I really am at a loss for words about this book. B.K. Borison was one of the first authors I read when I promised myself to get into reading again, starting with the Co-Op (I see you Deacon & LaRynn) and then pretty much ate up any and all of her other books I could find.

When Savor It came out I ate up Sage and Fisher's story (always a sucker for a single parent trope) but i remember vividly coming across that town meeting scene when Ellis reminds everyone Wren is “still a Byrd”. I knew immediately I needed their story like I needed my next breath.

Honestly, I'm torn between wanting to tell everyone every devastating detail and just keeping my mouth shut because it's so good that no amount of raving about it here will actually live up to it.

It had me laughing, crying practically every single chapter, breaking my heart, and putting it back together. B.K. Borison has, in my opinion, always been the queen of second chance romances and pining, and Left of Forever basically put all of her talent and expertise on perfect display.

I can't emphasize this enough: You need to read this book!

I’ve been so excited to finally get to read this book and it did not disappoint. Wren and Ellis are so lovely and have such a beautiful connection. They got their second chance together after realizing they are still in love but at the same time they worked through their feelings and were honest with each other. I loved every second of this book.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an arc of this book, I really appreciate it.

Bruhhhhh I’m a mess! Like literally crying in a common area with like 30 strangers around. I cried from beginning to end. That last paragraph, my god.
I love the way Tarah DeWitt writes. Her characters feel like actual people, they act and talk like real people. Seeing these two people find each other was fucking beautiful. Marriage takes work and no matter how much love there is, it is still possible to lose our way. Wren and Ellis’s love is so beautiful and them talking about what went wrong was ugh, just, I cried ok. I related so much to Wren, the part where she talks about her body and what it has done for her, fuck I cried there too.
I laughed too. I loved Silas speech, my god I cried again. Fisher and Sage, I loved Savor it so much and reading about them felt so good. Overall, ♾️ ⭐️, I’ll read Tarah’s grocery list.

When I say I sobbed.

Ellis and Wren have the most incredible second chance romance story I’ve ever read. I can’t even imagine taking on a story like this as a writer.. Tarah DeWitt tore me apart with their love and their pain, and I loved every minute of it.

Great book! The story was unique, sweet, and very funny. I loved that the MC’s were a little older, they have a college aged child and have already lived a whole life when the book starts which makes the story so much more interesting. I hope there might be more books set in Spunes, maybe one for each brother and then one for Sam and Indy!

This is Tarah’s best book, without question. I couldn’t put it down from the very first page. Her characters are so relatable and dynamic I feel like they could just walk right off the page and into my life. This book was so heartfelt with the perfect amount of humor and spice. I can’t express enough how much I loved it. The letters were especially touching, in light of the recent LA fires, it hit close to home. An absolute delight in every way. I will buy this to keep on my shelf and revisit. I wish I could read it all over again for the first time!!

I loved this book. Tarah is a beautiful storyteller and this is definitely one of my favorites. I loved these characters in Savor It so I was excited to get more of them. I hope we get some more about the Byrd family.

I was so excited to read this book when I read the premise and saw the cover… there was nothing that was going to stop me from devouring it. I loved the journey that we went on with these characters. From being unsure about how the other one was feeling after 4 years of being divorced and a wound that was struggling to heal.

I couldn’t get enough of Ellis and Wren finding each other after everything that they went through losing a baby and also losing themselves in the process. The spice was so good and well timed for everything else that was going on, it felt natural having the tension but not having them fall into bed right away.

All in all this book was amazing and nothing short of perfect in every way. Timing, tension, feelings. I can’t rate this book anything less than 5 stars

I sometimes find it hard to write a review for Tarah DeWitt’s books. How do you put into words the way every single one of her books makes you feel the entire spectrum of emotions? She has this way of story telling that, for me, makes me feel like I’m fully immersed in these fictional worlds and experiencing the same feelings that her characters are.

As soon as I read the line “She’s still a Byrd” in Savor It I’ve been chomping at the bit to get Wren & Ellis’ story (me and the rest of the book world 🤣). The connection between these two characters was so deep, built on years and years of friendship. Reading their story and hearing about what lead them to divorce in the first place felt so raw and real. I loved that even through their pain they put their son first and never made things difficult for him. Seeing Wren and Ellis rebuild their relationship and actually communicate with each other about their needs, feelings, and what went wrong between them, then finding their way back to the trust and friendship that brought them together in the first place was so beautiful.

Once again Tarah delivered an amazingly heartfelt story that put the reader through so many emotions, but ended with joy for the characters. Thank you so much Tarah for the opportunity to read this book early. I loved every word. <3

This was such a heartwarming second chance story. I most appreciated the emotional depth of the characters. I loved being inside the heads of both Wren and Ellis. Tarah captured in words what it’s like to love someone your whole life. “One day, when we’re very old and gray, one of us will open our eyes to a day that the other won’t, but we’ll smile knowing how full life has been, knowing how we spent forever, everything left of it, together,” was my favorite quote even if if was the last sentences of the story! Thank you for letting me read this book early!

Left of Forever is the second chance love story I didn’t know I needed…
Ellis and Wren Byrd have a long history! They share friends/family and a son, Sam who is off to college. Ellis convinces Wren that after setting Sam up at college they should drive back to Spunes, Oregon together to see if they can give their relationship another chance.
Left of Forever might hold the key to my heart… this book made me feel so much and had me sobbing like a teenage girl.. every MMC should be like Ellis Byrd. He’s so caring and loves so deeply!

I’ve never even been married. So why have I been crying over this?!

Tarah Dewitt never fails to tug at my heart strings. Whether is remembering what it feels like to fall in love with Funny Feelings or realizing that life and love are messy and imperfect - I’ll never skip out on one of her books.

“My chest is an empty, barren cavern without her. My heart took shape around hers, too, and it will never go back.”

Ellis and Wren were in each other’s orbit for basically their whole lives. And the way they pined after one another…GAHHH. Even more delicious? The way they openly loved and communicated for their second chance. I feel like I missed out on falling in love with my childhood best friend.

There’s something about the way Tarah DeWitt writes that is so uniquely beautiful. Her stories usually don’t go in the direction you expect them to. I once heard her say something to the effect of how when she writes, she likes to let tropes happen organically, and it’s evident in her books.

This second-chance romance between Wren and Ellis is unlike any one I’ve read before, in structure, storytelling, or the path that the characters take. Sometimes second-chance romances make me nervous because they can come with a lot of pain and drama, but this one was quiet and authentic in a way that I’ve come to feel is Tarah’s signature.

Additional thoughts: As a California girl, it’s always a pleasure to revisit beloved NorCal coastal spots through these characters’ eyes. Also, kudos to Tarah for once again making a case for men going to therapy!

This can absolutely be read as a standalone, but I think it’s best enjoyed after reading its equally wonderful predecessor “Savor It” first.

Thank you to St. Martin’s and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions!

🥹 I love Ellis and Wren.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025 and I am so so happy I got to read it early!!

I felt the first 40% of the book felt slow and also like nothing really happened. Once we got on the road things picked up and I fell in love with them trying. I also think this book did a good job at the explosive final fight/last chance scene. While not really a fight, it felt like the right amount of pain, love, and fear was expressed in their words and inner dialogue. It was a satisfying scene and ending 🧡

Cannot wait to have the physical copy in my hands.

I am pretty sure this book changed my life. I am a mess 😭

I am a sucker for a marriage in crisis (or in this case divorced couple) book. It's so real and raw and had me so unbelievably emotional. The way Ellis was yearning for Wren had me in my feels!! And the character growth, ughhh.. spectacular!

This was so incredibly beautiful from start to finish. The little moments during the road trip were legit everything & I will forever be thinking about this heartwarming second chance between Wren & Ellis.

Marriages are never perfect and sometimes the struggles can be heavy at times. This book just hit specifically hard for me as a married woman. It truly made me reflect and had me so emotional thinking about the love my husband and I share for one another. It is truly a beautiful story and I highly recommend it!! (read Savor It first if you can)

Quotes:
"She's kissing me. I'm home."

"The alchemy of our bodies and the way my skin still remembers his is a part of that. He said it himself before: he's altered my very DNA."

What to expect:
-Divorced Couple
-Childhood Lovers
-Small Town
-Second Chance
-Road Trip
-Child (off to college)

‘I’ll save you a seat, Byrd’

When I say I squealed, when I opened up my email to find this. I really mean it.
I laughed, I cried and then I cried some more.
Wren and Ellis’s story, was beautiful. Tarah shows the realistic parts of marriage, the great love and the hardships that come with it. This second chance love story, was everything I wanted it to be.

(ps. Silas? Micah? We need more)

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, for the opportunity to read a digital ARC.

Left of Forever left me all up in my feelings. I saw pieces of myself and my own life in this story, and that heightened my reactions to the range of serious to spicy situations that Tarah serves up here. This story is beautiful, raw, and honest in its portrayal of how couples face complications and challenges over the years, highlighting how easy it is for adulting to take center stage and for us to forget ourselves and each other.

Things I Enjoyed:
• Wren - This Bird whips up desserts that’ll bring a man to his knees, will do anything for her people, and has been so thoroughly through it that her POV chapters hit hard.
• Ellis - He may have some piss poor timing, but he is a true caretaker and one determined man who does not shy away from a good baking innuendo. The things he says… and I’m not just talking dirty, here. This man bears his soul in more ways than one, and I audibly swooned.
• Their Origin Story - That adorably innocent OG compliment (**moo**), the Wrangler, the origami!
• The Byrd Family - I love the way they rib one another and enjoyed the little flashbacks from their teens. I also appreciate how no one shies away from crying because they all care so deeply for one another. Their son, Sam, added another emotional layer that made the whole of them one of my favorite fictional crews.
• Silas - Tarah, please tell me we’re getting his story. It’s a need at this point. I ain’t too proud to beg.
• The Depth - Their journeys required some heavy soul-searching and self-reflection. I love that therapy was involved and that the tough topics weren’t shied away from.
• The Humor - I cannot with that cooking class. I laughed so hard. Not the doodle!
• The Longing - I felt this in my bones. When it finally started to unravel… phew.
• The Letter Writing, Journaling, and E-mails - As someone who needs writing to express myself, this aspect deeply resonated with me.
• The Ending - This may have caused me to single-handedly keep the Kleenex brand afloat for the day.

I’ve been a fan of Tarah’s work from the beginning, and I’ve only fallen more in love with her characters and worlds each time they grace us with their existence. I am a sucker for a second-chance romance, and Tarah delivered it in peak form with this one. Left of Forever may be my new favorite story of hers.

** A huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. **

4.5⭐️
Left of Forever is a sweet story of restoration and redemption to a broken relationship. Told in dual POV, this book was full of beautiful, raw, emotional moments as the main characters fall back into love for the second time and really discover the importance and freedom of being truly open and honest with either other, forgiveness of themselves and each other, owning past mistakes, and moving forward together. The banter was swoony and the emotion paired with humor really added to the story, created tension that pulled you in, and made you invested in the characters. I will definitely have to go back and read the previous book in the series. Thank you to Tarah DeWitt, St. Martin’s press, and NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

i’ve been impatiently waiting to get my hands on this book since i read “she’s still a byrd” in savor it. i’m very happy to report it was worth every long minute of the wait. i haven’t read a tarah dewitt book that i didn’t like, but there was something extra special in left of forever. i don’t normally like second chance romance, but i pinky promise these two deserved another shot at making their relationship work. there was so much love still there, they broke down and communicated with each other, and consciously chose to move forward together after all the cards were on the table.

Wren and Ellis have such a beautiful story. When they were first introduced in Savor It, I actually paused reading to look up and see if Tarah was going to write their story too. I was so excited to see it was only a few months away.
Ellis was such a refreshing male lead to read. He realized very quickly how badly he wanted to win back Wren, and how much work he felt like he needed to do on himself in order to get there. There was so much longing and heartache, and you could feel how much he loves Wren on every single page.
Wren was a beautifully written female lead. I loved watching her self acceptance, while also recognizing there was still so much to learn about herself. Their journey back to each other, and a stronger pairing was so beautiful. Tarah really delivered the heart, the humor, and the giddy feeling you want from romance. Making a second chance romance feel brand new was really special.
Also the book playlist was PERFECT.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this eARC.