I think that the best books has a perfect balance of warm fuzzies and cold scratchies. This book definitely had the perfect balance. I cried, I kicked my feet, I cried some more, and was just so giddy. I really enjoyed this story and the characters. Small town romances with quirky town traditions give such Gilmore girls energy and i love Gilmore girls. My heart just feels so happy right now.

I love tarah's writing and I was so excited to read this book! I'll admit its my least favorite out of the 3 due to pacing issues. I wish it didn't take half of the book just for the plot to start. Fisher is a really sweet mmc, I loved the setting and their pure connection. I still recommend for people who love small town sweet romance, but this just wasn't my favorite book of hers. I recieved an arc from netgalley.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Savor It by Tarah DeWitt is about Fisher who is a Michelin star chef from NYC and has custody of his 16 year old niece, when he feels like everything is falling apart and his boss sends him packing across the country to small town Spune, Oregon to help build another restaurant, when he rents a house next door to Sage, the town sweetheart and nice girl, and they train for the end of town canoe race together.

I really loved this one! It had a lot of really good tropes, and I felt like Fisher and Sage’s connection was evident. I loved all the side characters like Fisher’s niece and Sage’s bestie and brothers. The small town portion was adorable and I loved picturing them all coming together for the festival.

However, my critiques in this book were that Fisher and Sage strike up a deal to have her help him improve his image for the town, and I feel like they… didn’t really do anything to improve it, it just happened. Additionally, it seemed like neither of them really worked like, maybe I didn’t understand this but halfway through the novel I wasn’t even so sure what Sage’s job WAS, so that just didn’t feel too realistic for me.

However, I feeeeel like there’s room for a spin-off here, (cough cough, Ellis and Wren) so Tarah don’t disappoint me!!!!!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

This book had everything I want in a good romance-grumpyXsunshine, small town, cute critters, and all the FEELINGS! Sage and Fisher grew so much! Savor It dealt with grief and love, but it was so much richer! Learning that there’s more after loss and failure. It’s okay to feel what you feel. It’s okay to be you and that you’re worthy, despite how others may view you. Love a life that’s worth living to you. And I could go on and on! This is a book I’ll revisit!

I laughed. I cried. I swooned. I cried tears of joy. I feel like a lot of the time the stand alone rom com type books feel…. Surface level? If that makes sense. I love them. But it takes a special writer to create depth of characters and relationships in under 350 pages and I have felt that in this book! Very Emily Henry of her.
Loved everything about these characters and I’m going to miss them.

This book hooked me from the robot vacuum scene!
I loved the banter between the characters; the perfect grumpy/sunshine duo.
All the animals made me want to have a farm of my own!
Hopeful this turns into a series so we can have more of the Byrd brothers!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!

this is one of my all time favorite books. i’ve never felt more seen before in my life. the writing and story in this book was phenomenal

sage is a new favorite fmc of mine. i’ve never related to a character more. she’s quirky, loves with her whole heart, loves to enjoy life( essentially the little moments) and she wears her emotions.
she also has so many animals and a garden that she cares for so much !! she’s the sweetest person ever 🥹
sage has felt very insignificant in life. she wants people to consider her. she’s been told by her ex that she needs to change the way she acts and dresses. all she wants is for someone to love her for the way she is. sage also has the best outlook on life.

fisher comes to spunes oregon, to find his passion for cooking again. he’s here to rediscover himself and find what really matters in life. he’s here with indy who he is now taking care of.

fisher and sage come up with a deal that sage will help fisher find his passion and help him with the new restaurant he is helping open in the town. fisher than is going to help sage win the towns competition. they start to form a friendship that is needed for both of them. they both understand each other and give the other advice that is needed. lines blur as they spend more time together. they know the time they have is limited so they decide to spend time together and savor every moment they have.

they both grew so much together. they were able to help each other out with things they were struggling with. sage taught fisher how to enjoy life and the little moments. fisher shows sage she doesn’t need to change for anyone and that she is perfect. they share so many sweet moments with each other doing normal things.

this book was perfect. i will never get over this town and characters. they were all so special. I cant wait for everyone to get this book in their hands. you won’t want to miss this !!

The beautiful cover of this book sucked me in, and the premise sounded interesting. Overall though, I felt like the book dragged a lot and it was a bit of a downer to me. I can see why other people would really enjoy it though.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I’ve read a few of Tarah DeWitt’s books now and Savor It is truly my favorite! Sage Byrd is living in small town Spunes, Oregon surrounded by animals and flowers and community. Fisher Lange moves in next door for the summer following career troubles as a chef with his niece. Both Fisher and Sage are navigating grief and career confusion, and decide to pair up for the town’s festival at the end of summer. And of course, they fall in love.

I don’t know how DeWitt does it, but she makes falling in love seem so cathartic. Every character in Savor It is so nuanced and profound that you can’t help but hope they all get their happily ever after. I also loved how realistic the obstacles between Fisher and Sage were, as well as how they approached them.

Without a doubt one of my favorite reads for the year!
Thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve really enjoyed Tara DeWitt in the past, but something about Savor It felt off. Everything felt rushed and incomplete. The relationship between Sage and Fisher had no development in the beginning; they went from strangers to dating in no time. Even the “fake dating” advertised was nonexistent; it lasted what felt like 2 pages. Most things (plot points and characters) didn’t get their due. Again, restaurant mentioned in blurb? Hardly mentioned. The best friend, Wren? Given nothing. Dewitt has so much potential; I’ve loved her other books. But this book was a let down.

Book- 5 stars
Spice- 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5

This was such a feel-good summer romance! Set in Spunes, Oregon (there are definitely zero jokes about Forks or Twilight in here 🤣🤣), Sage is a social studies teacher on summer break, and Fisher is a disgraced NYC chef who moves in next door for the summer. Both have emotional baggage. Just like any small town romance, we can all guess what happens next.

This was a refreshing take on the classic small-town girl/big-city guy romance though. There’s friendship, serious competition, and revenge making out in the public library. I’m here for it! And don’t forget the quintessential small-town bakery!

I loved the characters, the setting, and that there was no miscommunication trope.

A pretty darn good story, DeWitt never disappoints! It was swoon worthy, tender and joyful romance. And that angst and agony made it so much worth my time! Absolutely loved reading it.

4.25 ☆

Where to start with this one? Tarah DeWitt's 𝘚𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳 𝘐𝘵 is full of heart and easily the best work she has done yet. From our main characters, Sage and Fisher, who are unapologetically human and smitten with one another, to the fun town of Spunes, Oregon - I. am. obsessed.

Tarah does something so magical with all of the characters she creates. Sage and Fisher, along with Indy, Wren, Sam, etc., are no different. She makes them feel so tangible; they are flawed, funny, and all at the same time, incredibly relatable and sincere. Sage and Fisher are both trying to make sense of their life while dealing with their own two versions of grief, and while its confusing and at times very frustrating, they lean on each other - finding moments of clarity, peace, and love with one another. Its incredibly tender the way they care for each other and Tarah does an exceptional job at showing that to us in her writing. Getting both POVs was a gift.

I know in my heart that the next book in this series will be amazing, if not more, especially with what was previewed. 𝘚𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳 𝘐𝘵 will be hands down be a fan favorite next year; there's no question about it.

— 5 ⚝
thank you to netgalley and the publishers for an e-arc of this glorious book. all thoughts and opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.

omg, i loved this book so much. this took me by surprise. i purely requested the arc only because the cover is absolutely marvelous, fully expecting a relatively good read with some cute moments. what i wasn't expecting was such tenderness and so many emotional moments made up for by so much love between the two main characters, Fisher & Sage. These are two characters who's personalities definitely seem to have been done before in contemporaries but Tarah DeWitt has written them with so much nuance and depth that I was left amazed. I absolutely love characters that have so much to them and these characters have SO SO much to them that was depicted so beautifully and vividly throughout the story. This is not your average grumpy x sunshine romance novel. This is THE grumpy x sunshine novel that puts all others to shame. Everyone take notes. The way I grew to care about these characters, Fisher, Indy, Sage, the animals. I was mesmerized by their personalities and so taken with how mature the tone of this book is. I have never before related to an mmc but fisher, the man that you ARE. *chefs kiss* (pun intended) everything he was experiencing and the way he was responding emotionally in the beginning was SO relatable to me. i love him so much 😭

he was absolutely struggling for most of this book. i love how beautifully he put himself back together for indy & for sage. i love how intimately we got to know these characters. this book literally feels like coming home. like a warm hug. like a cup of hot coffee on a cold day. it gave me all the butterflies & all the tears. everyone HAS to read this book. that is all.

i would kill for a second chance romance for wren and ellis. that is all. so excited for the rest of the series and to see more of these characters.

thank u tarah dewitt for blessing us with this gem.

"it's been a privilege to fall in love with you, sage" 🥺🥺🥺

Get ready to squeal, kick your feet, and crave delicious food while reading another brilliant book by Tarah DeWitt! She has an incredible way of portraying real and relatable characters even with tropes like fake dating, neighbors, and small town. You may know it will turn out beautifully, but it’s a wonderful journey to get there.

I loved everything about this book. The characters were uniquely written and I felt really connected to their story. I couldn’t wait to see how everything would turn out and I definitely was not disappointed.
I rated this 5 stars as I genuinely have no qualms about it. There’s a lot more I could say but I’m afraid I can’t without spoilers. But I will say I’ll definitely be rereading this when it comes out. Mark your calenders! Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC.

I loved Fischer and Sage, and the whole crew of Spunes! Tarah’s writing was sublime and left me a swooning mess. My only issue is that it felt like the pacing was a bit off. I wish we could have had more of Sage and Fischer after the third act breakup; I just loved being in their world. I really hope this turns into a series and Wren and Ellis get a second chance romance!

ARC REVIEW (thanks NETGALLEY!)

Ehhh it’s 2023 are we still doing quirky girls with graphic tees?
Sage is a high school teacher/animal rehabber/aspiring florist. Still finds the time to flirt with her temporary neighbor, paint her nails 3x a week, teach his niece life lessons and train for some obscure town triathlon-festival?
Fisher is a fallen chef come to town to do something for the new restaurant his boss is opening.
There was no plot that I could see, mostly just internal thoughts and boring dialogue. Fisher and sage would go from sexual innuendo to talking about their dead relatives in the same paragraph. Writing style came off kind of pretentious, not like douchey but not the way people actually talk. I found myself wanting to read more about the teenagers or the unexplained bff and brother separation.

4.5/5

I ran to NetGalley when I saw this was a “read now” book. Small town with a slow burn, sign me up! While this wasn’t necessarily my favorite romance story ever, I loved it. The town of Spunes was adorable and had a cast of characters. I loved their annual festival and competition. But what really drew me in were both MCs - Fisher, a burnt out chef, and Sage, who had just experienced a breakup. He was not only burned out, but grief-stricken from the death of his sister and guardian of his teenage niece. Sage was dealing with her ex abruptly getting engaged after ending their 5-year relationship. Both are a little broken and find comfort and healing in each other. Their slow-burn relationship starts as fake dating, but slowly turns to more. The story was a mix of emotions, but especially funny, sad, and heartwarming.  There were also the excellent side characters (PLEASE let there be another book about Ellis and Wren's second chance!) and SO many cute animals. Also, the Farley nod made me want to immediately pick up Funny Feelings from my TBR! Overall, it was a beautiful, quiet, slow love story that I recommend everyone read!

Sage and Fisher have my heart. Spunes (not to be confused with Forks) has my heart. I’m invested in Wren and Ellis, Sam and Indy, Silas, and Micah. There is just something about small coastal town romances and this story had it in spades.

Tarah DeWitt is always an enjoyable read and this was my favourite of hers so far!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in return for this honest review!