I will write this without crying. I will write this without… oh dang, I’m crying.

How can a book be so horny and emotional and sad and hopeful and ALL THE THINGS?

Funny Feelings was my intro to Tarah and you really can’t go wrong with any of her books, but this one felt especially elevated. Like she knew where my heartstrings were and decided to yank on them until I was completely undone.

It’s magical when a writer tells a story that springs from their soul and I can tell this was the case with this book.

Anyways you should buy this book and hug it close and cry and laugh and swoon.

I absolutely adored this book!!! The epilogued killed it for me!!! It must read! I loved Wren and Ellis journey! It a must read!

I love that this book took place in Oregon. I also appreciated that both characters could admit that they could have been better in their marriage. Would I take my ex husband back. Absolutely not, but there was betrayal in his actions. I really liked how everyone was cheering them on.

I plan to share this title on my Instagram on Sunday, May 18th, just before publication day.

Tarah DeWitt 🤝 my heart. How does she make me laugh while tearing me apart?! HOW?! She is a masterclass in how to make me feel a color wheel’s worth of emotions all at once. Pretty sure there was a moment I was crying, laughing, and screaming all at once; I was downright giddy. I will accept no criticism of this book and am actively trying to figure out how I too can become a Byrd. I would say I’m embarrassed by how much of this book I highlighted but that would be a lie; Wren & Ellis my darlings💖. From the dedication and author letter at the front to the last period in the epilogue Tarah held my heart in her hands.

a stunning, stunning release from tarah! her best writing yet - so emotional and full of depth, we go on a journey with wren and ellis. there is so much left to discover with our couple as they learn to open up to one another and become more vulnerable. the love, compassion, and ultimate respect they have for each other as co-parents and partners is truly something to witness. the road trip they embark on serves as the perfect vehicle for readers to learn about their history and see they reunite. so so excited for siilas and micah’s stories next!

This is a beautiful story filled with love, drama, yearning, and commitment. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to quickly fall in love with a book and forewarn that you will never be able to forget them.

Thank you NetGalley and ST. Martins Press for the eARC of this wonderful book

This story wrecked me! the yearning, the palpable chemistry, and the painfully beautiful love confessions. There's something so intricate about a man trying to win his former love back, especially when that man is not use to vulnerability and begins to open up. I think just seeing how they both fought so hard to keep their walls up to keep each other out and then turning it around and using that same strength to fight for each other was so beautiful to witness. Ellis Byrd is truly a modern day Mr. Darcy! This book has landed in my top favorite reads of the year, if not my top favorite read!

ARC review: Left of Forever

I don’t have enough words for how much I love this book!!! I already had such a love of Spunes, Oregon (not to be confused with Forks, Washington ) from previously listening to Savor It. Being a sequel, I was happily surprised that Left of Forever, and therefore Wren and Ellis’ love story, immediately overshadowed Savor It and how much I enjoyed the first book! (No hate to Savor It as I still love that sweet story so much, but this redemption life story was written so beautifully, it really sticks out to me as something special)!
The tension between Wren and Ellis, set up in Savor It, had me counting down for this release and I feel so incredibly lucky to have been granted an arc of this novel. I absolutely DEVOURED this book in a few sittings and it has stuck with me since I finished it a bit ago! I still feel like I’m living in the aftermath of this gorgeous love story and it’s a beautiful feeling.

The love story between Wren and Ellis is so many things, but first and foremost it is longing, forgiveness, resolution, and commitment! Ellis’ willingness to change, talk through all that went wrong in their relationship previously, and start anew, with Wren in charge (relatively speaking) speaks to the character he is, and how much they love each other! This book is honest, somewhat messy, full of longing and emotions, and a bit of a bumpy road towards a new type of relationship between the two lovers, yet it is such a beautiful story!!! This is proof that love takes work, relationships take work, and you can love someone and still need to work at being with them and continuing to choose them. Loving is working on loving them through every version of them and every version of yourself, while continuing to choose them every day. This novel is a beautiful reminder of that and I can’t get over how much I loved this book! I’m so SO excited for the rest of the world to love this story as much as I do when it’s released on May 20!

This book was an immediate 5+ stars! And I truly can’t say enough good things about this story, that I know will endlessly stick with me for the rest of forever!

second-chance romance?? childhood sweethearts turned divorced co-parents who never stopped loving each other?? a road trip full of tension, old feelings, and UNRESOLVED CHEMISTRY?? yeah. i was feral.

it’s emotional. it’s spicy. it’s soft. LETTERS. BAKING. there’s a kid going to college and parents trying to figure out how to love each other again without falling apart.

if you love messy, grown-up love with all the angst and all the healing, read this, i’m unwell.

Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt is exquisite.

I knew I needed Ellis and Wren's story as soon as Ellis announced "She's still a Byrd" to an entire town meeting in Savor It. (While this book can be read on it's own, I highly recommend reading/listening to Savor It first. And The Co-Op too, if you're itching for more.)

Wren and Ellis grew up together and got married young when Wren got pregnant. Add on top of that the responsibility for Ellis's younger siblings, after their parents died, and they had to grow up very fast and take on a lot of pressure. They decided to divorce when their son, Sam, was in middle school. Sam is graduating now, and moving away for college. Ellis decides this is the perfect time to see if he and Wren can come back to each other, by taking a road trip home, just the two of them.

Second chance books are tough, because the reasons for the separation often seem either too petty to have caused a rift or too monumental to get over. That's not the case here. Ellis & Wren had genuine issues, that felt very real and lived in, but they don't pass by any of the steps needed to figure out where things went wrong and communicate their way back to each other. Ellis even spent time in therapy (!)

Tarah DeWitt's writing always brings me to tears, and this was no exception. I will be hydrating fully the next few days, but it's so worth it. I'm not sure I will be able to handle Silas Byrd's book; I'm pretty sure I cried every time he was on-page, but I also can't wait for it.

ARC provided by NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, and I'm so grateful for that.

DNF at 16%. I didn't like the dishonesty of him writing her letters knowing who she was when she thought she was writing a stranger. I have enjoyed other books by this author so I'm kind of surprised I couldn't get into this one. Will try her again.

Ellis and Wren's story was on my wishlist since the “She’s still a Byrd” moment. 💌

Who wouldn't be excited about reading about a firefighter, a baker, small town meddling, a second chance after divorce, a road trip, and found family? I know I was prepared for the ride immediately. That was confirmed once I finished this book, basically in one sitting. Tarah Dewitt does that to you. Oh, let me tell you, this book pulls on all your heartstrings. You feel the sadness, the yearning, the heartbreak, and hope and excitement flowing through the pages. I concur, I cried a lot in this book. It's no surprise, as I got so well connected to the characters. The whole trip was spectacular and atmospheric, and once Ellis tells the truth about why he planned it that well, you adore him even more than you already do.

Every one of Tarah's books makes me pull things into my own life and inspires me to do better, in some ways or others, and all of them change me on a fundamental level. They are that incredible, truly, from the beginning to the end. This one was special, and I believe all the young married people will cherish this. Even I adore it, without fitting into that category. I only wish for more of Wren's character development. Ellis changed so much and worked so hard, I wanted to see some of it from her, too. Oh, and I would so much appreciate one more date with those two, with less tying up and more heart-to-heart talking.

All in all, magical, from the heartwrenching prologue to the tear-filled ending.

Such a good follow up to one of my favorites last year! I love a second chance romance!
This was really well done, my only issue was I felt like I needed a little more pain of why they divorced in the first place. I wanted to like really feel what they felt, and I just didn’t get that. But otherwise I really enjoyed. I loved the road trip, the cooking scene, and the cameos of Sage and Fisher!

The way this was not only a top read for me but a top audio. The second I dove in and was about 10% in I just knew this was altering my brain chemistry and going to be a top read of the year. Ellis finding the pink box and not even knowing at first they are Wren's treats and it's her letter til he gets to the end was kismet. The moment he decides he wants to go get his wife back, I was done for. There is something about a perfectly written second chance romance that wins me over every time. I love the back story of the characters and how they have this history that can't be undone or unmatched. Their love stood the test of time once and Ellis is there to prove to Wren why they belong together again. Their road trip is perfection, all the little stops have so much meaning to the two of them. This is one I will be re-reading the second I have this paperback in my hands and loving every second of. The narrators were pure perfection. Anyone who will listen I have told to preorder. I don't know how anything will top this one this year!

Oh this was such a great reading experience! Second chance romance isn’t always my favorite trope and I started out a little wary with this one but boy did I enjoy it! Ellis and Wren are both so beautifully flawed. I loved the side characters so much I think I need to go back and read Savor It to get more of them. And cheers to no third act breakup!!

4⭐, 2.5🌶️

Okay this was hecking cute! I'm not a major second chance romance fan when the couple was already married and divorced, but Ellis and Wren were so sweet and loveable. I think what kept me from being sooo emotionally swayed (because there is a lot of feels in this book) was being unable to relate to either characters. However, I totally foresee sooooooo many people being down bad for this book and the love story!

💚Second Chance Romance - Divorced Couple
🌲Childhood Friends
🚙Forced Proximity: Road Trip
⚠️Chronic Illness/ Infertility Struggles

Release Date: 5/20/2025

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was so good. I'd rate it even higher than the first book in the series and that was fantastic!
I'm not the biggest fan of second chance/marriage in trouble books (though this wasn't that exactly, but close enough) but that didn't matter with this. It was emotional but fulfilling. A must read.

Left of Forever is a dual POV second chance romance. Ellis and Wren were high school sweethearts and teen parents who tried to make a life together but ended up divorced. After 5 years of co-parenting, the two are moving their son Sam off to college. Ellis, who still loves his ex and wants her back, convinces Wren to take a week-long long roadtrip with him to see where they land without the responsibility of parenthood between them. Wren, who has been searching for closure, agrees, and the two begin exploring a possible future.

This was a very emotional book for me and I loved it. I liked how Ellis and Wren worked to stay amicable for Sam’s sake, even though both were hurting. Their trip to tentatively explore what their future might hold was a fantastic slow burn. I liked how they used the time to enjoy each others company, to have some necessary conversations and to get to know one another again.

Read dates: 04/28/2025- 04/30/2025
Goodreads review: 04/30/2025
Instagram review: 05/01/2025
Blog review: 05/20/2025

This book hurt—in the best way. Raw, real, and angsty AF. It’s a true second-chance romance about a couple who let their marriage fall apart without ever saying what needed to be said. Their journey back to each other isn’t always “entertaining,” but it’s powerful, emotional, and so authentic. I felt every bit of it.

The way I LOVED this book 😭😭 I laughed, I cried, and did both at the same time. This second chance romance was filled with so much heartache, love, hope, and laughter. It was so great being back into the Spunes universe, and hoping to see more from this crew down the road! Loved that it was a dual POV as well!

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest feedback