The way I loved this book! Tara DeWitt's writing is a joy! I can't recommend this enough! A total must read.

Marriage of convenience meets enemies to lovers in this novel and I have to admit, this combination is often messy for me to love.

LaRynne and Deacon are characters with history, carrying their own personal life shaped baggage that creates a hectic romance. One that was slathered with miscommunication which is something I do not enjoy in my reading.

What I did enjoy and what kept me reading “The Co-Op” was the fun nicknames and banter, the love they had for their grandmothers’ home, and the growth by both Larry & Deacon.

This is my second book by DeWitt and I’ve struggled with liking her characters in both novels. I have “Savor It” up next so maybe the third time will be the charm for me!

LaRynn and Deacon have history, but now they must come together to honour the memory of their grandmothers.

For me this book was ok.
I didn't think the characters had much chemistry, and because of this I did not buy the zero to hero romance.
And while I love a marriage of convenience story, this one didn't really do it for me.
Having said all that I did enjoy it, just not enough to recommend it

I applied for the ARC of this book after realizing that there was going to be some changes to it! The author has a way of making me laugh with the character's wit and humor. This book is real and left me entertained throughout the entirety of it. There's something about when author's make characters relatable...🤌🤌🤌

The Co-op wasn't the book for me. I was really excited to read it, but it couldn't grab me. I could not connect to LaRynn's character, and sometimes I just could not deal with all the storylines. I really wanted to like this one because the premise seemed interesting, but maybe it better suits someone else.

The mood and characters in this book and Savor It could not be more different. My first look at Tarah DeWitt, in Savor It, was pure indulgence and lovely. Gentle, beautiful openness, falling into each other and such softness. On the other hand, The Co-op is conflict, snark, sharp edges and high fences.

Going into this, already having fell in love with Sage and Fisher from Tarah's other book, I wasn't quite ready for LaRynn. She's prickly, combative, and boy does she have some walls built up. She's not easy to love, and while Deacon might be, their relationship definitely needs some work.

Connected by their grandmothers, who fell in love later in life, Deacon and LaRynn met a few times throughout high school. There was an attraction, but also a lot of red flags. One summer, they start up a casual thing that leads to unrequited love and heartbreak, and then LaRynn does everything she can to avoid Deacon, including not visiting "the Grands" as often as she'd like.

Following their deaths, the Grands have left their property to Deacon and LaRynn, though it needs a lot of love and repair. The two agree that they can't leave the house like it is, and they'll repair it. First, the biggest obstacle is money - something LaRynn should have plenty of, except her father has added a condition to her trust fund; she can't access it until she marries.

Unaffected, Deacon puts forward the idea that they get married, fix the house, then sell it and go their separate ways. They can put up with each other for that long, certainly. Except everything the other does gets under their skin, and there's too much history for them to start over. Can they make it through this project without coming unglued?

I really like the way their second attempt at a relationship develops. There are a lot of obstacles, and while communication doesn't come easy, it is there and I feel like there's never a huge miscommunication aspect. While these characters weren't my favorite, I did root for them, and will definitely be reading future Tarah DeWitt books as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for bringing this one to my attention, and for the ARC!

I had so much fun reading this! LaRynn (for one, is such a unique name) and Deacon were everything! The development between both of them as well as taking accountability for their screw ups in the past were simply perfection. I love when a character can realize they messed up and admit it. They were so mature and I loved watching them fall back in love with each other.

I read this back in 2023, before it was re. Released. I really enjoyed the book and thought it was funny. The romance was great throughout as well. I loved a good happy ending.

Tarah DeWitt doesn’t know how to miss. Every book I’ve read by her has been a hit and this one is no different. I enjoyed every minute of this book and loved the characters. Deacon and LaRynn’s relationship development was so good and I loved reading how they came back together.

LaRynn and Deacon have known each other since they were teens and they had a brief, fleeting fling. After their grandmothers pass away, the building (that is falling apart) is left to both LaRynn and Deacon, and they need to fix it up so that they can sell it. LaRynn has a trust fund, but can only access it if she is married. Deacon agrees to marry hurry so that they can fix the place up and cut ties with it all. Of course, nothing in life is that simple. Throughout the book, LaRynn and Deacon learn about themselves, being a team, and the true meaning of love. This second-chance romance is worth the read!

Love everything Tarah writes and this was no different. Her characters are so raw and relatable - I can’t get enough!

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy!

Call it a holiday-induced reading slump or a personal awakening, but after trudging myself all the way through to the 50% mark, I can deem with certainty that The Co-Op is the definition of nothing to write home about.

While it may be true that the best stories are the ones that make you ponder, I fear the author missed the mark on which questions we, as readers, wish to contemplate.

Spoiler: Whether I still want to deem myself a romance reader after this should not be one of them…

In the oversaturated world of romantic, self-deemed “comedies”, I no longer expect, or shall I say, hope for authors to reinvent the wheel. Merely for them to feign some sort of interest in their own writing. Instead I must be exhausted by a plot that shares the same excitement as being stuck at the bottom of a Ferris wheel. After a wasted hour or two…maybe even three if you share my perseverance, you no longer partake in the philosophy that what is down must, at some point, go up.

There’s a reason LaRynn and Deacon’s relationship didn’t initially survive, and it’s the same reason it won’t stand the test of time yet again. The lack of genuine connection. No one wants a second-chance romance when there shouldn’t have even been a first. The older I’m getting, the less empathetic I am for those who choose-quite irrevocably, it seems-to victimize themselves, whether it be warranted or otherwise.

Do authors even believe in the romance they are selling anymore? The ones, like this, that involve men who think helping the elderly across the street warrants him the next Nobel Peace Prize? It’s 2025. People desire partners that choose to communicate their emotions as if their frontal lobe is fully developed…especially when it is.

As for the structure of the story, time digressions, contrary to popular belief, aren’t always the most beneficial way to introduce the audience to the characters’ past. Sometimes, there is no overly complicated history to unravel, so let’s not pretend as though there is. Instead of keeping me on the edge of my seat, the jump between past and present made me lose any interest I may have mustered in spite of the multitude of other underwhelming aspects the story hosted.

After the pleasant, albeit slightly underwhelming, introduction to Tarah DeWitt in 2024 with Savor It, I’m manifesting my next read of hers will stay true to the ‘third time's a charm’ theory!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Tarah DeWitt for so kindly providing me with an ARC. As always, all thoughts are my own and are in no way influenced by early access to this title.

This book was so delightful and touching and a really unique romance. I love that the story centers around this house that was so important to both of them and their families. I'm not usually one for second-chance romance but thankfully in this case it's not a dual timeline situation (just a few brief flashbacks) so it didn't bother me, and in fact, it really added to the story because they both had a lot of pain to work through. Honestly, my main complaint is that they really didn't need to be married....like I feel like that plot point was there just for the trope, because the story could have been almost essentially the same if they hadn't done the marriage of convenience thing. Didn't ruin the story, just seemed unnecessary. I'm not a fan of tropes just for trope's sake, it needs to have a real impact on the plot!

I thoroughly enjoyed The Co-Op by Tarah DeWitt, a heartwarming and witty romance that blends humor and depth beautifully. The story follows LaRynn and Deacon, two former childhood enemies turned reluctant co-owners of a dilapidated house they’ve both inherited. As they renovate the property, their bickering and differences evolve into a deep connection, revealing hidden layers of vulnerability and strength. DeWitt crafts a charming tale of second chances, self-discovery, and love, leaving readers with a satisfying mix of laughter and heartfelt moments.

What I loved:
🫶🏼 I never grew tired or annoyed of the banter and bicker! I grew to love the characters and could always empathize with both through their trials and tribulations!
🫶🏼 The spice was yummy… and you definitely had to wait for it. But the tension made it worth the wait! It wasn’t obnoxious and was the perfect amount of flavor to the storyline!
🫶🏼 The normal, down-to-earthedness that the characters evolved into. So many romance books are the escape you need, but out of reach in your own world… a fairytale… but the last few sentences in the “After” made me feel like it is something that I could have too!

Would have loved more of:
✨ Some of the flashbacks made it feel a little ya— or maybe I wished they we on a summer break from college and not so much high school.

Wholesome, compassionate, meaningful… a beautiful story with the perfect blend of laughs and love. Absolutely worth the read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this digital ARC copy in exchange for my honest opinions of this read!

If you love Tarah DeWitt's prior romances, you'll likely love this one. Second-chance, personal development, no third-act breakup and an epilogue that makes the whole book worthwhile <3

Oooh the angst, the pining, the deeply rooted misunderstanding of the past! *chef's kiss* Tarah DeWitt does emotional romance with so much heart and LaRynn + Deacon's second chance brought back together by grandmothers meddling from beyond the grave (in a not paranormal way to be clear) really did it for me. I was rapt waiting for them to figure their shit out and I felt the way they loathed then loved each other so deeply.

This was not for me. I found LaRynn extremely rude and unlikeable. I also found the time jump confusing and took me out of the story. I also don’t really understand the animosity between these two especially LaRynn’s grudge with Deacon.

Give me every single thing Tarah DeWitt writes and direct it injectly into my brains, tattoo it on my eyelids, engrave it in my soul. The banter, the chemistry (between not just the main characters but the side characters as well), the writing, the pacing -- all flawless. Give me 100 more. And that cover re-design? STUNNING.

The Co-op by Tarah DeWitt is a spicy and sweet rom-com that brings together the beloved trope of home renovation with a marriage of convenience. It's a second-chance love story, and the chemistry between LaRynn Lavigne and Deacon Leeds sizzles.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

. . . ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⋆
There was something about this one that just hit right. Maybe it was timing, maybe it was the plot, maybe it was the writing, maybe it was allllll of the above - whatever way you look at it, I walked away from this one satisfied.

I loved the background story in this book - LaRynn and Deacon’s grandmothers finding love and a life together, which ultimately brought these two together. The dual POV as well as the alternating timelines worked well within this story, and having it be a coming-of-age AND enemies-to-lovers plot line just added to the tension. It was a slow burn, but also let loose in at the right moments. And for once, I actually loved the flash-forward in time ending - it just hit the spot.

For me, the sleeper gem in this book was actually the limelight on healing from neglect. In this case, the neglect ( both emotional and physical ) came from both Deacon and LaRynn’s parents. Neglect can be passive or active, and it can be internalized and processed in such a variety of ways, but this book did a good job of demonstrating how ( emotional ) distancing can be a primary coping mechanism for those who have experienced it. There were a couple lines in this book that struck a chord, with one of my favourites being: “𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺.” Like… damn. Romance is great, but loving yourself is way better.

This is the second book by this author that I’ve read, and I’ll tell ya, my lil’ bookish heart will keep reading what she puts out there. Have you read anything by this author?

‘The Co-Op’ recently hit shelves on Nov 12th, and is definitely worth a read.

~👩🏻‍🦰

⧞ Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a digital advanced reader’s copy - we are so grateful.