually a second chance girlie and this one was still so good. I don’t think it beats out Savor It for me but I really loved Savor It so that’s still high praise! Love Tarah DeWitt’s characters 🧡

4.5 stars and ohmygod this was a beautiful beautiful emotional book! The YEARNING the PINING the LOVE in this book!!! I giggled, I had a single tear rolling down my cheek, I blushed, I gasped!!!!

Wren and Ellis had me since he declared her still a Byrd in Savor It, and won me completely over as they re-examined their relationship and its successes and failures as they traveled home from dropping their son off at college. Truly inspiring work in this book, as two characters, two people, looked at their faults and the faults of the person they loved most, and chose each other again in spite of everything. Love really is the most powerful force on earth.

This deep, introspective character study is what Tarah DeWitt does best, and I am here for literally anything she will write. Gorgeous covers, even more beautiful insides!!!! Thanks so much to Tarah Dewitt, SMP, and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!

Another wonderful, tearful romance from Dewitt. I was starting to worry because the last couple books by her I didn’t love. Savor It is still my favorite but I was so happy to return to Spunes. Ellis and Wren have a second chance romance and they have a lot to deal with before they can reunite. It’s so romantic and sexy and vulnerable. The siblings are so funny in this and I hope Silas and Micah get their own books. Have tissues nearby when reading this. Lots of them. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

“Because you make up half of my soul. Because as desperate as I am to be near you, to be inside you, I’m terrified that having you this close again will also remind you of all the parts of me you wanted to leave.”

Wow… the way that this is one of the best second chance romances I’ve EVER read. That is one of my least favorite tropes but when I saw rave reviews about this book and it was Read Now on NetGalley, I decided I wanted to give it a try- and I’m so glad I did!
This is my first book by Tara DeWitt but I will be reading her backlist because I was thoroughly impressed.
Both characters were relatable and the honesty and communication was probably the best I’ve seen in any romance novel. It was also deliciously steamy and the quotessssss… this was me for most of the book 🫠
I normally dislike second chance romance because you spend so much time in the past, fleshing out their entire history and what happened that you lose the magic of them finding their way back to each other again, but this entire love story was magic. While they had to unravel the whys of how their relationship didn’t work the first time, it was still focused on the now and future, how they could grow and learn from the past so they could be together again. And Ellis and Wren NEEDED to be together again. They are soulmates, no doubt about it.
Such a beautiful story and if you dislike these tropes like I do, please give it a show anyway!
I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy and rereading it in the future!

Thank you so much St Martin’s Press & NetGalley for the eARC!

I love how DeWitt wrote this second chance romance. The journey Ellis and Wren go on, both literally and emotionally, to find their way back to each other is so beautifully written. And I really liked the focus on the open and honest communication as a primary tool to help them achieve this goal. This is backed up by really strong character development. Particularly by Ellis. He makes such an effort to work on his flaws and better himself before even shooting a second shot with Wren. Showcasing some great mental health/ therapy rep, and in a male MC, which is always so refreshing. I also found Wren's character to be so relatable. I really connected with how she was feeling at the beginning of the book, and her desire and need for connection with another person. That notion of feeling alone even when surrounded by people.

And while we spend a lot of the book away from the town of Spunes, we still get its cozy small town vibes. As well as laughable appearances by some of our favorite characters from the first two books in the series. The shenanigans of the Byrd brothers always make me smile. As did the escapade that occurs in the cooking class when our couple visits the winery. It had me laughing out loud. Paired with the perfect amount of spice, made better by a couple who already knows each others bodies and this has to be my favourite book by DeWitt so far.

TW: teen pregnancy, fire injury (off page), parental death (off page), infertility, miscarriage

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for my advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Such a sweet and wholesome story! This is a second chance romance following divorced Wren and Ellis, rekindling their relationship after dropping their son off at college. One thing I loved about this book was the side characters and how they contributed to the story. We got to meet them in Savor It, so I would definitely recommend reading that one first to really feel connected to the characters and the story.

Some of the professions of love and feelings, and the characters opening up about some of their struggles was another wonderful part of this book. You could tell these were two people who loved each other but just couldn’t totally make it work in the past. I will say, I wish there was a little more insight and storytelling regarding how their marriage failed for the first go around.

The scene with the onions and peppers (IYKYK) had me dying with laughter and pain all at the same time, and was so well written.

I’m really hoping we get some more stories out of this small town family, because I can definitely see the hints for some other characters (fingers crossed!)

I do wish some parts of the book were a little more developed and fleshed, but overall this was a good time! Also as a caution, this book does have quite a bit of steam!

Tarah truly writes amazing stories that leave you wanting even more from her characters. This book seemed to be even better than Savor It, and I absolutely loved that one as well. You truly fall in love with every character you meet and I cannot wait to read more of this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an eARC of Left of Forever.

I truly enjoyed this book and the unique premise of this second chance romance. I loved how the letters (major swoon) in this book set forth the chain of events for the remainder of the plot. Wren and Ellis are both loveable characters who had to grow and mature separately to be able to come back together and figure things out to make it work for the long haul after having a lot of life thrown at them at a very young age.

Tarah DeWitt did an amazing job writing about something that not a lot of romance books dive into, which is the idea of staying in love and making a marriage work (or giving it a second chance). This is my favorite Tarah DeWitt book yet.

thank you to NetGalley for the arc ebook :)
I give this a 3.5 rounded up. It started off so so so strong and I truly thought at the beginning that it was going to be a 5 star read for me. The yearning and the love felt so deep and so special. However after that it kind of started to fall for me. It felt unrealistic how quickly everything changed for the two main characters. & also the spice. In the beginning of the book I won’t lie the flashback spicy scene was chefs kiss. But later in the book once they finally did again after that it was like the whole book turned into them being horny and doing it every other second and got repetitive and started to feel like it was all about that and less about their journey together. They also said they were gonna take things slow and ease back into each other and then did the complete opposite and it all just felt so fast and kind of fell flat. I will say I loved so many of the quotes and the way that the author described their love. She really does have beautiful writing. I also feel like we got introduced to so many characters so quickly that it was hard to keep up with whos who but that could be a me problem. Alas I still enjoyed the book enough to give it a 3.5 so I would say that it is worth the read!

"she's still a Byrd" so many swoony quotes in this one! So happy to be back in spunes Oregon! Loved seeing our favorite side characters too from Savor it! The writing was lyrical and I enjoyed the storyline of this second chance romance!

I was definitely intrigued by Wren and Ellis's story from the few glimpses we get of them in Savor It. Left of Forever was a beautifully executed second chance romance that also left me wanting more from the Byrds! After being divorced for five years, Wren and Ellis have found themselves drifting back toward each other but the pain and loss of the past, fear of screwing things up further, and expectations have left them stuck. So once they drop their son off at college in California - Ellis plans multiple stops on the way home to show that he has been listening to her and what she felt was lacking in their marriage, and prove that the love they still have for each other hasn't gone away, but has only matured. They are both guilty of constantly taking care of others and didn't always look to see what work they needed to do on themselves. There are missteps on their journey and some brutally honest moments - but that is balanced with the perfect blend of humor, heart, and spicy moments. Ellis and Wren are a couple that you root for from page one. I would love to see more books with these characters! Thank you to St. Martin's and NetGalley for the chance to read this novel.

For fans of spicy, emotional (but low-angst/drama), character-driven books.

Overall this was a pretty good book. I really love the author's writing style/prose, and her general storytelling.

I'm completely obsessed with these characters and love how in depth, real and flawed they feel. Ellis is a hell of a caretaker and I loved that he knew what he wanted and took steps to make it happen. Wren deserves to be treated with care and love. I was eager to to see her happy and worshipped. The side characters are well fleshed out and their inclusion leaves us wanting more. I cannot wait to read the rest of the family's stories.

Where I think this book fell a bit short was the overall pacing and the major lack of angst. We didn't get to see them struggle at all, and only got snippets of their past issues via the MCs "little confessions" to each other during the road trip. We saw none of their "tumultuous past" play out, and it made their HEA seem entirely too easy. I also would have loved to see Ellis's journey to becoming "worthy" via therapy and reflection on their past, rather than just be told it happened. I really wanted more tension in regards to the spice. I expected an achingly painful build-up before we finally got to the banging.

This felt more like a character study with spice. Certainly a good book, but it lacked the balance of plot/character/spice that would have made this a phenomenal book for me.

Whats to love...
- Emotional
- well-developed characters
- family forward
- spicy
- second-chance romance
- 30+ MCs
- Mustached MMC

What not to love...
- Pacing was my biggest issue with this one. The first 30% made me want to DNF, then we did pretty good for a while, until it got spicy way too quick for my liking and then rounded out with the worlds quickest 3rd act conflict (a few paragraphs maybe?) and then a chapter that felt like it should have been an epilogue and then the actual epilogue.
- low stakes, low angst, but plenty of lusting and sexual attraction. Personally I wanted the stakes to be higher, the angst to be leveled up 10 notches, and the burn to be much slower for a marriage reconciliation book.

🌶️- The spice starts in Ch 23 and continues pretty frequently for the rest of the book. This would be a great one for when you're ovulating. It'll make you cry and also set your panties on 🔥

This book is a beautiful story of a second chance romance between two people who needed to learn how to communicate their feelings.
Everything from the kismet letters, to the road trip to reset their relationship, was so well done.
When I started reading this book I didn’t realize that it was a sequel to ‘Savor it”. I loved getting to see Ellis and Wren be vulnerable about their divorce and what caused it. I have never saved this many quotes in my Kindle before. The open way they shared their feelings and the gentleness in the way they thought about each other was aspirational.
Amongst the angst and longing, there was also a lot of humour. The cooking class is likely one they’ll remember for the rest of forever.
Loved this book and would read it again.

5 Stars!

What on earth does Tarah DeWitt put in these books?! Left of Forever was so beautifully done. I'm not usually a second chance kind of person but after meeting Wren and Ellis in Savor It, I knew I was going to be just fine with this second chance. The maturity and love between them was so beautiful to watch unravel.

Tarah writes so beautifully. I was SOBBING at Sam going away to college. I am a childless woman in my 30s. Hell, I'm older than Wren and Ellis and I'm still sobbing at the thought of leaving my child at college and that wasn't even a main point of the story. (I mean, it is, Sam going off to college is what started the week of adventure, but not a part of the love story.)

I hope Tarah continues with the rest of the Byrds! I would love to see Micah heal from baseball and Silas heal from his accident. And of course, more of Sam and Indy's friendship.

"What is bravery if not hope in action?"

Achingly romantic, beautiful, honest, earnest, and so incredibly vulnerable.

I can't quite put into words what this book is beyond that. The way this story unfolded, how fated Ellis & Wren are, how steadfast Ellis is for Wren. How two people who always take care of everyone else but themselves found someone who was willing to take care of them, of each other, and hold steady. Through growing pains, divorce, and everything in between.

You couldn’t help but root for them the entire time. Cheer them on while they were opening themselves up and laying it all down. How they managed to stitch it back together and make it so beautifully and uniquely them. Unflinching honestly and vulnerability written in such a poetic way. I could not stop crying.

Their growth, both individually and apart, was incredible to read. Their undying hope. My heart aches with love for them.

Tarah's pen was on FIRE omfg. Thank you SMP & NetGalley for the ARC!!

OMG!! I loved this story soooo much!!

Wren and Ellis are childhood friends, turned romantic in the teens, ended up pregnant, get married, then life happens and they are divorced in their late 20s. Their son goes off to college and Ellis convinces Wren to take a roadtrip back, just the two of them! Do they remain in limbo where they are at or will they find their way back to each other? Read to find out!

Ellis and Wren are perfection! I loved their dynamic! Everything about this story was perfect. I even cried, the last paragraph took me out! For the record, I am not a crier! But this story spoke to my soul! I will think about this story forever! It’s the funny parts, the tender parts, and everything in between!

This was my first Tarah Dewitt book and I am going to read more!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press.

Rating Breakdown:
Characters - 4
Plot - 3
Setting - 4
Writing - 4
Enjoyment - 3
Total Rating - 3 stars

Review:
This was a fun second chance romance in a very cute setting with likeable characters. I felt like I had to suspend a lot of disbelief in some parts of the plot, and that made it hard for me to really enjoy the ride. The author's descriptive, witty writing style helped me engage with the story, even though there were some elements of the story I didn't love.

Bottom Line:
I would absolutely recommend this book for its eclectic characters, sweet romance, and witty writing, but know that there are some plot points that are hard to believe.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this title for review.

⭐ Rating: 6/5
🔥 Spice: 4/5 – The steam doesn’t show up until later, but when it does, it’s open-door, emotional, and well worth the wait.

This book pulled at every emotion. Wren and Ellis had a baby when they were just teenagers, and while they tried to build a life together, life had other plans. Years of grief, pressure, and silent heartbreak eventually pulled them apart. Now, years after their divorce, a letter brings them back the feeling they both thought lost—and a road trip becomes a second chance neither of them expected. Their story is messy, tender, and so incredibly human. I felt everything right alongside them.

Things That Stood Out:
- The emotional maturity and vulnerability of both characters—especially Ellis, who finally starts unpacking the weight he’s carried since he was a teenager responsible for too much, too soon.
- Wren’s strength and honesty—she’s anxious, guarded, and still hurting, but her compassion and emotional clarity made her feel so real.
- The writing. We get a lot of internal reflection, but it never drags. Every thought, every feeling is crafted with care and intention.
- Their conversations. Nothing is sugarcoated, and yet there’s so much love in the way they speak to each other—even when it’s hard.
- The letter twist. I usually dread third-act conflicts, but this was handled with grace and emotional depth. No unnecessary drama—just honest, grown-up communication.
- The familiarity of their bond paired with the newness of seeing each other clearly for the first time. It made their second chance feel earned and incredibly special.

This story is everything I didn’t know I needed. I usually don’t love second chance romances or third-act conflicts, but this book handled both with so much care. It’s tender, deeply emotional, and rooted in healing and growth. Watching Ellis and Wren find their way back to each other—not just as lovers, but as whole people—was beautiful. Highly recommend to anyone who loves character-driven romances, small-town settings, and raw emotional power.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin for the advanced reader copy.