Thanks @netgalley @smpromance and especially @authortarahdewitt for the chance to read Left of Forever. It releases on May 20, 2025.

I already know this is going to be one of my top books of the year. I’ll be thinking about Ellis and Wren finding their way back to each other for a long, long time.

This book exemplifies what is so magical about second chance romance. They have so much history (good and bad) and have to find a new, honest way with each other to have what’s left of forever together. Tarah writes emotion better than anyone, and it makes you want to protect Ellis and Wren at all costs. But it’s also SO FUNNY and HOTT. The pepper burn scene manages to do both. I was 😬😂🫣😳🥰. I just love the way Tarah’s brain works ❤️

Wren and Ellis Byrd fell in love as teenagers and got unexpectedly pregnant at 17 and 18. They raise their son together, managing to carve out a lot of happiness despite their struggles. But after too many things went unsaid and resentments and space grew between them, they divorced. Now, five years later, they drop off their son at college and Ellis asks Wren to do a roadtrip home to see if they have something worth saving. Can they find their way back together?

Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Tropes: second chance romance, SO much pining/angst, roadtrip, only one bed, only one tent, let’s try new things 😈

The absolute perfect second chance romance! I was hoping there would be a Wren/Ellis book since i read Savor It and this surpassed all expectations i had for their story. Tarah DeWitt writes such well-developed characters and stories and this was my favorite book she has written yet.

Some books change the way you see love, and Left of Forever did just that for me. As someone who has been with my husband since we were 17 and 18 years old, this story resonated in ways I never expected. Tarah DeWitt masterfully weaves a tale of two people finding their way back to love, and every word felt like silk in my soul. I wanted to highlight every line, to wrap myself in the beauty of her prose. This book doesn’t just tell a story...it immerses you in a world so rich and emotionally raw that stepping away feels impossible. If you’re looking for a novel that will sweep you off your feet and make you believe in love all over again, Left of Forever is it. Savor it, cherish it, and let it pull you into a place you’ll never want to leave.

Per usual Tarah DeWitt does it again. I’m a sucker for he fell first, second chance, make up for lost time tropes and boy did she deliver!

The ice cream scene. THE ICE CREAM SCENE. Literally shouldn’t have been so hot (pun intended) but it was.

Can we talk about the “did you tell her yet” scene?
Actually having a productive fight and fully expressing their past feelings and miscommunications to bring them closer and they actually understand each other’s wants and feelings… unthinkable. It was such a good expression of what broke them apart in the first place and actually made them stronger together.


Top quotes:
“But what if it’s not burnt? I think. What if it just didn’t turn out like it was supposed to? Couldn’t you walk through the recipe and figure out where you went wrong—“

“Why are you freaking out?” Because I want to spread you wide on these pristine white sheets and taste you. —- f*** you until we both forget the time we lost. Until we both forget our names.”

“If you’re lost, I’ll find you. I’ll give you my body, my heart, and my soul. I’ll cherish every bit of yours in return. I’ll fight with you. I’ll fight for you. I’ll love you for everything left of forever, in every lifetime we get.”

Thank you to NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts are my own and are in no way influenced by early access to this title.

THIS BOOK!!!

I fear I will not recover. My brain and my heart have been altered by this book and I will never, ever get over it.

this—this is the epitome of what a second chance romance should be. It was EVERYTHING— from start to finish. It hit home, hard, for me in more ways than one and I want to take this book and imprint it on my soul somehow 🥹

The love—the LONGING— between Wren and Ellis had me overjoyed and also felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest at the same time. It was raw, it was real… it was so damn perfect. The tension was palpable, the angst was ANGSTY in the best way, and the LOVE behind it all just had me feeling all the things.

Ellis was everything you could want in a MMC. He was so, so kind and caring and I cannot put into words how much I loved him. His growth was beautiful to see throughout this story and Wren.. my sweet baby Wren I just want to hug you and tell you how much I love and understand you😭

This book was impeccable. funny, heartwarming, beautifully messy perfection. I want to hold this book in my heart and never let it go 🥺 I know with certainty it will be one of my top reads of this year! 🫶🏼

And the spice?!?! 10/10 !!!!!
…dare I say it was….Capsaicin? 🤣🌶️
(IYKYK hehe)

Thank you so much to Netgalley for providing me with this digital ARC!!

Thank you the NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book! Below is my honest review.

Ugh, I don’t hate this book, but it certainly wasn’t for me. We have two 30-something year old adults (Wren and Ellis) who got got married too long, got divorced five years ago for unknown reasons, and they share a teenage kid together. Ellis proposes to rebuild the relationship with Wren to see if things can go back to it once was. A second chance romance.

My problem with this book was that I felt like they did everything backwards, and maybe that’s just my preference. But they have this large huge explosion of feelings and emotions towards the end of this book, when instead they could have talked it all out towards the beginning of this trip and then worked on building the relationship from there. It’s all nice that we got the first-date feelings and giggles, so we know the attraction is still there. But it felt like we ignored the main causes of the divorce until the end, which then got resolved in all of two seconds with “but I love you and I always have!” And then they decide to get married shortly after this trip is over. I don’t know. I don’t understand this book. I’m glad other people liked it but it was not for me.

Dear Stranger,

I don’t know how she does it but with every book, Tarah DeWitt manages to make my heart clench and ache before sewing it back together and returning it to me with Care Bear level expertise. I have never annotated a book but this spoke to me on such a deep level that I need to keep the words close to me.

Left of Forever is an emotional journey through teen pregnancy, loss of a parent, guardianship, infertility, illness of a parent, divorce and so much more. Ellis and Wren didn’t just find their way back to each other, they healed parts of themselves along the way. I very much enjoyed the comedic and spicy relief. The tension between Ellis and Wren has been building since we met them in Savor It!

Left of Forever is a book that will stick with me forever. I cannot wait to reread it and hopefully see more of Spunes in the future!

Sincerely hopeful,
Clari

“We belong to each other in ways no one else ever will.” PLEASE!!! strike me down RIGHT NOW!!! i LOVEDDDDDD IT i am crying

this story, left of forever, follows childhood friends ellis & wren, showing their journey, trying to find their way back to each other for a second time after their first time ends in divorce. i’ve been wanting to jump into this as soon as i read about them in savor it.

in their first journey, they become pregnant at 17 & 18 and try to make it through life the best they can. but being a child yourself with a baby is arduous. you learn from a young age that you are no longer allowed to just do whatever, be whoever, but you have someone that depends on you to LIVE. as their son, sam, gets a little older, they become lost in their responsibilities & burdens of life, & in turn, each other. sometimes life takes us into unexpected places, which happened to both ellis & wren when they end up getting divorced. but are they really done? could the love they had & cherished really be through? this follows their journey in trying to find their way back to each other. it’s hurts. it’s raw. it’s real. it’s emotional. it’s beautiful. but what good love story doesn’t have a little pain?

ellis has had to be everything for his family. provider, caretaker. label after label. he’s never been able to just BE. BUT ELLIS BYRD. ELLIS ORION BYRD I SWEAR TO GOD. this man, y’all. he takes life in stride & steps up anytime he is needed. he loves wren more than life itself, but sometimes love isn’t enough, which he does have to learn. he is THE MANNNNN!!! wren is just baby. that’s it. i love her & want to be her.
“I miss you, too sounds glib. You have been missing from me is more accurate. There’s a void where you lived in me.” it HURTTT but in the best way. this book was SO GOOD. i can not stress that enough.

thank you to the publisher for providing this book for review via netgalley. all opinions are my own <3

4 ⭐️

This was sooooo cute! Savor It was one of my fav romances last year and I was so excited to read the ARC for this book. Ellis and Wren’s story was so sweet and I am such a sucker for a second chance romance.

Ellis and Wren had known each other their whole lives. They become a couple when they were 16 and 17 and end up getting pregnant a year later with their son, Sam. As they get older, they fall into some emotional issues and end up divorcing. Now, as their son is leaving for college and they have spent the last 5 years apart and living separate lives, they are experiencing some feelings towards each other and end up going on a road trip to celebrate her birthday and their son. Along the way, they are sharing honest feelings and raw emotions with each other while also endearing some unhinged chaos (ice cream scene, iykyk)

My only negative feeling toward the book was at which the speed they reconciled their marriage at. I feel like it was sort of rushed and I was there was a little more tension building/build
up before they were physically together again, especially considering they hadn’t really spoken unless it involved their son for 5 whole years. Either way, I enjoyed this book and hope we get another Spunes experience (GIVE US A MICAH BOOK)

Thank you to NetGalley & the publishers for the ARC approval!

This book was EVERYTHING! The world is not ready for Wren and Ellis. I devoured Left of Forever in less than 24 hours. I wish I’d savoured it (see what I did there) but once I started reading their story, I couldn’t stop. It was both heartbreaking at time but also had me squealing and kicking my feet in excitement. No notes!!

Oh my heart. I married young, and my children are a few short years from leaving the nest. This book broke me in parts and then put me back together. The tattoos, the road trip, the letters, the cooking class-all perfection. I was a sobbing mess by the last few chapters. My husband and I live by the motto “hold on forever” and Ellis and Wren depicted that so beautifully.

absolutely beautiful. the settings, the characters, the storylines, all of it. I remember thinking “oh he definitely still wants her” when reading about Ellis and Wren in “Savor It” and I’m so glad Tarah decided to write their story. This is the first time I’ve ever felt invested in a second-chance romance.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC! Can’t wait to pick up a gorgeous physical copy when it’s out.

Tarah Dewitt’s best book. Loved every word of it. Such a lovely, heartwarming second chance romance. I’ve never highlighted so much in a book. The yearning and the pining of this mustached firefighter (I pictured Bella’s dad the whole time) made me swoon. And the spice… 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️. Autobuy author for me at this point. Thank you Tarah for writing these amazing books!!

4.5⭐️ I loved this book and the story of how sometimes life itself is the bad guy in a failing relationship. I am really impressed by Tarah’s ability to consistently write good stories with humor and heart. Wren & Ellis went on a beautiful journey in this book and I loved Ellis’ determination and effort to get it right. The side characters were amazing of course.

I think ultimately it could have been a little longer as I felt like I missed a chunk of story in the middle somewhere? All the sudden it was almost the end and I wanted a little more depth to some of their conversations.

Overall this is a beautiful story of hope, choosing love, and putting in the work for your relationships. I can’t wait to see what Tarah cooks up for Silas & Micah next…Thank you to SMP Romance and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review.

"I grew up with my great love. So I think maybe my heart took shape around his."

My rating: infinite, bright ⭐

Read if you like:
- second chance romance
- letters
- divorced couple
- forced proximity
- road trip
- men who yearn
- moustaches
- characters in their 30s
- toe-curling spice
- heart-shattering HOPE
- iconic side characters
- She's still a Byrd

My thoughts:
How can I put into words the amount of emotions I feel every single time I think about this book?
How can I convey enough praise and reverence for what Tarah has created here without splintering into little pieces once more?
How can I feel whole again after reading something so pure, so raw, so full of quiet hope and yearning, when I'm feeling like a tender bruise on pale skin? Battered and flaky and constantly on the edge of pain but not quite?
The fact that I read this book back in December and I'm writing the review in February should tell you enough of my state of mind and the emotional chaos inflicted by Left of Forever.
I started crying from approximately the 5% mark and now here we are. Two months later and the tears keep flowing.

"I'm just saying. My DNA mixed with yours, and it altered your very bones, Byrd."

Sometimes fictional places and fictional characters stay with you for way longer than you anticipated. Like ghost limbs that send a dull ache at the most unexpected of times, they're just there, in the back of your mind, ready to pinch your big, squishy heart without a warning.
Ellis and Wren grabbed and squeezed mine from the very first word and honestly? I don't think they'll ever stop.

Reading about them felt like being forcibly shoved in front of a mirror I didn't necessarily wanted to look at, but one I needed, nonetheless. Because while some of their struggles might not be the same as mine, I do know how much effort it is required to make a relationship work, every single day. And how sometimes, even when you think you're giving your 100%, that's not enough and you still see it crumble in your hands.

"We're the war-torn adults who loved each other fully and still didn't make it together in the end."

Being an adult is effing difficult. There's no manual and no guarantees that what you're doing and the choices you're making will lead you to safe port. There's just hope and blind faith and, perhaps, if you're lucky enough, a handful of people on the sidelines rooting for you. Even when you don't. Even when you're exhausted and beat up so badly, breathing becomes a chore. One you feel you're failing at, too.
And maybe, MAYBE, there's also one more person. Your person. The one that makes you want to do better. Be better. The one you'll pick through thick and thin. The one that picks you, too.
But that takes daily work. REALLY FUCKING HARD WORK.
So it's incredibly humbling and refreshing to see a romance book portraying exactly that: the exhaustion, the healthy, honest communication needed to make a relationship work, the heavy emotional toll of having a person by your side, day after day, but not seeing your partner in there anymore. And the hard, constant work to make your way back to each other. The CONSCIOUS CHOICE to do so.

"I'll save you the best seat in the house, Byrd."

Whether I will it or not, Ellis and Wren's story is one that will be forever part of my brain chemistry. From the moment the words "She's still a Byrd" were put on a page, everything shifted. Lives were altered. And I'm not sure if she knew it back then, the ripple effect that single sentence would put into motion. If this was her plan all along, to create a small army of unhinged and unconditional fans who would burst at the seams with every little snippet she shared about their journey.
And either way, whether it was pure Machiavellian genius fueled by tears of her readers or the happiest of coincidences, Tarah created magic. Changed the game. Raised the bar. Will probably go bankrupt paying all of our therapy bills.


So yeah. Read this book. Go be devastated and turned inside out. Go cry your heart out. Go fall in love and be as horny as you can possibly be with these two idiots. Go explore your own range of emotions and question why all of the sudden you can't stop smiling when you pass the red peppers at the supermarket.
Go read this fucking book and thank me later.

This book made me an emotional mess. I teared up before I was even 15% into it.

When I read Savor It, I couldn't stop thinking about Wren and Ellis. I wanted their story so bad and Tarah couldn't have done a better job at writing it! As someone who married their high school sweetheart young, I felt like this was a beautiful representation of growing up with someone, knowing them through different phases of life, and realizing how they become a part of who you are.

I absolutely adored the letter writing aspect at the start of this book and the longing and familiarity between Wren and Ellis. I cannot and frankly don't want to ever get over them. I don't think I have ever rooted for a couple as hard as I did for this one. This was second chance romance at its finest!

You should absolutely read Savor It first. The way pieces of that story were woven into this one made me feel all warm and tingly.

"It's playful food fights that lead to stripping her out of her clothes, tracing the marks where her body had stretched for our family with flour dusted fingers."

“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.”
4.25 ⭐️
This was my first Tarah Dewitt book and likely not my last.
Different take on “marriage on crisis” seeing as how they’re divorced.

Ellis & Wren 💕
Divorced couple
Child (adult)
Childhood friends
Road-trip
Soulmate vibes

I really enjoyed this. It was beautifully written.
It had its sad parts and then it’s funny parts (the pepper situation 🤣🤣)

Arc review ✨
Netgalley

What an emotional ride this book took me on!! I’d been looking forward to Ellis and Wren’s book since I read “Savor It” and Ellis yelled, “She’s still a Byrd!” at a town meeting. I knew it was going to be beautiful, but I knew it was going to hurt too - I just didn’t know how much.

This book is a slow burn, but I was invested in their story since Tarah’s last book so I was in-it for the long haul. Some things I absolutely LOVED but will make no sense to you until you read it: the stranger letters, the capsicum burn, the ice cream, the pining, the internal dialogue, the found family, Silas’s speech, and the tattoos.

I loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc, these opinions are 100% my own.

Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt is a wonderfully emotional read that blends humor and longing with an exploration of second chances. The dual POVs really elevate the experience, giving readers insight into both main characters’ perspectives as they navigate the tension and rekindled chemistry between them. The slow burn of their rediscovery of each other is done beautifully, with each moment feeling earned rather than rushed, allowing their connection to rebuild in a grounded way. The way DeWitt mixes humor into the moments both characters experience makes their individual journeys feel real, with moments of levity that keep the tone from becoming too heavy while still allowing the emotional depth to shine (capsaicin, anyone?).

My one wish is that the story had delved deeper into the reasons behind their divorce and provided more of the missing years between then and the present. It would’ve been great to understand more of what led them to separate in the first place and to get more context on how they evolved individually before reconnecting. Still, Left of Forever is a beautiful exploration of love, forgiveness, and the complexity of relationships, with well-crafted characters that feel authentic and relatable. It’s definitely a book that will leave you thinking long after you’ve finished reading.

Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt is a wonderfully emotional read that blends humor and longing with an exploration of second chances. The dual POVs really elevate the experience, giving readers insight into both main characters’ perspectives as they navigate the tension and rekindled chemistry between them. The slow burn of their rediscovery of each other is done beautifully, with each moment feeling earned rather than rushed, allowing their connection to rebuild in a grounded way. The way DeWitt mixes humor into the moments both characters experience makes their individual journeys feel real, with moments of levity that keep the tone from becoming too heavy while still allowing the emotional depth to shine (capsaicin, anyone?).

My one wish is that the story had delved deeper into the reasons behind their divorce and provided more of the missing years between then and the present. It would’ve been great to understand more of what led them to separate in the first place and to get more context on how they evolved individually before reconnecting. Still, Left of Forever is a beautiful exploration of love, forgiveness, and the complexity of relationships, with well-crafted characters that feel authentic and relatable. It’s definitely a book that will leave you thinking long after you’ve finished reading.