This romance novel has some fun tropes, but I just really felt like this one was overworked. Beginning with an author explanation then a playlist before diving in. Then the past/future timeline and the grandmother set up was a lot.

Queen Tarah Dewitt does it again! After loving Savor It earlier this year, I knew I needed to check out The Co-op, and dare I say this is my new favorite Tarah novel?

Tarah has a way of creating depth in her characters and their stories that is unmatched by many authors. Her main characters, LaRynn and Deacon, were brought together years ago when their grandmothers got married. After being thrusted together as (dare I say) angsty teens, they have a summer fling that ends poorly. Now, their grandmothers have passed and left the house to them. The house is in terrible condition, and both of them want to renovate it and either rent or sell, but they have a lot of unresolved emotions from their past. Can they put their differences aside to renovate the house and respect their grandmother’s legacy?

Gosh I LOVED the characters in this book. I relate so much to LaRynn, from having parents with high expectations (pretty sure my parents also wish I was a lawyer, but we still love them), to having a reading disability, to struggling to reveal emotions for fear of being shut down. While she initially may come off as stand-off-ish, she has so much character and appreciation for her friends, and I loved watching her character develop. Deacon is a top tier book boyfriend. He may try to act casual around LaRynn, but he is the cutest golden retriever.

This book has everything! Dual POV, second chance romance, multiple time periods, marriage of convenience, small town, and much more. I think many readers will find something they love in this story. My only gripes with this nearly perfect novel are that I felt like we could have gotten more depth and resolve on LaRynn’s relationship with her father. One of the first flashbacks circles around a scene involving her dad and Deacon, and I wanted to know more about that drama!

That being said, I had such a fun time reading this book that I am giving it 5 stars! I did this as a buddy read, and we finished multiple weeks ahead of schedule because we were enjoying ourselves so much. 4.5 stars rounding up to 5!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Tarah Dewitt is an auto buy author and continues to prove to me why she is an auto buy author! The rerelease of this book did such a great thing for the story! I love these characters and the story so much more!

I loved reading the original version of this, and this new revamped copy is even more wonderful.

Deacon and LaRynn both feel like such real people. Deacon is funny and guy next door-ish, and I find he has this intangible but very real masculinity to him. LaRynn is a tall queen 👑 who isn't all sunshine but she's giving "to you I can admit, that I'm just too soft for all of it" 🎶 🥹

The meanness, the teasing, the tension, turned to softening and vulnerability, take you on a dynamic journey with the characters. And the additional insight into their past makes it easier to understand where they are now.

This book actually has my favorite Tarah epilogue. It's not what I would have expected for them, but it makes perfect sense and I couldn't think of a better happy ending.

I'd recommend this book if you like real, flawed characters, bickering and tension, home improvement, dual timelines, and a surprisingly soft love story 💞

YouTube review: https://youtu.be/hYoUVZ0eFbY?si=lKdMT6ys76zoEHuN

Tiktok Silent Review: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTFuFPTmn/

Contract marriage meets frienemies to lovers and I am here for it. The obsession our leads contend with is spicy and fun, and has you rooting for them even if they aren’t necessarily your favorite character.

4 Stars! I really enjoyed reading this book!

Most Memoriable Parts:

🛁 Super Cute Inside Jokes (mostly about towels)
🏐 Overly Competitive Volleyball Games

This super-cute second chance romance, fake marriage, forced proximity story is so cute! Tarah DeWitt has this incredible way of making the characters confront their problems, but not letting their damage define them. My only critique is that the book started out really slow, and I wasn’t really hooked until about 30% in. But, I’m so glad I stayed to see Larry and Devon bloom into a loving family 💛

Sad to say this was not for me.

I still think this story has a lot of potential, but the execution currently is not there for me. The Co-op is about LaRynn and Deacon, two people whose Grandmothers marry late in life when they are 19 and 20. The story starts 7 years in the future, where both Grandmothers pass away, leaving their coastal home in California to the two of them. However, as nice as it sounds, that home is falling apart. Despite her current hatred for Deacon, LaRynn finally comes to help Deacon renovate it entirely so they can sell it or rent it. The story flashes back and forth to what happened 7 years ago to make LaRynn and Deacon hate each other so much.

It has a lot of the notes that hit right now: second chance romance, forced proximity, one bedroom, former childhood lovers, renovation romance. However, there can be too much of a good thing if it’s not done properly.

A lot of this book felt like forced storytelling without the execution. Most of the story took place in one setting that was under described and difficult to actually try to imagine what was happening. All I could picture was sand, a volleyball net and a park bench. There was also shockingly very little dialogue. And when there was…. Kind of gave me the ick. Too many monologues and very little chemistry. Most of it, though, was thinking, which was infuriating because you just wanted them to actually grow up and talk to each other.

Separately, there were several other characters introduced who could have contributed greatly to the story. But they were practically non existent. There was no character development or interest. I particularly felt there should have been more development with LaRynn and her mom.

Overall I get the idea of the story, and hope some of these changes make the Final Cut of the book.

Thank you NetGalley for a chance to read the ARC!

I actually thought this book was really cute! I am a huge fan of the enemies to lovers troupe, along with the second chance troupe. The story was character forward and was well paced. I was super entertained!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. ☝🏻 forced proximity ✌🏻second chance romance. Deacon was 🤌🏻 I felt that Larynne really grew throughout the book. Also, I totally felt like me and Sal would be best friends.

*Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*

Can a book change you on a cellular level? Because this is it for me. When I first read the original Co-Op when first came out, it melted my heart. Being lucky enough to read it again with NEW scenes, it melted me entirely to my core. While I’ve been loving and harping on Savor It so much, I forgot how much I loved The Co-Op. LaRynn’s understanding of how in the past her stifling her emotions and her wants got her absolutely no where was PERFECT. Her growth was executed so well. Deacon, Deacon, Deacon, man of my dreams. Under his banter and quippy attitude, his emotions and insecurities made him so real. I love how they slowly got back to where they could be fully transparently themselves in love. As backwards as it was in the way they came back together, I think it made it so much sweeter. There was a point where Deacon is pouring out his soul and I just bawled. I’m not sure what Tarah puts in her books but she knows how to rock my soul totally. I am usually really hesitant in second chance stories because a lot can go wrong, but this is absolutely so right. It’s beautiful, sad, and just - can you give a book a million stars?

I like Tarah Dewitt but I think this is my least favorite of hers. It just happens to have the tropes I can't stand and I had a hard time relating or even liking the heroine of the story very much. I had a hard time understanding what the hero saw in her. She does grow up a good bit and you do see a bit of a growth arc there though so kudos for that.

I don't love second chance romances especially when they have to do a miscommunication of sorts.

I will say, though, I did adore the epilogue of this book. Still really like Tarah's work though despite this.

2.5/5 ⭐

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity.

Never read a book about this sort of trope but I love the idea that and the force proximity.

This book was phenomenal, simple as that. Second chance, slow burn, living in the same house all tropes that I love. Also MARRIAGE OF CONVINENCE! Seriously this story was amazing. I loved LaRynn and Deacon, their slow burn back to each other was so wonderful to read about. I loved how Deacon just gets LaRynn and didn't need her to be anyone but herself. Omg, the Grands, I wished we could have seen more of them however the little bit that we did get was just so cute. Also I love stories that involve house renovations. It just always adds a certain chaos to the story that I enjoy reading. Overall this book was wonderful, I love the stories Tarah DeWitt writes and I can't wait to read everything she puts out.

Loved this! I read the original version a while ago, and liked it but there was just something missing. I had a hard time seeing the love from Deacon’s side in the past or the present. The revised version fixed everything I initially had issues with. I devoured it from start to finish! I can’t wait for the new audio to come out with it 😍

“I don’t think there’s a version of you I couldn’t love.” - one character to another or me to this book? Might be (*is) both.

There are a lot of jokes in the book community about immediately forgetting everything about a book as soon as you finish it. I’m often guilty of that, but I’m here to say it can be a blessing. I got to experience this book all over again, *almost* feeling like it was the first time but also with the feeling of “oh, yes, I know you. I understand you. I love you even more because I know and understand you.” I know this is the ‘renovated’ version and there were differences, but thanks to my brain, I can’t say exactly where they were. I can just say that I loved THIS version even more. Be it because of changes/edits/rewrites/etc or because I’d already connected to it previously, either way one thing is clear — Tarah Dewitt knows how to write a book.

This book made me FEEL so many feelings. The pain of loss, misunderstanding, disappointment, feeling inadequate, grief. The joy and warmth of finding your place, friendship, growth, acceptance, mutual vulnerability, and love among the mess.

There are always mixed feelings on dual timelines but I felt it was so necessary here. Deacon and LaRynn faced so many challenges in both their past and present that when they finally got it right, it felt all that much more rewarding to have been along for the ride. Nothing about finding their happily ever after was easy or tidy, but it was hard fought and earned.

I can’t wait to add this version and its gorgeous cover to my collection. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin’s Griffin for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

🔎 ARC Review

The Co-op


@authortarahdewitt
@stmartinspress
@netgalley

Publication Date: November 12th, 2024

My Rating:
🌟 4/5

👀Read if you like
Marriage of Convenience
Dual POV
Second Chance Romance

They say love and construction don't mix.
By that logic, hate and construction may as well be condemned.

LaRynn Lavigne and Deacon Leeds had one short and contentious summer fling when they were teens.
Certainly nothing to build a foundation on.
But a decade later, when their grandmothers have left them with shared ownership of their dilapidated Santa Cruz building, they're thrust back together and have to figure out how to brace up the pieces.
LaRynn has the money, but to access her trust, she has to be married.
Deacon has the construction expertise, but lacks the funds.
A deal is struck: Marry for however long it takes to fix up the property, collect a profit, and cut ties.
Thrust into a home without walls, they quickly learn that it's easy to hide behind emotional ones, even in a marriage. But, with all the exposure and pitfalls that come with living with the opposite sex (and none of the perks) they'll also have to learn what it means to truly co-operate as a team.

The Co-op is a steamy story 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.

🔎 My review
This was such a fun read! The beginning was a little slow, but once it picked up, it was on point! The MCs LaRynn and Deacon have so many flaws that make them relatable and lovable. I just wish we could have seen a little more of their romantic relationship. The epilouge was everything I could have asked for! Definitely recommend.

Thank you @netgalley @authortarahdewitt @stmartinspress for the ARC!

#books #bookreviews #bookstagrammer #bookworm #bookstagram #bookobsessed #romance #romancebooks #tarahdewitt #stmartinspress #spicyromance #NetGalley #TheCoOp

Want to start this off by saying thank you to SMP for the arc!

The Co-Op is a second-chance romance and marriage of convenience. What more could you ask for? I loved the premise and thought the idea of working on a home renovation together was unique. Unfortunately, I just had a harder time getting attached to these characters and their love story. They were adults but acted more like teenagers, which is always a pet peeve of mine. They were constantly arguing, and as much as I love a good enemies to lovers with a lot of tension, this was just a little too much for me. I did enjoy that they were both real, flawed humans, though. It's refreshing to read characters that have depth and trauma (although sometimes it was a lot).

Deacon and LaRynn had a secret summer fling as teenagers that ended badly and left both with broken hearts. Ten years later they are reunited when they inherit a (falling apart) house from their grandmothers.

Deacon and LaRynn reluctantly agree to work together to fix up and sell the house before they go their separate ways. Desperate to get started and low on funds they enter into a marriage of convenience in order to gain access to LaRynn’s trust and fund the renovations.

Forced to live and work together, Deacon and LaRynn must confront past hurt feelings, their still very real attraction, and a crumbling house. A lot of push and pull and frustrating decisions later, they agree to be just ‘friends.’ Once they’re no longer trying to get a rise out of each other, they are free to have honest conversations and open up themselves to the possibility of more than friendship.

The Co-op was a delightful second chance romance. I loved Deacon and LaRynn’s story; their banter, their charm, and their happy ending.

This was a quick and easy read, and enjoyable! The characters are young, so of course the book is rife with miscommunication, but it was exactly as I expected it to be (not a knock at all). I always enjoy reading a marriage of convenience so this was right up my alley. Would read more by this author for sure.

This book is very tropey, and that's not always a bad thing, and maybe isn't necessarily bad here. It has tropes I tend to love, like second chance romance and enemies to lovers. However, the miscommunication was very prevalent in this story. In some ways, it's understandable when you're navigating trauma, but it still felt way too heavy handed.
That being said, it is still an enjoyable read that I think will appeal to many romance readers.
My favorite part of this story is the lesbian grandmas! Can we get their romance novel?