Nooo. I did not jive with these characters. So immature. Ugh. I read Savor It before this book and that one was a 5⭐️ read. This one is a 2.5. The fmc was insufferable.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review (I’m very late to this!)

I can see how some are going to eat this book up, but it just wasn't for me. I kept going back and forth between wanting more of the plot *besides the romance* to be about the renovation and then not caring at all about the renovation, ooops. I enjoyed their banter and don't read a lot of marriage of convenience, so that part was interesting ahaha. You can’t deny they have history and a lot of angst.

In the end, I mostly wasn't a fan because of how much spice was in it. I'm over reading open-door books where I skip through content that I'm not interested in reading. Which was probably my bad for picking this up 😅 I ended up skipping at least 30% of the book and just reading the ending, because I wanted to know what happens.

Tarah DeWitt does not miss! this book was perfection. Deacon had me absolutely week the entire time. LaRynn was also amazing. I loved their second chance and marriage of convenience story. Their chemistry was amazing. I could feel so much love and hurt from both of them throughout the book. This book was very hot and the sex scenes were very well written. I love this book so much!

Oh I loved this book SO HARD! This story is about two people, LaRynn and Deacon, who were together for one summer. They were both so shy about communicating their feelings that things ended… badly. Fast forward a few years later, and fate (plus a summer house neither wants to let go of) throws them back together.

This was a cute read and I enjoyed it overall. The whole premise of them fixing up LaRynn’s grandma’s house really gave the whole plot more emotional.

Deacon and LaRynn’s miscommunication was the only thing that really bugged me about this book because we all know I don’t like that. But their romance is really sweet and I’m kind of happy it didn’t happen out of nowhere.

I also loved that this took place in Santa Cruz! One of my favorite places in California!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I love a good second chance romance and this delivered! The main characters were so much fun and the banter and spice in this book was perfection. I really enjoyed this story and can’t wait to read more from this author!

The Co-op by Tarah DeWitt is a cute second-chance romance with DIY home project vibes. The first part was a little slow, but I'm glad I stuck with it because it was an enjoyable read.

A truly summery spicy romance. This book was so fun to read. I loved the banter and character relationships.

Tarah Dewitt could teach a masterclass in how to write beautifully flawed, and veritably genuine characters. She has a way of making her leads feel like your real best friend, sister, or lover. In The Co-Op, the same is true as we meet Deacon, a boy next door “fixer,” and Larynn, a self proclaimed “stuck up girl” whose actually down to earth and just doesn’t know it yet.

Deacon and LaRynn’s chemistry absolutely jumps off the page in this. The banter was scrumptious, and left me hungry for more with every page turned. The way both characters cared for each other while also simultaneously trying to maintain their hatred was actually quite endearing and executed so well in this novel. And not to mention the sexual tension!!! I loved how we received little bite sized pieces of sexy scenes leading up to the final climax (pun intended).

<b> <i> “In need of a virile man, huh?” I bite my lip in a grin. “More specifically one that no one will miss.” I love the way her nose scrunches when she’s pissed. “Oh sugar, you and I both know I never miss.” </b> </i>

Tarah Dewitt’s writing is some of my favorite in the contemporary romance genre. She has such a way with words, both in true life contemplations, and her unserious, sexy character exchanges. She balances both so well in this novel.

<b> <i> “It feels like I can’t get enough of her, or like I’m asking for too much from her. Maybe it’s just me that’s not enough.” </b> </i>

All that being said, there are a couple reasons I can’t give this 5 stars.

For one, the arranged marriage trope felt like a plot movement device. I needed more internal confliction to really feel the “arranged” part in this arranged marriage. We also only really got glimpses of this trope throughout the novel, and I would’ve loved more.
While this was dual narration, the internal monologue had the same exact cadence making it difficult to distinguish the characters voices.
The flashbacks from when they were younger just randomly stop 50% into the novel and weren’t fully resolved. We needed at least one more scene to feel the hatred/tension leading them into the present day.

Overall, I’ll never not recommend a Tarah Dewitt novel. She has a special place on my bookshelf for a reason! 🫶

LaRynn Lavigne and Deacon Leeds were once summer flings, but when they become shared owners of the Santa Cruz building they have an opportunity to reconnect. The co-op is a light hearted marriage of convenience and forced proximity story. I will say the lack of communication skills between the two was infuriating, but it also built into the realism of the characters.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Tarah DeWitt book, and it won't be my last.
Reading The Co-op was an enjoyable experience. The characters felt real and relatable. The story itself was well-written and pulled me in from the start.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a hit for me and I see why so many others loved it! Now I need to go back and read more of her books!! Thank you so much netgalley for this copy of Mercury!

This was so cute! My first book by this author and I’ll definitely be reading Savor it ASAP. Her writing was witty, and the story had me rooting for the main characters from start to finish.

Second chance romance and marriage of convenience, yes please! I really enjoy this fun read and their banter back and forth had me giggling!

“They’ve been playing house…while these walls are coming down” 🏠🤍

I’m a sucker for the marriage of convenience trope when done well and this one definitely was! I loved the HGTV vibes and fell in love with the characters growth. However I get deeply irritated with a miscommunication trope in any romance so that was the only part that deterred me from rating any higher. I don’t think I’ve read any home construction romance so the plot line alone had me intrigued from the start!

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced readers copy!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

I have enjoyed past writings of this author and was looking forward to this one. We have a past history of young love and broken hearts, a second chance love story with a marriage of convenience mixed in. We get flashes of the earlier timeline of Deacon and LaRynn's relationship but not a full explanation of the ending them. I was hoping for a little more of the past revealed. When the two reunite it is after they are given shared ownership of their grandmothers' apartment building. A plot emerges to access LaRynn's funds she will get when she marries. The they can renovate and eventually sell. I was disappointed that even though our couple was now grown you could still see times of immense immaturity. Add that blasted miscommunication trope and not voicing true feelings/opinions was frustrating, too. I enjoyed the spark and the cutesy/loving times when our couple made an effort. The push and pull especially from Larry and all her wide mood swings/issues got old, fast. I hoped for more character growth by the end. When we finally get to the honesty stage and willingness to open hearts and accept a real marriage was (almost) worth all the messiness to get there. I could do without the open-door scenes...the romance and not the "lust" is what sells it!

3.5 stars

Another knockout from Tarah DeWitt! To be fully transparent: if it's written by her, I'm going to read it and most likely love it. The Co-Op was so beautifully written and I love a marriage of convenience trope! Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

This was better without the flashbacks. (I’d give the 2022 version 4 stars)

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Tarah DeWitt does it again! I love her books and getting to know the characters for it. This book was exactly what I needed with great characters, a great story line and just enough spice. I highly recommend.-

Overall, I enjoyed this story and thought that it creatively set a second chance romance against the backdrop of an exploration on grief and complicated family relationships. I do think that as much as the layers of the story: the co-op remodel, the characters' layered backgrounds, the loss of their grandmothers, as well as their own complicated relationship, do contribute to making the story more interesting it also made the book feel like a much heavier read than I as a reader anticipated. The chapters are very heavy in exposition, often leaving a desire for more dialogue between the characters and more of a focus on the actual love story. Still, it was enjoyable and I'd recommend.