Tarah Dewitt is my newest one click author. Everything she writes is pure perfection. I loved this story and didn’t want it to end!

Savor It is a heartwarming story that delivers all the cozy, small-town vibes you could hope for without feeling contrived. Set in a charming and authentic rural setting, the book pulls you in with its inviting atmosphere and keeps you hooked with strong character dynamics.

The grumpy/sunshine relationship between the main characters is a particular highlight, adding a delightful tension to the story as their contrasting personalities clash and complement each other in equal measure. Watching their relationship develop is a real treat, and DeWitt skillfully avoids the clichés that often plague romance novels, keeping the writing fresh and far from cheesy.

The chemistry between the characters feels genuine, making it easy to invest in their journey. DeWitt strikes a perfect balance between heartwarming moments and witty banter, creating a romance that is both fun and emotionally satisfying.

Thank you St Martin's Griffin for the copy through NetGalley in exchange for a review

An amazing summer romance worth savoring.

✨ Book Review: SAVOR IT by Tarah DeWitt ✨

New favorite author alert! This book is so charming and so good and I’m frustrated with myself that it took me so long to read it.

SAVOR IT is a sexy small town romance as well as a reminder to be brave, appreciate the people around us, and to savor life. Sage Byrd is a local helping Fisher Lange adapt to the small town of Spoons, Oregon for the summer while he and his niece are there for his work. All three have so much depth and are working to heal from past griefs while embracing the life in front of them. The audiobook is wonderfully read by Karissa Vacker and Zachary Webber, both of whom add an extra layer of vulnerability and relatability to Sage and Fisher’s story. So good!

Read SAVOR IT for
☀️ Grumpy x sunshine
💕 Dual POV and audiobook narration
🏡 Small town community
🧑🏻‍🍳 Big city chef
🤤 Mouthwatering food descriptions
☄️ Career burnout, mental health, and therapy rep
🪿 Farm animals galore
🛶 Carpe diem

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5 stars)

Favorite quotes:
💪 “Courage is a muscle.”
🥰 “All heart, full force, and making every moment matter.”

Up Next: THE CO-OP comes out Nov 12 and I’m so excited to read this next standalone romance also by Tarah DeWitt.

😘 Thanks to @SMPRomance and @NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review and to my library for having the audiobook version. 🙌 SAVOR IT is also available on #KindleUnlimited.

I liked this just fine! I liked the characters and the story and everything but maybe it was the writing I didn’t love. This is my second book by this author and I feel like her books are just fine to me.

Sage was the it girl! She was known, she was there and just wanted a win. From hearing her story to giving back, she needed more.
After being dumped by her ex Ian she wanted to prove to him and others that she doesn't need the pity everyone is giving her. Festival of Spunes is the perfect example of how she'll show everyone she's fine!

Fisher, hotshot chef in NYC felt numb after losing his sister. Now with having to take care of himself, and his mental capacity, he now has an added bonus of taking care of Indy, his teenage niece.
Sage was very easy going and Fisher felt very stiff at times. Their relationship was fun and made me giggle! Indy was a perfect added character bonus but the plot was very scattered. My first Tarah Dewitt book and i loved everything about the characters and chemistry but i needed more from the plot.
I wanted to love this more because the writing was beautiful but I think I needed more from the plot and the characters.

Sage is such a fun main character, I loved how fully herself she was - growth areas and all. I appreciated how her authenticity helped Fisher realize some things about himself. I would definitely read books with her brothers as the main characters.

This was such a lovely and cute romantic read. I enjoyed the main characters meet cute, chemistry and journey in growth and love. I also enjoyed the relationship of the main male character and his niece and all the dynamics it brought to the story. Lastly, all the cute and quirky animals who made appearances in this read- almost too cute for words!

This was a a funny, wholesome, swoony, small town read. If you are looking for a low stakes/fluffy book that still has heart, this is the book for you. I will say that because of the low stakes it felt slow at times, but not enough for me to put the book down. It was still very enjoyable. A great summer read!

This book is set in the PNW and I’ve never been but Tarah really made me want to drop everything and go.
The town of Spunes was adorable.

Fischer is the guardian to his teenage niece, Indy, after a terrible accident happens. He needs to move to this small town to work for the summer and that’s where he meets his next door neighbor, Sage. Who lives alone with a bunch of random animals. 😂

Fischer and Sage had great witty and sarcastic banter.

- Small Town
- Single Guardian
- Neighbors
- Fake Dating
- Summer Romance
- Opposites Attract

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a fun, cute, summery read. I loved Sage and Fisher so much and reading about their blossoming relationship was so easy. I felt like this book moved at a good pace while keeping the storyline relatively light and easy to follow.

I’m very intrigued with Wren and Ellis and I can’t wait to read their story!

“I’m not too nice. I’m most definitely not anyone’s golden girl…”
“When people say life’s too short, I know that philosophy tends to be synonymous with indulgence or with hurrying to accomplish or chase something. Like ‘life’s too short, so you gotta make a name for yourself or see the world now’ sort of thing. But in my case, life’s already reminded me enough times that it’s fleeting.”……”And I decided a long tome ago that life being too short and too beyond my control meant I’d let the small stuff feel big. To me, at least. If it’s something that doesn’t matter to most, I think that means someone’s gotta care a little more, right? Discarded pets, pretty flowers” - “some raggedy kid that won’t go on to do anything that changes the world.”…….”So don’t think I choose those things just because I’m too nice. I’m not. I’m fully capable of deciding I want to do something because of how it makes me feel.”
“…it’s easy for everything else to feel senseless…..why should any of it matter if it’s all so easily wiped away?”
“I believe it’s either that,or…….or you decide that everything matters. All of it, all that little shit. Everything in the present and how it makes you feel in those tiny moments, because you can’t possibly know when it’ll go away. If the result of that sort of caring is what makes me too nice, then fine.”

𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗕𝘆𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽!

Beyond wanting to be Sage when I grow up, I loved this story. I loved how these two sweet souls were like magnets to each other. Pulled together so strongly by an invisible force. Soul mates.

I loved how Fisher was unapologetically honest about his struggles and short comings. He was self-aware and self reflective (and in therapy).

I love how they communicated and were thoughtful with their words.

I wanted a happily ever after for these two so bad. I may have even cried a bit! Love.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ebook. When I read it in January, I knew it would be one of my top reads of the year. When the book was released, I re-read with a listen on the audiobook. Sigh. It was as good as I remembered. Love!

I loved this easy read! This book fits solidly into the comfort read category and I kinda already want to read it again, this time more leisurely and with a hot cider by a fireplace. I realize it’s supposed to be a summer book, but it gave off major autumn vibes. Somewhere between Sage’s personal petting zoo and all of the cooking and great dishes, I just wanted to be there.

The characters weren’t super relatable but they were likable and that’s still a win. It’s not a deep or pensive book even though some awful and intense topics were brought up—DeWitt did a great job keeping the read itself light. The timeline was quick for such an intense love but that’s the romance of it right? Improbable but swoony anyways. I love that they found love, even though he wore 2 earrings like a pirate. Everyone has their someone and they found each other. Now what I really need is to see Wren and Ellis get their happy ending. I need their back story and their HEA asap.

This was my first time reading a Tarah DeWitt book and I LOVED it! It was so stinking cute and a breath of fresh air. I'm a sucker for a small town romance and throw in a grumpy male interest and a sunshine heroine, and I'm a GONER!

Sage Bryd has lived in the small coastal town of Spunes, Oregon her entire life. She has her misfit animals, gardening, and her job as a teacher. What else could she possibly need? But when her ex, the town golden boy Ian, gets engaged and is teaming up with his new fiancée for the annual summer competition, Sage is desperate for a win. Cue Fisher Lange, a hotshot chef from New York City sent to Spunes to regroup after a rather public meltdown. Fisher and his teenage niece Indy want nothing to do with this small town. He just wants to prove to his old boss that he can be trusted again and then he plans to move himself and Indy back to NYC as soon as possible. But a kiss with his neighbor Sage leads to all kinds of rumors and might just be the ticket to both of them getting what they want.

This is such a delightful book that had me smiling and just made me happy. It's a great summer read and one that I highly recommend. Tarah is now on my automatic-buy list!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

wow wow wow! i loved this book so much it really exceeded all of my expectations. the small town vibes were perfect and a chef in desperate need of some inspiration? say no more!! sage and fisher’s love story was so incredibly raw and beautiful but i really adored all the other family/friendship dynamics in it too! a top tier comfort read! i cannot wait to read the next book!

Fisher and his teenage niece, Indy move to Spoons, Oregon after he loses his big time Chef job in NYC. Thankful for his boss still having faith in him, Fisher agrees to head to this small town to oversee a new restaurant build for her. After an extensive and exhaustingly long road trip, Fisher and Indy arrive at their summer rental. They pass out only to be awoken by someone or something intruding on their home! The town's fire and police department show up as well as their neighbor, Sage. Sage runs the farm of rescue animals next door - she's fun and quirky and loves her small town. After a couple more run-ins with each other, Sage and Fisher come to an agreement about their "relationship" for the summer. Fisher will help get the town off Sage's back about her love life, and Sage will offer her "sage" advice on how to fit in and help move the restaurant project along. Little do they know that their fast friendship is about to end up as so much more...

Savor It was my first title by Tara DeWitt and I have to say I'm pretty impressed! I'm looking forward to getting into her backlog of books!

I will say that I felt like it took this book a little bit to pick up, but once you got into it, you were into it. I loved Sage so much and Fisher was so grumpy and sweet. He's a wonderful addition to my ever growing list of book boyfriends! The banter in this was great too! I also loved that the author made you really care about the side characters too... I mean, it takes a lot to make me worry about a Goose's wellbeing.

I could really see this turning into a series since Sage has a couple brothers...

Thank you to NetGalley, Tarah DeWitt and St Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“Savor It” takes us to the coastal town of Spunes, Oregon, where Sage Byrd, a local teacher, seeks a win after her relationship ends and her ex, Ian, gets engaged. Fisher Lange, a former hotshot chef, arrives in Spunes with his teenage niece. A strategic alliance for the town’s summer competition leads to steamy rendezvous, emotional healing, and a realization that summer is slipping away. Filled with spicy fun, small-town charm, and Big Feelings, this romcom is a delightful treat to savor! 📚🔥

This was a really sweet book about a woman named Sage and her new neighbor Fisher. She’s trying to help him out with recipes and get her life back on track after a breakup. Fisher is trying to find himself after getting removed from his position as head chef and along the way start to fall in love.

This book was so sweet! It made me want to move to small town and live on a mini farm! I love the hyjinks and the chemistry that built between Sage and Fisher. Plus, Fisher’s relationship with his niece was so precious once they found how to cohabitate.

Title: Savor It
Author: Tarah Dewitt
Length: 331 pages
Format: ebook arc
Pub Date: May 21, 2024
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating Out of 5: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Spice Level: open door
Summary:
Sage Byrd has always loved her life in Spunes, Oregon, but after a breakup with her ex, Ian, and his sudden engagement, she’s desperate for a win. The Festival of Spunes offers the perfect chance to show everyone she’s moved on, but she needs a partner.

Fisher Lange, a former NYC chef reeling from personal loss and career setbacks, is sent to Spunes for a sabbatical with his niece. When he clashes with locals and a kiss with Sage sparks dating rumors, he agrees to a deal: he’ll help Sage with the festival if she helps him with his restaurant.

As their arrangement turns into a steamy romance, both Sage and Fisher start to heal and savor their time together, realizing their summer together is slipping away too quickly.

Thoughts:
This was the first book by Tarah that I’ve read, but now I feel the need to explore all of her books because this one was just such a delight! First of all, Sage is such an adorably quirky, pun-loving, free spirited, genuinely kind character that you can’t help but love her. And then you’ve got grumpy Fisher who can’t even stay grumpy for one second after meeting Sage. AND THEN you’ve got all the wonderful side characters that just build up the story even more. AND THEN you’ve got all the cute animals that play an important role in this story as well. This was just the perfect amount of tender romance + small town vibes + summery spice + mild third act breakup + trauma that needed working through. Highly recommend!

Special thanks to the @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

I will be withholding an actual review on this book until St. Martin’s Press addresses the concerns of their readers and influencers. This is the bare minimum, and it’s very frustrating that they haven’t spoken up yet.

“𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.”

Savor It by Tarah Dewitt

✶ small town romance
✶ opposites attract
✶ friends with benefits
✶ dual pod
✶ 4/5

Tarah Dewitt has crafted the delightful town of Spunes, Oregon, with impressive skill (and yes, it's distinct from Forks, Washington, haha). In many contemporary romances, the setting is either a real place or a vaguely described fictional one. However, Spunes is vividly brought to life, with detailed descriptions of its architecture, quirky residents, and rich history, making it feel like a town you could genuinely visit.

I was particularly impressed by the sensitive handling of grief. The story explores the difficulty of losing a loved one, no matter how much time has passed. While the focus is primarily on Fisher's (and Indy's) path to healing, Sage's perspective offers a glimpse into living with loss over many years. Sage's understanding and support for Fisher are beautifully portrayed. Everyone needs someone like Sage to brighten their lives during dark times.

The romance between Fisher and Sage develops slowly but sweetly. They are instantly drawn to each other, yet due to Fisher's grief and Sage's caution about a summer romance, they choose to build a friendship grounded in vulnerability and trust. Fisher finds someone who can relate to his grief and offer unwavering understanding and love, while Sage discovers someone who truly appreciates her for who she is—including her quirky robes and witty T-shirts.

The pacing was somewhat uneven at the beginning and towards the end. The first third of the book moved slowly as it set the stage, which was understandable. However, the last portion felt rushed, with several time jumps and rapid sequences that read like a montage. It seemed hurried because the first 80% delved deeply into the characters and their emotions, with a few subplots woven in. By the end, when these subplots needed resolution, they were wrapped up quickly and with little focus. It would have been more satisfying if the race and the restaurant opening had played more significant roles, given that the race brings Sage and Fisher together, and the restaurant is Fisher's reason for being in Spunes. Although all loose ends were tied up, I feel these two subplots deserved more attention.

Ultimately, the authenticity of this story shines through, as everything about it resonates with realness. Just as the town seems tangible, the characters also feel incredibly authentic. Fisher, Sage, and Indy have all endured significant loss and heartache, and their journeys of coping and healing are portrayed with realism. The events throughout the story are plausible and never feel forced, which is a refreshing change. What I admire most about Tarah Dewitt's writing is her ability to make every element come alive.

Thank you to Tarah Dewitt & Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.