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.”

thank you netgalley for the arc!!! a new favorite by tarah, left of forever was everything i needed and more. i loved their connection, the banter, the way these two supported each other and worked through their obstacles just had me addicted. i really loved this book and can't wait to get the physical copy!!

Tarah DeWitt has an elite ability to convey complex human emotions and this is her masterpiece. The Byrds are back! After pinning for this story, DeWitt delivers in a major way. Wren and Ellis were childhood sweethearts whose lives were permanently intertwined by the birth of their son Sam. The story begins with an anonymous exchange of letters that ignites hope into the now divorced couple. As they work through the emotions of their son Sam graduating High school and starting college, they also are reminiscing about their relationship. When Wren agrees to a road trip with Ellis to take Sam to college, they make a deal to see if they want to reconcile and continue the journey together in what is left of forever.

I keep typing and deleting because I am overwhelmed and I don’t know where to start with this. It’s been awhile since I read something that I got so invested in I began to shirk my responsibilities but Tarah DeWitt, you got me.

One of my notes in the margin says, "so earnest, so desperate" and I think that honestly sums up the entire story.

I think sometimes the human experience is defined by our unwillingness (read: fear) to be seen as trying, as wanting something. wren + ellis boomerang back and forth between that and just hoping to let themselves rest in the feeling of being home, which to them is with each other. I mean, they’ve loved each other in some form or another since they were SIX. The journey they go on to figure out whether and how they can make it work was so fun and heartfelt and HOT. I was unprepared!!! pivoting 180, I was also unprepared for how devastated I felt right alongside them reliving the memories of how they fell apart. like... I knew they would be fine in the end because such is the genre, but I was also emotionally on the edge of my seat. Me & Silas 🤝 unable to be chill about this.

There's so much more I want to say about what I loved about the writing and the scene structure but I'm holding myself back in the interest of not copying and pasting the entire book here.

I'll end with this- this is the kind of book that you don’t wish you could reread again for the first time; it’s like a favorite sweater. cozier and better and more your favorite every time you come back to it. I already can’t wait to reread!

Tarah has once again written a book with characters that I believe can make any reader feel seen and mike they can be loved as they are. The theme of hope and perseverance throughout this novel and in Wren and Ellis’ relationship is so nice to see. This book sucked me in from the beginning and it just got better and better. No one is doing it like Tarah.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! When I first read Savor it, I could sense that a Wren and Ellis book would be coming and I was already excited for it! Second chance romance will always hold a special place in my heart.

Tarah Dewitt delivered on her promise with this book. Both Wren and Ellis are well fleshed out characters.
In this book, they choose to take a chance to reconnect after they drop Sam off at college. We follow them through a short trip on their way back to Spunes (not to be confused with Forks). During the journey the two talk about the things that drove them apart and why their marriage ended. We see them put in the work and really communicate this time. We also see all their family and friends root for them which I thought was adorable! Wren and Ellis have a spot in my heart as one of my favourite book couples.

I enjoyed this book. It was well paced and well written and I can’t wait to see what Tarah writes next!

I usually don’t reach for second chance romances but this one was so sweet that it may have made me start to like it! Ellis and Wren were so sweet together that it had me rooting for them throughout the story. I also loved the side characters throughout the story that made it even better. There were so many cute quotes from Ellis to Wren that made my heart melt for the couple!
There were a few cringey moments and a few details I didn’t like which is why it wasn’t a 5 star for me, but overall I think it was a well written story. I feel like there could have been a few more events thrown in that really piqued a reader’s interest as well, such as throwing something in about the letters during the middle of the book to build tension or something along those lines. I feel like the arguments were almost too easy so a slight addition of tension could maybe help add to that?
Lastly, Im not a fan of spice (but it doesnt affect my rating), but I appreciated that it was done in a way that could be skipped over for readers who arent as into that without missing too much! I feel like it helps make the book great for all different types of readers!

Thank you SMP and Tarah Dewitt for the advanced copy! It was so fun to read!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

I really loved Savor It and I was thrilled to learn about this book. And it truly delivered.

I loved finding out about their history thru their letters and emails to each other. I loved how they were so committed to rekindling things fairly and even when they fought; they were so considerate and communicative.

This was a second chance romance that was done so well. The only thing is I wish were that the POVs were more even.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

I have been dying to read this one after Savor It! I loved Left of Forever buuuuuuut not as much as I expected to. 🥺 Savor It was one of my favorite reads of 2024 so I had the highest hopes.

Loves:
-The spice. 🥵 By far Tarah’s spiciest novel.
-The characters. Wren and Ellis, along with all the secondary characters, are so well developed and adorable.
-The intimacy and love between Wren and Ellis.
-The character growth.

Dislikes:
-The oversimplification of rekindling and repairing a marriage.

Overall, I 100% recommend Left of Forever to anyone and everyone. My one little reservation about the book didn’t affect how much I loved it. I thoroughly enjoyed it and didn’t want it to end. The last 30% of the book was my favorite. All the feels.

"Left of Forever by @authortarahdewitt was ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. No notes. I ate this book up like Wren’s scones. I even contemplated whether I would reconsider how I feel about men with mustaches 🤔 the humor, the 🌶️, the yearning was everything you want and need in a book. I don’t reread many books, but I want to reread this one already. It comes out on May 20th so don’t sleep on it. I REALLY MEAN IT GUYS."

📚 Left of Forever
✍ Tarah DeWitt
📖 Contemporary Romance
⭐3.5/5
🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️

➡ Five years after finalizing their divorce, Ellis and Wren Byrd are living separate lives in the small town of Spunes, Oregon. After dropping their son Sam off at college together, Ellis convinces Wren to take a road trip along the California coast to give their love one last shot. Will their adventure open a door they thought was shut for good or will their time together make them realize that their young love just couldn't weather the storm?

🙏 Thank you to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley and the author for an advanced copy of Left of Forever. All opinions are my own.
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🎯 What I loved: Second chance romance is my absolute favorite trope because there is just something special about two people who have been through the ringer finding each other again and getting to live out their happily ever after. Wren and Ellis met each other really young and had a lot of external factors that impacted their relationship and I appreciated that they both seemed like they grew a lot during the time that they were divorced. Their reconnection started really slowly and then accelerated quickly once they were on their road trip but once they were together, their connection and communication was really strong- with no third act break-up(!). This is listed as a standalone but is the second book with interconnected characters and I would recommend reading the first book in this serious prior to reading this because there are a lot of characters mentioned without a lot of context that I think I was supposed to know from the previous book.

🙅‍♀️ What I didn't: The chunking of this book was a little off to me. There was a section told mostly from Ellis's perspective while he was away fighting a fire and realizing that he still loved Wren, a section where they were still living separate lives told mostly from Wren's perspective and weren't interacting very much outside of some miscommunications and then the actual road trip where they were in close proximity. I enjoyed the road trip portion of the book a lot more than the other portion and think I would have preferred either a section on the 'before' or some more flashbacks to really understand what went wrong the first time around. And though this was really a contemporary romance, there was one bizarre slapstick comedy scene. It was really funny but honestly didn't make sense within the context of the rest of the book.
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Read if you love:
*second chance romance
*re-connecting after divorce
*road trip romance
*found family
*no third-act break-up
*love letters
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See also: This Used to be Us, Love Her or Lose Her, Out of the Woods