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!

I jumped into book two after I finished the first book. I liked the second book better than the first! I want to point out that these covers do not match the contents inside. It’s my first Max Monroe series, so I had no idea what to expect. These look like fun summer romances. They are romances, but they also deal with heavier topics.

The story jumps between the past (before the moment) and the present (after the moment). The duo timelines were well written, and I enjoyed both of them. Reading the first book is a must. You get a lot of details from many of the big moments in book one. I did not expect to have to go through all those emotions again. It’s from a different perspective, so it makes it feel new and different.

Josie and Clay’s story begins in the past, and we see how they met and fell in love. I do think their relationship was a bit too much insta-love. They quickly accelerate their relationship, and I think that’s a big part of the problem. Of course, there’s a lot of miscommunication, but that can also be because they rushed through so many things. They didn’t take the time to get to know each other and find out what the other wants. The banter between Josie and Clay was entertaining. I loved her in the first book. I loved getting to see more of her in this book. She’s had such a hard life, and you can’t help but root for her. I enjoyed seeing her side of the relationship with her sister.

Please note that this series explores some more challenging topics. I was bawling several times throughout the book! There’s one little thing that bugged me about Clay, and it was that he would not take no for an answer. It wasn’t cute or endearing, but just annoying.

Overall, I did enjoy this book! I think there’s a little snippet for what could be another book. I’m all for it, if that’s the case! There are some triggering aspects to the story: death, miscarriage, and illness. I think all the deeper topics worked well and brought some good emotions. I will be picking up more Max Monroe!

Thank you, Entangled: Amara and Netgalley, for the e-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own!!

When I Should've Stayed is the second book in the Red Bridge series by Max Monroe. I will say I enjoyed this book more than the first, though I had a hard time with the jumping around of the timelines. One of the things I also struggled with was that this book takes place simultaneously with the first book at points, and that made it a bit hard to understand at times, though I did find this a really cool feature after I wrapped my head around it a little bit. I felt like I had a bit of whiplash from all the different time jumps-they were a bit hard to keep track of. Clay and Josie's relationship always seemed good, I did like their chemistry, which made it all the harder to believe the reason they weren't together. I think this was my biggest struggle of the book--the "omg" moment of why they weren't together didn't seem like something that should have been that "big" considering Clay's character throughout the book. Overall, it was an enjoyable, though a bit jumbled, read. 3 3/4*

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Rating: 3.5/5

- small town
- second chance (divorced couple that surprised, aren't divorced!)
- dual timelines
- he falls first
- 🌶️🌶️/5
- dual pov

I was so excited for this book after the emotional rollercoaster of When I Should've Said. But that one is a tough act to follow, and while I enjoyed Josie and Clay's story, it didn't quite hit the same.

The story moves between "before" (when they're married) and "after" (post-divorce), and one thing is immediately clear—Clay falls fast, hard, and never stops loving Josie, even after years apart. The "before" chapters are heavy with grief and emotional weight, as Josie deals with multiple heartbreaking losses. The "after" timeline overlaps with events from the first book, so buckle up!

I personally struggled with Josie's decision to divorce Clay without telling him the truth. He's clearly head over heels for her, and watching him suffer while being kept in the dark was frustrating. Josie holds onto this secret for 90% of the book, and when she finally reveals it, Clay forgives her instantly. While I get the emotional impact the author was going for, I couldn't help but feel like Clay deserved more. I'll always root for open communication, and keeping something that massive from the person who adores you? That stung a little.

Overall, the nosy yet supportive small-town vibes and lovable characters are present. It just didn't live up to my expectations.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing for the early copy.

When I should’ve stayed

This story was about Josie and Clay.

Josie left New York at age 18 to get away from her wealthy mother and step father and heads back to Red Bridge to live with her Grandma Rose. It was hard
To leave her sister Norah but she could not stay. Josie got into a nice routine living with Grandma Rose, working at the diner and later met Clay. They have a fast, passionate romance and decide to get married. Tragedy strikes that comes between them.

Clay also broke away from his wealthy New York family coming to Red Bridge and starting a bar called the Country club. He falls for Josie at first connection.

This story had me chuckling, crying and getting upset.

I loved Clay and his energy and he would do anything for Josie. He was wild and crazy and did some crazy stunts to get her attention. He was very attentive and thoughtful.

Josie was a strong woman who has been through a lot but she also would do anything for the people she loves. She is not the best at letting people help her or always communicating. At one point I wanted to scream “Just talk to him!”

I felt this story came full circle wrapping up the story of Norah and Bennett along with Josie and Clay, it was fun to see the other side of Josie thoughts toward Norah and her family. Max Monroe did a nice job showing the other perspective.

Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled for the gifted eARC to read and review and give my honest opinion.

Many tears were shed as I read this book. I thought there’s no way it can be as sad as the first book was. Little did I know I was going to have to go through that traumatic experience again. I didn’t mind though. I loved seeing our pink, sparkly princess.

I love a second chance marriage book, and I had hoped this would give all the yearning and angst you get from those. My issue was , whilst I liked Clay and Josie, and I felt they belonged together, too much time was spent on flashbacks and very little time of the present. I wanted to see them fight for each other, work through their issues and ultimately be stronger together. I was also low-key angry at Josie. I hate when a character makes a self-sacrificing decision but doesn’t take into account that they’ve left the other person with no choice.

Little niggles aside, I really did like the story. Even with my copious amount of tears.

I enjoyed being back in Red Bridge and getting to know some of my favorite characters more. When I should've Stayed brings us back to Red Bridge and go back and forth in time to fully understand the timeline of Josie and Clay's relationship and why it ended. Josie and Clay's journey is complex however honestly believable based on what the two have gone through. Dealing with the loss of a loved one is hard enough, having a pregnancy loss that causes complications leads to complex and sometimes self sabotaging/irrational actions. The guilt/shame and oldest sibling energy really spoke to me and the pregnancy loss didn't come off as something for shock value however something organic to the story. I look forward to more from the Red Bridge story.

Thank you Hambright PR for hooking me up with this book and Max Monroe for letting me do an IG live with them! They are THE BEST!

I devoured this book in less than a day! I gasped so many times! Can you imagine thinking you're divorced, only to find out your ex didn't actually sign and file the paperwork? My flabbers were gasted. I felt every emotion for her hurt, betrayal, anger, love, and self-discovery. Truly an amazing book!

3.5 - 4 Star Review When I Should’ve Stayed by Max Monroe

This is the second book in the Red Ridge Series and is Josie and Clay’s second chance at love story.

Told over many years, I found this book to be well written; the characters easy to relate too.

Having read numerous books by these authors I couldn’t wait to read this one. However, this is not my favourite book from this writing duo. I struggled with it on several occasions as although I really liked Clay I had a hard time connecting to Josie.

Told in the past and present I found myself frustrated at times and confused.

I am almost ok after finishing When I Should've Stayed. Almost. This tear-jerker of a rom-com (yes that's a real thing....thanks Max Monroe) did me in. Hear me now...have the tissues ready. 

I'm not gonna lie, Clay was the star of the show here. He is what book boyfriend dreams are made of. The swoon factor of this man is off the charts. Kind and patient. Honest and loyal. Thoughtful and generous. Especially where Josie is concerned. From the first time he talked to her he knew she was it for him. Now he just had to work his magic to make her see it. 

Josie, that woman was larger than life. She lived out loud in her own way. But also had a tender heart after all she had endured. It made her wary to truly let Clay in but she just couldn't resist all that was him. For as fun and flirty as Josie and Clay were, they also faced some truly tragic moments. Events that changed the course of their happiness and lives.

The number of times I wanted to crawl into the book and force these two to just talk to one another...lay it all out there. I laughed and cried and cried and laughed some more as Josie and Clay navigated the terrible beauty that is life and love. As they battled pain and guilt. But my goodness...that ending, it

When I Should’ve Stayed is the second book in the Red Bridge Series. This is the story of Josie and Clay. I always love a romance set in a cozy New England town, and the small town elements of this book were charming. Josie owns the coffee shop and Clay owns the town bar, and the whole town feels like family (for better or for worse!).

Many scenes from What I Should’ve Said were seen again here from the POV of these characters instead, and I thought that worked really well. I also liked the way the time jumps backwards and forwards were handled and labeled very clearly so I was never confused.

I did not love how Clay and Josie communicated, or….didn’t. They were relatively older characters for a romance novel (late 20s - mid 30s through the story, I believe), but their relationship behavior seemed much less mature. He definitely had some problematic boundary issues. While there was some third act character growth, that was not really addressed enough for me to be ok with it.

Overall my rating is 3.5 stars because I was entertained for most of the story and I do appreciate the struggles with thinking about what we wish we’d done differently.

A dual timeline, second chance romance. While Josie and Clay were previously married, we find out that Clay never filed the actual divorce papers. I had trouble seeing these two together because Josie was so bottled up and Clay seemed clueless. Not my favorite Max Monroe book.

I always love the angst that comes with a second chance romance! It was clear that Josie and Clay still had strong feelings for each other when I was reading the first book in this series, so I couldn’t wait to read When I Should’ve Stayed to find out why they weren’t together any more. While they do stand alone, I do recommend reading What I Should Have Said first for a better reading experience.

The book jumps around the timeline of Josie and Clay’s relationship, and we get to see everything from their hilarious meet cute to the devastating lows that wreaked havoc on their love. Clay was instantly smitten by Josie. He fights for their love so hard in both the past and present. These characters both work hard for their HEA. This was a really emotional book.

I also loved seeing all the characters from What I Should Have Said and seeing some of the events in that story through Josie and Clay’s perspective. I can’t wait to see what these authors decide to write next!