Lost and Found

Name: Lost and Found
Author: Tarah DeWitt

Tarah DeWitt

Romance

Includes a Cat

At a glance

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Repeat Aardvark author

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Signed by author

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Small town setting

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Read the author's note

A stunning novel of romance and redemption set in the Spunes, OR world, filled with heartbreak and hope from "master of emotion" (Rachel Lynn Solomon) USA Today bestselling author Tarah DeWitt.

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.

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When she needs a place to stay, her longtime friend Silas steps in to help. A firefighter grappling with the aftermath of an accident, Silas has his own challenges to work through that have left him cautious and vulnerable.

At first, they expect nothing. But as these two former sunshines knit together in a love that has been unfulfilled until 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.

Don’t just take
our word for it

"The concluding chapter of DeWitt’s Spunes, Oregon, series isn’t just a love letter to the fictional setting she’s crafted or the characters who inhabit it, chiefly the Byrd family and those who love them, but also to her loyal readers; it’s hard to imagine any dry eyes after reading the epilogue in particular. Despite the heavy subjects the book navigates, including grief and post-traumatic stress, Silas and Bea’s dynamic is sweet and tender, and the author is utterly unafraid to dig into the vulnerability that makes this romance achingly believable and ultimately human at its core. A tremendously beautiful conclusion to this small-town romance series."

- Kirkus (Starred Review) 🌟

“A bold, character-driven romance written by an author willing and able to take chances—on her characters, in her plots, and through her emotionally rich prose. I was absorbed by Bea and Silas as people navigating a situation more complex than I could have imagined. Rich and cathartic and satisfying, Lost and Found is a romance that will stay with me for a long time.”

- Kate Clayborn, bestselling author of Georgie, All Along

"Tarah DeWitt asks all the big questions and finds all the warmest answers in Lost and Found, a romance that heals—and shows us we don't need to be all healed to love the right way. Earnest and sexy, painful and funny, it's a love story painted with the full spectrum of emotion. Reading this book is like feeling your heart wake up."

- Rioghnach Robinson, author of Bad Words

My date is giving me the silent treatment. By date, I mean my plus-one to a wedding. I also mean my mom.

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She turns the car down a winding road shaded under a canpy of evergreen trees, only specks of dove-gray clouds poking through. An outdoor wedding in April was risky for the Oregon coast.

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“Looks like it might rain,” I try.

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Nothing. I turn up the volume on the music, and she turns it back down.

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“Mom,” I softly chide. “Would you rather just stay home? You don’t need to go to this with me.”

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Her lips purse. “Well, I wasn’t actually invited, so my only option is to go as a plus-one,” she huffs.

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“It’s the second time Wren and Ellis have gotten married, Mom. I imagine they’re keeping it small. I was surprised I got an invite.” I suck my teeth in frustration. “You didn’t even like the Byrds.”

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“I never said anything of the sort!” she lies, affronted. “I thought Ellis’s parents were a little irresponsible, that’s all.”

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“Oh, yeah, how irresponsible of them to die young and leave Ellis to raise his siblings.”

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“When they were alive, Bea,” she says. “I said that they were sometimes a little irresponsible and a little careless when they were alive. Late to things. Forgot what time the kids were out of school. Let all four of those kids run wild. That is all I have ever said.”

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Ah yes. The joys of small-town living. Even when you’re long gone, someone is still talking shit about you and acting like they’re not. I don’t need to let this fight dredge up the fragments of our last one, though. “Whatever you say.”

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“That is what I say, dammit.” She takes a few calming breaths.

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“Besides all that, I show plenty of support to this generation of Byrds. I’m at Wren’s every Sunday.”

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This garners her a few points and puts her back in my good graces. Wren’s bakery is actually called Savvy’s, since it previously belonged to her mom, Savannah, but I like that she’s fully embraced it as Wren’s.

⚠️ Content warnings
Tarah DeWitt writes second-chance romances with conviction: in her careful hands, a do-over can be even more powerful than getting things right the first time. This is an author who plucks at our heartstrings with the deft fingers of a world-class Spanish guitar player. She handles the most difficult of topics with utter devotion—here, grief isn’t a burden but an anchor, keeping adrift lovers tethered together.
In Lost and Found, Bea and Silas are two tortured-but-hopeful souls who find that fixing what they thought was broken can be even better than creating something new. It’s a novel that’s not afraid to feel its feelings: we’ve got trauma and redemption, mourning loss and celebrating new life, sad-crying and happy-crying and everything in between. If you’re looking for a summer romance that’s life-affirming and brave, this one’s for you.
August reading vibes: Read it on the long-haul flight to your summer getaway, while snacking on peanuts and downing free wine and ignoring the toddler screaming in the row behind you. When you just need something to keep you up all night, something that will make you remember—seven hours in, when you’re bored and hungry and your legs are cramping and your seatmate is manspreading—that humanity is inherently good; that love conquers all; that life is beautiful.
🌶️ Spice rating
3/5 open door.