typically not a huge fan of second chance romance, but this one hit!!! these two were so sweet and I loved their journey!

half the time i had a stupid smile on my face and the other half eyes brimmed with tears!!! everything tarah writes is pure gold!!!!
i’ve never been married, or divorced, or co-parented a child with my ex but ellis and wren’s story tugged at all of my heartstrings— i felt every single emotion poured into every page like it was my own!
i am mesmerized by tarah’s writing and will forever be grateful to exist at the same time as her bc this book is truly a masterpiece! every page is laced with her heart and soul and you can FEEEEL that!

i will never get over wren and ellis!!!!! i want everything that they have! their connection was so strong it was almost tangible and it made for the most delicious tension! the spice in this book is actually life changing! it brought me to tears and i think healed me! and the moment they finally let it all out and left nothing unsaid— i could cry all over again just thinking about it— it’s forever etched in my brain!

this town, this family, these stories, they’re my favorite of all time and perfect in every way! i cannot wait for the next books in this series!


thank you so much to st. martin’s and netgalley for this earc! <3

so happy to be tucked back into the pocket of love that is spunes, oregon. tarah dewitt blew it out of the park with this romance. the tender-hearted devotion that she has to these characters is truly something special.
i felt so safe and comfortable while reading this story; watching the rekindling of a relationship between two people who had a true connection gave me a sense of knowing. these two characters specifically knew each other in a way that pushed them to want to better themselves for one another, however that may take shape. wren and ellis had spark, and i fell in love with how in love they truly were. the overall environment of them taking time away from the people and place they are most comfortable allowed them to step outside of their usual zone and take a chance on their feelings. ellis is the actual definition of "written by a woman", and i adore him for it.
i will always love the cameos from other characters and i am hoping we don't have to leave spunes quite yet... I am looking at you, micah and lennon...
the only thing i wanted was more sage and fisher but... just means it's time for a savor it reread.

This was pretty cute. I love a second chance romance. This book is super interconnected with the last book, Savor It, so you have it read that book first.

I like how hard Ellis worked to get Wren back. All this things he planned were sweet.

My only issues were that all the speeches were too long. I found myself skimming over them. Especially at the end with the wedding toasts. The end felt like it dragged on too long. It would have just cut to the wedding.

Pretty dang spicy so beware of that if you don’t like spice

Ending had me smiling & sobbing!!! this book was STUNNING (Tarah’s best work!!!) I’m just in awe with how beautiful Wren & Ellis’s love story is. Truly a perfect second chance romance. The character build up and love confessions took this story to another level. I felt the love through the pages of this story. This was such a vulnerable love story. I love them, I love the town, I love the side characters. READ THIS!!


Thanks a million @netgalley for the ARC!!!! :)

"Everything left of it, together." Putting that one my bedroom wall asap. Sobbed through the last 10%... for real! Savor It was one of my favorites from last year so this was one was highly anticipated for me! I am very grateful I got to read it early.

I freaking love a second chance with divorce/married couple situation. This delivered BUT I will admit my qualm was it felt like they hooked up a lotttttt. I'm good with open door but I maybe I wanted a little more adventure or communication or *something*.

That being said we better be getting a Silas and a Micah story?!?!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this e-ARC.

I don’t know if I can properly describe how much I loved this book. It was tender and heartfelt and made me feel so many things. The yearning throughout was actually insane.

It made me giggle and kick my feet and I was biting my hand to keep myself from screaming out.

Tarah DeWitt does it again, another amazing book! I can’t wait to read more of her stuff.

This book deals with some hard themes, so I would definitely look up TW/CW!

Tropes:
- Second chance
- Small town
- MUSTACHE
- Road trip
- Childhood friends-to-lovers
- One bed
- Yearning
- Slow burn 🔥

Second chance romances have grown on me. Couples finding their way back to love after overcoming a painful backstory are stories of hope and humanity which are much needed right now. The only problem: who could ever love me like Ellis loves Wren?? Impossible, that man is down bad to the end for his since-childhood love. The pacing of the plot was slow at the beginning. I feel there needed to be more set up for Wren and Ellis's relationship, especially for readers who didn't read the book in the series before this. However, thematically I felt this romance was well executed and emotionally grounded.

“I’ll fight with you. I’ll fight for you. I’ll love you for everything left of forever, in every lifetime we get.”

I will never ever stop thinking about Ellis & Wren. I truly was skeptical about a divorced couple trying to reignite their relationship, but after reading this book I am 100% in love with this book. The banter, the genuine connection, the rawness & reality of their relationship was so perfect. I cried a few times just reading the emotion from each character.

Ellis & Wren making their way back to each other after nurturing others was so beautiful to read. I truly wasn’t sure what was going to happen in this book, but man I loved every minute.

I am rating this book 5 stars because the amount of raw emotion I felt throughout this book was easily a 10/10 🥺💌 (less)

“All I know is that if I found out heaven was real and got there first? I’d hang back in the waiting room and save you a seat.”

I saw a bunch of people sharing that this book was available to read now on NetGalley and ran to get it. LEFT OF FOREVER is my very first Tarah DeWitt book so I didn’t know what to expect. Turns out this book is interconnected with SAVOR IT. I decided to read it anyway and I’m glad I did.

LEFT OF FOREVER is childhood friends to lovers, second chance romance about Ellis and Wren Byrd. Five years ago they got divorced but neither of them found a way to move on. Now their son Sam is going to college and Ellis and Wren decide to make a last attempt to reconcile.

This is a heartfelt story about genuinely good people that lost touch with each other somewhere along the way and decide to put a conscious effort to make it right again. It is full of hope, longing, love and healthy communication. I truly enjoyed the maturity of the story and can safely say that this book won’t be my last by Tarah DeWitt.

Very cute second chance romance with a beautiful cover. When I saw T-Swifts Exile and LOML(two of my favorite songs) in the playlist I prepared myself for an emotional roller coaster that sadly never showed up. The song are fitting but I feel like this story lacked some depth.

I love a book set in Oregon of course. Little did I know most of this book would be spent in California. It wasn’t as atmospheric as I wanted but it still delivered on the aspect of “they will get it right this time.” I wish we got a little more character development before we go back to the present. My favorite part was the written letters they exchanged. There story was cute in the end and will hit home with anyone who has gone through a relationship like this before, whether it worked out in the end or not.

**Publication Date May 20th, 2025**

"For the ones who hold on to their indomitable hope. Me, too, friends. I bet we make it." -Dedication

I had no intention of jumping into another ARC so quickly... however, this sucked me in right from the dedication. This is considered a interconnected stand alone (Savor It being the 1st book) but it didn't affect my reading experience not reading it first, but I will say I i will be jumping to go read it now after this. This is my first read by this author and will 100% not be my last!!!

I loved everything about this, the characters, the family dynamics, the setting, the continuous theme of hope throughout the book, the slow burn.... I could go on and on!!

This follows Ellis and Wren, who have been divorced for years and how they take make a trip of it, dropping their son off at college. They decide to use the trip to decide if there's a way back to each other and what that would look like. Its honestly such a beautiful read watching them work, listen, talk, and genuinely try to get back to each other.

If you were a fan of Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan, you will love this! Small town, second chance, loveable main and side characters, slow burn,deeply personal, hit you in allllll the feels kinda book!

"Hoping with one another is how you two got so brave in the first place. After all what is bravery if not hope in action?"


Huge thank you to Netgalley for the ARC and opportunity to read and review this beauty!

I fell in love with Tarah DeWitt’s voice with Savor It, but immediately scrambled to find out whether Wren and Ellis would get their happily ever after, so I’ve been waiting for this book for a bit. It was worth it. These characters are real and raw and vulnerable. Tarah writes with so much emotional honesty that the payoff is always satisfying. I devoured the book, but had to restrain myself to take in the gorgeous prose—feverishly highlighting passages that spoke to me. I cannot wait for her next book.

Wren and Ellis were childhood sweethearts who had a son and got married as teenagers. As time went on, life got heavy and they struggled to stay connected the way they once were. Eventually, they divorced. Now in their 30s, they can’t seem to fully move on from each other. Thrust together again while driving home from moving their son into college, they explore the possibility of what could have been and what can still be.

While technically a standalone, this is the second book about the Byrd family. I felt like I was at a bit of a disadvantage from the start because I didn’t read Savor It. There are a lot of characters and background info that I didn’t fully understand. In hindsight, I probably should have gone back and read it before continuing with Left of Forever.

Ellis and Wren have my heart! They were such well-written characters, and it was impossible not to root for them. The spice was SPICING and the angst and yearning were out of this world. I didn’t love the letter writing aspect and I think the story would have been better if that was left out or maybe if it were placed later in the book. I just didn’t connect with it since I wasn’t connected with the characters yet.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion!

left of forever | tarah dewitt

3.5⭐️

"I have genuine butterflies when I finally lie down to go to sleep. But … they’re heavier than butterflies, with different wingspans and speeds. More like birds."

_____

Okay, here's the thing. I looooove Tarah and all the words she writes, and my love for her has not dimmed, BUT. This book wasn't a smash for me.

It's a second chance story, but there was something missing for me in the setup! It felt a tiny bit choppy, and I just wanted more of the in-between. After things went wrong <-> before they desperately wanted each other back. I needed more of the circumstances and feelings that got them from one place to another!

But you know, there were also plenty of things to LOVE! I still totally recommend this if you love second chance romance with a little adventure and a lotta spice. 🌶

THINGS TO LOVE:
+ anonymous letters
+ second chance
+ wildfire fighting
+ baked goods
+ a make it or break it road trip
+ co parenting
+ paper birds
+ meddling family
+ only one cabin
+ the Spunes, Oregon fam

_____

{a gigantic thank you to Tarah, St. Martin's publishing, and NetGalley for the advanced copy!! Out 5/20/25}

ɴᴇᴛɢᴀʟʟᴇʏ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ || LEFT OF FOREVER [thank you to St. Martin’s Press and @netgalley for my #gifted copy!]

Title: Left of Forever
Author: Tarah Dewitt
Genre: Romance
Format: Digital
Star Rating: ★★★★☆

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ:
Wren and Ellis Byrd were once inseparable—first loves, teenage parents, and partners in building a life. But somewhere along the way, they unraveled. Now in their 30s, Wren pours herself into her bakery while Ellis battles blazes as a firefighter, their connection reduced to co-parenting their son, Sam.

When Sam heads off to college, Ellis proposes a cross-country road trip home—just the two of them, one last chance to see if there’s anything left to salvage. As they wind along the California coast, old memories resurface, unspoken words linger, and the possibility of forever flickers once more. But love isn’t just about finding your way back—it’s about deciding to stay.

ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
This was both one of my most anticipated reads this year & also one of the books that I think took me the longest to read - even though I was consistently picking it up!

It was deep, emotional, reflective, funny, and hopeful - and it was a lot to take in during each reading session (plus, I was crying on and off so I had to be careful when I was reading it).

After meeting Wren & Ellis in SAVOR IT, I couldn’t WAIT to hear their story. Even from a few scenes you could tell that it wasn’t over…and it’s definitely not over. This book is a beautiful reflection on a couple: how they started, how they fell apart, and how they came back together.

And honestly - it was beautiful. It was a hard read, but I think well worth it. Highly recommend.

ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Second Chance Romance
Marriage in Crisis
Found Family
Small Town Romance
Open Door Romance

ᴅᴇᴛᴀɪʟꜱ:
GR: 4.64 ⭐️
# of Pages: 336
Pub Date: May 20, 2025

Tarah has done it again!!! This book was everything and more!

I loved being back in this universe and Spunes along with seeing Sage, Fisher again! I loved being back with Tarah’s words and this easily became my new second chance story. Wren and Ellis, my darling Bryds, they had such an emotional, raw, vulnerable story that I didn’t want to put down!

Going on this journey with them of reconnecting and reigniting the love that never faded was so rewarding and that’s just a testament to how good Tarah’s writing was here and this was her at her best! I was fully consumed by them and I just love them so so much and this was just the perfect story. I also loved the little cameo we got (my shaylassss🥹)! I’ll exhaust my vocabulary with how good this book was and the title is so fitting because I will be forever thinking about them! So so good!!!

not quite a 5 star read for me but so close! i don't usually love second chance, marriage in crisis romances but this was SO well done. i did find it at times confusing w/ the past/present chapters

Adorable and deeply moving second change romance that follows a divorced couple seemingly completely too far gone. While second chance romance is not typically my romantic trope of choice, when done well, like this, even I am a believer. The sentiment and heartfelt quotes were very memorable. Anyone in a long term relationship can appreciate the hard work people take to survive a relationship crisis. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read this early and review!

Tarah Dewitt is an auto-read author, so if you've never checked her out.... just go. Just do it. She has the incredible ability to write about heavier topics and flawed characters that still have you feeling so hopeful for love.

Ellis and Wren's angst and longing jumps off the page even as they are avoiding each other at the start. I was so concerned with misunderstanding and miscommunication because of this, but we see proof that these two have done their work. They have felt their feelings, broken them down through journaling and therapy (we love to see it!) and it sets them up to rekindle what they had and fall in love with who they are now.