I love second chance romances but there's something about Tara Dewitt's writing that seems very forced to me and I can't connect. This is the second time this has happened to me with the author but maybe we should part ways once and for all. I don't think it's a bad book,

I'm sure it will find its audience but I couldn't connect with the main character which made it difficult to get involved in the story.

This just wasn't my cup of tea. Some of the triggers were difficult. I couldn't connect with the writing style or the main character and needed a stronger inciting incident.

Thank you NetGally and St. Martin’s Press for an arc copy of this rerelease!

I’ve enjoyed every Tarah DeWitt book I’ve read and this was no exception. While I’m a huge fan of the second-chance trope, I’m also a huge hater of miscommunication so this was right in the middle for me.

After the passing of their grandmothers, LaRynn and Deacon have to work together to remodel and sell the house left in their names. The only way to do the remodel is entering a marriage of convenience to access her trust. Thus begins the angsiest roommate situation imaginable.

The timeline goes back and forth between present day and the summer they met, before LaRynn left for college. That summer they fell in love with an abrupt ending, creating a lasting rivalry. I loved the pacing of the back story throughout the chapters and the duel POVs.

My favorite part of this read was the banter and the fun references (PIVOT!). I felt like some chapters did drag a bit and I was chomping at the bit for these two to just talk it out. The extended release did make this more enjoyable for me though I think. That final epilogue gave me all the warm and fuzzies.

Highly recommend to anyone who is in need of a “Sweet Home Alabama” esc rom-com.

As much as I want to be, I don’t think I’m the right audience for Tarah Dewitt. Something about her writing doesn’t appeal to me—I think it just never really comes alive. This is a nice enough story with enemies to lovers/forced proximity/second chance vibes, but I didn’t care about LaRynn and Deacon (and I hated their names).

I've always loved a second chance romance and The Co-Op is no different. Renovating a house is the perfect scenario to bring Deacon and LaRynn back together in the place they fell in (and out?) of love in the first place and experience the magic all over again.

I really adored our two main characters, Deacon and LaRynn but I also loved all of the side characters as well (Sally especially). The world, characters, and storyline felt so developed and complete that everything and everyone had a purpose throughout the story. I loved the idea of the plot but it fell just a tad short for me in the sense that I wish we had a little more of the renovation process, especially the struggles that people face and how exhausting it can be. Overall, I had a great time reading and could feel the characters chemistry the entire time!

The Co-Op is such a sweet and fun romcom with forced proximity, marriage of convenience, and a dash of angst in the form of grief and parental trauma. While it was my first Tarah DeWitt book, it will not be my last!

I'm not sure that Tarah DeWitt is the author for me. This is the second book I've read by her and I had an equally hard time getting through each. I think I don't quite connect with her characters. I don't feel the romance or love and that makes it hard to root for them. I might give her books a break for awhile and try again later!

I feel like this book got off to a promising start. Two exes jointly inherit a house, and due to circumstances are forced to live there and renovate.

However, there were two issues that caused me to DNF this book at the 50% mark:
1) even though there was physical attraction between the two MC’s, there was a lack of witty banter. No real spark between them
2) the plot dragged, I just couldn’t keep engaged

I thought this book was ok, but overall quite forgettable

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for providing me with an eARC of this book to read and review.

Thank you @SMPRomance for the complimentary DRC.

2.5 stars

🛑Warning – kinda spoilery maybe🛑

I wanted to love this one. I assumed I would because Dewitt’s summer romance Savor It was one of my favourite books this year. But guys, the level of miscommunication in this book. I just can’t. For the first half they didn’t communicate properly at all, both holding onto assumptions and grudges from years previously. Throw in the fact that they keep almost doing the do because they’re just SO attracted to each other. I was ready to dropkick them both. THEN when they finally do have a talk, they still don’t say everything and go on their way both assuming the wrong damn thing until sometime around the 75% mark. When finally, they have THE talk, the spice took over for a while and I ended up just skim reading. I threw in the extra half star ‘cause I did love the final chapter.

🟢Safe to read from here.🟢

The miscommunication trope is just not for me especially when used this extensively throughout a book, however, if it’s a trope you don’t mind then chances are you’ll still enjoy this one.

Tarah did it again!! I seriously eat up everything she writes and feel extra special to have gotten this as an ARC!

The way the enemies turn to lovers is one of my fav ways I've seen it done and I loved every second of LaRynn & Deacons story.

Read if you love
Second chance romance
Fake marriage
Enemies to lovers
BANTER such good banter!!

Thank you so much for this ARC! <3

Tarah DeWitt is a new-to-me author, but you can bet I will be reading all of her other books after my experience with The Co-op!

This book had me hooked from start to finish. I absolutely adored both the FMC and MMC and loved their story. The fiery tension between the two and the banter....chef's kiss! Throw these two bold personalities together into a home renovation? Yes, please! A five-star read for me. Go get this one!

This was my first Tarah DeWitt book, so I was really looking forward to discovering a new romance author. Two people who grew apart join together renovate their family home sounds interesting. Sooo the name LaRynn bugged me I just thought about laryngitis. I didn't care for their miscommunication. I'm surprised they got so much done with all the sex they were having. I might give a different book by the author a chance but this one wasn't for me.

If you’re feeling down, this is a perfect book to lift up your spirits. I just absolutely loved it. It’s beautiful and mature and real. The way it talks about grief and second chances and self healing is so beautiful.
LaRynn and Deacon’s story is so cute it had me swooning the whole time.
Also, I love that it has a playlist so much and that it has a trigger warning at the beginning!

This was an entertaining read. Parts of it were cute and it had some good banter. While this wasn't my favorite, overall it was a good read.

this book was so lovely!!! I love when two characters can come together and talk about their issues and why they didn’t work initially 🥹 is this… maturity?!

friends to lovers usually isn’t my jam, but second chance romance always is - and it was so sweet! ryan and deacon were the cutest (and hottest) couple - their tension was bouncing off the walls the entire book and I wanted so badly to shove them together to work out their emotions

and I think what I liked most about THE CO OP was the real and raw emotions behind it all… both deacon and ryan are saddled with grief while trying to figure out their own lives, and it reflects heavily on a few years where I couldn’t figure it out either 🥲

the ending was a bit rushed after the slow burn romance throughout the entire novel, but I love a good HEA I didn’t mind 🥹 the miscommunication, however, was a bit annoying, especially since if they were simply honest about their feelings from the start, everything would have been fine!!!! I’m not bitter!!!

all of that to say, I’m glad I took my time with this one 🩷 thank you st martins press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: burgundy red blend

This was a very enjoyable read. I loved the dual timelines and dual POV. I did think the first breakup was a little rushed and didn’t make sense based on the characters, but as the book went on, it fleshed that out a little more clearly. The spice was just right. enjoyed how the characters grew over the arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital arc.

I really enjoyed The Co-Op by Tarah DeWitt. I was interested in the premise and wasn't dissapointed.

this was even better than the first edition. one thing larynn and deacon knows how to do it’s giving me a seggsy time. I loved this so very much. tarah the woman that you are

This book had me crying more tears than I care to admit, but Tarah you’ve done it again! I absolutely adore this authors writing. It’s just a real feel good type, where the emotions are realistic.

This second chance romance/marriage of convenience was too good. While the beginning started off slow,the flash backs were super important and fundamental to the storyline. I kept trying to figure out why it fell apart for them back then, and my heart wasn’t ready when the truth came out.

There is a bit of a miscommunication trope here, which is not my favorite. But it was done very well and in a way that kept me wanting to read, because I felt the emotions of these characters in my soul.

Deacon is a people pleaser but feels unworthy. LaRynn is so bitchy and misunderstood.

Ugh. The two of them worked so perfectly together once they got past their shit. Childhood sweetheart type of love. Adults who finally decided to get past their traumas and break some generational barriers.

Thank you for the advanced copy! Though this was very much delayed.

I thoroughly enjoy reading Tarah DeWitt. This is my second book by the author and it did not dissapoint. This second chance romance had a great storyline pace and the plot to steam ratio was done wonderfully.

I loved the author's previous title "Savor It" and was excited to give this one a read. I'm a sucker for second chance romance, and I definitely enjoyed this one. I loved the flashbacks that laid out their backstory as things moved along. It was so enjoyable to watch the two fall for each other again and I thought the author did a great job of navigating tough conversations while making them confront their past. The banter was top notch and the MC's were flawed but likable. I thought the plot was cute with the marriage of convenience element. Overall this was a super fun read that had a good amount of substance to it. I would recommend this title to fans of Christina Lauren and Jessica Joyce.