This is such a great second chance romance! There was so much angst and tension and the entire book was an emotional rollercoaster, but in the best way possible. The characters were written well and had so much depth. I was really rooting for them, and I felt they had great chemistry. It's an emotionally heavy book, but with the right amount of romance, funny moments and some spice. I loved the chronic illness representation as well, because reading about a character who is like you is so important. I love the Brady family so much and I cannot wait for the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Jen Devon and St. Martin's Griffin for the eARC of this book!

Of all the unpleasant things one might have to do, writing a negative review of a highly anticipated book probably doesn't rank that high. Nevertheless, here I am, and this is going to SUCK because I loved this author's debut so much and a second chance romance had so much angst potential. But I think this might be...not good? I struggled to finish. The pacing is terrible and the overall structure of the story is confusing. For much of the time I felt like I was reading a series of vaguely related vignettes and being told they showed the development of the romance. I got very little sense of the characters. I kept feeling like I was missing something, but what I was missing was an actual plot and character development. Zero emotional payoff. UGH, I feel awful saying that, but an ARC deserves my honest review. Plus if unnecessary reconciliation with awful family members is rage-inducing for you, this one will push all of your detonation buttons.

The most frustrating thing is that there's so much potential here. In the first few chapters I got promising chest pangs of angst. I genuinely wonder how much editing support Devon got this go around; she really needed someone helping her pull the threads together and ground the story. So as much as the execution of this book failed, I'm not writing off future books completely. I know she has it in her! But this one isn't it.

4 stars

I adored Jen Devon's debut, Bend Toward the Sun, the first in a series about the Brady family and their family vineyard. Right Where We Left Us was an enjoyable read, but seemed less tender and much spicier than the first installment. Don't get me wrong, I'll happily read the next one and the one after that! I just didn't get the warm fuzzies as much with this installment. It might have been the premise of second-chance romance - so much angst, so much on-and-off-again. Still, I love the friendships, the family connections, the banter, and the atmosphere. Here's hoping the next book is Malcolm "Creme Brulee" Brady and Frankie. That Grumpy meets Sunshine vibe will be fun to read!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this digital ARC in return for an honest review.

I was a big fan of the first book in this series Bend Towards the Sun. Right Where We Left Us is stylistically very similar to Bend Towards the Sun, low plot, lots of angsty pining, and an evocative setting. But more than that, Right Where We Left Us is very much a continuation of the story in Bend Towards the Sun just with the focus shifted to two new main characters – Temperance and Duncan. I strongly recommend you read Bend Towards the Sun first.

Temperance and Duncan were each other’s first loves back when they were 18 years old. Temperance is essentially a member of Duncan’s extended family – her sister is Duncan’s sister-in-law and Temperance grew up spending summers with her sister and the rest of Duncan’s family. The book starts out with Temperance returning to spend another summer with Duncan’s family, this time for her best friend’s wedding to one of Duncan’s other brothers (the couple from the first book in this series, Rowan and Harry). We are told that in the 14 years since they broke up, Temperance and Duncan mostly try to avoid each other and whenever they fail to do so it almost always results in a hookup. Now, their ability to continue this pattern is challenged because they are going to be together all summer long.

The premise is so promising but unfortunately the execution missed the mark for me. The first hurdle, which quite nearly lead to me DNFing this book, is the pacing of the story. In Chapter 1 we glimpse the chemistry and tension between the two MCs as they are alone together setting up for Harry’s proposal to Rowan and it is delicious, and then…nothing. For the longest time, the MCs go back to avoiding each other and nothing happens. I’m not exaggerating when I say that the two MCs barely even interacted for the first third of the book. Instead of filling that space with lots of pining from afar and interiority that helps us get to know these MCs, we mostly got filler – overly detailed backstory, too much focus on the large cast of side characters, and lots and lots of setting. A few stolen glances and everyone around them noticing it and calling them out on it is not enough to carry the romance arc for a third of the novel.

Once Temperance and Duncan started interacting things improved quite a bit. Consistent with their pattern over the past 14 years, they start hooking up. I mean this in the least skeevy way possible, but the scenes where Duncan and Temperance physically connect are the best parts of this book. Jen Devon is skilled at writing scenes in a way that make you feel immersed in the moment with the characters and feel their feelings. I felt the depth of their need for each other in these moments, and there were enough of them that it kept me invested in a book for a while. But then my investment started to fizzle because I just wasn’t feeling the depth of connection between these two outside of these moments, especially from Temperance. Their reasons for not being together are so threadbare that it honestly makes no sense how they’ve gone on like this for 14 years. There are no significant hurdles to them being together that need to be overcome, and without those it’s hard to believe that what they have is anything more than lust because otherwise they would have been together ages ago. Not to mention that the emotional peak of them finally getting together again after 14 years doesn’t hit nearly as hard as it should because it feels like they barely had to work to get their HEA.

I have so much more I could say about why this book fell flat for me, but I don’t want to drone on and on. I think I have so many thoughts on this book because I could see how it had the potential to be great, which really elevated my disappointment. I got to the end and was left with the feeling that with more time and attention to developmental edits this book could have really sung, especially knowing what Jen Devon is capable of after reading her debut.

So, it's been a while since I actually read this story. However, ever since, I've been struggling to form a solid opinion about this story and write this review.

In truth, throughout the story, I couldn't connect with either of the MCs. While the storyline and plot were designed to be engaging and sweet, somehow, the characters just didn't live up to the premise of the story.

The fact that these two are grown adults and still nervous about how everyone else sees them was just too unrealistic for my liking.

.2 ⭐️

Thank you St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for my ARC 🩷

I was SO excited to be approved for this after recently finishing and loving Bend Toward the Sun. While this is technically a standalone book, Right Where We Left Us is a continuation of the Brady family antics and you’d be doing yourself a big disservice reading this (book 2) before Bend Toward the Sun (book 1).

I really loved this second chance romance. This book was still beautiful but slightly less lyrical than book one, which actually helped me to get more into the romance. There wasn’t as much description between interactions which helped the tension build between the leads.

It was such a pleasure to slip back into the warm, sunshine world of the Brady family and I’m already hoping we have a book three (Mal/Frankie) in the works.

Right Where We Left Us is sweet, heartwarming, a little 🌶️, and so enjoyable.

I luckily got to read an arc of RIGHT WHERE WE LEFT US by Jen Devon and the emotional rollercoaster I was on... I can't even begin to describe it. The pining... the angst... I spent a good portion reading this book clutching my heart. How can two people communicate so much but actually say so little?! Temperance and Duncan really had me frustrated at times, but the other parts had me so giddy and enamored. This book picks up right where BEND TOWARD THE SUN left off. I absolutely love the Brady family and there are plenty of family moments in this book too. Highly recommend!

thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ebook in exchange for an honest review

I slurped this up like that guy in the bathtub scene in saltburn.

4.5 stars

read if you’d enjoy a slow burn, will-they-won't-they, second chance romance with complex characters and found family. there is also a career in medicine represented very well (but the bar is on the floor in that regard). some over-complicated interpersonal conflict but within the context of convoluted circumstances, I can appreciate and respect that as part of the characters’ journeys.

devon writes beautiful imagery and poetic prose, which makes her stories even more romantic. her vineyard setting comes to life like a movie in your head, and I'm so glad we got to revisit it in her sophomore novel. speaking of which, although the books are interconnected standalones, trust me: reading book one is 100% mandatory before diving into book two. here’s to hoping frankie and malcolm are next book.

fans of more literary fiction-esque romantic dramas akin to Emily Henry and Abby Jimenez will adore.

2 stars

I thought this book looked cute, but I did not care for a single character or the romance while reading it.

Thank you for NetGalley for sending me an e-ARC of this book!

Wow. Just wow. What a great way to write a second chance romance. I started to read this, and realized that there were references I was likely missing, so I did a quick search to see if this was a book in a series. While it wasn't obvious, and these are indeed interconnected standalones, Bend Towards the Sun is well worth the read prior to getting into Right Where We Left Us. I absolutely fell in love with the Brady family and its competitiveness and love and joy in living. It is multigenerational in scope, and Devon did a great job at blending humor, longing, romance, and love into a swoony, heartfelt story. It's hard to believe this is only her 2nd published work. And now I can't wait to read about Mal and Frankie!

I loved the story! The characters had so much depth to them. I felt like they were my best friends and I was part of their situation. I could not put this book down. I love stories that have multiple characters that poor out into another book and all the dots connect. I highly recommend this story, along with "Bend Toward the Sun". This is the type of book that when you are finished reading it, you miss it. It is hard to find authors that have the talent to continuously write good stories that have great character depth. Please, please continue writing more books.

“No. It’s a boundary. I’m using my words, Dr. Madigan. Not my problem if they aren’t the ones you want to hear.”

This book was 3.5 ⭐️ for me, but I’m a round up kind of girl.

I wanted to love this book because I loved Duncan, he’s hard working, loving, an amazing uncle, everything you’d want and more. But… I found his and Temperance’s story lack luster. I still had fun reading it, I think because I loved revisiting Rowan and Harry and then being able to see their wedding. I also had fun seeing more of Frankie and Malcolm! But there were a lot of times when it came to the MC’s where to me everything felt forced and maybe a bit repetitive? I had quite a few moments where I just couldn’t get behind the conflict, where it didn’t make sense to me why this spanned over 14 years especially since their lives are so interconnected and the “conflict” wasn’t catastrophic. On a positive note, I can’t wait for Frankie and Malcolm’s inevitable love explosion.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

I will continue to be a fan of hers.
I love that I received a ARC.
I cannot wait for more from Jen Devon!!!! She will be on my auto purchase authors.

Right Where We Left Us by Jen Devon is a good fit for those seeking an emotionally charged, second chance romance that explores the complexities of long-standing, on-again, off-again relationships and the challenges of making them work.

I really love the Brady family dynamic. I loved the main characters Temp & Duncan. How they individually excelled in their careers but I felt the connection between the reader and the characters just lacked so much. The pacing of the romance was extremely sluggish. I would pick up the next book if it's about Mal however I pray it has a better pace, more depth and some more romance.

I was really excited about this book because I LOVED Devon's first book, Bend Toward the Sun, but unfortunately I didn't feel the stakes in Right Where We Left Us like I did with her debut. I loved returning to the setting though and the family!

My Thoughts

My favorite Contemporary Romance Trope is that of a second chances romance.

From the beginning I wholeheartedly was on board for things between Duncan Brady and Temperance Madigan to finally fall into place so they could have their own HEA.

Told from alternating viewpoints readers see the story through Temperance and Duncan’s perspectives while also enjoying all the moments where family and friends keep the narrative from bogging down.

Returning back to the Brady Family vineyard and learning more about the main characters as well as their supporting multitude of secondary characters introduced in the previous book Bend Toward The Sun was not always an easy read to keep track of at times.

Strongly recommend reading previous book for background setup but if you don’t hope like me you enjoy taking the journey that was 14 years overdue as a course correction for this particular couple.
[EArc from Netgalley]
On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

Dnf at 63%. I enjoyed the family dynamic of the Brady family and the flowery writing…which I noticed was a complaint in some of the reviews. I honestly, just do not have a lot of patience for unexplained angst. I felt frustrated and stressed while reading this book so set it down a bit before finishing it.

TJ and Duncan have history. They spent one wonderful summer together when they were young and have been in again off again ever since. When they are forced to be around each other regularly for a summer, sparks fly and they find it hard to stay away from each other. A sweet, forced proximity, second chance romance that makes TJ and Duncan find out if they are each other's HEA.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I grabbed this story as per the recommendation of author Sarah Adler. She advised her followers to read the first book in the series, Bend Towards the Sun, then jump on Right Where We Left Us as soon as we could!

I trust Sarah Adler's taste implicitly- and boy, do I not regret it! I'm loving this series- the Brady family is DELIGHTFUL! Even though the series centers around an established, traditional family- found family is also very profound here.

But to speak specifically to this book- it's a lovely second chance romance. There is a lot of scattered storytelling throughout- but that's what couples with a history can offer.

Again- I am in love with this series/family- and can't wait to read book 3! I'm praying we get a Malcolm and Frankie story... plus a love match for Arden would be amazing!