• when their son announces he wants to move away for college a couple months ahead of schedule, exes & co-parents wren & ellis decide to take a road trip back home together to give their relationship one last chance. against the stunning california coastline, the forced proximity of the trip makes them think rekindling their relationship might be possible. but can their desire for each other outweigh all the reasons they broke up in the first place?
• much like ‘savor it,’ this book was so good, and i could argue it was even better than the other book in this universe. the forced proximity trope blended with the small-town romance vibe was really well done.
• also the spice??? excellent. this one is definitely not one to miss!

Left of Forever is the 2nd book by Tarah DeWitt in her Spunes, OR series. The series involves a family of four siblings. Each of them is hilarious with plenty of laugh-out-loud comments & they're each going through life on their own paths.
Ellis, the oldest Bryd sibling & his ex-wife Wren were married after becoming parents at a young age. As they raised their son, their relationship began to fall apart & they divorced. Five years after their divorce, they realize they're both missing something in their lives & a road trip after dropping their son off at college brings them back into proximity of each other.
Left of Forever has lots of spice & evokes quite a few emotions that make it a truly well-written novel. Thank you, #NetGalley & #MacMillanAudio! I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book with all thoughts and opinions being my own. If you enjoy romance that'll make you swoon, a roller coaster of emotions, & plenty of passion then you'll enjoy #LeftofForever, by Tarah DeWitt.

Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt is a tribute to everlasting love. It may take detours and get lost for a while, but in the end, when it is found again it is stronger and more beautiful. Wren and Ellis take that journey in this follow up to Savor it. Following them on their journey to reunite was hopeful, painful, joyful, and so many other emotions. The Byrds and Spuns Oregon (not to be confused with Forks, Washington) will forever have my heart.

Left of Forever was way more emotional than I thought it was going to be. I didn't read the synopsis since I loved the last Tarah book I read, but maybe I should have so I could have been prepared.

📖 Wren and Ellis divorced five years ago after being highschool sweethearts. Their son, Sam, is heading for college and emotions are high as everyone knew they would be. However the surprise, is that Ellis has been working on himself the last five years, and proposed to Wren that they give themselves a week. A week road trip after dropping off their son to see if there is anything left between them.

📝 This was a beautiful story about second chances and finding your heart again. This book brought a lot of emotions, some because being a mom knowing my kids are going to grow up and leave one day. Other emotions were because my parents divorced when I was in highschool. I don't think I was emotionally prepared for all the feelings I would feel. This was not the light and fun read I was expecting, but it was still a great book.

Connor Crais and Megan Wicks did a great job narrating this book. Connor is one of my favorite male narrators!

If you like second chance romances, you’ll love this!

Both characters are so endearing, and you’re rooting for them from the very start. I loved using the letters as a “flashback” to learn about their history too. It was a nice change of pace from books that just jump between flashbacks and present day throughout the whole thing.

I did get a little lost in the timeline at one point, but it was because we were making jumps forward.

Overall, I would recommend this book. Its not at the top of my list compared to the author’s other works, but I think I just didn’t connect with the second chance romance trope as much as I did with the tropes she’s used in her other work.

3.5⭐️
1.5 🌶️

I adore Tarah Dewitt’s books! This was as emotional as you would expect from a second chance romance about a divorced couple. However , it was also pretty funny! There were plenty of light moments to go along with the heavy emotional ones. Definitely would recommend it. I would suggest that you read Savor It first but it’s not necessary to understand the book.

The narrators were fantastic. Excellent audiobook. I definitely would recommend it!

“𝙎𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙠𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚... 𝙄’𝙢 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚.”

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: 5/20/25

*Thank you @NetGalley and @MacMillan.Audio for sending this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆: Wren and Ellis are high school sweethearts that married young after an unexpected pregnancy. After a decade of ups and downs and parenting they drifted apart. Five years later after a chance encounter and a road trip to take their son to college, they discover that they still have love for each other. Can they work through their past problems? Is love enough?

𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
🔥Second chance romance
🏕Road trips
🔥Dual POV/Male and Female narrators
🏕Perfect amount of spice 🌶️

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: Guuuurrrrrlllllll, I cannot with this book. I intially wanted to read this book and was given the audiobook, and I could NOT be happier. The narrators were fire, Megan Wicks? This woman gives off Jennifer Lawrence vibes with her voice. Perfection. 🤌🏻
Ok, the story... Im a sucker for PNW settings, especially Oregon (where Im from). 🌲 This is the second in a series based in the fictional town of Spunes, OR. I believe this could be read as a stand alone, or before the first book, Savor It, but for best story- read in order would be helpful as the characters are all intermingled.
With a lot of romance books, the chemistry of the MC's is medicore, in this story I immediately loved the characters and felt their connection. I loved the trying to move on but regretting what went wrong and holding a flame trope. I love second chance romances, and this had not only that, but also forced proximity, one bed, and the chemistry was palpable. Oh, and the tattoos? Sigh. 🥹

Tarah popped off on this one. FIVE STARS!


#LeftofForever

Tarah, rip my heart out why don't you. This book was so heart warming and romantic. I loved getting to go back to Spunes and experience it all again with Ellis and Wren. The dual narration was perfection. With this interconnected stand alone, I feel like we get a new perspective of Spunes and the Byrd family through theiir eyes. I loved getting glimpses of the previous couples also. The Byrds are a tight knit family and I always love seeing a family so close show up for one another in all aspects of life. This book has everything you would want in a romance. It has banter, letter writing, and mutual feelings. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the gifted eARC and ALC. All opinions are my own.

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Easily my favorite Tarah DeWitt read yet! This book is an intensely vulnerable love story that will have you swooning. While second-chance romance isn’t always one of my favorite tropes, when it is done right (as it is here), it gets me in all the feels. Combine that with the small-town found family vibes, major spice, and fun humor, and you have Left of Forever!

This is DeWitt’s second book that takes place in the small town of Spunes, but you do not have to have read her first (Savor It) to fall in love with these characters and love story! Left of Forever is a stand-alone, told in alternating perspectives between Wren and Ellis—ex-spouses whose only child is about to head off to college. Life threw a lot their way, leading to their divorce five years earlier, but both begin to realize their feelings for one another never disappeared. To try to determine whether they should give their marriage a second try, the two plan a road trip to drop off their son at college and re-discover their feelings for each other along the way.

Thank you to Tarah DeWitt, Macmillan Audio, & NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley + Macmillan for the audio ARC!

This is my favorite Tarah DeWitt book yet. Second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes, and I especially loved the story of this couple who had their son really young, and divorced five years ago. I feel like she handled Wren and Ellis’ relationship and rekindling with the care it deserved. You could feel the yearning and care these two had for each other, and I feel like we were really able to see their growth and how they worked through things. Itt was still spicy and passionate. The dual narration audio was fantastic.

As a mom to a boy this had me in my feels!

My new favorite DeWitt novel! A perfect balance of emotional, sweet, and spicy…very, very spicy! Megan Wicks and Connor Crais are a dream narrator duo for these characters. 10/10 would listen again!

second chance Romance. The writing and narration were perfection. I didn't realize this book was the second in the series but I was able to read as a standalone. this book has some spice which did get a tad embarrassing listening while I was out and about. there's always that scariness that my headset will disconnect and everyone will hear what I'm hearing. 🤭🫣

I absolutely adored this book. I cried at the end and it made me look at my own marriage and try harder.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC! I loved the narrators' voices for these characters; they seemed to fit perfectly.

I didn't realize this was the second book in a series going in, but it didn't make it difficult to understand what was happening. It worked as a standalone, too.

This was a really cute second chance romance, with a divorced couple learning to fall in love again. What I appreciated about this book was there weren't any big misunderstandings they had to get over, or any ridiculous scenarios that tore them apart - just real life getting in the way as it so often does. Wren and Ellis made a conscious decision to try to work things out, and because this is a rom-com, hilarity often ensued!

Although, this was not just fluff... there were some pretty steamy bedroom scenes too. Three chili peppers!

Now that I've finished this book I'm going to go back and pick up the first one and see how the other couple's story began. I'm invested in the Byrd fam now!

When I applied for this ARC I did not realize it was book two in a series, so I read Savor It first. To be honest, I did not enjoy Savor It that much, but I wanted to read Left of Forever so I pushed through. While reading Savor It I fell in love with Wren and wanted so badly for her and Ellis to find themselves back to one another. Well, it's safe to say that Left of Forever gave me everything I was looking for between Wren and Ellis. Their story was beautiful and hopeful. This second chance story was so well done and I am so thankful I was able to get an early copy of this. I will definitely have this in my bookstore!

Wren and Ellis Byrd met as children. feel in love as teenagers, had their kid before their twenties and divorced before their thirties. They were a perfect match until life happened. They live separate lives but they are friendly and they co-parent their son, Sam. Wren runs the bakery, Ellis is a firefighter and life went on, but they have not gotten over each other. 

Then, a fortuitous exchange of letters between strangers happens, giving Ellis some hope for a new beginning. When their son moves to college, he proposes a trip together to drive Sam there and come home together. It's a chance to let written words bridge the gap between them, to air out hurts and just maybe find find love again in what's left of forever.

Narrated dual style by Megan Wicks and Connor Crais, this audiobook is a must listen! They make you understand from the beginning how much love and longing there is between Wren and Ellis. Megan is phenomenal here. She narrates a good percentage of the book and you get every conflicted feeling that Wren goes through. Connor is charming as the determined, loving and dedicated dad and husband who had to grow up too fast and has had a hard time letting his feelings catch up. Kudos to both! 

Since we are back in Spunes, we catch up with Sage and Fisher and all the Byrd brothers and some of their appearances are hilarious. 

This second chance romance is filled with small town vibes, a hunky firefighter who's a devoted dad, a man who's pining for his ex-wife, a mama bear baker who sorts out her feelings through journals and letters, meaningful road trips (you'll see... SWOON!) and a wonderful HEA. Highly recommend!

Thanks, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC. 

Content notes: mentions of ectopic pregnancy, teenage pregnancy, infertile, injuiries caused by fire, a secondary character has MS, animals in distress

I’m not usually the biggest fan for second chance romance. While I wouldn’t say I dislike it entirely, upon seeing the cover and reading the synopsis, I felt that I had to give this one a try. I’m so glad I did! This is my first read by Tarah DeWitt, and I devoured it. The chemistry between Wren and Ellis was incredibly intense; I found myself giggling and cheering for them wholeheartedly. They experienced young love and became parents at an early age, but sadly, their relationship ended in divorce. Together, they take their son to college and embark on a road trip to reassess their relationship.

It was refreshing to read a second chance romance where the characters genuinely explored each other's growth. The book is spicy, heartfelt, and truly one of a kind. I absolutely loved it!

Conner Crais (swoon!) and Megan Hicks delivered an impeccable narration. His deep, masculine voice combined with her playful rasp ignited my excitement for the story even more. A truly well-crafted audiobook!

This is my second time reading this book and the audio just about solidified that this is going to a top romance of the year for me. It was PERFECT. It was 5 stars going into the audiobook reread and 5+ stars coming out.

Connor Crais (as always) was the absolute best Ellis and Megan Wicks, who is a new to me narrator, was amazing. Her raspy voice was exactly how Dewitt describes her voice and I just can’t believe how much more I loved it. The duet narration made it feel like they were in my head and elevated the entire experience.

I will be shouting about this book to everyone I know and especially promoting the audiobook. A favorite audiobook of mine this year and I am only in May!

Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt (Spunes #2)
Narrated by Connor Crais & Megan Wicks

Narrators were fantastic. Connor Crais is one of my favorite male narrators, and he delivers again here. Megan Wicks holds her own too, and together they really brought the story to life.

Tarah DeWitt’s writing is vivid and immersive—she shows, not tells, and her characters feel like real people. I’m a sucker for a well-done second chance romance, and this one hit the sweet spot. I especially loved that Ellis’s family didn’t “divorce” Wren just because the marriage ended. That loyalty felt so grounded and real. Honestly, with that kind of support system, it was hard to believe the two of them divorced in the first place—but maybe they needed that break to grow individually before finding their way back to each other.

I didn’t realize this was part of a series, so now I’m heading back to read the first Spunes book!

4.75 ✨ rounded up. Wow. Really loved this one. It was so REAL and raw, and I was totally invested in the story and their relationship.

Ellis and Wren met as kids, fell in love, got pregnant at 17, and later divorced. Now in their 30s with their son going off to college… they decide to road trip back home after dropping him off. Will they rekindle things? Is there still anything there between them? Oh boy I can’t wait for you to find out.

I was a little confided about some of the characters and their backstory, and that’s when I learned that there’s a first book (Savor It). Ooops. So anyway you might want to read that one first to know the characters better, but it could still be read as a stand alone.

Omg and her take on the only one bed trope in this book had me dying 😂 Basically this book has it all. Great characters, humor, spice, romance, emotional depth, and a great ending. Love love love.

***PUTTING A SPOILER DOWN BELOW, YOU’VE BEEN WARNED***








There were definitely a few parts that had me getting emotional, when they really opened up about where things went wrong before. But as soon as Sam started walking her down the aisle 😭 and then the whole speech by Silas… damn 🥹😭

2.5 ⭐️ rounded up

I enjoyed Savor It (book one in the series) & this one had so much potential in the early chapters ... while I've read a lot of second chance romances, this one just didn't live up to the hype or glowing reviews for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this book.