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.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this eARC. I read this book in one sitting. If you are looking for a story that is going to grip you from the beginning and drag you along for the ride, fully invested, this is it.

I often struggle with second-chance romance, thinking that it can leave everything a little too bruised for a ready I can truly enjoy. But Ellis and Wren are each characters you are cheering for alone, and even more so together. Meeting them originally in Savor It, I knew theirs was a story I was going to give a try.

Tarah has managed to write such emotion here, interspersed with a lot of humor, and spice, and the most enjoyable other family members as well. This was a very easy 5 stars. (Here's hoping for a Micah story next??)

4⭐️
"I grew up with my great love, so I think maybe my heart took shape around his."

My god this was adorable. I have been SO exited to read this one, from the moment I finished Savor It, and Wren and Ellis did not miss. A VERY well done second-chance romance

My stance on the second-chance trope is that the author has to get you invested in the relationship and show us how good the couple was. If we're only ever told that these people use to be together, it doesn't feel the same. TD used short memories and recollections and letters written between Ellis and Wren to give us an understanding of their marriage. We get to see how they got together as teenagers, how they were childhood friends, and the ups and downs of being husband and wife and raising Sam. And gotta say, it worked really well. The tension between them was so good! I could really understand the complicated feelings they had for each other, and how they were ultimately underlined with love, despite their divorce.

Why only four stars than? Honestly the pen-pal letter situation, which sort of started Ellis's road to bettering himself and trying to win Wren back, felt a little superfluous. I think it's meant to be like fate, Wren writing a letter anonymously and sending it out to fire fighter aid groups and having it end up in Ellis's hands. But it sort of just felt highly unrealistic? Like she writes this letter and sends it to Colorado, and Ellis just happens to receive it? And then when this thread was picked back up later and felt like it was going to matter, it was acknowledged and resolved in like a single page

I think my other hang-up was the speed at which Wren and Ellis reconciled. Their marriage had been on a downward slope with both parties too caught up in their heads to fight for each other anymore. So they divorced and spent the next FIVE YEARS basically doing everything possible to avoid each other, despite co-parenting a son. They spent holidays together and always acted cordial around Sam, but never spent any time alone together or talked about anything other than Sam. Then they spend a season separately realizing that they're not quite as over each other than they thought. Ellis proposes a week-long road trip, and they IMMEDIATELY reconnected as partners and best friends? Like I get they know each other on a soul-deep level and had been friends since they were five, but still. Five years is a long time to go with minimum contact, but they're instantly comfortable together again. It just felt like they went from divorced and looking for closure to 100% back together at the speed of light. I know we were told about the reasons for their marriage ending, but it sort of felt like, damn why the hell did you guys even divorce in the first place?!

I enjoyed getting to go back to Spunes and I'm really hoping TD takes us back! Honestly both Micah and Silas felt like they were getting set up for their own book, but I also would love to see more of Sam

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing team for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I never read Savor It when I got the ARC for this book which I had heard was SO anticipated. After devouring it in just four days, I can absolutely understand why. Ellis and Wren’s love story is so raw and honest, and beautifully depicts the way life and time can ravage a relationship, while also highlighting the ways in which we continue to choose our person again and again - in all every lifetime.

“Holding on to happy takes work”
This book was such a realistic view on marriage and how even with great love it is work. It was a beautiful second chance love story about a love that life just got in the way of. The communication and the way they talked about their feelings 🙌🏻. Highly recommend.

I think I’ve met my yearly quota in February of romance books that absolutely wreck me? Like can I REST?

This was beautiful. I’m so glad I also ordered Savour It because Tarah does no wrong in my eyes. I typically don’t like second chance romance but this was so well done- I need to know WHY things didn’t work and for them to dig into that meat. This was like the opposite of a miscommunication trope and I loved everything about it.

I also made a Pinterest board already for Micah who was mentioned like four times and I need an intervention.

Thank you to NetGalley and SMP for letting me throw every arc to the wind to jump straight to this one. I appreciate you.

We finally got the backstory (and the future story) about Wren and Ellis, while also getting more of Wren’s found family with the rest of the Byrd’s! In terms of a timeline, this one overlapped with Sage and Fisher’s book, “Savor It.” Wren is a delight of a character - dynamic and bold and bright, and someone I’d genuinely want to be friends with! Most of the character development was found in Ellis who seemed to come back to life as he got closer to Wren.

As much as I love Wren and Ellis and their second chance romance, my biggest hang-up with this book is that Tarah Dewitt seemed to be going down one path with having them write letters to each other anonymously, and then she pivoted and had the roadtrip be the catalyst for their reuniting. It seemed like two separate stories, and the former didn’t really add anything to what ended up happening. So, long story short: the characters were wonderful but the plot could’ve been better.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in advance of publication in exchange for an honest review.