I looooved this.

I love marriage reconciliation in books - especially when done RIGHT. And let me tell you, this was done right.

As someone who got married also at a young age (19!!!) it was refreshing to see that represented within a book and all the challenges + blessings that come from it.

This almost had some literary fiction moments thrown in to as well but I believe that had to do with the sentimental statements about marriage, true love, and what commitment truly means.

I loved that both of the characters focused on overcoming personal issues on their own with zero expectation of eachother having done so, and then eventually seeing if they could work things out. The fact that there was a long length of time between separation + introducing the potential of reconciliation was more realistic for me.

This was a perfect book to represent true love, soulmates, and what it takes to truly stick with a partner through thick and thin.

Thank you to the publisher for an e-ARC 🩷

Unfortunately this one was NOT for me. I typically enjoy second chance romances but their lack of communication really was too much. I may come back and give this book another chance at an another time but this was absolutely not my style. I also found the beginning part to be a bit dry and kind of bizarre honestly with the part with him licking blood from her hand? This feels very different from any of Tarah’s other works.

I absolutely adored reading about Wren and Ellis' second chance at love. This book beautifully captures the raw, unfiltered realities of relationships, marriage, and love—especially when faced with a devastating event that has the power to either break you apart or bring you closer together. Wren and Ellis show that love isn’t always rainbows and sunshine—it’s about choosing each other, day after day. Love is a constant choice, a commitment to picking that person every single day, no matter what challenges arise.

Left of Forever is another shining star in Tarah DeWitt’s collection of work. I’m always amazed at how quickly I fall for her characters. They feel real and messy and flawed but also have such great depth and heart.

Wren and Ellis are no exception.

After their marriage failed the first time, they’ve kept a respectful distance. It’s a small town and they’ve been folded into each other’s lives for as long as they can remember so they almost had to.

What the proximity brings though? A lack of closure. After some secret pen pal activities and a roadtrip to set their son up at college, these two decide to tackle the hard conversations and figure out if maybe…just maybe, they gave up too soon.

I loved this book. I laughed out loud into my kindle. I cried SEVERAL times (I’ll bill you for the emotional damage Tarah!). But mostly, I loved how honest these two were about love being about more than the happiest moments. In a good second chance romance, I love the moments when they confront the why they aren’t together; what went wrong. And we got that in spades here!! It was raw and real and beautiful.

Not that I expected anything less from Tarah’s writing. She knows how to pull you in and keep you on the hook!

Thanks to St. Martins and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

—high school sweethearts to parents to married to divorced to ???

—roadtrip romance

—nobody's rich!!!!!

—some of the most delightfully ludicrous sex scene setups

Heat Index: 7/10

The Basics:

Ellis and Wren had a kid as teenagers. Then they got married... then they were supposed to be together. But that didn't work, and a few years after their divorce, they set to drop their son off at college. But Ellis drops a bomb on Wren: He wants to see if there's something between them still; and he proposes a week together on the way back to see if they can make it work. Easier! Said! Than! Done!

The Review:

When I say we need contemporary romances with stakes and intense emotion...

This is the perfect kind of second chance by way of divorce book. DeWitt seems to instinctively understand the importance of emphasizing the sheer degree of intimacy between two people who were as serious as Ellis and Wren. And it's the emotional, yes; but it's also the way the emotion translates to their physical relationship.

Left of Forever is an amazing argument in favor of explicit content in romance novels. It's so clear that Wren and Ellis know each other, can communicate in a way you only can once you've shared a life with someone. But there's also the sort of raw hunger they feel for each other. It doesn't read like romance novel magic; it reads like people who know each other on a real level, who love the quirks and rhythms of one another's bodies. The romance between these two, on so many levels, felt realer to me than it often does in contemporary romance.

Might I add, part of this was also because Ellis and Wren live comfortable but not-crazy lives and aren't megarich. He's a firefighter, she's a baker. They've been raising a kid for most of their lives. They haven't traveled the way they wanted to, and the roadtrip is an in-state adventure. They're good! They're happy! But they're also tangible. And I'm not anti-megarich people romance, right? But there's something refreshing about this approach. Like, even the cowboy romances often feature cowboys who live on wealthy ranch land or whatever.

All that being said, Ellis is one of the hottest heroes I've read in a while. Because he isn't perfect! He's withholding and proprietary at times. He fucks up. He makes one delightfully unethical decision to basically kick this book off. All of this makes him feel more like a real human you could fall in love with. A real human with vulnerabilities... And like... The ability to break you in half...

Wren is similarly refreshingly real. Part of this novel deals with secondary infertility issues Wren and Ellis experienced while they were married. I loved the way in which DeWitt alluded to Wren's desperation for a baby when they were trying while never betraying her more nuanced feelings in the present. It was so complex and believable and again... I loved it.

Nothing in this novel reinvents the wheel plotwise. This is a character-forward book. It just emotionally hits every beat at the max level of emotion.

The Sex:

Look, the sex in this book was AMAZING. We got loooovemaking. We got primal sex. We got funny sex. We got an act we don't see in tradpub romance much at all! There's an incident with ice cream that made me laugh AND pearlclutch. A win!

Conclusion:

When I say this will grab your heart and twist it in a way that's somehow comforting, I mean it. And small town romance antis like me.... look , this one is DIFFERENT. Read it!

Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

ARC REVIEW--4.5 stars
dare i say...tarah dewitt's best work yet? i loved this one so much😭everything you need and want in a second chance romace! the emotion, the rawness, the realness was so overwhelmingly beautiful and i loved every second that i was reading this book. tarah dewitt never fails to leave me wanting more. if there's one thing everybody should want in life it's a happily ever after with their person and ellis and wren got theirs 🥹
honorable mention for the origami birds, their vows and the fact that he literally replicated her dream destinations!! (that part left me sick bc if he wanted to he fucking would)

I loved this book so much. Their journey was beautiful. I really enjoyed every part of this story and seeing their growth as a parents and then a couple. ahhhhh. 10./10 recommend.

Tara you ate with this one! Second chance is my FAVORITE trope and you got it down to a T with this story. This book took my heart on an emotional rollercoaster—breaking it apart and then putting it back together in the most beautiful way. The writing was so raw and heartfelt that every emotion felt tangible, pulling me deeper into the story. There’s something undeniably special about two people destined for each other getting a second shot at love, and I was completely captivated.

Wren and Ellis’s connection was electric. Their journey was filled with moments that made my heart ache, swoon, and race all at once. One minute, I was on the verge of tears, and the next, I was blushing because their chemistry was off the charts!

Beyond their love story, I adored the Bryd family bond. Seeing Sage and Fisher again was such a joy.

I can’t help but hope for a book about Silas next! or Micah or whoever is up next in line!!!

Left of Forever is the type of story that leaves an imprint on your soul. It’s easily Tarah’s best work and probably one of the best books I have read. I am a total sucker for second-chance marriage romances, but this one takes the cake. I fell so deeply in love with these characters as individuals that it made their re-connection as a couple that much sweeter. I will be raving about this story, these characters, and this author until the end of time. Im honored to have read an ARC of this.

really loved this one!! loved the letters the MCs wrote back and forth and always love a good second chance!!! TD never misses and I love everything she writes

This book ripped my heart and then mended it back together! The writing was done so beautifully that you could feel every emotion poured in! It’s just something about seeing two people made for each other get a second chance at a happily ever after, ughh I love them so much!

Wren + Ellis are soulmates! There were so many heartwarming/wrenching moments between them. My heart ached for their vulnerability and connection! Seriously, my eyes are tearing up one minute, but then the next I’m blushing because they were so hot together!

I also loved the bond between the Bryds. Seeing Sage and Fisher again made my heart happy. And I’m hoping we can get a book about Silas!

This was really good 🥹 very emotional at times. I enjoyed the storyline and the characters. I loved Ellis and Wren. I laughed, cried, and the spice was hot! I also loved how Fisher and Sage showed up! That last paragraph made me tear up. It was such a good second chance romance!

Tarah DeWitt never fails to deliver. She’s among the select few whose books I know I will love before I even read the first page. And it goes beyond the storylines and characters—she’s got a way of taking common sentiments and wording them in such a way that they inspire awe.

So, obviously, I loved Ellis and Wren’s story. Young love is sweet, but there’s something about people with a shared history coming back together that resonates deeper.

The book itself feels like a love letter to long-term relationships—something that’s hard to tackle in romance since most of it is about the beginning of relationships, not what comes after. It’s easy to love someone when everything is new and shiny. Much harder when life and disappointment and mundanity and heartache all get in the way. Wren and Ellis are two people who got sidetracked by all of this and still find their way back together.

Also, I am an absolute sucker for anything epistolary, so the letters, emails, and shared journal entries were a very pleasant surprise.

While this is a follow-up to Savor It, it can absolutely be read as a stand-alone. And if Tarah ever decides to revisit the Byrd family again, I’m all in.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this book, provided in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

A second chance romance that is absolutely perfection!
This story was so different from what I normally read being that Wren and Ellis were childhood sweethearts, married, then divorced and now trying to find their way back to each other. I loved it so much, I love soulmates!
Wren and Ellis' story might stay with me forever! Or at least whatever's left of it.
I gave it 4 stars because I thought it was a standalone but it became clear that there was multiple characters I should have already known (or cared about) throughout the first half of the book. I'm sure I would have loved this more if I had read the first book first.

Tarah DeWitt, the writer you are!

I’ve read all of Tarah DeWitt’s books and I’ve adored all of them, but Left of Forever reads so differently than her bibliography.

Left of Forever is a second chance romance, which I think is a trope that is hard to pull off but my goodness Tarah DeWitt exceeded and perfected, raising the bar so high I can’t even see it.

The tale of Wren and Ellis Byrd broke my heart and mended it back together. They had everything I want from a couple in a book — banter, tension, respect, communication and chemistry just flowing out the pages.

I cried during and after reading this book and it will forever hold a place in my heart!

it’s been a hot minute since a book has managed to make me feel this emotional. i sobbed the entire last 20% of this book and a book hasn’t been able to make me feel that way in MONTHS.

this is such a special story. literally the definition of heartwarming. wren and ellis truly define what soulmates really are and it’s so obvious while reading this. everything about this was amazing, there wasn’t a single moment where i felt like this was dragging or boring. i was on the edge of my seat waiting for them to admit their feelings to each other and come back to one another. i loved the found family aspects in this book, while they are a family with their son, the friends and everyone else rooting for them to find their way back together was so special.

i absolutely loved everything about this book - i have 0 criticisms. even the 3rd act conflict (not breakup) was perfect for this story and was the perfect way to bring these characters together once and for all.

Left of Forever was a beautifully written, deeply emotional second-chance romance that tugged at the heartstrings while delivering plenty of humor, warmth, and undeniable chemistry. The author perfectly captured the complexities of love, loss, and the struggle of finding your way back to someone you never truly stopped loving.
Wren and Ellis Byrd were the kind of couple that felt destined—childhood sweethearts who built a life together, only to watch it unravel. Their history was messy, raw, and incredibly real, making their reunion all the more poignant. Watching them navigate the pain of their past while trying to rediscover the spark that once defined them was both frustrating and deeply satisfying.
The road trip element was a brilliant touch, forcing Wren and Ellis into close proximity and giving them the space (and the stunning California coastline) to confront their lingering feelings. Their banter was sharp, filled with both longing and humor, and the tension between them simmered with years of unspoken emotions. The intimate moments were swoon-worthy, but it was the quieter, more vulnerable exchanges that truly stood out.
If anything, some of the back-and-forth felt repetitive at times, and there were moments when their inability to communicate was frustrating. But that frustration also made their journey feel authentic—because love, especially one with so much history, is rarely simple.
Left of Forever was a deeply romantic, beautifully written novel about love, forgiveness, and the hope of getting it right the second time around. Fans of emotional, slow-burn second-chance romances will absolutely fall for Wren and Ellis.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a great story! This was my first book by this author and won't be my last. I was rooting for this couple since the beginning. Ellis and Wren were childhood friends turned lovers and had to grow up quick after finding out he was pregnant at 17. He is a firefighter and she is a baker and co-owner of the town bakery with her mom. They have been divorced for almost 5 years but still have feelings for each other. Ellis tries to win her back by proposing a trip to drop off their son for his first year of college and decide if their marriage is worth saving or if they will just remain friends.

Ellis works on himself with therapy to be the man Wren needs and wants. I loved how after all these years they still had sexual chemistry. I loved their banter, their humor and the spice. I laughed, I cried and I cheered at the end!

If you love:
second chance romance
small town romance
firefighter
childhood friends to lovers
slow burn

then this book is for you. Can't wait for the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wren and Ellis's story is so so sweet. I loved every second of it! The love they have for each other is just so special. I adore all of the side characters in this world and cannot wait to find out which Byrd brother will get their happy ending next! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review this ARC! Tarah DeWitt is one of my all time favorite authors!

I loved Savor it (and the cameo the Byrds made in it), so I was beyond ready to read this one.

Wren and Ellis were two tender souls that I melted over. There was a lot of heartache and distrust between them, so I knew this was going to be a hard journey for them (and me). I soaked up every minute of their road trip. The achingly sad and beautiful parts were perfectly balanced with the fun and sexy parts. I could not get enough of them.

There was also an unexpected "prequel" part of the book. The first 1/4-ish of the novel takes place a few months before the road trip and gives more background into where their relationship failed and what sparked them both to rekindle things. There is an epistolary aspect to the novel that I loved. I'm such a sucker for letter writing and it was a great edition to the first part of the book.

I was also thrilled to see more of the Byrd brothers! We met them in book 1 but really saw more of them in this one. I can definitely see them each getting their own book. And I will be first in line to buy it.

Overall, this was incredible! I went in with high expectations and was still blown away. I may have also cried a couple of times. 5 full, unwavering stars. Wow.