Trash DeWitt has a special way of taking story lines that may be considered trope-y plots and turning them into the most beautiful, heart-wrenching then heartwarming stories. “Left of Forever” is no exception and may be her best book yet! Fans of DeWitt have been begging for Wren and Ellis’ story since Ellis said Wren was “Still a Byrd” in “Savour It” and this book did not disappoint. We meet Wren and Ellis after they’ve been divorced for 5 years and their son Sam gets accepted into university. Ellis convinces Wren to take a road trip with him after they drop Sam off at his new apartment to see if they can reconnect in any capacity (friendship or otherwise). What this trip provides is a chance for these characters to find their way back to each other through self-discovery, hard truths and refreshing honesty. DeWitt was somehow able to capture hope and thread it into every page of this novel and you can’t help but root the Wren and Ellis to find their way back to each other throughout this novel. This is DeWitt’s best work yet.

“I think you and I are worth seeing about. Even if all that comes from it is a … a happier ending. Closure.”

5⭐️ ARC📖
Let’s be real, Tarah had us ALL in a chokehold since the “She’s still a Byrd” from Savor It!! There really aren’t enough words to describe how excited I was for this book, and my expectations were def met! Ellis is just so damn adorable! I loved the flirty & humorous side we got to see of him, as well as just how deeply he still cares 🥰 pair that with Wren’s strong spirit and it made for a lovely second chance romance!!

The plot was cute & flirty, while at the same time had those undertones of heartbreak and heaviness. I had big feels while reading this and shed just as many happy tears as I did sad ones 🥹 The writing did an excellent job of making you FEEL the characters’ emotions - especially their pain. I also enjoyed the way their past was written. The journal & character recounting helped blend the past with the present plot nicely. I feel like it fit the story more seamlessly than having full flashback chapters.

The cameo from Tarah’s other characters (not from Savor It) was the most amazing little Easter egg too. I was grinning like a fool when I realized who they were!!

- Second Chance
- Yearning, Firefighter MMC ❤️‍🔥
- Road Trip to Mend Two Halves of the Same Heart 💔
- Different Kind of Spicy 🌶️ Scene
- Reproductive Issues Rep

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Wren and Ellis grew up together, fell in love, and had a son when they were teenagers. Now, in their 30s, Wren owns a bakery, Ellis is a wildfire firefighter, and they have since gotten divorced. While moving their now late teens son into college, Ellis convinces Wren to road trip back home. Even though they have been separate for several years, the connection is still there. They have to relive some difficult moments because obviously they didn't get divorced for no reason, but they hope the love is still there.

I went straight from Savor It into Left of Forever, especially after reading "She's still a Byrd" 🥹 and it did not disappoint. I will be thinking of Ellis and Wren for a long time. I was pretty much locked in from the beginning with the letters (all the LETTERS!!) and Ellis being a wildfire firefighter (one of my favorite subgenres), even if I'm a little bit suspicious of why Wren didn't even suspect she was writing with her ex-husband! I love a second chance romance and this was done so well. And not only a second chance romance, but a childhood friends to lovers second chance romance. The reason why I love this trope is because of all the history and emotion that has to be poured onto the page for it to be believable. And this was beautifully done. Ellis and Wren are flawed, but loveable. They are funny, love deeply, and are relatable. My favorite things: excellent banter, great side-characters, raw emotions, and character growth are all present in this one. 5 stars! Highly recommend.

Thank you St. Martin's Press Griffin, Tarah DeWitt, and NetGalley for an eARC. The above honest thoughts and review are my own.

Second chance romance between two highschool sweethearts who's relationship was torn apart... but now years later they're still in love with one another and when they decide to go on a roadtrip to try and give their relationship one more chance, they'll uncover what went wrong... and just how much love there still is. When I saw I knew from the first chapter that I would be in love with this book, I was not kidding. This is how you do second chance, this is HOW YOU ABSOLUTELY NAIL IT. It's such a heartwarming and beautiful story. Ellis and Wren are so deeply in love with each other and getting to read about them trying to find and fight their way back to one another was absolutely amazing. This book is like a gut punch to the heart in the best way possible. I truly fell in love with these characters and this book! I would highly highly recommend it!
Release Date: May 20,2025
Publication: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)
*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt is a tender, emotional second chance romance about Wren and Ellis Byrd, who are divorced but not quite done with each other. After dropping their son off at college, they set off on a road trip home digging through the heart of their shared history.

Wren and Ellis are in their thirties (YAAASSSS), with life, baggage, and experience under their belts. Their love isn’t shiny or new, but it’s the kind that lingers. On their journey the two engage in healthy, mature communication that is used to reopen old wounds with care. And so much pining it practically hums off the page. There’s a decent dose of spice (I skimmed a few scenes), but the emotional intimacy is what left the biggest mark. This is a story about the raw, emotional side of marriage and divorce, and finding your way back to the kind of love that doesn’t fade.

The audiobook was sheer perfection, each narrator embodying what I envisioned Wren and Ellis to sound like. The pacing perfectly matched the mutual pining and searing emotion. I recommend reading with your ears if you enjoy the format!

Side note: this is part of an interconnected standalone series set in Spunes, Oregon (not to be confused with Forks, Washington). The first in this series, SAVOR IT, follow’s Ellis’ sister and Wren’s best friend Sage. I’m already counting down the days for the remaining Byrd stories.

A beautiful, bingeable read full of heart, history, and hope. Highly recommend.

Thank you Macmillan Audio & St. Martin’s Griffin for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Left of Forever is a read you won’t be able to put down, where you’ll fall in love with the cast of characters, appreciate the writing, and feel all the feels!!!

I felt like we really got to know our main characters, Wren & Ellis, reading journal entries, talking about therapy, and seeing them open up to each other. They felt so real. (And we get some spice.) This is a top tier second chance romance!

This read fairly quickly for me. I’d definitely recommend this one. I listened to Savor It (book 1) last week and appreciated the insights I had on the other characters and their town but Left of Forever can definitely be read as a standalone. The last chapter, but more specifically, the last paragraph of this book had me ugly crying so obviously 5 stars from me.

This one made me tear up! I loved Wren & Ellis' story from the beginning - I really am a sucker for a second chance romance. Their connection was so raw and real and the spice was SPICING! The icecream scene had me laughing and my jaw on the floor at the same time (iykyk). If Tarah writes it, I'll read it always

Read this if you live for yearning, tension and feeling all the feelings. However, if that’s not normally your jam, I still highly recommend giving this book a chance. Nothing on the surface would suggest that I would enjoy this book. I’m not a huge fan of second chance romances or more emotional reads, but I requested this ARC on a whim and I am so glad I did!

Tropes:
• Second Chance
• Childhood Friends to Lovers to Divorced to Lovers
• Road trip

Premise: A divorced couple (childhood friends married young after a teenage pregnancy) go on a road trip to give their relationship one last chance after dropping their son off at college.
Series: It is book 2 in the Spunes series. I read Savor It first based on friends' recommendations (I LOVED it), but you don't need to read it before this book if you don't want to.

Tarah’s writing is simply stunning - so masterful that she has me liking tropes that I normally do not. I have an embarrassing amount of highlights. It’s not just the swoonworthy quotes; Tarah writes the ordinary in such a way that is so relatable and thought provoking. Her analogies are perfect - like comparing lingering smells to living with a ghost? I don’t think I can adequately do her words justice.

Wren and Ellis are couple goals; it was so wonderful to see them be vulnerable and share the good and the bad. I would love if Tarah wrote stories for the rest of the Byrd siblings because I loved their characters too, and I want to visit Spunes as much as possible.

TLDR: 10/10 one of the best books I’ve read this year. Tarah was not on my radar, and now she is an auto-read author for me. Please don't skip this read!

Thank you Tarah DeWitt and St. Martin’s Press for this e-arc of Left of Forever ❤️

From the “She’s still a Byrd.” moment in Savor It, I knew Ellis and Wren were going to be a new favorite couple for me, and this book solidified it for me 🥹

Left of Forever is beautiful and complicated, and it feels like a real romance! Ellis and Wren are both such good people that you can’t help but love them and want the best for them. And you believe in their story! Gosh, my heart was breaking walking through all the different parts of their past. It was so good and so emotional 😭

And this is one of THE best done second chance romances. The reason for the second chance makes SO much sense for these characters, and it blended so well into everything they had gone through. It truly just makes their decision to be together that much sweeter. We get to see Ellis and Wren grow so much in this story, and it was such a joy to read 🥹

This is definitely a book I recommend if you are looking for a romance that will make you feel all the things! ❤️

A sweet and spicy second chance romance that makes you want to believe that anything is possible!

Short Synopsis:
Wren and Ellis have been connected since childhood, and it was no surprise when they started dating as teens. What wasn’t expected was that they would get pregnant before they graduate high school, have a son, and get married in their early twenties. Fast forward to today, they’ve been divorced for five years and their son is about to graduate high school and go away to college. That’s when Ellis makes moving their son to college into a celebratory trip that just might bring the love of his life, Wren, back to him.

My thoughts:
I adored this mature relationship between Wren and Ellis! The story explored the deeper connections within a marriage and what a couple must do to help that marriage succeed, and I really enjoyed that aspect! I also enjoyed how the author brought some humor to the story, and the amazing family members that had little glimpses throughout.

Read this one if you like:
✨ Second chance romance
✨ Childhood friends to lovers
✨ Just one tent
✨ Forced proximity
✨ He pines for her

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and the author, Tarah Dewitt, for providing a NetGalley e-arc. All opinions are my own!

How do I become a Byrd? I want to be a Byrd, too. Someone make me a Byrd, please! 🥹🫠

I promise I’m trying to write a better review, but just like Ellis… “I can’t do that,” Ellis had said, frustrated. “I’m sorry. I won’t get the right words out, and I can’t put everything I feel into some paragraphs that way. I don’t know what to say.” 😭😭😭

Thank you, Tarah & NetGalley, for the eARC, in exchange for my honest review!

I received an ARC via netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own

This is the second book in a series. I was planning on reading the first book before I started this one, but time got away from me, and I didn't. This book can be read as a stand-alone, but I think it would be best to start with book one and continue on to this title.

This is a second chance romance. The first half of the book delves into their backstory, and the road trip portion starts around the 50% point.

It was a great read. I enjoyed the story and getting to know the characters. I look forward to spending more time in Spunes and with the Byrd family.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press & Macmillan Audio for the ebook & audio review copies.

This book is second chance romance excellence. Actually, it’s just excellence, period. Left of Forever is emotional, it’s gritty, it’s heart wrenching. There’s moments of humor that you find when your entire life has been intertwined with someone else. It’s full of honesty, vulnerability, hope, and two grown adults who have been to hell and back emotionally realizing that their love story had more pages left to write.

I felt particularly close to this story in many realms, not the least of which being the life transition that comes with their kid graduating high school and all the bittersweet emotions and memories that come with it. There’s also very real discussions about grief and losing family members, as well as infertility and the ways it wears down relationships, so if these are tough topics, be mindful when reading because while they’re well written, the discussions are raw and frank.

The audiobook was flawlessly performed by Connor Crais and Megan Wicks - two narrators who captured Wren and Ellis’s rollercoaster journey back together exceptionally.

I love Wren and Ellis. I love all the Spunes gang. I love the book playlist. I love everything about this. Left of Forever is out today - add it to your TBR, borrow from the library, pick it up at the bookstore.

Left of Forever wrecked me—in the best way. I went in expecting a beautifully written second-chance romance, but what I got was a soul-deep, emotionally layered story about love, loss, and the hard work of healing.

Wren and Ellis Byrd were once everything to each other—young love, teenage parents, passionate soulmates. But life broke them apart. Now, five years after their divorce, they’re navigating the tender, painful road back to each other. Their chemistry still sparks, but what really shines is the emotional growth and raw vulnerability they both bring to the page.

Tarah DeWitt doesn’t shy away from the messy parts of love. She dives in, giving us a romance that’s honest, heavy, and breathtaking. If you love second-chance stories that pack a punch and earn their HEA, Left of Forever is an absolute must-read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re looking for a book to make you cry, this is the one to read!

This second-chance romance between childhood sweethearts, Wren and Ellis, is a tender and honest look at how Life is often what puts people and relationships in hard circumstances. A couple can be happy together, but Life will always have its say, and it is up to the couple to decide how much of a fight they will put into keeping a relationship going.

When we were first introduced to Wren and Ellis in Savor It, it was clear that the people who love them saw what the reader did- unfinished business between the two. In Left of Forever, Tarah DeWitt clearly shows how these two people have never stopped belonging to each other. Their second chance at love was tender and soft from the start because of that.

I truly hope we get more books in this world because I love the entire Byrd family!

I absolutely loved reading about Wren and Ellis’ story. When I heard we would be going back to Spunes, Oregon I was so excited and this book did not disappoint. The is the best kind of second chance story and I love how Tarah wrote it. It was heartbreaking and real. Thank you to Tarah Dewitt and Net Galley for the chance to read this one early.

*4.5

HE SAID HIS ENTIRE BEING WAS CHANGED BY HER!!!!!!!

This is the second chance romance of a lifetime!

When I say I want an angsty second chance romance that will leave me equally horny as emotional I'm directly pointing you to this book.

This had everything I could've wanted.

But they got divorced? SO?!?!?

Their love brought them back to each other and strengthened them both! For a love like that to exist is so incredibly rare. I don't know what kind of shit Tarah was on when writing this but she did so good!

I also love that they did not shy away from the hard conversations, for me, this made it clear that they both had changed so much from their divorce. They both knew that communicating about the good and bad was the only way for them to start over again. The sense of self-awareness that these to both have is actually insane!

I loved Wren so much, from the moment we met her in Savor it, I knew that this book would hit different including her POV and that it did.

If my future partner isn't like Elis, I'm throwing them out the window. That man got on his knees and begged her, he most certainly has game. My type of man, FOR SURE!

(For my fellow readers, I do have to add that there's this really random scene that includes ice cream. The thought process for this one was one that had me questioning what I was reading lol. It's not a BAD scene but it's one that made me cringe and therefore I could not give it a 5 star rating).

One thing I do have to note is the pacing at the end was a little strange. It felt like we were going at a steady pace through the first 70% and it suddenly picked up speed and was over. As a reader who enjoys to simmer in a book, I wasn't necessarily a fan of this choice but it wasn't one that impacted my overall experience.

Overall, I truly believe that this is Tarah's best book yet, I hope everyone enjoys this wonderful book!

Thank you YouHadMeAtHea for my #gifted ARC and thank you Macmillan Audio for my #gifted ALC of Left of Forever! #LeftofForever
#TarahDewitt #YouHadMeAtHEA #MacAudio2025

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐋𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐃𝐞𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐭
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

𝟓★

Left of Forever is the second book in the Spunes, OR series by Tarah DeWitt. I would recommend reading Savor It first to get the best experience (and because Savor It is another 5★ read). This book was pure perfection! I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Tarah DeWitt, but this is my favorite! This book will definitely be in my top romance reads of the year!

Wren and Ellis fell in love young and had their son Sam when they were teenagers. They grew up together and were made for one another. But eventually, they fell apart. Now in their 30s and divorced, Wren is running a bakery and Ellis is a firefighter and the two are living their separate lives. With Sam heading off to college, the two decide to help him move in together, and Ellis Convinces Wren to take an extended road trip back to Spunes to see if they can give their relationship one last chance.

🧡Second Chance Romance
🧡Marriage in Crisis
🧡Small Town
🧡Firefighter x Baker
🧡Road Trip
🧡Found Family
🧡Letter Writing
🧡Open Door

Connor Crais and Megan Wicks were perfect for Wren and Ellis! I loved everything about these two and how they brought their characters to life. No notes. Just perfection! If you enjoy audiobooks, you will love this one!

Posted on Goodreads on May 20, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around May 20, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on May 20, 2025
**-will post on designated date

First thank you to st martins press and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange fir an honest review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis: wren and Elias Byrd met young and had their son as teenagers. They fell out in the 30s but have a chance to reconcile after dropping their son off at college. Will a road trip back home reconcile their love or drive them further apart?

What I loved: second chance and road trip romances are some of my favorite tropes so I knew this was going to be a winner for me. Wren and Elias are both very sweet and mature beyond their years. The spice is very good as well. I really like how they communicated throughout the book allowing themselves to be vulnerable, honest and raw with each other. She shows the whole relationship as well in various formats which gives you that connection to really root for them. Finally she throws in some humor to make you love it even more. I read this as a stand-alone which was fine but do think it would be better reading savor it first

I have loved a lot of Tarah Dewitt’s books but this one I just couldn’t get into! I think I shouldn’t have tried to read a second chance romance when I have already read a lot of those this year. I know lots of people will love this and I’ll be willing to give more of her books a try. Just wasn’t for me!