Ok this is the cutest book ever! It officially got me out of my reading slump too. I loved the romance but I also loved how they grew together and all the depth they had. They had some problems but talked it out every time and I loved that. The communication was just ugh so good. I literally can't find anything wrong with this book. I’ll be looking forward to more of Tarah Dewitt’s releases.

I really struggled to get into LaRynn and Deacon’s story. I’m a sucker for a second chance romance and I really love Tarah’s writing and her other books, but for some reason I just kept putting this book down. I don’t know if it was too much of a slow burn or just slower paced than what I was in the mood for, but I think this was definitely a me issue and I’ll absolutely pick up her next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my second Tarah DeWitt book I've tried and she just isn't for me, too fluffy or too lighthearted and just not for me. I also do not like the trope where kids are involved, so this became a DNF for me, I'm sorry! I wanted to love it!!

I loved this book so much! Just when I thought Savor It was my favorite Tarah DeWitt story, here comes The Co-op. Santa Cruz is my favorite place on earth and it holds so many memories to me. All the little glimpses at the location made this story so special. On top of that, of course, hooooooot tension and a beautiful shift in time to get the full story about the two main characters. This is a must read for all romance lovers!

I enjoyed the Co-op in it's orignal itieration, but this re-write was gold. I'm so happy that LaRynn and Deacon are getting a second, second chance.

I liked this book but it wasn’t really something I would read again. It has some of my favorite tropes but didn’t keep my attention as well as I had hoped.

I didn’t really love either MC in the start but they did grow on be in the end. I can’t say I connected with them or really liked them in the end though.

I’ll definitely give Tarah another shot with a different book and won’t let this book be my sole opinion of her as an author.

I loved DeWitt’s previous romance, Savor It, so I was excited to dive into The Co-op. While it didn’t quite live up to my expectations, it was still a decently entertaining romance story.

Thank you Tarah DeWitt, St. Martin’s Griffin, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

After LaRynn's grandmother passes, she finds out she's co-owners with the man that broke her heart years ago. Now she forced to return to Santa Cruz to help Deacon renovate the falling down house enough to sell it. He has the experience with construction work but no money, she has a trust she can't touch until marriage. Can she survive this marriage of convenience without losing her heart again?
This was a sweet slow burn second chance romance. Both of the characters had emotional issues from their past that caused miscommunication with each other. The pining from both characters, just wow! The setting of a falling down house with no walls or doors added a lot of humor and drama and kept me glued to the pages, laughing out loud.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was such a fun read full of humor, banter and chemistry. I love home renovation romcoms and when you add in a second chance/enemies to lovers/forced proximity romance it is even better. Definitely will be reading more by this author.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This book felt like it was about two teenagers instead of two adults. How one can hold a grudge that long is insane to me. 2.5 stars

✔ Marriage of convenience
✔ Forced Proximity
✔ Second Chance

Two people you can't see together but in the end are perfectly matched. I struggled to find a reason they should be together but alas...they were able to resolve the issues they had and find a happy ever after.

While this story didn't do it for me I'm confident there will be readers who devour this.

The angst!!!

I loved this book. A second chance romance (paired here with a marriage of convenience!!) is really one of my favorites because you have the history of the couple that makes it more realistic for them to find each other again and aren't dealing with the insta-love you get in a lot of romances.

The dual timeline with little glimpses into the grans' lives and LaRynn and Deacon's teenage love was what made it so easy to understand the pull they had toward each other so many years later.

I really enjoyed this book! I enjoyed the back and forth banter from the characters. Their marriage was anything but convenient and they had their fair share of disagreements, but I liked how much they grew with each other and learned how to really understand and finally love one another, which is exactly what I think their grandmothers knew and had hoped for all those years before. The development with the characters was really good. It kept me wanting to read more.

I am a big fan of Tarah's books, but this one missed the five-star mark for me. Why? I found the character progression very repetitive and slow-moving. I was expecting a whole lot of spice, a lot earlier on, so I was a bit disappointed that we had to wait so long for our MCs to realize they should get together! I also found the dual narrative a bit off as we spent so much more time in the present vs. the past. I understand why the decision was made to do that, but it felt like we were missing something. That said, I still enjoyed it and am rating it 4 stars! Tarah is an author I'll always read!

I loved the indie version of this and am so glad I’ve now read the trad pub version!
Enemies to lovers, second chance, marriage of convenience -> need I say more?!
LaRynn and Declan had a teenage summer fling that ended pretty badly, and they haven't seen or spoken in years. Both of their grandmothers have passed away and left them *both* their house. In an effort to renovate and sell the place, and go back to their separate lives (but with more money than they had before), they agree to marry so LaRynn can use her trust fund money.
Living in the same construction zone proves to be disastrous, at least for a while, but these two eventually figure out how to talk to one another, and once they do, everything changes! I really did love seeing LaRynn and Declan both individually and together face their insecurities, doubts, anger, and unforgiveness. They both hurt each other, but they both could help heal each other too! Another 5 star read from Tarah! I will read everything she writes!

I loved this book- really anything by Tarah DeWitt. The lovers to enemies to lovers trope was great. There was so much chemistry between the two main characters. I definitely cried at the end.

Tarah does it again! This book is so good. If you’re looking for a sexy “enemies” to lovers but also super sweet and romantic at the same time- this is for you!

Will hook you and keep you interested from the beginning!

3.25⭐️ Some cute moments for sure, but how was there so much communication yet so much MIScommunication 😭 Had me banging my head against the wall, for real. Also, the FMC kinda really annoyed me, but it did get a bit better near the end.

Heavy on the slow burn, the tension was THERE in this book for sure. Chapters were a good length to fly through (in my opinion) which I liked, and the writing style was easy to read and follow!

This was my first read by this author, definitely willing to give another book a try!

—

Overall Ratings ↴
Star: 3.25⭐️/5
Spice: 1.5🌶️/5
Emotion: 1-1.5💧

Tropes ↴
🧡 Marriage of Convenience
💗 Second Chance (kind of)
🧡 Summer Vibes
💗 Forced Proximity
🧡 Dual Timeline
💗 Witty Banter
🧡 Slow Burn
💗 Lots of Tension
🧡 “My Wife” Moment(s)

3.75 rounded up!

I enjoyed this one a lot. There was a lot of drama with Deacon and LaRynn throughout this book which kept you hooked but it did start to get redundant. I think I’m just a huge supporter of communication that sometimes I just want to shake characters when they don’t just have a conversation 🤣 however, I know it’s easier said than done. I found the dynamic of this to be a little odd because they are related by marriage in a sense. I KNOW THAT DOESN’T MEAN THERE IS ANY BLOOD RELATION BUT ITS STILL ODD TO ME I DONT KNOW WHY 😅🙈 I really liked how this wrapped up and a lot of the characters in this one I loved. 🥹

Thanks NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of the CO-OP. I

Did not enjoy this one sadly :( It was a well written book and had a good plot, but it wasn’t for me sadly