Tara Dewitt delivers a witty and heartwarming second-chance romance in The Co-Op. LaRynn and Deacon, once young and impulsive, are forced to renovate the house they bought years ago, leading to hilarious banter, unresolved tension, and undeniable chemistry.

With sharp writing, dual timelines, and the perfect mix of humor and heart, Dewitt crafts a feel-good love story that keeps you hooked. If you enjoy forced proximity, slow-burn romance, and plenty of swoon-worthy moments, The Co-Op is a must-read! I truly loved this one and Tara Dewitt delivers another amazing story that just makes you feel all the feels.

Thanks for the ARC!

I’m sad to say I didn’t love the book quite as much as I was expecting to. It’s a very cute second-chance romance, and I enjoyed how DeWitt mixed the serious scenes with lighthearted ones, but the overall story fell a little flat.

The biggest issue for me was the miscommunication. I know miscommunication is a completely relatable thing since it happens so much in real life, but with this book I just kept wanting to yell “talk to each other!” I can overlook the miscommunication as teens (because, teens) but the present day scenes irked me. 🫣

I enjoyed the characters and their histories individually, but I didn’t buy into the romance. Maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood for the book when I read it. There was one steamy scene that I really liked though! 🔥

Overall, while it wasn’t a favorite, it was still an enjoyable book. I just expected to be a little more invested like I was for Savor It, the last book by DeWitt I read!

Lots of people love this one so don’t let my review persuade you from reading. 😆

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Co-Op by Tarah DeWitt!

Thank you to Netgalley for gifting me this book to read. I LOVED the idea of this book and was so excited to dive in. This felt like the perfect second chance romance set up and jumping between timelines of them meeting vs them reconnecting was really fun. Unfortunately, in the end, this book was 300+ pages of the miscommunication trope and I was trudging through it to even finish. The ending is really sweet but it was difficult to make it that far.

Everytime I see this book in a bookstore I am reminded of how much I loved this book. I found that I was bored at the beginning of the book but after the first few chapters I really go into it & finished it super quick!

The overall premise was enjoyable but the romance between LaRynn and Deacon was not my favorite to be honest. Their romantic development felt a bit forced and while they did have some cute, heartwarming and spicy moments I just didn’t really feel their connection or spark despite their history. I just would have liked for more scenes from their past that showed their feelings and connection before they reunited again or more moments in the present that showed them getting to re-know each other again. Their relationship was also a slow burn one. Overall, a decent read just not my favorite.

thank you netgalley and tarah dewitt for the e-arc. all opinions are my own and are being left voluntarily.

i thought this was a good book. honestly nothing super special and not already done about it. i read it quickly nonetheless.

Such a cute and fun read!!! This is the second book I have read from this author and I can tell you it will not be my last. Absolutely loved this story ❤️

The Co-Op by Tarah DeWitt might just be one of my new favorite relatable reads. There was something comforting about seeing characters deal with the same familial traumas and situations you've gone through in real life. Tarah once again write three-dimensional characters with three-dimensional story telling and plot structure. The Co-Op focused on lost, young love, emotionally reconnecting and learning what its like to grow and communicate as an adult. LaRynn felt real. Not too mean but not nice. Not too confident, but not too overly doubtful. Deacon felt passionate. His ADHD "I need to fix it" moments are what I live for. Job well done, Tarah!

Main Tropes:

Marriage of Convenience
Close Proximity
Fake Dating
This book was such a cute story that transcended time. It portrayed a love that felt genuine, true, and raw in a way that not many books do. The fake dating trope is one of my favorites, which no doubt made this book a great read in my eyes. It tackled many topics that felt real, and it was cozy. If you’re looking for a book that feels like a warm hug on a cloudy day, with great banter and fantastic character development, I highly recommend this one.

Thank you, Tarah DeWitt and St. Martin’s Press, for providing this copy in exchange for a review.

I actually think my rating would be somewhere like 2.75 out of 5. Do not get me wrong I did like this book, but at some points it felt very choppy to me. I guess that can happen when you are switching from past to present for most of the book. I also think the side characters were a tad underdeveloped. They all had so much more potential and story growth that I would like to have seen.

I very much enjoy Tarah DeWitt's writing, and her style continues to be pleasing. Even with good writing, however, "The Co-op" was not really my cup of tea. This book felt like one long miscommunication, or more accurately, one long lack of communication trope. It was not until almost 3/4 through the book that the main couple finally had an actual conversation that was not just them sniping at one another. And then that almost immediately was washed away in yet more miscommunication. A little miscommunication or failure to communicate I can handle. This was just too much.

On the good side, the spice (once it started) was decent, and as I said before, DeWitt writes well. This is certainly not instalove, which I always appreciate.

3 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. These opinions are my own.

This one was a struggle for me to finish and I probably should have dnf'd it, but since I got the arc I wanted to give it a fair chance. I really enjoyed the past/present aspect of this book and while we spent less time in the past, it ended being my favorite parts of the book. I really enjoyed reading about how LaRynn and Deacon's relationship began. In the present timeline, I often found myself frustrated with how they acted towards one another. I found them to be a bit immature and think that a lot of their conflict could have been solved with some honest communication. I also would have loved to have read more about their grandmothers - they left such an impact on these characters in the present but I feel like we barely got to know them. While I may not have enjoyed this one, I've heard great things about the author's other books and plan on reading from her again!

At this point, Tara DeWitt can do no wrong for me. The tension, banter, and chemistry is on point, and you root the whole time for Deacon and Larynn to get their happily ever after. Highly recommend this to everyone who likes second chance, enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience romances.

This story was a nice palate cleanser to the heavy I had been reading! Will look at finding other things by this author. I am grateful for the early access, thank you to those that allowed it!

I kinda loved this one!!! Super fast!! Great, funny banter!!! Unexpectedly hot!!

I adored how much family was added to the cast and how much the author actually made me care about them (the grandmas! Omg) and I really liked that we had multiple viewing points in the timeline of the main characters meeting.

Not to mention, how cute is the epilogue???

deacon the man you are. i miss you. ill never forget you.
this is the kind of marriage of convenience i need. its talked about and clear that it is part of the plot but it happens and not talked about every single afterwards.
seeing these two bicker in the best way and slowly fall back into each other was amazing. one of my fav reads of the year i fear.
cant wait to read more tarah
chefs kiss

Can we said that I love Tarah books. And this one is not different . Loved the characters and the antics . They are so right for each other and you can feel their pains and their joys. Also this was hot. Love it so much

I loved the overall plot of The Co-op, from LaRynn and Deacon’s teenage summers visiting their beloved Grans to the home renovation project they later take on together.

Both main characters are thoughtfully developed, carrying their own baggage, missed opportunities, and unfulfilled desires. Despite their broken pasts, LaRynn and Deacon feel authentic and deeply relatable.

I’m a sucker for the fake marriage, forced proximity, and second-chance romance tropes—all of which play a major role in this story.

I listened to most of the book in audio format, but I personally wouldn’t recommend this form. While the narrators did a great job, I often found it difficult to distinguish between real-time events and flashbacks to LaRynn and Deacon’s teenage years. Also, this one may have had a bit more 🌶️ than my ideal spice level—but that’s just personal preference. Knowing Tarah DeWitt’s style from her other books, I expected some steam!

Everything Tarah Dewitt writes is a banger. Truly. I love it all! This story was so fun, so emotional, and so steamy. I loved it.