Thanks to St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of The Co-Op by Tarah DeWitt. This is being republished by St. Martin's in November.

This was not a book for me. The characters were immature and this was all about miscommunication and not talking. Their marriage made no sense and I couldn't stand LaRynn.

I've enjoyed other Tarah DeWitt books but this was a miss.

I just love Tarah DeWitt. Her writing is fantastic - her characters are nuanced and genuine and her romance scenes are off the charts.

I loved The Co-op. The backstory of LaRynn and Deacon's relationship overlaid with their present day predicament was a delight to read. How she managed to make the young adult and adult versions of these characters feel so accurate is beyond me. I loved the way that LaRynn and Deacon were brought together by their grandmothers and the way they worked through their baggage.

As teenagers they fell in love together and broke up after a summer fling. Years later, they both inherit and co-own a house that was left to them. They decide to work together to fix up the old house and sell it.

Rom-com, slow burn, second chance love story and living together while renovating an old house.

Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this book early. This was my first book by this author, and while I really wanted to get into it, I ended up DNF-ing at about the 30% mark.

The storyline had potential, with a cute premise and some fun elements, but I struggled to stay engaged. I found the main characters, annoying, and just could not form a connection with them. The timeline shifts felt disjointed, jumping around in a way that made it hard to follow. Ultimately, this one just wasn’t for me.

If you read the original version and loved it, then you NEED to read the newly renovated one too. You are in for a TREAT cause this is the version you didn't even know you needed.

If you haven't, then let me tell you about one of my favorite authors, Tarah DeWitt: she writes some of the most real, relatable, feel-it-deep-in-your-soul stories. Her characters feel authentic, layered with real problems and complexities that just make them feel so *human*, you know what I mean?

Thank you so much for the ARC.

LaRynn and Deacon had a summer fling as teenagers. They they went their separate ways. Years later, they find themselves the as the heirs to their grandmothers' shared home which is falling apart at the seams. Deacon has run out of funds to renovate the house, but LaRynn has a trust fund with enough cash to complete the project so they can sell the house. The caveat, she must be married to access it. What choice to they have but to marry and tolerate one another until the job is done.

"The Co-op" by Tarah DeWitt has it all: spice, second chance romance, forced proximity, fake relationship, marriage of convenience. Readers of Emily Henry or Christina Lauren will love this book. It delivers just the right amount of sweetness and spice.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book prior to publication.

Tarah is a go to, instant buy author, and this just proves why. She writes amazing stories that you can easily find yourself sitting down and reading from cover to cover in the blink of an eye because you just fall so in love with her words.

This was a little harder to get into, but overall I did enjoy it. LaRynn and Deacon knew each other from their teen/early adult life, the ended horribly back then but ended up forced back together when they were left a house from their grandmas passing.
All in all, the constant bickering kind of annoyed me. It came over a little immature and repetitive, but eventually they came around to each other and those little pieces they gave one another was enough for me to want to know the ending!
Thanks to Netgalley, Tarah DeWitt, and St. Martin's Press publishing for this eARC!

I loved the second chance romance, marriage of convenience, and forced proximity- all set within a home renovation, The plot was filled with witty banter and lots of pranks - all that made me smile! Tarah is skilled at creating characters that feel like friends, I adored LyRynn and Deacon appreciated their hesitation to move on from the past and their openness to find a new beginning.

In The Co-op, Tarah DeWitt delivers a charming, humorous take on forced proximity and second chances as she introduces LaRynn Lavigne and Deacon Leeds, two former flings with unfinished business. When they were teenagers, LaRynn and Deacon shared a short, turbulent summer fling that ended in mutual annoyance — and it's hardly the kind of history that builds trust. But now, ten years later, they find themselves co-owners of a crumbling property in Santa Cruz, left to them by their late grandmothers. Both want to make something out of the inherited building, and it just so happens that each has what the other lacks: LaRynn has the money, while Deacon has the construction skills. There’s a catch, though — LaRynn’s trust fund requires her to be married to access the funds, so they strike a deal to marry temporarily and renovate together.

DeWitt explores the ups and downs of their unconventional partnership as LaRynn and Deacon move in and navigate the daily pitfalls of cohabiting with someone you’re supposed to be “pretending” to love. From the quirks of sharing a space to rebuilding a long-abandoned house, the story captures the laughter and frustrations that come from working side by side and, surprisingly, learning to cooperate. DeWitt develops each character with humor and warmth, especially as they struggle with letting down emotional walls in a home without physical ones. Deacon’s steady nature and LaRynn’s independence make for an electric contrast, and readers will enjoy watching them grow from skeptical partners to something more.

Fans of romance with a twist will appreciate how DeWitt uses the house renovation as a backdrop for LaRynn and Deacon to address their past misunderstandings and lay the groundwork for a real relationship. The Co-op is a heartfelt, enjoyable story that captures how hard work, second chances, and vulnerability can turn even the most unlikely “business” partnership into something lasting.

Five stars simply isn't enough, give this one 100 stars!!

"What if I told you I was scared I'd loose myself again?
That I'm scared of changing, too. What would you say? "

"I'd find you, and I don't think there's a verison of you I couldn't love."

I'm honoured to have been able to read this as an ARC! NetGalley, Tarah DeWitt, and SMP Romance... I am beyond thankful!

DeWitt has done it again with this beyond stunning masterpiece. LaRynn Lavigne and Deacon Leeds are soulmates. There's absolutley no doubt in my mind. Nor will there be a doubt in yours once you read this one. When their grandmothers have left them with shared ownership of their building (which is in a VERY poor state), LaRynn and Deacon have no choice but to come together after years apart to work on the building. The only problem? LaRynn needs to be married to access the money they need for the renovations. This modern day marriage of convienence, forced proximity, no third act breakup, second chance romance will make you laugh, cry, swoon, and root for the MC's right from the first chapter!

Both LaRynn and Deacon are also very relatable however, Rynn reminded me a bit of myself and many other women I know. These two remind us that it's okay to have both rough and soft edges, and that all parts of us can be loved by the right person. These two are so supportive of one another throughout the entire book and I truly cannot wait to display this book on my shelf with pride.

Thank you NetGalley so much for the early read. This is my first book by this author and unfortunately it was a Do Not Finish for me. It was a cute storyline, but I just could not get into it. It was skipping all over timelines too much and confusing which ones they were in. It just was not for me.

I enjoyed this book! This was my first book by this author.
I'm usually not really into second chance romances but this one was well done! There was a lot of character development both LaRynn and Deacon go through in this book, which I really appreciated. The marriage of convenience aspect of the story was enjoyable!

If you love black cat FMC x golden retriever MMC, small towns, and a second chance romance well done, go grab yourself a copy of this!

Thank you for this ARC copy of the edited version

“Filled with crackling tension, The Co-op is a steamy second chance romance about restoration and renovation, and uncovering all the things that build character within ourselves. It's about the never-ending construction project that partnership is, and finding enjoyment at every stage”

Tara Dewitt books are always picked up by me! She’s secured a loyal reader. The covers, especially this one, are always gorgeous. The beautiful sunset colors here reflect the swoony, happily ever after romance.

This book has lots of “sweep you off your feet” moments, lots of fun, and who doesn’t love forced proximity tropes?!

This was my first book from Tarah DeWitt and I had such a good time, I can’t wait to read more from her! I’m a sucker for a second chance romance, but throw in forced proximity *and* a marriage of convenience? I’m sold.

When LaRynn and Deacon’s grandmothers pass away, they leave their Santa Cruz home to the two of them, bringing them back together for the first time since their summer romance ended eight years ago. Due to the state of the home and cost of renovations, LaRynn and Deacon decide to get married so they’re able to access her trust and get the home ready to sell.

Our main characters were far from perfect, which made me root for them to grow as individuals and as a couple. The tension was *SO GOOD* and kept me reaching for my Kindle, eager to see what happened next.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy!

3.75 - i love how the ending ended on Oct 31st. I feel 100% satisfied! The plot of this novel is so clever, however it was difficult to read some flashbacks throughout the pages. Maybe if the flashbacks started in the beginning of the chapter rather than in between the paragraphs, it may have helped me switch to the present. I absolutely adored and cackled throughout this tho!!🥰🤩 I’m a sucker for marriage of convenience. You also got a touch of christmas, fall and halloween mentioned.

LaRynn and Decan were on wildly different parts of their healing journey. I did appreciate how the characters grew as the story progressed. In a way that surprised me, I was a fan of LaRynn the whole time.

I love that Tarah listed trigger warnings at the start of the book. I know emotionally the story needed it as sometimes the triggers hit my own a little bit too strongly.

Sometimes, it was a little bit clunky. It would just cut from them going to sleep to suddenly playing volleyball in what could only be assumed to be the next day without any warning. Overall, I did like it.

Thanks go Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the Arc.

This book was just…okay. I don’t know why I keep picking up second chance romance books, but they really are not in for me. I felt like these characters were a bit too immature and their bickering was a bit much at times, but the premise was overall cute and I liked their marriage of convenience! It definitely gave the HGTV meets romcom vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for this ACMRC in exchange for an honest review!

So this is a re release of this book, but there’s been rewrites and extended scenes etc. I really enjoyed a reading Tarah’s other book called Savour It, so I was excited to see another book from her.

This one does seem very different than the other book, it sort of read like a movie if that makes sense? There were parts that i can see weeks playing out in the story, but it really fit the story line, and helped me get to know the characters more.

But URGHHHH THE MISCOMMUNICATION is soooo frustrating 😅😂!! But I did love how they had this love hate relationship though, it definitely built up the tension and gave us Fantastic banter and chemistry! I would recommend this book!

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸…
🏠Second Chance
🏠Enemies to Lovers
🏠Parental challenges
🏠Miscommunication
🏠Flash back memories
🏠Slow Burn
🏠Dual POV
🏠 Open door

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Alright read! I honestly can’t tell you anything about the plot other than marriage of convenience. It just didn’t capture my attention. I skimmed a lot.