I thoroughly enjoyed When I Should Have Stayed. It had heart, soul, passion, yearning, and hilarious banter.

Clay and Josie have a fantastic relationship (he is such a smitten kitten). Among the happiness, laughter, and love, a series of challenges, and one specific one known as "the event", are thrown their way and they find themselves apart. Each of them yearns for the other, but the circumstances of their past aren't overcome easily.

The book alters between the past and present; you learn about the way their relationship started and subsequently ended while also getting the perspective of what's happening in their lives now. I love when books are written like this, it shows character development while slowly explaining the ultimate reason for decisions that were made.

The middle-ish of the book destroyed me - it's heartfelt, devastating, and beautiful. It takes place in the same universe as What I Should Have Said, and time overlaps, therefore some events that took place in that book also take place in this one. Be prepared to send your therapy bills to Max Monroe (IYKYK).

Overall, definitely recommend. It had the perfect amount of banter, plot, character development, and spicy scenes. Star rating is 4.5 - rounded up to 5.

There are a couple trigger warnings to be mindful of - please check those. Mental health matters.

I laughed, I cried . . . It was so good and I hope there are more stories on the horizon for these characters.

I loved this one. Clay is honestly the softest, most loyal guy, aolden retriever energy. Josie frustrated me sometimes, not gonna lie, but I understood her. She's grieving, and it’s heavy. That whole place just feels alive, like it’s part of the story. The side characters really carried some deep moments too, and it added so much to the emotional weight. Honestly, it was beautiful and hard all at once. This book stays with you. Thank you so much to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early. I’m sharing my thoughts voluntarily and with genuine appreciation

First of all I’d like to say Max Monroe just has a way with words that leaves my heart so full despite the tears in my eyes.
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice 🌶️🌶️

This book left me in tears and I absolutely loved it. I knew what was coming and yet the emotions it left me with were still so raw.

If you’re looking for a book with romance and family in it and need a good cry then this book is one you just need to read.

Fair warning this book has triggers so read with caution.

Tropes
🍺 Second Chance Romance
💍 Found Family
🍺 Loss
💍 Small Town Romance

While the Netgalley blurb advertised this as a standalone, I was aware that it was interconnected to What I Should Have Said. That being the case, I strongly suggest that you read the other book before reading this. There is a major event that occurs in this book that is also discussed in WISHS, and if I had known about it, I might not have read this one. Netgalley does not make trigger warnings visible until after you get a copy of the arc, but I wish they did.

The writing itself is great. It is fast-paced and similar to that which is found in other popular rom coms, small town romances etc. The characters, too, are likeable overall -- though I did question some of Josie's decisions that led to her and Clay splitting up.

One of my biggest issues with this book is the way the timeline is presented. It is dual timeline and dual POV, but it is hard to keep track of things because there aren't years in the dates -- just comments from the characters saying that this chapter is taking place 5 years after "x" happened.

The other big issue for me is the marketing. The finished copy is bubblegum pink with sprayed edges, leading you to believe this is a happy romance with summer reading, "no worries be happy" vibes. The book advertises a second chance romance between husband and wife, but the trigger warnings relating to what happens to Josie as well as the connected major event from WISHS must be advertised more clearly. I might be in the minority for taking issue with this, but this book was very hard to read at times for those events in the plot. Again, this could be because I didn't read the other book as this was advertised as a standalone.

I recommend reading this if you have read the other book, can see the trigger warnings ahead of time, and are looking for an engaging, romance with occasional laughs but a lot of tears.

Thanks to Netgalley and Entangled for letting me read the arc.

Ohh the feels! Roller coaster of emotions, visiting Bennett, Norah and Summer, adding in Josie and Clay. I'm still thinking about this one - and water towers!!

This story is going to stay with me because it’s about love’s power to heal and how sometimes the hardest fights are the ones worth fighting. I absolutely adored it and can’t wait to read more from this author.

If you haven't already experienced the first book in this series, PLEASE do so, before grabbing this one. Since 'What I Should've Said' has a concurrent time line to this one, and since this is book two, reading this first will spoil that read.

This author duo has done it - again - delivering a fantastically gripping and emotional journey into two people's lives that are destined for each other, but who can't seem to hold onto their HEA. If you sobbed along with Bennett, Norah and Summer's story (like I did), you'll be revisiting those tears and feelings here, as well as the desperately heartbreaking ones for Josie and Clay.

There are seriously tough topics (and emotional cliffs to follow these characters, as they fall) in these pages and I highly recommend setting aside reading time. For me, the way the imagery of events was crafted provided me a deep emotional connection to all in Red Bridge, and the situations they faced.

I have enjoyed over 40 titles from this author duo, and while most of their work kept me laughing for days, this series is completely opposite. The way the emotional grief and psychological pain these characters deal with is crafted delivers an unforgettable reading experience, and has a very special place in my heart.

I highly recommend any and all from this author duo's catalog of work, and cannot wait for the next new release. I received an ARC (thank you) from Netgalley, and my thoughts are shared freely.

This book just wasn’t it for me. I normally love Max Monroe, but this one was hard to follow. The time jumps felt awkward and I had a hard time keeping up with where we were in the story and how much time had passed. I also didn’t like how much overlap there was with Norah and Bennett’s story. It almost felt like a rehash of their book in some places.

The only character I really liked was Clay. I didn’t enjoy Josie and her wishy-washiness. I appreciate Max Monroe going a more emotional route, but I think I’ll stick with their rom-coms in the future.

As always, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

When I Should Have Stayed by Max Monroe completely broke me—in the best possible way. This story is a stunning blend of raw emotion, deep character connections, and steamy romance that kept me flipping pages way past my bedtime.

The characters feel so real—flawed, complicated, magnetic. The story doesn’t shy away from the messy parts of love: the “do I stay or walk away?” moments, the silence when words matter most, the heartbreak that comes from trying to protect someone you love. It’s emotionally charged in all the right ways, and the payoff is so worth it.

And oh, the miscommunication (or lack thereof) nearly drove me insane. I was mentally screaming at the characters to just say the thing already. The tension was deliciously painful, and there were scenes that genuinely broke my heart. I was so invested—not just in the main couple, but in the side characters too. They all felt like people I knew, and I cared deeply about every single one.

The chemistry between the leads absolutely sizzled. There’s this perfect mix of tension, banter, vulnerability, and genuine connection that made their relationship feel so authentic. Their journey was full of highs, lows, and little moments that made me smile, swoon, and yes, sob like a baby.
I haven’t read anything this gut-wrenching in a long time—it hits you right in the feels and doesn’t let up. The emotional weight sneaks up on you, and when she finally tells him the truth? I cried ugly fat tears right alongside her. It was raw, vulnerable, and absolutely devastating in the best, most cathartic way.

And that ending? Pure perfection—with just the right tease of who’s next in the Red Bridge series. I already can’t wait.

Even though it technically works as a standalone, I highly recommend reading What I Should’ve Said first. It gives so much context and emotional depth, and you’ll appreciate the character arcs even more.

Tropes I loved:
❤️ Second chance romance
💔 Emotional angst
🤐 Miscommunication (the kind that hurts)
🔥 Insta-lust
🏡 Small town feels
👨‍👩‍👧 Found family
🧠 Mental health matters

I honestly can't thank the publishers enough for the advanced copy of what’s easily one of my favorite reads of the year. Huge thanks to the brilliant duo that is Max Monroe, and to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for absolutely wrecking my heart—and then somehow putting it back together, piece by piece, with love. A million stars. 💫

Thank you Netgalley and Entangled for the arc of this book! I knew immediately after finishing "what I should've said" I needed Josie and Clay's story like I needed my next breath. I knew Max Monroe would not disappoint. The story of Josie and Clay is full of love, heartbreak, and trying to crawl your way back to the love of your life. I bawled, I giggled, I felt every single emotion under the sun. 5/5 star read for me.

I really wanted to jump into this as soon as I received it because it's been a minute since I've read a Max Monroe book, but I neglected to realized that this is a 2nd book in a series. Now, that being said, I'm sure I didn't "need" to read the first book, but I feel like I would have been more invested and more involved had I done that. I don't like to give negative reviews, most especially if it's because it's my fault, so this isn't a negative review but more of a DNF because I couldn't grasp the back and forth and past and present. Again, I think I would have enjoyed what I did read more if I would have read the first book. I'm grateful to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book, but it's my fault for not paying attention.

I really liked Clay! As for the rest of the book, I found the back and forth confusing at times. I found the book to be quite the sad fest. There is lots of stuff going on, lots of sad, some swoony. It just had to be told again I guess. Clay was really great!

Thank you NetGalley and Amara for the ARC!

5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Ugh they really know how to get you right in the ❤️ that Max Monroe! I absolutely adore this series. I’ve cried, smiled, laughed and wanted to throw my kindle! 😜 I am so glad we finally got closure on Josie and Clay cause we for sure needed it!!!! Their love story is beautifully heartbreaking and is one I can 100% relate to. It’s beautiful absolutely beautiful. Highly recommend.

This book was good however it felt like Josie and clay were barely even a couple that much since the timelines kept going back and forth. Other than that I liked it. It was a nice change to read about a woman who can’t have kids since most books they always have a kid and it’s more realistic when then they can’t have kids. I liked that they wanted to adopt. I also loved Summer, she was the cutest little girl with so much personality. It was sad she had that disease and didn’t live very long. Overall great book! I hope breezys book is next. Thank you for the ARC!

There was potential but it just fell flat for me. I felt like some of the characters choices were childish so I was struggling to stay engaged. I have heard book 1 is fantastic so I am definitely going to keep it mind. Thank you to entangled publishing for the opportunity to read this!

4.5 stars rounded up. Strongly recommend reading What I Should’ve Said before this one, because the two stories interlock and form a beautiful, heart-wrenching and ultimately uplifting whole. It took me a moment to get to grips with the timeline jumps of Clay and Josie’s relationship, but once I did I was invested - particularly in Clay, who is steadfast, loyal, and a man whose love for his wife shines through. Josie frustrated the hell out of me at times, but it’s surely a sign of a well-written character when you want to shake some sense into her even though you can see what’s driving her decisions and stubbornness. Full of humour, emotions and love - and not just between the two main characters - this return to the town of Red Bridge is a triumph. Just have some tissues handy.

This is a story about a couple who broke apart, but still feel so much it is hard to put into words what they made me feel. Because they made me feel ALL THE FEELINGS. I loved how the book develops. I loved the couple. I loved being mad at them, wanting to hug them, falling in love with them. I loved the angst, the love. It deserved all the 5 stars.

This book was fun and I’ve been loving this author. The books are so fun’ and cute. Highly recommend to romance lovers, but with so much more plot.

I mostly enjoyed the book. There was one scene where two of the characters were drinking and the way it was written that the characters were speaking sounded more like a toddler than someone who had been drinking. For some reason that specific chapter really irritated me. Overall, I enjoyed the characters. The ending felt rushed.