“𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚 𝐁𝐲𝐫𝐝.”

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for the ALC and e-ARC.

This book is described as a "An emotional, spicy, second-chance romance" and boy is it. I have been LOVING second chance romances and I knew that if Tarah wrote it, I'll be crying by the end.

The Audio was superb Connor Crais and Megan Wicks were PERFECT narrators for this.

𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝, 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞, 𝐩𝐥𝐮𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞’𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈’𝐦 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞.

Ellis and Wren fell in love as kids, then had a teenage pregnancy, and as they grew older, and had to deal with the hardships of raising a child and infertility, they fell apart.

𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧, 𝐭𝐨𝐨. 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

Ellis realizes first that he's still in love with Wren, and he wants her back. So he asks her to road trip with him after they drop their son off at college and on the way back.... see if there is still a spark between them. If they can work it out.

𝐈 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐮𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰. 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭, 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬. 𝐈 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲. 𝐒𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈’𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞’𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐬𝐨 𝐈 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭.

There is so much swooning and pining and big sweeping beautiful prose that my heart was just breaking and soaring and being put back together whole. It was SO good.

“𝐈. 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮. 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠! 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞.” 𝐇𝐞’𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐤. “𝐈 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝. 𝐈 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮.” 𝐈 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. “𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐞, 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐬. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬.”

ARGH. Just posting these quotes reminds me of the feelings this book made me feel. It's so raw and open and exactly what a second chance at marriage and a left together should feel like. Tarah just reaches in your chest and squeezes and I thanked her for it.

So much love. And now I'm feral for Silas' story.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my e-arc and PRH audio for my ALC 🫶🏻

I love everything Tara writes! 4.5⭐️

Ellis and Wren had their son very young at age 17. They spent most of their adult life together dealing with some infertility issues. Their marriage ended in divorce 5 years prior to the start of the story.

Ellis is a firefighter and during a big fire, received letters from a stranger, but knew it was his ex wife. After some realizations, he knows he never stopped loving her. He hatched a plan to win her back when he proposes a road trip to come home from taking their son to college.

This is a story of healing and communication. I loved the openness of Wren and Ellis. Their true love wins in the end with some spice along the way!

“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.”

You guys this was the easiest 5✨ I’ve ever given. Here’s the thing, I usually HATE a second chance romance, but this one was perfection. this book had me cheesing and smiling and kicking my feet the whole time.

I was also blessed to listen to the audio and Megan & Conor were PERFECT for our Wren and Ellis. That ice cream scene?? I was giggling and hot all at the same time!!

A top notch romance, truly. I laughed, I cried, I got my heart stomped on, then glued back together. It was a wild ride and I loved every minute of it. Tarah is truly in a league of her own and I bow down. This book felt so real and so raw - a marriage (or, well, divorce) in crisis done so perfectly that you couldn’t help but root for the characters and fall head over heels. Wren and Ellis are so complex and I loved getting to see them grow and unravel throughout. Their deep emotional connection … I felt it in every layer of my bones. I could read 2,000 more pages about their love story and it still wouldn’t be enough. The audiobook presentation was done so well. The narrators really captured the emotion and the heart of these characters and really elevated the reading experience.

I definitely am an outlier on this one, I guess. It’s just kind of frustrating that this couple seemingly got divorced without talking at all? And then immediately lusted over each other as soon as they decided to talk to each other again.

There was still that Tarah DeWitt charm but I just kind of got tired of these characters who stopped emotionally maturing after turning 17.

I absolutely loved this book! It was a five star read for me! If I'm being honest I DNFed the first book in this series, but this story these characters I fell in love with. Their heartbreak, grief, guilt, love was just so real and well written. It will definitely be a favorite book for me!

Finished this approx. 5 seconds ago and still have tears in my eyes!!!

“I grew up with my great love, so I think maybe my heart took shape around his.” SWOON.

The entire time I was reading Savor It, I kept thinking, "I would love a Wren and Ellis story." So when I found out Tarah Dewitt was writing it? Ecstatic doesn't even cover it.

I am always a sucker for a marriage in crisis (or divorce in this case) story or a second chance romance. They are always so emotional and raw, filled with character development as the couple comes back together. This story was no exception. We really got to feel the yearning Wren and Ellis shared for not only each other, but the life that they once had. They had countless real life struggles that plagued their marriage and learned to overcome them once again.

There was so much amazing tension and chemistry between these two! The type you only get from loving someone almost your entire life. I loved the balance of heart and emotion within the spicy scenes.

I highly encourage that everyone listens to the audiobook once it comes out. Narrators Megan Wicks and Connor Crais are AMAZING together. I soaked up every bit of their narration and the way they brought these characters to life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

Utter perfection!! This audiobook was able to convey all the emotion and feelings as well as the text did! Ellis and Wren’s voices were cast so perfectly.

this was a perfect second chance romance! wren and ellis are truly meant to be. definitely right person, wrong time when they split. this story was written well and made the characters so full of love. second chance romances aren’t my usual go to, but when they are beautifully written like this, i couldn’t stop to find out how they rekindle their love.

audio: i really really enjoyed this on audio. i was grateful to receive both the e-arc and audio to dual read but honestly i preferred the audio. the narrators were hot and just kept me wanting more!!!!!!!

Second chance is not usually my favorite trope but Tarah truly outdid herself with Wren and Ellis. The tension and absolute longing was palpable and I enjoyed every single second of it. The pacing was perfect. Spunes is truly one of my favorite places ever, I never want to leave.

I'm so glad this book has dual POV and it's even better that the audiobook had dual narration. Both voice actors bought the stories and characters to life in an engaging and entertaining way.

Such a good follow up to one of my favorites last year! If you’ve been around awhile you know I LOOOVEEE a second chance romance!

This was really well done, my only issue was I felt like I needed a little more pain of why they divorced in the first place. I wanted to like really feel what they felt, and I just didn’t get that. But otherwise I really enjoyed. I loved the road trip, the cooking scene, and the cameos of Sage and Fisher!

Narration was really well done. Enjoyed both!

Thank you to @netgalley @macmillan.audio @stgriffinspress for the advanced copies!

Out 5/20/25!!

This book was an absolute masterpiece and was perfect in every way! It is a second chance romance book that explains life and love after divorce and the issues with co- parenting. It follows the life of wren and Ellis, high school sweethearts that are sending their son off to college and find themselves yearning for a new path for themselves. They take a chance on life and love and find they too need to create a new life outside of their son and take an opportunity to find themselves and each other. I cried and laughed and truly loved the character development in this novel. I was completely sucked in right from the start and was completely invested to see how their story would play out. I highly recommend this book to romance lovers like myself and if you enjoy second chance romance trope this is right up your alley. The author did an incredible job at telling this profound story and the narrators portrayal of this heartfelt book was excellent.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance listeners copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed Left of Forever! Tarah Dewitt has such a great way of writing characters that feel real and emotionally layered. The chemistry between the leads was solid, and I found myself rooting for them the whole way through. It had that perfect mix of heart and humor, with just enough angst to keep things interesting without being too heavy. If you love emotional romances with a bit of a slow burn, this one’s definitely worth picking up.

Left of Forever
By: Tarah DeWitt
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release date: 5/20/2025

Ellis Byrd and Wren Byrd grew up together and ended up falling in love. They had their son Sam very young and started building a life together. They were the picture perfect family until they weren’t.

We meet Ellis and Wren when they are divorced and in their 30’s. They are living completely separate lives, or so they think. They both think about each other constantly but cant bring themselves to try again. The take Sam off to college and decide that it might be worth one more try, or at least working it all out, so they go on an extended road trip back home. They have such fun adventures together and learn so much about themselves, each other, and their relationship.

It was so beautiful watching them grow not only together but also apart as characters. I loved seeing their communication and a depiction of a not so perfect relationship in a book. I loved that no matter what they were always there for each other and were supportive and kind towards one another. Thank you so much Macmillan audio and Netgalley for this book!! And thank you Tarah DeWitt for giving us such beautiful and lovable characters!!

I loved this so much! As someone who is just getting into audiobooks, this was outstanding! The narrators were amazing but the male narrator really took the cake for me. I loved being able to hear and distinguish the emotions through their voices.

The story was also so beautiful. Second chance romance is one of my favorites and the author did a gorgeous job navigating and sharing their story in a way I’m sure a lot of readers can relate to so perfectly.

Excited to read more from this author.

Thank you so much for the early copy! I’m convinced this will be in the top 10 of my favorites for this year.

Read This Book If…you love a second chance romance!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt

Genre: romance
Series: Spunes, OR # 2
Spice Level: 4/5🌶, 3-4 explicit scenes
Setting: small town in Oregon
POV: dual, 1st person, present tense
Tropes: second chance, secret pen pals, road trip, one bed

Audiobook Thoughts: This was dual narrated and I enjoyed both narrators! Their performance made for excellent storytelling.

My Thoughts:
Oops, second chance romance remains one of my top tropes!!! You just can’t beat the shared history between the main characters and this one was particularly stunning!

You’ve got high school sweethearts who got pregnant way too young, carried way too much baggage, and eventually gave up.

But the way both characters grew up during their time apart was beautiful! They both really put in the work and we love to see it.

I’ve loved everything Tarah has written and I especially enjoyed the cameo of one of her previous couples! I can’t wait to see what (and who) is next in Spunes! While this is the second book in the series, they are true standalones.

Memorable Quote: “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 to the publisher for my advance copy!

Probably the best second chance romance I’ve read in a while.

Definitely reminded me why it’s important to date and talk to your spouse while you’re going through the chaos of raising the kids.

Wren & Ellis fell in love at a very young age and started a family very young at 17 & now years later they’re divorced & dropping off their son at collage. Will this one last trip rekindle what they had or will it be a chapter to close forever?


Slow start but once it gets going hand on because it’s good!

👩‍🍳 Second Chance
🚒 Small Town
👩‍🍳 Spicy
🚒 over 30+ characters
👩‍🍳 RoadTrip

This was everything I want in a second-chance romance—sexy, emotional, and achingly real. The writing was intentional, the character growth was so well-earned, and Wren and Ellis’s journey felt both heartbreaking and hopeful. The absolute adoration these two share for each other was evident in every page.

Their chemistry was amazing, but it was the raw, honest conversations and questions —and each of their moments of deep vulnerability—that made this book so so incredible. I also adored the Byrd family’s quiet (and sometimes very loud) support.

Every time Ellis cried I nearly lost it myself. He may very well now be in top 3 book husbands for me. I'm going to need a few business days to recover from their renewed vows.

Listening to the audiobook, Megan Wicks has such a unique, edgy voice that was absolutely perfect for Wren. Connor Crais is also *chef's kiss* every time. This was so so well done I need to go listen again, I just wish I could re-listen for the first time!

AND ONE MORE MOMENT FOR THE COVER OF THIS BOOK ARE WE KIDDING. I can't wait for my preorder to arrive so for the trophy shelf.

PS I was kind of a hater of Savor It but have loved everything else I read from Tarah DeWitt so now I'm questioning whether or not I was okay when I listened to it. Will be revisiting ASAP. 😂

Loved this second-chance romance set in Spunes! Wren & Ellis go from teen parents to exes trying to co-parent, but a sweet pen pal exchange rekindles old feelings. A road trip to drop off their son’s college stuff turns into a journey of healing, honesty, and rediscovered love. Sweet, emotional, and full of heart. Loved the cameo from Sage & Fisher—can’t wait for more from this family! Thanks to Mac