This was a really fun and cute summer read!

However, I did have issues with the pacing and the “plot.” The plot in the blurb is not the plot we get in the book, and the pacing felt weird to me. The basis of the “blurb” didn’t even happen until 50% in! This has been a reoccurring issue in Dewitt’s books for me, so I don’t think I’ll be picking up another one of her books.

This is a sweet story about knowing and choosing yourself and what you want out of life. The romance and connection was lovely. I'm excited that this is the start of a series.

Audio Review: Zachary Webber does a terrific job with Fisher's perspective of this book too! Karissa Vacker is one of my favorites and knocks it out of the park with Sage's chapters.

Savor It by Tarah DeWitt started off really strong, the opening scene was super funny and engaging, which gave me high hopes for the rest of the book. Unfortunately, the remainder of the story fell a bit flat and definitely didn't live up to the hijinks of the opening chapter. The story takes place in a really cute town called Spunes, Oregon (pronounced like Spoons), which was cute because cooking plays a large role in the storyline. It's about big time New York City chef whose sister recently passed and he now has responsibility for his teenage niece, and due to his grieving ends up losing his Michelin star and desire to cook. He goes from NYC to Oregon to take a break and consult on a new restaurant opening. As luck would have it, his neighbor Sage is spunky, fun, and up for the challenge of trying to help him turn his life around.

I think my expectations for this were just too high. When Tarah was first posting about it, I was obsessed with the aesthetic of the setting and vibes in her Instagram posts. It seemed like one I would really love, but honestly there wasn’t anything truly gripping about this to me. I did the audiobook for this one and really enjoyed both narrators which is a major plus. In one sense, it was a really easy and comforting listen. On the other hand, I just wasn't super invested in their relationship and was slightly bored. I don't know if it was the writing, not connecting with the characters, or the weird pacing. Tarah's books have been very hit or miss for me. I was a big fan of Funny Feelings. I am looking forward to the next book and to see how the rewrites of her previous books may change my opinions on them, but unfortunately this one just didn't quite do it for me.

Seeing all the 5 star ratings, and with it being set in a coastal Oregon town (I'm from Oregon) I was expecting to LOVE this one. Unfortunately, I only liked this one. I did love Sage and Fisher, and there were some bright spots that I really related to, particularly about grief.

“I…I think I keep my world small so I don’t feel insignificant in it.”

Spunes, OR is completely fictional (which of course is totally fine)--but unfortunately I didn't feel the Oregon Coast vibes with this one AT ALL. I have family there and have spent countless days at the Oregon Coast. I read this book while on vacation at the coast and it just...didn't hit the vibe I wanted.

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Um WOW!! This was my first Tara Dewitt book and it did not disappoint!!!!!! It was fantastic, loved the story, the characters, all of it! Can’t wait to read more by Tara!

Savor It is a sweet and spicy romance about a down on his luck chef moving for the summer to a small town with his niece. He meets the beautiful neighbor, integrates into the town and learns to love again. Yes, its basically a Hallmark movie with spice and I am absolutely here for it. I loved the characters and the story, the side characters and their stories, and the ending was great. I was not a fan of the epilogue because it left me wanting a lot more, so hopefully that means there will be a lot more coming in this small town and with these brothers of Sage.

SAVOR IT
By Tarah DeWitt

Slow Burn romance
Small town
Grumpy/Sunshine
Swoony romance

I thought this was such a beautiful story about trauma and loss - so much love for this couple Fisher and Sage to get to their HEA. I loved the journey and a new author to me to read all the backlist.

I always want to start my reviews by thanking the author and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book early. I thought this was a very well written story. I highly enjoyed it!

This small-town romance is perfect for summer! Sage and Fisher shared a swoon-worthy story filled with many romantic moments. This is a great summer read. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

So this was a surprisingly cute romance. It is nothing revolutionary but the banter is witty and there's plenty of good chemistry between our leads, Fisher, a disgraced chef, and Sage, beloved in the small town of Spunes, Oregon. When Fisher and his teenage niece Indy wind up in Spunes for the summer, they live across from Sage, and she and Fisher quickly bond. All the makings for a pleasing romance!

Sage is adored in Spunes, but she's having a rough go of it, having suffered recent heartbreak. She's thrilled to hit it off with Fisher, but he's on borrowed time, with plans to only reside in Spunes for the summer. Fisher is, of course, going through his own issues, since losing his cushy NYC job, and dealing with raising Indy after her mom's death.

Despite the serious undertones, there are plenty of laugh out loud moments. This book is really darn funny. Sage is completely engaging and easy to love, but so is Fisher. It was refreshing to have a romance told from both partners' points of view. It was nice to know what both Fisher and Sage were thinking and to watch their bond grow.

SAVOR IT is a cute ode to small town life, even as Fisher and Indy fight against the charms of such life. Much of it centers around Spunes' annual festival and it feels like a Hallmark holiday movie come to life, just set in the summer. Everything is quaint, humorous, and sweet. I was impressed by this story overall; it was an enjoyable romance.

I can say I pleasantly liked this book. I'm not usually a small town romance girlie but this one didn't feel like they were trying to do the same old song and dance. This one isn't someone moved away and came back.. Its actually highlighting what makes small towns special and unique especially on the West coast. I enjoyed Sage character a lot because she is odd but everyone for the most part accepts her for who she is. I appreciate that she was eccentric without being called crazy. And she had a backstory that wasn't her waiting for a man to come save her. Even the banter was good in my opinion. The relationship she has with the niece of the love interest was not her trying to be a mom but a friend. It felt natural instead of her trying to become a step mom or big sister in my opinion.
The love interest was okay. Parts of him felt very flat and kind of one sided. I mean tortured sad cook has been done a lot lately and felt very cliché for what I've been reading. I did appreciate that it wasn't instant love and that they had to be friends before they started trying to hook up with each other. Also it wasn't pure smut which is a nice refresher sometimes. I like that it wasn't sex scene after sex scene with no plot. I know that sometimes it can be a bit redundant.
It's a cozy read. Definitely a beach read or something to read lightly. Overall i would give it a four star review because sometimes the story was repetitive and the timeline became little choppy.

I cant finish this book the characters were lacking and unrealistic i didnt feel connected to the story. The plot has been over done. It was just hard for me to read

But you know what the bravest thing of all is?
The most extraordinary thing?" I let out a relieving breath I feel to my very soul, because I also know the truth in what I'm saying. "To live by your own standards and no one else's. To be happy by your own measure.

Swoon. This is such a sweet and spicy and chemistry filled book. I love a respectful, tender love story and this one checked all the boxes for me.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and Tarah DeWitt for providing me with the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book--the banter, communication, and the way that the mmc was obsessed with the fmc were all great characteristics of a beautiful romance. I'm not sure why I put off reading this book since it is right up my alley in romance, but I know that I would have enjoyed it even more if I had read it at a better time. This book was sad, yet bittersweet. Towards the ending of the book, Tarah did not hesitate to bring out all of the emotions through her characters; and although it was corny and dramatic at times, I couldn't help but tear up as well. Besides the beginning of the book, there were never any additional times where you couldn't tell what the characters were thinking, in my opinion, they did well at communicating and allowing the other to know their thoughts, and I loved that.

Additionally, I think the spice was handled with care as well, while still being enjoyable to read. I do not often enjoy reading spice and/or smut, but I did not mind it in this novel. I look forward to reading more work by this author in the near future.

3.75 ⭐️

While I did enjoy this book, something was missing for me and I can’t quite put my finger on what.

It’s a very character driven romance with really great themes about finding yourself and finding joy plus some really great and deep emotional moments that brought me to tears, and if you know me you know I’m a sucker for a book that will make me cry.

The writing was beautiful, the setting was perfection, and while I couldn’t connect to either of the main characters, they’re both so lovable and I love how they love each other.

It did take me a long time to get through, but that is 100% a case of ME and not the book. Still, a really great read and I do recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the ARC!

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this advance copy of Savor It by Tarah DeWitt - this one published in May and is available for purchase today!

I will admit, I knew DeWitt is a romance writer, but I was immediately drawn to the cover, and the culinary setting. Sage and Fisher were such enjoyable characters and I enjoyed the lead up to their romance, and I thought this one was a nice balance with the spice level. I would characterize it as a bit more of a slow burn, but the length was perfect - I’d definitely love to pick up her previous work to check out.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Such a sweet small town romance with a slow start but that definitely picks up. Quite enjoyed this one.

Thanks to St Martin’s Press & netgalley for the chance to read in exchange for an honest review.

Sage Byrd is a teacher in the small town of Spunes, Oregon, spending her Summer tending to her garden and farm, trying to get over the sting of longtime ex-boyfriend immediately getting engaged to a former friend. Fisher Lange is a disgraced NYC chef sent to consult on a new concept restaurant opening up in town, much to the townspeople's chagrin. After seeing the two together in the library, rumors spread about their involvement, and when the townspeople start to warm to Fisher as a result, the two decide to keep up the ruse to improve his image. Knowing that Fisher intends to return to New York at the end of the Summer, they both try to keep feelings out of the equation, but both fall desperately in love. There are some great tropes at play here, small town romance, single dad (Fisher is guardian to his niece), fake dating, culinary scene, and a realistic grumpy sunshine where the FMC is more sassy than vapid and the MMC isn't a jerk but just beaten down by life and circumstances. It had a moderate spice level and was heartbreakingly relatable for anyone who's ever fell in love with someone they can't be with.

SAVOR IT review

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

🪿Tarah is an auto-read author for me and SAVOR IT was one of my most anticipated 2024 releases! The premise of this one had me hooked!

🪿Here’s a summary of the plot:👇
Sage loves everything about her small town, except that she’s constantly running into her ex and his new girlfriend. She’s determined to win her town’s summer competition to prove that she’s “winning the breakup.” She partners with her new neighbor, Fisher, to win the contest together. Fisher is only in town for the summer and has plenty of baggage he’s brought with him. Can they work together and pull off the win?

🪿No one is more bummed than me that I didn’t love this one. 🥲 It’s hard to pinpoint what exactly about this one didn’t work for me tbh. The beginning was so strong but then the pacing was weird. I honestly felt like the middle was just going on and on and nothing was really happening? I did like how the story wrapped up overall and I am very excited for Wren and Ellis to get their own book next year! If you’ve loved Tarah’s other books I’d still give this one a shot!

🪿Thanks @macmillan.audio and @stmartinspress for my digital copies!