What We’re Reading in September 2025
CURRENTLY READING
Left of Forever
by Tarah DeWitt
A second-chance romance that will tear your heart out and slowly mend it together. Prepare your heart.
This second chance hits different. It will tear your heart out and slowly mend it back together. I think this is my first divorcés revisit-the-relationship love story. Ooomph, absolutely heart-wrenching. But ask me how hard I was rooting for them!
Wren and Ellis are childhood sweethearts and have grown so intertwined throughout their lives. The bumps, breaks, everything in between and on the other end of the spectrum have shaped their hearts and souls. And we get to witness their journey back to each other — those tentative steps, the cleaning of old wounds so they can heal properly.
Get ready for a journey you probably aren’t prepared for. But I promise it’ll be worth it.
Get your copy of Left of Forever (Amazon) and read with us!
What Victoria Loved
VICTORIA’S RATING: 4/5
Now, imagine getting an anonymous letter from the love of your life stating, “Even the most consuming love doesn’t mean happiness in the end. I can attest to that.” My heart would break, and it nearly breaks Ellis all over again.
If you want a book that captures what it feels like to find your life’s big love and describes in painful accuracy that desire to be together and a love worth risking everything just for a chance to fight for each other, the fire of that want… this is it. All of that comes across crystal clear with Wren and Ellis. Even when they’re not together, they’re connected. They belong. And I think their story also underlines the importance of communicating dreams, fears and desires. Especially when life gets hard.
This book brought tears to my eyes because Ellis is so clearly gone for Wren. And her love for him is just as big. Choosing each other over and over. Falling in love at the little things and the big things. That’s what we’re fighting for.
And outside of the MMCs, the supporting cast is truly special. I love the dynamic between the Byrd siblings and their partners. They’re genuinely friends and they show up for each other in every way. They love each other so freaking big, and I think it’s all stems from how hard Ellis and Wren love them and how they support each other.
I’ve always believed that you have to care for yourself and heal your wounds in order to grow. And you have to grow independently before you can grow alongside someone. And when you find your partner, they should help hold you up and provide a guiding light when you need it, but they shouldn’t have to dig you out of a hole alone while simultaneously trying to keep themselves afloat. And I think Left of Forever captures that beautifully. Love isn’t always a glamorous happily ever after — there are so many factors that could derail it, and it’s the winding road back that matters, right? How do you balance the needs of all involved while being true to your own? Sometimes that means a break to work on yourself, to find your way back. But it all comes down to willingness to fight, right? And choosing each other.
Tarah DeWitt reminds us that there is always a path back, if you’re willing to put in the work.
Save our Left of Forever playlist for your next roadtrip (Spotify).
What the Book Club Loved
FIREWORKS & STEAM: 4.5/5
This was surprisingly spicy — hot flashbacks made this not a slowburn, but helped turn up the heat throughout the story. We loved the outdoor action (it was intents!) and the introduction to BDSM, but could’ve dealt without the description of the hot pepper scene, but it was an entertaining turn of events. Overall, it was well-done, well-written, and well-paced.
WRITING STYLE: 4/5
While we liked the plot vehicle of the letter and journal-writing for the characters to express their feelings, experiences and to connect them back together. But the conclusion of their written exchanges felt a little too neat and we were disappointed that there wasn’t a deeper discussion about the letters.
Overall, we were astounded in the best possible way by the quality of Tarah’s writing. It was so well-written! Specific word-choices humanized her characters, bringing to life the depth of emotions in the complexity of trying to move on and just falling short. And for those who know and love the places included in the book, Tarah’s nostalgic descriptions were heartwarming.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 4/5
We love MMCs who go to therapy! And we love it even more when they translate that into action. We see true emotional maturity from Ellis — from fighting fires to avoid being alone to planning a whole trip and seeking help.
Their life happened so fast, they didn’t have time to concentrate on their relationship. From taking care of his siblings and their kid, it’s easy to understand the miscommunication and the struggles to voice their wants and needs, especially with something so heavy and complex as fertility. They were forced to grow up so quickly because of their circumstances. But Tarah handles Wren’s POV so delicately — motherhood, postpartum, her physical changes — Wren’s growth and self-love in this new part of her life was simultaneously inspiring and heartbreaking. As she embraced the body that grew their family, their family wrapped their arms around these two, proving the strength of their character and relationships with the broader cast.
THE LOVE STORY: 4/5
It was beautiful to read about a couple who had a history — to see the evolution of their romance from young innocent love to the intense heat of their passion for each other to their struggles with fertility and communication… and then we find them in the midst of finding their way back to a healthier relationship. Their love felt real and as strong as ever, as if they never fell out of love in the first place. It was devastating but confirmed they deserved this second chance.
They had the groundwork for success, they just needed to get back on track. Sometimes life forces people apart so they can grow individually before they can grow together. And in this case, they needed to be adults on their own. While the scale of their miscommunication was heartbreaking because it felt so real and relatable (it’s a real reason for break-ups!), the fact that Ellis never stopped thinking of Wren as his wife proved that their love and respect for each other was never the issue.
“I really loved this. I thought it was 1) a really fun read and 2) a lot of really heavy topics that were handled really well — from divorce to grief. It didn’t feel like too much or too sad.”
- CHRISTINA
If You Loved Left of Forever, You’ll Love These
YOUNG LOVE STUCK IN A RUT: Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonam-Young (Amazon)
It’s easy to get complacent after the HEA. Caleb and Sarah’s adventure into the woods force them (and us) to take a step back, to reevaluate everything they thought they knew about each other, themselves and their relationship. It’s a breath of fresh air — literally! — that tackles a difficult topic in a light-hearted and approachable way.
VICTORIA’S RATING: 4/5
AN ALTERNATIVE ENDING: Cruel Summer by Maisey Yates (Amazon)
I was immediately stunned. I was hooked from that first sentence! Every insecurity was surfaced, every issue or detail that Sam ignored or avoided in the past 20 years was examined— she left no stone unturned. And that’s all we could ask for. It’s raw, it’s real. If you’re in need of a good frustrating scream, this might help you get it out.
VICTORIA’S RATING: 4/5
EXES IN FORCED PROXIMITY: The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce (Amazon)
Experience yearning of a whole different kind. Two exes are forced together in the lead-up to their mutual best friend’s wedding. They have to step up as best woman and man despite their cataclysmic break-up. And as they go from one wedding related appointment to another, they realize they have a lot to learn about each other.
VICTORIA’S RATING: 4/5
BY THIS AUTHOR: Savor It (Spunes, OR #1) by Tarah DeWitt (Amazon)
Eat, sleep, sex. Prepare yourself to be hungry from the descriptions of Fisher’s WIP menu, exhausted from their summer festival training, and horny from all the chemistry and spice. It just cycles over and over — as per the beautiful cyclical life of small towns.
VICTORIA’S RATING: 3.5/5
Until the next chapter!
xo, Victoria
P.S. Craving more books featuring these sub-genres, tropes, and themes? Tap the links below.
