Josie and Clay's story—first introduced in the series’ debut—finally takes center stage. While this book can stand alone, read the first book before this one or it really won't make sense. This second-chance romance is heartbreakingly raw, filled with grief, longing, and unresolved pain that will tear your heart apart before carefully stitching it back together.

The reason for their estrangement is authentically painful and believable, but I’ll admit the sheer amount of angst sometimes made me want to scream at them to just talk. Josie, in particular, puts Clay through an emotional wringer that could’ve been avoided with better communication. Still, the payoff is worth it. Their connection is deep, the writing is lovely, and the emotional journey—though intense—is ultimately satisfying. Keep tissues nearby.

3.5 stars

This was one of those books that I had been eagerly waiting for after reading the first in the series. There was so much potential with the characters and the premise. I am torn on how I feel about it because while it did keep me reading, I still found myself frustrated numerous times. This is largely because I felt like it was telling me rather than showing me, if that makes sense. I struggled with the back and forth, and so much of the past being the focus. I wanted to be in the moment, and unfortunately, that was not the case with this book.

I loved Clay. Numerous times throughout this book, I kept picturing in my head the "green flag" guy from TT. He loved with every ounce of his being, which is a huge part of why I felt a disconnect with this book, as it didn't give me the perspective of how he was with Josie in the present. Josie took a little bit for me to appreciate, but once she did, I was all in.

While this wasn't my favorite that this author duo has written, I still enjoyed it. Rounding up to 4 stars because overall, it did keep me involved and wanting to see this book to completion.

“Love, in fact, can be the very thing that hurts us the most.”

After reading What I Should Have Said, I needed to read this book and to get Josie and Clay’s backstory along with their future.

Josie and Clay were married 5 years ago and divorced shortly after… or so Josie thought. It comes out Clay never filed the divorce papers and has not so secretly been holding out hope that Josie would come back to him. But Josie is holding in secrets, secrets that no one else knows. Secrets she has been holding to keep Clay away in hopes he moves on with his life and gets everything he wants, even if it isn’t her.

From the very beginning of this book, Josie and Clay’s start had me hooked. This man was so charismatic and had blinders on for everyone but Josie. The love he has for her, past and present, was indescribable. And Josie loved this man just as much. She was so strong, holding out on him thinking he needed more. Their back and forth was cute and the dual timeline was amazing.

I feel like the whole town is in on this love story too. I love a good small down romance where everyone is in each other’s business. I loved that we got to see Grandma Rose and little baby Summer. Reading about her never gets easier.

This story is also about grief and how it can weigh you down. How you can’t just bottle things up and let them fester bc your life is just going to pass you by.

I will be reviewing on Amazon and Instagram on release day.

When I Should’ve Stayed - Max Monroe
Red Ridge Book 2

Thank you @authormaxmonroe for the ARC ebook.

My Review:
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pages: 352
Genre: Romance
Tropes:

💘Small Town
💘Second Chance Romance
💘Buried Heartbreak
💘Deep Secrets
💘Burning Tension
💘Forced Proximity
💘Pining

This is Clay and Josie’s story. We met them in What I Should’ve Said (Red Bridge Book 1)

The roller coaster continues. This book held me hostage once more. I was so very vested in Clay and Josie.

I’ve never rooted for a couple as hard as I’ve rooted for this one. Clay in my opinion is a Saint for holding out for Josie for FIVE years. He is the perfect example of what true love looks like.

This book is written in a dual timeline showing us from start to finish what happened. It is heartbreaking so have tissues handy. Each of them motivated by a deep all encompassing love for the other. Decisions made so the other wouldn’t have to change life’s goals and withholding their own tragedy and heartbreak from the other.

This book is definitely a home run and a must read book! Pining, true love, tragedy, heartbreak and angst cover to cover perfection.

I highly recommend!

#bookstagram #romance #maxmonroe #whatishouldvesaid #booktok #whenishouldvestayed #smalltown #forcedproximity #secondchance #secondchanceromance

Anything Max Monroe writes I love from cover to cover and this was no exception. They just know how to write characters I fall so in love with and story that I fall even more in love with. I love their words and just want to hug their books since I can't pull their stories out and make them a reality,

I did enjoy this book but I didn't love how the timeline was done. It also felt like it was mainly in the past but I'm not sure because there were a lot of flashbacks. Clay never stopped loving her and I love him for that. The fact that he never filed the divorce paperwork is so funny, he knew he would get her back one day.

I received an arc through netgalley.

This story was good, but not great. I enjoyed the storyline but I also was very annoyed with a few things. The time jumps were a bit confusing for me. Also I feel like this story just told everything that happened in book 1 but from a different POV. Unfortunately it just fell flat for me. I would continue reading from this author, I just don’t think I would recommend this book, respectfully in my opinion.

I really loved Josie and Clay’s story. This story does jump back and forth between the past and present and in doing so we get to see the build up of their relationship as well and the fallout and the rebuilding.

Josie and Clay start out with such chemistry and instant love. But you also get to see the way their relationship breaks down. You see communication issues, secrets, and real life issues. I didn’t agree with some of the decisions that Josie made, but I can see why she made them at the same time. Honestly it made me like her more because she has flaws and eventually realizes them. Clay was such an amazing ray of sunshine. He truly was perfect for her.
You also get to see characters from the previous book which brought me happiness and more tears.

I rate this book a 5/5 another amazing story!

Ohhh this had me feelings things. While I wished I had read the first book, I still felt like I should have started there to get a better understanding but it was still readable as a standalone.

I’m a sucker for angst. Everytime. And the timelines was a nice touch to their story, but took a little more mental work.

Watching them fall in love all over again had me swooning. I love the tension and yearning. I did start skimming though through some of it, it became frustrating watching their struggle and it felt prolonged and repetitive.

But overall it was enjoyable. I might go back and start from the beginning at a different time for a fresh take.

This book centers around Clay, who is utterly, unabashedly, and beautifully smitten with Josie. He’s the kind of hero who makes you swoon—steady, sweet, and steadfast in his love. Josie, on the other hand, is more reserved, carrying the weight of grief and secrets that made it hard for her to embrace their love the first time around. Their split was painful, but Clay’s attempt to win her back five years later is heartfelt, patient, and completely satisfying.

Where the book really shines is in Clay’s unwavering devotion. Watching him gently break down Josie’s walls again made me fall even harder for him—and them as a couple. Their chemistry, even after years apart, was palpable and tender, and the second-chance aspect was packed with all the emotion I was hoping for.

That said, the emotional depth—especially surrounding grief and healing—was handled with care. Josie’s internal struggle was heartbreaking but believable, and while I wish we got to spend more time watching her and Clay rebuild their relationship day by day, their reunion still delivered the feels.

This is a touching and emotional addition to the Red Bridge series. While the pacing and timeline didn’t quite work for me, the characters—especially Clay—absolutely stole my heart.

I absolutely loved this second-chance romance! It was such an emotionally raw read that left me wanting to keep reading. There were many times in the book that I was left in tears but it was so worth it. I got a little confused on some of the timelines but I really enjoyed this ARC read. I loved Mac Monroe's writing style and I will definitely be reading more by her!

4.25 ⭐️

I absolutely loved What I Should’ve Said, and I couldn’t wait for Josie and Clay’s story after reading it. And I did love their second-chance romance, but the timeline execution of this book was a little off for me.

Clay was the most smitten man I can imagine, and he wasn’t afraid to show it. He was earnest, sweet, and loving, and he fit into Josie’s life perfectly. Josie was reluctantly and less-publicly smitten with Clay, but she still loved him. Unfortunately, grief got in the way of their new relationship, and the burden of keeping life-altering secrets was too much for Josie to handle. Watching Clay win her back after 5 years was so satisfying and cute, and I swooned hard at how head-over-heels he still was after all their time apart.

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 wanting these two books to be considered interconnected standalones, but they would be a lot better as a duet with the expectation that you read them in order. If they were, then we could’ve jumped past Norah arriving in Red Bridge again and saying goodbye to sweet Summblebee, and straight to Clay trying to win back Josie in the present day. Instead, we got their backstory (which I loved and was all new) layered in with the same book again, just from different POVs, until ~80%. Then we finally got to see the second-chance part of the romance come in, but because it was so late in the story by that point, it was a lot of months-long time jumps and we didn’t actually get to see Clay and Josie live in their new relationship much. I just really wanted to spend more time with them building each other back up, and less time crying for Summer again.

Overall, I still really liked the book and the characters, I just wanted more newness and less recap. I’ll still be reading future books in this series - Breezy better be up next with the world’s worst sheep farmer, Tad!

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Amara for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Another masterpiece from Max Monroe!
I was anxiously waiting for Clay & Josie’s story and this exceeded my expectations.

This book is emotional, angsty, and beautiful.

Clay & Josie's story was filled with love, angst, secrets, and past traumas that made them separate for years, The way this man loved his wife was breathtaking, beautiful, and inspiring.
The roller coaster of emotions that this book brings is truly incredible. I couldn’t stop reading this story.

I am always amazed by Max Monroe's writing, The way this story develops is natural, well executed, and brilliant.
The plot, the characters, and the spice were just perfect.

I can’t wait for the next book, I just know that I will love it too.

I was looking forward to Josie and Clay's story, but it felt incredibly drawn out, and I just couldn’t connect with the characters. There is a past-present timeline happening, and while I normally like those, this felt stilted and jumped back and forth way too much, so much so that it got confusing at times. It overlaps with the first book, and while hints of book one in a series are always nice, I felt like I got way too much of a recap, a lot of the story felt like a repeat.

I felt like in the first half of the book, I was just waiting for the book to start while all the history was being laid out. I liked Clay well enough, he was sweet and beyond patient, but Josie was a bit too much for me. Everything about them reconnecting just felt way too drawn out. This was supposed to be a second-chance romance, but by the time Clay and Josie finally got to that point at the end, it felt rushed.

I found myself bored and skimming and just wanting to get to the end because I wanted my conclusion. I’m sorry to say this didn’t work for me.

This was not the typical flow? Of a Max Monroe book. So it took me a good chunk of the book to really get into it. I think the flashbacks threw me off a bit as did the flow of the speech between the characters. It wasn't Winslow brothers flow, which is ok, but it just threw me off because that's what I was expecting. Nonetheless even though it was different than their normal they still wove a complex story of love and loss and the hard things that people face. I appreciate that their books aren't afraid to go there and show the hard. Because we all go through it. And sometimes it's nice to read a book and see the crud that someone has come thru, it reminds us that we aren't alone and we will also get through it.

When I Should Have Stayed is the second standalone Contemporary Romance book in the Red Bridge series and I’m smiling through my tears as I’m writing this review, this book was so beautiful and heartwrenching and I loved Clay and Josie’s story so much.

Josie and Clay fell for each other fast and hard, being a seemingly perfect couple, but tragedies forced them apart. Now, 5 years after divorce, they still live in the same small town and avoid each other, but when circumstances force them to spend more time around each other, they need to finally confront their past and decide whether they want to risk their hearts again for a second chance at happily ever after.

I was so excited for Josie and Clay’s story after reading the first book in this series and it was even better than I expected. I loved that there was a dual timeline and we got a chance to see their relationship through all its stages, from their first meeting and being happily in love to all the tragedies, drifting apart and, finally, to slowly finding their way back to each other. Josie was a really strong FMC and was proving that with each new information we learned about her and Clay… that man was perfect, always so caring and understanding and I loved them both so much. Their story was so beautiful and heartbreaking and full of angst and I was screaming internally “just talk about it already!” many times but I loved it exactly the way it unfolded and loved every second I spent reading it. I also enjoyed seeing Bennett, Summer and Norah again, some events of this book overlapped with the previous one’s and it made me cry all over again.

When I Should’ve Stayed is an amazing book with great characters and beautiful romance full of heartbreak, angst but also healing, I absolutely loved it and recommend it to everyone. I already can’t wait for Max and Monroe’s next book!

I will never mentally recover from this series. I have been anxiously awaiting When I Should've Stayed after I read What I Should've Said and first met Josie and Clay. This is more than a second chance, there is so many emotions spiraling around this story and at times, you don't feel like it is going to get better.

This story is told in dual timeline -- but the kicker is the POV changes based on if it is "before" or "after"; in "before" you get Josie and "after" you get Clay. It is so unique and something I have never read before! Josie is polarizing, she is either loved or hated -- no in-between whereas Clay has that golden retriever energy that everyone loves.

This is not your light beach read, please be mentally prepared for it because it is HEAVY and will tug at your soul even for days after you finish it.

This is my first book by Max Monroe, and I will definitely be checking out more. This book can be read on its own; however, your experience may be enhanced if you start with the first book, What I Should’ve Said.

While I understand why there are so many jumps from present to past and back, it felt like whiplash. It was hard to keep up with, especially if you put the book down at one of the chapters in the middle of the time period. I quickly realized I needed to treat each time period as one part and only quit reading at the beginning of the next time jump. Since the chapters all include a date, adding the year to the date would most likely help with the time jump issues.

Both Josie and Clay had their pros and cons as characters; however, Josie was much worse. She doesn’t make the best decisions and can be annoying at times. The side characters really made this book. We meet a lot of them, and everyone has a purpose to help the story. If you take the time jump issue out, the book was written very well. I felt like I was in the town with the characters. This is definitely an emotional story, dealing with some heavy topics; please check the trigger warnings.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing, Max Monroe, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, Entangled Publishing and Netgalley, for the eArc of When I Should've Stayed (Red Bridge, #2) by Max Monroe.

Did I love When I Should've Stayed (Red Bridge, #2) as much as book 1? Absolutely, I did! Was I as emotionally invested in book 2? Absolutely! The love and investment I have in the characters in these books is unreal. Max Monroe wrote a phenomenal book, yet again. I loved that we dove right back into the storyline with Clay and Josie, and getting aspects of book one from their perspectives was just perfect. Then we also got flashbacks leading up to those moments, how they got to where they did, and why. There is so much emotional trauma and experiences that were unpacked among the characters, and I went through all the emotions right with the characters. If you loved book 1, you will love the continuation of these characters' stories in this book!

I loved book 1, What I should've Said, and I just knew I'd love this one too.
I'm so happy to have Josie and Clay's story because a lot is hinted about their relationship in book1.

I liked most of the jumps to what happened pre-divorce to the present (a few were disjointed) but we definitely needed the back story to make sense of where they are now.

I think at times Josie is insufferable but she is also learning to forgive and move one. Clay is just begging for the second chance and by golly, I just needed him to have it!

One thing these authors will do is make you feel all the feelings. This one didn't disappoint. I felt every ebb and flow of their relationship and in the end, I couldn't put it down.

Thanks to Entangled for the eARC of this book! I'm just in love with this series.