Title: Savor It
Author: Tarah DeWitt
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summer won't last forever.

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...

This was a cute, sweet read. I don’t even like small towns, but I enjoyed this setting. Sage had me in stitches several times with her internal monologue, although Fisher occasionally got on my nerves a bit. Their chemistry was great, and I loved how they grew as individuals while their relationship grew, too.

Tarah DeWitt is an author, wife, and mama. Savor It is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

3/5 stars.
While I read this book rather quickly, it wasn’t particularly memorable. Although the characters were likable, there did not appear to be too much depth to them, at least in how they were portrayed to me. For that reason I could never really buy-in to their romantic chemistry as much as T De-Witt’s previous books.

Well, the impossible has happened. Tarah made me fall in love with a chef MMC. This book is a really cute, warm, small town hug. The gopher scene had me cackling, as did the puns (and the surprising amount of d*ck jokes!).

Sage is a small town girl sick of feeling like everyone around her pities her. She needs a win and the canoe competition that her ex usually wins is where she wants that win. Fischer is a disgraced hot-shot chef who moves in next door to Sage for the summer to help set up a restaurant, but he needs some insider knowledge to cut through the small town politics. Fake dating ensues.

If you're looking for a soft, cozy small town romance between two characters who like each other, communicate well, and grow and heal together, you can't go wrong with this one. It's a gem.

Tarah’s writing always feels like coming home ❤️ like walking into a warm bakery & drinking the most delicious cup of coffee. Like seeing the perfect pair of shoes & slipping them on to find they fit just right.

4.5 stars!

I loved "Savor It" by Tarah DeWitt! All of her books are just so fabulous! This one might not hit the same greatness level of "Funny Feelings," but it's still fantastic! Who doesn't love a steamy small-town summer fling-turned-more with deep feelings, an examination of grief, and awesome side characters?! DeWitt does witty banter sooooo freaking well, and this book had me laughing out loud. The main characters, Sage and Fisher, have a terrific rapport with one another. You can really feel the love, the admiration, and the respect between the two of them. I just *loved* them as characters, both together and separately! Sage and Fisher are both endearing, resilient, nuanced, layered people. As soon as Fisher makes his presence known in Sage's small Oregon town called of Spunes, it's obvious there is an attraction there. Far beyond that, though, the more time they spend with one another, the more they help each other grow and change and heal from their wounds and traumas. Two grown adults with baggage who actually *talk* about it and not just bottle it up inside and assume the other person knows what they are feeling and are going through?! COMMUNICATION?!? No way! Color me shocked. And let's not forget Indy! I loved her, attitude and all! I think DeWitt wrote an amazing teenage character here. She felt realistic and not at all phony. And the steam! OOOOoh yeah!!!!!!!! Talk about sizzling, scorching, heart-pumping steam! I loved this aspect of the story (another thing Tarah does exceedingly well!). This is the complete package: well-developed, well-told, engaging, not too long, doesn't drag at all, mixes heart and humor with darkness and mature themes. Tarah, pleeeeeeeeeease write Sage's brothers' stories!!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Tarah Dewitt, St. Martin's Press, and St. Martin's Griffin for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

I adored this story. It was the perfect mix of heartfelt, funny, sexy. I loved the dynamic and understanding the Sage and Fisher had for one another. Sage is such an amazing character and she was exactly who Fisher and Indy needed in their lives. She's able to show them there's love and acceptance to be found in small towns and that it's possible to feel joy again after loss. I would love to see a book about Sage's brothers in the future.

Savor It is my first experience with Tarah DeWitt’s writing, and I can honestly say it will not be my last. This book centers around Fisher, a hotshot chef from New York trying to save his career, and Sage, a high school teacher in Spunes, Oregon desperately looking for a win after her ex announces his engagement. They are joined by a diverse cast of supporting characters, both human and animal, who bring the story an incredible amount of depth and realism.

What I loved:

🥘The characters:
Sage - I absolutely adored Sage. Throughout the course of the book we get to see her open up to Fisher and truly heal from her past relationship with town golden-boy Ian. She is quirky, endearing, and, most importantly, real. Plus she has a soft spot for animals.

Fisher - He is quite literally a perfect romantic lead, and his personality meshes so well with Sage. What I especially enjoyed though was the fact that he was so much more than the attractive male main character. He had his own path to healing, both from the death of his sister and the loss of his job, and in his own unique journey to rediscovering his passion for life.

Indy - The way Fisher’s teenage niece was written into the story added an additional layer of depth and emotional development that would have been missing otherwise. Her perception of life grows and matures during the book, and there was a moment towards the end (no spoilers here, I promise) where she brought me to tears.

🥘The chemistry and the spice: This book is steamy and definitely intended for mature readers. Having said that, the chemistry and spice is impeccably written. Be prepared to fan yourself while you read.

🥘The tropes: strangers to friends to lovers, found family, grumpy/sunshine, and so much more

🥘The animals: I defy you to read it and not fall in love with Gary the Goose!

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

This book is absolutely delightful! If you love a small town romance with lots of heart (and quite a bit of steam) this is your read! Spunes and its residents captured my heart, and I can’t wait to explore more of Tarah DeWitt’s writing.

An absolutely lovely story. This is my first Tarah DeWitt book and it absolutely won’t be my last. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When I received an ARC to this, I could not be more happy. Tareh is an indie author I've been wanting to read for a while, and never got around to doing so! I actually own one of her books but it's still on my physical TBR. This is for sure one of my favorite romances of the year. Firstly, the cover is gorgeous, I'm definitely going to get a physical copy of this eventually!

The story itself is a small town romance that follows Sage and Fisher. Fisher was an incredibly successful chef in the city until his sister passes away and ends up losing a Michelin star. With his niece under his care, his boss sends the both of them to Spunes to help start up her new restaurant. This is where he meets Sage. Sage the person who lives in the house next to his rental for the Summer.

This story does a beautiful job talking about grief, healing, doing what makes you happy, and accepting who you are. I really enjoyed Dewitt's writing, and am now going to go through the backlog of books that she's written. Highly recommend!

(there is little to no spice in this, so don't read this, expecting that there is!) 4.75 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was a little hesitant going in to reading it because it was outside of my current norm for book genres and topics, but I"m so glad that I did! The wit and banter in this book was so fun and kept me giggling to myself over and over. The slow burn was so fiery and had me itching for the MMC and FMC to stop avoiding the inevitable already. I loved seeing both MC's grow and get through their own hardships and internal struggles independently but also the way that they leaned on others and each other. This book was such a fun and happy reprieve from my dark romance binge.

I laughed. I cried. And while yes I did love the story I think this one managed to sneak in and heal a small part of me I didn’t even know needed to be healed. Idk if I learned more from Sage or Indy but either way this story is wonderful and you need to read it just remember to bring some tissues for that 80% mark.

# Savor It
# 6/4/2024 ~ 6/7/2024
# 5.0 / 5.0

3.5
I almost didn't finish the book when I saw that Indy was going to stay with Fisher. Because usually the kids take a lot of the attention in the book and annoy me a lot. But that was not the case here. Indy was just a small side character and although she's important for Fisher's story and development she is not the only aspect of his life and she isn't just something to disrupt his life; she is her own character who just wants a chance in happiness.

I really like when the characters become friends before becoming something more. It was sweet seeing both of them helping each other and beginning to have affection and respect for one another. The book is more an internal journey for FIsher and for Sage than a romance. Each of them grow individually before diving in a relationship. Fisher has a lot of complicated feelings regarding his profession and his achievements that Sage helps him through and he works through himself. Sage has a lot of self doubt and Fisher helps her but she also does it by herself.

It's a light-hearted, sweet story with sweet and endearing characters. I liked, didn't love it.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

THIS WAS SUCH A FREAKING GEM! I absolutely loved this book. It was funny as heck, had a fantastic plot and I absolutely loved all the scenes about cooking and the animals and gardening. Great spice but not overly descriptive. MANY tears for several scenes at the end. This is perfection in romance book form! Obviously, highly recommend. Fantastic narrators.

I really want to love Tarah Dewitt's books, they're just a bit slow and bland for me. This one felt like it was trying to be lucy score (small town, found family, witty heroine) but came up short in every category. There was so much room for cute, witty banter, but the quips were mostly in the characters thoughts instead of dialogue. The characters were cute but felt two dimensional. The male main character seemed like a different person around 60%.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Funny Feelings is one of my favourite books of all time, so any book that Tarah Dewitt releases is immediately a very anticipated read of mine!

Savor It did not disappoint! I love how every book by Tarah Dewitt has not only a compelling love story that readers can’t help but root for, but also flawed and relatable characters with so much depth to them. Sage and Fisher had both been through so much, but I loved their personal journeys of working through their struggles and grief, as well as their love story where they helped each other grow.

The pacing did feel off at times, but overall, this book was such a great read, I can’t recommend it enough!

3 ⭐️

- smalltown
- slow burn
- "fake dating" kinda
- friends with benefits
- 3 🌶

I have heard so much about Tarah Dewitt, so I had to apply for an arc when I saw the chance! This was sadly just a case of the book not working for me. It took me a bit to get into the story, and even though I became a bit more interested, I could never connect to our characters. This story is heartfelt with many deeper meanings, and talks of grief and connection. It was refreshing that our MMC was the one who came to the small town since usually it seems to be the female main characters.

I would recommend it to others, especially if it sounds interesting to you!! Sadly, it didn't work for me, but I can see why others loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc 💓

Omg this one blew me away! So good!!! I loved Sage, she’s so fun and strong. Fisher was an absolute sweetheart and they’re both so good for each other. The chemistry between these two was so good and the dynamic with Indy was super realistic. I love the choices Fisher made and it was super in line with his character. Love love loved this!!

I enjoyed this book so much! It was a breath of fresh air, in terms of romance. I really loved seeing Sage and Fisher’s relationship develop.
I also loved seeing him navigate being Indy’s guardian and actively working to repair their relationship.
This book discussed mental health issues a lot and I appreciated that aspect! I wish more books talked about mental health.

I've been wanting to read a book by Tarah DeWitt for so long now which made me super happy to get the chance to read Savor It, a small town romance with some quirky characters that were so easy to love. I enjoyed Sage and Fisher as the main characters and really loved Fisher's relationship with his niece. The cooking and hobby farm aspects were fun in this one and the summery and small town vibes were so on point! I also enjoyed the mix of fun/funny, serious/emotional and steamy moments. I did however find this book to be a little on the slower side for me and I struggled to get into the book for the first half of it.

Overall, I liked this one and rated it 3.5 stars. If you are looking for a summery, small town romance that has some depth, quirky characters and some spice, check out Savor it!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a cute and swoony small-town romance. Small town is one of my favorite elements in a romance book, and this one knocked it out of the park. I really enjoyed the two MCs.