I. Am. In. Love.

I heard so much hype for this book and I’m thrilled to say it lives up to it. It kept me up entirely too late writing, and I can’t wait to see what comes next for many of these characters.

Savor It is a grumpy/sunshine/small town romance with a ton of heart. Sage and Fisher come together in a fake dating agreement that is one of my favorite tropes. They both need a win, and they team up to get one. Fisher, Sage, and Indy have experienced so much loss and heartbreak, and the way it is handled in the story felt very realistic. Serious moments are handled exceptionally well, while offering a delightful amount of puns and pop culture to make it a fund and delightful read. Savor It is a story of love, loss, and burnouts that lead to a journey of self-discovery and recovery. I loved the sweet and cozy vibes in this one.

Tarah Dewitt can do no wrong for me! I saw this was a summer romance on the Oregon coast and I was SOLD. I absolutely loved Sage and Fisher, both of them had amazing character depth and development. Sage with her garden and animals is really living my dream and I did not want this book to end to be honest.

“𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘞𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘵?”

Savor It follows the love story between long-haired, city-boy, Fisher; and small-town, wears-her-heart-on-her-sleeve, Sage. It has some of my fave tropes — namely fake-dating, small-town — with notes on grief and family.

“𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵.”

I adored this!! It’s my first by Dewitt and I’m wanting to drop everything to read more by her! I loved how she wrote their love story — it was realistic, raw. I loved how she depicted their inner thoughts, I loved the therapy rep, I loved their banter, I loved the supporting cast, and I loved that the ending wasn’t just an HEA (iykyk). TEARS WERE SHED. I loved this!! I’m hoping it becomes a series with Wren and Ellis’s story next!! Highly recommend!

“𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘵.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Ps. This is spicy 🌶️ open-door!

This sweet romance captured my heart from the start. The small-town setting (in Oregon! Love books set in the PNW!), the grumpy/sunshine and faking dating romance, the community - it was all fantastic.

Sage and Fisher had the perfect slow-burn romance. I really liked how their relationship evolved around who they already were as individuals. While both had things in their life they wanted to approach differently, they already saw each other as the wonderful humans they were. Every time one of them felt truly seen by the other, I wanted to kick my feet and yell “kiss! kiss!”

Speaking of kissing, Savor It is also deliciously spicy! The slow burn pays off big time with this one! If spicy romances aren’t your thing, I’d still recommend picking this up. Easy enough to skim the steamy scenes and you don’t want to miss the rest of this sweet story!

DeWitt wrote the heavier parts in a way that was so lovely and compassionate, especially Sage’s experience dealing with the effects of grief as an adult vs. teenage Indy’s experience. Both of the main characters were wading through some pretty tough waters and I really appreciated the way the author balanced their hard days with the light funny ones.

Give this one a read! Emotional, heartfelt, romcoms are basically the best! You’ll definitely want to savor this one. 😉

Also! One other thing I loved about this book was DeWitt’s note in the beginning with potentially triggering material. I’m so here for authors doing this now!! It’s such a kindness to readers.

3.5 ⭐️

This has been a very cute story. I quite liked the main character couple, and also Fisher's niece. The latter two have wounds that needed to heal and Sage and this place helped make that happen. It's a book that reads in one sitting but things that got in the way made it take me a long time to finish it

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Tarah DeWitt novel and I literally need to go back and read her others because WOW! The audiobook narrators were perfect for Sage and Fisher. I think my favorite part of the whole book, though, was the setting!

AVOR IT by TARAH DEWITT

Sage Byrd has lived in the coastal town of Spunes, Oregon (not to be confused with Forks, Washington) her entire life. She's learned to love her small world, with the misfit animals on her hobby farm, and her friendships with the town’s inhabitants.

Fisher Lange was a hotshot chef in New York City until the loss of his sister left him numb, grieving, and responsible for his teenage niece Indy.

Filled with spicy summer fun, small-town charm, and Big Feelings, this romance is a great read. I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to #stmartinspress and @netgalley for the ARC copy.

thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the eARC to review!
I was obsessed with this book! If anyone has recommendations for anything similar, send them my way please 💓
Sage Byrd lives in small town Spunes, Oregon and is content with her life of caring for her animals and hanging out with the townspeople. The only setback is her breakup with her boyfriend 5 years.
Fisher Lange is a hot shot chef from NYC who is sent to Spunes to work on a restaurant opening after he loses a Michelin star at his New York restaurant.
Fisher and Sage end up as neighbors who team up for a competition at the town’s summer festival and training quickly turns into something more.

I absolutely loved both main characters personalities. They both seemed so realistic and their relationship developed naturally. One thing I loved is how Fisher noticed whenever Sage would change her nail polish color. It was such a small detail, but I felt like it added so much.

The only thing I would’ve changed was the ending. There were two ways I was hoping it would go, but the author went with a third unexpected option. With a different ending this would have been a 5 star!!

SAVOR IT might be one of my favorite books of the year. Tarah DeWitt completely obliterated me with this one. Sage and Fisher were the perfect pair, and I loved their communication, friendship, and deep respect for one another. I can't gush about this one enough, it truly gutted me!! And the cute geese, goats, and donkeys definitely helped :)

It’s been a LONG TIME since I’ve read a book that I wanted to immediately dive right back into. I didn’t savor this book I just devoured it. It’s witty, charming, and had me nostalgic for my very own small town. Sage and Fisher are relationship goals, including Tom Selleck’s mustache. Thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this eARC. I truly loved this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc!!

This was a super cute small town romance with so many likable characters! Sage is sweet, caring, and runs a farm with a whole lot of animals. She loves her hometown and its traditions, including an annual summer competition that she decides to participate in this year. The one thing she doesn’t love about her hometown is her condescending ex and his new fiancée, who always seem to be around.

Fisher is a chef with a complicated work history who moves to town to try to get another chance from his boss. His boss was forced to fire him after he lost a Michelin star at his restaurant and a less than pleasant interaction between him and a food critic was recorded and put online. Fisher is sent to Sage’s small town to try to get a new restaurant there running, as the town residents are against it. Fisher is also raising his teenage niece, Indy, who lost her mother three years prior.

Once Fisher and Sage meet and get to know each other better, they realize they can help each other out. Sage forms a connection with Indy and knows some tips she can give Fisher, while Fisher agrees to be Sage’s partner in the competition. Spending more time together leads to their attraction and feelings for each other growing, but both know that Fisher will be heading back to his life in New York City shortly.

I really enjoyed this book and I thought that Sage was such a refreshing, entertaining character. I liked her and Fisher together and I also loved the attachment between Indy and the goose. I definitely recommend this read for anyone who enjoys romcoms and is looking for their next summer read!

I wanted this to be as good as Funny Feelings and it wasn’t. I liked that the female character wasn’t the one who gave up everything for her relationship, but it was an incredibly slow burn, and most of the things that she did were self sabotaging and dumb. The MMC was better, at least he had a real painful backstory to make sense of why he was reticent, but there didn’t seem to be much chemistry

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book!

This was my first title from Tarah and I liked it. I don't read a lot of grumpy vs sunshine novels, which was a welcome change for me. It wasn't my favorite take on this particular trope, but I found the book to be enjoyable nonetheless.

I think Tarah has become an auto buying author for me.
Any book she writes I fall in love with no questions asked and this was no different

From the first chapter you are met with funny puns and laughable moments. I absolutely loved it 🥰 admittedly I did shed a tear towards the end.. "It's been a privilege to fall in love with you, Sage"

Sage Byrd has lived in Spunes, Oregon for her entire life. She loves everything about it - her friends and family, the kids she teaches, the quirky residents and the misfit animals on her little farm. When brooding former NYC hotshot chef Fisher Lange shows up and rents the house next door no less, Sage is drawn to him. Fisher has been sent there to consult on a new restaurant by his former boss needs her help convincing the townspeople that it’s a welcome change. Sage needs his help to compete in the annual summer canoe and trivia competition, to best her ex and his new girlfriend. They decide to team up and it leads to so much more! But when the summer starts to fade and reality sinks in - will they each revert back to their old selves?

This book was such a great read! I loved so many things about it: the small town setting, the quirky farm animals, the supporting characters, the food descriptions - and of course Fisher and Sage! The personal growth was fantastic and realistic - there wasn’t a magic fix and I loved that. This is my first read by this author but it won’t be my last. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and MacMillan for my e-arc! I listened to the audiobook along with reading and can confirm the narration is 🧑🏻‍🍳 💋! You really can’t go wrong with this one!

A beautiful, tender, fun romance full of laugh out loud moments but also focusing on loss and grief, coming to terms with death and how to move on with living after losing someone close to you. Tara DeWitt has written such a sweet, realistic feeling story set in a small town about Sage, a woman who has recently come out of a relationship with the town's golden boy (who is now married) and lives alone on her hobby farm with a few misfit animals she loves dearly, and Fisher, a man who has lost his sister and become his niece Indy's guardian after he loses his job as a Michelin star chef in NYC and she runs away from his parents again. When Fisher and Indy head to Sage's hometown of Spunes, Oregon for the summer, they end up neighbors who become friends and then something more. Sage is no stranger to loss and Fisher and Indy could not have ended up with a better, more supportive neighbor than her. The romance is sweet and sexy, flirty and fun. It's a slow burn, fake dating, real hooking up, just for the summer kind of deal that makes you feeeeeeel. And more than just the romance, there's the understanding and support Sage offers Fisher, and especially Indy, that's just so touching. All three characters do a lot of healing over this one summer. A few of the side characters also have me hoping for another book set in Spunes: Wren & Ellis of course 👀

This is the perfect summer read but I think it makes for a good comfort read any time of the year really!!

grumpy x sunshine
small town romance
friends to lovers
slow burn
fake dating
cute animals!!

Thank you St. Martin's Griffin & NetGalley for the digital arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This one was a very slow burn but wasn't compelling enough to keep my interest. Unfortunately this book wasn't for me.

tarah you really didnt need to do all that with fisher but you did and I’m so grateful
what a man indeed. i loved his initial gruff attitude and how sage so genuinely shrugged it off
only for him to them charm the daylights out of her, but with him ending up absolutely pathetic over her.
she walked him like a dog and he loved every second of it

This was a bit of a slow burn romance for me at first, but when it picked up it had my heart. Fisher and Sage are just perfect in their imperfections for each other and I adored Fisher's relationship with his niece Indy. The adorable animals almost stole the show and the ending and epilogue had me shedding a few happy tears. The audiobook is narrated by the fabulous and fantastic Karissa Vacker and Zachary Webber, and they did an amazing job voicing this novel.