Rating: ♾️/5

I’m OBSESSED with this book!
larynn is so relatable i love her so much.
the mix of second-chance romance and marriage of convenience is just the best combo EVER

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I think I will forever be in my Tarah Dewitt era. This book gave me all of the feels.

My heart broke so many times reading this book.
"When no one listens to you or considers you, you just . . . take what you can get.”
“Because when I’m not easy for people, when I’m not a convenient version of me, I always manage to lose them.”

Pick this one up if you enjoy:
◾ Second chance romance
◾ Forced proximity/roommates
◾ Marriage of convenience
◾ Enemies to friends to lovers
◾ Return to hometown - small town romance

Look, you aren't picking up a Tarah DeWitt book because you want to have warm fuzzy feelings. You pick up a Tarah DeWitt book when you want your feelings crushed and then put back together by the end.

The Co-op is no different! I read this one when it was still an indie, but I was excited to get an advanced copy of the republished version. All of the pieces I liked the first time are still there. This is a then and now, second-chance, forced proximity, marriage of convenience heartbreaker. Yeah, you read that right, it has a little bit of everything thrown in.

And, of course, it has a classic DeWitt MMC-Deacon-good down to his soul, understanding, kind, and willing to do anything to make the FMC feel a little bit better about herself. LaRynn isn't an easy FMC to love, she's prickly, angry, and very, very broken. But, her growth and willingness to open herself up to Deacon along the way makes you root for her.

Without giving anything away, I still think both characters need some pretty significant therapy to solidify their HEA. This is definitely one of those books where I question if they would really still be together in the epilogue.

* Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review! *

This was my first Tarah DeWitt book, and now I’m definitely going to go read Savor it after finishing this one! I loved the dual timeline aspect of this book and the character development that we were able to see throughout. Thank you SMP and Netgalley!

This is my first read by this author and I really enjoyed it!!! I will be picking up more by her asap!

I really enjoyed Savor It earlier this year, so was excited to read The Co-Op. I hadn’t realize the author reworked a previously released novel that she released independently, after being picked up by a publisher. I can’t speak to the original version, but whatever changes she made- worked. I loved this novel! If you love Carley Fortune, especially This Summer Will Be Different, you will love this book! Also great for fans of Abby Jimenez. LaRynn and Deacon met as teens when their grandmother’s got married. Ten years later, they have to come together after being estranged, because both grandmothers die and leave their home to the two of them. LaRynn can get access to a trust fund that is needed to repair the house if she gets married, so they join a marriage of convenience, even though it doesn’t feel easy to marry someone that was their first heartbreak.



This novel was told with two timeline and it really worked. Bits and pieces of the characters journey and motivation were revealed so the reader came to understand how much these two felt for each other and how their insecurities kept them from being honest. They both got more and more brave as they began to trust each other in the present. Healing their old wounds and becoming friends through honesty and communicating tough things. The secondary characters in this book were so interesting. Plus, I always love charming small towns with eccentric people. I love how LaRynn finally trusted herself and her decisions, that she was able to find what she wanted and allow herself to ask for it. I appreciated Deacon’s arc as well and how much his self esteem limited his choices in relationships. As a therapist, I thought these characters were very relatable and realistic, the character development was spot on. I love the fun detail of them making a soundtrack to their days and it being all classic songs. My husband and i do something similar and it just made me smile. I would definitely read this one again and recommend it to everyone. 4.5 stars. Thanks to Net Galley, Tara DeWitt, and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Co-op delivers a steamy, tension-filled second-chance romance that blends love, construction, and plenty of emotional renovation. The story of LaRynn Lavigne and Deacon Leeds, two former flings thrust back into each other’s lives a decade later, is packed with crackling chemistry and just the right amount of drama.
LaRynn and Deacon couldn’t be more different—LaRynn with her financial resources tied to a trust she can only access if she’s married, and Deacon, a skilled contractor who knows how to rebuild everything but his own emotional walls. When they unexpectedly inherit a dilapidated building from their grandmothers, their only option is to marry in a practical arrangement to flip the property. What follows is a slow burn filled with banter, tension, and forced proximity that keeps the pages turning.
The author does a great job of balancing humor and heat as LaRynn and Deacon work through the ups and downs of their unconventional marriage. The construction metaphor is cleverly woven throughout the story—both in terms of fixing the literal building and in the way their relationship requires a complete overhaul. Their struggles to communicate, let down their guards, and navigate their unresolved feelings from the past are relatable and make their eventual reconnection feel earned.
While the story does follow some familiar romance beats, the author's witty dialogue and well-crafted characters elevate The Co-op beyond the typical trope. It's a book that reminds us relationships, like construction projects, are messy, complicated, and sometimes take longer than expected to complete—but the process can be just as rewarding as the end result.
If you’re a fan of second-chance romance with a slow burn and a little grit, The Co-op will leave you smiling. This is a fun, heartfelt read about rebuilding both homes and hearts!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Wow, what an amazing book!! I am very happy I decided to read this, and am surprised at how much I loved it! I always love marriage of convenience stories, but was a bit skeptical at first. I'm not always a fan of second chance romances (I figure if it didn't work the first time, will it actually work the second?). But this story was so well written, I couldn't put it down!

The Co-Op follows 2 ex-lovers who are both left a home after the deaths of their grandmothers, and in order to fund the much needed reno (so they can get a good market price of selling), get married in order to access a trust fund. The thing about the characters in this story, is they were so relatable and real. I have no shared life experiences with these characters and yet I felt their emotions and struggles as if they were my own. I could find pieces of myself in the characters and I loved that.

This story is the perfect read if you love forced proximity, dual POV, second chance romances, marriage of convenience, and no third act break up (yay!). A huge thank you to Netgalley for the privilege of reading this ARC in exchange for a review!

This book surprised me! I always love a marriage of convenience but they’re not always done well. This one, however, I really enjoyed. I was annoyed at times by the lack of communication between LaRynn and Deacon about the past, but their banter and obvious connection made it easy to look past. My favorite thing of all was probably the lack of a third-act breakup! It’s been so long since I’ve read a romance book without one. A very fun read overall!

I liked the book. It was a bit slow in the begging going between the past as they were teenagers and present as adults. Marriage of convenience and second-chance romance. I feel like there could have been more detail as it was confusing sometimes, but overall, a pretty, good book.

Thank you to NetGallery for the ARC.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you NetGalley and Tarah DeWitt for the chance to read this arc.

I wanted to love this book, but it was very slow for me in the beginning. I really didn’t love it until the last 20 percent of the book.

There was a page with the wrong character named used in a conversation, and that really messed with my OCD brain and I probably reread it at least 5 times out of confusion.

I was extremely happy with the end of the book, I just wish we would have gotten more from the flashbacks because they just stopped out of nowhere it felt like, and I wish with them we saw more of the grands story entertained with the main characters.

Overall, good story but not my favorite.

This book was about a 3.75 for me, I enjoyed it. I loved the fake marriage trope in there, it did feel kind of rushed to me. I wished we would've got more of the day to day and maybe not so much of the past perspectives. I did really enjoy the characters and their vastly different personalities, This was a cutesy romance and besides the few things I mentioned I really loved the feel of it and the vibes it gave me.

Absolutely loved this! The banter had me giggling out loud. I loved that it was a different kind of love story. Very unique, which made the relationship feel more realistic to me. Gave me all the feels! 4 stars!

Hoo boy, where to start. LaRynn and Deacon inherit their gay grandmas' old house which is in desperate need of repair. They decide to fix it up and sell it, but need to get married in order to get the funds to fix it up. ...But they hate each other.

Good lord were these characters difficult. The entire event that made them hate each other <spoiler>was the fact that she said "I love you" when they were hooking up years ago and he said it was just a fling. So instead of talking this out and working together to get things done, a good 45% of this book is just them seething at each other while secretly lusting as well.</spoiler>

LaRynn's relationship with her family was relatable. There are some cute friendships and also some character development (and by that I mean they talk, finally), but seeing them struggle for that long was painful. I wish goodreads would let me give 2.5 stars, but as it is I'm rounding down.

This book was delicious in my opinion. I guzzled it right up and it left me full & oh so happy! The characters were so well developed I could see them so clearly. From the moment Deacon & “Larry” entered the same room again, I knew that they were destined to be with each other. I’m also very very close with my grandparents and having “The Grans” in this book being such a vital piece was wonderful. I thoroughly enjoy an HEA and man I’m so glad I received that in this book. From start to finish, it was delightful and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to read it. This author will definitely be added to my TBR whenever I see her name. 🫶🏻

ALSO!!!!! The playlist is EVERRRRYTTTHING!!!!!

🌶️🌶️
Second chance, forced proximity, roommate dual timeline romance. Lots of miscommunication but I still enjoyed the book. Super cute, loved the couple.

what a fun read! this book had all the perfect swoony angstyness of the original co-op with more added depth and bit more heat too — which really added to the story in my opinion! deacon and larynn were such a blast and i loved watching them piss eachother off while being head over heels for eachother while ALSO being pissed off at themselves for being head over heels. and the glimpses into their past and how they ended up where they were was truly such a great addition. i love these characters and this story so much!

Second chance turned marriage of convenience. Sounds great. This was a decent read which had some depth to it. I was so confused about the alternate timeline casually just stopping with like 25% left in the book. I was also confused why the marriage of convenience was thrown in when it was barely discussed. This felt like another book where adults communicate at the level of middle school children. Sorry :/

I actually really enjoyed this!!!! It had me cackling I was laughing so hard at a couple scenes!

PIVOT!!

Thank you NetGalley and Tarah for giving me the opportunity to read this masterpiece!! Can’t wait to purchase the physical copy so I can reread it over again! The journey between these two from being enemies to lovers in the end was SOOOO worth the slow burn! The ending was absolutely adorable and I loved it!!

Tarah Dewitt is slowly becoming an auto-read author for me. Her writing is always so engaging and fun. Her books are always lighthearted but she has a talent for giving her characters so much depth that it makes them captivating. Definitely a slow burn, but with this being second chance it was fantastic.

This book had all the tropes and makings to be great such as marriage of convenience, forced proximity, and second chance, and overall it was an enjoyable read. Also, the best part was that there was no third act breakup and the cutest epilogue ever.