Oh my gosh, I loved this so much! I am a sucker for second chance romances and Left of Forever did not disappoint. Wren & Ellis' story was raw and truthful and painful and beautiful. I truly felt all of their hurt, hope, pain, and love as I read this. I so enjoyed going on this journey with Wren & Ellis as they unpacked their relationship and how it fell apart. They didn't shy away from the hard parts of reconnecting and they gave each other room and so much grace to open themselves up to each other again. I really loved that they didn't allow each other to fall into miscommunication - they pushed each other enough to talk everything out together. I also loved that even though the majority of their journey back to each other took place outside of Spunes, I still felt all the love and support from their family. I cannot wait for this book to release and for everyone else to go on this heartbreakingly beautiful journey with the Byrds.

this. this is how a second chance romance should go. this is exactly it. I've never been married, never been divorced...but somehow I felt so connected to wren and Ellis and their journey.

I love that everything between them just felt RIGHT and just so so so natural. seeing them both be weary of opening up their hearts to each other but not closed off to each other or the possibility of being together again.

wren, my sweet sweet sweet wren. wren is truly an angel, she cares so much for everyone in her life, for her mom, the other Byrds, Sam, her bakery. a hug from wren would heal something in me I bet.
omfg and Ellis "i will never stop yearning for her" Byrd??? I don't wanna spoil anything but the way this man yearns for wren and never stopped yearning for her? never thought that he could ever unwravel her from his DNA. makes me SICK (complimentary)

part of what I loved most about this book (and savor it) is showcasing how "small" lives are still so fulfilling. the Byrds have something that so many people dream of, family and love that runs so deep in their bones it has altered their DNA.

thank you to netgalley for an earc of LOF in exchange for an honest review<3

Finished this book a little less than a week ago and have been sitting on it ever since. Almost every day, I've gone back to reread or look at my favorite parts/quotes and resisting the urge to just read it again.

This book was beautiful. Wren and Ellis were perfect puzzle pieces for each other and the way they were absolutely obsessed with each other made my brain go brrr. While I would've read a thousand pages of their romance, the fact that Tarah Dewitt managed such a complete, emotional story in a shorter page length was super impressive. I cannot wait for this book to officially come out so I can own it physically.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

Dear Stranger... This is Tarah DeWitt's best book, hands down. From the first page, I was hooked. The setting is perfectly crafted, the characters are fully fleshed out and so relatable, I genuinely wanted to jump into the story and hang out with them. I'm officially in love with the big, boisterous Byrd family!

And can we talk about the playlist? DeWitt hits you right from the start with an incredible collection of songs, so many of my personal favorites, the kind that just wreck you emotionally. I literally had to pause and stare at the wall for five minutes, knowing this book was going to hurt (and boy, was I right).

I'm a sucker for a marriage in crisis story, and “Left of Forever” delivers in spades. It's raw, it's real, and it had me unbelievably emotional. The way Ellis yearned for Wren had me completely and utterly in my feels! And the character growth? Spectacular! Ellis is a man on a mission, determined to win back the love of his life. This book perfectly encapsulates everything I adore about the second chance trope. The shared history, the past hurts, and the overwhelming, undeniable love between Ellis and Wren make their story so incredibly impactful.

DeWitt's writing is seamless. The story flows effortlessly between past and present, letters and in person conversations, inner monologues and dialogue. It adds so much depth without feeling forced or stilted in any way. Honestly, it was hard to pick a favorite quote because there were so many good ones!

Marriages are never perfect, and sometimes the struggles can be heavy. This book made me reflect on my own marriage and the love I share with my husband, leaving me so emotional. It's a truly beautiful story, and I highly recommend it! If you're looking to be swept away by the most perfect love story, pick this one up on May 20th. You won't regret it.

This book might be one of my new favorite books ever. The most beautifully written second chance romances that I have EVER read. As someone who has struggled with infertility personally, I felt for these characters with all of my heart. Wren And Ellis met as children, and circumstances forced them to grow up very quickly. As true adults, they have to make a decision, when their son goes off to college if they are going to let that be their final excuse to be leave their past behind them, or see if there is still truly something left worth fighting for. My heart was ripped out of my chest in the best way, throughout almost this entire book. I cannot recommend it enough and will recommend it to everyone I know. Also, I can’t not mention that the spice was *chefs kiss* TOP TIER. This was my first book by Tara DeWitt but will absolutely not be my last!

We get to follow along Wren and Ellis who had a son at 17, got married a few years later to then divorced at 28. Five years later they are about to take their son to college and are trying to find themselves again, together as one or separate as friends.

This book!! It meant so much to me. My husband and I have been together for over 11 years and married for 9 and it’s not always easy. Tarah Dewitt put words to these struggles in the most amazing way. It was so relatable reading about Wren and Ellis's journey on so many different levels. Tarah writes about the battles and hardships of a relationship in such a beautiful and unique way without any resentment or grudge being held between the characters.

Chapter 33 broke me and put me back together again. I… I have no words 🥺 5 fucking stars. I will most definitely read it again when it releases in May and I have my pre-ordered copy in my hands 🥰

Don't get me started on the playlist for the book. A masterpiece! I think Tarah’s a mind reader. Heartbeats by Jose Gonzalez has been one of my favorite songs since high school (that was 15 years ago). Francesca by Hozier was one of my most played songs last year AND I had just scored concert tickets before getting this arc. I mean…it’s some kind of sign right?!

Thank you so much to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC (and the tears) in exchange for an honest review.

This is it. It is February 2025 and this will be my top read of the year. I’ve never read anything more romantic in my life. Absolutely knew it would be after I read “She’s still a Byrd” in Savor It but it was so much more than I could have hoped.

Pining your thing? *slaps cover of book* this baby can hold so much longing.

“You all belong to each other, with or without me, I think. But I want someone to belong to me again, too. I wish it were still you. I hate that I wish it were still you.”

I’ve never read anything like this. This story begins at the end of a love story that never really ended. It creates visceral feelings of loss and longing inside my body, almost like a controlled burn. You know, as the reader of a romance novel, that it’s looping back around. It is perfectly balanced in how the author gives you as much heartbreaking pining as she does joy and HEA.

There are a few elements to this story that really make it unique from most other contemporary romance novels. You have older (30s) characters who have reached the next phase of their lives. You also see a love that’s strong but has been chipped away so terribly by life and circumstance- something I feel strongly about needing representation. When people split, often you see each blaming the other for stupid things like miscommunication (3rd act break up, I’m looking at you). I think it’s important to see the stories written of love that just loses its way, too.

“Time does that, I suppose. When you spend so much time of it looking forward to the next thing, it can easily slip out from under you.”

Reading about them dropping their kid off at school broke my heart into a million pieces. My kids aren’t there yet but I often wonder the same as Wren. Did I anticipate their next phase and miss the one I’m in? Will they be prepared? Who am I outside of this? …

“We’ve spent more than half our lives being Sam’s mom and Sam’s dad. Who the hell are we meant to be beyond this?”

You don’t have to read Savor It to enjoy this story but I hope you do. It sets the stage for the kind of love written into each of these pages. Preorder aside, even if I never read this again, I will think about the Byrds every time someone asks me for a book rec.

Thank you Tarah DeWitt for this ARC. It was on my most anticipated reads list and it far surpassed any of my expectations.

What a frikken story. Kids raising kids, falling out of love, losing your way, and finding your way back to each other. God this book got emoooootionalllll 😩.

- second chance romance
- Divorce
- Young love & young pregnancy
- One bed

Tarah is truly a standout contemporary romance author. Her ability to blend past and present together in a way that feels seamless and natural speaks to a true art of her craft. Her character and relationship building is unparalleled. Her novels feature found families and small towns and people who have known and loved and hurt each other for a long time but she drops you right in and lays out their entire dynamic for you with a colorful cast of characters (including animals). Left of Forever is a second chance romance, which historically isn’t my favorite trope because a lot of second chance romances tend to rely on flashbacks that keep alluding to some sort of “conflict that changed everything” and you’re strung along for 80% of the book until addressing that becomes the main conflict of the present timeline. I HATE that plot device and this book doesn’t do that at all. This is one of the most transparent second chance romances I’ve ever read which makes it feel REAL. Both characters own their stuff from the very beginning and open an amazing dialogue that makes you really root for their reunion. Five stars. If you haven’t read any of Tarah’s works, yet, I highly encourage you to add her to your TBR immediately.

unfortunately i was not feeling this one and ultimately had to DNF. it was a little confusing and felt all over the place to me.

LOF is the kind of book you think about randomly two months after you’ve read it. The way Tarah writes yearning to an absolute staggering degree should be studied. If you already weren’t in love with this cast of characters from Savor It, you will be by the end of this book. The Byrd family (Wren included, cause she’s always been a Byrd) is so flipping special to me. I can’t say enough good things about this book.

After reading "She's still a Byrd" in Savor It, I knew I needed to read this sequel, and it did not disappoint.

Wren and Ellis Byrd grew up together and ending up not only raising their son as teenagers, but also raising his siblings. As the years went on and further tragedy hits, they became more distant and divorced. 5 years later, their son is graduating, and Ellis plans a road trip to win Wren back.

Now I'm not typically a huge second chance romance type of a girl, but this was SO well done, especially since the reason they divorced was due to miscommunication.

I loved the letter writing at the beginning, the overbearing siblings, and the New Moon soundtrack references. The journaling about their past really put into perspective the love they had and never fully lost. I was full on cackling at times and sobbing at others. I saved so many quotes from Ellis.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. All views and opinions are my own.

Pining for your (ex)wife has never been more soul-wrenching. I caught myself grabbing the collar of my shirt, knuckles white holding my breath, waiting for them to figure it all out. And I think that’s the hardest part and the best reason to read a real second-chance romance. The way that Wren and Ellis talk through things and listen to each other is nothing like any other novel I’ve read. Tender moments fold in easily with some of the funniest “oh-no* moments I’ve ever read in a book. I’ll say the spice in this book is *unmatched* and unforgettable. It’s only February and I might have just read my favorite book of 2025.

We have whatever is left of forever.. you and me’
My heart is so full. What an amazing eARC to have received 💕 I fell in love with Spunes, OR last month with Sage and Fisher’s story in Savour It. Now there may be a tie for my favourite couple. Wren and Ellis… damn have you both been through it. ‘ what happened to not putting a burnt cake back in the oven… think of all the things that only get better after they’ve been burnt…’ and damn are wren and Elise as sweet as the caramelized sugar! 💗 this was a unique story to me, I don’t think I have read a second chance romance plot and I think I really have been missing out. Every book in this series makes me want to move to Spunes more and more. The trip, what a beautiful, thoughtful surprise, I would take that road trip in a heartbeat! ‘ a couple hours later, Ellie and I are a hundred dollars poorer, Dewey from exertion and two colossal Care Bears richer’. And the new moon playlists… I’m dead, that’s too good 😌

I’d thought we could love each other through our hard times, but maybe we should have found our way through them too’.


The letters, the digging deeper into the dislikes and needs of each other was so healthy and real, if only everyone had a chance to do this maybe they would realized if they are truly meant to be together. I liked the line ‘ people are the sum of their experiences’ and that was really important for Wren and Ellis to see each othered perspectives on the events that led to their divorce. Tarah is so funny with her words, I think I actually laughed out loud a couple times, steptoCOCKus 🤣

If you are looking for a

Second chance romance
Small town
High school sweethearts
Epic road trip
All the feels

Do not miss reading this!!

Thanks to NetGalley, St.Martin’s Press and the author for this eARC 🤩

Also the playlist is 🔥🔥🔥 if I could have picked loml, silver springs and far away, I would have played those on this post too 🤭

I think this might be the most beautiful book I’ve ever read 😭😭😭 the way these two COMMUNICATE 😭😭 the way Ellis GROVELS 😭😭😭😭 love love love love

Shout out netgalley and SMG for the arc

I so wanted to love this book based on the book description, but I just could not get into it, no matter how hard I tried. The cover is absolutely stunning though!

This book will be literally one of my favorites books in '25. The setting is simply perfection, the characters relatable, and the emotions real. I am officially in love with the big boisterous Byrd family!

Dewitt's writing engages the reader with understanding of its characters and situations. The story flows seamlessly as we jump from the past to the present, written letters to in-person conversations, and the couples secret pining for more.

Wren & Ellis divorced five years ago after a marriage crisis neither could overcome. They have never abandoned their feelings even after years apart. Their second-chance waits on the open road as they deliver their son to college, and decide to spend a few days together.

Wren - fun loving, amazing mom, baker, sister and friend.
Ellis - insanely lovable, emotionally stilted, fire fighter and fiercely protective.

If you are looking to be swept away into the most perfect love story, pick this one up immediately.

Thank you St. Martins Press

Absolutely loved this book! I was looking forward to a new book by Tarah DeWitt after reading Savor It but was a little less excited after finding out it was a second chance romance. These aren’t usually my favorite. However, Tarah did a great job at bringing me around on this. I was invested the whole time and loved their story.

I didn’t expect to cry multiple times while reading this book, but here we are.

I love an exes to lovers, second chance romance, and when it’s DIVORCED exes, it’s even better. I fell in love with both of these characters and their beautifully woven family. The side characters were both heartwarming and hilarious, the plot’s trajectory was seamless and powerful, and the writing itself was such high quality.

I just had such a good time with this one. This is one of those books that you wish you could read again for the first time because it was just so memorable and hearty.

Maybe, hopefully, one day I’ll be able to return to Spunes… 👀

This book was so beautifully written. If you’re looking for a romance that’s mature, emotionally intelligent, thoughtful, and so beautifully human, then please… do yourself a favor and read this masterpiece of a book.

4 ⭐️

I loveeee a good second chance and I thought this was executed so well. I’m loving the surge of romances about younger couples finding their way back to each other after a number of years. These characters are also written very well and they were enjoyable to read about & route for them! Definitely recommend for a fun, quick romance. Thank you St. Martin’s Griffin for the advanced copy!