This was one of my most anticipated releases for 2025 and I’m so excited to have a physical copy!!

Tarah is one of my favorite authors and if you haven’t read her books yet I would HIGHLY recommend them! I love her writing style and the characters she creates. The stories are always so real and heartfelt and filled with love, emotion, and humor! Her books are forever favorites of mine and they always stick with me long after reading. I was lucky enough to get to read Left of Forever early and it’s INCREDIBLE!! I loved Savor It so much and was so excited for Left of Forever!! The glimpses we got of Wren and Ellis in Savor It just made me crave their story! Their second chance romance is everything!! 🙌🏼 This is already one of my top reads of the year!! 🧡

Thank you so much Tarah, SMP Romance, St Martins Press, Macmillan, and Netgalley for the ARC! 🫶🏼

🧡 Small Town
🧡 Second Chance
🧡 Childhood Friends to Lovers
🧡 Roadtrip
🧡 Forced Proximity
🧡 Marriage Reconciliation
🧡 Only One Bed
🧡 Soulmates
🧡 Pining
🧡 Angst

I don’t have words for how much I loved this. Probably one of the most perfect second chance romances to ever exist and will absolutely be one of my top reads of the year.

“What is bravery if not hope in action?”

OMG I loved this second chance romance between two people who married young, got pregnant young, and got divorced five years ago. We meet Wren and Ellis in Savor It (which I also really enjoyed!) but this reads just fine as a standalone. This book also features my favorite microtrope (the meaningful tattoo)!

I loved seeing these two complete open up to each other and crawl their way back together. I wanted maybe just a touch more of their past but generally this one reinforced why second chance romance among married spouses is one of my very favorite tropes.

I voluntarily read a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

That was truly one of the most tender, endearing, heartachingly beautiful love stories I’ve read (let’s be real my other favorite is Savor It so the probability that I would be head over heels in love with this book was really high). This is one of my most anticipated reads of 2025 and honestly, it lived up to all the yearning and pining I did for it with all the yearning and pining in the book itself.

Gosh this one hit me in the emotional solar plexus really hard and I was crying really early on from how sweet and earnest and yet heartbreaking Wren and Ellis’s story is. Second chance romance really is one of those tropes that just gets me but this book was something else entirely. The love that these characters have for each other is so clearly nestled into the these words that reading it was like being hit upside the head with a big stick labeled “Wren and Ellis love each other so much”. (I’m tearing up writing this honestly)

Watching them fight their way back to each other was just such a joy. I loved getting little flashbacks of how their story began and where it all fell apart. I loved the epistolary element of the book too it was so special and lovely for them. I loved watching them love each other from afar and up close. I loved watching them grow to be better together. I love these characters so much and I just want to be back with the Byrds honestly.

Tarah DeWitt’s writing is honestly just so magical and wonderful and beautiful that she tricked me into feeling all these really big, raw, intense feelings right alongside Wren and Ellis. She broke my heart and then carefully and meticulously pieced it back together and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

10 out of 10, chef’s kiss, wouldn’t change a thing, loved it so much, need it in my hands immediately an ebook simply isn’t enough.

I really enjoyed my time reading this book. I heard all the hype about this and saw well it did for early releases who received the ARC. I think this is such a unique take on second romance especially since they were married and fully divorced for 5 years. I think Tara did a great job on explaining the turmoil, grief, and struggles that each character went through. Additionally, she also captures the exact moment when we feel the spark between the two MC never left. It was nostalgic and beautiful the way the story was told.

Left of Forever might just be the most beautiful love story I’ve ever read—a million stars for this book! Wren and Ellis have been in love all of their lives and had a son when they were teenagers, but now divorced in their 30s, Ellis convinces Wren to take an extended road trip after dropping off their son at college in an attempt to fall in love again. This book is romantic and heartbreaking. Ellis and Wren are both holding on to so much pain and love, and it’s devastatingly beautiful watching them fall back in love. It’s steamy, it’s stunning, it’s everything you want in a second chance small town romance. Their adventures and blunders are so fun to be on the journey on for, and their love is so powerful. It might just be the best second chance romance I’ve ever read. The story is dynamic and the characters are relatable and alive, and I loved the small town! Every part of their story hit me in the heart and had me rooting for these beautiful characters. I cried, I laughed, this will 100% be on my top reads this for 2025—it’s just perfection!

This book!!!! This book is what a second chance romance should be. Heartbreakingly beautiful. I feel like was shedding a single tear of longing throughout the entire book until I wept at the end out of pure love. The characters are so beautiful, the work they put into it their relationship feels so real. Ellis talks about how he thinks it’s unfair to say that his and Wren’s love was fate because it makes it seem like they didn’t work for it but my god, I think they would find each other in every life time.

This book is for everyone who is hopeful about their love. I want to reread it already.

Tarah is one of my favorite authors EVER! Each book is a hit. She has a way of writing that immediately captures you by the first few pages. This was such a beautiful story between a couple who clearly still loved each other. Dare I say this is her best book yet! Forever my fave!

oh tarah dewitt knows how to write a second chance romance. i absolutely DEVOURED this!! i loved wren and ellis' story and watching them grow and understand each other more. i laughed, i swooned and i cried. i was nervous going into this book because i didn't love savor it, but this book felt like the tarah dewitt writing i fell in love with when i read funny feelings for the first time. i also loved the little cameos of past characters in this book it was so fun and i screamed when i realized it!! also tarah must of heard us begging for authors to bring back yearning and she said "okay bet here's ellis bryd." i absolutely loved his character and watching him work on himself and try to prove to wren that he loves her was just so heartwarming. he would literally do anything for her. i also loved wren and everything about her. in short i loved this book.

✨ e-ARC Book Review ✨

🌿 Left of Forever - Tarah Dewitt 🌿
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

➡️ Swipe for GR synopsis

If Tarah Dewitt writes it, I’m going to read it 👏🏻 I was super lucky to get to read the e-ARC and omg I loved this one so much! First of all, it’s a second chance romance *swoon* and secondly the FMC & MMC are in their 30’s and are parents. I love nothing more than reading a book where I can relate with the people I’m reading about. It was just so refreshing to see these two people be so open and honest with their feelings and what they wanted out of life. The trip Ellis planned for him and Wren after they sent their son off to college was just so sweet and thoughtful. And while there was some fun (and steamy) moments, I really felt like these characters were so open and raw with their feelings. The whole book was just so good and I loved it so much!

Part of the story is set in the same world as Savor It with the same characters. Even though this can absolutely be read alone, I think reading Savor It first makes this one so much more fun to see all the characters and be back in Spunes.

Would recommend if you like :
- Second Chance Romance
- Forced Proximity
- Small Town Feels
- Sweet & Spicy

✨Left of Forever releases 5/20✨

Read (x2)

Oh, Tarah DeWitt, how I love you so.

2024 was the year Tarah DeWitt became one of my favorite romance authors ever. I first read Left of Forever in October, right after re-reading Savor It , and then The Co-Op a few weeks prior, which only cemented that.

A common thread that ties all of her work together and makes her voice stand out (to me) is how she approaches a central theme to anchor her characters - in LOF, it was hope . It’s a character-study-forward romance, with the plot being secondary ,something that was also true for Savor It. The listed synopsis only really kicked in at the 40% mark.

I loved the writing and how DeWitt strung sentences and ideas together. LOF had this wistful, time-bendy quality that I love to see in second-chance/marriage-in-peril or, in this case, a reconciliation storylines where the writer weaves in nostalgia with yearning , contrasting how intimately knew each other and how distant they’ve become .

These types of stories are fundamentally different. They already know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, so the main concern is wading through the uncomfortable conversations they should’ve had when their marriage collapsed.

I have almost nothing in common with Wren and Ellis nor do I personally find them relatable but it wasn’t necessary for me to connect to their story because they stood on their own. Their reconciliation required effort , open communication and and trust which produced a emotionally rich result 👌🏾

All in all ,I LOVE THE BYRD FAMILY GIVE ME 16 OF THEM NOW . So excited to burn the audiobook into the ground once it releases ! I also fear the person I'll be when my man Silas'book comes out (omg Micah too🫦)

Big thanks to the publisher for the ARC!

Read (x1)

5⭐️
When I go back to change a book’s rating , it’s typically to lower it but I’m doing the opposite here. I have not been able to stop thinking about Left of Forever . Wren , Ellis and the rest of the Byrds you are so special to me

Wren and Ellis in a series of emoji’s :

I don’t even know where to start other than to say thank you! Thank you for the opportunity to read this advanced copy, thank you for the gift of Wren and Ellis after loving them in Savor it, and thank you for giving me a mirror to see a piece of myself I’m not always eager to look at! This book was all about coming to know your self even the parts that we don’t want anyone to see!! I loved this book!

Left of Forever is the story of Ellis and Wren Byrd. Childhood friends who fell in love as teenagers, they became pregnant at 17. If that wasn’t hard enough, Ellis and Wren take on raising Ellis’ siblings at age 18 when Ellis’ mom passes away. Eighteen years later, divorced, the only thing connecting them is their son Sam. As Sam prepares to leave for college, they both reflect on how things started and where things went wrong between them. When Ellis convinces Wren to do a road trip, after dropping Sam off at college, they decide whether to give their relationship another chance or not. Will the gorgeous California scenery bring them together or will the forced proximity bring up old wounds that push them apart?

I enjoyed this book but felt like it was lacking depth at times. As a divorced couple trying to start fresh, I don’t feel the book adequately addressed the complexity of the trauma the Byrds endured and the work necessary to ensure their relationship succeeds in the future. Otherwise, I enjoyed the chemistry between the characters, especially Ellis’ siblings. Tarah DeWitt is very talented and her descriptive writing allows me to create a vivid image of what is occurring in the book.

Left of Forever can be read as a stand-alone novel or as a companion to Savor It.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tarah DeWitt, and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

MAAM. Your honor I love them. How have I gone this long without reading a book by Tarah?! I feel like I have been missing out and I cannot wait to binge read more of her backlist. If you have been on the fence— go read this asap!!

4🌟!
This was beautiful. It's as simple as that. Tarah DeWitt has a knack for creating characters, plots, and settings that wrap you up and make you feel at home.

We first meet Wren and Ellis in Savor It, and I have always been so curious about them. I am so grateful to get the opportunity to read about their second chance at forever with each other. Their relationship was so real and raw and deeply emotional. I wholeheartedly believe in them and their love for each other. The road trip was absolutely everything to me! The way Ellis planned out everything, even though some side characters made their presence known, was wonderful to read. This book shows how things may change, but love always stays. It is so clear from the start that Wren and Ellis are so desperately in love. LIKEE THE YEARNING??? Every line was like a punch to the gut.

This book was SPICYYYY. I was giggling and sweating and gasping and omg the tension was pipinggg hot throughout this entire book. Ellis Byrd the man that you are!!! My only gripe was, of course, the miscommunication between Ellis and Wren. They were together for so long, had a whole kid, and still couldn't communicate simple things? It's frustrating but also real at the same time, so I looked past it!

Overall, I truly loved the way this book was crafted. Second-chance romances always get me because seeing two people love each other, grow apart, and put in the work to find each other again is so special.
Thank you, NetGalley and St.Martin's Press, for the advanced copy to review!

Tarah is one of my favorite romance authors. One thing I love about her stories is the characters. They’re older, they’ve actually LIVED, and it is easy to find myself in them. I love everything she’s written, I knew I would love this one too. No notes.

This was so heartbreakingly beautiful, the way I cried from beginning to end of this book. I am normally not one for marriage in crisis/second chance marriage books… but this book was an exception to that as I absolutely fell in love with this book! It’s only March, and I can say this book will 100% be making my top ten books of this year. I just know that when this book comes out in May, it is going to be the romance book of the year! Do yourself a favour and preorder this book asap.

A perfect book for those of us who found our forever too early, before we really knew ourselves, with the hope that things can all work out. From the road trip setting, a meddling family, and the slowest slow burn (the confessions nearly wrecked me.) This is raw and Tarah’s best work. I laughed HARD, I cried HARDER and looked up every stop on this road trip. Cheers to Wren and Ellis for what’s left of forever

my new absolute go-to rec for second chance romance— WREN AND ELLIS BYRD YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAMOUS

I love this family, I was SO excited to be back in Spunes, got my heart ripped out of my chest and stomped all over, but somehow I’m thankful for it??

real talk, this book HURT. I was in PAIN. getting glimpses of Wren and Ellis’s past while they struggle through a divorce neither one of them truly want, the yearning— THE YEARNING. never has a man YEARNED like Ellis Byrd. CHRIST.

I’ll never be the same😙🫶🏻

thank you so much Tarah and NetGalley for this ARC, and for ruining my life😍

This is Tarah's best work today. I read this in one sitting and could not get enough of Wren and Ellis.
So raw and romantic, no notes, give me 15 of em!