Josie has been through so much grief in her life. I really felt so sad for her. I didn’t understand why she didn’t tell Clay she was pregnant immediately. After all her regret about how she didn’t get to tell her grandma she got married, I would think she wouldn’t want to keep secrets anymore. She could’ve had so much support from him after their car accident.

Clay really loved her and was so sweet. A couple of times he was a little pushy, but I liked him overall.

I do think there were a lot of scenes that were from the first book, which made it feel repetitive. Reading about Summer’s death again was so heartbreaking.

I usually love a dual timeline, but this one was clunky, and didn’t work for me.

I loved the last book, but unfortunately this one wasn’t for me. I like Max Monroe’s writing, so I will definitely read more from them. Can’t love them all, I suppose.

ARC review

Loved it! So many emotions and so many ups and downs. An emotional roller coaster. I loved it. I love these characters and this town. I look forward to the next book about this town and its people.

I’ll be honest. While I really enjoyed this book for the most part, I didn’t love the continuous time jumps. It just didn’t always flow very well for me. Other than that, I loved it.
😍😭👏 I was really excited to read this after reading book one. I love Josie and her stubbornness. She’s not perfect but the girl has had some extremely tragic things happen around her. She’s honestly amazing to be able to carry all that. Clay is the real gem though. The way he is incredibly emotionally intelligent and supportive of literally everyone is so so beautiful. I wanted so badly for Clay to have all his wishes come true because he deserved it. I love him so much. 🥹
It was so lovely to see some younger Summer moments. 🕶️ This book is definitely emotional but I think after reading the first book nothing could be as heartbreaking. Still, please check trigger warnings if you have any.
I really enjoy Max Monroe books! I’m excited for whatever comes next 💕
If you love romance books with an emotional punch, read this series asap!

4.5 stars - Wrecked in the best ways!

Listen, the Red Bridge series has absolutely wrecked my heart in the best possible way, and I knew going into this one it would do the same. I was right. That's why I always choose the audiobook, cuz I know I'll end up crying too hard to read the words on a page.

Here's what you're in for:
** Enemies to More
** He Falls First
** Second Chance
** Still Married

Told through a dual timeline, this story leans into miscommunication, but in a way that feels honest to the characters' pain and growth. It's an emotional journey that makes you reflect on love, what you have, what you've lost, and what's still worth fighting for.

If anyone can make me believe in second chances, it's Max and Monroe. Their story telling is beautiful and heartbreaking, but it's the steady thread of hope that pulls you through. A stunning reminder that love, even broken, is never beyond repair.

Zero percent surprised that I loved this one so much! Don’t get me wrong. It HURT! But, it was beautiful & wrapped up perfectly! The dual timeline was easy to follow. While it hurt to relive some of the things from the first book again, I enjoyed seeing it from new POVs. I loved this couple’s story. Not your typical second chance romance. 🥰 Can’t wait for the next one in the series. I love this little town & all of these wonderful people! 🩵 I also listened to the audio and the narrators were fantastic!

Max Monroe's When I Should've Stayed, the second Red Bridge novel, powerfully explores themes of love, loss, and timing.

The story details Josie and Clay's experiences, presented through alternating "Before" and "After" timelines that gradually uncover the reasons for their separation. The narrative depicts Josie's challenges with trauma and her past decisions, while also describing Clay's continued commitment to their relationship, including his choice not to sign the divorce papers.

Red Bridge serves not only as the backdrop for the narrative but also functions as a dynamic element, with its cohesive community enriching each interaction. Max Monroe addresses complex themes through a thoughtful storyline that critically examines, deconstructs, and ultimately reconstructs the relationship between Josie and Clay.

This is a story about a second-chance romance that explores themes of courage, vulnerability, and persistence in relationships. It depicts characters who experience challenges and personal growth throughout their journey.

Highly recommend for anyone who loves a powerful, resonant romance! Grab your tissues!

I don't even know where to start. I wasn't prepared for Clay and Josie. I wasn't ready for the emotions, their history, the glimpses back into the "What I Should've Said" timeline, but man, I am so glad I read it. Everything about these two was just what I needed. The journey Max Monroe took us on, was one I think everyone needs to read. If you loved "What I Should've Said" you will hands down love this one.

When I Should've Stayed is the second book in the Red Bridge series. Although it can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading this story after experiencing What I Should've Said. We met Josie and Clay in the first book, and are given more details about how they are connected in this one. Told in dual timeline format, we learn the events that happened before and after Josie and Clay's breakup. This story takes place during the same time as book one, but from Josie and Clay’s point of view. When Josie walked into Clay's bar, he was instantly drawn to her, but didn't know what he was in for. Their second-chance romance is full of ups and downs, and it all leads to a painful divorce. Josie is strong and does what she thinks is right, even when it hurts her and those around her. Clay is loyal and has a lot of love to give. Even while they are apart, he never stops caring about Josie. Their love is deeply rooted, and their journey is powerful and emotional. There’s pain, but there’s also hope and healing. When I Should've Stayed is a great read that will make you laugh, cry, and maybe even believe in second chances.

I absolutely loved What I should've said. The book brought out all my feelings, and the tears and I am usually not a crier. So, when given an opportunity to read an arc of this book and find out the back story to Clay and Josie I absolutely jumped at the chance. This book is also good, this book will also tug at your heart strings just like the first one did, and many will probably need those tissues handy again. I will be honest though this book fell a little flat for me. I still really liked it, but I just did not love it in the same way that I did the first one, I understand why Josie felt that she should leave Clay but I also don't at all. I can't understand divorcing someone with absolutely no explanation to them at all, especially in a situation such as theirs without explaining what was going on. That was just a hard plot for me to grasp

Ok! This book was so good! I have read some Max Monroe previously and while it was definitely good; this book was chef's kiss. While I did not read the first book of the series, I have gathered that it is not necessarily needed due to being an interconnected standalone, but it did make me want to reroute to the first book as this one stuck with me days after reading it.

This book focuses on Clay and Josie's love story, their divorce, and ultimately their comeback. It highlights heartbreak, trauma, grief, and love. If a man does not come like Clay then I don't want him. I would have liked to hear more of their story as I thought the book ended pretty abruptly. Overall, I will be recommending this book to whoever will listen to me!

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

I loved the first book so much. I understand this was supposed almost a retelling but in a different POV, but I wanted to learn more about these characters. I felt at times the storyline was being dragged out. I loved reading about summer & Bennett

Talk about a bumpy road. That is what Clay and Josie's relationship was. It was not an easy one. It was filled with smiles, tears, laughter, and love. It is their love for each other that helped keep them going strong. That and the support and love of their family and friends.

I really liked how Clay and Josie first met. Josie was a sassy one. Clay fell first and hard for Josie. Yet, he was giving me golden retriever energy that I loved. When these two broke up, I did not doubt that they would end up back together some point down the road.

This book goes through different time periods to showcase Clay and Josie's relationship. It is an emotional one. This book is a character driven story. I know I stayed and am glad I read this book.

When I Should've Stayed was good. It didn't pack the same emotional punch as the first one but there were heart wrenching scenes. It was angsty with a bit of drama and a whole lot emotion. I enjoyed it. It was one of those sequels I was looking forward to reading. While it didn't live up to my expectations I did enjoy it. I wasn't fond of how long it took Josie to reveal what she was hiding. It definitely took away from my overall enjoyment of the book. That said it was an enjoyable reading experience. I loved the way the story was told. I recommend it.

This was a great book! First of all the cover is so cute and I loved the romance so much! The story was so easy to read.

I absolutely loved the first book and couldn’t wait to read Josie and Clay’s story. This one was actually a struggle and I think it’s because I just didn’t like Josie. I adored Clay and I felt like she didn’t deserve him. He was a gem.
Another issue I had is there’s a lot of time jumps and most of them seemed all over the place, but they took place around the same time as the first book so I felt like I was doing a re-read. Overall I love these characters and their story, but I didn’t like the way this one was written.

This was my first by the authors and my friend couldn't have been more right! I just couldn't stop my emotions nor could I stop reading! I am blown away by how much this one hit me. I wasn't expecting anything when I went in blind because this is not my typical read but I will be going back and reading more from the authors! Ah so good!

i enjoyed this book, maybe not as much as the first one. it was a little confusing with the jumping timeline because without the chapter titles it might of been a little hard to follow.

josie and clay’s love story is a complicated one and one that could’ve been avoided is communication was at the forefront. i think that’s what annoyed me with Josie, some of her decisions just didn’t make sense. BUT i did love clay. his optimism and golden retriever personality held the book together.

Another gut wrenching story from Max Monroe. It’s a tough one to read but soooo worth it. I love their stories and how they write characters that are so strong, resilient and find the goodness in their life.

Josie and Clay have had a tough road…but they fight their way back to one another. There are doubts, fears, misunderstandings and trust issues but in the end… love wins.

So many things happen between these two and it’s a rollercoaster ride for your emotions. Norah and Bennet from the first book have cameos in this book…we have flash backs to what they have been through. I didn’t cry as much with this story as I did with WISHS but it will still have you going through all the emotions.

A great read.

I absolutely loved it! Had me in tears in certain parts all over again and I’m not one to get all teary eyed while reading. It’s so freaking good!! Thank you to Entangled and NetGalley for the ARC!!

Loved this book. Loved how the timelines mixed with the first book in the series. Clay was just so swoony and I loved how far gone he was for Josie and how patient he was. They had such a great connection but so much to work through. So many ups and downs but loved this emotional rollercoaster and the happy ever after they deserve!