But you know what the bravest thing of all is?
The most extraordinary thing?" I let out a relieving breath I feel to my very soul, because I also know the truth in what I'm saying. "To live by your own standards and no one else's. To be happy by your own measure.

Swoon. This is such a sweet and spicy and chemistry filled book. I love a respectful, tender love story and this one checked all the boxes for me.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and Tarah DeWitt for providing me with the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book--the banter, communication, and the way that the mmc was obsessed with the fmc were all great characteristics of a beautiful romance. I'm not sure why I put off reading this book since it is right up my alley in romance, but I know that I would have enjoyed it even more if I had read it at a better time. This book was sad, yet bittersweet. Towards the ending of the book, Tarah did not hesitate to bring out all of the emotions through her characters; and although it was corny and dramatic at times, I couldn't help but tear up as well. Besides the beginning of the book, there were never any additional times where you couldn't tell what the characters were thinking, in my opinion, they did well at communicating and allowing the other to know their thoughts, and I loved that.

Additionally, I think the spice was handled with care as well, while still being enjoyable to read. I do not often enjoy reading spice and/or smut, but I did not mind it in this novel. I look forward to reading more work by this author in the near future.

3.75 ⭐️

While I did enjoy this book, something was missing for me and I can’t quite put my finger on what.

It’s a very character driven romance with really great themes about finding yourself and finding joy plus some really great and deep emotional moments that brought me to tears, and if you know me you know I’m a sucker for a book that will make me cry.

The writing was beautiful, the setting was perfection, and while I couldn’t connect to either of the main characters, they’re both so lovable and I love how they love each other.

It did take me a long time to get through, but that is 100% a case of ME and not the book. Still, a really great read and I do recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the ARC!

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this advance copy of Savor It by Tarah DeWitt - this one published in May and is available for purchase today!

I will admit, I knew DeWitt is a romance writer, but I was immediately drawn to the cover, and the culinary setting. Sage and Fisher were such enjoyable characters and I enjoyed the lead up to their romance, and I thought this one was a nice balance with the spice level. I would characterize it as a bit more of a slow burn, but the length was perfect - I’d definitely love to pick up her previous work to check out.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Such a sweet small town romance with a slow start but that definitely picks up. Quite enjoyed this one.

Thanks to St Martin’s Press & netgalley for the chance to read in exchange for an honest review.

Sage Byrd is a teacher in the small town of Spunes, Oregon, spending her Summer tending to her garden and farm, trying to get over the sting of longtime ex-boyfriend immediately getting engaged to a former friend. Fisher Lange is a disgraced NYC chef sent to consult on a new concept restaurant opening up in town, much to the townspeople's chagrin. After seeing the two together in the library, rumors spread about their involvement, and when the townspeople start to warm to Fisher as a result, the two decide to keep up the ruse to improve his image. Knowing that Fisher intends to return to New York at the end of the Summer, they both try to keep feelings out of the equation, but both fall desperately in love. There are some great tropes at play here, small town romance, single dad (Fisher is guardian to his niece), fake dating, culinary scene, and a realistic grumpy sunshine where the FMC is more sassy than vapid and the MMC isn't a jerk but just beaten down by life and circumstances. It had a moderate spice level and was heartbreakingly relatable for anyone who's ever fell in love with someone they can't be with.

SAVOR IT review

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

🪿Tarah is an auto-read author for me and SAVOR IT was one of my most anticipated 2024 releases! The premise of this one had me hooked!

🪿Here’s a summary of the plot:👇
Sage loves everything about her small town, except that she’s constantly running into her ex and his new girlfriend. She’s determined to win her town’s summer competition to prove that she’s “winning the breakup.” She partners with her new neighbor, Fisher, to win the contest together. Fisher is only in town for the summer and has plenty of baggage he’s brought with him. Can they work together and pull off the win?

🪿No one is more bummed than me that I didn’t love this one. 🥲 It’s hard to pinpoint what exactly about this one didn’t work for me tbh. The beginning was so strong but then the pacing was weird. I honestly felt like the middle was just going on and on and nothing was really happening? I did like how the story wrapped up overall and I am very excited for Wren and Ellis to get their own book next year! If you’ve loved Tarah’s other books I’d still give this one a shot!

🪿Thanks @macmillan.audio and @stmartinspress for my digital copies!

One of my new favourite small town summer romances! It was charming, emotional, and filled with witty banter that had me laughing right along with the characters!

I loved the family dynamics and the sweet friendships in this, it made me love this book all the more. I loved seeing the quick friendship between Sage and Fisher’s niece, Indy. Sage in a way helps ground her and gives her a purpose whether or not it’s just for the summer. And the blossoming love between Sage and Fisher was the definitely one of my favourite parts.

I was really happy that this book had dual pov’s because it allows me to connect more with the characters when I can read their thoughts and feelings towards other characters. Especially Sage’s internal dialogue, which was hilarious.

The sweet and tender scenes were written really nicely. The serious moments were also done exceptionally well, they weren’t just glossed over quickly. I really enjoyed the puns and quirkiness from Sage and the broodiness from Fisher, it was really giving grumpy/sunshine.

Savor It is a beautiful story of loss, love, and self discovery. It really was such a wonderful read. I loved the sweet, summery vibes with a great mix of excellent characters. I definitely recommend if you love the tropes: grumpy/sunshine, small town romance, fake dating, dual pov’s, and summer romances!

This was a very sweet story. I really enjoyed Sage and Fisher’s story. It was a bit slow at first, but it definitely picked up.

What a gem of a summer romance! As a foodie I loved the restaurant angle and food descriptions, and the rural, small town setting was so beautiful to visualize. Creative, hardworking, deeply lovable main characters — pure summer vibes — a wonderful beach read. I look forward to rereading this one, especially on audiobook, as I LOVED both narrators.

Savor It is a cute small town romcom , perfect for the summer. I really enjoyed the charecters and appreciated that they were not shown as perfect. The chapters flowed well together and the spice was the perfect amount. Tarah DeWitt has written another fabulous story, I look forward to her next book.

I loved being back in Tarah’s world of writing! Her characters are so relatable, her storytelling easily consumable. Emotionally complex and balanced with humor and heart make for a great summer read!

One of my overdue reviews … I read this book in May and it was so cute but I did not get around to writing my review for a while. Savor It is a small-town grumpy/sunshine summer romance.
Sage is a woman content to spend her summer caring for her farm animals and garden, until Fisher a renowned chef moves in next door to her for the summer season after getting a last chance to get his stuff together and become a full-time guardian to his teenage niece.
When the two meet, Fisher agrees to help Sage out as her partner for the town's festival competition if she gets him an in with the locals. Training for the event helps the two grow close, at the same time they both know Fisher is only in town for the summer.
I loved this sweet and summery rom-com so much; the writing, characters, the feelings and romance all came together to paint such a tender and passionate story. Fisher and Sage are a great couple, loving, supportive and encouraging. At the same time the story had depth and their background and issues seemed real and relatable.
I really appreciated that neither of the characters were displayed as being perfect, but that they were still perfect as they were. I loved seeing Fisher and and his deceased sister’s daughter Indy's relationship grow over the course of the book, and I loved the realness of the struggles Fisher faced in raising his niece.
I loved how Indy played a real part in the story, and I loved the animals and their quirks. I loved the character growth we got to see from both Sage and Fisher, and I just genuinely really loved both of them.

"Savor It" is a delightful small-town story that will stay with me for a long time. I absolutely adore small-town romances because the intricate details of the setting add so much depth to the story, and this book was no different! I've read nearly all of Tarah's books, but this one felt particularly raw and realistic.

Sage is the kind of female main character you read about and wish you could be best friends with. I'd love to join her on her little farm and help her care for her various rescue animals. Her character truly stood out to me; Tarah did a fantastic job developing her struggles and showing how they impact her. Fisher was everything you could ever hope for! He's a chef with a troubled past, just barely holding it together for his niece, whom he has legal guardianship of. I loved reading about his character and his development. He was everything to Sage, and Sage was everything to him. These two characters bring color into each other's lives, and it's so beautiful to witness. The way they can relate to and provide advice and guidance to each other was amazing!

I'm so excited to read Tarah's next book!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin!

Just a small town girl....Just a city boy. The lyrics sang by Journey ring in my mind as I read this story.

Sage's once thought to be true love has dumped her and has moved on. Desperately trying to distract herself, she takes on every plant and animal she can get her hands on.

Fisher experiencing loss after loss is forced to step away and recharge in a town unlike anything he has ever experienced.

Spunes Oregon is where they find each other.

She needs a jump start he needs a fresh start. Together, Sage and Fisher are able to heal parts of each other they didn't quite realize we're broken. Savor it is a story of grace and allowing oneself to experience it.

I loved this story. I fell in love with the town, with the people and the community they have created. I laughed with them and I cried with them. This is one I'm happy to and can easily put into my favorites.

Five stars.

The perfect small town summer romance book! I loved the main characters and really resonated with the deeper emotions and life lessons this book evoked. I do think it felt slow at some points which is why I’m rating it 4 stars.

I have read every book my Tarah DeWitt and I have to say Savor it is my favourite book by the author. I loved the plot, the deep layers we got from the characters, and the love story. The romance between Sage and Fisher was beautiful. It chemistry between them felt so raw and real.. I loved that he didn’t make her feel small; and valued her. In addition, the different family dynamics drew me in. I do wish we got more backstory on Sages life growing up with her brothers after the passing of her parents but I loved how protective they were of her. Her friendship with Wren was amazing, had me laughing during some moments, I loved that she was there for Sage and gave her support

Overall I really enjoyed this book, I’m hoping that there will be a second book about Wren and Sages brother Ellis there is so much history there between them

This is a lovely, easy romance. Both main characters are likeable and communicative (often unusual for romance novels). There’s no big miscommunication or drama between them (even if there is a third act breakup). The mmc is in therapy for his issues and they really both just act like real adults pretty much the entire time (apart from the brief, fun “fake-dating” bit. I wouldn’t say I was super emotionally invested, but I can imagine a lot of readers would be. The town where it’s set seemed very picturesque, although I did have a little trouble picturing it. I also can imagine a few of the other characters having books about them in the future, and I would probably check them out.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

2.5 Stars. While I enjoyed the concept, setting, and general summery vibes of this book I found myself bored and ready to be done with it by 40%. There were plenty of cute moments but also too many cringey ones. Also as someone who lives in Oregon it is abundantly clear that the author does not live on the Oregon coast. Small town charm and the Gilmore Girls feeling at the start definitely had me hooked but in the end I wasn’t invested and then the ending felt rushed as well.

Tara Dewitt can do no wrong. Absolutely adored this book. I love any books that have a chef romance, I eat it up!!!