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Spunes, OR #3
Lost and Found
Not yet published
Expected 4 Aug 26Win a free print copy of this book!
1 day and 07:24:01
10 copies available
U.S. only
Bea always wanted to be a mom, but she never expected she'd have to lose her best friend to do it. Armed with nothing but her best friend's eggs and a bucket list to complete, Bea's world is a sea of changes.
When Silas steps in to give her a place to live when she needs it, Bea is half-relieved she has a longtime friend in her corner. A firefighter living in the wake of an accident, Silas has his own challenges to work through that have left him cautious and vulnerable in equal measure. At first, they expect nothing. But as these two former sunshines knit together in a love that has been unfulfilled till now, a new beginning comes out of the ashes of the past. One that will lead to a love that can withstand all the slings and arrows, joys and triumphs, that life can throw.
When Silas steps in to give her a place to live when she needs it, Bea is half-relieved she has a longtime friend in her corner. A firefighter living in the wake of an accident, Silas has his own challenges to work through that have left him cautious and vulnerable in equal measure. At first, they expect nothing. But as these two former sunshines knit together in a love that has been unfulfilled till now, a new beginning comes out of the ashes of the past. One that will lead to a love that can withstand all the slings and arrows, joys and triumphs, that life can throw.
352 pages, Paperback
Expected publication August 4, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,753 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
⭐️ 4.5 ⭐️ Please tell me why I haven't read anything by Tarah DeWitt before? Where have you been Tarah? I've been searching for an author who writes romances that feel like a passionate kiss by someone who knows how...From unspoken feelings and tender caresses, this right person-wrong time story never felt as emotional as it had in this book! Wow! I felt every soft spoken and unspoken word, every hug, every light touch..I felt lost, then found. Everything about this book felt introspective. Incredibly likable characters with so much yearning, heartfelt conversations and personal emotional scars--all felt like a warm hug. I haven't read the first two books in the series but didn't feel like I was missing out on much. All I can say is: cherish the beautiful moments you've created.
What's the story about?
Bea is struggling with grief and inability to conceive. She's considering IVF but fails to get support from her family, especially her mother. Her life is also upended after her long-time best friend passes from breast cancer, leaving an unexpected gift behind: her frozen eggs. A long time friend of Bea's, Silas, tries to help her out by offering a place to live after Bea's mother kicks her out..but Bea and Silas have history full of unspoken feelings and emotional wounds. Living together brings them closer, allowing for them to explore a possibility of a future together.
Before I started this book, I finished a very beautiful duology that wrecked me. Coming down that high, I wanted something sweet, short and mindless.. little did I know this story leaned heavy into emotional storytelling. We have two very compelling protagonists that carry emotional weight from the scars they accumulated yet they became each other's safe place during difficult times.
Bea Marshall lost her best friend, Merritt, to breast cancer. She's reeling from this loss and grief is consuming her. She's somewhat stuck in this grief bubble but is trying to do her best to move forward. As someone who lost several family members to cancer, her sadness, desperation and all of the aches and pains felt especially familiar to me.
Through flashback, we are shown what kind of person Bea was and how much of the past played a role in her present. First and foremost, Bea was a wonderful person and an amazing friend to Merritt. The unwavering devotion, time and support that Bea offered to Merritt was beyond what most people would offer nowadays. She went above and beyond for her friend and took on so much that in the process she lost a little piece of herself. I can't say the same for Merritt because despite her cancer journey, I didn't think she was a good friend to Bea. To me, she came across as selfish, self-centered and somewhat indifferent towards Bea. Even with leaving her eggs to Bea is a bit emotionally manipulative, wouldn't you say? Not only it raised a lot of ethical questions, I also thought it was a very selfish way to forever bind herself to her memory, to her forever lingering presence. I didn't like her very much and at times I felt that she overshadowed the love story and was a thorn in Bea's life.
So when Bea moved in with Silas, a firefighter recovering from a traumatic accident and also her childhood crush/friend, their personal/emotional scars brought them together and helped them find themselves in the process of rebuilding a life after tragedy. Silas...that man will lay himself bare and will do anything and I mean absolutely anything and everything for Bea and her well-being. They have been orbiting around each other since childhood (with Merritt always standing in their way) but no more. Tarah DeWitt does not hold back when she transitions them from friends to lovers. It feels earned and satisfied, like it's always meant to be. The level of yearning and tension is next level. They have a strong emotional connection from the very start--I was desperate for him to receive the love that he deserves. This was mature on so many levels & exactly how I prefer my romances to play out.
Lost and Found is not a light book. It's not a fluffy romance, an escape from reality. It's intense, heavy in survivors guilt, infertility, death. It's a story about unspoken feelings and beautiful memories we hold on to. Its heartbreak, its redemption, its about a friendship that stays a lifetime. It's about finding yourself amidst the chaos or sadness.
I will be reading the first two in the series!
Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martins Press and the author, Tarah DeWitt for an early ARC.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for an early ALC!
Narrators: Adam Gold, Samantha Brentmoor, Tarah DeWitt
Duration: 10 hours 35 minutes
Speed: 1.75x
Publication date: August 4, 2026
What's the story about?
Bea is struggling with grief and inability to conceive. She's considering IVF but fails to get support from her family, especially her mother. Her life is also upended after her long-time best friend passes from breast cancer, leaving an unexpected gift behind: her frozen eggs. A long time friend of Bea's, Silas, tries to help her out by offering a place to live after Bea's mother kicks her out..but Bea and Silas have history full of unspoken feelings and emotional wounds. Living together brings them closer, allowing for them to explore a possibility of a future together.
Before I started this book, I finished a very beautiful duology that wrecked me. Coming down that high, I wanted something sweet, short and mindless.. little did I know this story leaned heavy into emotional storytelling. We have two very compelling protagonists that carry emotional weight from the scars they accumulated yet they became each other's safe place during difficult times.
Bea Marshall lost her best friend, Merritt, to breast cancer. She's reeling from this loss and grief is consuming her. She's somewhat stuck in this grief bubble but is trying to do her best to move forward. As someone who lost several family members to cancer, her sadness, desperation and all of the aches and pains felt especially familiar to me.
Through flashback, we are shown what kind of person Bea was and how much of the past played a role in her present. First and foremost, Bea was a wonderful person and an amazing friend to Merritt. The unwavering devotion, time and support that Bea offered to Merritt was beyond what most people would offer nowadays. She went above and beyond for her friend and took on so much that in the process she lost a little piece of herself. I can't say the same for Merritt because despite her cancer journey, I didn't think she was a good friend to Bea. To me, she came across as selfish, self-centered and somewhat indifferent towards Bea. Even with leaving her eggs to Bea is a bit emotionally manipulative, wouldn't you say? Not only it raised a lot of ethical questions, I also thought it was a very selfish way to forever bind herself to her memory, to her forever lingering presence. I didn't like her very much and at times I felt that she overshadowed the love story and was a thorn in Bea's life.
So when Bea moved in with Silas, a firefighter recovering from a traumatic accident and also her childhood crush/friend, their personal/emotional scars brought them together and helped them find themselves in the process of rebuilding a life after tragedy. Silas...that man will lay himself bare and will do anything and I mean absolutely anything and everything for Bea and her well-being. They have been orbiting around each other since childhood (with Merritt always standing in their way) but no more. Tarah DeWitt does not hold back when she transitions them from friends to lovers. It feels earned and satisfied, like it's always meant to be. The level of yearning and tension is next level. They have a strong emotional connection from the very start--I was desperate for him to receive the love that he deserves. This was mature on so many levels & exactly how I prefer my romances to play out.
Lost and Found is not a light book. It's not a fluffy romance, an escape from reality. It's intense, heavy in survivors guilt, infertility, death. It's a story about unspoken feelings and beautiful memories we hold on to. Its heartbreak, its redemption, its about a friendship that stays a lifetime. It's about finding yourself amidst the chaos or sadness.
I will be reading the first two in the series!
Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martins Press and the author, Tarah DeWitt for an early ARC.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for an early ALC!
Narrators: Adam Gold, Samantha Brentmoor, Tarah DeWitt
Duration: 10 hours 35 minutes
Speed: 1.75x
Publication date: August 4, 2026
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Did Not Finish
June 5, 2026DNF...
I don't read for a month, and this is the book I start with 💀
This book should be lost and never found, because what the hell was that?
My friends and I decided to go in blind with this book, and boy, were we wrong. The premise is just so messy and toxic. The FMC's best friend, Merritt, dies and gives her eggs to the FMC, Bea, and Bea takes them. So Bea goes through pregnancy, childbirth, and all this hassle only because her dead friend asked her to. I'm sorry if I sound insensitive. That's a load of pressure to put on your friend after your death.
Also, Merritt was VERY toxic. She literally sleeps with someone's boyfriend and treats Bea like crap. I'd say Bea dodged a bullet if you ask me. I know Bea says it's her choice, but it genuinely doesn't feel like it. It felt like she was manipulated by the letters her friend sent and the grief of losing her. Bea needed to grieve properly.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and St. Martin's Press (St. Martin's Griffin) for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»
˖ ֹ੭୧pre-read:⊹ ࣪ ⑅
Hey, everyone. I haven't read anything in a month due to personal matters, but I'm getting back into it now because I miss it. Let's hope this is a win! I miss you all, and just give me time to catch up on your reading updates!! 🩷
Buddy reading with the lovelies Vicky and Kat 🩷
My first book by this author, so let's hope it doesn't disappoint. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.
I don't read for a month, and this is the book I start with 💀
This book should be lost and never found, because what the hell was that?
My friends and I decided to go in blind with this book, and boy, were we wrong. The premise is just so messy and toxic. The FMC's best friend, Merritt, dies and gives her eggs to the FMC, Bea, and Bea takes them. So Bea goes through pregnancy, childbirth, and all this hassle only because her dead friend asked her to. I'm sorry if I sound insensitive. That's a load of pressure to put on your friend after your death.
Also, Merritt was VERY toxic. She literally sleeps with someone's boyfriend and treats Bea like crap. I'd say Bea dodged a bullet if you ask me. I know Bea says it's her choice, but it genuinely doesn't feel like it. It felt like she was manipulated by the letters her friend sent and the grief of losing her. Bea needed to grieve properly.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and St. Martin's Press (St. Martin's Griffin) for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»
˖ ֹ੭୧pre-read:⊹ ࣪ ⑅
Hey, everyone. I haven't read anything in a month due to personal matters, but I'm getting back into it now because I miss it. Let's hope this is a win! I miss you all, and just give me time to catch up on your reading updates!! 🩷
Buddy reading with the lovelies Vicky and Kat 🩷
My first book by this author, so let's hope it doesn't disappoint. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
࣪ ˖ ֪ꮽ᱖܄ 3.5 stars˚ִִ꒱꒱ ִ݂
⤻ no spoiler review . disclaimer: this book contains a huge theme of grief. i have personally never lost someone uber close to me, so please do not take my word on how well done it is;; make sure that you are in the right headspace to read this 🫶🏻
i am so surprised at how good this book was! admittedly, i haven’t read the first two books of this series, but i decided to request this book because 1. it was on “read now” 2. the cover is absolutely breathtaking. i went in with no expectations, but now i will definitely be on the lookout on tarah dewitt’s instagram waiting for her new releases 👀.
་ 💭 ⊹ ࣪୨୧ preface. ‘lost and found’ follows silas (si) and bea (she has a million nicknames in the eyes of silas) reigniting their friendship after extremely unpropitious shifts in their lives. they are both entering new chapters in their lives and walk through the door with all the sunshine and happiness that they have left, finding it in each other along the way.
⸝⸝ the characters ⁺໒꒱
ᡣ𐭩 — bea. i LOVED her. throwback to my disclaimer: i have not dealt with grief before, so take my words about this next part with a grain of salt. i think the grief was really well done in this book — specifically with her character. the anger she dealt with and showed was palpable, i felt like i truly empathized with her in the scenarios where the most “random” anger was showing up, and i especially loved how she realized what was the root of it and didn’t just take it out on the harmless surrounding peoples. there isn’t one perfect way to grieve (obviously), but i think that she was incredibly mature about it. bea realized that she was internalizing her grief and knew that she had to do something about it (therapy). what i’m trying to say is, she handled it in a sensible way. this book made me realize that people who deal with grief in books don’t necessarily have to be annoying to the readers; i’ve read many a books that have turned their grieving characters into nuisances that are headaches to read about, and i was relieved to witness bea being a fresh interpretation of the vicissitudes of grief.
ᡣ𐭩 — silas. a thousand more silas’ better be pumped into the world because if my man is not like him, i don’t want him!! he would DIE for her. he was such a sweet, caring, and intimate man. he understood bea, he waited for her, and he nurtured her. i loved how he understood her spiritually; he had so much patience with her and let her decide how to move forward with the relationship and how she wanted to live her life and fit him into it.
𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⌗﹒ the reason that i didn’t give this a higher rating was because while i deeply appreciated the characters and adored their personalities, i didn’t really feel connected with them. yes, they were great and i feel a deep respect for both of them.. but unfortunately that didn’t equal a bond.
৻ꪆ ᩚ : the relationship was my favorite part of the book 😭. the thing that stood out to me in this book was the small and intimate ways that they tributed and treated each other. one dream i have in life is to have someone that can predict my every move, someone that knows and remembers, and that that is shown in every move they make for me. bea and Silas treated each other with so much veneration and deep understanding that i really enjoyed reading about.
﹏﹒✦ overall, i enjoyed this book so much more than i thought i would. tarah dewitt is going to become an author that i’m going to be keeping an eye on (in fact, i’ll probably be reading the rest of the series backward). one thing that i treasured was the epilogue 🥹. it was so freaking beautiful and emotional, and i’m sure the people who read the first two books will thoroughly sob. thank you bunches to netgalley for gifting me an ARC of this book, i am so grateful! 💞🪷🌟
⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹
˒˒☁️ pre read ˒˒࿐· started apr 18・xxvi 𖦞.˖
i really need to catch up on my ARCs, and i thought this one looked great to start with 🧡 hopefully it's good!
𑁦ꗃ thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
July 26, 2026
જ⁀➴ 1.75 ✰
I don’t know, I feel gaslighted and lied to because I really thought I was going to love this story like everyone else but what was this?? 😭 First of all, who in their right mind decides to have a baby because her dead friend told her to? 🤨 I mean, it’s fiction, so I guess anything is possible and I’m no one to judge the way someone grieves… but getting pregnant with that friend’s eggs? It’s just such a weird and kind of unnecessary plot, at least in the way it happened. I’m surprisingly a lover of the pregnancy trope, I know that’s an unpopular opinion but I love it, and that’s why I thought I was going to enjoy this book. I don’t know what I expected to happen but it was NOT this.
‼️spoilers might be mentioned in this review!!
The main reason why I disliked this book: Merritt.
The alleged best friend, Bea’s “soulmate.” She is one of the most toxic characters I have ever read in my life. The fact that she basically obligated Bea to have her baby says everything. I know some people may say Bea did it because of how much she loved their friendship but I truly don’t think she felt like she had a choice. Merritt left her a letter and an expiration date for the eggs… that doesn’t sound like someone who had different options. It felt extremely manipulative, especially considering Bea wasn’t in the financial position for either the treatment or a baby, and Merritt, being the incredible friend that she is, didn’t leave her anything except her eggs.
I DESPISEEEE the fact that Merritt’s crush on Silas played such a huge role in the story. Bea was ALWAYS scared of even looking at Silas and constantly felt guilty for having feelings for him. Idk, I’d like to think that if I were really close with my friend, I’d be able to tell her about the guy I liked, even if it happened to be the same guy she liked too. Also, they were kids!!! I feel like Merritt’s "love" for Silas was more of a silly crush everyone has on the hot guy than actual love, and I hated how many restrictions she put on Bea because of it. Bea couldn’t even dance with him at prom because Merritt got mad. Wtf. She KNEW Silas wasn’t into her and still kept chasing him. Like girl, take a hint. I truly hate how much control she had over Silas and Bea’s relationship even from the grave.
I also think Bea was very codependent on Merritt. It felt like she didn’t have opinions of her own and that everything had to be exactly how Merritt wanted it. I feel like if an author is going to add a dead friend to a story, that friend should at least be likable, and Merritt was everything but that. All of the flashback chapters felt like Tarah was trying so hard to make me love Merritt and demonstrate why they were “soulmates,” but all they did was show how unhealthy their friendship really was. I really hope I never have a friend as selfish as Merritt, never. It also felt like this was Merritt’s book instead of Silas and Bea’s. She was mentioned in every chapter, in every conversation. Everything was about her. Merritt this, Merritt that, she said yes, she said no, she would’ve done this, she would’ve hated this. IT WAS JUST SO ANNOYINGGG.
All that being said, Merritt wasn’t the only reason why I didn’t like this book lol. The pacing was also so badly executed. For the first 70% of the book, it was all about how Bea couldn’t be with Silas and how she needed to keep everything to herself. Then out of nowhere, the story did a complete 180 from one chapter to the next and suddenly they were saying "I love you." It was so inconsistent and so hard to believe that she really loved him because for the most part of the book, it felt completely one-sided. Then she suddenly drops the L-word after they make out??? like okayyyy. The last 30% was so rushed and most of it felt underwhelming, they got a positive pregnancy test and their response was to immediately start acting like a family 🧍🏻♀️everything was just so weird 😭
Maybe I’m a heartless person, I might be a terrible person idc, but I didn’t feel anything for Bea. I know she was grieving but I honestly couldn’t have cared less. I felt like I never really got to know her, I never learned what she liked or who she was outside of Merritt.
And Silas, my love, Silas. The two stars are only for him. Was he a little underdeveloped? Yes. Was he more like a side character in his own story? Unfortunately, yeah. But I still love him. He was so caring and supportive of everyone: his family, his friends and Bea… He is definitely the only reason why this book could be worth reading, even though his chapters are short asf and it still feels like we’re an arm’s length away from actually getting to know him. Yes, we read about his trauma and how he feels after his accident but everything is glossed over and pushed into the background after a few mentions. I truly hated that for him.
Their relationship was also very mid, and that’s because 🥁🥁🥁🥁 this was more of a Bea and Merritt book. Which was so unfair to Silas. This was supposed to be HIS story, his ending and his closure, and instead we got a story about toxic friends and a dead person who was still haunting everyone who was alive.
This feels very similar to promise me sunshine, which is my all time favorite book. And I’m aware I shouldn’t compare books but this was a similar plot (everything was the kinda same except the pregnancy) with a terrible execution that I just couldn’t help it.
tropes:
-it’s always been her but is has NEVER been him :(
anyways, disliked this so much that I had to comeback here and write a lengthy review even though I haven’t done that in months🤪 read this at your own risk.
___________
one of my most anticipated reads of this year and I’m scared I’m going to hate it 🫢
_________
the best thing smp have ever done is putting this book on read now😭😭
_________
FINALLY SILAS’s BOOK!!!!!!! I prayed for time like this
I don’t know, I feel gaslighted and lied to because I really thought I was going to love this story like everyone else but what was this?? 😭 First of all, who in their right mind decides to have a baby because her dead friend told her to? 🤨 I mean, it’s fiction, so I guess anything is possible and I’m no one to judge the way someone grieves… but getting pregnant with that friend’s eggs? It’s just such a weird and kind of unnecessary plot, at least in the way it happened. I’m surprisingly a lover of the pregnancy trope, I know that’s an unpopular opinion but I love it, and that’s why I thought I was going to enjoy this book. I don’t know what I expected to happen but it was NOT this.
‼️spoilers might be mentioned in this review!!
The main reason why I disliked this book: Merritt.
The alleged best friend, Bea’s “soulmate.” She is one of the most toxic characters I have ever read in my life. The fact that she basically obligated Bea to have her baby says everything. I know some people may say Bea did it because of how much she loved their friendship but I truly don’t think she felt like she had a choice. Merritt left her a letter and an expiration date for the eggs… that doesn’t sound like someone who had different options. It felt extremely manipulative, especially considering Bea wasn’t in the financial position for either the treatment or a baby, and Merritt, being the incredible friend that she is, didn’t leave her anything except her eggs.
I DESPISEEEE the fact that Merritt’s crush on Silas played such a huge role in the story. Bea was ALWAYS scared of even looking at Silas and constantly felt guilty for having feelings for him. Idk, I’d like to think that if I were really close with my friend, I’d be able to tell her about the guy I liked, even if it happened to be the same guy she liked too. Also, they were kids!!! I feel like Merritt’s "love" for Silas was more of a silly crush everyone has on the hot guy than actual love, and I hated how many restrictions she put on Bea because of it. Bea couldn’t even dance with him at prom because Merritt got mad. Wtf. She KNEW Silas wasn’t into her and still kept chasing him. Like girl, take a hint. I truly hate how much control she had over Silas and Bea’s relationship even from the grave.
I also think Bea was very codependent on Merritt. It felt like she didn’t have opinions of her own and that everything had to be exactly how Merritt wanted it. I feel like if an author is going to add a dead friend to a story, that friend should at least be likable, and Merritt was everything but that. All of the flashback chapters felt like Tarah was trying so hard to make me love Merritt and demonstrate why they were “soulmates,” but all they did was show how unhealthy their friendship really was. I really hope I never have a friend as selfish as Merritt, never. It also felt like this was Merritt’s book instead of Silas and Bea’s. She was mentioned in every chapter, in every conversation. Everything was about her. Merritt this, Merritt that, she said yes, she said no, she would’ve done this, she would’ve hated this. IT WAS JUST SO ANNOYINGGG.
All that being said, Merritt wasn’t the only reason why I didn’t like this book lol. The pacing was also so badly executed. For the first 70% of the book, it was all about how Bea couldn’t be with Silas and how she needed to keep everything to herself. Then out of nowhere, the story did a complete 180 from one chapter to the next and suddenly they were saying "I love you." It was so inconsistent and so hard to believe that she really loved him because for the most part of the book, it felt completely one-sided. Then she suddenly drops the L-word after they make out??? like okayyyy. The last 30% was so rushed and most of it felt underwhelming, they got a positive pregnancy test and their response was to immediately start acting like a family 🧍🏻♀️everything was just so weird 😭
Maybe I’m a heartless person, I might be a terrible person idc, but I didn’t feel anything for Bea. I know she was grieving but I honestly couldn’t have cared less. I felt like I never really got to know her, I never learned what she liked or who she was outside of Merritt.
And Silas, my love, Silas. The two stars are only for him. Was he a little underdeveloped? Yes. Was he more like a side character in his own story? Unfortunately, yeah. But I still love him. He was so caring and supportive of everyone: his family, his friends and Bea… He is definitely the only reason why this book could be worth reading, even though his chapters are short asf and it still feels like we’re an arm’s length away from actually getting to know him. Yes, we read about his trauma and how he feels after his accident but everything is glossed over and pushed into the background after a few mentions. I truly hated that for him.
Their relationship was also very mid, and that’s because 🥁🥁🥁🥁 this was more of a Bea and Merritt book. Which was so unfair to Silas. This was supposed to be HIS story, his ending and his closure, and instead we got a story about toxic friends and a dead person who was still haunting everyone who was alive.
This feels very similar to promise me sunshine, which is my all time favorite book. And I’m aware I shouldn’t compare books but this was a similar plot (everything was the kinda same except the pregnancy) with a terrible execution that I just couldn’t help it.
tropes:
-it’s always been her but is has NEVER been him :(
anyways, disliked this so much that I had to comeback here and write a lengthy review even though I haven’t done that in months🤪 read this at your own risk.
___________
_________
the best thing smp have ever done is putting this book on read now😭😭
_________
FINALLY SILAS’s BOOK!!!!!!! I prayed for time like this
July 9, 2026
Every cloud (your best friend dying) has a silver lining (you inherit her frozen eggs). Every time god closes a door (can’t date the guy you like because she had a big crush on him) he opens a window (that’s not really an issue anymore). The joy (learning how to cope with trauma) is in the journey (the trauma). Romance is a rich, complex genre, and DeWitt took some risks here that pay off — Bea and Silas are both imperfect and lovable, some of their choices are unorthodox, and we get to watch it all happen with the bittersweet knowledge that this our last visit to Spunes. (Until you reread the entire series, which you totally can it’s not illegal or anything). I love you, Byrds.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 1.5/5
is the best friend in the room with us? Bea girl, be so for real.
Merritt was a terrible friend. I don't want to talk ill about the dead (fictional or not), but I genuinely cannot find positive words to describe her. I only made it through because I was looking forward to Silas's book and I was hoping for some redeeming quality in the plot.
I think the part that makes me the most mad (aka fills me with so much rage) is the fact that Merrit basically expected Bea to use her eggs and carry a child - Merritt's child....and she does all this knowing Bea's financial situation. If you wanted someone to carry a child for you, best friend or not, you should be providing ample funding that they would need for the whole process.
So now, Bea has to come up with the funds and also be in the best headspace all to birth and take care of a child for someone that truly doesn't give a crap about her. This thing is from reading about Merritt, I don't see her as Bea's best friend, she's literally a leech. I think if Bea had enough time to properly grieve and think with a clear mind, she might have come to the conclusion that doing all that for a woman that gives zero shits about her would be pointless.
Also, Merritt's mother already has grandchildren and another daughter. I know that will never cease the pain that Merritt's absence will make for her, but Bea was acting as if this was the only way for Merritt's mother to have a grandchild, like what the fuck.
My thoughts about why Merritt it a terrible friend (just the highlights or we'd be here all day):
- the letter
It screams let me torture you from the grave.
- when she interrupts bea's and silas's dance.
It's one thing to have a crush, but another thing when you know the person that you have a crush on, has eyes for someone else.
- the toxicity
She slept with someone's boyfriend. That would be my final straw with someone. I would not be friends with someone like that....and the amount of gaslighting...holy shit.
The more I find about her, the more I am in shock that Bea decided to continue being her friend and also birth a child from her eggs.
Bea's mom was harsh at times, but I think she's the only character that was saying the truth.
The fact that this is supposed to be a book about Silas Byrd, yet the supposed friendship between Bea and Merritt took up so much, to the point that I wasn't able to enjoy the relationship between Silas and Bea.
I enjoyed Left of Forever and even Savor it, but this book wasn't what I expected for Silas.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this arc!!
--------
pre-read: omg one of my most anticipated for this year and I got the arc 🤭
is the best friend in the room with us? Bea girl, be so for real.
Merritt was a terrible friend. I don't want to talk ill about the dead (fictional or not), but I genuinely cannot find positive words to describe her. I only made it through because I was looking forward to Silas's book and I was hoping for some redeeming quality in the plot.
I think the part that makes me the most mad (aka fills me with so much rage) is the fact that Merrit basically expected Bea to use her eggs and carry a child - Merritt's child....and she does all this knowing Bea's financial situation. If you wanted someone to carry a child for you, best friend or not, you should be providing ample funding that they would need for the whole process.
So now, Bea has to come up with the funds and also be in the best headspace all to birth and take care of a child for someone that truly doesn't give a crap about her. This thing is from reading about Merritt, I don't see her as Bea's best friend, she's literally a leech. I think if Bea had enough time to properly grieve and think with a clear mind, she might have come to the conclusion that doing all that for a woman that gives zero shits about her would be pointless.
Also, Merritt's mother already has grandchildren and another daughter. I know that will never cease the pain that Merritt's absence will make for her, but Bea was acting as if this was the only way for Merritt's mother to have a grandchild, like what the fuck.
My thoughts about why Merritt it a terrible friend (just the highlights or we'd be here all day):
- the letter
It screams let me torture you from the grave.
- when she interrupts bea's and silas's dance.
It's one thing to have a crush, but another thing when you know the person that you have a crush on, has eyes for someone else.
- the toxicity
She slept with someone's boyfriend. That would be my final straw with someone. I would not be friends with someone like that....and the amount of gaslighting...holy shit.
The more I find about her, the more I am in shock that Bea decided to continue being her friend and also birth a child from her eggs.
Bea's mom was harsh at times, but I think she's the only character that was saying the truth.
The fact that this is supposed to be a book about Silas Byrd, yet the supposed friendship between Bea and Merritt took up so much, to the point that I wasn't able to enjoy the relationship between Silas and Bea.
I enjoyed Left of Forever and even Savor it, but this book wasn't what I expected for Silas.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this arc!!
--------
pre-read: omg one of my most anticipated for this year and I got the arc 🤭
January 11, 2026
Tarah DeWitt has done it again! Readers are in for the sweetest treat with this duo 💕 Beta read ☑️
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
What is bravery, if not hope in action?
I finished this book with my heart in my hands, snot running down my nose, and an ache for something that I can’t quite describe. It felt as if someone pressed a little too hard on a freshly healed wound. But it also felt cathartic.
Tarah accomplished something incredible with this book. She wove together a friends to lovers romance and a journey through grief, sprinkled it with lighthearted, humorous moments, and a story that had everything to be oppressive and dark, tuned into something hopeful and tender. Bea’s love for Merrit is felt in every single page and it’s, in my opinion, the heart of this book. It’s a beautiful and heartfelt love letter to friendship.
I felt a strong emotional connection to Bea and Silas. I felt their pain as if it was my pain, but I also felt their joy as if it were my own. They were both in dark places, dealing with grief and loss, but I felt so proud watching them embark on their healing journey.
Everything about their romance was written perfectly. The combination of two of my favourite tropes - friends to lovers and second chance- was exceptional! I could feel Silas and Bea's history, all the yearning and the love they had to swallow and keep hidden for years. I devoured their banter like it was the most delicious meal I’ve ever tasted. My body caught fire when they finally gave in to their most primal urges. And I cried when they bared their souls to each other. The understanding, compassion and acceptance they showed each other was touching.
Spunes remains one of my favourite fictional places, and the Byrds one of my favourite fictional families. The love and support these people show for each other warms my heart.
The epilogue quite literally reduced me to a sobbing mess. It’s one of the most beautiful epilogues I’ve ever read and I want to absorb every word that Tarah wrote into my bloodstream. Reading it felt like receiving a hug. Life is so beautiful and love is the most precious thing we can hold in our hearts. After experiencing a big loss, feeling joy again is a reminder that love continues to pour in the most beautiful way.
[thank you St. Martins Press for the e-arc 🤍]
✨✨✨
"I'm happy we were girls together," she whispered. "I had the time of my life.”
Shades of blues and purples, innumerable freckles of stars, and the Milky Way running through the middle like a fissure in the universe, a faint orange glow seeping through. There. That's where whatever souls are made of go. Nothing involving pearly gates or wings or malevolent, all-knowing beings. But some place that defies my understanding, still.
"But you know what? Not all pain, yours or mine or anyone's, has to have a purpose. You are not obligated to learn something or find a divine purpose in this. Sometimes it just fucking sucks. This terrible thing stays terrible, what you lost stays lost, and you carry on anyway because life is worth it, and maybe the only things you gotta find are whatever those things are—the things that make it worth it.”
Maybe grief isn't just a place or person you can't go back to, but somewhere you've never been and someone you're scared you'll never get to know.
One of the things I've learned over the last few months. mostly because of you, is how easy it is for two things to be true at once. I can be grieving and hopeful. I can feel terrified and excited. I can...I can want something and be wary of it. You can be scarred and beautiful. Broken and still whole.
What if we keep asking each other for what we need? And what if we just keep showing up? What if I keep on loving you?
Love is always having pieces of your heart walking around outside your body.
I finished this book with my heart in my hands, snot running down my nose, and an ache for something that I can’t quite describe. It felt as if someone pressed a little too hard on a freshly healed wound. But it also felt cathartic.
Tarah accomplished something incredible with this book. She wove together a friends to lovers romance and a journey through grief, sprinkled it with lighthearted, humorous moments, and a story that had everything to be oppressive and dark, tuned into something hopeful and tender. Bea’s love for Merrit is felt in every single page and it’s, in my opinion, the heart of this book. It’s a beautiful and heartfelt love letter to friendship.
I felt a strong emotional connection to Bea and Silas. I felt their pain as if it was my pain, but I also felt their joy as if it were my own. They were both in dark places, dealing with grief and loss, but I felt so proud watching them embark on their healing journey.
Everything about their romance was written perfectly. The combination of two of my favourite tropes - friends to lovers and second chance- was exceptional! I could feel Silas and Bea's history, all the yearning and the love they had to swallow and keep hidden for years. I devoured their banter like it was the most delicious meal I’ve ever tasted. My body caught fire when they finally gave in to their most primal urges. And I cried when they bared their souls to each other. The understanding, compassion and acceptance they showed each other was touching.
Spunes remains one of my favourite fictional places, and the Byrds one of my favourite fictional families. The love and support these people show for each other warms my heart.
The epilogue quite literally reduced me to a sobbing mess. It’s one of the most beautiful epilogues I’ve ever read and I want to absorb every word that Tarah wrote into my bloodstream. Reading it felt like receiving a hug. Life is so beautiful and love is the most precious thing we can hold in our hearts. After experiencing a big loss, feeling joy again is a reminder that love continues to pour in the most beautiful way.
[thank you St. Martins Press for the e-arc 🤍]
✨✨✨
"I'm happy we were girls together," she whispered. "I had the time of my life.”
Shades of blues and purples, innumerable freckles of stars, and the Milky Way running through the middle like a fissure in the universe, a faint orange glow seeping through. There. That's where whatever souls are made of go. Nothing involving pearly gates or wings or malevolent, all-knowing beings. But some place that defies my understanding, still.
"But you know what? Not all pain, yours or mine or anyone's, has to have a purpose. You are not obligated to learn something or find a divine purpose in this. Sometimes it just fucking sucks. This terrible thing stays terrible, what you lost stays lost, and you carry on anyway because life is worth it, and maybe the only things you gotta find are whatever those things are—the things that make it worth it.”
Maybe grief isn't just a place or person you can't go back to, but somewhere you've never been and someone you're scared you'll never get to know.
One of the things I've learned over the last few months. mostly because of you, is how easy it is for two things to be true at once. I can be grieving and hopeful. I can feel terrified and excited. I can...I can want something and be wary of it. You can be scarred and beautiful. Broken and still whole.
What if we keep asking each other for what we need? And what if we just keep showing up? What if I keep on loving you?
Love is always having pieces of your heart walking around outside your body.
April 11, 2026
man down so bad he plans to get over his cat allergy by sheer force of will just because she adopted one on a whim
praying at the altar of tarah dewitt
Bookstagram | Blog
praying at the altar of tarah dewitt
Bookstagram | Blog
April 26, 2026
ARC provided by St Martin’s Press. I almost don’t have words for this. I am so uncomfortable.
Firstly, the plot itself sounds like a joke. It’s absolutely ridiculous. Imagine this… Your best friend dies and leaves you custody of her frozen eggs without telling you first. Then leaves a note telling you to use them. But she left behind no money to continue to store them while you make your decision so you’re basically forced to immediately start IVF while you uproot your entire life to fund the treatment. You’re 30 with no real life and trying bring A WHOLE PERSON INTO THE WORLD. And since she doesn’t explicitly tell you NOT TO, of course using the guy your dead best friend had a crush on her entire life as a sperm donor is totally normal decision not weird at all!
Merritt was the most ridiculous character I’ve probably ever read. Her and Bea’s wildly unhealthy relationship and codependency was creepy and weird. It felt violating and almost inappropriate in a way. No one should ever be expected to be surrogate for a dead person’s child and then forced to raise the child as their own, because that’s what the dead person “would’ve wanted.” Honestly, it’s unhinged. The only two people who were against this erratic fiasco were villainized–meanwhile they’re the only normal ones in the entire book!
Besides the fact that a book with this premise shouldn’t exist in the first place, it was just so boring and relied way too heavily on flashback scenes to convince the reader that the main characters had chemistry. All I got was the ick because I couldn’t get past the horrid storyline.
Firstly, the plot itself sounds like a joke. It’s absolutely ridiculous. Imagine this… Your best friend dies and leaves you custody of her frozen eggs without telling you first. Then leaves a note telling you to use them. But she left behind no money to continue to store them while you make your decision so you’re basically forced to immediately start IVF while you uproot your entire life to fund the treatment. You’re 30 with no real life and trying bring A WHOLE PERSON INTO THE WORLD. And since she doesn’t explicitly tell you NOT TO, of course using the guy your dead best friend had a crush on her entire life as a sperm donor is totally normal decision not weird at all!
Merritt was the most ridiculous character I’ve probably ever read. Her and Bea’s wildly unhealthy relationship and codependency was creepy and weird. It felt violating and almost inappropriate in a way. No one should ever be expected to be surrogate for a dead person’s child and then forced to raise the child as their own, because that’s what the dead person “would’ve wanted.” Honestly, it’s unhinged. The only two people who were against this erratic fiasco were villainized–meanwhile they’re the only normal ones in the entire book!
Besides the fact that a book with this premise shouldn’t exist in the first place, it was just so boring and relied way too heavily on flashback scenes to convince the reader that the main characters had chemistry. All I got was the ick because I couldn’t get past the horrid storyline.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 19, 2025
Hey so I did in fact bawl my eyes out reading this. More thoughts to come closer to the release date💕
July 10, 2026
This is everything I love about Tarah DeWitt’s writing. Her characters feel like real people, her world feels lived in, and while she embraces familiar romance tropes, she never relies on fantasy or convenience. Everything unfolds in a way that feels grounded and believable.
I also think this is some of her most emotionally mature work. She tackles heavier topics with so much care and grace that it’s obvious this story comes from a deeply personal place. But as incredible as that is, the real magic is the yearning. No one writes yearning like Tarah. She gives us crumbs for hundreds of pages, building one of the best slow burns and right-person, wrong-time romances I’ve ever read until it all pays off perfectly.
Between the writing and that epilogue, this book hit me in a way very few romances do. It’s one of Tarah’s strongest books and the perfect sendoff for the Spunes trilogy.
I also think this is some of her most emotionally mature work. She tackles heavier topics with so much care and grace that it’s obvious this story comes from a deeply personal place. But as incredible as that is, the real magic is the yearning. No one writes yearning like Tarah. She gives us crumbs for hundreds of pages, building one of the best slow burns and right-person, wrong-time romances I’ve ever read until it all pays off perfectly.
Between the writing and that epilogue, this book hit me in a way very few romances do. It’s one of Tarah’s strongest books and the perfect sendoff for the Spunes trilogy.
Did Not Finish
June 1, 2026dnf 💙🧡
to say the least, this book was not for me. i'm sure there's someone who will absolutely adore this one, but that someone is not me. i was a bit wary of the book going into this one- the concept of having your best friend's eggs after she died was an interesting idea, and i was curious. however, i feel like the execution just wasn't there. for starters, her best friend leaves her these eggs in hope that she might be able to help her leave a legacy and have a piece of her. this, i don't mind. what i do mind is that the "best friend" leaves this letter that almost makes carrying the eggs an expectation. there's no easy way to say no to something like this and to make matters worse, the fmc had to tear her entire life apart to make this work. now, as someone with a chronic illness who has lost people to chronic illness, this is a burden i would never put on another person. i've experienced grief and loss, and i just don't think this is the way to handle it. in addition to this, in the flashback povs i never felt connected to merritt, the best friend. if anything, they made me dislike her even more. there were scenes where i felt as if their problems could have been solved very easily if they had talked to each other a bit more. and i get it, it's hard to talk when you're mad, but if a man is getting in the way of things the way silas did, i think there's an issue. which brings me to my next point: silas just happens to be the dead best friend's crush who liked the fmc. but the fmc's best friend also gets a little mad when they do something as simple as dance with each other, and that makes the whole situation a little more awkward. now, all of this being said, i really did not get very far in this book, so please take this with a grain of salt. as i said before, i'm sure there's someone who will like this book, but unfortunately it wasn't for me.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc! big thanks to salma and vicky for reading this with me as well <3
- preread 💙🧡 -
i haven’t read any books by the author, but this one was highly recommended, so why not?? i’m a little iffy on the whole dead best friends baby thing, but we shall see. fingers crossed that it hits 🤞
buddy reading with my besties salma and vicky
to say the least, this book was not for me. i'm sure there's someone who will absolutely adore this one, but that someone is not me. i was a bit wary of the book going into this one- the concept of having your best friend's eggs after she died was an interesting idea, and i was curious. however, i feel like the execution just wasn't there. for starters, her best friend leaves her these eggs in hope that she might be able to help her leave a legacy and have a piece of her. this, i don't mind. what i do mind is that the "best friend" leaves this letter that almost makes carrying the eggs an expectation. there's no easy way to say no to something like this and to make matters worse, the fmc had to tear her entire life apart to make this work. now, as someone with a chronic illness who has lost people to chronic illness, this is a burden i would never put on another person. i've experienced grief and loss, and i just don't think this is the way to handle it. in addition to this, in the flashback povs i never felt connected to merritt, the best friend. if anything, they made me dislike her even more. there were scenes where i felt as if their problems could have been solved very easily if they had talked to each other a bit more. and i get it, it's hard to talk when you're mad, but if a man is getting in the way of things the way silas did, i think there's an issue. which brings me to my next point: silas just happens to be the dead best friend's crush who liked the fmc. but the fmc's best friend also gets a little mad when they do something as simple as dance with each other, and that makes the whole situation a little more awkward. now, all of this being said, i really did not get very far in this book, so please take this with a grain of salt. as i said before, i'm sure there's someone who will like this book, but unfortunately it wasn't for me.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc! big thanks to salma and vicky for reading this with me as well <3
- preread 💙🧡 -
i haven’t read any books by the author, but this one was highly recommended, so why not?? i’m a little iffy on the whole dead best friends baby thing, but we shall see. fingers crossed that it hits 🤞
buddy reading with my besties salma and vicky
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4.5 stars
THIS MAN CAN YEARN AND I WAS SO OBSESSED!?!?!?
I was as bit skeptical about this plot, but this book was the definitely of right person, wrong time, which is one of my favorite tropes of all time. Silas and Bea have been into each other since high school, but Bea's best friend has always liked Silas, so he was off limits to her. Now, Bea's best friend has died of cancer and left her eggs for Bea to use to have a child of her own. Due to circumstances, Bea doesn't have a place to stay, so Silas offers his place. Being around each other so much makes it hard for them to ignore their feelings for one another...
Silas was a man obsessed and I loved how much he loved Bea from afar for so many years. We get a lot of flashbacks to them dancing around each other over the years, and it made me just love Silas's character so much more. I do think it was unfair that they weren't together because of Bea's friend having a crush, but I do love a messy romance and this one delivered on that drama and angst. They were fighting SO HARD not to be together, but obviously they could only fight so much before they gave in. This also had so many fun small town elements. I don't love the IVF storyline and thought it was unfair of Bea's friend to put her in that situation, but the romance absolutely sold me and made me love these characters.
THIS MAN CAN YEARN AND I WAS SO OBSESSED!?!?!?
I was as bit skeptical about this plot, but this book was the definitely of right person, wrong time, which is one of my favorite tropes of all time. Silas and Bea have been into each other since high school, but Bea's best friend has always liked Silas, so he was off limits to her. Now, Bea's best friend has died of cancer and left her eggs for Bea to use to have a child of her own. Due to circumstances, Bea doesn't have a place to stay, so Silas offers his place. Being around each other so much makes it hard for them to ignore their feelings for one another...
Silas was a man obsessed and I loved how much he loved Bea from afar for so many years. We get a lot of flashbacks to them dancing around each other over the years, and it made me just love Silas's character so much more. I do think it was unfair that they weren't together because of Bea's friend having a crush, but I do love a messy romance and this one delivered on that drama and angst. They were fighting SO HARD not to be together, but obviously they could only fight so much before they gave in. This also had so many fun small town elements. I don't love the IVF storyline and thought it was unfair of Bea's friend to put her in that situation, but the romance absolutely sold me and made me love these characters.
May 8, 2026
this book felt like a horror movie, my god. i genuinely had the jaws music playing in my head the more i read.
you have to be fucked in the head not to be inherently disturbed by a dead woman gifting her frozen eggs to her best friend who now feels morally obligated to be a surrogate while in a grief-stricken depression as deep as Tartarus. Merritt’s eggs are only viable for another year or two, barely giving Bea the chance to truly contemplate whether carrying the baby of her dead best friend is even remotely what SHE wants.
Merritt and Bea’s friendship is written as this epic (platonic) love story, and is why Bea decides to carry Merritt’s eggs… but the more i read about Merritt, through flashbacks and reminiscent anecdotes, the more i discovered that she’s always been an awful friend. from the moment they met to the moment she died. she was petty, spoilt and entitled, and i really did not understand why Bea wanted to 1) be friends with her 2) sacrifice so much of her life and love for Merritt. i didn’t empathise with Bea’s grief because honestly… Merritt dying actually freed Bea from her shackles and it was the first time Bea could actually live her life without Merritt’s constant toxicity. but even then she still manages to stick to Bea like a parasite from beyond the grave.
so their big epic Susannah and Laurel, Thelma and Louise, Blair and Serena duo friendship meant absolutely nothing to me and just disturbed me more than anything, because Bea’s life got infinitely better once Merritt was gone. it was the type of friendship every girl looks back on as an adult and thinks “thank GOD, i am no longer friends with her. how on earth did i convince myself that girl was my friend?” i saw another review say “who needs enemies when you have a friend like Merritt?” and i have not resonated with anything more in a long ass time.
i really held out hope that Bea wouldn’t go through with the surrogacy. i never truly believed she wanted to mother Merritt’s biological child, it just came across as her being a self-sacrificial martyr. i am just really glad Silas wasn’t the bio-dad, because i think i would have launched myself in front of a bus if the baby was biologically Silas and Merritt’s… iykyk.
gotta part ways with Tarah DeWitt. i can’t any more.
you have to be fucked in the head not to be inherently disturbed by a dead woman gifting her frozen eggs to her best friend who now feels morally obligated to be a surrogate while in a grief-stricken depression as deep as Tartarus. Merritt’s eggs are only viable for another year or two, barely giving Bea the chance to truly contemplate whether carrying the baby of her dead best friend is even remotely what SHE wants.
Merritt and Bea’s friendship is written as this epic (platonic) love story, and is why Bea decides to carry Merritt’s eggs… but the more i read about Merritt, through flashbacks and reminiscent anecdotes, the more i discovered that she’s always been an awful friend. from the moment they met to the moment she died. she was petty, spoilt and entitled, and i really did not understand why Bea wanted to 1) be friends with her 2) sacrifice so much of her life and love for Merritt. i didn’t empathise with Bea’s grief because honestly… Merritt dying actually freed Bea from her shackles and it was the first time Bea could actually live her life without Merritt’s constant toxicity. but even then she still manages to stick to Bea like a parasite from beyond the grave.
so their big epic Susannah and Laurel, Thelma and Louise, Blair and Serena duo friendship meant absolutely nothing to me and just disturbed me more than anything, because Bea’s life got infinitely better once Merritt was gone. it was the type of friendship every girl looks back on as an adult and thinks “thank GOD, i am no longer friends with her. how on earth did i convince myself that girl was my friend?” i saw another review say “who needs enemies when you have a friend like Merritt?” and i have not resonated with anything more in a long ass time.
i really held out hope that Bea wouldn’t go through with the surrogacy. i never truly believed she wanted to mother Merritt’s biological child, it just came across as her being a self-sacrificial martyr. i am just really glad Silas wasn’t the bio-dad, because i think i would have launched myself in front of a bus if the baby was biologically Silas and Merritt’s… iykyk.
gotta part ways with Tarah DeWitt. i can’t any more.
Read
June 3, 2026dnf @30%
I went into this book not reading the synopsis at all and that probably wasn’t the smartest idea to do. I could not get behind this premise at all. What do you mean her best friend dies and leaves behind her frozen eggs that are about to expire in two years to her. Like I’m sorry who comes up with that idea. The eggs were left behind for Bea our fmc who decides after reading a very guilt trippy and manipulative letter to have her best friend child. Mind you she doesn’t have the financing at all to have a kid resulting her having to change her whole life to have her friend child. Who mind you is a toxic friend. Also she is forced immediately to make a decision in her depressive state and is shock that her mother doesn’t accept her decision. Bea literally went on to say that Merritt (her friend name) mother really would love another grandchild and I’m here like so, she has other grandchildren. This is a burden to take for someone dying wish.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to my girlies salma and kat for hate dnfing with me.
—————————————————————-
𐙚⋆°. preread
Buddy reading with my gorgeous girlies salma and kat so excited this read this book as it would be my first one by this author.
I went into this book not reading the synopsis at all and that probably wasn’t the smartest idea to do. I could not get behind this premise at all. What do you mean her best friend dies and leaves behind her frozen eggs that are about to expire in two years to her. Like I’m sorry who comes up with that idea. The eggs were left behind for Bea our fmc who decides after reading a very guilt trippy and manipulative letter to have her best friend child. Mind you she doesn’t have the financing at all to have a kid resulting her having to change her whole life to have her friend child. Who mind you is a toxic friend. Also she is forced immediately to make a decision in her depressive state and is shock that her mother doesn’t accept her decision. Bea literally went on to say that Merritt (her friend name) mother really would love another grandchild and I’m here like so, she has other grandchildren. This is a burden to take for someone dying wish.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to my girlies salma and kat for hate dnfing with me.
—————————————————————-
𐙚⋆°. preread
Buddy reading with my gorgeous girlies salma and kat so excited this read this book as it would be my first one by this author.
July 24, 2026
🩵 2nd read July 2026 (alc): I mean 6 stars what else
🩵 1st read Feb 2026 (arc): can’t see through my tears oh my god. 6 stars
🩵 1st read Feb 2026 (arc): can’t see through my tears oh my god. 6 stars
Currently Reading
March 29, 2026✨💫 Lost and Found 💫✨
I’ll be sharing my full review closer to publication date.
💖 What to Expect
• Friends to lovers
• Grief & healing
• Found family
• Small town
• Firefighter MMC
• Fertility journey
• Second chance
_ _ _
📅 Pub Date: August 4, 2026
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.
I’ll be sharing my full review closer to publication date.
💖 What to Expect
• Friends to lovers
• Grief & healing
• Found family
• Small town
• Firefighter MMC
• Fertility journey
• Second chance
_ _ _
📅 Pub Date: August 4, 2026
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.
November 19, 2025
the love story equivalent of a warm crackling fire, a quilted blanket and fuzzy socks, and a hot london fog latte in your favorite mug, after days outdoors in below freezing temperatures barely evading frostbite. more to come closer to release day.
✰ 5 stars, I knew there was no way tarah would retire the mustache
special thank you to tarah for your online friendship and the opportunity to beta read for my favorite romance author. I love your weird, and I'm so grateful to have become part of your reader family.
***
pre-read review:
ain’t no way tarah is retiring the mustache
✰ 5 stars, I knew there was no way tarah would retire the mustache
special thank you to tarah for your online friendship and the opportunity to beta read for my favorite romance author. I love your weird, and I'm so grateful to have become part of your reader family.
***
pre-read review:
ain’t no way tarah is retiring the mustache
April 6, 2026
Thank you NetGalley for this eARC!
In all fairness, this is my own fault. I hate any kind of pregnancy trope in a romance, so much. But I loved the last two Spunes books and therefore needed to read this regardless. Bad choice.
From the get, the whole concept just gave me the ick. Your best friend dies and leaves you the eggs she froze (weird) with extremely vague instructions on what to do with them (rude), so you opt to have her baby to honor (/clone) her, and you do it all with the dude she was in love with her whole life? And your mom and your friend’s sister are the bad guys for thinking this is a terrible idea?
Also, the relationship between Bea and Merritt was so obsessive and weird and toxic. I don’t even have the energy to get into it, but it was too much.
I’m giving 2⭐️ because I like Silas and I love a mental health rep, but honestly that’s kind of a stretch because I don’t know if I would ever recommend this to anyone.
Please tell me I am not alone in these feelings! But ugh, I’m sad about it.
In all fairness, this is my own fault. I hate any kind of pregnancy trope in a romance, so much. But I loved the last two Spunes books and therefore needed to read this regardless. Bad choice.
From the get, the whole concept just gave me the ick. Your best friend dies and leaves you the eggs she froze (weird) with extremely vague instructions on what to do with them (rude), so you opt to have her baby to honor (/clone) her, and you do it all with the dude she was in love with her whole life? And your mom and your friend’s sister are the bad guys for thinking this is a terrible idea?
Also, the relationship between Bea and Merritt was so obsessive and weird and toxic. I don’t even have the energy to get into it, but it was too much.
I’m giving 2⭐️ because I like Silas and I love a mental health rep, but honestly that’s kind of a stretch because I don’t know if I would ever recommend this to anyone.
Please tell me I am not alone in these feelings! But ugh, I’m sad about it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2026
Such a sweet ending to the Spunes series!! I love Tarah’s writing style and the chemistry between Bea and Silas was everything❤️🔥
February 11, 2026
YALL ARE GOING TO LOSE YOUR MIND WHEN YOU READ THIS!!!! TARAH DEWITT AT HER BEST TRULY!!! A GORGEOUS BEAUTIFUL BOOK ABOUT GRIEF AND HOPE!!
Ahhh!! I don’t wanna give my full review until closer to release day… but gosh i love the byrds so much. They feel like family to me. Spunes will forever be such a safe space for me. There is so much depth woven into this book it’s actually insane. The epilogue??? I WAS CHANGED. I laughed. I cried. One of my top reads of the year FOR SURE!!!!
Ahhh!! I don’t wanna give my full review until closer to release day… but gosh i love the byrds so much. They feel like family to me. Spunes will forever be such a safe space for me. There is so much depth woven into this book it’s actually insane. The epilogue??? I WAS CHANGED. I laughed. I cried. One of my top reads of the year FOR SURE!!!!
April 12, 2026
first and foremost, W H A T are they feeding these Byrd brothers!!! i c a n n o t
second, i genuinely sobbed my way through this book. what an incredible journey of grief, loss, healing, friendship, and motherhood. bea and silas have been THROUGH it and watching them learn to lean on eachother and understand eachother in ways no one else can was such a TREAT. this had all the butterflies of finally getting your high school crush, the yearning for the one that got away, the unbearable weight of dealing with your grief, and the comfort that comes with finding the person you consider home. tarah, i thank you for baring part of your soul in everything you write. this story was truly perfect 😭
literally a million stars for the epilogue alone, it has been such a joy spending the last few years in spunes 🫶🏼
thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this eARC!!
second, i genuinely sobbed my way through this book. what an incredible journey of grief, loss, healing, friendship, and motherhood. bea and silas have been THROUGH it and watching them learn to lean on eachother and understand eachother in ways no one else can was such a TREAT. this had all the butterflies of finally getting your high school crush, the yearning for the one that got away, the unbearable weight of dealing with your grief, and the comfort that comes with finding the person you consider home. tarah, i thank you for baring part of your soul in everything you write. this story was truly perfect 😭
literally a million stars for the epilogue alone, it has been such a joy spending the last few years in spunes 🫶🏼
thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this eARC!!
April 3, 2026
One thousand forehead kisses to SMP and Tarah Dewitt for the ARC!! What a beautiful way to end our time in Spunes!!
The tension in this book is some of the best I’ve ever read, building slowly from their high school years through adulthood. The way they circled each other, her resisting the pull to him and him very patiently waiting (and secretly pining) and finally ending up back in his orbit was so beautifully written.
I can’t recommend this entire series enough. I’m a firm believer in reading everything in order, even a small town romance like this because it will add so much more color to the world.
I will miss visiting this fictional town so much 🥹
The tension in this book is some of the best I’ve ever read, building slowly from their high school years through adulthood. The way they circled each other, her resisting the pull to him and him very patiently waiting (and secretly pining) and finally ending up back in his orbit was so beautifully written.
I can’t recommend this entire series enough. I’m a firm believer in reading everything in order, even a small town romance like this because it will add so much more color to the world.
I will miss visiting this fictional town so much 🥹
April 2, 2026
*sniffle sniffle* this is my fave of the three 😭 Bea and Silas, I love you forever!!! Thank you Tarah for giving us Spunes, I’m still drying the tears from my face at that epilogue 😪
March 30, 2026
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. all opinions are my own.
this is one of the best books i have ever read and i need everyone reading this to drop what they’re doing and start the spunes, oregon series.
this is a story of hope, of grief, of “we were girls together,” of losing your second half, of finding and trusting yourself, of understanding that to be loved is to be seen, of supporting your loved ones, and much more.
this book has all the lighthearted giddiness of having a childhood crush, the soulcrushing weight of carrying grief with you everywhere you go, the immense relief when you find someone you feel cosmically connected to, and the nostalgic bittersweetness of “the one that got away.”
bea and silas are, to me, two of the most real, fully fleshed out characters i’ve ever had the pleasure of reading about. not only is their collaborative journey beautiful and heart wrenching, but what they each go through on their own had me weepy and emotional. they are so strong & resilient. bea is brilliantly written and carries so much love in her heart, choosing to hope and be brave in the face of her pain. silas is the most selfless, kind, breathtakingly courageous man.
also btw: that man is a YEARNERRRR. the romance was perfect. the way you can feel the undeniable connection bea and silas have throughout the years, knowing that they continue to be “right person, wrong time” year after year.. i’m in pain. the yearning and desire are palpable and my heart was aching alongside them the entire time.
i am so so sad to be leaving spunes and these characters. the byrd family has become my family, and i know they’ll always be there when i’m looking for comfort (or to cry, honestly). also, i need to say that this epilogue had me openly sobbing (like many parts of this book tbh) and i thought it was the perfect way to end this series.
and remember: “What is bravery if not hope in action?”
this is one of the best books i have ever read and i need everyone reading this to drop what they’re doing and start the spunes, oregon series.
this is a story of hope, of grief, of “we were girls together,” of losing your second half, of finding and trusting yourself, of understanding that to be loved is to be seen, of supporting your loved ones, and much more.
this book has all the lighthearted giddiness of having a childhood crush, the soulcrushing weight of carrying grief with you everywhere you go, the immense relief when you find someone you feel cosmically connected to, and the nostalgic bittersweetness of “the one that got away.”
bea and silas are, to me, two of the most real, fully fleshed out characters i’ve ever had the pleasure of reading about. not only is their collaborative journey beautiful and heart wrenching, but what they each go through on their own had me weepy and emotional. they are so strong & resilient. bea is brilliantly written and carries so much love in her heart, choosing to hope and be brave in the face of her pain. silas is the most selfless, kind, breathtakingly courageous man.
also btw: that man is a YEARNERRRR. the romance was perfect. the way you can feel the undeniable connection bea and silas have throughout the years, knowing that they continue to be “right person, wrong time” year after year.. i’m in pain. the yearning and desire are palpable and my heart was aching alongside them the entire time.
i am so so sad to be leaving spunes and these characters. the byrd family has become my family, and i know they’ll always be there when i’m looking for comfort (or to cry, honestly). also, i need to say that this epilogue had me openly sobbing (like many parts of this book tbh) and i thought it was the perfect way to end this series.
and remember: “What is bravery if not hope in action?”
July 25, 2026
⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ➳❥ pre-read
been sobbing since I read the blurb, don’t know if I’m ready for Silas & Bea?! my heart 🥹🥹😭
VERY VERY grateful for this ALC - Adam Gold & Samantha Brentmoor are in my top top favs!! 🎧
Thank you to SMP & Macmillan Audio for the eARC & ALC
been sobbing since I read the blurb, don’t know if I’m ready for Silas & Bea?! my heart 🥹🥹😭
VERY VERY grateful for this ALC - Adam Gold & Samantha Brentmoor are in my top top favs!! 🎧
Thank you to SMP & Macmillan Audio for the eARC & ALC
Want to Read
August 12, 2025Excited for Silas' story!!! This one sounds emotionally devastating.
Also, I just peeked the silas&bea Spotify playlist and Stolen by Dashboard Confessional is on there I can't
Also, I just peeked the silas&bea Spotify playlist and Stolen by Dashboard Confessional is on there I can't
November 22, 2025
and what if I cried???!!
April 1, 2026
leave me alone to die
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