I really loved this story. The depth of the characters, their history and their emotional connections to their “grands” and their home. There was angst, tension and so much banter.
It’s also made me long for a prequel, telling the grands’ story.

Give me any forced proximity any day of the week and I will devour it. There is just something about how this author writes that is endearing and charming and I cannot help but fall hard for her characters. LaRynn and Deacon are the definition of enemies to more, second chance romance. I loved the dialogue and their interactions together and overall this was a fun book to read.

My only qualm about this duo was the miscommunication. There are times where I can handle this trope but there are times like this book where I wanted to shake the characters so hard and yell “what are you doing?!” When simple conversations can solve problems from becoming bigger, I have a hard time understanding why they won’t just say it.

But overall this book was good. I definitely enjoyed the plot and the characters. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC

4.5 stars! I loved this! I had no idea what to expect when I started this book. To be honest, the female main character annoyed me at first. However, I loved seeing her growth throughout the story and I love second chance romances also! Mix in a little forced proximity and fake marriage and you have the cutest book. This author was new to me but I will definitely be reading more!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. I loved a second chance romance. Marriage of convenience is not a trope I think I’ve ever read. Didn’t hate it. The FMC was an acquired taste that definitely had to grow on me throughout the book.

I enjoyed the banter and some of the dialogue between the characters, however I found the plot of the story to be very confusing and didn't find any of the many subplots included to have been developed at all.

When LaRynn finds out she has inherited a house from her deceased grandmother and her wife, she has to go back to the town of Santa Cruz to decide what to do with the property. Unfortunately, she didn't inherit the house alone; she co-owns it with her first love, her ex-boyfriend, Deacon, who broke her heart when they were teenagers. In order to afford the renovations, LaRynn is forced. to marry Deacon so she can receive her inheritance from her overbearing father. Can LaRynn and Deacon put their differences aside to flip this house or will they be able to make the house a home?

This was a really sweet second-chance/fake marriage romance taking place in Santa Cruz, California, which is just south of where I live. All the references to the city of Santa Cruz, Highway 17, the Boardwalk, and the beach were on point! Made me nostalgic. This book brought more depth than a lot of second-chance romance stories do. Both LaRynn and Deacon are grieving deeply for the 2 grandmothers who they felt loved them best during their difficult childhoods. LaRynn struggled to distance herself from her overbearing, unsupportive, disconnected parents who thought money could make her happy. Deacon also feels like he was never enough for his deceased father who died before Deacon could forgive him. It was beautiful to see both LaRynn and Deacon reflect on their past and mature to realize they were worthy of a deep love without strings attached.

*** I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. ***

4.75⭐️
🌶🌶🌶

Oh, Tarah, how you always manage to tie me up in knots with your love stories 🥹

The Co-op is about two people thrust into a marriage of convenience (who also happened to have had a little summer fling when they were teenagers). But the two who have had absolutely terrible examples of love throughout their lives, yet they yearn for the easy, fiery love they once had. As Deacon and LaRynn furiously trying to save their beloved grandmothers' home, old (and new) feelings are brought to the surface while the two try to coexist under the same roof.

This book made me laugh, cry, and swoon a million times. LaRynn and Deacon are both such flawed individuals, but their love was so strong. The miscommunication was a struggle at times, but this book was truly about self-discovery, with romance on the side, and got so much better once they were honest with one another. Buckle-in and get ready for the most delicious slow-burn that Tarah Dewitt has ever written.

💍marriage of convenience
👩‍❤️‍👨second chance
💘hate to love
❤️‍🔥enemies to friends to lovers
🦥slooooow burn
🏡forced proximity (and they were roommates)
🐚coastal small town

thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review 💜

Unfortunately this book was not a good fit for me, and I ended up not finishing. I found the writing in this book to be very chaotic - something would be happening, and then the character would go off on a tangent in their mind, and then another, and then circle back to reality and what was happening. It felt like there were SO MANY thoughts, all the time, and I just wanted to follow the storyline! It didn't help that some chapters were marked as in the past, but others were not, and the same two characters were involved in both timelines....it was way harder than it needed to be to figure out what timeline we were talking about. Overall, this book had potential but was executed poorly.

the characters in this really felt fleshed out to me, like i knew them personally and i could relate and really understand them. second chance with a dual timeline is one of my fave things! there’s just something about reading the present and also learning about the past at the same time that keeps things interesting for me! i couldn’t put this book down! thank you, Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this one! The characters were well developed and flawed in the best and most human way. Found myself wanting the story to keep going! If you’re looking for a beautiful read that’s still fun and makes you lose yourself in the story this is it!

This was so cute! I had seen this book everywhere and finally got around to reading it. It’s a quick read with likeable characters.

4.5 stars!

LaRynn Lavigne felt love and support in only one place, with her grandma CeCe. Spending summers and holidays with CeCe was the balm she needed to heal the parts of her that were emotionally damaged by her parents. CeCe fell in love with Helena and they married. Enter Deacon Leeds into her safe space. The two circled around each other in the beginning. He found her snobby and aloof; she thought he was irritating. But one summer they explore more together and he rejects her. Now they're back at the grandmothers' home trying to fix it up. Told in dual POV, this story alternates between before and present. We get to see the history between the two as well as how that history has tainted their present interactions. While I was quite frustrated with LaRynn in the beginning (get over yourself, girl), I soon realized that her demeanor and personality were a front to protect what little she felt she had. If she didn't engage, didn't open up, she was less likely to be hurt. Their marriage of convenience to get her trust fund may have been a means to an end, but they got more than they bargained for in the end. Finally revealing everything that happened to her and learning how to trust Deacon was what LaRynn needed to love with her whole heart. They both had things weighing heavily on them, but with communication and support they were able to let it all out and finally love each other wholeheartedly.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

dnf at 44 percent.. I fear this book is going to put me in a slump and we cant have that! i dont like past and preset time line its really not for me. Also if the main characters would communicate they be back togehter in the first 30 percent of the book

Definately would recommend this book. I ate it up. i love me a good enemies to lovers. It was a little slow to start but picked up and I finished it fairly quickly.

This book has so much potential! The story sucked me in, I found its take on the fake relationship/ forced proximity tropes to be fresh and effective. The metaphor of LaRynn and Deacon rehabbing their grandmothers’ house is very apt for their second chance relationship. The memories and characters are vivid and the story compelling. I always wanted to keep reading and see what would happen. I particularly loved LaRynn’s journey to overcome the emotional trauma of her childhood. It was incredibly moving to watch her find the strength to be honest with her mother. Unusually for a romance, The Co-op is honest about the truth that “ hurt people hurt people,” because of their negative beliefs about themselves and the world, what they’ve come to expect , and the dysfunctional but adaptive way they’ve learned to relate to others. The empathy alongside accountability for this aspect of LaRynn in the story is nuanced in a way you don’t see often. Also the intimate scenes were excellent, so hot. Deacon is a lovely complement to LaRynn, so giving when she hasn’t ever had anyone care for her unconditionally.

But I had trouble with many craft aspects of this novel. Sometimes the interiority of the characters felt stilted and unrealistic, especially during the flashbacks to their teen years. In spite of the dual pov structure, LaRynn and Deacon’s narration wasn’t distinct, their voices were similar and I’d have to check the pronouns to be sure which pov I was in. There were also several moments that felt weren’t there to serve the plot or build character, but rather to be able to include a romance trope. (For example, Deacon nailing her in the face with the volleyball and then fainting at the sight of the blood read this way to me). And, at several points, Deacon either read LaRynn’s mind or perfectly crystallized a complex relationship dynamic in ways that read like shortcuts.

And yet still there are these hints of greatness that make me excited to read what Tarah DeWitt writes next! She excels at encapsulating the way love can exist in tiny observations about the other person. She also understands that attention seeking dynamic that signifies love or hurt lie beneath the hostility . Finally If there’s one quote that sums up what I loved about the The Co-Op, it’s this: “I’d begun to believe that trying was its own love language.” I definitely recommend it to romance lovers ! I’d rate it 3.5 stars but I’ll round up to 4

Hands down one of my all time favorite Tarah DeWitt books! I love this book with my entire heart. LaRynn and Deacon touched parts of my heart and soul that i didn’t even know existed. It wasn’t just the laugh out loud moments that had me in my feels, no it was the emotional depth that went into these two characters. I could feel everything they were feeling and i was rooting for them the entire time.

This was another fun romance from Tarah DeWitt. I think that this pulled off the marriage of convenience trope in a way that was believable. I did find some of the resentments that the characters held on to from their time together as teenagers to be super frustrating, but in the end the author got me to root for them.

It did take me a little bit to get into, but after I got about a third of the way into the story, it really hooked me.

** I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I could not finish this book. I honestly read it as a buddy read and none of us could. I know there are people will love this book, but I didn't connect to the plot or the characters.

I've listened to the original version of this book twice on audio and enjoyed it, BUT this updated/revised story is everything! I am a sucker for hilarious banter, plus when you can feel the chemistry between the characters through the pages, it makes the reading experience so much better. I highly recommend this new version of Deacon and LaRynn's story.

Thank you, Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love Tarah, and this was no exception - incredibly well done, steamy goodness - just the right amount of steam, too. This is perfect.