Read if you like:
🏘️ Small Town Romances
🌤️ Grumpy x Sunshine
☀️ Just for the summer
💋 Fake Dating
🌶️ Friends with Benefits
🥕 Hot Chef’s

The depth of emotion while balancing in banter and laugh out loud moments was so well done! This was my first book from Tarah and it most definitely will not be my last.

I loved the small town vibes, the chaos of the animals and the community members as that just added something so fun to the plot!

I am not one for single dad plots, but damn if I’m not all in on hot uncle/daddy plots now!

The way that emotion for both Sage and Fisher were written was just so well done, especially when adding in the complexity of Indy and her emotions too!

I really appreciated how the “third act breakup” happened because I truly think it had to be done for the story, especially for Indy and Fisher to get to where they needed to be with their story and their traumas.

The audiobook was so well done with two of my faves Karissa Vacker and Zachary Webber narrating!

Thank you so much to Macmillan audio for my ALC and SM Griffin for my ARC!

Savor It by Tarah DeWitt is a delightful gem that captures the essence of summer with its heartwarming romance, endearing characters, and the charming small-town vibe of Spunes, Oregon. From the moment the audiobook begins, you are transported to a world where emotions run deep, the community is close-knit, and love has the power to heal and transform.

Sage Byrd is an absolutely perfect character, navigating the ups and downs of life with a refreshing blend of strength and vulnerability. Her journey from heartbreak to self-rediscovery is beautifully narrated, making her someone you root for every step of the way. Fisher Lange, with his brooding demeanor and hidden layers, complements Sage perfectly. Their chemistry is palpable and builds naturally, providing a mix of steamy romance and genuine emotional connection.

The setting of Spunes adds an extra layer of charm to the story. It’s the perfect small town. It's a place where everyone knows everyone, and the annual Festival of Spunes becomes more than just a backdrop—it’s a pivotal element that brings the characters together in unexpected and delightful ways. The competition and the town's quirky traditions are woven seamlessly into the narrative, enhancing the sense of community and belonging.

Narration in the audiobook is top-notch, bringing the characters and their emotions to life with a perfect blend of warmth and intensity. The pacing is just right, keeping you engaged without rushing through the pivotal moments that make the story so special.

Tarah DeWitt’s writing is witty, heartfelt, and sprinkled with moments of humor that lighten the mood while never detracting from the deeper themes of loss, healing, and love. The way she handles Fisher’s grief and Sage’s need for a fresh start is both sensitive and realistic, making their growth individually and as a couple incredibly satisfying.

"Savor It" is more than just a summer romcom—it’s a story about finding yourself, embracing change, and savoring the moments that truly matter. It’s filled with Big Feelings, spicy encounters, and a wonderful message about the power of love and community. If you're looking for an audiobook that will make you laugh, cry, and fall in love, this is it. Highly recommended!

Oh my gosh I love Tarah DeWitt and was so excited to get my hands on this arc, but to be honest, I just never could connect with the characters and it ultimately just fell a little flat for me. It was definitely a me thing though, and I’d recommend to others!

This book was sooooo close to perfect for me, I think the only reason it is 4 out of 5 stars for me is that I read this in tandem with Funny Story and the theme of broken people supporting one another is big in that one too. It was just sliiiiightly higher tier for me, I think the only thing I did not like (in comparison) was how some of the spicy parts came not out of nowhere necessarily but was at level 200 when the scene we were living in was at a level 20.

Fisher owning his struggles and clearly communicating with Sage was EVERYTHING to me. Responsibility and accountability is my kink so I was here for that. I also did NOT like being called out for putting myself down (like Sage) as a defense mechanism. Him saying "I don't like that your brain is bullying you because I dont know how to fight that". SIR. SIR WHY?!

Genuinely, this book was so enjoyable. Having dual narrators is my FAVORITE. I really dislike dual pov romance stories that only have one narrator because it takes me right out of the book so I appreciate the the attention to detail. Both narrators were perfect and I think they were fantastic!

Take some time to savor this book!

4.5 stars. This was such a great summer read! I loved the fictional Oregon coastal town setting. The characters are fun, the writing is witty, and the main character chemistry is on point. Fisher is a hunky leading male who can cook and is his niece’s guardian. Sage is a free-spirited social studies teacher with her own little country menagerie. The audiobook narration is fantastic. I’m grateful to have received an advance copy from NetGalley.

Both narrators for savor it really impvoed the reading experience ten fold! It was extra funny, extra emotional. It made me want to listen over and over again.

Oh man, this was good. A really slow burn, with flawed and wonderful characters. There’s definitely a lot of emotional trauma to spread around, but it’s not so heavy that it weighs down the story. So much light and fun. And I loooove dual narrators! It’s all so much richer and engaging hearing different voices. And narrators Karissa Vacker and Zachary Webber were both nuanced and just spot on.

🎧 Savor It
✍️ Tarah DeWitt
🎤 Karissa Vacker; Zachary Webber
🗓️ May 21 2024
📝 Macmillan Audio

Genre: contemporary romance
Summary:
“Sage Byrd has lived in the coastal town of Spunes, Oregon (not to be confused with Forks, Washington) her entire life. She's learned to love her small world, with the misfit animals on her hobby farm, and her friendships with the town’s inhabitants. But when her 5-year relationship ends and her ex, town-golden-boy Ian, suddenly gets engaged, Sage needs a win—something that will convince everyone to stop pitying her all the time, and to put Ian in his place. The Festival of Spunes, the town’s annual summer competition, would be the perfect opportunity. She just needs a partner.

Fisher Lange was a hotshot chef in New York City until the loss of his sister left him numb, grieving, and responsible for his teenage niece Indy. When Fisher loses his Michelin star along with his love of cooking, his boss sends him and Indy to Spunes on a much-needed summer sabbatical to consult on a restaurant opening. But when clashes with the townspeople threaten his last chance to redeem himself and a kiss with his new neighbor Sage leads to dating rumors, a strategic alliance might just be the best way to turn things around.

A deal is struck. Sage will improve Fisher’s image in the eyes of the town and remove the roadblocks he is facing with the restaurant, and Fisher will be Sage’s partner for the competition. But as their pact quickly turns into steamy rendezvous, emotional wounds begin to heal, and the pair tries to savor every moment, they start to realize that summer is racing by much faster than they would like...”
Diverse cast of characters?: yes!
Hero: Fisher Lange
Heroine: Sage Byrd
Side cast:
Adorable! I had such strong Gilmore Girls vibes here. The relationships are wonderful and I loved the characters.

Setting:
the fictional town of Spunes, Oregon in the Pacific Northwest. I love that setting.

Fluency/Writing:
This gave me Gilmore Girls vibes! I pictured Spunes a bit like Stars Hollow and I absolutely love the Gilmore Girls. This book had adorable banter and I liked the friendships and relationships here.
I liked the romance. This was a fun and light read induced with some heavier topics. But all five is such a sensitive and loving way. Maybe a tad too predictable for me.

Narration:
The whole reason why I requested this at first was because of Karissa Vacker. She is by far my favourite female narrator. I can listen to her voice for hours. Every time she does an amazing job and even if a book is not my taste, she saves it with her narration.
Zachary Webber was unknown to me, but he was fabulous as well!

Cover:
It’s one of these comic book covers that I am usually not really fond of. This one is fine, kind of cute, but I don’t think I’d pick it up based on the cover.
Series or standalone:
standalone as far as I know, but Wren and Ellis have so much potential, this should be a series!
POV: dual
Tropes:
Small town romance, grumpy x sunshine, slow-burn, fake dating
⚠️: burnout, grief, loss of a loved one (off page)
not really a trigger, but there is a third-act-break-up
🌶️: 2/5
🎧: the audiobook is fabulous, two splendid narrators came together!
❤️: 4/5
⭐️: 4/5
Do I recommend:
if the tropes sit with you, this is your book!


⭐️Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own, I was under no obligation to review.

At a glance:
- A renowned chef recovering from burnout—and who has recently been knocked down a peg—moves to a small coastal town in Oregon just for the summer
- With his teenage niece, of whom he has recently gained custody, in tow
- Moves in next to a sunshiny high school teacher / gardener / animal menagerie owner
- Who is dealing with her own grief
- Their time together kindles romance (of course) but helps both to rekindle their joy for life and confidence as well
- Bonus points for mental health and migraine rep

I especially enjoyed the last 30% of the book and want to move to a plot of land with a bunch of animals, a garden, and a hot chef next door. (Do you think my husband would mind?)

Highlights for me:
- A ton of puns
- The goose choosing his mate
- Sage’s eclectic robe collection (all of Mrs. Munty’s creations, tbh)
- Sage's journal and the wisdom it holds
- Her house, especially her sunroom (I would live in it if I could)
- The food descriptions
- “I might love the library” 😏

The audiobook is narrated by Karissa Vacker and Zachary Webber. They’re two of my favorite narrators, and they do a fantastic job of portraying Sage and Fisher.

I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio. All review opinions are my own.

This was the first Tarah DeWitt novel that I've read, and I'm happy to report that I'm obsessed. A small town, fake dating-adjacent, and a bit of found family are in this new romance novel (potentially the first in a series? I hope so!)

I listened to the audiobook of this and the narrators were fantastic. There were some parts where they would whisper which I feel like I don't get often in audiobooks. It made the experience that much more realistic. Also, the male narrator often sounded a bit exasperated which worked so well for our MMC.

Sage and Fisher are officially my new favorite couple. They balanced each other out so well! There wasn't a distinct grumpy/sunshine going on, but a bit of a trade-off at times. Sage would get annoyed and Fisher would laugh and cheer her up. Or Fisher would be so clueless about his niece and Sage would say all the right things to help him understand his teenage charge.

There was a bit of a plot to this one which is more rare for romance novels these days. It wasn't super driven, but there was enough of a story to keep things moving along. I would have liked to have seen more of the competition, but I understand why it wasn't shown.

As I mentioned, this really seems like it's being set up for a series of interconnected standalone. We meet each sibling and are told some of their backstories (and relationships) throughout the book. I wouldn't be surprised if each Byrd sibling received their own book. And I would be the first person in line to read it.

Overall, this was a fabulous book from DeWitt. With the right amount of humor, heart, and small town antic-ness, it should be everyone's number one pick for their May reading! I need to go back and read the other books she's already written and am eagerly anticipating what's next from her!

This was my first introduction to Tarah Dewitt's writing, and I LOVED it! I laughed, swooned, cheered, and savored this book!  I enjoyed how much the idea and imagery of "savor it" was woven in, from the times the phrase was mentioned to how the MCs relished the food Fisher made and their time together. This book hooked me from its adorable opening meet-cute and I did not want it to end.

Told in a dual POV of Fisher and Sage. They were well-developed, compelling characters and a couple that was very easy to root for. Both have endured significant losses, and the story respectfully touches on some complex issues like grief. Sage was delightfully quirky, bright, optimistic, and open-hearted. Fisher was sensitive, introspective, sexy, and sweet. Their dialogue was well-written, and I loved their tender moments and fun, flirty banter.  A slow burn, their relationship was brimming with chemistry and spice.

The small-town setting in the PNW was charming. It had a wonderful library and was populated with great side characters, including adorable animals. I wanted to stay in this little town. If I could move there, I would! Highly recommended-this had so much heart.

Karissa Vacker and Zachary Webber narrated, and both were fantastic in their individual roles, nailing the range of emotion and humor. But together, they made this a great listening experience. I hope they're paired together again soon. An easily bingeable audiobook!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the free audiobook!

*4.5 rounded up

I had such a fun time reading this that I had to listen to the audio narration! I loved the witty banter! And I loved the small town romance and fake dating tropes! Definitely will be reading other works by this author!

What a great summr romance read! Pick this up if you love small town romance, witty banter, fake dating, or friend to lovers! I especially LOVED the PNW setting. I found myself swooning and smiling through the entire novel and would recommend this on audio to any readers!

This book was a DELIGHT. Tarah, you had me at Spunes, OR (not to be confused with Forks, WA). The humor was just so good, with all the fun, witty banter. The quirky characters (and animals!) of Spunes have my heart. There were some heavier themes and a deeper storyline and romance that balanced perfectly with the humor as well. I really loved the romance between Sage and Fisher. They are both in their 30’s, and they communicate like adults! It was so refreshing to read. If you’re looking for a swoony, spicy, hilarious rom-com, go grab this one next week! A note on the audio: narrated by two of my favorites, Karissa Vacker and Zachary Webber, you cant go wrong with this audio. They both do a fantastic job of narrating these characters with heart and humor.

Read this if you like:
👨🏻‍🍳 small town romance
👨🏻‍🍳 grumpy sunshine
👨🏻‍🍳 professional chef mmc
👨🏻‍🍳 single parent (raising his niece)
👨🏻‍🍳 fake dating
👨🏻‍🍳 witty banter
👨🏻‍🍳 PNW setting

Savor It is a smartly written story with hilarious circumstances and well thought out characters. My favourite character had to be Fisher’s moody teenage niece with her snarky attitude and witty insults that made me burst out laughing. I thought the chemistry between Fisher and Sage was fabulously written and the setting and the town’s quirky traditions made me feel like I was right within the book along with all the characters. DeWitt has a way of making you buy into what the characters are feeling and experiencing and you can’t help but want to go along for the ride. I only wished there was a bit more relationship building between the two MCs. Additionally, the narrators were perfect for this story and enhanced the experience of it all.

ARC from Macmillan Audio, these are my own thoughts and opinions.

Okay I LOVED this! It was so cute and feel good and I already want to listen to it again. This book was everything I wanted in a romance. The chemistry between Sage and Fisher was so so good! There was therapy rep, witty banter, and so much small town love! And it’s a fake dating? I’m sold. Add this to the top of your TBR!

Releases May 21!

Posted on Goodreads and StoryGraph 5/17, posting on Instagram stories 5/18 and Instagram feed 5/20 or 21

Tropes:
Friends to FWB to ❤️
Summer fling
Single dad
Grumpy chef / sunshine gardener, animal lover

This was such a sweet, feel good romance. Thanks to NetGalley for the ALC.

5 ⭐ 2 🌶 5 🎧

Oh my goodness, this was the cutest story I've read in a while. It was chock full of small town and grumpy sunshine goodness with other goodies like single guardian of his teenage niece and hilarious farm animals galore. Sage and Fisher were absolutely everything and I loved them so much.

I really loved the not so hidden morals of the story. It was so wonderful seeing Fisher and Indie find themselves in Spunes. They thought this was going to be summer vacation to restart, but this small town ended up being everything they never knew they needed.

The audio was fantastic. I'm obsessed with Zachary Webber, he was half of the reason I picked this book up (the other half being the beautiful cover). He played Fisher so perfectly and Karissa Vacker was incredible as Sage too. This was such a wonderful listen and I already can't wait to start again.

Savor it by Tarah DeWitt was a great summer romance between a professional chef and small town farmer. When Fischer makes a commotion on his first night calling emergency services for an "intruder" in his summer rental, Sage gets a quick introduction to her new and mysterious neighbor.
This book deals with moments of grief, dealing with the complex emotions that follow it, and its lingering affects. What started as purly a relationship out of convenience to encourage the small town of Spoons to accept Fischer and his new restaraunt, while Sage was feeling cornered upon meeting her ex's new girlfriend turned into a super sweet and spicy summer that for sure wasn't going to become more.
With the added complexity of Fisher navigating how to build a relationship with his niece after his sister died, this story is the perfect amount of sweet, spicy, and emotional.
The narrators also did a great job, I loved having a narrator for each POV!

I wish this review could have been a video compilation of my reactions while listening.. I don’t know if words can accurately describe or do justice how this book made me feel. I was giggling, kicking my feet, stopping dead in my tracks, teary eyed, hand over mouth, shaking my fist at the sky, mouth hanging open, cackling out loud, SWOONING, crying, screaming. And cheering throughout. This will be one of my top reads of 2024. These characters felt so raw and real. A cozy steamy romcom in a small town that was reminiscent of Gilmore Girls. He’s an CHEF. Come on! How could I not fall in love? The flaws, the romance, the puns, the goofy animal encounters.. And the goose? Gosh.
And the audiobook just hits different than reading the ebook, in my opinion. These narrators breathed life into these characters and side characters. The distinct voices and dialogue.. bravo. Amazing job.
Consider my heartstrings tugged.
I truly did find myself savoring every moment of this book.