“Has something ever been so good that you wanted to push it away? Maybe you’ve seen a film, read a book, or even had a vacation that was so incredible, you didn’t want it to end. You wanted to hit pause and stave off the inevitable.” Yes!! Each chapter I finished, I grew sadder that I had one less to read.
Properly named, I tried to SAVOR every last word of this story, as I never wanted it to end.

Sage and Fischer are meant to be. Their banter, her teasing, his flirting, they had me giddy with every interaction. The PUNS 😂 It seems like they’ve known each other for years, and can share parts of themselves that they wouldn't normally share with anyone else. I loved how they didn’t have any issues communicating what they were feeling. (not a fan of the miscommunication trope)

Sage is so relatable, in the fact that every one identifies her as the “nice girl”, but she views it as wanting to experience people’s joy and smiles as life is too short not to. She had been through so much at a young age, and I love that she could relate with Indy and give advice as someone with similar circumstances. She is sunshine, and we all need to be surrounded by someone like her.

Fischer and Indy’s relationship made me so emotional. He just wants to be steady for her and to connect with his niece while dealing with his guilt. The healing they went through individually and together is so heartwarming. And their connections built with the animals was so precious, they are the perfect side characters rounding out this beautiful story.

By far, Tarah Dewitt’s best novel yet. It is witty, moving, and just an overall great read.

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!!
(Review available now on Goodreads account linked below. Will post review to Instrgram May 7th, two weeks before release date.)

Withholding my review in solidarity with the readers' strike with Readers for Accountability: https://www.instagram.com/readersforaccountability/.

It’s like a Hallmark movie but with spice! Five stars for me!!!

Small town girl.
Big city chef.
Neighbors.
Baby goats.
A cat with three legs.

JUST READ THIS next! Good stuff!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC.

LOVED THIS BOOK!!! Romantic, spicy, and pulls at your heart strings. Last few chapters may have caused a tear or two…

I wasn't sure what I would get out of this book but goodness I loved it. 5/5 stars.

The inner growth and inward challenges faced in this book keep you glued the whole time. The backstories and details feel cozy and sweet but there is a deeper level of emotions and challenges being faced. It has the right amount of romance, spice, plot, challenges and the last few chapters had me crying the entire time.

Thank you for the ARC!! I loved it,

I enjoyed the small town, friends-to-lovers troupe, though felt the FMC was a bit over the top at times and thought it had a slow start. I still enjoyed it overall and have liked the author's previous books. Looking forward to the next one!

This book surprised me with how much I liked it, because it started a little slow for me. Once I got more into the story, I fell in love with the story of Fisher and Sage. The author did a great job of building their love and putting in a good amount of angst. This book had me crying big tears and then soothed my soul by the end. I recommend this book, especially if you like small town, close proximity, and let's make your ex jealous tropes.

God I loved this book. It was a little different than I was expecting going in (I thought it would be more of a romcom), but in the best possible way.

If you’re going to do a lot of internal emotional growth and grief processing, I don’t *need* a terrible amount of plot. Dewitt knew what she was doing when she plopped a grieving, burnt out chef and his teenage niece/ward in a little Oregon town and put them next door to a ray of sunshine that creeps into both of their hearts against their better judgement. Sage just gives Fisher room to feel however he feels and in turn, Fisher encourages Sage to stretch her wings a little bit.

I think these are two people that have worked themselves into boxes that aren’t where they want to be and they really needed each other to help them realize that the world is in their grasp and even if it’s not big giant decisions that they need to make, they can still reach for the little things that can make their lives happier and more fulfilling.

And as sweet and cozy as this small town romance is, there’s some heavy grief work being done here. Sage was orphaned pretty young and raised by older brothers. Fisher lost his big sister in a care accident three years prior and is now responsible for his teenage niece. So not only are they wildly attracted to each other, they’re able to connect over that painful feeling losing someone you love leaves all over you like an uncomfortable coat you can’t shake off.

And I love that Dewitt gave us the angst. Fisher js returning to NYC at the end of the summer because he has to put Indy first. And he does. It’s Indy that’s the final decision maker that decides that they’re happy ending is back in small town Oregon. Between all the dinners and canoe race training, all three of these lost little ducks begin to heal and find their place in a little family of their own. Loved.

Tarah, I’ll be sending you my bill for the Kleenex I went through in the last ten percent.

Loved this book. The connection between the two main characters was so well written, I was so upset at the end of the book I was crying. I have to read her other books now!!

✨B o o k • R e v i e w ✨

ARC || SAVOR IT by @authortarahdewitt

Release date: May 21, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️/5

If you’re looking for the perfect summer small-town romance read, here it is! I’ve loved @authortarahdewitt previous books and this was no exception!

This one started out a little slow for me, but then sucked me right in! You can’t help but fall for the cast of characters that were both very charming and relatable. I loved the small-town Gilmore Girls vibes and the “sage” advice sprinkled throughout the book!

Read this if you like ⬇️:
•Dual POV
•Grumpy x sunshine
•Slow burn
•Funny banter
•NYC chef x small-town teacher
•A farm of castaway animals
•Gilmore Girls vibes
•PNW setting
•Single guardian
•Friends with benefits
•Just for the summer

My favorite book of Tarah’s is still The Co-Op, but I also really enjoyed Funny Feelings. Be sure to check them out if you haven’t already while waiting for the release of Savor It in May!

Thank you so much to @authortarahdewitt , @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

🏷️: #savorit #tarahdewitt #bookreview #bookrecommendation #bookstagram #romancereads #bookworm #booknerd #booktrovert #bibliophile #bookrecs #netgalley #arcreview #igreads #goodreads #thecoop #funnyfeelings #booklover

I'm so sad I finished this book. It was such a feel good romance. And so perfect after watching the bear, yes chef.

-neighbors to lovers
-single "dad"
-loss of a close family member
-found family
-farm animals

Sage is a high school teacher trying to enjoy the summer and make the town hers again after her and the town "golden boy" break up. She is tired of the towns pity. In walks Fischer, an out of towner in for just the summer. Fischer and Sage both help each other grow and navigate this new stage of life

Thank you the NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC

🤞🏼Ellis and Wren get the next book. Or even Indy and Sam 🤍🤍

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity

This one hit on grief and healing.. and that hit home for me. All though I didn't feel as warm and fuzzy about the whole book. Overall I did enjoy it and the characters...

3.5 STARS

Living in a small seaside town of Spunes, Oregon, Sage Byrd knows everyone is in her business as she is in theirs. Since her boyfriend of five years ditched Sage and got engaged to someone else, Sage needs to find some new self-esteem and show she is doing great. The town has only one major event, a festival with competitions, that everyone participates in and draws in their paltry share of tourism in August. Sage needs a partner to compete so when her new next door neighbor shows up, it looks as if they can help each other out using a fake relationship to meet their individual goals.

That neighbor, disgraced and disgruntled New York Michelin starred chef, Fisher Lange, needs a lot of help. Fisher got fired after a major meltdown at his job; the owners of the restaurant are giving him a second chance by letting Fisher help with the construction and menu of a new restaurant they are opening in Spunes. Not everyone is happy about that so Fisher is finding a lot of roadblocks which Sage can help with that as well as his surly, uncooperative teenage niece whose late mother made him guardian.

Sage’s rural home is a refuge for lost souls including a motley assortment of animals like the island of lost toys. Either unwanted or abandoned, Sage tends them all even the human variety such as Fisher and Indy, his niece. Fisher has lost his way in the pressure filled world as a top chef while Sage has some serious self-confidence problems, seeing her ex around town with his new love only makes them worse.

Fisher has a big learning curve when it comes to living and working under the sharp eyes of quirky small-town inhabitants. With Sage’s help, he and Indy begin to unwind and even flourish, and although Sage knows any kind of relationship with Fisher has an end by date, she takes the chance for something knew and life-changing. This women’s fiction romance tale has a mix of humor, conflicted relationships as well as family, and a fair amount of angst. Both Sage and Fisher have family issues, past and present as well as the fact that Fisher plans to leave at the end of the summer. This story will certainly take readers for an emotional ride; told in dual perspectives, it was sometimes hard to tell them apart as Sage and Fisher’s voices do not seem that distinct.

So if you scroll through the reviews on this one, it seems to either be a hit or miss with readers. Unfortunately this was a bit of a miss. Rootbound was actually a DNF for me, so I'm starting to wonder if this author is just not for me. I know others love her, and I think that's great! We all have our own tastes :)

Make no mistake, the writing is very soft and dream-like so I see the appeal there. And that cover? Gorgeous. But Savor It has a lot of plot points going on and many of these felt underdeveloped by the end. In that vein, something would get mentioned, like hoping to win the town competition, but then not come up again until several chapters later. In the end, I just needed more. More connection, tension. development, etc.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and SMP for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Tarah Dewitt can't write anything bad. Seriously, this book is perfect.

I'm in a personal dilemma and can't say which one is my favorite right now, this one or Funny Feelings.

Fischer and Sage are two amazing characters, and I loved how their story unfolded. I lost track of time while reading, and before I knew it, it was over.

Honestly anything Tarah writes is incredible and this is no different!

Fisher and Sage were the comfort couple I didn’t know I needed in my life. Sweet, comforting and so so so good. Honestly I’m already itching to reread because it’s THAT good. Literally anything Tarah writes is incredible but this one just checks every box 😍

9/10 ⭐️

When Fisher loses the Michelin star for the restaurant he works for, he is sent to the coastal town of Spunes, Oregon. In Sprunes, he is to help plan open a restuarant in hopes of getting his "spark" back.

4 stars!

Sage was sooo endearing. I love when a character is quirky and always speaks her mind. I found Sage so refreshing and funny and really loved her story. I liked watching her learn to step out of the box that the town had created for her and doing things that she wanted.

Ms Tarah loves a tall man and guess what? So do I! I really felt like i saw Fisher coming back to life as he spent more time with Sage. I think Fisher may be my favourite man ever written by Tarah! This man had my jaw on the ground. Healing with his niece and learning how to communicate was also such a special aspect of the book I enjoyed immensely.

I loved watching both of these characters genuinely care for each other. Wanting to make each other feel better and just knowing they were on the same team. I love how we can watch two people find each other at the right moments in their lives and it just makes SENSE!

My past experiences with Tarah DeWitt hadn't been the best, but the premise of this was interesting so I thought I'd give it a try. Sadly, this one didn't land for me as well.

This book was incredible! It does such an amazing job at touching on the tougher subjects such as grief and healing while also keeping it fun and lighthearted. If you don't already have this book on your TBR, add it immediately - you won't be disappointed!

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I felt like the story started slow and I never really connected with the main characters--probably because I didn't really understand what Sage wanted. She briefly mentions wanting to win the town competition in the first chapter, but doesn't mention it again until over 100 pages later, a third of the way into the book. During those 100 pages, Sage sort of drifts pleasantly in and out of Fisher's life, seemingly without any goals or agenda. There was so little tension and outside plot, I struggled to keep reading.

Eventually, the town competition does become more of a feature, although I still didn't connect with Sage's need to win it. I felt like the competition aspect needed to be much more prevalent from the beginning, or else pushed farther into the background. Instead, it was left in this weird middle ground where it sort of mattered but sort of didn't. That made it hard to care about the outcome. The same with Sage's inner wounds. They don't really show up on the page until she sort of tells Fisher in the last third of the book or so; we're never shown why she feels the way she does. The stakes stay very low throughout.

Honestly, I would normally have DNF'ed this book. The only reason I pushed through was because it was a Netgalley book. To my surprise, I actually enjoyed the ending. The last few chapters sort of made up for the rest of the book. I actually teared up in a few spots and finally felt the chemistry between the characters and the stakes that had been missing all along.

Ultimately, the book wasn't right for me, but I think that people looking for a soft, low-tension romantic comedy that still has some spice might enjoy it.