4.25⭐️ 2🌶️ When I tell you I binged this book, I mean I freaking devoured it in less than 12 hours!

This book has some of my favorite rom-dram tropes: second chance; marriage of convenience; forced proximity; black cat FMC/golden retriever MMC; and all with a non-linear timeline that keeps you on edge! Loved the beach side setting, and how complex and well-developed both the main and side characters were. I appreciated the major subplots on learning how to deal with grief and family dynamics in a healthy way, and how this impacted the main characters relationship. The Co-Op was a major, tortuous slow burn but SO worth it in the end.

The Co-Op is how we meet our two MCs, Deacon and LaRynn. Their grandmothers became spouses and moved into together when Deacon and LaRynn were teenagers. There is first loves finding each other again, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and mutual friends tropes for these two. We have flashbacks that form the present. I root for their love story and like them. It’s about letting someone you love down because of youth, family born hang ups and redemption. It about becoming a stronger and braver version of yourself as you grow with your person. There is tension, respect, resistance, heat and passion. This is an enjoyable read I highly recommend. Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin, Tarah Dewitt and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

This was sexy and cute! Love the cover and tension! Thanks for the copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book is my favorite from Tarah DeWitt yet!! I have loved her other books, Savor It and Funny Feelings, but this one holds a special place in my heart. A story of losing one’s you love, yet finding ones worth the wait, our main characters go through life with a lot of family baggage only to find peace in each other. With a lot of banter and soul searching moments, I laughed and cried and had such a full heart at the end of this read.

This was such a cute read. I wasn’t entirely sure about it at the beginning but I really warmed up to the characters as the book went on! I wish we could’ve gotten more of their story rather than a time jump at the end but overall a very good light read.

I really enjoyed this second chance romance! A bit of a slow burn but this allowed for proper character development and no whiplash from the romance. This is my first from Tarah DeWitt and The Co-Op has me interested in reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced copy. The Co-Op publishes on November 12, 2024.

There’s always something refreshing to me when an impenetrable woman meets a golden retriever

Because that’s care, loving someone at their best and their worst and everywhere in between

I remember the same feeling when I read the indie version and loving the banter, the tenseness of the interactions, the want to scream at them, that blossomed into a warm conclusion.

The forced proximity was unique and essential to the story in a way I hadn’t seen before which hones in on the idea of renovation being an uncovering.

Also… I LOVE EPILOGUES

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read the Co-op!
The Co-oo is a second chance at Romance, with grief, family issues, communication, and friendship! This was a wonderful introduction to Tarah DeWitt and can’t see what they write next!

5✨ it’s smart, it’s sexy, it’s fun, it’s full of banter and longing and pining and sarcasm and it’s absolutely amazing

i felt such kinship to larynn. she’s bold and badass and beat down and broken in ways that i have experienced and felt down to my bones. i just resonated so deeply with larynn. i know all too well what it’s like to have that summer home, summer place, summer friend(s) that mean the world to you…but that continue to go on without you when you’re not there. the feeling of missing it & them and knowing it probably doesn’t go both ways. and that is honestly a devastating and sobering feeling. it’s something that never goes away. i admired how she fought and tried every damn step of the way. it was heartwarming and encouraging. she’s sarcastic and moody and will give as good as she gets, if not more. and the way she loved deacon was honestly beautiful. the longing, the pining, the first love, first everything feelings that never went away. the aching need to get things done right and not lose it along the way. i just loved her. she’s strong and sassy and beautiful and so fucking capable. she made me ugly cry.

deacon. leeds. ladies & gentlemen may i present you to a class A book boyfriend. a man who gives you the chicken wings and takes the drumsticks because he knows you prefer them. a man who will stop by just to say hi. a man who will work with you, play with you, support you, love you, cherish you, do anything with you. a man who calls you <i>love.</i> a man who just wants to be able to fix and build things. a man who will dance you around the kitchen and kiss your palm when you lay your hand on his cheek. he is a man who knows you so perfectly, he helps you see who you are. a man i am so down bad for. he just wants to play house with her. he’s so painfully aware of her of at all times. his feelings are so big and bright and beautiful and clear as day to everyone except for larynn. his before just feels like an innocent unavoidable attraction to her. he’s goofy and sweet and funny and just wants to make the grumpy girl smile and it’s simply heartwarming. his pining and longing and desperate desire was so wow. his realization at just 21 about how he wants to love & be loved after everything he’s experienced and been through was incredible. the depth and dimension it added to his character was just beyond. i cannot say a single bad thing about this beautiful, sunshine, golden retriever man. he’s honestly just such a good man. there’s no way to not love him.

deacon & larynn’s relationship and their love was special. i was so looking forward to seeing their relationship heal. to see them heal with each other. and tarah did not disappoint with it. the way they feel about themselves and each other and the struggling and mental exhaustion and wanting to open up but shutting down just broke my heart. it made me so sad and so emotional. for them, for myself, for everything. they way they grew together only to grow apart and then together again in such a different way was depicted magnificently. they’re antagonizing each other by flirting and trying to top one another and i absolutely loved it. they both just want to be in each others lives. however they can. in whatever capacity. and it’s beautiful. but what’s even better is when they realize they can’t just to do that, can’t just be friends. they need everything from each other and honestly they deserve it. they deserve to love & be loved the way they did the second time around. i want to be loved and seen and enough the way they are for each other. i mean come on, they’re dancing in the kitchen and i think i might cry. and he kisses her palm when she lays it against his cheek. i’m done for. they’re so proud of one another. proud to be with each other. it’s such an epic and stunning evolution in decade+ long relationship development. they’re perfect. they broke each other only to put each other back together again.

tarah just really hit it out of the park with this. like she always does. but i know when i read the original co-op, it didn’t quite do it for me the way funny feelings and rootbound had. i don’t know if i was delusional then or if the renovated version is just so elite, but this was five star read without an ounce of doubt or question. i honestly can’t decide if this is topping savor it as my favourite TD book. i don’t even want to pick cause it feels wrong cause i just love these characters so much. the plot and the entire renovation and the working together and everything outside & in between was spectacular. incredible banter and pining and emotional, honest conversations. it was a story of maturing and growing both alone and with your person. they. are. beautiful.

thank you so much tarah & netgalley for the arc!!!

This book is fantastic, funny, sexy and so witty
Enjoy reading it a lot ✨
Larryn and Deacon They have become one of my favorite literary couples 🛐
And (oddly enough) I have no complaints! I genuinely enjoyed every page in this book.

Oh my GOODNESS this was a gorgeous exploration of past hurts and misunderstandings mixed with a marriage of convenience and home renovation, all with a side of a summer at the beach!!! Tarah you have done it again (or before?!)!!

LaRynn and Deacon’s grandmothers fell in love as apartment neighbors, and so they found themselves with new families, new summer spots, and new pains in their asses! Through strong emotions, family traumas, and lack of conversation, the two hurt each other deeply- and now it’s seven years later and both grandmothers are gone, and the house is left to them! Having to actually work together and communicate pushes these two back into each others lives- and showcases the right person/wrong time mentality- when they’re able to get the right timing!!

I loved the way that both Rynn and Deacon showed their own self-growth, to learning how to healthily communicate needs and letting go of the little things. The PINING in this book is UNREAL, and makes it all so so worth it for that beautiful life in the epilogue!!!

Thank you so much to Tarah DeWitt and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review before the new edition comes out later this month!

First, thank you for this ARC read in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have read many books by this author and while I have loved them all, this one was not my favorite. The pace felt a bit off and the characters didn’t connect the way I wanted them too. I’m all for a slow burn but this was tragically too long.

Overall it was just okay for me.

A second chance romance, miscommunication, fake marriage romance with a bit of steam. LaRynn and Deacon had a thing when they were teens and then they didn't. Now, years later, they've been pushed into a corner over the house they inherited from their scheming grandmothers. She needs to be married to get the money they need to renovate, which Deacon can do but again he needs money too. Naturally, this leads to a fake marriage and eventually to.....For some reason these two keep talking past one another and avoiding talking about their history (that of course is part of the trope but I found it more annoying than usual). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Over to others.

💍𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞
🩵𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
🔨𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

✨Thoughts✨
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 novel had a hint of nostalgia and many hilarious moments. LaRynn and Deacon started off as friends when they were younger, but through the years, their relationship turned into a fleeting summer romance. As teenagers, they struggled to communicate effectively, resulting in misunderstandings and shattered hearts. The story alternated between their past and present, where they made the decision to marry in order to save and renovate a shared building that they inherited from their grandmothers.

𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 renovating, they began to question if there was still a spark between them, causing old wounds to resurface. Living in close quarters forced them to break down walls, both figuratively and literally, leading to a rediscovery of themselves and their love for each other.

𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐃𝐞𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐭 skillfully crafted the characters, making them imperfect but fun. Their arguments drove me crazy sometimes, but their witty banter made me laugh. This novel was a joy to read. It is a must-read for anyone seeking a heartwarming and entertaining love story.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 you to Tarah DeWitt and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. All opinions expressed here reflect my genuine experience reading this book.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝟒.𝟓⭐️
𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞: 𝟑/𝟓🔥

The Co-Op is a marriage of convenience, second-chance romance with a slow burn. Here’s why I ended up giving it three stars: the pacing felt a bit slow. Just when I thought the characters were finally going to stop bickering and admit their feelings, they’d go back to fighting, not communicating, and starting over from square one. At the 50% mark, I thought, “Okay, this is when they’ll finally talk,” but no.

I did shed a few tears, as the pain and grief they experienced felt relatable, but without the epilogue, there wouldn’t be any real character or relationship development between them. The story also alternates between the main characters’ teenage years and the present, in their late twenties. I would have loved more scenes of them working together on the renovations and especially more about Elyse’s coffee shop expansion.

I know readers who enjoy a slow burn, marriage of convenience, and enemies-to-lovers tropes would appreciate this book. Overall, while I think it’s enjoyable for others, it just wasn’t for me. I felt like I was stuck in time with this one, unable to see the relationship truly blossom until the last 15% of the book and the epilogue.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

*second chance romance
*marriage of convenience
*enemies to lovers
*forced proximity

The adult MC’s are painfully childish, the FMC is the worst and this was so full of a giant lack of communication that I couldn’t move past it.

I didn’t enjoy this one.



Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the DRC

DNF'ed at 20%
I did not like the FMC. She seemed so hateful.
This story was more haters than lovers, it did not interest me.
Yes, I DNF'ed a book that has my fave trope.

I enjoyed this book a lot!! I went into it after hearing mixed reviews, and I was pleasantly surprised. I thought the general premise of the book was interesting and really stayed consistent throughout. I am such a sucker for second chance romances, so this absolutely checked all the boxes on that front. I also felt like the dynamic between LaRynn and Deacon was realistic? Nothing was super overstated in terms of their day to day life and how they were around each other. And I found their banter so entertaining! All in all this was a fun read and one I definitely recommend! This was my first book by Tarah DeWitt too and I can't wait to give her other books a read :)

"The Co-Op" follows LaRynn 'Larry' and Deacon, who meet one summer as teens when their grandmothers fall in love. It's a summer that starts off with a rough game of volleyball and ends even worse between the two characters. Years later, LaRynn and Deacon have no choice but to reconnect after being left their grandmother's old residence, a place left in near shambles. Without much choice the two have to work together to restore this place that bears so much meaning. The journey is wrought with arguments, disagreements and a lot of will they, won't they, predicaments. If you like marriage of convenience, enemies to lovers, and found family tropes this book is for you!
Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin, and NetGalley for an early review copy of this book!
“The Co-op” is out November 12th 2024. Go check it out!
*Posted to GoodReads on 11/1/2024

This is a witty, steamy second-chance romance with a unique renovation twist. LaRynn and Deacon inherit a crumbling Santa Cruz property and must enter a marriage of convenience to access her funds and his construction skills. The only problem is they cannot stand each other. Their relationship rebuilds alongside the property, blending humor, tension, and genuine emotion. Tarah writes THE perfect couples and I continue to fall in love with her writing with each release. This book is the perfect read for fans of enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and marriage of convenience. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Instagram review will be live on 11-Nov-2024.