Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 4 Stars

I really enjoyed this book! This author had me hooked from the very beginning. I really like how all of the tropes were written through the book, and found myself giggling and kicking my feet through it.

4.5 ⭐️
2 🌶️

I read this book two years ago back when it was on KU and after reading it again, I did NOT appreciate how well written and lovely this story was back then. Tarah does an amazing job telling the story of Deacon and LaRynn, former lovers to strangers to lovers again. The development of the characters throughout the story was wonderful and the relationship that bloomed again between them was perfect. The buildup, the pining, the need of both of them to understand how much they hurt each other back in the day in order to be successful together again- it broke my heart and put it back together again.

I’m also obsessed with the little Easter egg of sorts of Meyer from Funny Feelings!!!!!!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC!

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Oh my god I am obsessed! My second book by this author and I fell in love even more. Some of my favourite tropes like second chance and forced proximity executed perfectly. I am in absolute awe and love with this author’s work and writing. I honestly cannot fault it.Possibly one of my favourite authors. I am looking forward to reading more books by Tarah.

10 stars!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Tarah DeWitt is an expert at crafting witty banter, imperfect characters you can’t help but root for, and delicious tension. The Co-op includes all the good tropes (Enemies to lovers! Marriage of convenience! Second chance romance!) without feeling contrived or boring.

Holy hell... Tarah DeWitt is easily a new instabuy author. Also why didn't I read this sooner. I couldn't have loved it any more. Also an epilogue thats 10 years in the future!!! YESSS we stan a queen like Tarah who feeds us well.

Okay y'all it's official I am a Tarah DeWitt stan! She made me feel so many things with this book. I am a sucker for a second chance romance but they are hard to pull off and she masterfully executes the trope in The Co-op. Every element that I love about that trope - the angst, the suppressed pining, the individual growth for each character was maximized to tell the most heartfelt story possible. She also upped the stakes by having our couple be in an arranged marriage while navigating a massive house renovation together. The forced proximity took all that angst and pining to the next level. I was so gone for these characters. My favorite thing about them is how gone they are for each other. They grow to respect each other so much which was honestly the swooniest part of the book. I love seeing romantic leads dedicated to supporting their partners. It's really sweet. I also adored and deeply related to LaRynn's insecurity around her dyslexia. I feel like we don't get to see that very often in books so I was thrilled to feel very seen by her experience. If you're looking for a book that will take you on an emotional and deeply satisfying ride this is the book for you! I recommend checking trigger warnings because there are some difficult topics addressed in this book that I found cathartic but others might find too much.

loved this book so much. The tension between these two is chefs kiss,. These two felt like real people with real problems. I knew it was a story but I felt like I could know these people. Does that make sense?

This is an enemies to lover, second chance, forced marriage, living in the same house book. So many trope but it was done so so well that it didn't feel super cliche.

Another hit from Tarah!
Tarah DeWitt is always a solid 4-4.5 stars for me. I love her writing style and the complexity of her characters. I feel like I know her characters by the end of the book and relate to them so well. This time was no exception, I really loved Deacon! I had a slightly harder time with LaRynne, but not because of how she was written. Tarah, as always, does a great job characterizing LaRynne and I knew just who she was! It just took me a bit longer to feel that love for her because I kept wanting her to do or say different things! But part of what I love about Tarah’s writing and stories is that it mirrors real life and I can be frustrated with a characters actions like I would be with my friends. In the end when feelings finally collided I was SO on board with these two!
Loved this one!

This is a second chance love story. LaRynn and Deacon had a summer fling that ended in flames years ago, they have been at odds ever since. They’ve managed to avoid each other until they both end up inheriting a house in Santa Cruz. Problem is the house is not in good shape. They have to work together to fix it up so they can rent it out. Short on funds they’re forced to stay in the house together with very little privacy. Is this the chance they need to clear the air and move on from their feud?

I have to say I love the author’s writing. It’s captivating and flows well. But I didn’t love this book. I found the structure super clunky. The flashbacks felt random and out of place and the pov shifts were too inconsistent for me. I know lots of people love this author and I do really think her writing style is amazing but her story structures aren’t for me. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This genre of book is out of the norm for me. I’m not usually someone that strays toward romance unless there is a magical/fantasy element involved. I was pleasantly surprised when I grew to love not only this book, but the characters & how they developed.

Our story begins with one of the two main protagonists, LaRynn, inheriting half of her grandmother’s house. Deacon, her grandmother’s wife’s grandson inherited the other half of the house. Readers are taken on a journey from both past & present as LaRynn & Deacon navigate the personal loss of their grandparents & their last relationship while restoring their house.

Highlights:
⭐️The first few pages of the book include a playlist of songs as well as a trigger warning for the spicy scenes that will unfold in the book. I appreciate the author directly stating that these are two consenting individuals who enjoy sex & are exploring their own sexual interests.
⭐️Intersecting POV from both past/present Deacon & LaRynn
⭐️Protagonists are easy to relate & are dynamic characters in how they grow/evolve.
⭐️LaRynn was my favorite character. I especially related to her due to her relationship with her parents & her overall growth in the novel.

Pitfalls:
❌None. I really enjoyed this book!

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the free early release copy of this book for my honest review.

Tarah Dewitt hooked me with Funny Feeling and Savor It, and with this stunning cover, I was so excited for The Co-Op! LaRynn and Deacon had a summer fling as teens that didn’t end well, but a decade later their lives are thrown back together when their grandmothers leave them shared ownership of their dilapidated building—LaRynn has the money but to access it, she needs to be married; Deacon has the skills to fix the house, but no money, so a fake marriage later, these two are thrown into a world of reconstruction and reflection. This has all the tropes: marriage of convenience, forced proximity, second chance. The banter is on-point and as always with Dewitt’s writing, the depth of these characters is so strong and they’re all so well developed will still being lighthearted. I will say there was something about the pair that just didn’t 100% click for me. It is a slow burn story, and maybe that was it, that I wanted more of them as a couple to really get into their love story. But I really enjoyed the plot and the setting and the growth of LaRynn and Deacon. LaRynn is working so much on her own path and she’s just got so much heart and love. I loved her as the heroine. This is a swoon love story, maybe not my favorite of Tarah Dewitt’s, but still beautiful and fun with beautiful characters!

I went into this a bit skeptical as I’m not usually a fan of marriages of convenience. But this was a fun read. I am a fan of second chance love, especially teen romances rekindled, so this was right up my alley. Deacon and LaRynn were fun and had great chemistry. It was a quick read.
Tarah DeWitt is a terrific writer and I think she delivered with The Co-Op! I’ll be eager to read her next one.
Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for ARC copy!

Review to Come

Love the cover ❤️
Description intrigued me…
Author is new to me.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

What a beautifully delightful heartwarming read!

LaRynn and Deacon had some amazing banter and sexual tension! They have a complicated history and I loved seeing how everything unfolded and them finally come together. I seriously loved both of these characters and Deacon totally had me swooning. That epilogue was icing on the cake!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

This is my first time reading Tarah DeWitt and I think I'll be reading some of her prior books, based on this one. I definitely found it hard to put down, but also a bit frustrating at points...

This book follows Deacon and LaRynn, second chance lovers with some forced proximity, and what can I say? I love romance books because the tropes are enjoyable. :) A few notes:
* I loved the setting - it felt a lot like Beach Read by Emily Henry
* I loved all of the little stories and personifying details that were given to each of the characters
* I found some of the plot points/details to be unbelievable. I can't imagine LaRynn's shopping spree costing so much when she knew their budget. I also feel like some of their flirting/nakedness/interactions happened before they'd be comfortable doing so without a conversation/shared common ground emotionally first.
* For real, I just wanted the characters to have some communication! Have a conversation sooner! I really want romance books that exist even if that happens.
* Vinyl records being called vinyls. That's not correct. The plural is vinyl - that detail really distracted me. That said, I loved the role of music in their life together.
* I loved their love for the grands and how much I could feel it being reciprocated for them in their memories, as well as their other friends.

I enjoyed this second chance romance of first love.

There were a lot of unsaid things and feelings when they first fell in love. I thought it was mature of them as adults to really speak their mind with each other. Because their perceptions were vastly different then what was perceived. And them in a middle of a renovation, with all that added stress.

LaRynn was a very relatable character. The flashback scenes were so much fun.

For fans of Chloe Liese’s Bergman Brothers or Christina Lauren, you will enjoy.

The 2 main characters had a steamy summer fling when they were teens which ended horribly and end up in decades of “hatred” towards each other, but later on their grandmothers marry each other— and then when they pass they leave their dilapidated home to both of them.

They decide to fix it all up using funds from LaRynne’s trust fund only released if she gets married to turn into a rental, but they’re both broke so they have to live together in it while renovating, forcing them to deal with the past while temporarily being husband and wife.

Fake marriage trope + some steam. Was a cute rom com and a good easy read!

This was my second Tarah DeWitt book, and although I liked Savor It, it didn't blow me out of the water. The Co-op blew me out of the water! I loved this book, and I immediately downloaded the author's backlist and made my way through it. I am only now coming up for air!! In The Co-op, LaRynn and Deacon's grandmother's were married to each other. As teens, LaRynn and Deacon had one summer of passion, but now kinda hate each other and are emotionally broken. When their grandmothers pass away, the grandchildren are left with their fixer upper property that they need to rehab and sell in order to move on with their lives. However, living together and acknowledging their unrequited feelings for one another turns their relationship on its head. This one is so, so good!!! I am now a DeWitt devotee!!

3.5 stars rounded up. This was my first book by the author and I liked it. I know this was previously published but she added/changed some things and reworked the book as a whole. I love marriage of convenience and second chance romance but for some reason this felt almost forced and even aggressive at times. Once the aggression died down, the banter was fun. Both main characters have their issues and once they learn to talk those issues out, the relationship started to fell more real. I did enjoy the flashbacks and dual POV, they helped build the story more for me. I don't know what it was exactly but I really just wanted more. I do look forward to reading more of the authors books though!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such an emotional and beautiful slow-burn second chance romance. I loved being immersed in the love story of Deacon and Lavigne. This author never disappoints.