I think this book was good but for me it was not outstanding. I enjoyed reading it and it was entertaining and sweet/steamy but I have a feeling I will remember exactly 0% of what happened in a week from now. I guess if you are looking for a palate cleanser book, this one would do the trick.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story of second chances, but also of building and renovating relationships with others and ourselves. I loved LaRynn and Deacons story! I loved how relatable it was to real life and that it takes work in all our mess to make something new or better. It was steamy, passionate, tender and fun.
Thank you so NetGalley, publishes and author for this Arc!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

This was not my favorite book by DeWitt. There is so much angst in this book and very few light moments that by the time I reached the middle of the book I was emotionally exhausted myself. I have no problem with a little drama but these 2 didn’t even seem to like one another so it was hard to believe the ending.

If you enjoy angsty drama filled romances this is for you, otherwise I’d look at the other titles in her catalog.

I really did not enjoy this one. The female lead was not my favorite and I was not intrigued by the romance through out.

Perfect beach read! This was my first book written by Tarah DeWitt and I loved it! Can't wait to read more by her. This was such a fun story, i finished it so quickly, and I didn't want it to end. The characters have so much depth that you feel like they are your friends. The beginning was a little slow but once it picked up, I couldn't stop!

I’m a sucker for well-drawn characters with messy pasts, complicated families, and realistic insecurities, creating nuanced conflict in the relationships they develop, and DeWitt fully delivers on this front. Her heroine is guarded and sometimes outright mean. Her hero relies on getting a laugh during stressful situations, or tries to fix things, even when they’re not the sort of things that can be fixed. As the pair renovates the house they inherited together, they work through a history that drove them apart and learn to recognize what brings them together again. There’s plenty of steam for avid erotica readers, though DeWitt makes her characters really earn it, building the tension between them until it simply has to burst. The metaphor of the house and its renovation is lovely, and it was a joy to read another work from DeWitt with its brilliant blend of complex emotional depth and sizzling, trope-embracing fun.

Im not normally a second chance romance type of girl, but I loved LaRynn and Deacons story. I loved how imperfect they both were, how much they challenged each other, how much they grew together. Falling in love in the same place their grands fell in love was so beautiful. I laughed out loud, I teared up, I felt their love. Thank you so much netgalley for letting me read this book, it was a joy to have!

larynn and deacon, they’re so relatable it’s concerning ! they know each other since they were teenagers and had a summer fling after high school but for some reason, things didn’t work out but a few years later they have to reunite and they decide to get married?? you’ll have to read and find out !

i really had fun with this one especially when deacon flirted with larynn and she replied back but he didn’t expect it to happen. the grieving ruined me, cece and helena hadn’t been together for long but also deacon’s dad had already passed which brought a lot to surface :(

something about me is that i looooveee a good book with past x present so i really enjoyed the co-op !!! tarah was able to work with this dynamic so it made the book a thousand times worth it. AND THE EPILOGUE??? IM OBSESSED !!!!! being for real, this one is my favorite but “left of forever” might steal the podium

thank you to netgalley, st. martin’s griffin and tarah dewitt for the arc !!!

Declan and LaRynn had a fling as teenagers - it was hot and messy. Made more do by the fact that when it ended, they were still stuck together. Why? Their grandmothers are married.

Fast forward years later. The two have tried to avoid one another, until they can’t anymore.

With the death of both of their grandmothers, the two end up co-owners of the ladies’ house, which is in a shambles. It’s gonna need work.

And do the two are forced to live and work together; not just on the house but also on their relationship.

I loved Funny Feelings. It was such a surprising delight. Unfortunately I didn’t feel the same about this one.

From the start, the plot felt so convoluted. Too many characters, too many time jumps, too much background dumped without a decent amount of explanation. And the mean girl/mean guy thing just doesn’t work for me. I need someone to care about, someone to root for.

I had high hopes but in the end I just didn’t love this one.

When I saw this book available to read early I knew I had to jump on it! I was a huge fan of the original book and finding out that a newly updated version was being released was super exciting.

Fair warning, this book has a very Hallmark-esque plot. For someone like me who loves those kinds of stories it was perfect but I can see how someone who likes their books to be more on the realistic side of life would have a hard time enjoying it. Anyway! God this book! One of my favorite things about the original and the new book is the alternating timelines. It felt a lot easier to get to know the characters and know what their struggles were as I read along. The relationship between LaRynn and Deacon was another thing I absolutely loved. The banter, the romance, the relationship both characters had with their grandmothers, all of it! I can’t believe men like Deacon don’t exist in real life. Absolutely heartbreaking.

It was such a fun and heartwarming read both times. I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy!

P.S. there might also be a little Easter egg from Tarah’s previous book ‘Funny Feelings’ so look out for that

The story offers a fun enemies-to-lovers setup with a quirky premise: LaRynn and Deacon, once high school rivals, must team up to renovate a property they co-own. The chemistry is there, and their back-and-forth brings some lighthearted moments, but the story misses out by skimming over the renovation drama that could’ve really spiced things up. The focus stays mostly on the romance, so if you’re hoping for more on the DIY disasters or renovation chaos, you might be left wanting. Overall, it’s an enjoyable, light read with charming moments—3.5 stars.

The Co-op by Tarah DeWitt is an easy light second-chance romance with some good moments, though it didn’t quite grab me. LaRynn and Deacon inherit an old building they have to fix up together, which creates some nice tension and potential. But I felt the story was a bit uneven. Their early pranks and arguments came off as a little too immature and the constant miscommunication made it hard to feel real depth in their relationship.

One part I did appreciate was the lack of a third-act breakup which was refreshing for a romance novel. However, the “second chance” element felt underdeveloped—we don’t see much about their past relationship, so it’s tough to feel that reconnection. I also didn’t sense a ton of growth from either character. I wish we had gotten a little more depth in their relationship, their growth and even their grief. If you’re in the mood for a low-stakes cozy read though this would be an enjoyable pick.

this book was actually a reread for me but since tarah got picked up by trad publishing she rewrote this book and so when i saw it was on read now on netgalley i had to jump on it and see if i would love it asmuch as the original book. and i did. i loved even more actually. this book was beautiful. larynn and deacons story is so special to me and i'm just so in love with them and how they love each other. i also loved how much this book talks about self discovery and overcoming past traumas. i just loved this, so when this comes out definitely try to read this. 10/10.

read this if you love:
❤ second chance romance
❤ grumpy x grumpy
❤ "my wife"
❤ no third act breakup

this book will be available on November 12th wherever you buy your books:)

I loved this book! Tarah DeWitt is looking to be an auto buy author from me for now on. It did take just a bit to get going, but soon enough, I was hooked.

I LOVE Tarah Dewitt. After savor it I read her entire back catalog. Savor it remains my fave with funny feelings second. I don’t think this would be my third, although great writing and she’s a master of the romance novel, I just didn’t connect with the characters as much. However I know her readers will love it. I had a bit of trouble with the jumping in time chapters, I don’t know why it just took awhile. Overall a great book.

I found myself both laughing and cringing at different points of this book. Part of it was because I couldn’t figure out how to pronounce LaRynn (even the nickname Larry didn’t help me). But a lot of it was because LaRynn has so much baggage and angst and she’s so angry - I get it, but it makes her difficult to like. But the renovations were fun, and the secondary characters were fun, and the pranks were fun, and the spice was fuuuuuun.

The Co-op is the perfect second-chance romance with marriage of convenience and forced proximity vibes. I devoured this book from start to finish and it makes me so happy to have gotten to read LaRynn and Deacon's story.

I loved getting to see the flashbacks to the beginning of their relationship as much as I loved getting to see LaRynn and Deacon reconnect as they restore their grandmothers' house. What started out as just another project, turned into a partnership filled with love and passion (read: some of the steamiest scenes I've read in a while) for one another. And thank you, Tarah, for giving us the most heartwarming epilogue. LaRynn and Deacon are the epitome of true love and I definitely found myself tearing up at times as I read the love they have for one another in the pages before me.

Run to the bookstore on November 12th and pick up a copy for yourself!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC copy!

The Co-Op was so good!! It really touched me and the angst was top notch! Looking forward to more from DeWitt.

Thanks to @stmartinspress for an advance copy of The Co-Op by Tarah DeWitt, out November 12th!

It seems that much like the house in the story, the book itself got a facelift when it was acquired by her publisher, getting a new cover and updated storyline. Not having read the original, I didn’t have anything to compare it to, but I enjoyed it all the same!

The Co-Op has a Hallmark movie plot — LaRynn and Deacon’s “grands” bequeath them a dilapidated house that they need to fix up to sell — but with a realistic twist, because for most people being asked to renovate a house with their ex while living in said house together would be a literal nightmare, and it is!

This story has major forced proximity, a marriage of convenience, and vibes that capture that transition from summer to fall. If you’re someone who hates miscommunication, this one’s for you. While I don’t think this has replaced Savor It as my favorite DeWitt novel, LaRynn and Deacon are so sweet and I loved seeing them work through their trauma and figure out how to be together.

Tarah DeWitt has done it again.

I was really impressed with the character development both LaRynn and Deacon go through in this book. This is second chance (which I usually DESPISE yet I loved this) and marriage of convenience, which forced LaRynn and Deacon to examine where they each went wrong as young adults.

If you love black cat gf x golden retriever bf, small coastal towns, and idiots in love -- this is the book for you :)