Thank you to @macmillan.audio for this complimentary ALC and Netgalley for the digital copy. Left of Forever was published on May 20, 2025.

This is book 2 in the Spunes, OR series, but can be read as a stand alone novel, in my opinion.

I had high expectations for this because Savor It (Spunes book 1) was in my top five reads last year. So, like all things I am excited for, I sat on it until I needed it.

Left of Forever focuses on another Byrd sibling, Ellis, and his ex-wife Wren. Ellis has always put others first, and is constantly afraid he is about to mess something up. He had to as he was put in the position of guardian for his younger brothers and sisters at 18, but also got his high school sweetheart pregnant. Wren and Ellis raised his siblings and their son Sam as best they could, building a life in Spunes together. Through infertility struggles as they got older, they grew apart, and eventually split.

We start their story at the end, when their son Sam is graduating high school and on the way to college. Through fate or kismet, they are able to find a new way to communicate, and ultimately open up to each other. With new courage, Ellis plans a trip for them to try to rekindle their romance and get a second chance with the love of his life.

Tarah Dewitt must have a degree in psychology or be the world’s biggest empath. Both, maybe? I could google it, but I’m le tired. She creates such utterly whole and complete characters that it’s easy to fall in love with them. What’s magical, however, is how she heals them and sometimes the reader in less than 400 pages. I was full of feelings, in the best way possible, for the entire audiobook.

Girl can also deliver steam like a pro. Which is why it took me so long to finish - too many tiny ears around 24/7. I know how to use headphones, but my youngest is still a menace and needs an ear on him at all times.

The narration by Connor Crais and Megan Wicks was perfect. I highly recommend it.


I can’t wait to find out which Byrd story we get next!

I’m absolutely speechless! Completely floored; FLABBERGASTED! This book was nothing short of incredible. A million shining stars for Wren and Ellis because 5 simply isn’t enough!

“Second chance” is one of my all-time favorite tropes, so when I saw the opportunity to ARC Left of Forever, I signed up without hesitation and I am so glad I did. This story is the very definition of a second chance romance. Honestly, “perfection” doesn’t even begin to cover it. I’m at a loss for words in the best possible way.

Wren and Ellis’ journey is full of love, heartbreak, deep introspection, accountability, and real, honest growth; both emotionally and mentally. It’s a powerful reminder that love can conquer all, even if it needs to pause and heal before continuing. The emotions are raw, the problems feel authentic, and the entire experience is beautifully relatable. Fictional or not, their story feels real.

Left of Forever is hands down one of my favorite books of 2025, and I already know it’s going to become a yearly reread. I finished it just a few hours ago, and I still can’t get it out of my head. I genuinely believe, in the best possible way, that this book has forever changed how I view life and love.

A heartfelt thank you to Tarah DeWitt, the amazing team at St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Left of Forever before it hits shelves. I’m eternally grateful for the Byrds.

Left of Forever is a second chance romance starring Wren and Ellis Byrd. The two fell in love as teenagers and ended up getting married after an accidental pregnancy. They built a life together with their son Sam in the small coastal town of Spunes, Oregon. After a series of hardships, their relationship splintered and they ended up divorcing. Now in their thirties, they're offered a second chance at love. Sam is off to college in California and the road trip home will give Wren and Ellis the opportunity to rekindle their romance or close the door on it forever.

This was a sweet premise for a romance, but I found the way the story was told and the characters themselves took away from my enjoyment of it. The first chapter sets up the premise of the road trip, but then the first half of the book is all set in the past. It gives the reader an idea of what the characters' lives are like now that they're divorced, but it also lowers the stakes significantly because it's obvious that they're still in love with each other. The road trip itself was only the second half of the book and wasn't as featured in the story as I thought it would be. My other issue was with the immature characters. Some of the things that they said and their sense of humor seemed so childish. Maybe it's because they were forced to grow up so young, but it just made me cringe while reading it. I did enjoy the setting, especially the descriptions of small town life. I think people who are big fans of second chance romances or small town romances might enjoy this one.

Arc Review-

Absolutely obsessed with this book. It broke my heart and put it back together. It is was so beautifully written, had so much heart. I loved this book!

I love Ellis- a man who is willing to put in the work
I love Wren and how she writes through things.

The fact that these two went through such a heartbreak, and were able to talk about the hard things to try to repair what was broken filled me with so much hope.

Watching them reconnect and rediscover each other was truly magical.

I really liked the first book in this series, Savor It so I was expecting something similar with this novel. BUT WOW! This book was even better! You could really feel the love between these characters and the spice was perfection. I will now be adding “Tara Dewitt Superfan” to my resume.
I enjoyed this book as an immersive read (📖+🎧) and the audio narration was extraordinary.
Huge thank you to St Martin’s Griffin for the ebook copy.

Thanks for Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a gifted copy of Left of Forever.

It is Book 2 of the Spunes, OR series. It can be read as a standalone but there is some background from Book 1 that might help make the book enjoyable.

I looooved this book so much. The characters are amazing including the side characters.

This book made me feel all the feelings. I laughed a lot. There were some serious moments that take place too.

The ending was absolute perfection and I wanted to do nothing but hug the book close. It made me feel so much joy I wanted to cry.

Definitely don’t skip this book if you like:
✨ Second Chance
✨ Small Town
✨ Slow Burn
✨ Road trips
✨ Forced Proximity

Absolutely loved this book!! Tarah DeWitt does no wrong in my eyes. I sometimes am weary about second chance romances but I loved Wren & Ellis. She will always be his Byrd 🥹

10/10 no notes. Tarah knows how to write a damn romance. Wren and Ellis were lovely and flawed and real and sweet and funny and I just loved everything about the and their love. Truly, Tarah can do no wrong.

Left of Forever is a lock for one of my top ten reads of the year. Deeply emotional, swoony and steamy, it was perfection.

✔️ Second Chance
✔️ Road Trip
✔️ Childhood Friends
✔️ Forced Proximity
✔️ Epistolary

Wren and Ellis have been divorced for a while. Though they put on a brave face in front of their family and each other, they still aren't quite over each other. Ellis wants to get back together and suggests a road trip for just the two of them after they drop off their son at college. Wren suggests using their time together to really be honest about what went wrong so they can see if they can truly move past the past and into a new future together.

Can I tell you how much I tried to stretch this book out and linger because every single moment was packed full of something - either a ramp up to an emotional payoff, a swoony past moment when they were young teens, incredible sexual tension, pining to the angst degree, a shoe dropping, etc.

It was well-crafted and the storytelling was intimate - I felt like I was in the room with them.

And look, I love a romance with older characters with serious hangups and baggage. The emotional stakes felt so much higher for me than when I read new adult.

Highly recommend. 5⭐️ - and this is one that I will for sure reread.

Steam 🔥🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕💕💕

I'll say right from the start, I really enjoyed this book. The characters were relateable, and you cared about them, and their relationship with each other. I really loved that it didn't just follow a typical Hallmark story of finding each other, some misunderstanding that tears them apart, and then the truth comes out and they are back together. That is so predictable. I loved the journey of Wren and Ells, through being divorced and not speaking to being thrust together and working through their problems one by one. It was a beautiful path they took, especially when they took the celebration trip together after bringing their son to college. They faced problems, past and pressent. The "big secret" (Ellis being the person who was communicating with Wren through anonymous names) where instead of a typical "I cant trust you" moment, Wren realizes she was always hoping she was writing to Ellis, and it only brought them closer.

I know this is #2 in a series, and I will definitely be looking out for #1 and any others. Thanks so much for your book, and the story that just felt like something from real life with real people.

Left of Forever is a heartfelt, second-chance romance centered on Ellis and Wren, former spouses who find themselves unexpectedly reuniting for a cross-country road trip, thanks to a series of emotional letters and a Byrd family reunion neither quite anticipated. As the miles stretch on, old wounds resurface, truths are finally spoken aloud, and the possibility of something new begins to take root between them.

I liked this book, I just didn’t love it quite as much as Savor It which surprised me, especially considering all the rave reviews Left of Forever has been getting. That said, there were a lot of things I did love: the second-chance romance angle, the fact that Ellis and Wren actually talked to each other (thank you for skipping the miscommunication trope!), and the cozy grumpy/sunshine vibe between them. I love the Byrd family dynamic across this series, and this installment stayed true to that warm, grounded emotional core.

Still, I never found myself fully obsessed with the story. I adored the concept (the letters, the road trip) but for whatever reason, I just didn’t feel as deeply involved as I wanted to be. Maybe it was just me and my current reading/life fatigue.

What did shine through was how hard Ellis and Wren fought for each other. Their divorce made sense in the context of real, heavy life stuff and not some easily avoidable. That realism made their journey back to one another all the more satisfying. I also appreciated that Ellis opened up, not just to Wren, but to his family too. There was plenty of emotion and plenty of romance it just didn’t hit me with the same intensity as the first book.

Still, a solid 4-star read and a worthy addition to the Byrd family series. Fingers crossed for a Micha and Kirby story next!


Left of Forever is out now. Huge thank you to St. Martin's Griffin for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.
Tiktok @speakingof.books
Website: SPEAKINGOF.ORG

This is a book that tears out your heart, but puts it back together. I love the relationship and how they really had to change themselves in order to be together as a couple. It was emotional yet entertaining at the same time.

Oh I’m absolutely obsessed with these two. If I had a nickel for every time, I read a second chance romance, where the man is so obsessed with getting his girl back that I rethink my stance on relationships at the moment, I’d have two nickels.

Ellis and Wren are absolute perfection. The way that they navigated this post divorce time and learned to communicate in a healthy and productive way for them made me feel so much for them. I have no notes over their relationship change.

If you need to see a man understand is wrong and then actually change, Ellis is your man.

I mean c’mon “I’ll save you the best seat.” Literally just tell me this man is perfect!

This book. OH.MY.GOD. It was soooo good. First off the cover. OMG. It is so good. Like I was obsessed with the book because of the cover before I even read it, whoever says they don’t judge a book by it’s cover is lying because covers can make or break a book (or cause a person to not pickup a book which is not the case here). The characters. Yes!!! They are likable but still have their own stuff to work through. The second chance romance. YES!!!! I’m normally not an enjoyer of the second chance romances. It just doesn’t do it for me. But… Like.. THIS. DID. IT. And can we just take a moment for my little hormones when their son goes off to college? Like cut me into tiny little pieces as the FMC was talking about walking him into preschool and then middle school and now college. I’m not ready for my little boy to move on to middle school in a couple years so thanks for making me cry Tarah. Anyway… All that to say that this book has it all. Swoony love that never went away, funny family antics, emotional moments where maybe you’re not supposed to cry but you do because everything makes you cry, and some hot and spicy spice time. Five Stars… I’d give 10 if I could!

Thank you St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

While I went into this book with high hopes, the second chance between these characters didn’t feel fully worked out. I would have loved if this book went back and forth with timelines more.

Was not aware I needed a second chance marriage romance in my life until I picked up Left of Forever, my first book by this author. I LOVED these characters, the road trip aspect and the mutual pining. I think Tarah does a fantastic job of mixing light moments with heavier moments, giving you the perfect balance of a book that will entertain you while also pulling at your heartstrings. I cannot wait to dive deeper into this author's backlist.

took my sweet time reading this because i wanted to soak up every single sentence, every single emotion, every single moment with these two beautiful humans. these characters felt so real - which is truly why i love Tarah’s books - her books make you ache in the best way possible. they’re so comforting it hurts. you want to live inside of them.

as someone who got recently married but was in a very long term relationship - this was so incredibly relatable. just a gorgeous story about two soul mates who lost their way in the middle of life and found themselves together again.

tarah’s books are so beautiful but especially this one - this needs to be a movie. just everything was a vivid kaleidoscope of feelings.

✨ “make it better” ✨

if you get a chance to listen to this on audio please do - SUCH great voice acting from both narrators that made the yearning and ACHING even more real. easily top read of 2025

That was probably my favorite second chance romance ever. It was so beautiful and touching (and spicy!) I read the whole book in a day. I love the Byrd family and hope that there is a book 3 in the works!

left of forever has altered my brain chemistry!! this book was everything and more for a second chance romance. it has the perfect portrayal of a love that is real and raw. it's emotional and heartfelt, from the tenderness to the pining and yearning and everything in between. i'll forever be swooning over "she's still a byrd." it was truly beautiful to see wren and ellis reconcile and fall in love with different versions of one another,

if wren and ellis were a song, it'd be spring into summer — "and now I'm here forever, runnin' back to you. always."

thank you to smp and netgalley for the arc!

tropes: second chance, small town, forced proximity, childhood friends to lovers

10/10 loved this book! I read book 1, Savor It, a while back and loved it. In it we met many of the characters in this book. It was so fun going back and seeing where those characters are now and how they relate to the ones in this book. You could definitely read this as a stand a lone but you will get a way better reading experience if you read them in order.

This book follows Wren and Ellis Byrd. They fell in love young and had a son, Sam, when they were very young. They got married and lived a life together but then ultimately ended up getting a divorce. Sam is now going off to college and they decide to take him together and then make a road trip on the way back to Spunes. Which ends up being so fun! And such a good trip for them 😉 there was also some town meddlers involved with this road trip fun too!

This book and the characters felt so relatable. They were in their 30s, just trying to raise their son right in their small town. I loved the divorced and then the way they got brought back together vibes. It was somwthing different that I dont feel like we see in a lot of books.