Tarah DeWitt’s Left of Forever, the second installment in her Spunes, Oregon series, delivers an emotionally devastating yet ultimately hopeful exploration of second-chance romance that will leave readers both breathless and tear-stained. Following the success of Savor It (featuring Sage and Fisher’s love story), DeWitt returns to the fictional coastal town of Spunes with Wren and Ellis Byrd’s story—a couple whose love burned bright, crashed spectacularly, and now faces the ultimate test of whether some bonds truly are unbreakable.
This isn’t your typical “we broke up and got back together” romance. DeWitt crafts something far more complex and achingly real: a story about two people who loved each other so completely that they forgot how to communicate, whose dreams diverged into disappointment, and who must now excavate the ruins of their marriage to see if anything salvageable remains.
The Weight of Real Love and Real Loss
The genius of Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt lies in its unflinching examination of how love can simultaneously be the most beautiful and most destructive force in our lives. Wren and Ellis weren’t casualties of infidelity or abuse—they were victims of life itself. Their marriage crumbled under the weight of infertility struggles, the suffocating responsibility of teenage parenthood, and the soul-crushing reality that sometimes love isn’t enough to overcome circumstance.
DeWitt’s portrayal of their five-year estrangement feels painfully authentic. These aren’t characters who’ve been pining dramatically; they’ve been surviving, building separate lives while carrying invisible wounds. Wren channels her energy into expanding her mother’s bakery, while Ellis throws himself into firefighting and raising his siblings. Their careful politeness around each other, the way they navigate shared custody of their son Sam, the studied avoidance of real conversation—it all rings devastatingly true.
What makes their dynamic compelling:
The history weighs heavy in every interaction
Their love language remains the same despite years apart
Small gestures carry enormous emotional weight
The physical chemistry never died, creating delicious tension
A Road Trip That Becomes a Journey of Rediscovery
The central conceit—a week-long road trip from dropping their son at UC Davis to returning home to Oregon—provides the perfect pressure cooker for forcing these two wounded souls to confront their past. DeWitt wisely doesn’t rush the reconciliation. Instead, she lets it unfold naturally through shared experiences: wine tasting gone hilariously wrong, carnival games that reveal competitive streaks, quiet moments watching jellyfish drift through aquarium tanks.
The author’s skill shines in how she balances the romantic fantasy of their gorgeous California coastal journey with the gritty reality of their emotional excavation. Yes, there are candlelit dinners and stunning vineyard picnics, but there are also panic attacks in cooking classes and devastating conversations about the baby they lost and the dreams they abandoned.
The road trip structure works because:
Physical proximity forces emotional honesty
New environments allow for fresh perspectives
Each destination serves the emotional arc
The ticking clock adds urgency without feeling contrived
The Genius of the Letter-Writing Device
Perhaps the most brilliant narrative choice DeWitt makes is the revelation of Ellis’s secret correspondence with Wren through care packages sent to firefighters. This subplot, which initially seems like a sweet romantic gesture, becomes something much more profound—a meditation on connection, identity, and the courage required for true vulnerability.
The letters allow both characters (and readers) to see who they really are when stripped of their shared history and defensive mechanisms. “Dear Stranger” becomes a safe space for honesty that “Dear Ex-Husband” never could be. When Wren discovers the truth, the betrayal feels genuine—not because Ellis was unfaithful, but because he chose emotional intimacy with a version of herself that didn’t know their baggage.
Supporting Characters Who Feel Like Family
The Byrd family ecosystem remains one of DeWitt’s greatest strengths. Silas, Sage, and Micah aren’t just Ellis’s siblings—they’re fully realized characters with their own arcs and relationships to both protagonists. Their meddling feels organic rather than contrived because we understand their desperate desire to see their fractured family whole again.
Particularly effective is how DeWitt handles the awkwardness of divorce within a tight-knit community. Wren’s sense of not quite belonging to the Byrd family anymore, despite their obvious love for her, adds layers of complexity to an already fraught situation. The way holidays and gatherings become minefields of careful politeness rings absolutely true.
The family dynamic succeeds because:
Each sibling has distinct personality and motivations
Their interference feels loving rather than manipulative
The small-town setting makes avoidance impossible
Everyone has skin in the game emotionally
Steam and Emotional Intimacy in Perfect Balance
DeWitt continues to excel at writing steam that serves the emotional arc rather than feeling gratuitous. The physical reconnection between Wren and Ellis carries the weight of five years of separation, making every touch feel monumental. Their chemistry remains explosive, but it’s tempered by the knowledge that great sex was never their problem—communication was.
The author doesn’t shy away from the complexity of physical intimacy after divorce. There’s hesitation, muscle memory, the strange familiarity of bodies that once knew each other completely. When they finally come together, it feels earned rather than inevitable, desperate rather than simply passionate.
Where the Story Occasionally Stumbles
Despite its many strengths, Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt isn’t without minor flaws. The pacing occasionally feels uneven, particularly in the middle section where the romantic vacation aspects threaten to overshadow the harder emotional work. Some readers may find Ellis’s secret letter-writing crosses the line from romantic gesture into manipulation, though the text itself seems aware of this complexity.
The resolution, while satisfying, feels slightly rushed given the depth of their issues. Five years of careful distance can’t realistically be overcome in a week, no matter how intense. A longer cooling-off period or more explicit discussion of ongoing therapy might have felt more authentic.
Minor critiques include:
Some romantic elements feel almost too perfect
The pepper incident borders on ridiculous
Certain supporting character moments feel slightly forced
The timeline for emotional healing may be optimistic
Themes That Resonate Beyond Romance
What elevates Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt above typical second-chance romance is its exploration of themes that extend far beyond romantic love. This is a story about growing up too fast, about dreams deferred and sometimes abandoned entirely. It’s about the weight of responsibility, the courage required for vulnerability, and the way trauma can make us retreat from the very people we need most.
The infertility subplot, handled with exceptional sensitivity, adds depth without feeling exploitative. DeWitt doesn’t minimize the grief of pregnancy loss or the way it can poison intimacy. She also doesn’t pretend that resolving to communicate better magically heals all wounds.
A Worthy Addition to Contemporary Romance
Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt stands as both an excellent standalone romance and a worthy continuation of the Spunes series. Readers familiar with Savor It will appreciate the way that story’s supporting characters become central figures here, while newcomers won’t feel lost. DeWitt has created a fictional world that feels lived-in and authentic, where consequences matter and love requires constant choice.
For fans of authors like Christina Lauren, Emily Henry, or Jasmine Guillory, Left of Forever offers the emotional depth and character development that elevates contemporary romance beyond mere escapism. It’s a story that trusts its readers to handle complexity, that doesn’t promise easy answers or quick fixes.
Final Verdict: A Beautiful, Brutal, and Ultimately Hopeful Love Story
Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt is a good read through sheer emotional honesty and DeWitt’s continued growth as a storyteller. While it may not achieve the transcendent perfection some readers hope for, it delivers something perhaps more valuable: a realistic portrayal of how real love requires work, forgiveness, and the courage to be vulnerable even when you know it might destroy you.
This is romance for readers who want to feel everything—the devastating lows and the soaring highs of love that refuses to die quietly. DeWitt has crafted a story that will stay with readers long after the final page, a reminder that sometimes the most beautiful love stories are the ones that almost didn’t happen at all.
Perfect for readers who love:
Second-chance romance with emotional depth
Small-town settings with tight-knit communities
Character-driven narratives over plot-driven action
Steam that serves the emotional arc
Stories about growing up and growing together
Left of Forever proves that Tarah DeWitt is a voice to watch in contemporary romance, capable of delivering both the emotional satisfaction readers crave and the complexity that keeps us thinking long after we’ve closed the book.