I'm an avid romance reader and have heard good things about DeWitt so I picked this one up. Unfortunately, it was definitely not for me. The main characters were not compelling and annoying. It was supposed to be a sort of enemies to lovers, which admittedly is not my favorite trope, but there is a way to do it without hating the characters, and this was not it. After twenty percent, I had no desire to continue reading as I wasn't into the storyline or the characters or their romance. A huge disappointment.

Definitely memorable, in good ways.

Second chance romance and home renovation with a marriage of convenience and working through childhood trauma thrown in there.

Somehow, it all works. The author balanced all the moving parts really well.

Thank You Netgalley for this arc of The Co-op. I read an arc of Savor it by this same author and that's when I knew I wanted to read this one, I really enjoyed Savor it, and really enjoyed The Co-op as well. This is a new auto buy author for me. I rated this 5 stars. I would recommend this author to anyone.

I absolutely love Tarah DeWitt and the Co-Op re-release is a perfect example of why. The Co-Op was already a close to perfect book for me, but I loved the subtle changes added in to make the dynamic more interesting. While I'm usually not the biggest fan of spice in books, I feel like this one had the perfect amount to enhance the tension the characters felt. The thing that I feel was executed so well was LaRynn and Deacon's relationship. The axis by which the whole plot circles around is the tension between them, and their development. Seeing them learn to understand each other and why they hurt each other in the past while reconnecting with what they loved about each other was impactful. I would absolutely recommend this to my audience- I think that each Tarah DeWitt book has something you can learn and grow from and this is no exception. Even if the genre and tropes are not usually your favorite (I usually HATE marriages of convenience but this was EXCELLENT), I think you can take something great away from the Co-Op.

This was my first book from this author and I will definitely be adding more books by them to my TBR!

I loved the pacing, the plot, and the dialogue between the MCs.
Thank you so much for letting me ARC read!

I loved this book! This was my second by Tarah DeWitt (go read Funny Feelings if you haven't already) and I'm definitely going to add more of hers to my TBR.

While this book does feature some heavier topics, there's also cute banter and some spice.

I'm not usually a fan of the second chance romance trope, but it definitely worked in this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for a copy of this ARC.

Thank you St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the eARC of The Co-op! All opinions in this review are my own.

This was the first book I read by this author and it won't be the last! I love how The Co-op is part second chance, part forced proximity as LaRynn and Deacon must not only work together to fix up a house left to them by their grandmothers, but also work through a fling that ended badly when they were teenagers. Not only is there a lot of heart in this romance, but a lot of humor too!

Ahhh this book was so much fun to read! The book is told from a dual POV and I immediately fell in love with Deacon and LaRynn’ story. The characters are flawed and relatable and I enjoyed seeing their growth throughout the book. This was such a heartwarming book and I enjoyed the witty banter and romance. The epilogue was absolutely everything!! 🥹🥹

Read if you like:
🔨 Second chance romance
🔨 Marriage of convenience
🔨 Forced proximity
🔨 Dual POV

I’m not usually a romance girlie but every now and then I’ll get in the mood for a good romance book and this one definitely hit the mark. I think those who read a ton of romance and those that don’t will fall in love with this story.

I really enjoyed this author's writing. I haven't read anything by them before, but I really got into the story and the pacing of it. The characters were well developed and lovable.

Marriage of convenience with forced proximity tossed in and a summer fling when they were 18 until things went to shit and they don’t reconnect until 8 years later, so a little bit of second chance romance — which happens to just be some of my favorite tropes 😅

I truly enjoyed this from start to finish and when I’m reading, i’m always thinking of my rating—depending on how the beginning feels along with the tone and pacing of the book, but without a doubt, 5 stars was stuck in my head the whole time

The Co-op is a sweet read, filled with my favorite things: home renovations, volleyball, coffee shops, and forced proximity! This is a very fast pace read just like Tarah DeWitt's previous book "Savor it" but it's fun and has some great characters. I loved the setting of Santa Cruz and the occasional flashback to when the MCs were younger. This book did have everyone's least favorite trope communications, but I think in general it was tasteful and not completely frustrating.

3.5 stars!

Tarah DeWitt took my favorite tropes and somehow made it something so amazing. I really loved this book and she is one of my new autobuy authors.

Tarah is an author I love to read. I love the humor she writes with. Her characters have emotional depth and you will not find a miscommunication trope in her novels.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

After a teenage summer romance ends in heartbreak, LaRynn and Deacon find themselves thrust back together years later when they inherit their grandmothers' property. The property is in desperate need of renovation, and as a contractor Deacon has done everything he can to fix it with limited funds. The good news? LaRynn comes from a wealthy family and has a trust fund. The bad news? She can only access it by getting married. Being logical, LaRynn and Deacon marry for the necessary funds to restore the property. As they renovate and live together, they must wade through past feelings and heartbreak that demand attention.

I felt very seen as a reader throughout this book. My parents hate each other to this day, and as a growing up I would go to my grandmother's house as much as I could. I was too busy navigating young adulthood and did not spend much time with her in her last years, just like LaRynn. Like Deacon and LaRynn, the relationship with my father specifically is non-existent. It's like Tarah found my teenage diary.

These characters are beautifully vulnerable, especially Deacon. I was so frustrated throughout the book, knowing they loved each other, but were too afraid to be together. I'm a sucker for a good romance, and this has easily become a favorite for 2024. I laughed, I cried, and I was sad when I finished it.

I read this book a few years ago on kindle unlimited, and I’m not sure how much has changed since that edition, but I’m definitely different now. It hit very differently this time around.

Deacon and LaRynn are a mess, but I love them. I loved especially LaRynn taking on her issues and taking accountability. She put in the work.

I wish the first half of the book would have been like half as long, just because of how angsty it was. Their story didn’t really start until they were honest with each other and decided to work on their issues, which I felt happened too late.

Overall I’m glad I re-read this and I enjoyed it.

Rating: I really liked it!
Narrators: 5

Thank you SMP for the arc!
Each Tarah book i’ve read keeps getting better and better. This is my first year reading her books and I’ve enjoyed getting to know all of her different characters. LaRynn and Deacon were no different.

I loved that this took place in what feels like they bay’s backyard, Santa Cruz. I think on the first page it talked about driving highway 17 and it already just felt familiar.

LaRynn and Deacon had a fling as teenagers, which ended horribly. 10 years later, they are two very different people who have to come together because their grandmothers left them shared ownership of their Santa Cruz home. They both need the renovation of the home to go well, so they are forced to work together. The icing on the cake is that they both have what each other need (LaRynn, Funds. Deacon, construction expertise), but LaRynn can only access the money if she is married. Marriage of Convenience enters the chat. This book was originally released in 2022, but has since gone under renovation (;)) and was re-releaded in November!

This book was SO GOOD. All the way down to the epilogue.

All my favorite tropes are in this one story and tied with the perfect bow. A second chance love story that left me smiling long after I read the last page.

I needed a book that would transport me to another world and this story truly did that. I was kicking my feet and giggling the whole way through.

I highly recommend you pick up a copy of this book now on shelves! You won’t regret it :)

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

I’m very so so about this book. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it. The book kept me pretty well engaged the whole time, I just really wasn’t a fan of the fmc in the beginning and it was hard for me to get past it for the rest of the book. I’m notoriously hard on fmc’s, so this happens to me a lot, but I did love how the fmc and mmc came together. It was a cute romance, but not my favorite.

Love Tara Dewitt! Her stories are always funny and romantic. Glad to have gotten a copy of this to review.