ARC Book Review: Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt

May 18, 2025April 23, 2025 GoodeyReads1 Comment

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:

Contemporary Romance
Language: strong
Romance: 5+ open door
Content warnings: ectopic pregnancy (off page), conversations around infertility

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ARC Book Review: Savor It by Tarah Dewitt

May 21, 2024May 3, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Tarah Dewitt
Publisher: St. Martin’s
Release Date: May 21st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Summer won’t last forever.

Sage Byrd has lived in the coastal town of Spunes, Oregon (not to be confused with Forks, Washington) her entire life. She’s learned to love her small world, with the misfit animals on her hobby farm, and her friendships with the town’s inhabitants. But when her 5-year relationship ends and her ex, town-golden-boy Ian, suddenly gets engaged, Sage needs a win―something that will convince everyone to stop pitying her all the time, and to put Ian in his place. The Festival of Spunes, the town’s annual summer competition, would be the perfect opportunity. She just needs a partner.

Fisher Lange was a hotshot chef in New York City until the loss of his sister left him numb, grieving, and responsible for his teenage niece Indy. When Fisher loses his Michelin star along with his love of cooking, his boss sends him and Indy to Spunes on a much-needed summer sabbatical to consult on a restaurant opening. But when clashes with the townspeople threaten his last chance to redeem himself and a kiss with his new neighbor Sage leads to dating rumors, a strategic alliance might just be the best way to turn things around.

A deal is struck. Sage will improve Fisher’s image in the eyes of the town and remove the roadblocks he is facing with the restaurant, and Fisher will be Sage’s partner for the competition. But as their pact quickly turns into steamy rendezvous, emotional wounds begin to heal, and the pair tries to savor every moment, they start to realize that summer is racing by much faster than they would like…

Filled with spicy summer fun, small-town charm, and Big Feelings, this highly anticipated romcom is Tarah DeWitt’s best yet.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

NEW FAVORITE.

Audio notes first: LOVED. The narrators brought this book to new heights. It felt like I was truly listening to the main characters tell me the story. I loved the way it was crafted.

Oh my gosh, how does Tarah Dewitt do this to me every time??? I’ve been reading her books from the beginning and each and every dang story has brought the humor and feels and love and ALL THE THINGS.

I was SMITTEN from the first few chapters. Where you just know it’s going to be a five star read. And it never disappointed me once. I loved the grump x sunshine balance and the banter and heat between these two was next level. I loved how both Sage and Fisher had intricate backgrounds that played into their story, and seeing the growth from finding love with each other. This really read like a grown up summer romance story in allllll the best ways. I felt transported to this small town and adored the whole set-up.

This is full of swoon and romance. It’s full of heart and finding the best step forward. Full of reigniting passions and holding onto the parts of you that you love. This swept me away as an absolute romance book BUT with so much space filled with the ups and downs and pure joys of life.

I loved it. I loved it all. And I loved the ending came together too.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: moderate-high
Romance: 3+ open door scenes
Violence: low
Content Warnings: depictions of grief, death of a loved one (off page)

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Book Review: Funny Feelings by Tarah Dewitt

April 11, 2023September 27, 2022 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 392 pages
Author: Tarah Dewitt
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: April 28th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Farley Jones is being forced to date Meyer Harrigan, the man she has come to love, in order to make all of her stand-up dreams come true.

It’s agony— a tragedy, even. In lieu of flowers, please send cash…

Meyer and his daughter Hazel have been everything to her since they came into her life three years ago. So, all joking aside, the stakes really are high when it’s not only her career, but both of those relationships on the line.

A former stand-up star himself, Meyer has helped the trajectory of her career take off since he began managing her… Since he became her closest and most treasured friend, in the process.

This is the only reason why, when the biggest opportunity of Farley’s career includes thrusting him back into the spotlight to stir up publicity, he agrees— despite his grumpiness, his protectiveness over Hazel, and his disdain for public attention.

When helping her includes taking those barriers down, all those funny feelings start coming out into the open, and it quickly begins to feel like anything but a joke.

Funny Feelings is a swoony story about friendship, love, and looking for the laugh in life. It touches on the creative spirit and all that comes with sharing that gift, and how oftentimes the comedians in our lives are the most sensitive, or struggling. It features two friends, one incredible little girl, and a kaleidoscope of feelings along the way.

WONDERFUL.

I had mixed feelings towards Dewitt’s first book Rootbound. Funny Feelings on the other hand? This was an easy mark for the win column. The writing was better, the tension was sweeter and the story itself just had a lot of great aspects.

The grump and sunshine trope was awesome. I loved the dynamics between Farley and Meyer. Fiery banter and unrequited love that had me aching to know what would happen next. Also, Hazel???? OMG LOVED HER. Single Dad trope and his adorable daughter were AMAZING. I loved the deaf rep and I thought everything was handled well.

It was a bit crude/crass for me at times. Some of the jokes just weren’t my cup of tea (and that’s okay). I did truly laugh at others though! I liked the comedian angle and haven’t come across that in a romance read so learning about some of those dynamics was a nice touch too.

Third act conflict wise, meh. I don’t think Meyer and Farley needed it? It felt out of place, then dragged a little too long, with a super quick resolution. Not the end of the world, just not my favorite either. MEYER was my favorite though. Still swooning over many lines that man said.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: strong
Romance: multiple open door; medium explicit
Trigger/Content Warnings: grief and depression depiction, therapy, loss of a loved one, bullying

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Book Review: The Co-Op by Tarah Dewitt

December 22, 2022December 21, 2022 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 364 pages
Author: Tarah Dewitt
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: October 20th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

They say love and construction don’t mix.
By that logic, hate and construction may as well be condemned.

LaRynn Lavigne and Deacon Leeds had one short and contentious summer fling when they were teens.
Certainly nothing to build a foundation on.
But a decade later, when their grandmothers have left them with shared ownership of their dilapidated Santa Cruz building, they’re thrust back together and have to figure out how to brace up the pieces.
LaRynn has the money, but to access her trust, she has to be married.
Deacon has the construction expertise, but lacks the funds.
A deal is struck: Marry for however long it takes to fix up the property, collect a profit, and cut ties.
Thrust into a home without walls, they quickly learn that it’s easy to hide behind emotional ones, even in a marriage. But, with all the exposure and pitfalls that come with living with the opposite sex (and none of the perks) they’ll also have to learn what it means to truly co-operate as a team.

The Co-op is a steamy story about restoration and renovation, and uncovering all the things that build character within ourselves. It’s about the never-ending construction project that partnership is, and finding enjoyment at every stage.

BEST [YET].

Easily calling this my favorite book by this author. It was this beautiful steady growth that just made me fall in love with the characters and story. I live for character progression and this had that in spades. LaRynn and Deacon CLEARLY have some unresolved history and I appreciated immensely that amidst the digs and teases real communication started to flow. Both sides started to look at the situation differently and were able to talk about things that had been sitting on their souls for too long.

And what happens after? A wonderful relationship filled with pure love. These two had the heat, the banter, and all of the emotions. The innuendo was a bit past my comfort zone, but the steam itself is easily moved over. I just loved this story. LaRynn was not an easy character to love and sometimes we feel like that about ourselves and so I loved watching her story unfold (and I promise I did love her by the end!). Deacon was just the sweetest. And I loved that they both didn’t let each other get away with anything that needed to be discussed. Gah, I love communication.

The setting with the house flip was great. I liked the mix of construction shenanigans and everything else happening. The romance really stood out and dang do I love no third act break up that makes me want to pull my hair out.

I can’t wait to see what Dewitt writes next. I will eagerly be anticipating her next book.

Overall Audience Notes: