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.

MF
Dual POV
Second chance
Slow burn

Rating: 3/5 - I enjoyed this book but it isn't one that I will reread
🌶️: 1/5 - there were a couple explicit intimate scenes

TLDR: I feel like I had to wait until 60% through this book to get the Tara DeWitt magic. Was it worth it? Yes, yes it was.

The beginning of this book was rough. The main characters were annoyingly immature and I thought I might not get through if the characters didn't grow up quickly. It didn't happen quickly but it got there and I am glad I powered through. The last half of this book had all the delicious tension and emotion that I associate with Tara DeWitt.

Ultimately, I wouldn't recommend this as a first Tara DeWitt read but I would say that anyone who already loves her stuff should give this a go.

Thank you to the author, St Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the advanced review copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of this book, I don’t like miscommunication tropes. Among a lot of other things in this book.. continually rolling my eyes I wish I DNF it!

The romance went perfectly with the renovation plot. Tarah’s writing is beautiful a d makes you fully feel submersed into the setting. Will read anything she writes

This book was a pretty good romance. One of the better ones of 2024. Generic but most just did not do it for me. I liked both main characters but I really enjoyed our mmc

This was my first book by Tara!

I am a sucker for a second chance romance! Deacon and LaRynn have a past, a past they thought they had moved past from. But when they come face to face again, old feeling resurface… and that’s where things start to get interesting!!!

Loved this second chance so much, the tension had me giggling nonstop!!!

5⭐️

If Tarah writes it, I’m reading it. I truly think LaRynn and Deacon will be one of my favorite couples of all time. I’ve definitely never related to a character more than I’ve related to LaRynn. She was everything to me.

Tarah always seems to write books that hook me from the beginning and just keeps me. Soul characters and books that leave me thinking about them for days, weeks and months later.

I loved the dynamic between Deacon and LaRynn. The progression of their relationship. I loved seeing the little snippets of the “past” that we got. I loved that Deacon accepted LaRynn for exactly who she was. And seeing LaRynn being content and happy where she was. Truly I just can’t say enough about them.

Thank you so much NetGalley for the e arc.

LaRynn and Deacon shared one summer fling as teens, before they went their separate ways. Now a decade later, in the wake of their grandmothers both passing, they find themselves co-owners of a beach house that’s falling apart faster than their lives. They need to fix it up as quickly as possible. Deacon has the skills, and LaRynn has the money in her trust fund…provided she’s married. They agree to get married long enough to fix up and sell the house. Through the trials and tribulations of home renovation, they find they may already have everything they want.

This was such a charming read, y’all. I was laughing, crying, and everything in between. The small town beach setting was idyllic, and the cast of characters was excellent. I loved Cece and Helena’s story being woven in, and the development of LaRynn and Deacon’s relationship was the perfect mix of fluffy and realistic. This book was just what I needed.

Thank you to Tarah DeWitt, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.