I knew Clay & Josie’s story was going to break my heart. But I wasn’t expecting it to break my heart this hard …To say I’ve been looking forward to this book is an understatement. I fell in love with Josie & Clay back in book 1 and I have been dying for their story ever since. Let me tell you it did not disappoint.

Immediately 4 ⭐️ read! The only thing keeping me from giving it the full rive stars was how this was written. You’re probably wondering what the heck are you talking about, you just said you loved it. Trust me I 100% do. But the formatting structure for the book was a bit of a mess. Now I don’t know if this will just be like this because I read an ARC edition or if this is going to be the standard published version. The timeline jumps were all over the place. To the point where I got so confusing that I had to back and re-read to figure out if I was In the past or the present. Once we caught up to the books one time frame I got the grasp of it. But it definitely could’ve a bit smoother transition.

Everything else about this book was spectacular. Josie is such a strong kick butt MFC. Her decisions and sacrifices she made are heartbreaking. Honestly at times you will want to strangle her. But you love and relate to her anyway. Plus you have Clay. Our adorkable golden retriever MMC. This man is a swoon worthy hero and he deserves the world. You put these two together and they are electric. Every single page you can feel the strong and genuine love they have for each other.

This book was an emotional roller coaster that hooked me from the very beginning and never let go. If you can’t already tell I highly recommend this book. But please read “What I Should’ve Said” first. You 100% need to read book one to understand all the characters and back story. Thank you Max for an amazing story and I can’t wait to read your next book. Lastly Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I’ve been looking forward to reading Josie and Clay’s story since first being introduced to them in the first book of the series. When I Should’ve Stayed focuses on the tumultuous and tragic relationship between Josie and Clay and how all the unfortunate circumstances they’ve experienced ultimately led to their uneventful downfall and unforeseen divorce.

Josie is a fighter, and the sacrifices she placed upon herself because she thought it was the right thing to do were heartbreaking. Clay is a lover and the ideal hero you’ll want in your life and your books. He was steadfast and loyal, and his heart always belonged to Josie despite not seeing or being with her in all those years apart. Their love for each other was strong, wholesome, and genuine.

This was an emotional read, and I highly recommend reading What I Should’ve Said first before reading this book in order to get more background information about the other characters who have prominent and pivotal roles in this story. Max Monroe wrote this book with tenderness and delicacy while still maintaining humor alongside the grittiness of marriage, life, and love. I fell in love with the first book, and I loved this one just as much. I can’t wait to read what else Max Monroe writes in the future.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Absolutely stunning and a fitting sequel to the first book! Max Monroe have outdone themselves with a story filled with ups and downs but mostly a story with lots of love and emotion! It was so great seeing all the characters with a dual timeline! This book is one you don’t want to miss! X

When I Should’ve Stayed by Max Monroe is about loss and the pain of growing apart from someone you thought would always be your forever. The story flips between Josie’s heart wrenching “before” and Clay’s devastating “after”. This book is heavy for sure! It’s messy yet beautifully honest. If you’ve ever questioned your choices that shape the future, this one will stick with you.

Ladies, you can’t keep doing this to me! I can’t keep crying over Sweet, Sweet Summer. I loved this story. Josie and Cam are so romantic and swoon worthy. The third book has got to be about Breezy and Tad, right?!

We met Josie Ellis and Clay Harris in book one but this is their story and starts when they met. They both live in Red Bridge and had an interesting first encounter at Clay’s Bar. He was intrigued by the blonde haired trouble maker. What Clay thought was an instant connection and his forever turned into the fight of his life to get back. Oh Clay is a total swoon fest!!! This goes back and for the between “before the breakup” the after the breakup” until we get to see what really happened between them. If you’ve read book one (which is perfection) then you will know the other town’s members who make appearances including sweet little Summer, Bennett & Norah. Hold on for a bumpy love to hate to hopefully live again ride! Oh, you might want a few tissues handy too. My heart is full with this emotional journey for Clay & Josie. Simply Beautiful! A Top Read of 2025. Told in first person and dual POV

This was such a cute read! I absolutely loved the first book so I was already expecting the second book to be great as well and it didn’t disappoint. I thought I had cried all I could for sweet Summblebee but yea no this book opened the wound back up. I am so happy they got their happily ever after and I hope there’s a book 3 in this series with breezy and a cute sheep owner? lol

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy!