This is going to have to be a soft DNF for me, but that has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to due with the writing or story itself. From what little I managed to get through I can already tell this is likely to be a book I'll enjoy. Unfortunately, I have pretty poor vision to begin with and a brain that gets easily tangled without clear breaks between passages and prominent indentation. The early stages of formatting in this ARC just made it too strenuous for me to keep progressing. If I wasn't squinting I was struggling to move to the correct next line. I did try playing around with every setting possible on my kindle to improve spacing and visibility but no matter the tweak I wasn't able to find a solution that worked for me.

That said, this book is definitely shelved as something I'm eager to read later as a finished copy. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Entangled: Amara for giving me the chance to read When I Should've Stayed early. The fact that I couldn't finish is in no way a reflection of the story itself, just my poor genetics and neurospicy brain.

This book was a wild ride with all the ups and downs. There is so much love between Josie and Clay that it just envelops you, that's what really makes it amazing because there is no question about it. You do want to bring your tissues because there is loss and grief that will pull at your heart strings. This whole series so far gives you a really great perspective on grief, loss and trauma while also being funny and romantic. It personally has helped me through my own tough times. I highly recommend this book when It comes out on July 1st! Thank you entangled publishing and Max Monroe for the chance to read this wonderful book early and give my honest review 😊

There's so much to unpack with When I Should've Stayed. Bittersweet, heartfelt, and consuming are just a few words to describe this book. Josie's and Clay's storyline... chefs kiss. 5+ stars

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Entangled Publishing, and Max Monroe for granting me the honor of reading this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed continuing to read Josie and Clays story. I laughed at the escapades of Tad, the hot, but incompetent sheep farmer. I cried with Josie through her heartbreaks, and threw my book in aggravation every time she didn't choose to share her pain and just give into her love for Clay, spill it all share her pain with him.

The book was a wirlwind of emotions. Every person in Red Bridge felt like family.

I miss them already and am ready for book three! I hope it's Tad and Breezy's story. I see a love blooming there.

Five stars.

This book goes back and forth from different time periods of Clay and Josie’s relationship. It starts off very insta-love, but then we find out something went wrong and they are no longer together.

To be honest Josie annoyed me with a lot of her decisions. I think she made a lot of stupid decisions that ended up effecting a lot of people. The saving grace for this book was Clay. He was an absolute golden retriever man that was perfect. I want to meet my Clay.

The side characters also made this book, because if it was just about Josie, I would have been more annoyed. But there is a lot of beautiful and sad stories with the other characters too.

Thank you to netgalley for this free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I first read What I Should’ve Said earlier this year, and it absolutely broke my heart. So when I found out there was going to be a second book—this time following Josie—I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.

Josie’s journey is incredibly emotional. She’s lost so many people she loves, and the way she shuts down and carries that blame was heartbreaking. Her love story with Clay was something I’d been curious about since Things I Should’ve Said, and it did not disappoint. Their story is both beautiful and heartbreaking.

I loved that we got more of Summer. Seeing her as a baby up to the events that happened in the first book.

Also… Breezy and Tad?! I seriously can't wait for their story!

What I Should've Said is a book that has stayed with me since the day that I picked it up. I've thought about it daily since I've read it, so when I saw When I Should've Stayed, I was giddy.

If you haven't yet, please read What I should've said first. This is the second book that follows Josie and Clay's story. I loved getting more on Grandma Rose and revisiting Norah, Bennett. and Summer. Josie is a resilient tough woman and I'm so glad to read her and Clay's entire backstory.

I don't want to give away any spoilers, so I'm not going to say too much. This is an emotional story but it pales in comparison to What I Should've Said , so there's that. At least my heart wasn't crushed to pieces by this one.

I enjoyed this story but I would've liked a little more follow up on Josie and Clay. This entire story is all of their backstory and abruptly ends, but I still ate it up.

A big thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Entangled Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Expected publication July 1, 2025

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!