⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️

*second chance romance
*marriage of convenience
*these two are step-cousins although no one ever mentions this in the book. They call their collective grandmothers (who are married to each other) "The Grands." They're not blood related, obviously, but it's just funny to me that not one person ever mentioned the whole "cousin" thing
*both of them also NEED therapy, like yesterday
*this book was not 5 stars for me because the FMC was so unlikeable. She definitely went on quite a character journey, but I wish I had liked her more in the end

Rating: 4.5/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

What more could you ask for with this steamy marriage of convenience, forced proximity, young adult memories of a summer spent together, romance, great chemistry between the characters and second chances. I enjoyed this book so much, I found that the plot was airy, but had enough drama and banter to keep wondering what the author would write for the next chapter. I found the pace of the book to be fast and engaging. However, it was the characters and this author's writing that were the stars.

I liked that we got to see bits and pieces of their history throughout the book, and you get to see them at the present. How these characters are learning to live together just so they can keep the house that their grandparents built together. There was a lot of hurt, grudges and learning to love oneself to move on in their lives. I liked that it wasn’t just about these two characters, LaRynn and Deacon, but you will see pieces of their lives that they’re healing throughout the book as well. I found this slow burn to have been done great for me, and the tension/chemistry between these characters was done that left me craving for something to happen and when it almost did, I died with laughter with the outcome.

I found these characters to be likeable and easy to connect with. You can tell that this author knows how to make characters that readers can relate to too because they’re flawed, and you can find small pieces of themselves that you can relate to too. You will laugh at their banter; you will find yourself invested in the emotional progress of each of the characters and their journey that they each took alone and together to get to their HEA. I found LaRynn character to be someone I would love to be friends with, I know that opening up in to people was hard for me when I was in my 20’s but with time and support I learned and you can see the growth that LaRynn takes to better herself and without her knowing it better the relationship that is growing between Deacon. I found Deacon to be the perfect person for LaRynn, he was trying to be understanding at first and make things work but once he figured out what was going on he would start to give her more time to think things through and you really saw their friendship bloom into something beautiful. I loved that these characters got their HEA, and that ending was so cute, but I didn’t want their story to end.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin Press for the opportunity to review this book.

This book was definitely not my favorite. I couldn't connect with it, and finishing it took me a while. It felt like the plot was only about two adults who couldn't communicate with each other.

“Home. Home. Home. Three months together in a ripped-up building and nothing’s ever felt more like it.”

TLDR: When this book originally released it was an instant favorite. It’s gotten multiple rereads from me. Well, this little gem got a renovation of its own with this release. Tarah managed to make it everything it was at its core but more. More heart. More depth. More spice. And I loved it.

This book (pre-reno) was my first modern day marriage of convenience and it quickly became one of my favorite tropes. It was also the first time I really connected with a black cat FMC. It’s pretty far from my personality and sometimes struggle to understand where they are coming from but between Tarah’s writing and LaRynn’s past I felt every bit of her pain, frustration, and rage. Deacon, my man. I didn’t think I could love him more but I was wrong. With this edit I do, I love him more. These two are messy and imperfect and the journey to each other is hard fought, making their happily ever after that much sweeter. (sigh) Forever rooting for Deacon and Larry.

Tropes + Things
second chance
dual timeline
forced proximity
dislike to love
small beach town
marriage of convenience
black cat x golden retriever
dual POV/1st person

Huge thank you to #StMartinsPress
and @netgalley for an advanced audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.
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I’m a sucker for second chance romance and this one definitely had a couple to root for. Deacon and LaRynn spent a summer together as teenagers but as adults they want nothing to do with each other. When their grandmothers’ leave them a rundown building they are stuck together. As they work on the building they find themselves working on each other individually and together.
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It took me a little while to get into this one, but once it finally clicked with me, I enjoyed it a lot! It's a sweet, tension-filled second-chance romance with a fantastic amount of character growth that I was hoping for. Both Deacon and LaRynn are wonderful characters, and I loved their story together. Definitely recommend this one for someone looking for a quick read!

This was a cute romcom! I really liked the FMC- I thought she was well-written and had a strong sense of self. The banter was cute, and it was all written for a good pace!

Have you ever read a book that makes you want to punch the main character in the face? Unfortunately, that is how I felt for 95% of this book.

I love Tarah DeWitt’s writing (I devoured Savor It earlier this year). The premise of this one was incredibly cute: two ex-flames inherit a building and renovate it so they can sell it, but to get the funds for their DIY project, they need the FMC’s inheritance, so they have to get married.

Look, I love a fake marriage, a second chance romance, and witty banter. But I can't get behind it when it's with such a snobby, ungrateful FMC. There was also the dreaded miscommunication trope that could have easily been resolved.

Overall, this one just wasn't for me.

Man I just love Tarah's writing. I love the humor she brings to her books even when they have a heavy plot.

Watching Larynn go from this prickly person to really understanding herself and growing as a person was great! Let's be real Tarah is just good at writing men so of course Deacon is amazing.

Truly a blast to read and at times really heartfelt.

The Co-op by Tarah DeWitt was 4⭐️read for me. Shes one of my favorite authors and I love the way she writes romance. I only have this one a 4 because the amount of time that they (to me) danced around their problems and awkwardness was a little too long for my taste. But I will tell you that I loved the last 30% of this novel. The romance was endearing and extra special. I’m still smiling about the ending. I highly recommend this lovely romance.
Thanks St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.

3 ⭐️: I enjoyed “The Co-Op!” LaRynn and Deacon had so much chemistry!

I loved all of the flashbacks— they were really engaging and had me rooting for them from the start! Plus, I feel like it broke up the story and helped to keep it flowing.

I did find myself getting annoyed towards the middle part of the book. Their behavior was too childish (and while I know, in part, it has to do with them “reverting” to their teenage behavior/attitude, it got old… fast). The selfishness/entitlement/lack of communication made about 30% of the book almost unreadable.

Side note: the playlist at the beginning? 👨‍🍳💋🤌 (loved the Gracie Abrams, Lizzy McAlpine, Mumford & Sons, Taylor, Phoebe and Hozier)

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Tarah's writing style. I could not put this book down. It was delicious! The chemistry, the banter, the back and forth, the fun side characters. All of it was wonderful!

Read if you love:

🩷 Great banter
🩷 Second Chance Love
🩷 Forced Proximity
🩷 Marriage of convenience
🩷 Coastal Towns
🩷 Grief Rep
🩷 Nicknames

I absolutely recommend this book! Such a great read!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book! This was my first book by this author, and while I enjoyed the writing, I found myself pretty bored by this story. I think the home renovation plot line just isn't for me. I wish more of the book had the enemies as lovers, once they were together it was quick to end the book. I would try other books by the author and would still recommend this book to friends. I would give this book 2.75 stars.

I have been wanting to read something by this author for a while. After receiving the widget from the publisher, I thought this is my time. I just finished the book and I can’t believe I waited this long to read it. Deacon and ‘Larry’ are perfection. I loved their relationship. I loved all the side characters like Sally. I’m so so happy they got to keep the house they worked on. The tension and the banter was to die for. I am a sucker for a slow burn. Their little games they were playing in the beginning was hilarious. I’m so sad the book is over now. But I’m definitely going to check out other releases by this author!

A second chance with a slow burn, witty banter, and two now-adults who strive not to repeat the non-communication issues they had before, The Co-op brings a fresh twist on the marriage of convenience with its living in a renovation (no walls!) forced proximity situation.
Do you know those books you are almost fearful of reading because you have heard so much about them? This is one of them for me. And it mostly lived up to the hype

LaRynn Lavine is slow to open up and struggling to adapt to life without parental support. She is also nonconfrontational, avoiding dealing with her parents and her ex or tackling her grief and even hiding from her single best friend. Raised by emotionally unavailable parents, she found refuge in summering at her grandmother’s beach condo.

Then, the summer she is 19, she falls for Deacon Leeds, who is carrying his collection of baggage.

And it is magic until it isn’t.

Neither has the maturity (or bravery) to reach out until eight years later when they inherit a beloved yet disrepair mess of a home.

The conflict between Deacon and LaRynn was clear from the beginning; they had both broken each other. I loved that they recognized how they had previously used physical intimacy as a barrier to admitting to their growing (mutual) feelings. Their (now) reluctance to act on these desires as more mature adults added a new layer of depth and a lot of anticipation.

The payoff for their self-restraint was vibrating with tension and well worth the wait. I loved how they evolved emotionally from taunting to tenderness with each other's bodies and hearts.

Set in a smaller beach town, I felt the setting supported the characters. From their reno to the frequent beach volleyball matches, there was plenty of action to move the timeline, allowing their relationship time to heal slowly. I enjoyed the foil of their best friends' relationship and how it compares to Deacon and LaRynn. Lots to enjoy!

Ever the sucker for a second chance, I relished this one in the end and look forward to working through DeWitt’s backlist

thank you to netgalley for my e-arc. my one gripe is could she have named the characters anything else? in my head i had to keep readjusting to say "lauren" instead of whatever "larynn" was. the second chance romance was a nice part of the story, along with the very slow burn.

Two adults with poor communication skills both have grandmothers who were married to each other. When the grandmothers pass away within months of each other, they leave the two adults with a rundown co-op that they now co-own. To get rid of the property, they decide to live together and fix it up so they can sell it and finally be done with each other.

However, they don’t have enough money to do the repairs. The FMC is a trust fund baby, but she can’t access her funds unless she’s married. So, even though these two had a falling out years ago due to a miscommunication, they decide to enter a marriage of convenience and cohabitate to fix up the house and move on for good.

Aside from the bizarre setup of both having a grandmother married to the other’s, the entire plot revolves around miscommunication. The FMC comes across as selfish and “misunderstood,” but honestly, all she needed to do was, I don’t know, say something kind instead of being rude all the time. Maybe she wouldn’t feel so unloved and isolated if she wasn’t always on the offensive.

As for the MMC—he’s portrayed as perfect but apparently says something to her when they were younger that caused their fallout. This “miscommunication” was never fully explained and felt completely out of character, making it seem like drama for the sake of drama.

That’s the whole book: FMC is rude, MMC is intentionally clueless, there’s plenty of sexual tension, a few funny romcom moments, and lots of miscommunication that doesn’t feel logical or realistic. When they finally do talk, they decide to be “just friends.” Also, the alternating past and present chapters were confusing, and the plot felt so drawn out that finishing the book was a struggle.

I was having such a good time initially, but this is a case of “less is more.” By the 70% mark, once the characters finally talked, they should have started getting together instead of dragging out their declarations of love and adding more over-the-top drama. The story felt forced, way too long, and ultimately didn’t make sense.

Two stars, but I’ll give it credit for the FMC being a tall woman. As a fellow tall woman (I mean not 6 ft but tall enough to relate), I appreciated those moments where she mentions the struggles of dating due to her height. It’s refreshing to see representation in romance since most FMCs are usually so “tiny and cute”.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Definitely not what I was expecting but was a cute story with hate to love marriage of convenience and forced proximity. While I did enjoy the book I did felt it dragged at the beginning it took quite awhile for me to get into.

Rereading and being back with LaRynn and Deacon in this new version was everything! They are dear to me!!!

This is hands down one of my favorite books and rereading with the added depth to these characters and their story that I already loved so much🥹

The banter, chemistry, and tension (!!!) were all still so good and had me giggling and kicking my feet! This is my favorite Tarah Dewitt book and that is solidified for me every time I read it! I’ll be thinking about them forever I love them so much!! <333

Tarah is such a queen and I love this book so much. it really transported me to when I read it the first time. it was such good experience and I cried like the first time. tarah is a queen can't stop reading her books