4.5 stars

This is the beautiful second chance story of Wren and Ellis, who were introduced in the book Savor it as Sage’s best friend/ex sister in law and brother. It can be read as a standalone book.

I have enjoyed all of Tarah Dewitt’s books as they portray real struggles and relationships. Five years after their divorce, Wren and Ellis take a road trip home from dropping their son off at college. We get to see the past and the present in both perspectives as they travel on this journey back to one another. There is some tension, some humor, and some family meddling. I would love to get Silas and Micah’s stories next.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.

I haven't read the first book in this series by Tara DeWitt, and I'm also not always a huge fan of second chance romances, but I really enjoyed this book. Ellis and Wren fell in love young and has their son Sam when they were only teenagers. Now, in their early thirties they have drifted apart and divorced. When they decide to take a road trip back to their hometown after dropping off their son at college, they rekindle their romance and find their way back to one another. The characters were well devloped and felt real and relatable. Sometimes in second chance romance books, I feel like the characters don't always have the character growth/emotional growth throughout the book that is needed to make the relationshop work a second time, but I think the author did a good job of doing that with Wren and Ellis (especially Ellis). Overall, this was such a cozy, romantic book that I flew through and made me want to go back and read the first in the series, while also made me excited for future installments. Highly recommed!

if you’re a sucker for a second chance romance like i am, look no further. this was everything i wanted in a second chance romance and more.

wren and ellis have known each other since the age of 5, became high school sweethearts, had a child when they were still teenagers, and somewhere along the way, they started to grow apart. now they’re in their 30s and have been divorced for 5 years. with their son on his way to college, they aren’t sure if they are ready to hang up the hat on their relationship just yet, so they decide to embark on a road trip to see if they can find their way back to each other.

wren and ellis’ relationship just seemed so REAL. many romance books always start with how the couple met and focus on the honeymoon period. i love these romances just as much as the next romance-obsessed gal, but relationships can be difficult over time, and miscommunication is so easy to fall victim to. both wren and ellis need time apart to reflect, and i was so proud of how far they both had come to show their vulnerability and be able to voice their struggles, insecurities, and love. also, this is a psa for more men to lean into therapy! it does wonders - ask ellis!

The wildest thing about Wren and Ellis's story is that, with only ONE SENTENCE in a previous book, "She's Still a Byrd," we were hooked and begging for their story.

Their story started when they were just kids, in love and accidentally pregnant at 17 and 18, but picks up five years after their divorce. Sam is graduating high school now, and an opportunity to spend time together presents itself. Ellis makes it clear he wants to try again, and this trip is their chance. Wren agrees, leary but hopeful.

This might be one of the most believable divorce/break-up stories I've read. The reality of the hard season they lost themselves in will be highly relatable to many. 

And the dialogue—both between them and especially their internal dialogue—is some of the sweetest I've ever read. In Ellis's itinerary, when he apologizes that they never ended up doing a road trip they'd talked about, cue immediate tears. All the I'm sorry's we have in long relationships—my heart. 

The way these two loved their son—gah. Sam was never a mistake or an underlying issue in their struggles. Not only did they love him, but they loved the active part of parenting. So. Good. 

I'm a huge fan of romances reminding us that fighting for relationships is worth it. It's impossible not to think back to Out of the Woods with the proximity to which I've read 2 marriage-in-crisis-ish stories. They remind us a significant amount of the happy is in the during and the after, not just the beginnings!

And if you sensed a but coming here, it is. (Really, it is a little but, but a but nevertheless)

But I wish the 5 years apart were fleshed out more on page. "I miss you, too sounds glib. You have been missing from me is more accurate. There's a void where you lived in me." With lines like this, I need to understand the in-between more. We get tiny bits of where Wren's head was during, but not quite enough for me to fully understand why this took 5 years to get here. The reasoning for the divorce is SO REAL; I wish we could have walked alongside more of the healing in those divorced years. It made the speed of reconciliation feel a bit off for me.

Review will be posted May 1

I was so excited for Wren and Ellis since “She’s still a Byrd” and they DID NOT dissapoint. I love a marriage in crisis or second chance romance trope and this book did it soooo right. It was clear from the beginning that Wren and Ellis were still in love and were meant to be together. I absolutely loved the letters that brought them back together and the trip that Ellis planned. The reason that he planned all of the destinations they went to had me CRYINGGGG.

My favorite part of Wren and Ellis’ dynamic was the fact that you could see them both pushing themselves to address the aspects of their past that made them uncomfortable. Specifically, Ellis’ journey to truly show up for Wren whether it was giving her meaningful compliments, not shying away from questions she asked, or taking the reins and planning their entire trip, he proved that he was willing to make changes where Wren had previously felt unsupported in their marriage.

I also appreciated that Wren and Ellis’ story of the breakdown of their marriage felt very real to me. The small hurts and bigger issues that were left unsaid to protect each other in their marriage ended up causing its downfall. It also demonstrated how life can often cause the conditions in which a relationship crumbles. Despite this message, the book is truly so hopeful and it felt as if Wren and Ellis truly would find each other in every lifetime.

I’ve come to really love Tarah Dewitt’s writing and I cannot wait for more of this series!

thank you St Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the ARC! I had a really fun time returning to Spunes and getting reacquainted with the Byrds! Overall I really enjoyed this book; I’m a sucker for a second chance romance and a mustached man. I also loved all the Twilight references (Rosyln is 100% the song of a generation).

The only reason this isn’t a 5 star book for me is I felt they resolved their issues far too easily and they didn’t really talk about their divorce until 80% through. I was hoping they’d have a full on argument about what happened and they sort of did, but they made up and moved on too fast.

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

If you have read Savor It, you have already met the Byrd family and now you get to know Ellis and Wren a bit more. They go on a road trip to drop their son, Sam, off at college and decide to hash out all their unresolved feelings about each other and what went wrong in their marriage. The emotional rollercoaster they take you on is both relatable and beautiful. They touch on how it's easier to remember the hard things because that is what your body does to survive, but how important it is remember the good and decide what you need and how you can grow and move forward.

▪️marriage in crisis
▪️second chance
▪️found family
▪️small town
▪️firefighters
▪️road trip

Thank you to NetGalley, and St Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is probably the best Tarah DeWitt book I've read and that's a big deal since I LOVE all of her books. Wren and Ellis were high school sweethearts and got pregnant at 17. They were solid for a while but then life happened. Now, in their 30's, Ellis decides he wants her back. They drop their son off at college and go on a road trip to get back what they once had. I love the heart that was in each of their characters. They deal with real life issues where sometimes love wasn't enough but now it is. This book had me tearing up with their characters' vulnerability, while also squealing and kicking my feet.

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

Read if you like:
- Dual POV
- Second chance romance
- Road trip

Content Warning: Ectopic pregnancy, infertility

Super enjoyed this next novel by Tarah DeWitt. Left of Forever has a way of charming you from the very start. It has this nostalgic touch to it that just works so well alongside the romance. I read it in one sitting and really wished I could spend more time with the characters. I continue to be impressed by her beautiful writing and the heartfelt connections and topics that come up in her novels, and this one is no exception.

Tarah DeWitt has a way of writing that pulls you in and fully immerses you in the story. Savor It was the first book I read by her and I was so in love with all of the characters and was left wanting more.

Left of Forever follows Wren and Ellis finding their way back to love after being divorced for a few years. With their son going to college, they plan a road trip to drop him off and also enjoy the California coast to reconnect. The story felt organic and flowed so well without feeling rushed. I laughed so much at the pepper hands incident and cried (like full on tears down the face crying) finishing the book at 2am. I’m so happy I was able to receive an advanced copy of this as it may be my new fav read of the year.

This was such a beautifully written second chance romance. I really enjoyed getting to see Ellis and Wren find their way back to each other after life lead them to a divorce. You could feel their love for eachother coming off of the page and it was lovely to read about.

Love the Byrd family! A beautiful second-chance romance. I enjoyed that the characters were a little older. The book was funny yet hopeful. Letter writing and origami something my boyfriend now husband did as well! Glad the ending didn't drag on. It's ok to write a book under 300 pages!!!

This was a beautiful second chance romance with all of the fixings necessary to make the culmination of their relationship worth it. I love the addition of therapy and how they overcame their issues head on.

First off thank you so much for the ARC. This book was so amazingly written and I loved the second chance romance. I started reading the second chance romances this is number 2 of the second chance romance books I’ve read and this makes me want to read more!!

This book was an emotional, beautifully written journey that felt so real and profound. The depth of the characters, the hardships they faced, their time apart, and the growth they experienced before reuniting—it all came together in such a powerful and moving way. I loved this.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

Left on Forever felt like stepping into a small-town dream—the kind where everyone knows each other, the scenery is beautiful, and there’s just the right amount of nostalgia in the air. Tarah DeWitt did a great job bringing that world to life, and I loved getting lost in it.

The characters were easily my favourite part. They felt real, like people I could know (and honestly, people I’d want to be friends with). Their relationships, the banter, and the little moments of vulnerability felt so natural and heartfelt. I was completely invested in their journeys, and they had me smiling, laughing, and even feeling a little emotional at times.

If there’s one thing that kept this from being a 5-star read for me, it’s that I wanted more slow burn. Don’t get me wrong—the romance was still great, and the chemistry was there. But I love that delicious tension, the will-they-won’t-they moments that make the payoff even sweeter, and I wish this book had just a little more of that.

That said, I had such a great time reading this. It’s cosy, charming, and full of heart, and I’d recommend it to anyone who loves small-town romance. I’ll be picking up more from Tarah DeWitt!

This is how you do second chance romance!!

The character growth on both sides was incredible. And how Ellis showed just how much love he has for Wren… ugh! They were everything. I will be thinking about this book for months to come.

And boy did this book hit close to home. As a woman who also accidentally got pregnant at a young age and then married without having the most solid foundation, I could relate to Wren more than I’d like to admit. Marriage is freaking hard. I love that Tarah was able to spin this in such a real, raw and beautiful way. It’s one thing to enjoy a book about two fictional characters falling (back) in love, but it’s another thing for it to make you consider how you love and communicate with your partner in real life.

Highly recommend!! And you don’t HAVE to but I would most definitely read Savor It first because the crossovers were so fun and will make it more meaningful.

Also, Tarah, I need a Micah and Silas book PLS 🙏🏼🙏🏼

Left of Forever was so sweet and raw and I loved it! I don't read a lot of second chance romance, but this one definitely proved that I do, in fact, enjoy the trope.

The dialogue in this book was so real and I really felt the emotions of these two characters. I loved that the author took the time to dive into the topics of divorce and how "in sickness and in health" isn't just a phrase we say and that it's actually something that really does come up in life.

I will most certainly be reading more books from Tarah DeWitt and look forward to seeing what she puts out in the future.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited when I heard that this book was coming out after reading an ARC of Savor It (it hurts me to spell that without the u). I honestly adored both books. They had the perfect blend of the difficult and beautiful parts of romance and love. This book really expanded on the family themes and the importance of surrounding yourself with people who have your back. The pacing was perfect for me, especially because it allowed for the perfect build-up of tension. I literally started crying when I read the last sentence so let that tell you all you need to know. If you love romance, do yourself a favour and read this one.

Tarah Dewitt. This woman has committed what I consider an egregious action. And that is making me sob at words written on paper about fictional characters. I was lucky enough to snag a copy of this eARC through NetGalley, and man am I so glad that I did. I read this book in two days and absolutely fell in love with the setting and the characters.

If there's one thing about it me, it's that I LOVE a second chance romance and this was one of the most natural and perfect ones I've read in a while. The letters, the trip, all the little moments where we really came to understand how much these two characters knew about each other was just perfect. I loved how we slowly collected all the pieces of Ellis and Wren's past and watching how when we did find all of them we watch them slowly knit each other back together.

The meddling from their families was also just absolutely perfect. For every funny moment, there was an equally gut wrenching one. I never got bored with this story and found myself rooting for this couple the entire way through. Tarah Dewitt can do no wrong and you can bet $10 on the fact that I will be running to pick up a copy of this book when it comes out. And YOU SHOULD TOO!!