I’ve really loved book one, What I Should Have Said, and I was so intrigued to find out what had happened between Clay and Josie with bomb Clay had dropped at the end of book 1.

The constant back and forth between the past and the present were maybe too man, even though I have loved finding out how they had met and how they had got together. Seeing them interact at the beginning of their relationship was interesting.

I understood why Josie asked for the divorce, even though miscommunication is not my favourite trope so I wasn’t 100% sold on how she acted and the avalanche effect her decision had.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc. All opinions are my own

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Josie and Clay's second-chance small-town romance took my heart on a rollercoaster ride. I couldn't get enough of their flirty banter, adorable meet-cute, and heartfelt journey with the perfect touch of spice to find their very own HEA finally. Max Monroe has written another beautiful romance that warms the heart, brings on a few blushes, and will leave your soul feeling simply satisfied.

Maybe more like a 3.5 star but I usually like Max Monroe books so I’ll round up.

The first book in this series - sad and just ugh. This one had so much time jumping and not as sad but I just found it really hard to really get in a groove while reading it. Unless a book is really well done, back and forth can get so tedious after a while.

Love Clay. Love him. Perfect book guy who you want in real life. Josie, just wasn’t doing it for me. Maybe it’s just the more heavy nature of the book.

Again, maybe you’ll like it but it just wasn’t for me this time. I think I prefer the characters like Thatch and friends from the more lighthearted series by Max Monroe.

What I Should've Stayed is the second book in the Red Bridge series by Max Monroe.

I really enjoyed [book:What I Should've Said|220599158] and was so excited for Josie and Clay's story! Second chance romance is my favorite trope, and the author nailed this romance.

Clay is so sweet wearing his heart on his sleeve and Josie was a bit more reluctant.
Life and loss got in the way and 5 years later Clay is trying to get her back.

The main reason this wasn’t 5 stars for me was the timeline. There was A LOT of repeated scenes from What I Should’ve Said. I understand want

I appreciate the references to the first book. This was a great time jump that I enjoyed.

The characters were fantastic and the romance, all the FEELS.

Highly recommend!

I truly enjoyed What I Should’ve Said, and I was eagerly anticipating Josie and Clay’s story after finishing it. I did appreciate their second-chance romance, but I found the timeline execution in this book to be slightly off for my taste.

Clay was the most infatuated man I could envision, and he wasn’t shy about expressing it. He was genuine, kind, and affectionate, fitting seamlessly into Josie’s life. Josie, on the other hand, was somewhat hesitant and less openly enamored with Clay, yet she still cared for him deeply. Sadly, grief interfered with their budding relationship, and the weight of keeping life-altering secrets became overwhelming for Josie. It was incredibly satisfying and adorable to see Clay win her back after five years, and I couldn’t help but swoon at how head-over-heels he remained after all that time apart.

The primary reason I didn’t rate this 5 stars was due to the timeline. There were numerous repeated scenes from What I Should’ve Said. I understand the desire for these two books to be seen as interconnected standalones, but they would have been much better as a duet with the expectation that readers tackle them in order. If that were the case, we could have skipped over Norah’s arrival in Red Bridge again and her farewell to sweet Summblebee, and gone straight to Clay’s efforts to win back Josie in the present. Instead, we received their backstory (which I loved and was entirely new) intertwined with the same narrative again, just from different perspectives, until about 80%. Finally, we got to witness the second-chance aspect of the romance, but since it came so late in the story, it involved many months-long time jumps, and we didn’t really get to see Clay and Josie thrive in their new relationship. I genuinely wanted to spend more time with them rebuilding each other and less time mourning for Summer again.

In summary, I still really enjoyed the book and the characters; I just wished for more freshness and less repetition. I’ll definitely be looking forward to future installments in this series - Breezy better be next with the world’s worst sheep farmer, Tad!

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Amara for the ARC of this.

I was super excited to read clay and Josie’s story after the first book in this series. I was looking forward to their backstory and their happy ending.

I did find the dual timeline quite choppy, and it wasn’t enjoyable? I usually don’t mind them but ghr time jumps and basically re-hashing the first book was hard work at times.

There was aspects of this book I did enjoy though. I loved the small town vibes; it seems everyone was in on Clay and Josie’s happily ever after. The love that these two had for each other was like no other.

Max Monroe has been a must-read duo for me since my reading journey began in 2022. What I Should've Said and When I Should've Stayed are not their typical vibes, but the amount of heart and love packed into these books brings me so much joy. While these are interconnected standalones, I don't think you can truly read this and appreciate it without reading What I Should Have Said first. It's a must for me!

While overall less emotional than What I Should've Said, When I Should've Stayed still had me tearing up throughout the text. So many Josie and Clay questions that left us guessing in Book 1 were answered in this dual POV/dual timeline novel. There was more backstory than current story, but I wasn't too bothered by it because I was left hanging and dying for those answers. I was so happy with the HEA but still (and always!) wanted more!

It's hard to say too much without spoilers, so I will leave my review with this. This book and series is for book lovers who want emotionally charged romances with twists, turns, a little humor and a lot of heart. I love Max Monroe's writing, and if the trigger warnings are not bothersome to you then these books are must reads!

I have had so many questions about what happened to Josie and Clay. Obviously, there was a big story there, and now we have it. It was hard to read about Josie's struggles, but grief make people behave in strange ways. She has had so much to carry through her life, and she has to face all of that now. Clay is a lovely hero, and he does a great job of hanging on.

Josie and Clay's story takes us back to where it all started for them.

Thank you to Amara/Entangled Publishing for the ARC via NetGalley for my honest review. All opinions are my own and given freely.

You meet Josie and Clay in book one of this series. And if you're like me, you've been highly anticipating their story. Told in alternating timelines, we get before, during, and after the timeline of book one's story. Two people who fall in love, get married, go through trauma and get divorced. Years later, can they have that second chance?

I really loved how this one started. It pulled me in, especially in the before, seeing them fall in love. But eventually it felt like more of a retelling of book one, only from different perspectives obviously. And I understand some of that was important to their story, no doubt... but I found myself becoming less invested in their story along the way. Especially with the miscommunication element. It affected how I felt about the MC's. There are some great moments throughout-don't get me wrong, and I think there's a fun set up for another book in this series perhaps... but overall it fell a little flat for me in the end unfortunately. Might be perfect for you though, so check it out!

The back and forth made me extra sad because you'd see how beautiful their relationship was and then get pushed into a time their metaphorically Miles apart

I thought the end was frustrating in the fact that they were separated for such a dumb reason. There was no reason for them not to have been with each other, one of the most frustrating conflicts I've seen in a while

Thank you to NetGalley, @EntangledBooks and @AmaraBooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I Should’ve Stayed by Max Monroe is a bittersweet second chance romance that will hit you right in the gut!

Told in a dual POV, we get to really feel both Josie’s pain and Clay’s regret and it works. The before-and after structure gives the story an emotional weight that sneaks up on you. It’s not just about a lost love, but about how two people grow apart, how they carry the weight of that loss, and whether love can survive the damage.

Josie is strong and complicated in all the best ways, and Clay? You can’t help but root for him as he tries to piece together what went wrong and how to fix it. Their chemistry is raw and real, and there are plenty of moments that’ll make your chest ache.

It’s emotional but not heavy, romantic but not over the top. If you’re into second chances, emotional slow burns, and characters with messy, real hearts this is the book for you.

Almost perfect, just a few spots where the pacing dragged a little but still left me with that satisfied, misty eyed kind of feeling.

4.25 Stars!

#NetGalley, #EntangledBooks, #AmaraBooks, #WhenIShoul'veStayed, #MaxMonroe, #SecondChanceRomance

I have been looking forward to this book.
Josie and Clay's backstory is a deeply emotional follow-up to The Red Bridge Series first book What I Should've Said, where we briefly meet them during their separation.

Told in dual timelines Josie narrated the "Before the moment" and Clay narrated " After the moment" giving a clear picture of the past to the present in their love story and what ultimately tore them apart.

I loved the small town charm, seeing familiar faces and getting another POV about Bennett, Summer and Norah. And yes, we will witness that devastating moment again in this book. But none of that overshadows the main story.

Clay is definitely the heart of this book. The perfect golden retriever man who would do anything to help a friend, to make someone smile, to just being there as support. He's kind, loyal and the rock you can depend on. He's also completely heartbroken.

Josie is strong and driven by emotion. She is always there for anyone who needs her. She comes across as stubborn but she has so much inner turmoil and holds herself responsible for everything that is wrong in her relationship with Clay. They have been through a lifetime, in a short time. Is love enough to heal them?

This author duo has brought us another brilliant, beautifully emotional story. It's raw and messy and ultimately heartbreaking with moments of pure joy. It's about grief and trauma and doing the wrong thing for what feels like the right reason. I loved it.

Thanks to maxmonroe, @entangled_publishing and netgalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.

I love Max monroe books, and this was no exception. With back and forth time periods it was a love story of Clay and Josie. Taking place concurrently to book 1 make sure you read that one first. A second chance at love.

When I say this book makes you feel absolutely everything, I mean it.

I’m not quite sure how they do it, but Max has a talent of writing stories that just make you feel. This book is a companion book to “What I Should’ve Said” the timeline is cohesive. It’s just focusing on two other characters but if WISS wrecked you, just be prepared. This book had me swooning one minute, blushing the next minute and then grabbing for that box of Kleenex just to stop the tears.

Clay and Josie‘s story spans years and we get the whole story. It does bop back-and-forth from past present, but the genius of Max Monroe pulls it off flawlessly. Their story it’s not gonna be for the week hearted, but it’s a beautiful story and I’m so glad that I got a chance to read it.

I’m gonna say I’ve been reading Max Monroe’s books for a while now and I have yet to be disappointed, the way they write just hits different, the way they make you feel whether you’re laughing, crying or you’re looking over your shoulder to make sure that no one is reading what you’re reading it’s just magic. I am a fan and I tell everyone I can to read their books.

I will tell you this if you are going to pick up this book. You definitely need to read WISS first because they go together perfectly.

1. What I Should’ve Said
2. When I Should’ve Stayed

I absolutely loved the first book in this series, the second installment was a swing and a miss. In general the "insta-love" trope is a hard sell but add all of these other circumstances to the mix and it was a bit of a hot mess to me.
First and foremost, I could not get over the fact that Josie kept a secret of that magnitude for five years, it made me dislike her character.
I also was often confused with the timeline and at times felt like it gave me whiplash!
I liked how they were able to bring in the first story, but it's been awhile since I read it, if I had just finished it I think I might have a different opinion.
I loved all the side characters and really hope the authors can put this series in the win column with Breezy's story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy.

When I Should've Stayed is heartbreaking love story. It follows Josie and her relationship with Clay in the past and present. Lots of time jumps but they were easy to follow. I loved the characters and enjoyed the book. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

I absolutely adore this side of Max Monroe. Of course I love everything that I have read by them, but their Red Bridge series just hit me so differently. Be forewarned , if you read What I Should Have Said, the first book in this series, you get to relive all of the beautiful tragedies, but from Clay and Josie’s POVs. Both of these books are so genuine and raw, with a few quirky situations and perfectly timed banter to balance the storyline. This is just one of those unforgettable books that will always have a special place in your heart.

What a perfect follow up from the first book, What I Should've Said! So definitely read that first.

I loved Clay and Josie's story. Getting their history while also jumping forward to the present really made the story that much more fun. Clay is the ultimate golden retriever while Josie was outwardly the town grump, although she was secretly so warm hearted. Josie had a lot of past trauma and continues to go through rough patches but Clay was so patient and wanted to just be with her and be there for her. While I adored the book as a whole, Josie keeping so much to herself was a little much for me. I get the point behind it but the more the story went on I felt like some could have been dimmed a little. Then also, Clay could have been a little less openly pushy about a few things without consulting her. But then also, I suppose that would have taken away from the drama of the story so that's just me being nitpicky.

I loved getting glimpses of the past story mixed in with this as well. I cried like a baby all over again with Summer being involved. This story was full of drama, emotion, humor, and lots of tears. But Josie and Clay finally get their HEA and I loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

A new to me author. I missed the first book but the strings between Clay and Josie feel strong. This is emotional and at times melodramatic but I know Monroe's fans will appreciate it. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good summer read.

I enjoyed going back to Red Bridge and exploring Josie's and Clay's relationship from when they were a couple, when they were not and all the times Clay tries to get Josie back because he's down bad for her. Novel is told from a dual POV and a dual timeline. It is interesting to see Norah's and Bennett's relationship from Josie's and Clay's perspectives. Once again, found family is one of the major themes of the book. Moreover, it touches on dealing with grief in multiple forms. Because of the dual timeline, we see vignettes of moments between Clay and little Summer-some of my favorite moments. It is a journey of highs and lows, humorous and somber moments. Highly recommend the second book of the Red Bridge series.

Thank you Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. When I Should've Stayed will publish on July 1, 2025!