SAVOR IT had a sort of odd premise. Not sure how realistic it is that a fake relationship can help with a restaurant opening and winning a low-stales small town competition, but here we are. When all was said and done, that entire set up featured very little in the actual book. As did making the ex jealous.

What SAVOR IT was all about was the slow burn romance between people spending time together. I found myself wishing there was a bit more happening in this story.

But, there was a good romantic relationship at the heart of this book. I liked the main characters and was rooting for them to find their HEA in seemingly impossible circumstances.

SAVOR IT was a middle-of-the-pack read for me. Really good, just not spectacular.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
𝗦𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟: Rated R / 2-4 descriptive sex scenes, may have harsh language.
𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗦: past death of parents, past fatal car accident
𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗟𝗦: 3/5 - You will definitely feel some feels.

Trash DeWitt has become an author on my radar and I really enjoyed this new release from her! Not a lot happened in this book (which at times made it a bit slow for me) but that was the point — I loved how it was all about living a quiet life and finding joy in small things and carving out a little niche for yourself. Excellent character work. A perfect summer atmospheric read with just the right amount of spice. I hope we’ll get more books set in Spunes!

This was such a cute little small town romance! Tarah writes such a fantastic story and I was hooked from the start. The banter was top tier and I loved all of the puns and fun quotes. Loved it!

The first thing that drew me to this book was this gorgeous gorgeous cover. I was pleased with the level of heat in the book and found the story to be absolutely beautiful. I have grown more into a friends to lovers girlie so I really loved that this was the main dynamic of Sage and Fisher's relationship.

A new favorite author for sure. This is my first Tarah Dewitt novel. 5 ⭐️!!! Always worried that a new author might not hit right, but this one did not disappoint. This story was super relatable and I loved the characters. They felt so real. This one was so bingeable.

I thought this was a very lovely book, and I really liked the audiobook narrators! The plot was sweet, if simple, but still enjoyable. I feel like I was left wanting a little bit more, I appreciated the character's growth throughout the book but I would have loved to see a bit of a stronger ending. Still a lovely read though!

🌈Queer rep: none

4.5 ⭐️

WOW WOW WOW did I love this book.

Tropes:
- Small Town
- "Only for the summer" FWB
- Single dad/guardian

This book truly exceeded all my expectations, every aspect got to me. The loss of parents, the not knowing where you belong, the feeling of being inferior to those around you; it all hit home in some way or another. It's rare in romance books that the topics outside of the actual romance storyline speak to you they way they do in this book. It is somthing that Dewitt has truly mastered, and I am in awe of it.

That being said, THE ROMANCE!! I was twirling my hair, kicking my feet, and giggling like a schoolgirl the whole way through. I loved how different the romance felt in this compared to a lot of my more recent reads. The flirting was so fun and cute, the innuedos had me blushing, and the spicy scenes were the perfect level of heat mixed with the perfect level of sweetness. Reminded me of an Emily Henry book in all the best ways.

Truly a superb read, so glad I picked it up.

this was such a fun read! I started this a few weeks ago but my mood reading got the best of me. I’m so glad I didn’t force myself through it at the time!
going back to it when I was in the mood for a romance was the best thing for me and this book. I loved all of the personalities, all of the quirky side characters, and all of the animals!! I saw a lot of myself in Sage and Indy so it was a really special read too.
thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC!

Thank you St. Martin's Griffin for the advanced reading copy and Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening copy, receipt of which did not impact my review. #MacAudio2024 Savor It is a beautiful small-town romance set in Spunes, OR. Chef Fisher is on assignment after losing his big city career with his niece, Indy. Many locals aren't sure about the work he's there to do - so some fake dating with beloved local Sage will do the trick, right? Their romance is a great slow burn that was lush and beautifully written, definitely one to savor *ha* this summer! There's a whole cast of characters, including animals, that add to the story. I recommend this one as an ideal summer or fall read! Narrators Karissa Vacker and Zachary Webber were also superb; I adored both of their voices and how much extra depth they added to the story.

Between Savor It and Funny Feelings, it's clear that Tarah Dewitt knows how to write top tier pining.

In Savor It, Sage really shined as a lovely character who doesn't want to be a "golden girl" but still genuinely wants to leave people and things better off - it was so easy to root for her to get what she wanted. Fisher was a bit trickier for me to like, but he felt completely distinctive to me as a romance hero, which I appreciated.

While I sometimes struggled with the writing feeling clunky/awkward/taking me out of the story, other parts were so sexy, emotional, and sweet that it worked for me. I'll continue to check out what DeWitt writes next.

I really couldn't get into this book. I'm not sure why. There were aspects that I did enjoy like the humor but I couldn't connect with the characters.

Unfortunately this one didn't work for me. I truly loved first 3 chapters, but it went downhill after for me.. not much was going on for a while and humor was just not my cup of tea. Thank you so much for opportunity to read it though.

This book just dragged in spots for me. I found myself skimming through big chunks because I just wasn't overall interested. This was also my first book by Tarah DeWitt so maybe I just need to read another book by her to understand her writing style.

I saw someone say that this book reminded them of a Hallmark movie, cute to watch but only if nothing else is one. And I have to agree with that. Cute enough to read but not when there are so many other things I want to read.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I loved this one so much! Grumpy vs sunshine and small town romance done right! I also love any book with cute animals!

Savor It by Tarah DeWitt was a delightful, perfect summer read! I am a sucker for small town romances and this book instantly ranked as one of my top favorites. The story line was fresh, the characters were engaging and overall the story was good. Like, good good! I want to live in Spunes, Oregon. I want to be best friends with Sage. Her take on life was intriguing and honestly, the Sage Advice she gave and lived by will be on my mind for quite awhile. Her simple but enjoyable life is something I strive for and I highlighted so many quotes from the book to remember and try to live my life by going forward.

The romance and spice was not hurried, even though their time was limited. Fisher was a broken man, but what I loved is that he fixed himself. Yes Sage helped, but he was doing the work prior and he continued to do the work. Their communication was realistic and refreshing. There were times I laughed out loud and times I teared up. It is a perfect book on its own, but I wouldn't mind if Tarah Dewitt continued the story in Spunes. She told the story of so many wonderful supporting characters, but left just enough to either the imagination or to continue.

In the end, this simple rom-com has changed my life. I am endlessly grateful for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to Netgalley, Author Tarah DeWitt and St. Martin's Press for gifting me this ARC.

The cover of this book is just so beautiful! That's why I picked it up, but there is so much more charm than just the cover!!

●Set in a small town with sweeping views of the Pacific Northwest which are vividly described, making you feel like your there.

●The connection between Fisher and Sage is authentic and adds depth to the story, while the wit and humor bring the characters to life!

●The book is filled with puns and jokes that add to its charm and will have you laughing out loud.

●Overall, I truly enjoyed this heartwarming rom-com that balances spicy romance with emotional depth.

🎧The narration by Karissa Vacker and Zachary Webber brings strength and humor to the characters, making this summer romance even more compelling and enjoyable!!

This was my first Tarah Dewitt and it was very middle of the road for me. I only picked this up because the ARC was a “read now” on Netgalley, so I went for it because I’ve been wanting to try a Tarah Dewitt.

This book follows Sage who lives in the small town of Spunes, Oregon on her farm full of animals without a home. She is happy with living her life in this town where everyone knows everyone. Enter Fisher, a hotshot chef from New York City who is tasked with consulting on a new restaurant after an incident involving him in his NYC restaurant. And where could this new restaurant be located?? No other than Spunes, Oregon, not to be confused with Forks, Washington.

The beginning of the book was promising, but started out so slooooooooow. It took me a whole week just to read the first half. Towards the middle, things started to pick up and I was having a great time. However, I felt that the pacing was extremely off because once the main characters finally gave into their feelings, I felt like there was a sex scene on every other page and I wasn’t vibing with it. These two characters go from not touching each other for over half the book to behaving like rabbits in the last 50 pages. I wanted there to be more of a progression in their relationship instead of just jumping right in.

I also felt like the ending was a bit rushed. The author uses pages and pages of inner dialogue just for the thing they’ve been practicing for over half the book to happen in one page. I was a bit disappointed.

Overall, I don’t know if I’ll try another Tarah Dewitt after this. While I had some problems with the story, I also didn’t really vibe with the writing. Like I said, the pages and pages of dialogue really aren't for me. This had the opportunity to be a solid story, but fell a little flat for me.

I received this as an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Savor It is incredible! Sage is a strong female character, she finds the beauty in the little things that make a big difference and doesn’t sell herself short. Fisher is burnt out, navigating parenting and his grief after loosing his sister.

In comes a rabid vacuum and suddenly Sage and Fisher’s worlds collide in Spunes. It was a slow burn, but oh so worth it!

The banter is laugh out loud in public funny. Sage's empathy, and Fisher’s unwavering support! I have never had more highlighted passages in a book! These two show their love over and over again in the most thoughtful and kind ways. The cast of characters is phenomenal, I especially love Fisher and Indy's dynamic. Sage's homestead is perfection and her outfits are even better!

I needed more than five stars! This book was incredible! Tarah DeWitt's backlist, here I come!

I was so excited to read this. I’ve seen so many great reviews for this book. There were things I really liked about. I was invested in the plot of a grieving teen who was living with her uncle, and the quirky neighbor with all the animals that was struggling to find validation. I wanted to see how these plots would play out, the potential character growth, and the romantic moments.

Very quickly all of these great ideas became over shadowed by a strangers to friends with benefits romance. There was so much lust followed by an equal amount of intimate scenes.

Many of the initial points that drew me into the story were never expanded or fleshed out fully. In the end, I realized that I had not done proper research before reading this. I do not enjoy friends with benefits romances and prefer less intimate scenes and more moments of connection.

There’s a large audience that this story will appeal to, and I’m so glad that it has found people who love it and hype it.

This book contains strong profanity and explicit love scenes.

This is my first time reading a book by this author, and I wish I would have liked the story more. I like small town romances with fake dating, but I found myself constantly putting down the book. The story seemed to drag, and I just didn't feel the connection to the characters that I would have liked. I do think others will enjoy this cute small town romance filled with family, friends, and farm animals, but this just didn't work for me. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.