This was my first Tarah DeWitt and I'll be reading more by her!! Set in a seaside California town, two ex lovers are reunited after their grandmother's deaths to renovate their grandmother's home together. It's a forced proximity, enemies to lovers, second chance romance with tons of banter, and wit. I will say I did not connect with the FMC as she was selfish and blatantly rude to the MMC to the point of it being a bit like "okay we get it." Overall this was enjoyable and like I said I'll be reading more.

I adored this book. Deacon and LaRynn have a chemistry that time could not erase. What a great premise for a second chance romance. This book was a little slow at first but you could feel their angst right from the beginning. Once they decided to stop being idiots and facing their past did everything really fall into place. I love Sal and the connection to their grans. A sexy, angsty, great second chance romance. Thank you NetGalley, St. Martins Press and the author for letting me read this book.

Teenage lovers turned enemies, LaRynn and Deacon are thrust together again when their grandmothers (who were married to one another) pass away and leave their house to the pair. It's fallen into some disrepair, and they must fix it up if they want to sell it. Thanks to their teenage romance falling apart, along with plenty of other childhood baggage, LaRynn and Deacon bring lots of anger, tension, and general hatred to the renovation.

At first, I had no real interest in the two getting back together thanks to their vitriol--it didn't even seem like it would be possible, honestly. The story does get better with time, as they cool down and get used to one another again. However, there's nothing like mixing passionate, angry love with the highs and lows of home renovation drama. And there's certainly a lot of fierce love and sexual tension here--and spice, too! (So much spice.)

I have to admit I found their (romantic) relationship a little weird since their grandmothers were married, even if it happened when they were in their teens. But I did love the lesbian grandma angle-so cute.

The story is told mainly in present day between LaRynn and Deacon, but we do flash back to the past, so we can see what tore the two of them apart. It's a little more anti-climatic than it's all made out to be. There are so many feelings and pent-up emotions from these teenage years, which manifest into a lot of passion as adults. However, you can't help but think that a little communication--either then, or now--would have made all of this easier (and a lot less dramatic).

LaRynn and Deacon wind up getting married so LaRynn can access her trust fund, allowing them to pay for some renovations for the house. The whole "fake marriage" concept gets very glossed over, with no one seeming to really care about being deceived. There's also a lack of closure with some business ideas of LaRynn's, too. There's a great epilogue, but I wish it had tied up the threads of the plot more.

This is a very passionate story, with two strong-willed main characters, a fun beachy setting, and lots of drama. It's all a bit much at times, but it's a cute romance overall.

There were a lot of things that I loved about this book. The setting! The trope (forced proximity, marriage of convenience, second chance)! And I thought it was very refreshing having a tall, strong female main character. She is also kind of mean but she owns it; and she's not really mean, but she can be moody and snarky, etc. For all of the good things about it, I still found that it dragged a bit in some parts for me and I can't even articulate why which is not helpful. However, it was an enjoyable read and the plot was thorough; you can tell the author put some real thought into it and tried to make it creative which I think readers will appreciate. Tarah DeWitt continues to be an author that I will pick up as I have been continuously impressed by her work.

I absolutely LOVED this book! Tarah is becoming a go to author for me as both this and Savor It were five star reads for me. There is just something about the way she develops her characters. They are all going through intense situations which is life. But Tarah has such a beautiful way of following that grief and helping these characters recognize that they are in fact grieving and how to help them heal largely by opening up and letting people in. These two characters were no different. Deacon is going on my book boyfriend list because OMG. The way that this man thinks about Larry AKA LaRynn. The way that he recognizes how amazing she is. The way that he isn't afraid of her strength but instead likes to poke at her. It was fascinating to watch these two fall back in love and HARD. Larry was a such an intense character. She was so strong and fiercely protective of the people she let in but she didn't let anybody in. She has only known love as the broken relationship that was her parents. So reading about her and Deacon when they were 18 and 20 was so relatable- trying to be too cool and act like she didn't care when it reality she cared too much. The way that Tarah had these two characters evolve together through a home renovation was EVERYTHING! I mean I don't know about you guys but I know that a home reno is stressful as all get out and yet somehow it brought these two together.

LaRynn is finally acknowledging that she needs to do the right thing. She has been ignoring his calls. Him being Deacon the man who broke her back in the day. The man who she hasn't spoken to really since then. But the one who keeps calling about the house that is now theirs. Yes that's right- since their grandmas were married they both deeded the house to them. And it apparently is falling apart. She hasn't seen the man in forever but she knows she can handle it until she really really can't. I mean how can he look better now than he did. And then when they realize how much money things will be- they do the unthinkable. They get married because that's how LaRynn gains access to her trust. And so here she finds herself married to the man that broke her heart all those years ago. How does he seem so ingratiated into this small town where everyone seems to know him. And here is LaRynn the woman who didn't even come back when her grandma died. The one who has been running because she knows that acknowledging those feelings will just break her. But OMG this house that is now hers and Deacon's is a trainwreck. I mean there aren't even doors. There are notes reminding her of when she can and can't use things at the same time. And during all of this there is this energy between them. She can't help but love the way he refers to her as his wife. She can't help but think that maybe she misinterpreted what happened between them all those years ago. But she is leaving after all of this- right? But then they come clean about how they felt and what actually happened and it's like this weight has been lifted. They are going to be friends and work through this. They are going to get it all done. But who are they kidding there is no way this energy between them is just friends. And when they finally figure it out- it's explosive and unstoppable.

Deacon can't believe he has had to resolve to threatening to sure LaRynn in order to get her attention. What happened to them? How did they go from being what they were to where they are now which is not exactly enemies but almost like they just never were. And yet Deacon can't seem to shake her. So when she finally shows up and they come up with the idea of marriage to gain access to her trust he says yes. Partly because of the money but also because part of him likes this idea of them working out. But now they have to live together in this hellhole all while faking a relationship. They get into a rhythm and it's like the chemistry they used to have has been amplified. The way she looks at him makes him feel things. The way he has to work for a smile makes him feel accomplished. But there is this underlying current of what transpired. How they broke each other. When they finally get it out in the open it is a relief. They are going to be friends. Deacon is terrified to give her his heart again even though he knows she already has it. But who was he kidding- he can't let her go. He can't let her be with someone else. Not when she is already his. They may have had a rocky start but now he knows that she is his endgame. He just has to get her caught up.

This was just such a wonderful read! I felt the angst tenfold. Their banter was amazing. The mutual pining but being terrified of letting the other in. I was on the edge of my seat wondering when they were finally going to give in while also wondering what had happened between them. Reading about both of their heartbreaks and how they both seen love play out helped me understand where they were at mentally. The chemistry between these two was off the charts! I HATED waiting until like 75% before things really happened but don't you worry Tarah gave us some breadcrumbs. I can't recommend this one enough!!

I want to thank NetGalley and Tarah for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The Co-op was my first Tara DeWitt novel and I will be reading more of her books. I loved the way she weaved Deacon and LaRynn's backstory together. This was a satisfying slow burn.

This book was not for me, I found both the main characters to be quite irritating and immature. Like please just talk!!!

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.