This started out strong. I am a sucker for second chance romance and marriage of convenience trope, so I definitely thought this was going to be the one. But it was just okay.

I usually love dual timelines, having that before and after but even though the chapter said “before” it felt confusing and took me a bit to realize it was the “before”. A couple of times I did have to go back to the chapter to see if I was in the now or “before”. I think that is why I couldn’t connect with the characters.
Their miscommunication was getting on my nerves but the emotional level they needed to work things out was lacking as well. They didn’t grow from when they were teenagers, especially LaRynn, I just felt like she was still a teenager even though she was an adult. The constant defensiveness for no reason whatsoever was getting redundant. You would think that after 8 years, they would have been able to work through their issues that they did as stupid teenagers but it’s hard when you still act like one.

I had high hopes for this story, but the execution wasn’t there. The only thing I really liked was the epilogue and had to muster through the rest. I do want to read her other books that have better feedback from what I’ve seen.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC.

I really wanted to like this one, I truly did. I am a sucker for second chance romance stories (but not for marriage of convenience ones outside of Christina Lauren's "Roomies") and they usually get at least 3 stars right away. I had such a hard time with it, though, for several reasons. First off, the timeline for this book was super clunky and hard to follow. I am fine with an author jumping around a bit but it has to be done well.

The FMC was thoroughly unlikeable. Spending $95 on a single throw pillow? GTFO. I would have been furious too. Maybe she was the main reason I had such a lack of investment in this book altogether. I think it was also because I couldn't "see" this story. Normally I have such a clear picture of the setting/houses/etc. but there was none of that for me in this book. I also thought there was an extreme lack of visual for the MMC to the point where it felt on purpose. Between all of this and the story stuttering, I couldn't honestly rate this one above 2 stars.

Ms. DeWitt can do no wrong. Every release of hers just gets better than the last. The Co-Op was funny when it needed to be, heartfelt & emotional at the right times, and kept my attention from the start to the very last page. I loved this book so much I have pre-ordered it.

This was ok. I had high hopes for it - marriage of convenience! Second chance! Forced proximity! But a lot of things just fell a bit flat.

I know this is a re-release, and some things have been changed from the initial publication- which I haven’t read so I can’t really comment on that.

I found the MFC incredibly selfish - money was tight, they were trying to fix up this house, but she’s out there buying $95 pillows and candles for every surface of the place?

Deacon was ok - minus his complete ability to communicate during their summer fling when they were 19/20 (but that goes for LaRynn too).

The premise had potential, and I didn’t hate the writing (this was an ARC copy, so there were some editing/grammatical errors that I imagine will be caught before the official publication date) - and I am interested in checking out other books by this author in the future so that’s always a win.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC.

Cue Nick Miller: stop being so mean to me or you’ll make me fall in love with you.

I had the opportunity to read the original print of this. This is reworked with some more modern pop culture references.

I can get behind a second chance romance (HI WREN AND ELLIS WE CANNOT WAIT FOR YOU!).
However, the attraction between Deacon and LaRynn continues to be surface level. They don’t know another personally, even after all these years. Leading the attraction to be physical with dashes of emotional from their whirlwind summer romance as late teens.
Tarah does rework them a bit, and once the cards are on the table, it’s easier to love them both.

Second chance
Forced proximity
Marriage of convenience
Lovers to Enemies to lovers
Black cat/Golden retriever
Show burn

Overall: 3.5 ⭐️/ 1.5 🌶️

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s for this eARC.

This story follows LaRynn and Deacon who experienced a summer fling as young adults and are flung back together when they discover they currently share ownership of a fixer upper, left to them by their grandmothers. When their income stream runs dry a marriage of convenience is their only choice, but soon they realize it may be convenient for their wallets, but not their hearts.

I loved the dual POV that switched back and forth between present day and before. The before chapters were filled with fun and anticipation and I loved the lightness of it even knowing that there had to be a fall out coming. The forced proximity of LaRynn and Deacon in the apartment had the tension pulled taught and the slow burn was spicy and trust me, while the burn is certainly slow…you catch up.

I loved the realness of the characters in the story, both LaRynn and Deacon as well as their friends and parents. Both of their journeys through grief, self discovery, and determination to fix up the house was done so well and the end was sweet and satisfying.

"I always though tif I could do everything expected of me, if I was good, if I caused as little inconvenience as possible and needed as little as possible, then maybe I'd fit somewhere between them."

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC. I loved this book! I love Tarah DeWitt.
The book follows LaRynn and Deacon who had a summer fling when they were younger, which ended very poorly. But 10 years later, their grandmothers leave them co-ownership of their house. Larynn has the money and Deacon has the construction knowledge. But they are forced into a marriage of convenience to access the money. As they deal with the wreck of the house and their relationship, they soon come to realize the feelings are just for show.

"what a f**ing treasure he is, to want all the pieces of the people he cares for, the inconvenient and painful parts, too."

Such a good book! I love this author's writing and I'm so happy that I understood the callback to Funny Feelings! I really enjoyed this one too.

will start by saying I don't like to read the synopsis before I go into a book, so my only preconceived conception came from the title and I was lost on was this book was about. Typically a co-op housing situation involves more than 2 people in a much larger space but this felt more like a small condo situation. And I hated the characters up front. Dont play hard to get then be upset when they walk away. I liked going back in time but I learned nothing except these characters have massive pride problems on top of their poor communication problems and still barely learned anything by the end. It all felt so unlikable and strange to me. And the marriage was way too sped up to be believable like come on. Not to mention some phrasing was strange and made me slow down to reread quite a few times.

And one last thing, dont include the Playlist which I love, if it's going to be out of order!!!!

But on a positive note, I did laugh out loud a couple of times! I love the witty one liners laced through out this book.

Childhood friends/first loves to strangers to lovers is quite possibly my all-time favorite romance trope and it is executed to perfection in Tarah Dewitt’s The Co-Op, which is being re-released in November (interestingly, it was originally indie/self-published last year but Dewitt made the decision to do a major re-write before its traditional publishing release). The Co-Op follows LaRynn and Deacon who first met as teenagers when their respective grandmothers married one another (love!) Seven years after an intense summer fling that ended badly (they were 19/20 years old at the time), they have jointly inherited the falling apart duplex their grandmothers owned (of course they did!) and decide to renovate it together in order to sell or rent it. Complicating things further is that LaRynn’s estranged father has made marriage a requirement for accessing her trust fund (of course he did!) and she’s currently broke, so they enter into a marriage of convenience in order to help fund the reno. Living and working together forces Deacon and LaRynn to confront their past and their present feelings (of course it does!) to determine whether they have a future together.

Often times these types of books are dual timeline and here we do get flashback chapters that help us as readers understand how things got to where they are. I thought these chapters were done really well and the dual POV was really important in understanding the depth of feelings LaRynn and Deacon felt for one another, what they ultimately kept from each other (as dumb teenagers/early adults are want to do), and the pain they caused each other as a result. LaRynn in particular is dealing with a lot of baggage as the result of her parents/home life but she was very good at hiding it as a teen; it’s not until she and Deacon actually communicate (shocker!) in the present that they are able to let go of the past and realize what they have in one another. Yes, there are a lot of familiar tropes/plot points in this book but they are done so well that it still feels fresh. I also want to put a plug in for an epilogue that is set many years into the future; it was great to get a glimpse of what their HEA looks like—I wish authors did this more often!

The Co-Op is out November 12th; thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the e-ARC all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Super fun and steamy forced proximity, marriage of convenience, second chance romance! A summer fling when they were 18 ends badly and they don't see each other for years. Their grandmothers pass and leave them joint possession of a house that's in dire need of repairs. Deacon can fix it, but needs money. LaRynn has money but needs to be married to access it. Together they agree to be married until the house is finished and they can sell it and make a profit.

I loved this book when I originally read it in 2022 and the updated version has so many little nuggets that I wasn't expecting. It amplifies a story that I already loved into one I will never forget. The pain and trials Deacon and LaRynn go through, both separately and together, are so poignant and really tugged my heartstrings.

Even if you've read the previous version, this update is so worth the re read.

This was such a cute read. I loved the tropes, the characters, the plot. All of it was entertaining and enjoyable. If you enjoy:
🔨 Marriage of Convenience
🔨 Forced Proximity
🔨 Enemies to Lovers Banter
🔨 2nd chance(ish) romance
🔨 Short chapters

Then I think you will enjoy this book.
Thank you netgalley and st martins press for the free copy of the ebook I exchange for my honest review.

“Reasonable is not what you and I typically inspire in one another.”

I'm not sure why this book has a 3.77 rating (as I'm currently writing this) because, for what this was, I thought it was really cute! Sure, it's not the most original, ground-breaking romance book, but I had a lot of fun with the second-chance (ish--they were never truly together together) romance between the characters.

This is one you have to suspend your disbelief for; it's not for the overly practical literature lovers. One thing I have to say--I actually understood why they acted a bit childish. I won't spoil anything here, but there are some books you read and they genuinely sound like teenagers with no communication skills. In this book, there's an actual reason why this is the case. I appreciated that! Actual characterization and not just "quirky" characters? I'll take that any day.

I think if you enjoyed Funny Feelings, you'll enjoy this. I didn't enjoy Savor It, but I felt this hit that middle ground really well between her other books.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy of the “The Co-op.” I loved everything about this story - the characters (main and secondary ones), the plot, the setting, the tropes! I personally love a marriage of convenience story but the author merged it so seamlessly into a second chance romance filled with enemies to lovers banter. It was an absolutely perfect 5 star read for me - I highly recommend picking this one up ASAP - you will not be disappointed.

This was a really lovely read
Some fun tropes. Amazing leads. They were realist, raw and messy. My favorite.
The only issue I had was it was a little long. A bit too much of the “I want them but can’t have them” inner monologue going on
Overall I would recommend if looking for:
-marriage of convenience
-black cat/golden retriever
-no third act break up
-good spice

LaRynn and Deacon had a short fling during their teenage years but did not end on the best terms. Now, a decade later, their grandmother's have passed away and left them each with partial ownership on their dilapidated home. LaRynn has the money to fix the place up, but is unable to access her trust fund until she is married. Deacon has the skills to fix the building, but no money to do so. They decide to get married in order to have all the pieces they need to fix up the property.

I think this definitely started quite slow, and took me awhile to get into, but by the end of the story I was enjoying it more. The miscommunication in this drove me wild, they acted quite childish for the majority of the story in my opinion. I think that the characters did have a lot of development, which I enjoyed. It was nice to see them grow closer, and learn to open up and trust one another. I thought the ending was very cute, and it was probably my favourite part of the story.

This book was good, but it was a 3⭐️ for the alternating timelines. They felt too jarring instead of flowing with new backstory. It also made the story feel like it dragged on, which is part of why it took me so long to finish it. I did overall like the book though, and I would be interested in reading more Tarah Dewitt! Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!

This was my first Tarah DeWitt book and it didn't disappoint! I loved this second chance romance and it's definitely one of my favorites! I loved how the couple was able to love each other despite all their flaws. Not every relationship is perfect and this book showed that. But both characters were able to learn and grow together which I loved. I can't wait to read more from Tarah DeWitt because her story telling is amazing!

Read if you like ||
-second chance romance
-marriage of convenience
-dual pov
-slow burn
-witty banter

Anything Tarah writes will get me emotional, and this one was no different. I loved all of the tropes and messages through this. Larry is the true definition of black cat. She is angry and will snap back, but she has her reasons ofcourse. Deacon was a gem. He was patient, and I loved how he truly knew her and could take to her fiery feelings. The house they were rebuilding was so special, and you could feel how much their grandma’s love touched them.

I loved the slow burn & reading Deacon’s POV🥹 LaRynn and him were truly puzzle pieces that fit each other.

There were some parts that were a little slow for me. Although this wasn’t my fav book of Tarah’s, I would still highly recommend.

4.5⭐️
LaRynn and Deacon had a short, summer fling when they were teenagers that ended badly. They are reunited almost a decade later when they both inherit from their grandmothers an older home. They have to come together to fix it up so they can sell it. Only problem is they don’t have the funds to fix it up. LaRynn can access her trust once she’s married so they hatch a plan to get married, fix up the building and then sell it and cut ties. What could go wrong?
The banter and tension between these two are so good! I loved the dual timeline. It showed there really can be a wrong time, right person. Deacon and LaRynn really worked on their individual issues while they were apart and were able to come back together as a stronger couple.
The Co-op is releasing 11/12!
Tropes:
🔨Marriage of convenience
🔨Second chance
🔨Enemies to lovers
🔨Forced proximity

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

📚ARC Review📚

The Co-Op by Tarah DeWitt
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tropes
🏠 Dual Timeline
🏠 Dual POV
🏠 Marriage of Convenience
🏠 Second Chance
🏠 Slow Burn
🏠 Forced Proximity
🏠 Found Family

Tarah DeWitt nailed this sweet romance that follows a couple from young lust to adult love when they’re forced to reconnect to fix up a beach home left to them by their late grandmothers. You can’t help but root for Deacon and LaRynne as you dig deeper into their pasts. The character development in this book was top notch. And don’t let the slow burn fool you because the heat is on in the second half!

Snag yourself a copy on its release date, 11/12/24!

QOTD: What’s your favorite Tarah DeWitt read?

#thecoop #tarahdewitt #marriageofconvenience #secondchance #slowburn #forcedproximity #foundfamily #dualpov #dualtimeline #bookone #bookstagram #toris_readingcorner