ARC Book Review: Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Tarah DeWitt
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Release Date: May 20th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

An emotional, spicy, second-chance romance from USA Today bestselling author Tarah DeWitt.

This time, they’ll get it right.

Wren and Ellis Byrd fell in love as kids, had their son Sam when they were only teenagers, and built a life together in the coastal town of Spunes, Oregon. They were made for one another…until they fell apart.

Now divorced and in their 30s, Wren runs the bakery in town, while Ellis works as a firefighter. They live separate lives, though they are hardly off each other’s minds.

When Sam gets accepted into college and the pair help him move in together, Ellis convinces Wren to take an extended road trip back to Spunes with him to see if they can give their relationship one last chance. Amid the gorgeous scenery of the California coastline, dreamy destinations, and a great deal of long-yearned-for proximity, Wren starts to think it just might be possible. But the two still have to contend with their tumultuous past in order to move forward. And when spoken words fail, sometimes the written word must bridge the gap.
Will they make the most of what’s left of forever? Or will they let each other go for good?

Brimming with big feelings and packed with steam, Left of Forever is bestseller Tarah DeWitt at the top of her game.

Thank you You Had Me At HEA for the gifted copy.

THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT.

Lately I have felt the contemporaries I have picked up that are supposed to be ROMANCES aren’t actually all that romantic, and then I picked up Left of Forever and lost my absolute mind over how incredible this book is. It soothed something in my soul. It made me want to glue myself to my husband and it made me weep (if you’ve read that last paragraph YOU KNOWWWWW).

I loved how hard Ellis and Wren fought for each other. The circumstances surrounding their divorce made sense and wasn’t a mishap of anything that made me want to throw my book. Life really hits hard sometimes and things break apart. BUT THEY ALSO CAN BE HEALED TOO. This romance was everything. I loved how raw and open these characters became as they had to acknowledge the hurt and work towards better communication and that forever you could see they both desperately wanted.

I can’t tell you how many times I highlighted and tabbed my copy. There were many poignant moments, there was laughter too, and even those scenes where you could feel every word deeply. Hands down going to be one of the best romances I read in 2025.

Overall audience notes: