There wasn't anything particularly wrong with this besides it's ability to hold my interest so I'm putting this down. The pacing wasn't really working for me and while I can appreciate the past and present timelines in a romance, this one didn't feel like it was actually establishing the relationship in either timeline. The whole thing just felt flat.

Larynn and Deacon must live together to refurnish their grandmother's house.
Took me awhile to read. Past friends to lovers.
Can they work through their old past to work things out.

I really enjoyed The Co-Op by Tarah DeWitt! The premise of two people with a complicated past coming together to renovate a house was unique and provided the perfect backdrop for their slow-burn romance. The tension between the characters was palpable, and their banter was sharp, witty, and often laugh-out-loud funny.

I loved the growth the characters experienced throughout the story—both individually and as a couple. My only minor critique is that some parts felt a little rushed, particularly toward the end.

That said, this book was a heartfelt and enjoyable read, and I’ll definitely be picking up more from Tarah DeWitt in the future!

I dnf’d this one about 45% in. I don’t love the way that DeWitt’s writing flows, purely a personal preference.

The fmc is taking care of her grandmother’s estate with a guy she has a sordid past with. A young love romance. The mmc is helping her take care of cleaning up this apartment as it was his grandmother’s as well (separate grandmas, don’t worry). When they’re forced together, the biggest issue is the cost to get all of this done. Seeing as the fmc’s parents have pulled financial support unless she gets her life together, which apparently includes having a husband? They decide to fake get together. Right around this point is where I stopped reading. The book wasn’t bad by any means, the writing style just wasn’t my personal cup of tea!

Tarah DeWitt is one of those authors that I’ve seen on booksta for yeaaaarrrrs but never added Tommy TBR for some unknown reasons. But with The Co-op being rereleased, I figured now was the perfect time to start reading her work.

Overall, I really liked this one! The premise was a unique blend of tropes (a little bit a second chance, a dash of enemies, a pinch of forced proximity, and a whole lot of marriage of convenience) that really worked to build tension. The story hooks you from the first page and I really loved getting to see LaRynn and Deacon navigate life in a construction zone together. Having that glimpse into their relationship alongside flashbacks to their teen years gave the relationship a lot of depth and avoided the instalove that tends to be present in some marriage of convenience stories.

The line-level writing was stunning, but what held me back from giving this a full 5 ⭐ was that parts of the story felt a bit melodramatic and forced for me, particularly LaRynn and Deacon’s backstories. It’s clearly just a matter of personal preference, so don’t let my feelings dissuade you from picking this one up as it’s clear many readers have fallen in love with it.

The Co-op is out now. Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed The Co-Op by Tarah DeWitt! The premise of two people with a complicated past coming together to renovate a house was unique and provided the perfect backdrop for their slow-burn romance. The tension between the characters was palpable, and their banter was sharp, witty, and often laugh-out-loud funny.

DeWitt did a great job of balancing the emotional weight of their shared history with lighter, more humorous moments. I also loved the growth the characters experienced throughout the story—both individually and as a couple. The setting of the renovation project felt so vivid and added an extra layer of charm to the narrative.

My only minor critique is that some parts felt a little rushed, particularly toward the end, and I would have loved a bit more time to savor their happily ever after. That said, this book was a heartfelt and enjoyable read, and I’ll definitely be picking up more from Tarah DeWitt in the future!

Marriage of convenience and forced proximity... say less!!!
Head over heels at 18 and now several years later they're back where they were, just not on the terms they thought.
They both need each other and despite what went on with each other, they can't help but help each other out.

Their story is captivating for two who didn't think their love could last while being young but as they matured and by being forced to be together, love conquered all. Their banter was icing on the cake and made the book very enjoyable.
No third act break up makes my heart flutter with joy at the end.

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!