Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by ankonyx
Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5/5
I’m going to intersperse this review with quotes I enjoyed. If you don’t want spoilers of any kind, I would skip this review, but I did try to pick ones that didn’t reveal anything specific! The review itself will be spoiler free.
“You all belong to each other, with it without me, I think. But I want someone to belong to me again, too. I wish it were still you. I hate that I wish it were still you.”
I really enjoyed this one. I really should read second chance romance more often, as it really is up my alley. The mutual “unrequited” yearning of the sub genre is so delicious. This book is rightfully hyped in my opinion, even if it’s not for everyone.
Content warnings: ectopic pregnancy (to mc, past but frequently discussed); fire/fire injury (to a side character, past. M!mc is a firefighter fire destruction is discussed throughout the book); emergency c-section, teen pregnancy
“We’re not the kids who loved each other as friends or the teenagers who were overwhelmed by want. And we’re not the bright-eyed optimists who thought we were the exception when it came to young live, who thought our love and marriage could conquer all. We’re the war-torn adults who loved each other fully and still didn’t make it together in the end.”
Synopsis: Childhood friends to lovers Wren and Ellis loved each other fiercely, but that didn’t stop time and pain to separate them. While still divorced, they maintained a distant relation but kept things polite for the sake of their son, Sam. With Sam moving out to college, Ellis proposes an extended road trip on their way back to try to give their relationship another chance.
“Sometimes I think I regret it even still but… there are different kinds of hurt. There’s the kind you inflict sharply and quickly-like emotional blunt for trauma- and then there’s the other kind, like a slow-building poison in your veins. I think it starts with withholding love, but maybe it starts with withholding hurt, too.”
Pros/things I liked:
* The yearning was masterfully done and had me absorbing this book. I stayed up far to late on the day I started it because I just wanted more. This probably serves a solid 2 of the stars given and is very much a personal taste thing.
* I think it was a really good choice of having two times to follow, even if it meant that the synopsis on the back of the cover didn’t kick in until about 40% into the book. The book started a couple months before they go on the road trip, building up their past and their current tension.
* The characters were grounded and realistic. They grew with the story and with feedback from eachother and it was really lovely to see.
* I thought it was really interesting to have protagonists in their thirties with a grown kid. It’s not frequently seen and I appreciated how it was done.
* While not the child of divorce, I have seen divorce absolutely wreck families, so I appreciated that the characters were very mature about it the whole time.
“I wanted her to go to bed, I wanted to rip down whatever walls we’d erected between us. I wanted to get her however I could again and I wanted her to let me care of her […] and for us to be happy.”
Cons/things I didn’t like:
* The ending really dragged and was much longer than it needed to be. It felt like a 50 page epilogue.
* There’s a lot missed by not having read the author’s other work, especially Savor It. Especially in the ending, it loses a lot of impact if you have no care for the side characters, which I didn’t since it was built into the story that you would have already met them. I don’t think it’s fair for them to not be considered a series.
More quotes I liked:
“My heart took shape around hers, too, and it will never go back.”
“I wanted to be connected to my wife again. I want to learn about her dreams and make them come true. I want to love without restraint. I want to say the good things without reservation and not be afraid to say the bad or difficult things, too.”
“I used to keep a mental tally of the laugh lines that’d deepened around his eyes, secretly excited each time a new one would appear. I don’t think he’s gained anything new over the last few years, and it makes me unbearably sad.”
“I miss you, too sounds glib. You have been missing from me is more accurate. There’s a void where you lived in me.”
There’s even more that I highlighted in my own copy but this review is only enough, I’ll set you free now :)
Disclaimer: I received this copy via NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for a fair review. This did not impact my feelings in regard to the book.
I’m going to intersperse this review with quotes I enjoyed. If you don’t want spoilers of any kind, I would skip this review, but I did try to pick ones that didn’t reveal anything specific! The review itself will be spoiler free.
“You all belong to each other, with it without me, I think. But I want someone to belong to me again, too. I wish it were still you. I hate that I wish it were still you.”
I really enjoyed this one. I really should read second chance romance more often, as it really is up my alley. The mutual “unrequited” yearning of the sub genre is so delicious. This book is rightfully hyped in my opinion, even if it’s not for everyone.
Content warnings: ectopic pregnancy (to mc, past but frequently discussed); fire/fire injury (to a side character, past. M!mc is a firefighter fire destruction is discussed throughout the book); emergency c-section, teen pregnancy
“We’re not the kids who loved each other as friends or the teenagers who were overwhelmed by want. And we’re not the bright-eyed optimists who thought we were the exception when it came to young live, who thought our love and marriage could conquer all. We’re the war-torn adults who loved each other fully and still didn’t make it together in the end.”
Synopsis: Childhood friends to lovers Wren and Ellis loved each other fiercely, but that didn’t stop time and pain to separate them. While still divorced, they maintained a distant relation but kept things polite for the sake of their son, Sam. With Sam moving out to college, Ellis proposes an extended road trip on their way back to try to give their relationship another chance.
“Sometimes I think I regret it even still but… there are different kinds of hurt. There’s the kind you inflict sharply and quickly-like emotional blunt for trauma- and then there’s the other kind, like a slow-building poison in your veins. I think it starts with withholding love, but maybe it starts with withholding hurt, too.”
Pros/things I liked:
* The yearning was masterfully done and had me absorbing this book. I stayed up far to late on the day I started it because I just wanted more. This probably serves a solid 2 of the stars given and is very much a personal taste thing.
* I think it was a really good choice of having two times to follow, even if it meant that the synopsis on the back of the cover didn’t kick in until about 40% into the book. The book started a couple months before they go on the road trip, building up their past and their current tension.
* The characters were grounded and realistic. They grew with the story and with feedback from eachother and it was really lovely to see.
* I thought it was really interesting to have protagonists in their thirties with a grown kid. It’s not frequently seen and I appreciated how it was done.
* While not the child of divorce, I have seen divorce absolutely wreck families, so I appreciated that the characters were very mature about it the whole time.
“I wanted her to go to bed, I wanted to rip down whatever walls we’d erected between us. I wanted to get her however I could again and I wanted her to let me care of her […] and for us to be happy.”
Cons/things I didn’t like:
* The ending really dragged and was much longer than it needed to be. It felt like a 50 page epilogue.
* There’s a lot missed by not having read the author’s other work, especially Savor It. Especially in the ending, it loses a lot of impact if you have no care for the side characters, which I didn’t since it was built into the story that you would have already met them. I don’t think it’s fair for them to not be considered a series.
More quotes I liked:
“My heart took shape around hers, too, and it will never go back.”
“I wanted to be connected to my wife again. I want to learn about her dreams and make them come true. I want to love without restraint. I want to say the good things without reservation and not be afraid to say the bad or difficult things, too.”
“I used to keep a mental tally of the laugh lines that’d deepened around his eyes, secretly excited each time a new one would appear. I don’t think he’s gained anything new over the last few years, and it makes me unbearably sad.”
“I miss you, too sounds glib. You have been missing from me is more accurate. There’s a void where you lived in me.”
There’s even more that I highlighted in my own copy but this review is only enough, I’ll set you free now :)
Disclaimer: I received this copy via NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for a fair review. This did not impact my feelings in regard to the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Pregnancy
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury