I read an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt, so my review is based on a pre-publication version of the book.

Tarah DeWitt has once again delivered a heartfelt, emotionally rich romance with Left of Forever. From the moment Ellis was introduced, I was completely captivated. He was an absolute dream. His love for Wren was undeniable, and their journey together was both beautiful and deeply personal. One moment that initially frustrated me was Ellis’s decision to get a vasectomy without discussing it with Wren. But, by the end, I fully understood his reasoning, and it added another layer of depth to his character and their relationship.
As a young parent myself who has also had to fight for my relationship, this story hit home on so many levels. The emotional weight of their struggles, the longing, the growth, everything felt incredibly real and raw. And let’s not forget the spice! The chemistry between Ellis and Wren was off the charts, making the intimate moments sizzle in the best way possible

"Five years apart. One trip to get it right."

Second chance romance done right! Tarah DeWitt nailed it with this beautiful & emotionally raw story about a divorced couple (who had been together since they were young & had a child young) who take a trip to rekindle their romance after sending their son off to college. We first met Wren & Ellis in "Savor It", and immediately needed their story the moment Ellis declared, "she's still a Byrd." at the town meeting. And this story was everything I wanted it to be and more!!

There were so many beautiful elements to this story. First with it being told in first person, dual POV, you really got to see the different perspectives of the main characters and how they experienced different points in their life. Some of those different perspectives even led to assumptions or misunderstandings between them, which sometimes happens in real life relationships as well, making it very relatable.

Also a benefit to the dual POV, the pining!! Oh my heart ached for the love these two had for each other but sometimes didn't know how to express with fear of messing things up.

I loved how emotionally raw this story was. It didn't have the characters gloss over the hard things they needed to address just because they still had feelings for each other. They had to work through things together, and share with each other the good and bad. It also demonstrated how important the little things can be in a relationship; the beauty of just living life together with the person who truly understands and cares for you.

Shoutout to the playlist Tarah put together as well! It perfectly illustrates the emotions going through this book (starting it off with two T-Swift heartbreakers?!😭).

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️

Thank you to Tarah DeWitt, NetGalley, & St. Martin's Press for a digital copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is now my favorite Tarah Dewitt book.

I quite literally feel like my heart grew reading this book. It’s such a beautifully written story about two people trying their best to honor themselves, each other, and the ones they love.

I’m gonna go cry tears of happiness now 😭

What to expect:
Marriage in crisis
Character driven moments
Big romantic moments
Gut wrenching scenes



♾️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

After reading Savor It last year I was really hoping we would get a book on Wren and Ellis and I’m so glad we did. I love a second chance romance and it’s so interesting when the couple is already divorced. From page one you could see how much these characters are meant to be together and I loved seeing the effort that each character made. The roadtrip aspect was so fun and it was cool to see all the little activities they had planned. Such a sweet and heartwarming book. I really hope Tarah writes a book for the rest of the siblings because I would love to see more of this family.

Second chance romance done to perfection. I couldn’t have done it better. The personal growth each character went through was amazing.

I was really excited about the premise, but the execution fell flat for me. It just felt too contrived. For example, the characters were supposed to have been together for some years, but they didn't even recognize each other's handwriting? And the divorce and reconciliation felt too sudden and unexplained.

4.5 ⭐

Left of forever is the story of two high school sweethearts who are now divorced but haven't really moved on from each other and end up giving each other another fighting chance. In general, marriage in trouble/second chance is my favourite trope and I was very excited about this book and it didn't disappoint. I loved Elis and Wren individually as much as I loved them getting back together. It was very clear early on that the way they see each other is beyond what anyone else sees. Their struggles individually was tied up pretty well with their falling apart, and hence the mending. The only thing as a reader was I was expecting more angst - especially the final confrontation wrt the ectopic pregnancy, I was hoping for more conversations and angst. Either way, Wren and Ellis need to be bubble wrapped ( together) and they were everything to me.

Tropes that are highlighted and make it more interesting -

Second chance post divorce
Co parenting
Road trip
One bed
Letters
Angst
Found family

If either of this rocks your boat, this book is a must read!

Broken apart and stitched back together in the best way!

Second chance romances are kind of a hit or miss with me, but Tarah blew me out of the water with this masterpiece. The characters were so relatable and loveable that you just wanted to reach in and hug them. The tension! Oh my goodness the tension, the angst, the pining, the longing looks! To be completely honest, I had to take several mini breaks while reading because my emotions were an all time high. It also didn't help that I saw so much of Wren in myself, I was a wreck.

The story was so beautifully written I was instantly captivated. Tarah's writting will take you on a roller coaster of emitions. Wren is so whimsical and loving that seeing her try to figure out who she is if not a care giver was heart-wretcing. It broke me little. She gives so much to others that she forgets about herself, if thats not the most relatable thing on earth, I don't know what is.

Ellis you big softie! Seeing Ellis take the leap to work on himself and his relationships, chef's kiss. Learning to not be afraid of your feelings and to speak them into existence and continue to put in the effort with everyone in his life was just the icing on top. I loved seeing Wren and Ellis navigate the tough conversations with a clear head, being honest and raw about the mistakes and mishaps in their relationship. Actively trying to engage and dive into the murky waters and coming out stronger because of it.

I loved this book so much! I finished it last week and have not stopped thinking about it. Definitely a must read ASAP!

*Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and Tarah DeWitt for the chance to read an advanced reader copy in return for my honest review.

Left of Forever was a beautiful book that had me laughing, crying, and everything in between. When I first met Wren and Ellis in Savor It, I knew I wanted to read their story. They were both clearly still in love with one another after five years apart so I knew their journey back to each other was going to be a good one. And it was. What an adventure!

4.5 rounded up⭐️
I really, really loved this book. It absolutely solidified Tarah Dewitt as one of my favorite romance authors. I knew it'd be great because Savor It was also awesome, but the character development here was *chef's kiss.* I loved the mature conversations (not petty fights or stupid poor communication-based conflicts) that they had with each other, and felt like they were solving their issues without it being a quick band-aid. I absolutely would recommend this book to anyone, and urge anyone reading this who's in on Emily Henry, Lyla Sage, or Annabel Monaghan to pick up more Tarah Dewitt.

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

I’m currently writing this through tears because I truly think this is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read. I couldn’t put it down and devoured it in one sitting. Wren and Ellis are such realistic characters and I couldn’t help but thinking the entire time how real this book felt. I could feel their emotions and how much they both wanted to crawl back to each other no matter what. Second chance romances aren’t usually my go to but this has made me rethink that in such a spectacular way. Tarah really did her big one with this. The entire time I was rooting for them to get to their happy ending. It’s only March and I know this will be my favorite book of the year. A million out of 5 stars. Everyone should get to experience a love like this.

This book was everything I wanted it to be and more. After reading Savor It, I knew I needed Wren and Ellis’s story. I’m a sucker for second chance romance and Tarah delivered! This will definitely be one of my favorite books of the year.

Wren and Ellis were both relatable and mature characters, reviewing what went wrong in their past and the growth that they are working. The timeline of the story was written beautifully and Tarah really knows how to write chemistry between her main characters. I also loved that the characters were closer to my age.

Give us. Silas or Micah’s story next, please!

This was such a beautiful told second-chance romance. Ellis has a hard time being vulnerable and carries the weight of the world on his shoulders and Wren struggles with vocalizing what she feels, which led to the erosion of their relationship.

Ellis's certainty in wanting to win Wren back and effort is compelling. The antics of the other Byrd family members were fun and comedic and the journey back to each other was so emotionally satisfying.

I love these characters, separately and together. A perfect romance from start to finish.

“If you won’t have me back anymore, then I’ll find you in the next life.”

So so good. Left of Forever features the most lovable characters, with an extraordinary amount of character growth without tedious amount of background information which sometimes happens in second chance romances.

The perfect mix of sweet, spicy, & relatable. Highly recommend.

There is nothing better than finally getting your hands on the sequel to a book that you absolutely adored, and it winding up being just as emotional and heartwarming as the first (except maybe being lucky enough to get the arc of that book after checking NetGalley every day for a month). I think it would be fair to say that my expectations for Left of Forever were so high they were basically in outer space, and I was not disappointed.

When I first reviewed Savor It, I wrote that if I could live in any romance novel, that’s the one I would choose. My desire to live in this world has only increased after finishing Left of Forever. I feel that way because I absolutely adore the magical setting and quirky characters who make up Spunes. It is the perfect small town. I love the entire Byrd family, and one thing that I thought was great about Left of Forever was getting to learn more about their backgrounds and how they grew up. It was also fun to see more of Silas and Micah, and I sincerely hope we get books for them too - I already feel Silas’ becoming my new favorite! Similarly, I also really loved the glimpses we got of Sage, Fisher, and Indy’s life together. I especially laughed at Fisher’s dynamic with the Byrd brothers.

Another reason that I love this series is because of all of the sweet little stories about their animals, so of course I loved the plot line about the horses. I thought the letter writing between “Salem and L” was a very interesting and fun way to kick the story off, and loved how everything eventually came full circle.

Finally, although I am a huge fan of Spunes and everyone who lives there, I also really enjoyed Wren and Ellis’ road trip. Each stop brought a beautiful setting and fun new characters with enjoyable side plots. Their fun (and occasionally hilarious) adventures on the road were the perfect balance to the heavy, emotional reality of what they were there to do.

My only gripe is a truly ick inducing comment that Ellis made about his mustache, which I fear has put me off of mustaches for the rest of my life. Iykyk. Why Tarah? Why would he say that?

It’s fine, I never really liked them anyway.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this amazing book early, and thank you to Tarah DeWitt for creating such a beautiful romance series - please don’t stop writing Byrd love stories!

I started this book with trepidation, given the topic, and was met with so many mixed feelings. Then Tarah DeWitt did what she does best, what I've experienced with her other books - she invited me into the heart of her characters, and I was hooked. I devoured this book in one day, smiling one minute and pausing midstep, holding my breath (audio version), the next.

The tension between characters was full of angst and hesitation. There is more to their story that lingers, you can feel the hurt and hope in their dialogue as they travel the beautiful road trip the MC plans for her. I'm not usually a fan of divorced second chances but this one is a reminder that all the things unsaid can be revisited, and growth is possible.

I really enjoyed this one. Wren and Ellis were a perfect match and the best parents to Sam. I loved seeing them come together to celebrate their son and to find their way back to each other. The fact that the Byrd family were all rooting for Wren and Ellis to reunite made it that more special.

3.75⭐️ rounding up

Ok I enjoyed this! This was a heartwarming and sweet second chance romance book.

“Left of Forever” had me giggling and swooning. I liked seeing Ellis and Wren’s journey of finding their way back to each other. This being dual pov helped get each character’s perspective into their thoughts and feelings as they tried to reconnect on their trip. You can tell how much Ellis and Wren care about each other so deeply. There’s so much history, hope, and love there. I was rooting for them🥹. Both their characters are sweet and thoughtful.

It was also sweet seeing how their family supported them and how happy it made them to see them happy.

Thank you st. martin’s press and Netgalley for the arc!

At first, I didn't know if I would like this book because I was trying so hard to figure out its angle. However, after I kept reading I kept falling more and more in love with this book. This book is beautiful and a great piece of work for second chances. It talks about hard conversations to have with your partner and how to continue love during dark times and the importance of communicating and trusting each other. The beautiful scenes between Wren and Ellis are whimsical and swoon worthy. The yearning they both have for each other tugs at your heart until they finally give in to each other. Their promise to always find each other and come back to each because they fought for each other will help other people in their relationships they may be struggling with. I loved this book and know there are always second chances as long as their is forgiveness, love, and open communication.

i had immensely high expectations for this one after reading savor it and getting a glimpse into these two and since second chance is one of my favorite tropes. the past and that connection is what i love the most and tarah did that so well! another beautifully written, sexy, and emotional book. the PERFECT second chance romance! i was gripped from the beginning and loved to read through ellis and wren growing and figuring out themselves and their relationship. ellis was 😮‍💨 grumpy, hot, romantic and sweet all in one. the things he’d say!! literally perfect! wren is a strong fmc, who’s funny and caring to everyone in her life.

tarah has a way of depicting true life scenarios and issues/problems people may go through in life in her books. there’s always something i learn when reading one. everyone should read this book!

can’t wait for more!!