Oh, my heart, 4.5 stars. I absolutely loved Ellis and Wren's story. This book felt like it was written with such care for the characters and for the audience. Ellis and Wren were both so emotionally vulnerable throughout the book and they did an amazing job communicating their raw feelings with each other without the intention of manipulation or malice. I love a book with emotionally intelligent characters. They were both great main characters and I couldn't help but root for them, individually, as parents, and as a couple. Tarah DeWitt did an awesome job building in an added layer of complexity with Wren being so entwined with the Byrd family. Silas's speech at the end was probably one of the sweetest things I've ever read.

If you are looking for a heartwarming second chance romance story with a little bit of spice, you need to read this. This has been my favorite Tarah DeWitt book so far, well done!

This was my introduction to Tara DeWitt, and my first read with a second chance romance book. I loved it!

I immediately bonded with the characters. This story made me laugh and think. It was thought provoking and emotional.

The characters are so relatable.

I will easily go for another of Tara’s offerings in the future and I am off to look up her past works and do some more reading. The endless TBR grows!

Thank you to @Macmillan.Audio, @St. Martin's Publishing Group, 2025 and @Tara DeWitt for the ARC of this book. I was so excited to dive into it after hearing so many good things.

I'm so in love with this title! I read the print version a little while back and was so excited to check out the audiobook. Ellis and Wren are such an amazing couple and I loved the story of their past and their journey back together. I loved Savor It and thought DeWitt wouldn't be able to top it, but Left of Forever was a next level love story. I really enjoyed both the narrators of this audiobook. I've listened to multiple books from the male narrator recently and really love his style of narration. The tone of his voice and performance style are excellent. The female narrator was equally excellent. I like that she had a tiny bit of grit to her voice and showed the perfect amount of emotion. She moved me to tears more than once. I would recommend this title to fans of Abby Jimenez and Rachel Lynn Solomon.

Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt is a compelling second-chance romance that delves into the complexities of love, family, and the challenges of rekindling a past relationship. The story centers on Wren and Ellis Byrd, childhood sweethearts who navigate the ups and downs of life, including raising a family. Years later, they find themselves at a crossroads and embark on a journey that could either reunite them or lead them to move on.

DeWitt masterfully weaves together emotional depth with moments of warmth and humor. The narrative explores themes of forgiveness, personal growth, and the enduring power of love. Fans of stories that feature characters grappling with real-life issues and finding their way back to each other will likely appreciate this book.

The audiobook edition enhances the story with skilled narration. The narrators bring Wren and Ellis to life, capturing their vulnerabilities, their connection, and the emotional nuances of their journey. The audiobook format allows listeners to fully immerse themselves in the characters' world and experience the full impact of their story.

this was my first Tarah DeWitt book and it was cute & spicy, the chemistry is high between these two characters!!
i really enjoyed the road trip setting and how they used it to talk through the layers of their relationship over the years, the journaling made me so emotional.. i love childhood friends to lovers <3

This is possibly the best audiobook known to man. The narrators absolutely killed this reading and made it so enjoyable while simultaneously breaking my heart. It was agony and joy, their emotions were so intense and present in their voices. Ugh. 10/10. This story was so beautiful and I loved watching Wren and Ellis fall back in love and decide to take one more chance on each other. It was just perfection.

I think I’ve run out of ways to say I love Tarah’s book. The wit, the humor, the HEART.

This was the best second chance romance. I have no idea how I’m gonna love another one more. Wren and Ellis were made for each other in the same way I truly believe Tarah was born to write life-affirming heart stories.

I read this ARC last year, and reread it just recently (via audiobook) and I have to say the narrators killed it. They really brought Wren and Ellis to life in a way that felt true to the character.

What a beautiful journey we’ve been allowed to witness. My heart is so full. I will be thinking about this family for a very, very long time.

Thank you so much for the ALC!

Absolutely loved this book!!!!! Cried the full sobbing tears at the end. These characters are going to live forever in my soul. I don’t think there will be another romance this year that will top this one. Just read it. This is absolutely everything a second chance romance should be. No notes!!!

The audiobook is impeccably done. The actors portray the characters so well!

Thank you very much to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Wow. This book was breathtaking. It was what a second chance romance SHOULD be. It was real, raw, sexy, emotional, hopeful, and captured what EVERYONE wants love to feel like. It captivated me from the letters to the finale and everything in between was a beautiful story that captured love, friendship, family, parenthood, and forgiveness. I feel grateful to have gotten to read this book and it is one I’ll definitely recommend. The audiobook was also SO well done and captured so much of the emotion of the characters. It felt so authentic to the storyline.

This was a truly beautiful and loving story. Ellis and Wren’s personal battles to find themselves and each other were so real and honest. I loved how mature and immature these characters were which made the story more real and the characters flaws made them feel approachable. The narrators brought the characters to life and filled out the story wonderfully.

4⭐️. I thought this was so cute!! It’s not necessarily a story that will stick with me but I’m not usually a second chance girlie and this one was still so good. I don’t think it beats out Savor It for me but I really loved Savor It so that’s still high praise! Love Tarah DeWitt’s characters 🧡 I loved the narrators of this as well - they did a great job.

Wren and Ellis are everything in this book! I enjoyed reading it through audio better. The second chance chemistry was to die for.

Tarah is a master and this is a masterpiece. I loved the initial ARC and knew when I saw the ALC that I had to listen.

Perfect dual narration, perfect emotion, perfectly sold. The second chance romance here is the best balance of angst and hope and you can hear every minute of that in the audio.

Some audiobooks don’t capture my attention well, and I find my mind drifting and not hearing parts of the story. That was not the case here. Even though I’d already read all the words, I was still completely invested in hearing them.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this ALC!

Left of Forever is a beautifully emotional and deeply romantic second-chance story that will tug at your heart and leave you a little breathless.

Wren and Ellis are a divorced couple who never stopped loving each other—but the heartbreak of an ectopic pregnancy changed everything. Years later, Ellis, now a firefighter, receives a care package while deployed. Inside is a letter he instantly recognizes—Wren’s handwriting. She doesn’t know he’s the recipient, but her words stir something in him he thought was long buried. An anonymous letter exchange begins to quietly rebuild a fragile bridge between them.

When they take a road trip together to drop off their only child at college, the emotional distance between them starts to close. The adventures they share become a confessional, the miles a map of memory and meaning. On that journey back—not just to their hometown, but to each other—they finally talk. Really talk. And when honesty flows, so does heat.

Their chemistry is undeniable. The tension, the longing, the quiet touches—all of it builds to a rediscovery that’s both heart-wrenching and hot. Wren and Ellis must face the question: is love enough to rebuild what was broken? Or will the past always haunt what could be?

Left of Forever is equal parts aching and hopeful, filled with second chances, steamy reconnections, and the kind of love that doesn’t go away—it just waits for the right time to bloom again.

I have been hearing nothing but amazing things about this book, so I was SO excited to be approved for the audio, and wow, it did not disappoint. I went through sooooo many emotions throughout this story that I was not expecting (like hello, how dare you make me cry lol). I am a sucker for second chance romances and this easily became one of my favorites ever. The tension was unmatched, and the banter was honestly top tier. The character growth was definitely a high point of this for me, and I loved how vulnerable they ended up being with each other. Sometimes it's truly a case of right person, wrong time as evidenced by their previous marriage, but they were meant to b,e and we love to see it.

"If you're lost, I'll find you. I'll give you my body, my heart, and my soul.
I'll cherish every bit of yours in return. I'll fight with you. I'll fight for you.
I'll love you for everything left of forever, in every lifetime we get."

A firefighter and a second chance romance? count. me. in. Those are my two favorite things wrapped into one and the pinning?!? *chef’s kiss*

These two characters are so complex in a beautiful way. Their story is not so much about romance, but about relearning each other, being vulnerable, and loving deeply. They have been connected since the beginning. There has NEVER been anyone else for either of them, and it hasn’t been for lack of trying.

The pining in this book is off the charts, but I LOVE the way that these two are being extra careful with each other. They are treading lightly because this relationship is one of the most important in their lives.

They are rebuilding love that had never been lost but had been broken. I LOVED that there was not a true third act breakup and, if you had read the other books in the series, there are a ton of really fun character cameos that you will really appreciate.

This was my first Tarah book and boy, oh boy.. I was not disappointed. The yearning went crazyyyyy and I loved all the characters so much. Felt like a well thought out, well developed plot with some absolutely wild smut. The beginning was cute and tied in nicely toward the end. I ATE THIS UP.

Also the cover art… are you KIDDING ME? Gorg

THE AUDIO WAS EVEN BETTER THAN I EXPECTED IT TO BE 😭 i had SOOOOO much fun binge listening to this one while traveling/driving this weekend!!! i absolutely love this book so much and even though this is now my second time reading it in the last few months im already excited for the next time i crack this baby open 🤭
~~~
last year i was lucky enough to receive the arc for savor it and i am not exaggerating when i say i have been AGONIZING over wanting and needing wren and ellis’ book. i was immediately obsessed with them and their story, in a letter from tarah before the start of this book she says “wren and ellis jumped out at me so viscerally” and that is exactly how i felt about them during my time reading sage and fishers story, while i was obsessed with them and had the best time reading their book i was yearning for these Byrds.

i am to my core a massive slut for second chance romances ESPECIALLY when they are already divorced or its a marriage in crisis, so i think it was pretty safe to assume i was going to devour this (which i did). this book will without a doubt be a top 3 read for me this year (it would solidly be #1 right this moment if i hadn’t read ATYD a few weeks ago… so #2 by just a smidge it is).

this book had me in a chokehold from start to finish, the way you could just feel the yearning and how much the wanted/needed each other like no other it felt so ridiculously palpable to me 😩

there is quite literally so much i want to squeal and yap about but i am going to force myself to shut up right now because everyone deserves to read this with the experience of not knowing what youre gonna get. its hot, its passionate, its emotionally painful, its P E R F E C T

I was lucky to receive both a physical ARC and an ALC copy and absolutely enjoyed the immersive read. Both narrators expressed all the emotions so beautifully – the angst, the sadness, the longing, and the playful banter. Loved the raspiness of Megan Wicks' voice and the soothing deepness of Connor Crais' voice.

This was a very well-paced, emotional read about two childhood friends whose marriage ended up in divorce 5 years ago. It was the perfect blend of a realistic and hopeful love as we were given snippets of their past (how it all began and ended, all the pain they suffered together, yet individually) and the present (how they were nudged together by both fate, their families, and Ellis trying hard for a second chance).

Wren was such a dynamic character and Ellis had so much emotional growth. Their chemistry was insane – their tension, banter, raw truths, and the shared vulnerabilities made me fall in love with their redeveloping relationship.

The writing was lyrical, descriptive, and hilarious, and the story flowed seamlessly from past to present. I absolutely loved all the Byrd siblings (hoping the other two will get their own books) and I will definitely be reading the first in the series.

"If you're lost, I'll find you.
I'll give you my body, my heart, and my soul.
I'll cherish every bit of yours in return.
I'll fight with you. I'll fight for you.
I'll love you for everything left of forever, in every lifetime we get."

I didn’t expect to enjoy this as much as I did!! I don’t usually read this genre of Romance, but I was surprised- Like I literally was tearing up 😭😭😭 El is such a MAN, like yessss. Although, I was like, why did y’all even divorce to begin w/, but I get that they were young, things happen!! So I totally understood them. And the people having issues w/ the “you don’t know your ex’s handwriting?”… Like he could’ve just wrote differently lmfao, but like how would she suspect HE would be the one replying to begin w/. So those aspects didn’t really bother me, but what did was y’all fr could’ve just talked about these issues ☠️ Pls. Which shows the importance of… Everybody say it ✨ Communication ✨ But not just any communication, HEALTHY communication!!
Overall, this was a cute ass read, hoping to get more into these types of romances… Without shadow hands & all of that lol!!