Tarah does it again! We are SO looking forward to hosting her opening event for her Left of Forever tour. This book was hopeful and funny and emotional and the trope was executed PERFECTLY. I loved it. Thanks so much NetGalley for the Arc!

I love a second chance romance. I especially love a small town PNW, divorced, co-parenting, second chance romance.

Wren and Ellis are the cutest, and I was routing for them from the very beginning. Their dynamic is complicated, real, and so different than most of the romance stories I read. The raw emotion and struggle of rekindling a romance that has been blown out and put in a closet to be forgotten for the sake of their shared son is just so good.

I love the stories of Spunes, Oregon and I love the Byrd family.

For fans of Elsie Silver, Lena Hendrix, and Katherine Center.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️.5/5

✨Thank you, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley, for this ALC.✨

These characters felt so mature. Maybe because of their backstories and that they had to grow up fast. But I really liked that this was two adults, both very good, finding their way back to each other. Also, I'm kind of impressed with DeWitt having so many sex scenes, and yet none of them felt gratuitous. They all moved forward the relationship. It was all really well done. Even the pepper and ice cream scene.

This was very sweet, without being overly sentimental. And there was conflict, without me rolling my eyes. I liked some of the tropes utilized like the secret pen pal, road trip, one bed, and hot firefighter (I mean, why not). I just want these two to live their best life, hoarding horses.

The narrators did great jobs. I've heard the male narrator before, but I think the female narrator was new to me. Both were excellent capturing their povs.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC.

5 ⭐ 3 🌶️ 5 🎧

I think my whole dang heart has been left behind in Spunes, OR. Second Chance romances are always such an emotional, yet beautiful, roller coaster and Wren and Ellis' story fits that mold. These two went through so so much their first go around and became broken shells of themselves... Watching them work through the past and heal each other in the process was nothing short of wonderful.

Aside from our main characters, whom I loved dearly, I absolutely adored our side characters to pieces. Fisher and Sage are back along with the rest of the Bird crew and their meddling ways led to laughs and smiles and just utter joy. These two need each other like they need air and everyone around them knew it too.

As if the words weren't moving enough, Megan Wicks delivered a beautiful audio element as well. Her narration had me in tears as these two reconciled and I loved this listen so much. Thank you Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy, I adored it.

the. yearn. ing.

Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt is a tender, aching second chance romance about timing, growth, and finding your way back to one another through all the messy parts of life. Listening to this with the background of How Did It End by Taylor Swift, Francesca by Hozier, and Silver Springs by Fleetwood Mac made the experience absolute perfection. I adore Wren and Ellis. The audiobook narration was so so so good- I may or may not have texted everyone I know about it lol

Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the ARC!

This time they’ll get it right “


I thought this was a solid second-chance romance, though I wasn’t expecting it to be as spicy as it turned out to be! The small-town vibes and the found family elements really stood out to me. The reason for the couple's breakup felt very legitimate, so I appreciated that (#respect). However, I did feel that the story stayed a bit surface-level. This might have been due to the fact that I listened to the audiobook, but I was craving more—more angst, more emotion. I didn't fully buy into them falling back in love; it felt more like they just got back together, if that makes sense.
That being said, I’m definitely interested in reading the first book in this interconnected standalone series to see what I might have missed.
The audio narration was well done, but I think I would have enjoyed the story even more had I read the physical book. Also, be sure to check the trigger warnings before diving in!

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this advanced listeners copy in exchange for my honest review!

I did not enjoy this romance at all. I never connected with any of the characters. I usually can get behind a second chance troupe but this one did not do it for me. The amount of inner dialogue of “I shouldn’t be doing this because the person treated me badly” was too much. The communication skills between Wren and Ellis were awful. They are 4 years post-divorce and go on a vacation to rekindle their marriage. The writing felt amateur and left a lot of opportunity on the table. I listened to the audiobook and found my mind wandering the entire time. I could not stay engaged.

Obsessed. Love love loved this book!

There is something about reading a book about two people finding their way back to each other that wrecks me! It’s so emotional. They already know each other in such an intimate way and they never really stopped loving each other but sometimes life just gets in the way of that love. I feel like anyone who has been married for a while can understand this, especially if you were married young.

I really loved and appreciated the way Wren and Ellis found their way back to each other so much. They got down to the nitty gritty of their past and confronted it head on. It was great because they were both open to hearing it all. They both wanted to fight for what they had. 🥹 and they did and it was absolutely beautiful.

🎧
Megan Wicks and Connor Crais did an amazing job bringing this story to life! Their voices added so much more emotion to this already emotional book. They give me all the feels and brought me to tears. 100% recommend the audiobook!

A romance for a lifetime.

Wren and Ellis are the epitome of friends to lovers/high school sweethearts. Growing up together and falling in love at 16, life does what it always does and throws them for a loop when Wren gets pregnant at 17. Queue the montage of years spent growing up too fast together but knowing the two of you are made for each other and can get through it all together. Now, they are in their 30's and 5 years divorced. Maybe they weren't destined to be together after all.
When their son Sam gets accepted into college, Ellis, who is still in the throws of processing the divorce but doesn't want to give up on them, plans a very unromantic (actually extremely romantic) trip for he and Wren after they help Sam move in. Wren is hesitant at first to accept. She has been trying to move on and date and focus on taking over her mom's bakery business. But, she feels like there might be hope for them yet.

This was my first time reading Tarah DeWitt and let me just say, it's good to be a romance reader. DeWitt treats her characters with such care and love, you can't help but gush over them! I love a dual POV and the audiobooks narrators were a perfect fit for Wren and Ellis, it's one of my favorite parts about listening to romance books. I love hearing the perspective change and it takes the reader one level deeper into the story.

I am here for all the tropes featured in this story; friends to lovers, second chance romance, only one bed. I also appreciate a 30's something rep! I did think the baker and firefighter pair was a bit too on the nose but I respect it as a vehicle to where the story needed to go. There is a point in the beginning of the story where Wren and Ellis are accidentally and secretly pen pals for a minute. He is away fighting a fire and she prepares baked goods as a care package for the firefighters. It is this act of exchanging letters that makes Ellis realize there is still hope for the two of them.

This book is filled with new love butterflies and steamy spice, best of both worlds in my opinion!

may i present my newest hyperfixation and favorite books of the year!!!! this book made me SICK the yearning and angst are absolute perfection.

left of forever is a second chance romance and forced proximity wrapped up in a delicious angsty love story of two divorced people finding their way back to each other and i was so MOVED reading it.

the letter writing, the road trip, the WORK the two of them put in, all of it was so seamlessly perfect. ellis is a man who YEARNS and it’s my favorite thing, actually. this book felt like magic.

second chance romances are one of my (if not my top favorite!!) set ups and tarah wrote one of the best second chances ever. we get the angst and delicious tension that i ate up on every single paaaaage. and the epilogue made me weep it was so good.

i truly cannot recommend this enough!!!! and i’ll be shouting about it for whatever is left of forever ✨

🎧 the audiobook is a MASTERPIECE. connor crais read for ellis and he was perfection. megan wicks IS wren. the two of them did such a phenomenal job reading for these characters that they literally brought me to tears.

thank you SMP and Macmillan Audio for the arc and alc

what to expect
⟢ second chance romance
⟢ forced proximity / road trip
⟢ letter writing
⟢ acts of service

4.25!
I was vert emotional reading this :(( any second chance / divorce romance will always get me in my feels just cuz it's scary to fall in love but then also falling out ?? yea sorry that's going to get me..!! but Tarah's writing really elevated in this book and i was just so invested in the two characters!

i still do think the author does more telling than showing when it comes to feelings, and there's somewhat of a dumping of the connection the characters are supposed to have instead of having that actual build up in the interactions between the characters but nonetheless i still liked the book a lot!

you could tell ellis and wren had so much love for each other and to see them finally let themselves acknowledge their faults and heal in their own ways was so heartwarming

when we got to the high point of their mending relationship there was a part of me that was like "that's it?" so i guess it kinda felt lack luster when they found each other again, but then again i was still very invested and enjoyed the book! I feel like anyone who likes second chance romance will enjoy this one!

I enjoyed the narrators so much! It got me so invested listening to audio while packing, cleaning, and walking! I always love audios but this one stood out to me with the narration!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc in exchange for a review!

cannot put into words how much I LOVED this book. It was perfection and as of now my favorite romance book of the year!!! I am not normally a huge fan of second chance romance but Wren and Ellis deserved it. If I could give out a 6 ⭐️ I would.
I absolutely cannot wait for the next one to come out. Plus I hope I’m not the only one secretly hoping that the last book of the series will be about Sam and Indy ❤️

Thank you to NetGalley and McMillan Audio for an advance copy in exchange for a honest review.

Reading this book gave me all the feels. It such a feel good book. I fell in love when the MCs fell in love (again). The letter and their confessions. Eeek! My hopeless romantic old self is so happy!🥰😂

Thanks you Macmillan Audio for an early copy! ☺️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (yes, 6 stars!)

Left of Forever was an unexpectedly emotional read that left a lasting impression. It resonated deeply with me, especially the way it explored young love; the kind that starts when you’re still figuring out who you are and what it means to drift apart, grow, and still find your way back to each other.

The romance wasn’t just about heat (though yes, the spice was definitely there and well done) it was about choice. What stood out most was how the two main characters chose each other without hesitation, without conditions. There’s something incredibly powerful in that kind of certainty.

The audiobook narration brought the story to life in all the right ways. Megan Wicks and Connor Crais delivered raw, emotional performances that made me feel every beat of the characters’ journey. This was a 6-star experience for me!

If you love emotional second-chance romances with depth, tenderness, and a satisfying dose of steam, Left of Forever is a must-read.

Tarah DeWitt remains a strong auto-buy author for me! I've now read this book with both my eyes and my ears, and the audio format was excellent. Great narrators who were a good fit for the characters they voiced.

What I liked: the longing, the uncertainty, the chemistry, the realness of how people change over five years apart. I loved seeing Sage and Fisher, not to mention LaRynn and Deacon (what an absolutely delightful surprise)!! I love Wren and Ellis individually, too; Tarah DeWitt is so good at writing women with a little bit more of an edge than we often see in contemporary romance. I feel like Wren and LaRynn could have been friends.

What I didn’t like: I didn’t love the letter-writing plot device. If I was Wren, I would feel deceived and creeped out by that. I also didn’t like that they decided to only do new things as their relationship got physical. It seemed odd to me that they would jump to stuff they hadn’t done before, when they're first reconnecting after so much time apart. It seemed less intimate, somehow.

I don’t know what kind of magic she put into this book, but it was addicting. I never wanted it to end! From start to finish, I was completely pulled in, and even when I had to pause, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

The characters were so well-written—not just the main couple, but every single side character felt fully developed and brought something special to the story. And the man in this book? He had me full-on blushing and giggling like I was the one being flirted with. The chemistry was unreal!

The pacing was interesting too—it took place over the span of just a few days, but it somehow felt like months (in the best way). The depth of their connection, the emotional build-up, the banter—it all made their relationship feel earned and incredibly satisfying to read.

One thing I really appreciated was how they handled communication. Any time there was potential for a misunderstanding, they talked about it. And when they did slip up or misread a situation, they actually addressed it and resolved things like adults. It was refreshing to see a couple work through things without unnecessary drama.

This book had everything I love—heart, humor, chemistry, and growth. It’s definitely one I’ll be thinking about for a while.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the advanced listeners copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this story! It was an interesting take on second chance romance!! Rather than a marriage in trouble, this couple has been divorced for 5 years. They have to bring their son to college and decide to go on a road trip after dripping him off to celebrate this accomplishment and see if there is something still between them. The story that ensues is so beautifully written. The banter is witty, the spice is spicy and the side characters are fantastic!

I listened to the audiobook. Connor Crais and Megan Wicks do an incredible job of bringing this story to life.
I started with this book in the series and can not wait to go back read book 1! I've recommended it to all my romance book lover friends!

Thank you @youhadmeathea and @macmillan.audio for the eARC/ALC. 🫶🏼

I’m a Tarah DeWitt girlie and will read anything she writes forever and ever. Wren and Ellis broke my heart to absolute pieces and then put it back together again (thankfully!!!!).

Left of Forever is a true second chance romance that follows a couple who were high school sweethearts until they weren’t. Having been separated for a few years now, they decide to take a roadtrip together after dropping their son at college to see if there is a flame worth rekindling.

Hope is such a beautiful theme at play here and Tarah writes it so well. The whole journey Wren and Ellis are on in this book is full of hope and driven by such strong emotion. I loved that aspect! Honesty too!! They had the tough conversations and it made me emotional!

The Byrd family just might be my fav small town fictional family yet (but don’t quote me because it’s hard to choose just one!!!). Between Sage and Ellis and all of their siblings, there is no shortage of great material there and I hope we continue to get more books in this world!

The spice was spicin’ in this book (especially second half) and that was my only complaint. I wanted to more of them connecting outside of the bedroom.

I ended up consuming this via audio after hearing RAVE reviews for it and y’all were right!! Connor and Megan absolutely KILLED IT when it came to Ellis and Wren. Highly recommend this format for anyone!

Tarah’s writing is just beautiful and like I said, I’ll read whatever she writes until the end of time. 🖤

I loved this one so much! The Dear Stranger letters were perfect and of course Ellis did not tell Wren as soon as he figure out it was her and they were on speaking terms so that there was some drama in the story. I loved how they were able to find their way back to each other after their divorce and that it was after dropping their son off at college was o sweet. I really like how Wren still had a relationship with Ellis' family and that they were mature enough to respect those relationships. There were so many sweet and sentimental moments, but also some sexy and spicy moments as well.

I knew the minute I heard the playlist for this book that it was going to emotionally ruin me & I was 100% correct. Left of Forever is the best second chance romance book I’ve read thus far. Every single piece of this story flowed so well and I thoroughly enjoyed each second I learned more about Wren and Ellis. The minute I found out he was a firefighter and her a baker? Melting. When the “Dear Stranger” letters began? On the edge of my seat. The moment she discovered why he chose the places he did on their trip back from dropping their son off to college had me delusion-ally imaging a way my own husband and I could split for a hot minute only to romantically find each other again 😂😂 (obviously kidding - but that’s the power of the story telling in this book!) the healing they both did in their time apart and the raw vulnerability they showed by being honest and unpacking everything that happened was done so well. Left of Forever really has it all! The tender, hilarious, heartfelt and spicy pieces fit together perfectly and left me crying my eyes out by the end. Highly recommend this audio! The narrators did a phenomenal job and I’ll be seeking out more of their audio books as well. I loved both of their voices/performances.

“All I know is that if I found out heaven is real and I got there first, I’d hang back in the waiting room and save you a seat.” 😭 💞

Thank you endlessly to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of Left of Forever in exchange for my honest review.