The Co-op was an enjoyable read that brought the warm and fuzzies to my heart and it was just what I needed during these cold fall days. This story is about two people, LaRynn and Deacon, who come together to renovate their late grandmothers’ apartment and have to navigate their rocky past. For my marriage of convenience lovers out there this book should be on your list, because in order for LaRynn to unlock her inheritance she has to get married. As they navigate their situation, Deacon is such a caring, sweet caring guy that has qualities that you might just need in your book boyfriend club.

A few of the things that I very much enjoyed about this book:
🤍Alternating timelines, it felt like I was growing up with the characters.
🤍The banter between LaRynn and Deacon was top notch.
🤍The relationships that both characters had with their grandmothers.
I also personally adored Dewitt's note about how this book in itself was like a renovation and a labour of love. And I felt like she did!

Add this one to your list and pick up a copy on November 12, 2024! Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts on this book.

Tarah Dewitt's books never fail to make me laugh, cry, and root for the couple as if we're actually friends. This book was beautifully written and expertly paced.

"What a gift it is to trust someone, I realize. To know that through every up and down, every unexpected break, they want the same thing as you in the end. Just to be together."

OH THIS BOOK!!!! Oh this wonderful story. A story filled with so much angst, healing, love, second chances, and growth for both of our main characters.

LaRynn is truly one of those fmcs who you will find yourself rooting for, My little black cat girl who went through so much growing up. I love seeing her let herself feel and find her people. People who love her, even through what she considers to be her own mess, people who root for her, and people who accept her sharp edges no questions asked. I saw so many parts of myself in her. Her grief journey, her journey to self acceptance, and how she never backed down and protected the people she loves. I love how she found her joy and was unapologetic about what she wanted.

DEACON LEEDS! MY MAN MY MAN MY MAN. Through messes and all, Deacon was such an incredible mmc. Strong, resilient, protective, and a rock for LaRynn and everyone around him. I love his quiet vulnerability, his confidence, and how he learned to ask for what he wanted.

It was a joy to see them fix the house, and heal so many parts of themselves while doing so. My favorite black cats, my heart is bursting with love for them. They will always be famous to me.

Such a fun friends to lovers to enemies back to lovers. I adored the complex family relationships and interwoven French. I wish there was a little more of larynn dealing with her father and deacon dealing with his brother. But otherwise the steam and pace was spot on. I think Elyse deserves to be a sequel.

Ahh I wanted so badly to like this --I've loved her other books! The second-chance romance plus the setting (home renovation) just wasn't doing it for me. Cute characters and great writing! I loved the playlist at the beginning and I'll still read your next book :)

This book is human - petty, full of heart, second chances, and hope.

Literally, SO GOOD. The pettiness was a little more toned down from the original publication and LaRynn, while still abrasive, had a new depth to her that had me understanding her fully from the get-go and I instantly understood why she's one of DeWitt's favorite heroines. I'm glad I've gotten to read both editions, but trust me when I say that this is The One.

Compared to DeWitt's other novels, The Co-op starts a little slower and a lot more Enemies. LaRynn is a tough woman and is sure that fiercely protecting herself is the only way to stay unharmed. After all, you can't break the heart of someone who won't let someone love her. But as LaRynn started to open up and grow, I found that I did love her regardless. The moments of honesty between the characters were the best, and the last 25% of the book was worth every rough patch along the way. (Seem familiar?) It also has, hands down, one of my favorite epilogues ever, and that alone gets 5 stars.


P.S. I absolutely LOVED the Easter egg from Funny Feelings and it has me wanting to go back and re-read immediately.

Marriage of convenience, second chance romance, dual timeline... there's not much more I want in a book, and I ate this one up! I loved seeing how Deacon and LaRynn's relationship evolved from when they were young to reconnecting as adults. There was a lot of ground to cover there, and DeWitt did it so well. She has such a fabulous way of imbuing her novels with so much emotion and heart while exploring tough, real life topics, like grief. At the same time, this book is so funny and swoony! Loved!

I love a good marriage of convenience trope! And this one has the added bonus of also being a grumpy/sunshine, second chance, AND enemies to lovers romance. So basically all my favorite tropes in one. Add in lots of pining and wanting and almost doing it and then some extremely steamy spicy scenes and you have the perfect romance!

I loved how complex the main characters were. They both had trauma to work through. And they both experienced personal growth. Their shared history was part of that trauma, and I loved seeing them open up to each other.

The plot was interesting, with the two of them inheriting and renovating their grandmothers’ house. The stress of home renovations is real, especially when you DIY. It was the perfect plot device to either rip them apart or bring them together.

I thought this was a great romance with an excellent storyline and characters. Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this copy to review.

When I started this book, I honestly thought I might not be able to finish. I was so frustrated with LaRynn that I just didn't want to read anymore. She wasn't nice especially to Deacon. I can understand why she was at moments but sometimes it was uncalled for. Deacon did have his moments as well but nothing like LaRynn. These two really needed to work on communication. I think that could have solved so many issues with them. Deacon and LaRynn inherited their grands old place which started to fall apart. They needed to get married in order to access LaRynn's trust fund so they could keep working on the house and sell it. After months they finally communicate with each other and share past hurts. That is when their relationship grows. This is when I started really liking LaRynn and knew that these two belonged together. I loved the side characters especially Sally. And the ending was perfect and made up for beginning.

Thank You for St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the arc!

My first book by this author and I really enjoyed it! We are so use to the FMC being sunshine and rainbows, that I really loved that we didn't get that this time. She was who she was and you either accepted it or you didn't, wasn't her problem. I loved the premise of them having a history. Overall I really enjoyed this!

4.5 stars rounded up. Tarah DeWitt is such a talented writer who paints such vivid scenes with her words. As someone who grew up going to Santa Cruz, this book made me long for a visit.

Tarah always breathes new life into tropes, this time enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, and second-chance romance. Sometimes the reasons for the marriage can feel so contrived or thin, but their love for the house and their grands really tied everything together. “Watching” LaRynn and Deacon needle each other was such fun, but watching them fall back in love was even better.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for proving me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

“Dream and fight with me, let me dream and fight with you, too.”

I’m convinced that Tarah DeWitt can do no wrong. This book is beautiful. It expertly weaves the angst and longing that besets a second chance love story.

These are characters that will make you want to comfort them while simultaneously shake them by the shoulders. LaRynn is perfectly flawed. She is scared to let her vulnerability show because the one time she laid her heart on the line was when it was broken. Her brashness and sharp edges were endearing and understandable.

DeWitt utilizes dual timelines to gut wrenching results. When the flashback to their breakup in their early 20s occurred, I felt both sides’ agony and heartbreak. Their journey back together was lovely.

This is perfect for fans of Jessica Joyce’s The Ex Vows or Kate Clayborn.

Absolutely fell in love with this book!

I loved the characters, the setting, & the build up to the romance was perfection. I couldn't put this book down.

Highly recommend!!

This is a fine story. I was a bit let down with this one since I LOVED Savor it. The relationship between Larynn and Deacon was okay at best. I didn’t like Larynn at all. I found her to be way too stuck up and not in a funny out of place type of way. Like she was just bad. Deacon was just as bad but lacked personality in general. Their late teen/early twenties relationship seemed more fun and entertaining than the one we get to read through. I enjoyed the dual pov but it just lacked to me so of the fun and relatability through the characters. I’m pretty sure this is rerelease but has been rewritten, so I’m not sure what the other version was like and if that one was better or this one is. Still a fan of Tarah and I’m looking forward to more stories from her. I appreciate St. Martins Press and Netgalley for giving me this opportunity to read this.

I can’t say enough about this book, which I recommended to several friends within minutes of reading the last page. It was my first time reading a book by Tarah DeWitt, and it cemented her as an auto-buy author for me in the future. She writes such a rich, complex love story, and the characters feel so real within a matter of pages. I love that she doesn’t shy away from conflict between her characters, and the satisfaction of watching the second-chance romance play out while they overcome that conflict is precisely why second-chance romances are my favorite. Oftentimes I find myself preferring one POV to another, but I loved being in both Deacon and LaRynn’s heads, and I’m already hoping this turns into a movie so I can see the coastal setting come to life.

What happens when two people who used to love each other inherit a fixer-upper and are forced to get along because of fake marriage? Apparently not a lot of talking lol
The premise of this story is super cute and for the most part it was! I think there definitely needed to be way more communication between LaRynn and Deacon because that would have solved so many arguments, especially if they both said what they were feeling. I do have to admit, there were parts in here where I was laughing out loud, but for a lot of it I was frustrated. Also they never actually seemed to do any work on the house??

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin’s for the opportunity to read this book! All opinions are my own :)

I have to say that anything I MEAN anything that Tarah touches I LOVE, adore, and obsess over.
The Co-op is all about LaRynn Lavigne and Deacon Leeds, who had one fiery summer fling as teens but definitely didn’t think they’d end up working together again, let alone inheriting a rundown building from their grandmas. LaRynn needs to be married to access her trust fund, and Deacon’s got the construction skills but no money. So, they make a deal: get married, fix the place up, sell it, and go their separate ways.
Simple, right? Nope. Cue emotional walls, a home without actual walls, and two people who can’t help but clash. This book gives off major HGTV vibes with a side of steam, banter, and just the right amount of second-chance romance feels. LaRynn is a tough nut to crack, but by the end, you’ll be cheering for her. Deacon? Total sweetheart who’s all about communication (bless him).
It’s a fun, steamy story about love, renovation, and working through life’s emotional fixer-uppers. I loved every brick by brick of it.
Thank you St. Martin Press and Netgalley for the eArc!

3.5 ⭐️ a solid romance book for me. It was short and sweet; I flew through it. I had a lot of fun, there were times when it was slow but I really enjoyed this romance..had solid banter and always love when there’s no 3rd act break up!! Thanks NetGalley for the earc!!

LaRynn and Deacon had a summer fling when they were teenagers. But now, ten years later, they find themselves as co-owners of the run down building their grandmothers lived in. With their relationship strained by various factors, they have to figure out how to work together to get the building fixed. Deacon has the construction experience and LaRynn has a trust fund that could fund the project - the catch - she has to be married to access it. The come up with an agreement to get married, for Deacon to do the construction and LaRynn will fund and decorate and then they'll never have to see each other again.

This is my second title by Tarah Dewitt. I read Savor It and really enjoyed it so I was hoping for the same with this one. I can't say that I did. This one fell on the "just okay" scale for me. The miscommunication was a lot. I felt like I really had to push myself to keep reading. I usually love a good enemies to lovers romance, but this one just didn't hit the mark for me.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a re-release, and apparently, almost everything was rewritten but I'm left wondering if v1 may have been the better version? I was SO duped because this is described as You Deserve Each Other – one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE BOOKS! – and it did NOT deliver. Like to the point of being insulting that it was compared. If these characters had ever had a conversation, like ever spoken to each other with their big kid words, they could've solved their issues. But they didn't. Tropes weren't even trope-ing and I ended up skimming a good portion of this when I realized that I had been basically duped.