4.5 rounded up

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

I am a sucker for a well done second chance romance

Wren and Ellis have known each other since they were kids. They fell in love and had their son in high school. They are now divorced sending him off to college. Ellis convinces Wren to go on a road trip together after dropping Sam off. This time alone shows them how much they truly miss each other. They take time to work through what went wrong in the past and realize how much in love they still are. Dewitt does an amazing job writing about mature love and reigniting the flame. I fell in love with Wren and Ellis - their second chance, the way they treated the other, the flirting, admiration, sweet tender moments, origami birds…it all gave me butterflies and had me shedding a few tears at the end 🥰

truly i have no words, normally i avoid these tropes, but honestly, i am learning i will read ANYTHING Tarah writes. this was the most beautiful story and i think it topped savor it to be my favorite read of hers. This story was heartbreakingly beautiful and i think i will probably re-read it many times in the future. It's only February and this actually might be one of my top reads of 2025, hands down.

thank you so much to Tarah for writing the most wonderful stories and characters for us to get to know and love. actually, beyond grateful for this story.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. I really enjoyed this follow up to Savor it. The characters, story line, small town setting, all make this story great! The heartache and rejoicing in this story were great!

Thank you NetGalley and SMP for this early copy!

Savor It was one of my favorite reads last year and when I saw Ellis and Wren were getting a book I knew I HAD to read it!

I absolutely adore 2nd chance romance, especially when it’s a marriage in crisis and falling back in love with your partner.

Ellis and Wren have such a great connection and origin story, childhood friends to lovers to having to grow up quick when she becomes pregnant at such a young age and then making it work while they both become guardians to his younger siblings. THEY WERE PUT THROUGH THE GAUNTLET!! Even though in later years they started to grow apart and their communication stopped they still had such a yearning for each other even while divorced. While on their road trip they decided to each name 2 bad things from their time during marriage every day and then they TALKED about it!

This book had me going from tears over the “realness”of marriage to laughing the next moment over Ellis and his “potty dance”, iykyk 😂😂😂

Tarah, thank you for this beautiful book and pouring your own personal experience into the story. 💗

Brb, just let me wipe my tears before I can start writing this review.
The way I highlighted so many quotes in this book because Wren and Ellis just resonated for me so much. This was the most beautiful second chance romance book I have ever read. Watching Wren and Ellis deconstruct what went wrong in their marriage while simultaneously remembering all the things that were so right between them, honestly felt like a gift. It was also so much fun to see Sage & Fisher again and watch their story continue on through the eyes of their closest supporters. While I loved Wren and Ellis’ love story, a huge part of this book that truly pulled at my heart-strings was how much their friends and family were rooting for them. Just the community in Spunes is so wholesome and the Byrds are just so adorable.
I truly hope that we get another story from Spunes ( Silas???) and I cannot recommend this enough.

I cannot get over how much I loved this book. I’ve thought about it and talked about it daily since I finished it.

I fell in love with both of these characters in Savor It and was so glad when we heard we were getting their story because it deserved to be told. I loved seeing the glimpse into the past and what caused their relationship to break, because it just made their journey back to each other even better. All the little hidden moments where he’s put so much effort and attention into. It felt like such an honor to be able to witness their journey, and their love. All the additional characters just made this better and the locations were perfect.

Also, my favorite microtrope is secret tattoos, so this just checked all the boxes for me. I can’t wait to listen to this again on audio when it comes out. I already have it preordered!

Oh my goodness, this was so adorable!! I didn’t read the first in the series but was taken in by this premise because I’ve been loving the reconciled marriage trope lately. I absolutely loved both Wren and Ellis! This was heartwarming and funny and hopeful and steamy, so many great things to be. No third act breakup, we all cheered!!!

While beautifully written, I was honestly very bored a lot of the time. The last 25% was really touching, but all the rest was just too slow for me unfortunately. The storyline is a lovely one though and as always I am grateful to have access to this ARC.

I genuinely can't express how in love with this book I am. I usually am hesitant to read second chance romance because if they broke up for a reason why get back together but this worked so well because of the honest and open communication the two characters had and how they had to rebuild their relationship from the foundation and it had me giggling and kicking my feet the whole time! I read this in one sitting, and I can honestly say I haven't felt this deeply in love with a romance since The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston! The prose was magical and emotional and it really had me rooting for these characters and I just am so genuinely head over heels in love with this book! I long for a messy divorce just to relate to these two <3

I mean literally 10/10. This is my first time reading this author but I literally have TWO of her books on my shelf and they were in my TBR and the fact that I didn’t read them is CRIMINAL. Ellis and Wren were so beautiful like I don’t know how else to explain their love and pain and redemption with one another. The honesty and vulnerability that it takes to grow with your partner while simultaneously growing as an individual is a lot. I believe in love again.

I wasn’t sure how I would like this book. I haven’t yet read Savor It (will be going back, if not just to read the “She’s still a Byrd, scene) but I really, really loved it! It managed to feel relatable and digestible even for someone who hasn’t gone through having a family or going through a divorce which I feel like is something many authors can’t accomplish. It was deep but also very funny, very spicy and perfectly paced. Has inspired me to take a cooking class and buy some ice cream… sorry not sorry

Ellis and Wren divorced 5 years ago. After many years of carefully tiptoeing around each other in a small town, old feelings start to resurface after accidentally becoming pen pals. Their son, Sam, is heading off to college soon. Slow burn encounters and heated conversations lead to a fabulous idea. What better way to celebrate the success of co-parenting than a friendly, not at all romantic, road trip? The Byrd’s embark on this trip as an effort to save their relationship all together and ends in explosive chemistry, mutual understanding, and showcases the power of love and devotion.

Ellis Byrd >>>>>

Ellis is such a sap and is head over heels for his ex wife. He’s so respectful and thoughtful with everyone but he puts his sweet Wren Byrd on a pedestal, as he should.
Wren is an extremely relatable character with her funny punchlines and her openness in expressing herself. She built major walls through the divorce that Ellis had to tear down brick by brick.

I did not marry my high school sweetheart, did not have a kid young, nor do I live in a small town, but Tarah DeWitt did an amazing job drawing me in with the raw emotion and open communication between the characters. I think there are many lessons to be learned about love and sacrifice in Left of Forever.

I had a really good time with this story and these characters! As stated previously, Ellis is a SIMP for Wren. Like, yes this is a second chance romance but I think they never really fell out of love in the first place. And boy do they make up for lost time with the help of some cancelled reservations leaving them with only one bed. I look forward to more from this author!

I’ve read several of this author’s books and this is my favorite so far. It was fun revisiting the same town and characters from her novel Savor It. The storytelling feels elevated from her other novels. The character development was so well done. They are flawed, but lovable and you want to root for them. The conflicts and experiences were genuine and authentic. Totally recommend this if you’re a fan of this author or romance.

This was a tear-jerking, out loud laughing, makes you think of all the things kind of book. I find myself read these types of loves a lot, the ones where you get the bumpy roads and the happy endings but this one hit differently. Seeing a couple who’s gone through it all - young love, young parents, young divorcees, and life long friends take a second chance was beautiful. We’ve seen this couple before, the parents who broke up but kept civil for a child, but when their child moves away, who do they become?

This book is an absolutely beauty and whether you’re single, married, divorced, etc. I highly recommend. It makes you feel all the feelings and then some.

My favorite quote: It’s as if time sped up on us somewhere, and it’s all happening too quickly. Time does that, I suppose. When you spend so much of it looking forward to the next thing, it can easily slip out from under you.

A huge thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for early access to Tarah DeWitt’s “Left of Forever”. This book is a second chance romance that will leave you asking yourself “Why isn’t this one of my favorite tropes, again? Am I an idiot?!” Following the character’s that you fell in love with from “Savor It” in our favorite little town of Spunes, DeWitt gives us a full look at the love story between Wren and Ellis. The plot has a little bit of everything: secret pen pals, family dynamics, forced proximity, and obviously only one bed! Through this journey back from dropping Sam off at school our two MCs are able to reconnect and rekindle a truly palpable, sweet & spicy, everlasting romance. When I wasn’t blushing/sweating 🌶️, I was smiling with misty eyes. Another knock out for Tarah DeWitt!

Where do I start with this book? One I feel very privileged that I got the ARC and got to read this before it hits the market. I love Savor it! and when you get introduced to Wren and Ellis, you feel there was more to their story and I'm so glad Tarah went for it. This high school sweetheart/teenager pregnancy, try to make it work but end their relationship. I am not usually a fan of 2nd chance romance but the way Tarah beautifully wrote these characters and their stories and vulnerable was so fricken good. Tarah made me appreciate the 2nd chance trope. Also, how can you not love a road trip /focus proximity. Ellis Bryd, this man trying to win his women back! Also, the sexy time scene were perfect! I also hope all the Bryd get there school, I think we are all to invested in these characters! Also we need more hot shot/fire fighter story!

*ARC Review*
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a free and honest review.

Left of Forever changed something in my brain chemistry. The beauty and depth Tarah DeWitt manages to infuse into her story-telling is beautiful and inspiring. These are more than just characters, these are real people with real emotions and not everything gets to be pretty and smoothed over easily.

Wren and Ellis have lived an entire life together, having known one another from age six on. They've experienced so many firsts, so much pain, as well as so much joy. But somewhere along the way, the bad started to outweigh the good (as it sometimes, ok, most times, does in real life) and they parted ways, though they were still tied together by their son and the friends and family that loved them both fully. Despite this, they have closed the door on their love and tried to move on.

One twist of fate five years later opens that door for them again, and Ellis, a man determined (which we LOVE), knows that he has to do everything in his power to get his wife back, win her over again, and fix all the things that went wrong the first time around. What better opportunity to do this than a week long road trip home from taking their son to college?

Between the letters and the journaling, the "20 Questions to Fall in Love" prompts, and both Wren and Ellis's determination to unearth where everything went wrong and try to see if they can get it right this time, I've never felt so many emotions all at once. DeWitt has a way of incorporating such gut-wrenching emotion, light-hearted humor, and awe-inspiring love into her writing. She's not afraid to touch on heavy topics, and she builds worlds and characters that are so easy to immerse yourself in.

I've been rooting for Ellis and Wren since I read Savor It, and let me tell you I ate their story up. Anyone looking for a beautiful story about second chances, opening up, written letters, a man determined, and repairing something that was once broken, this is the book for you.

Not only will I be reading every single thing DeWitt writes in the future, but this book alone will be read several times, it was just THAT good.

I am confident this will be an instant besteseller. There is something DIFFERENT about it. The author's heart on a page. Wren and Ellis were standouts in Savor It, of course, but Tarah delivers this and more. She treats their story with such precision and care, you cannot help but fall in love with them over and over again as they fall back in love with each other. Or, did they ever truly stop?
Second Chance romances are some of my favorites, but this one is truly above the rest. Heart warming, funny, gorgeous settings, sexy (SO sexy). The tensions between them are real, their devotion to raising their son with as little trauma as possible is real, their similar identity crises for needing to grow up too quickly are so real.
I want to read this book again and again. I cannot wait for the world to have it.

“I’m just saying. My DNA mixed with yours, and it altered your very bones, Byrd.”

Oooff, Ellis Byrd the man you are.

What I liked:

Wren Byrd - when I met Wren in Savor It, I quickly wanted to learn more about her. I absolutely loved getting her book.

Ellis Byrd - I mean, self explanatory. The actual acceptance and wherewithal to realize that he needs to change and go to therapy to get his wife back. He doesn’t just bulldoze his way back into her life and heart, he earns it.

The characters of Spunes - I love this little town. All of the Byrds and the rest of the townspeople are hilarious. Not a lot of this story actually takes place in Spunes, but I loved the little glimpses we got.

Wren and Ellis actually have the tough conversations and earn their second chance. It made me cry a lot, but it was worth it in the end.

What didn’t work for me:

Nothing

DeWitt’s newest book drops us back into the small town of Spunes. Childhood sweethearts now divorcees and co-parents, Wren and Ellis struggle to let go of the past and each other while trying to move forward with their lives. Despite the nearly five years of distance, we learn that neither feels like their relationship is fully over. Ellis suggests he and Wren take a road trip in celebration of dropping their son off at college. Wren agrees, hoping this trip might give clarity and healing to their relationship.

This book was so, so rich. Very emotional, sincere. Lots of yearning and angst. The reason for their divorce made sense and as they were able to more clearly communicate their grievances, their path to reconciliation made sense, too. DeWitt is a gifted storyteller. It was easy to empathize with both Wren and Ellis. I found myself rooting for their relationship every step of the way.

I would not necessarily call this book a rom-com, but the vineyard scenes were so funny. A really nice break from the poignant tone of the book.

Hot dang, Ellis is such a man. I don’t know why, but sometimes romantic scenes between married people can feel kind of boring. Not these married people. The heat, the yearning, the vulnerability. This was some of DeWitt’s best work yet.

Overall, I absolutely enjoyed this book. If there was any weakness, I would admit I would periodically skim through some of the super long monologue paragraphs. However, the reader really lacked for nothing with this book. A wonderful, full story of two soul mates finding each other again.

“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.”