3.5-3.75 stars

I did enjoy the second-chance romance. It was a little bit predictable, but I did enjoy the story and more time with the characters in Spunes. Honestly, the ending had me tearing up with the quotes. I would recommend this if you are looking for a lighter story that is easy to read and fast paced. You will see all of your favorite characters from the first book in Spunes. Overall, I did enjoy my time reading it and will read more books from Tarah DeWitt.

Second chance romances are fast becoming a favorite of mine. Left of Forever hit a lot of feels as Wren and Ellis begin to rediscover their romance. While at times Ellis was a little shady in keeping his secret, I also get it, Wren would have run, and run fast. I also appreciated how their son Sam played a roll in moving things along and helping them get back together.

4.5 stars. This story was beautiful and I loved it so much. Tarah DeWitt writes books that pull you in and don’t let you go. I was very happy to be along for the ride. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press, and St. Martin's Griffith for this advanced copy!

“I’ll love you for everything left of forever, in every lifetime we get.”

Wren and Ellis’s story is magnetic in the best way possible. It immediately pulled me in and I could not put his book down. I have been curious of these two since Savor It and it was well worth the wait. As always, the writing was beautiful and I could be fully immersed in the world around these characters. I fell in love with Spunes in the previous book, and while most of this book takes place outside of this small town, the heart was still there. Tarah brilliantly crafts places that I wish I could move to.

“All I know is that if I found out heaven was real and got there first? I’d hang back in the waiting room and save you a seat.”

Wren and Ellis are electrifying. Their chemistry is OFF THE CHARTS. The banter, the emotion, and their relationship development gave me so many feelings. The tension that built up in this book is everything I want in a romance and more. This book broke me and put me back together. This book was truly one of the best second-chance romances that I have ever read. Wren and Ellis have a place in my heart forever. Tarah DeWitt has a new forever fan. I cannot wait to read whatever comes next.

This book is everything to me.

If there is one thing about me, it's that I love Tarah's books. I've read every single book she's written and can full-heartedly say this is one of her best yet. There's something so special about second-chance romances, and she channeled every emotion you could have into this one. It is a love story about two imperfectly perfect people who found their way back to one another, and I couldn't love it anymore if I tried. In all honesty, if you asked me my favorite thing about this book, I'd copy and paste the entire thing here.

Ellis and Wren have my heart for whatever's left of forever, and I would not have it any other way. There's just something so special about the Byrds that makes me wanna hug em all tight. This is one of the most romantic books I have ever read, and it's something that I will remember for a long time. This book will make you cry, smile, and feel every emotion. I cannot recommend this book enough and will forever say, "she's still a Byrd," until my last breath.

This was my first time reading Tarah DeWitt and I had a good time. I liked the concept a lot of a second chance romance where they were married and had a family together - it is not a setup that I come across too often. The start of the book with them being pen pals was a cute way to jump start their reconnection and from there it was a quick read for me. I was surprised when I looked and saw I was over 60% through. If anything I think the book could have been a little longer and drawn out their reconnection a little more, since I would have enjoyed maybe 50 more pages of tension.

I also enjoyed the setting as well. I loved the Northern California/Oregon coastal vibes and the references to the beaches being cold and windy, but beautiful.

Overall this is a fun read with an interesting premise!

Wren and Ellis felt in love when they were teenagers, had a kid when teenagers, and managedto create a life together. Until they fell apart. Now, two years after their divorce, their son is going to college and Ellis suggests a road trip to either find closure or begin again. Either way, this trip will shpae their future.

This book was so frustrating to me. Wren carried so many scars from her marriage and a lot of ressentments but we never got to see their previous relationship. So, when she kept on repeating that Ellis was the cause for a lot of their problems, it just bothered me. She felt like she saw herself as perfect and incredibly mature in her marriage and, since the author never shows us the previous relationship, it just felt as if she was victimizing herself and putting herself on a pedestal and Ellis had to catch up to how perfect she was. I hated the side characters, especially Ellis's brothers - why were they so involved in his romantic life? Ellis was just there.

In this kind of book, if I don't like the characters and don't buy their romance, I just don't connect to the story. So, I didn't like it.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

This is the way second chance romances should be! I was so vested In Ellis and Wren's story because they felt like people I knew. Real, wounded, life scarred, yet still there was that flickering ember that made you hope they would work it out.

This is the way to start a summer!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this copy and I can't wait to see what Tarah DeWitt writes next because I know I will be buying it to add to my shelf!

The absolute love and adoration I have for the fictional town of Spunes, OR and the characters that live there is unmatched!!!

Tarah, my girl, you did it again!!! AHHHH

I am not the biggest fan of second chance romances. They have to be done *just* right and this one should be the new standard. I could not put this down!!! The love that Ellis and Wryn have for each other 🥹🥹🥹🥹 Even now several hours after finishing I am reading up.

It is just so beautifully written.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martins Press and Tarah Dewitt for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This might be the most romantic book that I have ever read. These characters are just bleeding with love for each other. I don’t always find second chance romances believable, but this one was so real that I can’t even fathom that these characters don’t exist in our world. ELLIS IS A MAN WHO YEARNS! IT WAS HEAVENLY TO READ ABOUT.

In addition to the love story, I am absolutely SMITTEN with the found family. The Byrds are so sweet and I love seeing them interact.

There is something so raw and validating about Tara DeWitt’s writing. It feels very safe and cozy. Both Wren and Sage feel like the cool older girls who you secretly dream of becoming when you grow up.

I hope we get to go back to Spunes. I ADORE Silas and his endless emotions and would love a book with his love story! Last, but not least…A MOMENT FOR THE COVER!!! IT IS BREATHTAKING.

I knew from the first page I was going to love Wren and Ellis’ story. This is going to be one of top books of the summer for me.

The longing, the romance, the ultimate rekindling roadtrip brought out what makes Wren and Ellis so special. Ellis is a broody, quiet man with a sexy mustache who realizes he’s still in love with his wife, err ex-wife who in his words is “still a Byrd”. Wren is trying to workout what is next in her life. Whether it’s figuring out what her relationship future looks like, what it’s like having your only child off at college or trying to navigate feelings for her ex husband Wren is figuring it all out. When she agrees to a roadtrip from California back to Spunes she takes her time and is cautious about what is happening with Ellis. Ellis is determined in his own way to show Wren all the ways he is capable to take care and give her the world that he longed to give her since they were teens.

I laughed, I sobbed and I literally swooned in parts of this book. This second chance romance is pure gold- like Wrens hair it is perfection.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martins Press and Tarah Dewitt for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I want to start this review by gushing about this book's predecessor, Savor It, which I read at a pivotal time and inspired me to pursue new avenues in my life. So when I found out this book featured the beloved community of Spunes, Oregon, I was elated.
Wren and Ellis Byrd have loved each other since they were kids, had their son Sam when they were only teenagers, and built a life together. It's the kind of love story that's one in a million, and they were beating the odds... until they weren't. Now divorced in their 30s, Wren and Ellis have spent the last five years carefully avoiding interaction outside of their co-parenting responsibilities. However, Ellis throws a wrench in the works when he suggests that they take an extended road trip after moving Sam into his college town to see what's left of forever for them.
This book made me realize I'm a sucker for deeply emotional second-chance romances between mature adults (e.g., Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan). The communication, the yearning, the conversations, the passion in this book were AMAZING. I love how their friends and family encouraged them to grow separately, then eagerly supported them in their reconciliation. The spice was spectacular give me 14 of them right now. The end of this book had me sobbing, not because it was sad but because it was so damn beautiful. Tarah DeWitt knows how to write what it is to deeply love someone. If it isn't already obvious, I highly recommend Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt.

SHE'S STILL A MF BYRD!!!! I don't even know what words there are to say about this book. It was perfect in every way and I will never get over it.

Left of forever
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫(4.5)

Tarah once did it again. I just started reading her books recently and I am so honored I got the opportunity to ARC read Left of Forever!! Thank you to st martins press & netgalley for the chance to read this before it released. I truly enjoyed savor it and I was ready for the next book in this series.

Going into Ellis and Wrens story I just knew I was going to be emotional and very invested into their story. The moment Ellis said “ she’s still a Byrd” in savor it I was like NOW I NEED THEIR STORY!! It was heartbreaking, beautiful, fun and I just am in awe of this book.

I look forward to reading more of this series & the rest of Tarah’s work!! Her writing is beautifully done and I am very glad I discovered her this year.

Hands down my all time favorite Tarah DeWitt book. I think it's so raw and real having a divorced couple find love once again. Everything with Wren and Ellis and their journey was the most beautiful, yet emotional ride. I can't say enough for how incredible and touching Left of Forever is. How will I move on? I'll never know.

I knew this book would wreck me in the best way and it did 😭. Wren and Ellis I’ve been so eagerly waiting for but also was hesitant to read because I didn’t want to be disappointed. I had nothing to worry about because this exceeded all my expectations. Deeply romantic and exploring heavy themes, we also have fun and silly laugh out loud moments while hearts are healing. Left of Forever has all the best parts of a second chance romance without any of the unnecessary drama. I love the Byrds so much and need a Silas book stat!!

Thanks to the publisher for the eARC, thoughts are my own.

I was honestly so excited for this book. I had heard literally nothing but raving reviews and I am a sucker for divorced couple/marriage in crisis vibes. I love the angst that usually comes with a story like this. And maybe I just went in with really high expectations, but this was just okay for me and I was pretty disappointed.

I thought the beginning was really strong! I immediately liked our characters and the town. I was so interested to see how everything would play out. I also will say that this book was so quotable! Like Tarah DeWitt can write beautiful books and some of the things specifically Ellis said had me swooning.

But I have to say, my main issue was that I personally felt no longing or pining between them. They both essentially knew they wanted to get back together and pretty much told each other that. So I didn't see the point of it all. Yes, they had some things to talk about, and that was cute, fine, but I also felt like there wasn't much mystery about what happened between them. We got the gist of it pretty early on.

Also, I felt like I had seen so much about this road trip that I was excited for, but felt like it took us forever to get there, And once we did, I felt like it was so fast so the pacing was off for me. Lastly, I had not read Savor It, but at the beginning, didn't really feel like I was missing anything. However, some of the things towards the end didn't really have the impact since I hadn't read that.

So overall, I am so sad that I didn't love this. It was overall fine, enjoyed the characters, but it just didn't blow me away like I wanted it to. But I am very much in the minority. So if interested, still give it a shot!

Thank you so much to the author and SMP Romance for the advanced copy!

Wren and Ellis fell in love as teenagers, had a baby at 17 and got married. They built a life together, but ultimately things fell apart and they separated. Now 5 years post-divorce, the two are road-tripping down to California together to drop their son off at college. The long drive home is the most time they've spent alone together since they were married, and it gives them an opportunity to talk through a lot of their issues and see if their love is worth rekindling.

I read "Savor It" last year and absolutely loved it, so I was excited to see that this sequel was being released about Wren and Ellis. I have read quite a few second chance romances recently and this may be my favorite. It was beautifully written and I was rooting for them from the beginning. I am excited to see if this series continues on for Micah and Silas!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Slow to get into but once I got about halfway I couldn’t stop! Definitely lived up to the hype that’s been all over Instagram and booktok.

I thought this was so romantic. As a second chance at love was just chef's kiss. By the end I was crying and not wanting them to be apart ever.

From the glimpses we got of Wren and Ellis in Savor It, I knew I was going to absolutely adore their story and I was 100% correct.
Their separation and time apart was written with so much tender care, allowing for their pain and longing to be felt so authentically.
I love a second chance romance so much and this one was so special. The work they put in both separately, and together in order to make it back to each other was incredible and so heartwarming.
I loved getting to see more of Ellis especially, he really is the epitome of GROWN MAN, and has been since a very young age, and getting more of his background was great.
I also very much appreciated the little cameo we got of LaRynn and Deacon while Wren and Ellis were in Santa Cruz.
Tarah DeWitt has created such a unique and beautiful community in the small town of Spunes and I loved being back with all these characters, despite sobbing multiple times throughout. I truly hope we get more of this world.
Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Griffin for sending me an eARC via NetGalley, AND a finished copy!