LaRynn and Deacon shared a summer fling when they were teenagers. A decade later, their grandmothers have left them shared ownership of their dilapidated Santa Cruz building, thrusting LaRynn and Deacon back together to pick up the pieces. LaRynn has money in a trust but can only access it if she is married, Deacon is lacking funds, but does have the construction experience necessary to repair the building. Together they strike a deal, marry for however long it takes to fix up the property, collect a profit, and then cut ties.

Even the best of relationships can be tested by home renovation work so I was intrigued to see how LaRynn and Deacon would manage the rift between them while simultaneously repairing the Santa Cruz building their grandmothers left them.

I thought it was really cool that LaRynn’s family (grandmother) was described as having come from Quebec as well as the little snippets in French. This is not common in many of the books I read, and it was a fun discovery!

THE CO-OP is a second chance romance with a little marriage of convenience that I absolutely adored. This is the updated version of the book that was initially published in 2022. I’ve never read the original so I’m not sure how this one may compare.

I enjoyed both main characters, Deacon and LaRynn. The story is told with short chapters flashing to the past that gives additional context to what created the rift that exists between the two. The character and relationship development was well done and I enjoyed seeing Deacon and LaRynn’s bond develop over the course of the story. I loved the concept of this construction project bringing them together and the antics they participate in to egg on each other. There’s some spicy scenes that are well written and with great timing.

Overall, a cute story!

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Griffin, of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own.</i>

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Co-op by Tarah DeWitt is perfect for those of us who love second chance romance, forced proximity, marriage of convenience, enemies to lovers, slow burn, it’s always been you, dual POV, and HGTV 🏡 😄

This is my first Tarah DeWitt, and I really liked and vibed through the renovated version of The Co-op. LaRynn is a very tough nut to crack and she’d much rather tell you off than tell you anything about herself, while Deacon is more of a kill them with kindness type of person and yet somehow these two complement each other in the best way. The flashbacks to LaRynn and Deacon as teenagers really added to their relationship and so that we could really see the growth these two went through to come back together. The small town setting and side characters also just added to the overall delight I experienced while reading this book!

There will most definitely be more books by Tarah DeWitt in my future after reading this one!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided to me through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Tarah DeWitt and St. Martin’s Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

I’m normally not someone that enjoys the miscommunication trope but in this case I actually enjoyed The Co-Op. I really enjoyed both characters and how different from each other they were. It was just a steamy, forced proximity, marriage of convenience, it’s always been you novel.

I feel both characters were very likable. I loved the backstory with the grands and the small town feel of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Enemies to lovers. Forced proximity. A marriage of convenience. Dual perspective. Sign me up immediately!

LaRynn & Deacon had a summer fling as teenagers. It was nothing to build a foundation on, given how it all fell apart. Now, eight years later, their grandmothers left them shared ownership of their falling apart Santa Cruz building.

LaRynn has the money, but to access the trust she must be married. Deacon has the construction background, but lacks the funds.

In a home without walls, they find they can hide behind the emotional walls. But forced proximity forces LaRynn and Deacon to figure out how to co-operate as a team to finish the house.

Tropes:
- enemies to lovers
- slow burn
- forced proximity
- marriage of convenience
- pranks & banter
- dual pov
- second chance
- open door
- home renos

Tarah is the absolute queen of messy, realistic, & relatable characters with depth & character development.

This is the first book I have ever read where I genuinely loved the second chance trope. The reason for their breakup as teens was believable & understandable, and the way they dealt with it as adults was messy & vulnerable & truly believable.

The banter…I’m a banter whore and love it so much so this was A++ for me!

So basically, you NEED this book at the top of your TBR. I promise you’ll thank me.

First off I loved the tropes in this one: marriage of convenience, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, second chance romance. And I thought it was impossible not to fall for these characters. I love the way that Tarah writes complex and imperfect characters that feel so real and you can't help but to root for. Another gem by Tarah DeWitt.

New Tara Dewitt reader and I’m HOOKED!! Loved The Co-Op and will definitely be looking forward to her new releases! Ready to dive into her back list now! 😃

Oh man. I had such high hopes for this book, and it had some moments, but ultimately didn't work for me.

LaRynn (I can't) and Deacon have inherited a house together. They must fix it up to sell, but must first come to terms with their passionate past. Can they work together or are they doomed to repeat the past mistakes?

The miscommunication was high in this book. Not my favorite. I also had trouble connecting with the main characters. They were adversaries for no reason for way too long. By the time they got together, I just didn't care. I was annoyed with the characters for the majority of the book. The ending was cute enough. I wish there was more friend time and less drama over the house. I guess this book was a rework? Maybe I would have enjoyed the previous iteration more.

I know this author has potential because I loved Savor It. I will try new things from her but will hesitate to revisit older works.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the e-book in exchange for my honest review.

A suuuuuuuper slow burn, but worth it. I love a good second chance romance, and this one has so much chemistry!

Absolutely loved the banter and chaos of LaRynn and Deacon’s story!

I’m not a big fan of time jumping in books but I felt it was well written in this book where it didn’t bother me. You get just enough of the pair’s past to understand why they have a grudge and what their relationship was like.

Marriage of convenience is a favorite trope of mine, not only is Deacon possessive of LaRynn but she feels the same of him. Through their grievances with each other, they also deeply care for and support each other. They grow more in being comfortable with themselves through encouraging each other.

I fell in love with story! I was into these two for the entire ride, start to finish. The premise was promising on its own, so when I saw that it was available for an ARC, I was pumped. You have two exes of sort inheriting a broken down property with forced close proximity? You add in shenanigans, poking and prodding, and just flat-out tension in every interaction - you’ve got a romance that is going to keep your attention.

LaRynn is a rich girl who is now flat-broke after being disowned by her father. She is dealing with the fallout of that, along with grieving her grandmother, and decides it's time to return back to her favorite place and try to move forward. However, when I say that she decides it is time to return, I really mean she’s being forced to by Deacon. So, not only are they about to start out on the wrong foot, but that’s exactly where they had left it a decade ago, too.

Their past history is full of misunderstandings (such is young love) and it was so gratifying to watch as they unraveled those perceptions over the course of their cohabitation. I was into how the author used the two timeless, and interconnected their relationship 10 years ago into the present. It was not jarring like I have seen in other stories, you get flashbacks every couple of chapters but its not back and forth every minute (chefs kiss.)

What I do want to make abundantly clear is that I ADORED all the versions of Deacon and LaRynn! They were both just little sweetie pies who were scared of being hurt by the other. Both were let by others before, and they handled it in different ways, but at the bottom of it, they were just lovestruck scaredy cats who couldn’t help but fall in love with the other twice.

This was my first read from Tarah DeWitt, and I will be giving the others a try now.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review.

I simply could not put this book down!! The relationship between Deacon and LaRynn was unlike anything I’ve read and was truly rooting for them the whole time. I loved everything about this book and will read anything Tarah writes!!!

this was such a sweet story 🥺 watching Ms LaRynn find her way back home and reconnect with Deacon was so so cute. I loved the chapters that gave a glimpse into their past and why they didn’t work out originally. I also adored getting tidbits of information about their grandmas and their love story. Deacon being a handy man and being able to do all these home renovations was so fun too! I looooved the aspect of them coming together for their common goal, to fix this house that meant to much to both of them.

The ending 🥺 I had a lump in my throat on the verge of tears because of how sweet the last few chapters were.

The Co-Op by Tarah DeWitt 🛠️

I am absolutely obsessed with this book and everything that Tarah DeWitt writes. This is one of those reviews where it’s kind of hard to write because I’m not sure how to really put into words how much I loved it. LaRynn and Deacon’s are both such real and flawed characters which had my eyes glued to the page wanting to know what would come next with them.

LaRynn would spend her summers growing up at her grandmas house. One of those summers she meets Deacon, the grandson of her grandmas new wife. The first time they met didn’t go well, but after a few summers they got close and ended up in a summer fling. That fling ended terribly and they’ve barely spoken since. But when both of their grandmas pass way, they equally inherit the house where their grandmas lived. That house is in desperate need of a renovation that neither LaRynn nor Deacon can afford. Until they agree to a marriage of convenience to access trust fund money of LaRynns. They agree to stay married long enough to fix the house and then they’ll go their separate ways, but all the close proximity causes memories and feelings to return.

I’m such a big fan of second chance romances where the characters needed the time apart to grow before coming back together. That’s the case with LaRynn and Deacon perfectly. Both of them have their flaws, they say mean things to each, edge each other on in hopes of getting them to snap. They’re very real characters and I was desperate to see them get back together for their happy ending.

The flashbacks added so much to the story. They came in at the perfect moments of the book to act in parallel to what was happening in the present timeline, building up to the moment when they went their separate ways.

There’s so much I loved about this so I’m just going to list a bunch of things with no context… home renovations, sexual tension, jealousy, music that fits the mood, fighting as flirting, a tall and feisty woman, acts of service, slow dancing, plus more.

🩷 second chance
👥 close proximity
💍 marriage of convenience
💭 flashbacks
🤭 “my wife”
🛠️ home renovations
👏🏻 no third act breakup

dual POV
5/5 stars ⭐️
2.5/5 spice level 🌶️

Thoroughly enjoyed re-reading the Co-op! I freaking love all of Tarah’ Dewitt’s books and that’s no different with co-op. Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Publishing Group for this ARC!

LaRynn and Deacon are perfect! I absolutely love them and definitely grew attached to them throughout the story. The epilogue is my favorite and just 👩🏻‍🍳😘.

I will continue to read any and all of Tarah’s book.

I’ll admit to liking the first Tara DeWitt novel I read, Savor It, a bit more than this one. But she’s such a strong writer who creates characters who feel real and are interesting, so I really enjoyed this one too.

Both LaRynn and Deacon can be abrasive at times, particularly Rynn, but the story is so well crafted that the reader totally understands why. They’re flawed and funny and moving and interesting, characters you’ll end up rooting for. I don’t usually love second chance romance but this was a great version of it. Modern marriage of convenience is such a fun trope because it’s so much harder to hit out of the park than its historical counterpart, and this book does it. A really engaging story.

This has been one of the most fun, endearing second chance romances that I have ever had the privilege to read. The dual POV/ dual timeline was used so effectively here and getting to LaRynns cinnamon roll center was truly a delight. This story was about healing from trauma as much as it was about falling in love and Tarah DeWitt did such a fantastic job of capturing both. The plot in the first half of the book definitely moved faster than it did in the second half, but I couldn't get these two out of my head regardless. I loved the way that LaRynns and Deacons personalities bounded off the page and the banter was truly top notch. The attraction between them was palpable and the tension waiting for them to act on the chemistry between them had me on the edge of my seat. Thank you so much Tarah and Netgalley for allowing me to read this beautiful book early. This is one of those books that I see myself revisiting time and time again.

This book is a hilarious, spicy romance book. This is a second chance romance, with close proximity, tons of banter and an absolutely beautiful setting. It also had a ton of miscommunication, secrets and lots of back and forth. It's not my favourite Tarah DeWitt book, but I did enjoy it.

I felt a little lost in this romance novel. Miscommunication and marriage of convenience, forced proximity. I felt like I was playing book trope bingo - without a necessary reason which was a bummer. Some of the dialogue was beautiful, but it couldn’t make up for the FMC characterization, writing style. Just average.

It took me a long time to get through this book, but I’m glad that I did. Second chance, slow burn, enemies to friends to lovers, in a small town. LaRynn and Deacon once had something a very long time ago, only to now find themselves owners of a property both their grandmothers owned. This book takes us along the bumpy roads as they try to figure out their next steps!

Tarah Dewitt is like a breath of fresh air

The characters are realistic and easily relatable.
I always fall in love with the way she writes such human characters and stories.
It feels truly like these could be real people

This author NEVER lets me down