Some of my favorite things show up in The Co-Op, like a marriage of convenience and a dual timeline showing us our characters’ tangled past. I liked the premise of ex-flings renovating their shared grandmothers’ home and was excited to dig in.

Unfortunately Im a major outlier here and this book did not work for me. I found the characters to be immature and was annoyed with them most of the time, didn’t feel the chemistry ant all, and just couldn’t relate to the woe is me tone of our FMC. I was bored and ended up skimming to get through. I have loved books by DeWitt previously, but this one just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to SMP for the ARC.

Unfortunately I could just not get into this story. I usually enjoy a dual timeline for a second chance romance but in this case I don’t feel like it added to the story. It often pulled me out of getting into a groove with the present tense. I found the characters bickering to be over the top at times. I wanted to like this book as I’ve enjoyed others by Tarah but this one was just not for me.

4.5 stars from me! Deacon and LaRynn's story is angsty and swoony and sweet and funny. Tarah is truly so talented, I never question if her characters stay together after the epilogue because they CHOOSE each other in every way. I love them so so much.

I first discovered Tarah after reading Savor It and jumped at the opportunity to read this book! It had all my favorite elements of banter, burn, with a hint of heavier topics. I am also a sucker for a good marriage of convenience and second chance romance but unfortunately this book didn't hit for me :( It took me a while to get through the middle half and I almost DNF and 90%.

Still a good romance, and I am a fan of Tarah's writing but I just don't think this one was for me.

This was such a cute second change romance. I loved that LaRynn and Deacon found each other again and boy were they enemies at first.
They had a summer fling many summers previously. Both of their grandmothers got together and had since passed away, causing LaRynn and Deacon to meet up again when LaRynn goes to sell her grandmother's property, that partly belongs to Deacon. So what do they do? They pretend to be husband and wife - what could go wrong with that?

The amount of angst in this book is so so good! I love these two and that they managed to find love again!

I was a first time reader this time around for Tarah DeWitt, but certainly not the last. This HGTV meets Love Story is perfection. I highly recommend!!!

After the passing of her grandma, LaRynn is forced to face reality (and the man she's been avoiding) and to help with the house renovation of her grandma's home, which was left to her. Her grandma was married to Deacon's grandma, and now that both are gone it's up to Deacon and LaRynn to fix it up before selling. The two are like oil and water. Constant bickering, money is an issue, and they are forced to be in close proximity. A marriage of convenience allows them to tap into LaRynn's trust and they slowly develop a friendship and mutual acceptance of being together. As the house grows and changes, so do they - they've come a long way since they knew each other as teenagers. Their dating history is messy and they have baggage to deal with - is it too much?

💭 Construction projects can absolutely bring out the worst in a couple, and this renovation was no exception. LaRynn and Deacon seriously misunderstood each other, and really didn't care to fix those misunderstandings (which was frustrating at times!). LaRynn was highly competitive, fiercely loyal, looks that could kill and an attitude to match. Deacon was a total cinnamon roll with some bad boy vibes on the exterior. They were both deeply hurt in ways by their upbringing and were not mature enough as teenagers to overcome that for each other. It was a fun comparison to see the house being renovated and their relationship also being like a construction zone. They totally bickered like an old married couple at first (the hair in the shower, totally relatable) but grew in their acceptance of each other, as well as growing personally.

This was an arc from NetGalley. I pushed through this one because I struggle with DNF (I know I know). I wasn’t a fan - felt a bit forced and boring at times unfortunately. I usually can dig a marriage of convenience but this just wasn’t it for me. :(

I had a hard time getting into this one and ultimately I’ve set it aside to return to later. It may be my moodiness and not the book.

This book had a good mixture of romance, emotion and a hit of comedy. I enjoyed the main characters relationship as they grew to know each other again. They had a good growth as they redid their grandmother’s home. I wished we got a bit more of the background characters.

This is not the book for me. I found the beginning very confusing as to what was the past and present timelines. I didn't like the heroine. She was very childish and selfish. Also, the conflict between them for this long just wasn't believable.

Thank you to SMP Romance and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.


Reading Progress

For readers who:
* want medium spice (3/5)
* love a good ‘we are never getting back together’ trope
* could use some beachy vibes
* want an easy, know-how-it’ll-end-up romance


This was my first Tarah DeWitt romance, but I’m headed to read more now 🏃‍♀️
This was cute: young couple breaks up on bad terms, and then finds themselves having to confront each other years later, after much growing up. The chemistry between Deacon and LaRynn is delightful. Just an overall fun, it-too-serious read.

4.5 rounded up

My friend Leora kept talking about how fantastic Tarah DeWitt is and we got this ARC at the same time so we got to buddy read it. The first thing I have to say is HOW WAS I NOT READING TARAH DEWITT'S BOOKS BEFORE?! The second thing is that now I know that I should listen to Leora when she tells me to read something because it was so good! Tarah DeWitt does a magnificent job in the Co-Op presenting a dual timeline, rivals to lovers, second chance romance that has so many amazing things that soothe my brain.

In the Co-Op, LaRynn must deal with the reality of being cutoff by her parents and along with Deacon must put aside their past to figure out how to save the house that their grandmothers loved. The plan is simple, marry each other so LaRynn gets access to her trust so they can fix the house together. Except they actually fall in love for real!!!

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the premise was clever. I thought that the way the characters were written was absolutely beautiful. The only reason I'm not giving the book 5 stars is because the third act didn't feel like a third act, it felt a little glossed over but not enough to make me deduct a full star. I liked it, I just didn't absolutely obsess over it, do you get me? Anyway, the book is freaking fantastic overall and I'm about to go buy every Tarah DeWitt book right now. I highly recommend this if you haven't read it!

Tropes: second chance romance, dual timeline, dual POV, rivals to lovers

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin, and Tarah DeWitt for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖 𝙛—𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙨, 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨, 𝙩𝙤𝙤.

LaRynn and Deacon had a summer fling when they were college-aged, and it ended…poorly. Now their grandmothers have left them a housing property in a prime location in Santa Cruz, but it has almost as much work needed on it as they need on themselves.

Ok, so I can definitely see how some people might feel that the basis of this story revolves around miscommunication, and I’m not outright denying it…but I felt like it was more that they were both super young, and not in the right place mentally, within themselves, to be together *back then*.

This was definitely a novel about how their family lives molded how they saw the world and relationships, and them working through their issues, while also kind of needing to walk on eggshells around each other, trying to stay civil, while doing all this work on this house.

There was so much tension and longing between the two, even (and especially) while they were trying their hardest to maintain as much distance as they could. I mean the tension was HIGH between these two, and there is definitely a slooooow burn. 😮‍💨

I enjoyed the journey these two went on, and I loved seeing them get their hard fought for HEA.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for providing me an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

What this book is giving:
✅ Contemporary Romance
✅ Dual POV
✅ Santa Cruz
✅ A Fixer Upper
✅ Second Chance
✅ Marriage of Convenience
✅ Longing

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ / 5
🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5

I have loved everything by this author that I’ve read but I ended up dnfing this one. I honestly couldn’t stand the fmc in this book. I couldn’t connect with her and she was very selfish. I wanted to love it but couldn’t get into it at all!

I was hesitant about this project when I heard, as the co-op is one of my favourite books and I wondered how Tarah could improve upon perfection. She didn’t just improve upon it, she knocked it out of the park.

Larynn and Deacons chemistry LEAPS off the page. You can’t help but fall in love with them as a couple, but individually as well. Larynns struggle with not feeling like enough is something that is so deeply relatable.

The grief that they both feel for their grans is so beautifully handled. While they are only there in flashbacks, you can feel them in every aspect of Larynn and Deacons journey.

Thank you to netgalley, SMP and Tarah for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

♾️♾️♾️/5⭐️
#arcreview | *no spoilers*

Tarah has done it. Again. Every new book of hers I read, becomes my favorite; but this one easily takes the number one spot and I fear no other will ever dethrone it.

As I've said to Tarah multiple times already, I feel so so seen by this book, I will go to war for it, for Tarah and for my precious baby LaRynn. I am the pocket sized version of her (literally. we are in fact the same person.) I have felt deeply connected to a fair share of book characters, but LaRynn just spoke differently to my soul. It was as if I was seeing myself on the pages and as much as I absolutely bawled my eyes out, it was such an amazing, emotional, and healing experience. I read this book in August and I'm still not over it. I never think I will. Thank you Tarah for sharing this story with the world.

I know so far this isn't exactly a book review so let's get to it😂

LaRynn and Deacon. Grumpy Black Cat and Sunshine Golden Retriever. Soulmates in every sense of the word. They are so so dear to me! Their relationship from when they were kids who saw each other in the summer to adult strangers who were forced to get married and renovate a house together was everything and more! Chemistry, banter, flirting, sassy one liners, deep talks, and helping hands😏. There's never a dull moment between them!
Also they are both so relatable as individuals!! With feelings, trauma and issues (ahem🗣️ mommy issues hello!) galore!

LaRynn, my baby!! She is me in every single way possible (except a good 8 inches taller). Mean scorpio with the giant heart. Such a fierce, strong and resilient woman. She's been through so much and is closed off and scared of opening up and depending on others.

Deacon, the blueprint man!! He is so sweet, caring and protective. He has his own scars and wounds to heal, but is there for everyone else every day, no matter what.

Their relationship was so addictive to read!! I was hooked from the very first page! The care, trust, commitment and communication they are able to build despite a lot of shit is so endearing and beautiful. They are both SO kind to each other's soul and heart, it was emotional to say the least!

Please please please mark your calendars and read this book as soon as it comes out!!!!

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read an early copy of this book.

This book had a little of everything from fun banter to swoony lines lots of humor and personal growth for both our main characters. I really enjoyed reading about this couple and their challenges throughout their relationship not only in the current day story line but also getting good look into their history so we are really able to connect with them and how they ended up where they are at the beginning of the book.

Once again, Tarah has written a book I couldn’t put down. I wanted to read this months ago but waited when I heard there was an updated version coming out. It was worth the wait.

Her characters are so messy and real and raw. They are perfectly imperfect and it’s the best part about her books. They’re just so real life.

LaRynn is without a doubt my favorite FMC of Tarah’s. I can resonate with her so much and it’s one of those moment you just feel seen.

Highly recommend.

The Co-Op by Tarah Dewitt

4.5/5⭐️
2/3🌶️
2/3🦋

•My Thoughts•
Buckle up, buttercups. This wasn’t fluffy or light but OH did it touch my heart. LaRynn and Deacon fought for and earned every bit of their happily ever after and I loved them so very much. Their journey individually and together was so good and made even more powerful by the flash backs to their younger relationship. Friends, I didn’t even really like either of our main characters at the beginning. Their arguing wasn’t bantery, it was stressful and mean BUT my goodness, did the layers start peeling away and they grew on me. I loved the whole journey of learning their stories, their pasts and traumas that formed them and how it affected the way they acted. I loved the forced proximity and the hard-won sweetness that eventually shone through their relational rough edges. The undertones of dealing with grief and emotions were beautiful and raw. I was rooting for them so hard. I just really loved this one and definitely recommend!

Thank you to Tarah Dewitt, St. Martin’s Publishing and NetGalley for the early copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.