Oh this book-I love when you have high expectations for a book & it not only delivers but exceeds. Left of Forever is everything a romance book should be-a great love story, a fresh plot line & characters you can’t help but root for. While this is technically a sequel, it could be read as a standalone (although characters from the first book are referenced throughout).

Wren & Ellis’ story was so heart achingly beautiful. It was so special to watch (read) unfold on their lil road trip adventures. These are 2 people that truly, deeply, irrevocably love each other and are willing to have honest conversations and are willing to GROW with each other!! I’m so obsessed with them. This book will live in my heart forever and ever. Will recommend to everyone i meet on the street.

The way I sobbed at the closing chapter, but mostly at this: “one day, when we’re very old and gray, one of us will open our eyes to a day that the other won’t, but we’ll smile knowing how full life has been, knowing how we spent forever. Everything left of it, together.”

😭😭😭

I stand by the drunken thread I sent (threaded?) while in the middle of this read - Tarah DeWitt writes a second chance romance like a motherfucker aka very good. I read this one coming off of The Co-op and honestly, she could just do second chance for the rest of her days and I would be happy.

Thank you ever so much to NetGalley and SMP for my arc in exchange for my honest review.

TW/CW: infertility, teen pregnancy, miscarriage, grief, fire, death of loved ones, chronic illness

This book was perfection! I recently discovered Tarah DeWitt and read all her books in anticipation of this one! I love that we are taken back into the same world as her previous book!

Childhood friends-to-lovers, second chance executed flawlessly. SO MUCH history, angst, pining and rediscovering between Wren and Ellis. From the crumbs we were given in 'Savor It', I knew Wrellis was going to be a favorite ship in this series, and Tarah delivered tenfold. The co-parenting. The mutual respect for boundaries. The.
COMMUNICATION. I've said it before, l'll probably say it in every review for a TD novel: The tenderness and maturity of the characters is truly unmatched. AND THE SPICE? Her hottest yet, but no less emotional, babes! The way Wren and Ellis connect in the bedroom is on another level. It is mental, emotional, spiritual, CHEMICAL. Getting Ellis' POV for some of the more intimate scenes had me practically gnawing on my kindle. (AS TENDER AND PASSIONATE AS IT WAS, ELLIS MY PLEASURE DOM KING HAD ME SWEATING, OKAY?)
Tarah has given us something so special with the Byrd family, and the lovely Town of Spunes. She writes familial relationships and friendships that leave me so envious when reminded these characters are fictional and not part of my circle in real life.
This story has great pacing, the characters are so well-developed, and the dual POVs are balanced just right.
Finishing this beta read and already wanting the next Byrd sibling's story is probably so psycho of me, but what does Miss DeWitt expect when she writes some of the greatest characters I've ever had the pleasure of reading?

Tarah Dewitt writes the best romance. Her characters have depth and they are so easy to root for. Ellis and Wren are no exception. This book had me swooning, laughing, and getting misty-eyed.

I feel so honored to have read this amazing book by Tarah DeWitt and in my opinion, her best work yet. All of her stories have the best amount of heartwarming and heartbreaking love, but this one and following Ellis and Wren's road trip adventure, I cannot talk about how much I love them enough.

We follow Wren and Ellis in the roadtrip to head back to Spunes, after dropping their son, Sam, off at college. Through the road trip, they are slowly uncovering what went wrong in their marriage and how they might come to overcome them now. DeWitt has done an incredibly job at creating another couple, that this time has to overcome to see their marriage, filled with nerves and want.

I cannot wait to revisit Ellis and Wren and meet them again on their road trip when I can finally pick them up! Left of Forever will be available for you to meet on May 20th of this year! Thank you so much to St. Martin's Griffin, Tarah DeWitt and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Wren and Ellis have been in love for most of their lives. Despite being divorced for a decade and successfully co-parenting their son Sam, they each still secretly hold a torch for the other. When it comes time to move Sam into college, Ellis uses this road trip as an excuse to take one last trip together, hoping to win Wren back for good. As they navigate back up the western coast, they finally have the opportunity to look back at their marriage through a new lens only afforded with time. Can these two people find their way back to each other by the end of the week?
This book had unparalleled levels of yearning. Their lack of communication that drove the dissolution of their marriage, especially regarding infertility and medical issues, were painful to read but honest. You couldn't help but root for both of them.

This is such a sweet, hear-warming yet spicy, story about a second chance at romance. Wren and Ellis have been divorced five years, and are brought together on a trip after dropping off the child they had very early in life at college. Through anonymous letters, Ellis decides to pursue Wren again. We are given a sweet narrative that alternates between Wren and Ellis' perspectives along with letters and journal entires.

This is the first book I've read by Tarah DeWitt, and I really enjoyed it! I think I was confused as to why there wasn't MORE conflict at the beginning- we get explanations, but this doesn't really seem like a couple that would have gotten divorced. I think though, that if I read the other book set in the town of Spunes (not to be confused with Forks!) it would round out the experience.

The characters were very likable and this is a sweet love story. Rounding up from 4.5 to 5, but would recommend to romance fans who want some steam and some characters above the age of 20!

This was my first book by Tarah Dewitt, and it definitely won’t be my last! Her writing style is unique, engaging, and articulate while still being incredibly easy to get pulled in. Though romance is at the heart of this story, it beautifully weaves in themes of mental health, young love, relationships, and the true meaning of family.

I absolutely loved the characters and the dual narration, which added depth and emotion to the story. The ending felt both satisfying and meaningful, leaving me eager to read more from this author. This would make a fantastic summer or vacation read, and I highly recommend it!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

I LOVED this book. It was hot, steamy, deeply emotional, and the perfect second chance read. I loved the cast of characters and the moments of laughter and levity in the midst of a second-chance road trip!

What a treat to see a love story about a couple who has seen many seasons of relationship. I love how this book explores conversations about what it means to stay in a relationship after being with a person for a long time. We'll developed, relatable characters. The book explores heavy topics that are common in marriage, and it does so with a gentle, thoughtful touch.

This isn't the we met And fell in love and lived happily ever after story, it's the hard stuff that happened in between that can tear a relationship apart, and the beauty of when that couple puts in the work to put it back together again.

Ellis and Wren were high school sweethearts turned teen parents. As the book begins, they’ve been divorced for 5 years. Their son is now headed to college. Ellis suggests a roadtrip home after dropping him off to revisit their relationship.

This was predictable. And I don’t think that’s always a bad thing. I like predictable books. It’s comforting. But for this second chance romance, knowing how it would end made it drag on a bit in the middle. The pacing was a bit uneven. But I like these characters and I appreciate a more realistic, grown up relationship with adults willing to admit their faults and be better.

I don’t usually care much about romance covers, but I truly disliked this one. I had a visceral negative reaction to it.

I really enjoyed this quick read over the weekend getting to know the townsfolk of Spunes (Not to be confused with Forks), and taking a spicy road trip with the two main characters. Wren and Ellis were super likeable from the get-go, especially Ellis. I was rooting for him the whole time hoping that Wren felt that same way for him and wanted to give their relationship another shot. There were so many points throughout the novel that really hit home and made their story so real. This book is for those looking for small-town romance and enjoy reading about second chances, chosen families, and characters finally ready to jump headfirst into the things they want and need.

HOLY FREAKING HELL 😭 😭 😭 😭

Moving this book right near the top of my list of favorite books ever!! I knew I was going to love it from the moment we heard the declaration heard round the world in Savor It(SHES STILL A BYRD!!!!!). But Left of Forever really took all my expectations and absolutely DEMOLISHED them completely.

I am now made up of only thoughts of Ellis and Wren. Their love, their journey, how amazing they are as parents, as humans, as friends to each other. I seriously can not explain well enough how much I loved them.

I saw so much of my own relationship in their story. From becoming parents way too young, losing part of yourself to parenthood and life, and trying desperately to crawl back to a sense of normalcy. Ive been there and although thankfully always by my husbands side, I still felt so seen and understood by Wren and Ellis.

Im so thankful to Tarah DeWitt for writing this beautiful story that gives us hope and lets us know that its okay to be a little broken, to fight like hell and want better for ourselves and our relationships. That you can go back and get back what you thought you'd lost. What you'd given up for the sake of getting yourself back.

If I could give this book infinity stars I would!

This was such a beautiful story! Loved every single second of it and Ellis and Wren finding their happy ever after, again, was done with such hope and love.

Absolutely obsessed.

When I first started I wasn't sure if a rekindled marriage story was the kind of second-chance romance I would enjoy, especially when Ellis and Wren were divorced for as long as they were. But I think Tarah DeWitt does a good job of helping the two characters find their way back to each other (probably because she got married very young as well). I think I would've wanted their reconciliation to take longer and for them to need to take things slow even when they get home but I understand that that doesn't really make for a compelling book. Still, I enjoyed this more than Savor It and was excited to see more Wren and Ellis.

I don't know if Tarah has plans for more Byrd family books but I'd love to read ones for Micah and Silas too. I've really enjoyed what I've seen of them and would love to spend more time in Spunes. I'd also like more Indy. I liked seeing the seeds of her reaching out to Wren but her story fell away once again.

I struggle with the second-chance-romance trope. But... BUT... if every second-chance-romance was like this, it would be one of my favourites. Many second-chance-romance books ask the reader to forgive a lot of very poor past behaviour, some that may be deemed unforgivable. The grovelling needs to match or surpass the level of previous behaviour, and that balance is one that can easily tip in the wrong direction. In this book, it is done to perfection. The previous behaviour (of both parties) is that which many, if not all, folks in long term relationships can relate to - complacency, lack of communication, and not facing the hardships head on. Since it was so relatable, it was even more moving to watch the relationship rekindle and see the growth in both parties. I'm sure we can all see aspects of both main characters in ourselves and those around us.

The secondary characters continue to shine, and I can't wait to see what comes next for all of them. Tarah Dewitt continues to immerse the reader in the settings—I feel like Spunes is a real town with real folks whom I could casually visit during tourism season. The little descriptions of mannerisms bring us closer to the characters, making everything feel that much more *real*. As a reader, you are bouncing between laughs and giggles, also tears brimming in your eyes.

This has easily made it to my 2025 Favorites list, and I can't wait to see everyone gush over it! It is the perfect spring/summer read, for taking with you on a camping trip or enjoying by the pool or at the beach.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a digital advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I felt sooo lucky to get approved for this ARC and this book blew past all of my very high expectations! I was so excited to read about Ellis and Wren from when we first met them in Savor It, but I was interested to see how their love story would play out since this is a relatively difficult relationship to explore. Tarah Dewitt blew it out of the park. I adored getting to know Wren and Ellis and they had the most tender love story of all. I loved getting to return to Spunes & I loved being in both character's heads and hearing how both of them were experiencing their trip. I think their communication was so realistic and natural. Beautiful, beautiful book!

The perfect level of spice! It was a sweet story, and I loved seeing more of the Byrds in this companion book. The pining is everything!! Maybe it's because I'm slow but the timeline confused me a bit - I was confused on when certain things happened when they were divorced.