~Thanks to NetGalley and Tarah Dewitt for the ARC!~

Why am I IMMEDIATELY obsessed with Wren and Ellis. I mean I know I already loved them from Savor It, but even when I was barely starting the book, I already loved their story and their chemistry 😭 By the end… I had cried SO many times. The emotions are flying off the page with every word I read.

This was a book I simply couldn’t put down. Read half of it late into the night, then woke up early to read the second half. Tarah Dewitt has became an “auto-buy author” for me. I will forever be chasing the high of reading her books. I’ve been recommending Savor It to everyone I know (literally…sorry, not sorry) and I’m happy to announce I will be recommending Left of Forever as well.

This book was so freaking emotional. And I don’t even have kids. Their son, Sam, turns 18 and is going off to college and that provides an (un)fortunate opportunity for his divorced parents, Wren (FMC) and Ellis (MMC), to spend some time together as they drive him on a roadtrip to get him settled for college. And as I’m sure you can guess, they may or may not rekindle some old feelings being alone on a roadtrip to head back home from dropping him off. Mind you they have been alone together for the last 5 years since they’ve been divorced. *wink wink*

Random musings…

I love that even though Wren is feeling lonely and missing Ellis she is Still being so body positivity and secure in herself. It’s so lovely and refreshing to read. She isn’t letting insecurity get to her despite feeling like she’s missing out on what their life could have been. A lot of people would fall into the insecurity of it and feeling like they aren’t enough but I’m not getting that from her.

LOVE the mental health representation. MEN TAKE NOTES. You want to be a better person for the loved ones in your life and for YOURSELF??

👏🏻GO👏🏻TO👏🏻THERAPY👏🏻

Without giving anything away, I do wish we could learn a little more about what happened with one of the characters that’s come back to Spunes. What happened? It’s not explained just almost a throw away line about them being hurt and drinking and then later asking someone to hide his stuff so he doesn’t obsess about not being able to do something he loves. I wish there was just a little bit more about the WHY. I’m assuming it’s setting up for future books but I feel a little unsatisfied with that minor story line.

Psst - if you like playlists while you read…this one was PERFECT.

⚠️⚠️⚠️SPOILER ALERT⚠️⚠️⚠️
- some fave quotes (I will need to confirm when the final copy comes out, but please I hope these all stay in there cus I LOVE)



“My problem is that I’ve never been able to stop measuring every prospective romance I might have against what I once had with Ellis.”

“I’ll save you a seat, Byrd” 💞

Honorable mention:
“Got a case of the streptoCOCKus?”

“Been nice motorboating you!”

I truly don’t know how to adequately share how much I loved this book. Left of Forever had me feeling ALL of the feelings. I laughed out loud, I teared up, my heart broke and my heart healed. I love Wren and Ellis so much, and getting to know their story in this book - the good and the bad - was so special. Relationships are so complex; and sometimes they don’t work out for no one reason, and by no fault of one person. While this book was fiction, Wren’s and Ellis’s story and their feelings felt so real, and being able to go on this journey with them while they work through their past and try to find their way back to each other was beautiful. I will think about these characters for a very long time.

A complicatedly beautiful story about 2 people who fell in love young and lost themselves & each other along the way. I love the way this author writes characters.
I learned things about capsaicin that I didn’t know.

It’s taken longer than I expected to write this review. I needed extra time to digest the emotional roller coaster that was Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt. The realism of infertility, pregnancy loss, and the struggles faced by couples going through these journeys was near and dear to my heart. I make it a point to NOT read books with pregnancy loss and infertility because it’s very heart heavy for me but I am so glad I stuck this out. The experiences that Wren and Ellis experienced along with their unyielding love for one another, despite divorce, was enriching. The fact that Tarah can write stories with so much passion and heartache, makes readers feel all the love and emotion of each character. I have read multiple books by Tarah and each one more captivating than the last. I can’t wait to see where we go next in the town of Spunes!

Wow. Blown away by this STUNNING work of art. Second chance love stories have always had a soft spot in my heart but this one felt extra special.

These characters are so rich, watching them grow and communicate and be so HEALTHY ! Amazing! I loved the character arcs, the growth from their marriage to their reflecting on it.

I’ve loved all of Tarah’s books but this one is my new favorite. The writing is spectacular, the characters are so dynamic, and we love a roadtrip book!

The letter writing trope turned emails turned handwritten vows is just *perfection*.

A story of real love, the nitty gritty real stuff.

i have been searching for a book that will change me on a fundamental level for some time now and keep coming up short. however, after reading left of forever i think i've found it tenfold. this book is so beautifully written. their love story brought me to what can only be described as scary sobs. there is something so captivating about a second chance romance. watching two people find and choose each other not only once but twice is something i don’t quite have the words for but i know is so special. wren and ellis are simply perfect and their love for each other has altered my brain chemistry in ways that are probably unknown to me currently. watching these two overcome every hardship and find their way back to this love was breathtaking. i love the byrds!


this review is available now on goodreads and will be available on instagram @kays.reads_ by 3/6 at the latest.

This is probably my favorite Tarah book so far, i think the second chance and divorced couple plot was done well and i was rooting for them. The main characters have been divorced for a while and they have a kid together. We see them reunite and try to get that spark back on a trip. The tension and chemistry was so good and so were the steamy scenes. I think the reasons for the divorce were impactful in the overall story and it was a good read. Thanks to smp for the arc!

Ok loved this. Ellis and Wren are so lovely together. It’s obvious from the get go why they work and will work it out. The way they longed for each other was just so well done. I mean, Ellis couldn’t have yearned for her more. It was funny, it had emotional depth, it had spice. Such a lovely read. One of her best. Right up there behind Funny Feelings.

Wow! I loved this book! A heartfelt story of a couple who grew apart in their marriage and divorced. Years later, through a twist of fate and a trip to drop off their son in college, they decide to take a road trip together to see if they can rekindle their love. If you love a second chance romance with relatable and endearing characters, this is a must-read!

Wow. Just wow. That was phenomenal. I’ve been hearing incredible things but actually reading this story was magical.

I fell in love with Ellis and Wren in Savor It. I remember being so sad because Tarah only wrote standalones…. But guess what? She wrote the book! She wrote a story for, “she’s still a Byrd.” And it’s everything I could have wanted and so much more.

Expect 👉🏼 Second Chance, Small Town, Road Trip, Forced Proximity, Epic Family, Mutual Pining, Meddling Family, Healing, Spice, Anonymous letters, Journals

Wren and Ellis have loved one another their entire lives. But 5 years ago they called it quits and have been doing a delicate dance of politeness to not affect their son or family while pretending to be okay apart. As their son graduated high school, Ellis suggests a trip for just the two of them. One last chance to see if they could still be together.

This book was a beautiful journey. It was hard fought. It was love as it evolves. It was growing apart and growing up. It was being brave and being vulnerable. It was being honest. It was learning to try again and learning to trust. It was relatable. It was incredible. I had a hard time putting it down.

With literally any other book, I would have said it was too spicy. But Ellis and Wren EARNED their spice. And it was SPICY my friends. More spice than I am used to from Tarah but it fit this couple perfectly.

I read this one with my eyes (a rarity for me these days) and I cannot wait for the audio to do a reread and spend some more time with The Byrds!

Thank you SMP for this arc!

♾️🌟 I'll never be the same after this one

You know those books that you read and know they'll leave an indelible mark on you? Authors that seems to just know who you are down to your very core? Tarah DeWitt is one of those for me.

Savor It was my favorite read of 2024 and Left of Forever has now slated itself as one of my favorite books of all time. The yearninggggg. The raw, honest, and real conversations. The tension. This book was simply about two imperfect people owning up to their shit and getting it right, this time forever.

So many pieces of this book burrowed their way into my heart. I lost count of how many times I teared up. The first time happened somewhere around 3% and then I sobbed happy tears through the end. I loved this book with my entire heart and soul–I can't wait to read it again when the audiobook comes out. Please, do yourself a favor and add this to the top of your TBR.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Without a doubt, my favorite Tarah Dewitt book to date (previously was the Co-op so I LOVED the cameo). The angst in this book! Wow. I was choked up more times than I can count while reading, especially the letters ugh! I love the dual POV because this was definitely a love story that I felt was important to see from both sides. This was one of the best second chance romances I have had the pleasure of reading. Good open door spice! Love that we had characters that are 30+ years old. They just felt so “real” to me. I may not have married my childhood sweetheart but I could relate to the love, the sadness, the regret, and the hope found on these pages. I honestly wouldn’t change a thing about this story and I hope that we see more books from the Byrd’s and Spunes.

Idk how each new Tarah Dewitt becomes my favorite, but somehow she never misses.

This one feels so personal. Like Tarah took a peek into my soul and left it on display for everyone.

So much heart with characters that feel so real. I forget I’m reading and wish I knew them in real life they feel like real people. People I want to be around forever and forever. They’re just tragic enough to be hilarious with believable plot points. Her declarations of love are next level swoony and heartbreaking. Punches in the gut that force you to feel something.

She takes these typical romance tropes and archetypes and makes them so much more.

I feel bad for the rest of my 2025 reading because I fear I’ve peeked and it’s only February.

Read if you like:
💍Marriage in crisis
🚗Road trip
✌️2nd chance love
🫂Found family
🏡Small town
😤Steady grown antisocial mmc
🍰Baking
🤭Meddling shenanigans
👯Matching tattoos

Left of Forever was absolutely amazing and I am currently sobbing as I’m writing this!! I think this might actually be one of my favorite books of all time. Wren and Ellis will live deep in my soul forever, I will never be over them. Tarah Dewitt really ripped my heart out and shove it back in. I laughed, cried, and felt so much love & hope. There are so many things I want to say, but I don’t want to spoil anything! But I will say that the growth Wren and Ellis make, both individually and as a couple, is so inspiring. Anytime Wren talked about her body image, it made me emotional! And that’s something else I loved about Left of Forever; it was just so relatable in many different ways. There were a lot of similarities between Wren & Ellis and me & my own husband, which made their story extra special to me. I loved it so much and I can’t wait for it to be out into the world for everyone to read. You could read Left of Forever on its own, but reading Savor It first makes it even more meaningful. I love the town of Spunes and every single person in it. Just knowing that we’ll get more stories to come from this quirky town keeps me going. Left of Forever comes out May 20 and it is a MUST read!!!

As someone who has been married for 10 years, this book got to me. It shows how communication can make or break even the strongest of couples. I loved how relatable the characters are. I saw myself in Wren. I saw my husband in Ellis. The Pepper scene had me laughing out loud because that’s something my husband would do. I hope we get more books on the other Byrd siblings.

Safe to say after three Tarah Dewitt books she has solidified herself as one of my favorite romance authors. I will admit I LOVE second chance romance, but I haven’t read one about a married and then divorced couple. This was PERFECT in every sense of the word. The second I met Wren and Ellis in Savor It I wanted their story immediately. This book was just so sweet and everything I love about romance books. Their story will be sticking with me for awhile.

Magic on a page. Tarah’s characters never fails to leave me feeling so hopeful. The way she balances reality and romance, hurt and hope, love and loss, is nothing short of perfect. I’d give it a dozen stars if I could.

Tarah’s best work yet!!!! When I saw this was a 2nd chance romance, I KNEWWW I had to get my hands on it. I devoured this in 1.5 sittings. My goodness was I invested. I loved the healing, the hope, the yearning, the very slow burn. It was all so delicious. I ate it up SO quickly. I also enjoyed the Easter eggs from The Co-op. This story will stay with me for a while. Infinity stars!!!

5 stars. No notes. Ive been waiting for this ever since I finished Savour It. I needed more of spunes & Tarah delivered. This was fantastic.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for allowing me to read an ARC of Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt

Here I am again, lucky enough to have gotten to read another Tarah DeWitt book, staring at this review box wondering how in the world I write this review without getting far to gooey and personal about it. Seriously, there is something so very human and emotional about each one of her books, and even when it feels like I am scraping my poor heart up off the ground, it is worth it every time.

Second chance romance has always been a challenging genre for me. On one hand, as a lover of romance, I love it. On the other hand, the idea of lost time wrenches my heart like few other tropes do. So needless to say, I knew I was going to read this book, but I gave a fair warning to my husband that things were about to be a bit emotional (cue me misty eyed and leaning my heads on his shoulder through much of this book).

While you do not have to have read Savor It by Tarah DeWitt before reading this one, I do recommend it (and if you read The Co-Op you might just get a quick little glimpse of what comes next). Savor It was about Sage and Fisher, and included in the warm and lovely cast of important side characters, is when we first meet Wren and Ellis.

Left of Forever centers around Wren and Ellis and starts relatively at the end of Savor It. After growing up together and a surprise teen pregnancy, Wren and Ellis shared countless happy years together until life did what life does, it happened. Years of pain and personal history spiraled until these realized they’d lost one another and that their marriage had come to an end. But a few years later, and Wren and Ellis find themselves stuck, in life, and maybe on each other. Could it be that the reason these two can’t move on is because they still belong? Will they have enough left of forever? It’s romance, in the deepest realest sort of way. Life gets in the way, parenting is hard, and responsibilities pile, amongst all of that can they find their way back to one another?