This second chance romance is so full of hope & new beginnings. It is a perfect read for late spring/early summer. The audio is narrated by Megan Wicks & Conner Crais. They could not have picked more perfect voices for this project! The audio recording is clear & very well done. Reading this story felt like eating a warm chocolate chip cookie. It unfolds slowly and then gains major steam (if you know what I mean). The love is so genuine and the pining/longing is A+.

4.5 rounded up to 5

"Why do we let the bad stuff win?"

I love a good marriage in trouble trope. This one gets bonus points for the couple already having been divorced from each other. I appreciated the author's writing skills to take them from not getting along to finding their way back to each other.
The narrators were excellent. I can't think of anyone who would've done better.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin for the copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

Loved it so much! Get ready for all sorts of emotional turmoil. Wren and Ellis became parents at age 17 and 18, got married young, and got divorced about 5 years ago. Now, their son is off to college, and Ellis is suggesting a victory road trip, just the two of them. He’s clearly got motives of getting her back and it’s nice that he’s actually up front about it before they begin. This book is emotionally heavy as they deal with all the things they bottled up those years ago, and try to learn to communicate between in the present. I loved seeing these two work out their issues and actually talk to each other about their worries and dreams. There’s also a really good mix of humor and spice throughout the book. Excellent read.

This cover is gold, the audiobook narrators were perfection, and even though I recognize I'm a sucker for high-school sweethearts/second chance romances, I think even if that's not your thing this is impossible not to love. It's one of my new favorite spicy romances! Thanks to Macmillan audio and NetGalley for the ARC

Ugh, loved this story. The audiobook narrators were great. Tarah DeWitt just has a way when she writes her characters-they are so realistic and relatable. I will read anything she creates!

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for letting me listening to this story.

I absolutely loved this second chance romance. Wren and Ellis Bird have been divorced for five years after a long period of mistrust and miscommunication. When their son goes off to college they take a road trip, will this be a start to their old romance or something completely new?

I loved all of the Birds and I need more books of their whole family. They are all very different and their varying personalities makes their whole family relatable. I think that’s what makes their story so wholesome and important. Ellis and Wren had people relying on them and neither of them wanted to disappoint.

I tend to not like the second chance romance especially if they are divorced. I feel like it is so unrealistic but this one was easier to believe. They have had time to grow and become their own people.

Overall I loved this story and the audiobook version was very fun to listen to! Especially the Australian accent was crazy.

ALC REVIEW

This was my first book by Tarrah and I thought it was real sweet. I kind of wish I had read it with my eyeballs or had the ebook to follow along since I’d never read her before and could keep up with some of the amazing quotes, but I did still enjoy it!

This was also my first book about a divorced couple so that was new. I thought it had a great amount of emotion. I do wish there were more chapters from Ellis’s POV though.

Connor Crais does a phenomenal job as Ellis Byrd. He really doesn’t have a bad performance as his voice is so smooth. And Megan Wicks was a great Wren!

Thank you to Tarrah and MacMillan Audio for the early copy!

This is the first book I've read/listened to by Tarah DeWitt and I could not have loved it more. I'm a sucker for second chance romances so as soon as I read this description, I immediately requested it.

I've been in a reading slump lately and have had a hard time finishing books. However, I finished this book in less than a week. I did not want to stop listening to the audiobook. I found myself sitting at work staring at my computer because I was so invested in the story. I loved Wren and Ellis so much. You could tell they still loved and cared for each other but weren't sure if love was enough.

I loved how Wren and Ellis slowly started opening up to each other again as the story progressed. Ellis was seriously swoon worthy. He loved Wren so much and you could tell he was putting in the effort. He listened to what she had to say and worked to change. The entire trip he planned was the sweetest thing ever. I think I fall more in love with Ellis every time I think about it.

The Left of Forever audiobook was amazing. I really liked the narrators and think they did a great job bringing Wren and Ellis to life. They were perfect and I would not change anything.

I'm officially a Tarah DeWitt fan after this and will definitely be working through her backlist. Left of Forever is my favorite book this year and one of my top contemporary romances. If you're a fan of second chance romance with a swoon worthy MMC, I highly recommend Left of Forever.... Now I'm off to binge Tarah Dewitt's backlist!!

This was the book that I didn’t know I needed. I loved every single character and the family vibe they were giving off. This was such a beautiful story. I love second chance stories. The cherry on the top was there was no third act breakup. I’m so sad it’s over.

As it says on the cover, this book is pure magic. As someone married to their high school sweetheart, I could really relate to a lot of the things the main characters did, said and thought. The comfort and safety in that person as well as the need/difficulty to grow together rather than apart. I took away so many quotes and thoughts and truly enjoyed this entire book. I loved being able to see characters we’ve met before too! This is a great book to add to your list if you live a cozy romance!

Audio note: I read an early ARC and loved it, then got to experience the story again in audio, which made my love of the characters grow even deeper. Megan Wicks and Connor Crais deliver the emotion and angst, bringing the story to life in a whole new way and developing the tension even further. Crais is quickly becoming a favorite of mine, and I loved his chapters. The angst works well in the format, and you can feel the longing. The runtime (9 hours) is short enough to binge in a single day, and the story will keep you hooked. There is some spice sprinkled throughout, but it's definitely not the focus. The story might be too heavy for an office listen, but this is great on audio.

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My chest hurts just thinking about this book, and I felt the ache throughout the reading experience. The story is RAW, real, and angsty AF. I think there's a subset of readers who will feel this in their bones, because it felt so visceral and authentic. The moments of deep angst and hurt were punctuated by flashes of joy and hope, making it the kind of story that will absolutely put the reader through their paces emotionally. I loved how this couple could acknowledge all the ways they've gone wrong and fight for their future together, which made it such an impactful read. They're two people who have spent most of their lives together, but let their marriage end without speaking the words they truly needed to say. It's a true second chance romance between two people who thought they'd be together forever, and I loved watching them find their way back. I didn't always find the journey "entertaining," but it was powerful and real.

The story follows Wren and Ellis, two people whose lives have been intertwined for as long as they can remember. They were childhood friends who became teen parents, marrying young and loving each other through it all. Years later, struggles with fertility and lack of communication slowly drove them apart, until unspoken resentments built up to the point of no return. They got divorced five years ago, and have been living separate lives in the same small town ever since. As their son prepares to go off to college, Wren and Ellis find themselves feeling a little sentimental. When Ellis proposes a road trip to see if there's any chance of reconnecting, the two find themselves opening up in a way they never have.

This book... well, it hurt. The first portion is nearly unrelenting angst, so I both kinda wanted to set it down and also pick it right back up and see them find their happy ever after. It's the kind of story that's likely to resonate most with readers who have been in a long-term relationship that's grown and shifted over time, revealing some uncomfortable truths and being forced to confront them. Which is exactly what Wren and Ellis do throughout the book, communicating the ways they've gone wrong and trying to figure out if they could finally get it right. What I loved the most is Ellis and what a determined sweetheart he is; that man is GONE for his girl, and I so appreciated that he is steadfast and patient. I was slower to warm up to Wren because she seemed to have moved on in some bigger ways, but it's easy to see how they'd gotten to the place they were in. It's a refreshingly honest love story that slowly gets brighter and swoonier as it goes, with some serious moments of spice along the way. It's not a story I'll forget anytime soon, and it certainly made an impact.

Did I just read the perfect second chance romance?!

I love Wren and Ellis so much. The vulnerability was palpable. One of the things that makes this such a good second chance is that the reasons for the relationship failure are not only addressed head on, but we see repeated instances of change in each character. Things aren’t perfect and all the problems aren’t fixed, but the things they couldn’t do before, they can do now. I also really appreciated the balance. For something that could be so so heavy, this story had so much hope and lightness throughout.

“I'll love you for everything left of forever, in every lifetime we get.”

Thank you macmillan audio for the gifted ALC!

5⭐️

Um just WOW! I’m a sucker for second chance romance (unpopular opinion ik) but this one just blew me away. The chemistry between Ellis and wren is electric and screamsssss soulmates 🤌

Watching these two slowly fall back in love after the heartbreak of infertility was STUNNING! The emotional depth in their conversations was insane. It wasn’t just a “omg I miss you let’s get back together”, they dug into their issues and solved them. And the SPICE?? Wowza I was not expecting that 😌

As for the audio, I lovedddd the narrators!! They absolutely brought these characters to life for me. Connor is one of my fav narrators, so loved having him narrate this one! I would’ve loved to see this as fully duet though. I didn’t love that they narrated in dual, but also narrated their own texts/letters? Might as well go full duet 🥺

Gahhh this book!!

It was so incredibly emotional, heartfelt, and moving. This is a first for me with Tarah, but it will definitely not be the last.

Ellis & Wrens story is forever etched on my heart. But two.

Well this book destroyed me.... it was just so so good. Wren and Ellis are divorced but they are still so in love with each other, as the story progresses and we learn the reasons for the divorce we see how so many events in their lives just made it so difficult for them, instead of getting closer from their grief and sadness it tore them apart and it just felt so real.

Now as their son Sam is heading off to college they make the decision to drop him off together and take a road trip, It's a time for them to talk and get to know each other again. It is the perfect second chance romance in my eyes and i thoroughly enjoyed it, i also sobbed....because i am just that soft.


The narrators really added something to the story and brought the characters to life for me, I read the arc first and then listened to the audio and i have to be honest, their was an added level of emotion in the audiobook for me.
Must read!

Wren and Ellis are divorced but still have feelings for each other. Putting their past behind them, the two decide to put on a united front to see Sam off to college, with Ellis then suggesting a road trip for the two of them in the hopes of getting their relationship back on track. Will the trip work?
 
Oh my heart! This story was everything. I feel like Tarah DeWitt's books just keep getting better and better. Having a previously married couple as our main characters was genius. The chemistry was already there when the two were together but the shared history and stories and the way they communicated just made it all the better. Sweet and spicy, this book was a delicious mix. I absolutely adored the ending. Huge praise for the audiobook narrators who brought both these characters to life!

I was a bit weary going into this book, a second chance between ex-spouses? As a divorced thirty something myself, I just couldn’t quite wrap my head around the concept. But Tarah pulled it together and pulled it off with aplomb. I was hooked from the first chapter, even though I did need to revisit Savor It, to simpler remind myself that, yes I have met this character before. I loooooved that even though this was about two ex-spouse, co-parent, childhood sweethearts they had depth and independence from those things even while exploring all that those things weigh on not only their individual lives but their relationship with each other. I was so invested in Ellis journey through all his emotional baggage and Wren’s strength as a person and mother figuring out adulthood and all its challenges. The narrators for both characters did a fantastic job of bringing this story to life. I hope that we get more of the Byrd family in the future.

T

Duet narration: Conor Crais & Megan Wicks

Firefighter X Bakery owner
Pen Pals
Roadtrip
Second Chance

The longing for the love they lost in each other is so raw and heartbreaking. They clearly still love the other and the outside forces that kept hitting them became too much, listening to them both talk about their relationship was really emotional.

Their journal entities to each other?! Please yall, I LOVED them. This man.. he freaking listened to every concern she had of him in the past relationship and did the work!!

“His DNA altered mine”

I was thrilled to receive an advanced listener copy of this beautiful book. Connor Crais and Megan Wicks deliver phenomenal performances! If you enjoy reading with your ears you do not want to miss this audiobook!!
Left of Forever is the second book in the Spunes, OR series by Tarah DeWitt and it’s unputdownable. This could be read as a standalone but is more enjoyable in series order. Wren and Ellis Byrd are high school sweethearts that fell in love as kids, had their son Sam as teens, and now in their 30s everything has fallen apart. Divorced for five years, but still carrying love for each other, the two are about to send their son to college out of state. They decide to extend their roadtrip back home to Spunes in an attempt to give their relationship one last shot.
Left of Forever is a spectacular and emotional second chance romance that had me crying and rejoicing! I was dying for Ellis and Wren’s story when we first got a peek into their lives in book one, Savor It, and Tarah did not disappoint. This may be her best book yet. Ellis and Wren are so complex, relatable, and easy to root for. The entire Byrd family is a blast, I hope we see more of them in future books!
Read this if you like:
-second chance romance
-roadtrips
-small town
-epistolary
-she’s a baker
-he’s a firefighter

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

“I’ll love you for everything left of forever, in every lifetime we get.”

Thank you Tarah DeWitt, NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Left of Forever is a heartfelt, slow-burn romance that delivers emotional depth and genuine chemistry. Tarah DeWitt once again shows her talent for creating flawed, lovable characters who feel real in both their pain and their joy. The story unfolds with tenderness, exploring themes of grief, healing, and the courage it takes to open your heart again.
The writing is lyrical without being overdone, and the small-town setting adds warmth and charm. Some secondary characters could have been more fleshed out, but the central romance carries the story beautifully.

A lovely, emotional read that lingers after the last page.