I adored this read. I loved the plot to this story.
Every character was so unique to this story and definitely play their part. I felt like I was a friend looking in. Will certainly read the authors other work

What To Expect
💖Second Chance Romance
💖Childhood Sweethearts
💖Likable Characters
💖Chronic Illness

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin Press Publishing for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Right Where We Left Us was a second chance romance that had a lot of heart. Unfortunately, this book doesn’t read as a standalone. Within the first two chapters we were introduced or told about 18 characters. And as someone who adores fantasy, and the more characters the merrier, I was utterly lost. So, I wrote down all of the characters and their connections to each other, yet that didn’t help. That lost feeling created a disconnect and I couldn't connect to any of the characters. I ended up stopping at 30%, right at the beginning of Part 2. I think that people who adored Devon’s previous novel, Bend Toward the Sun will enjoy this book and be happy to be back with everyone they love!

Jen Devon could do no wrong. I will read her grocery list. Bend Toward The Sun is one of my favorite books of all time, so naturally I jumped on her second book. I’m beyond thrilled say to say that Right Where We Left Us is a PHENOMENAL follow up, and I am so emotionally invested in Temperance and Duncan. Jen’s prose is devastatingly gorgeous, and she writes equally beautiful stories. I now have no choice but to go back and read her first book again.

Right Where we Left Us is a gorgeous romance made even more so by Jen Devon's beautiful writing. No one writes angst and pining the way she does. Beyond the delicious love story, the family dynamics were so well done, and it made me want to be a member of the Brady family too. Funny at times and extremely steamy at others, fans of her debut Bend Towards the Sun will not be disappointed!

- Second chance
- Small town
- Forced proximity

What to expect in Right Where We Left Us:
- A tale of how young love can transform and change over the years thanks to people growing up... and fate mixing things up. But when it's meant to be, it'll be (with a few roadblocks along the way).
- Great banter (especially if you like sarcasm and dark humour as I do).
- Different family dynamics and values, including both found and traditional families.
- Sweet and spicy romantic moments mixed with poignant, angsty ones.
- An optimistic and kind FMC and a selfless and determined MMC.

If you do read this, I highly recommend reading Bend Toward the Sun first, as I can imagine people getting confused by all the interconnected characters.

I didn't know this was part of a series, although all act as their own stand alone books.

I didn't miss having the first one read, but will definitely go back and read it now. This was sweet, warm, sunshine feeling, with a bit of spice and all the banter!

Thank you St Martin's for the review copy of Right Where We Left Us. I did not realize this was part of a series, though this stands alone, and I feel I might have enjoyed this even more if I had read the first book just to have a sense of the characters. That being said, it works on its own!

A lovely second chance romance that for me really examined on/off relationships in ways I don't usually see in a romance, I felt Jen Devon made thoughtful use of the main characters' previous/somewhat ongoing relationship to shape a lovely and engaging romance, one that will ring true for romance fans looking for slightly different, and welcome, exploration of second chance romance. The richness of the settings and the Brady family in general added to the overall depth and joyful fun escape of this read.

3.5 STARS—rounded up to 4.

Jen Devon’s Bend Toward the Sun (her first novel) was one of my top reads last year. I had high hopes for this second installment that continues with the Brady brothers but it fell a bit short for me. (By the way, I strongly suggest you read the first book before starting this one.) This book follows Duncan Brady and Temperance Madigan (we are introduced to them in BTTS) and it just didn’t flow well for me. However, I did enjoy their chemistry and banter.

Temperance is a pediatrician with snobby doctor parents who care more about their foundations and galas than they do about their two daughters and grandchildren. Duncan has a wonderful family but feels like he is living in the shadow of his brothers, doing a job he is not passionate about. Temperance and Duncan dated when they were younger but have been broken up for many years. I’m not quite sure why they felt they couldn’t be together…especially because they hook up often. It was a weird dynamic and I had trouble making sense of their lack of communication. The book follows their 2nd chance romance with dual POV’s and flashbacks as both characters realize they have grown up but their love has never faded.

On the positive side, Jen Devon’s writing is sublime, poetic and beautiful. It has just the right balance of humor and emotion. I love the characters and the setting of the vineyard that the Brady family owns and is renovating. There is so much potential for more Brady brother stories and I’m down for it! Also—a shout out to Just Like Heaven by The Cure being featured in this book…one of my all time favorite songs!

“Second chances are for when you weren’t ready for the first…”

Many thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Temperance Madigan and Duncan Brady had one brief summer together when they fell hard and fast. The Brady family has always treated her with more warmth and care than her biological parents and she is entwined with them as her older sister is married to one of the brothers and now one of her best friends is marrying another. As she's spending the summer at the Brady family vineyard, she and Duncan are having a harder time avoiding each other.

I didn't realize there was a first book so, while this can be read as a stand alone, I had a very hard time keeping most of the characters straight. A family tree or listing of the characters and their relationship to the main characters would have been helpful. Perhaps I would understand more if I had read the first book, but I had a hard time truly understanding why Temperance and Duncan broke up in the first place and why they never actually got together during the past 14 years of occasional hook ups. I also don't think we got the whole story with Temperance's medical issues, their relationships with her parents, or Duncan's backstory (like, he's heralded as the outcast of his family but I didn't get that vibe from his family at all). It was a much slower pace than I normally like, especially for not getting the answers to questions I was asking.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I didn’t realize this book was related to the authors first book and I kept feeling like I was missing part of the story. I found it an enjoyable read, but I think I would have rated it higher if I had read the other book first- not exactly a standalone!

Right Where We Left Us
Jen Devon
Pub: 6/18/24
4☆

I absolutely adored Bend Toward the Sun and as soon as I saw there was going to be a “book two”… I couldn’t wait.

Blurb:
Temperance Jean Madigan and Duncan Brady have never gotten it right. After one radiant, secret summer together when they were eighteen, they’ve been on-again off-again ever since.
When a wedding at the Brady’s vineyard lands TJ there for the summer, their mutual avoidance strategies prove impossible. When forced proximity begins to chip away at their armor, buried tensions resurface, old wounds urge confrontation, and once-in-a-lifetime love demands one last chance to finally get it right.

My thoughts:
I adored it! Temperance and Duncan’s story was what second chance romance is all about! It was the perfect mix of depth, found family, and swoony (steamy) slow-burn romance. The way in which Devon describes the stunning setting in vivid detail… so perfect. I felt like I was there. And what better, romantic place to be than a vineyard! 🍷

What I enjoyed;
🍇 Second Chance Romance
🍇 Slow-Burn
🍇 Vineyard Setting
🍇 Witty Banter
🍇 BTTS Friends

Though this “can” be read as a standalone, it’s very interconnected. So for the best reading experience I would highly recommend reading Bend Toward the Sun first.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This second chance romance gave me all the feels. The pining and the angst were absolutely exquisite! Getting the brief glimpses of Duncan and Temperance's young first love coupled with all the missed chances throughout the years was was "romangst" at it's finest. Jen Devon has expertly avoided anything faintly resembling a sophomore slump with this one. I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us (and future Bradys).

Angsty romances can be so wonderful, but I think they take a deft hand to pull off. Clearly this book rubbed me the wrong way, and I think given my hesitance about her first one, she's just not an author who works for me.

When I finished Bend Towards the Sun, I immediately picked up Right Where We Left Us. I needed to know everything about Temperance and Duncan. I was so lucky to get an ARC so I didn’t have to wait long! Jen Devon writes ROMANCE. But my favorite romance is (and I have said this ad nauseam) is centered on female friendships. The friendship between these three women makes the romance so much more. I just think romance books makes so much more sense when the core of female friendship is there. That being said how much longer do we have to wait for Frankie to get her book! I see you Malcolm!

Thank you #netgalley for the ARC and exchange for an honest review.

I did not realize this book was in third person and unfortunately for me it’s just something I can’t get into. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read, I personally just can’t get into it, even though I did try!

Temperance and Duncan have always been in each other's orbits, through family and friends, always gravitating towards each other, on-and-off since that summer when they were eighteen. They are messy and real, Temperance being fiercely independent, and Duncan a fixer who thrives while helping people. There is so much depth and complexity to them, have their struggles while trying to keep true to themselves. The attraction between them has always been there, they just need to find their way back to each other.
I loved everything about this story, so much that I had to do a re-read before writing a review. I LOVE a second-chance romance with all the angst and pining, and Temperance and Duncan served that and more. There is something about them, I think it's the fact that they do find happiness, in spite of all of their perceived flaws and fears and vulnerabilities, that makes all of it so worth it.
The Brady family is a constant present too, giving a sense of comfort, support, and everything that a family should be.
Jen Devon is an excellent story-teller. She paints a gd picture that comes off the page beautifully, be it atmosphere, characters, or interrelationships.
I am forever a fan and cannot wait to read Mal and Frankie's story next!

An enjoyable second chance romance that captures the poignant sweetness of the past. It is a very slow burn that finally ignites.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Temperance and Duncan love affair spans from youth into adulthood. Their pull to each other is off the charts but it has never been their time until NOW. A wedding at Duncan's family vineyard changes their trajectory, and sets in motion steps toward for a second-chance. Their love story is complicated, rich in history and a long deserved happily ever after.

This a wholesome, adult love story with mature adults grappling with their worthiness for love.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin

Thank you to St Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for honest review!

Preface: I didn't read the first book in this world/series and didn't know it existed, oops... can definitely see where it's set up to follow various side characters though.

Okay am I the only one with mild ick from 2 sisters with 2 brothers? Maybe I am.

Anyways! This was a fun enough second chance romance with some good steam and tension. I just found it was a LOT of push and pull, miscommunication, and with them both fully acknowledging they're still in love but won't get together for....reasons. (they swear they have them!!!) Also I think "we're not done here" before exiting was uttered no less than 4 times. They were not done. I liked the setting with the large welcoming family (as someone from that style of family myself) but there wasn't a lot of expansion on them. I definitely felt that both main characters were heavily flawed (as they admitted) but got a bit grating at times. Temperance also cried a lot. Like a lot. Which is fine, but her eyes were almost never clear of tears. I was a bit confused that at first Temperance is leaving her hospital job for a week off at the Brady farm for a wedding, which turns into weeks/months and I don't think it mentioned her leaving the job to pursue her other dreams? Maybe I missed that part. Probably glanced by it?

In all seriousness though, it was a decent read. I enjoyed my time reading it and didn't really feel like it slogged along, even when pacing at time got a bit off. Worth the read but go in knowing it's a second chance romance with some good, some bad, and of course some spice.

An engaging and angsty second chance romance. Since there are so many characters introduced early on, it would have helped if I had read Bend Toward the Sun beforehand so I was more familiar with all of them, but once I settled in after the opening chapters, it was fine and I had everyone sorted for the most part. I was invested in Temperance and Duncan's second chance romance taking place primarily around the events of a wedding involving a friend and a sibling, and appreciated the dual perspective and complexity of the characters. I would have loved more when it came to flashbacks to get a stronger sense of the events that brought them together in the first place as well as their one intense summer of love, and at times the pacing lagged, but Devon makes up for this with wonderfully descriptive writing that captures every single bit of the emotional intensity. I'm looking forward to going back and reading Rowan and Harry's story and hope that Devon's next book is about Frankie and Mal, who were relentlessly teased here with the potential to be both interesting and fun.