Left of Forever
Ellis and Wren grew up together and had their son, Sam, as teens. A decade later, their marriage fell apart. Now in their 30s, they still can’t keep their minds off each other. A summer road trip to drop Sam at college is an opportunity to see whether forever might still be possible.
This was the first book I’ve read by the author and it was far beyond my normal threshold for explicit romantic content. I mean, 5 open door scenes plus 2 other highly suggestive ones— yikes! I had to think long and hard about why this one did work for me. Here’s what I came up with:
The reasons for this couple’s demise felt very real, having been through an ectopic pregnancy and stillbirth myself. There certainly could have been fewer of THOSE scenes for my taste, however I think DeWitt captures something about how pregnancy loss. I can’t speak for all women and I don’t think Wren’s POV explicitly states this, but what was implied was: “My body has failed me. It can’t even do something I thought it was made to do. Can I enjoy this part of life again? Will intimacy ever NOT carry the weight of this loss?” For this reason, I felt like although the couple’s verbal and written communication about their past was vital, their physical communication also brought much needed healing—it was a lot, but I give it a pass.
I have the home field advantage, folks! Ellis takes Wren to Santa Cruz, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and to the Shadowbrook restaurant in Capitola (it’s not named, but if you’ve ever taken the cable car down to the entrance, you’ll recognize this, I’m sure). They spend time wine tasting and camping throughout northern California. When you’ve been to these places, I think it makes a book come more alive.
Overall, this was a win for me. I only wish I’d known that Savor It came before it and had read that first. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the digital review copy. All thoughts are my own.
Some favorite quotes:
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🌶️ For spice skimmers, this book contains explicit on-page scenes. Avoid portions of chapters: 4, 23, 27, 29, 30, 33 + 36 (I KNOW 🫣😂)
Interested in a luxurious, buttery hardcover of this book? I snagged a signed edition from Aardvark Book Club! For US residents, the code SPLASH will get you your first book for $4. Then add this one on for $9.99.
If you want to earn me a free credit, email me to say you signed up and I can talk to the powers that be. 😉