This a cute small town romance with all the expected charm and tropes, Sage is town favorite - the belle of her small town, a high school teacher on a summer break whose life intertwines with her new neighbor Fisher, a temporary resident of the town. Fisher is a chef who is going through a rough patch in his career along with becoming a guardian for his newly orphaned teenage niece, needless to say it is chaotic but with Sage involuntary entering into their life brings about a new season for them.

The book has everything you'd need in a small town, heart warming romance.However, while this might sound harsh, it also did not bring anything new to the table. I loved Tarah's debut Rootbound, it felt very original and hearty. While Savor it tried to achieve a similar goal with a lot of heart in it, I am not convinced that it delivered it, there is something about the writing I struggled so hard from the very beginning.I know a lot of people enjoyed this one but I had hard time attaching myself to the story or the characters because the writing felt a little too impersonal for me, while I did enjoy the relationship between Fisher and his Niece and their whole journey of healing it wasn't enough for me to hold my attention

I personally think I did not enjoy the lack of dialogue between the main characters for it being a dual POV, they just narrate the story from their POV for the majority rather than conversing. It kept taking me out of the story, it also had lot of irrelevant information in these chapters as these characters live each day. I think it failed to create magic out of mundane like it intended, I loved the overall idea of the story and the quirky small town. It had lot of potential but unfortunately it lacked in execution for me personally

This book was absolutely incredible 😭
They had me giggling, swooning, kicking my feet and crying. I can not wait for more connecting stories as I adore all the characters and side characters. Tarah's books are always so raw and real 🥰

I voluntarily read and reviewed this earc via Netgalley and highly recommend this book and all her others.

I ADORED this book. Small town books will always have a place in my heart and this book was no different. I loved the witty banter and the characters. There were swoon worthy moments that made my heart melt and others where I was laughing from the joy of it. These characters manage to feel real and lovable.

The town felt very quaint and reminded me of Gilmore Girls. You could feel the familiarity of it in each of Sage's chapters and how dear this place was to her. I am also a huge fan of puns and this book was full of them! This was a divine summer read that I cannot recommend enough. This book perfectly balanced more serious moments and discussions with the more silly ones.

This author was new to me, but I will definitely go on to read more of her books. This was spicy and sweet, with a beautiful setting and just enough plot to keep things interesting. It was an incredibly well-done romance.

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

🤩🤩😭😭😍😍 I just don't know if I'll be able to get over this book. Very cute. Has spice!! Not just a small town summer romance, it has so much substance and the characters felt so real but so lovable too. Loved it.

This was my first by Tarah and I absolutely adored it!! I am running to go read her backlist now! I was laughing out loud at times, and swooning at others. Perfect book to kickstart your summer reads

If this author can do anything, it is def write the most likable MMCs and Fisher is no different. I would die for Fisher.

But you know what else the author does well? Write a MFC that is so likable you want them to be your best friend.

Moving on:

Okay but THE LIBRARY SCENE. I am a puddle on the floor. What is it about this type of scene that gets me every single time??

This is in no way a spoiler but the words “she’s still a Byrd” took my knees out and made my belly flip. That’s fixing to be the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard

Lastly? Dewitt is able to do this thing where she describes something (not a person- in this case a sunroom and in another it was an umbrella) and makes it feel like home. She evokes colors and a feeling of warmth and safety. I want to live in the pages of those words.

I have major mixed feelings about Savor It by Tarah Dewitt. I think I went in with my expectations way too high as this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024.

Things I LOVED:
- quirky small-town characters
- ALL the animals
- god tier banter
- millennial pop culture references
- I NEED a wren/ellis book immediately
- positive therapy and realistic grief after the loss of family members/parents

Things I Struggled With:
- The third act conflict
- I never felt the chemistry between Sage & Fisher until the very end of the book…
- I was more invested in wren/ellis and Indy/sam relationship than the main couple
- Maybe I missed it, but why the heck were they opening a fine dining restaurant in the middle of nowhere

Overall, this book had Tarah Dewitt’s signature wit and emotion in the writing, but the story didn’t hook me like I expected it to.

3-3.5. I’m conflicted on the rating. I just could not get into this book. It seemed very slow and very long and I found it hard to motivate myself to finish it. It had good ratings from other people so I thought I was just a slow burn and that I would like it the longer I read but it was a miss for me. I really liked the small town setting and the close family/friend dynamic but overall it was just ok.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

This is a fun engaging story that drew me in and had me rooting that they would find a way to work things out in the end. Sage is a school teacher who lives in the tiny town on the Oregon Coast that she grew up in. Her parents died when she was young, so she was raised by her older brothers. Fisher is a burned out chef from NYC who was fired and as a reprieve has been sent to help get a restaurant up and running in this tiny town while also mending his relationship with his orphaned niece.

Perfect, flawless, immaculate. If Tarah writes it I will be eating it up 💅 also HONK HONK I LOVE GARY THE GOOSE 🪿

I love Tarah's writing, and this is my favorite book of hers yet. I love how complicated both main characters are and the romance and the small town life is such a joy to read.

Although I really hoped to like this one, I could not get into it to finish it, so its a DNF for me.
Thank you to the author and Netgalley for a arc.

This was a charming, angsty (in a good way) book. It had amazing small town romance vibes, but kept the focus on the couple.

Sage loves her small town. It's quirky and secluded, and was her sanctuary when she lost her parents at a young age. But things aren't always easy, especially when she has to see her ex and his new fiance around town. Enter Fisher. He's a chef sent to develop the new restaurant in town. Fisher has problems of his own. He lost his sister and is raising her teen daughter (poorly), lost his job as a chef, and is struggling with his mental health. There's an immediate spark, but so many things to work through. Can they make a relationship work?

This is the type of romance+ book that I love. This couple was real. They felt sort of fragile as people, and I loved seeing them work through their separate issues. Together they were a unit both solidly on the other's team. This book was slowly paced, but that was the style of their romance and it worked for this story. It was lovely to get lost in this tale. Don't go into this expecting your typical fake dating mishaps. This is not that book. It's a slower, more thoughtful read. More rom, not much com. I am really hopeful that we can revisit this town in future books. I'd adore a second chance romance featuring the brother and his ex-wife. Fingers crossed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Griffin for the e-book in exchange for my honest review.

Savor It was so appropriately delicious- I loved Fisher being a little bit of a fish out of water in Spunes, trying to figure things out with a 15-year old niece who is now living with him and his instant connection and growing chemistry with next door neighbor and lifelong townie, Sage. On top of all the swoons, the book so deftly explores grief and being lost then found and the people who truly change our lives and the way we love them. And the food and flower motifs were so lovely to bring all of those things to life. Read with tissues!

This one started off great but somewhere in the middle fizzled out for me.

A lot was happening at once and the main point of fake dating trope fell flat. Had to skim through a lot.

I've really enjoyed Tarah's previous books, and will definitely pick up the next ones too.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If there is one thing Tarah Dewitt will do, it's write a good book. Savor It is such a strong representation of the very realistic love stories Tarah writes. We see a main character who is very sure about who she is, but less sure about how she fits into her world after a breakup, in Sage. With Fisher, we see a man who has been burned by life, trying to pick up the pieces and hold it all together. Their journey together is one that is understandable and it feels like something you could hear a friend telling you about, which is what makes the best romance novels. The community of their small town was almost Stars Hollow-esque to me and the setting was enriched by her beautiful descriptors. I felt as if I could almost see the town in my head when reading. Also all of the baked goods and food? I was so envious of these characters. Like all Tarah Dewitt books, I feel like I changed my outlook on some aspect of my life after reading it, and I think this is a story absolutely anyone can and should read.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this book but found it kinda slow. The characters were great and DeWitt covered heavy topics well but something about it didn't do it for me.

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press & MacMillan Audio for advance copies

This was a quick summer romance with steam and I loved it!

Fisher, a burned out former chef, arrives in the small town of Spunes with his teenage niece Indy tasked with getting a new upscale restaurant going despite the reservations of some in town. Local teacher Sage is open-hearted with both people and animals and I really liked her character. Fisher and Sage made a good couple and I was really rooting for them.

Give this book a try if you like:
--small towns
--grumpy/sunshine
--animals
--single parent/guardian
--dual POV
Thank you to the publisher for my e-copy of this book.

4.5/5 stars

Tropes:
Small town romance
Grumpy/sunshine
Single dad/guardian
Fake dating
Slow burn
Grief/healing
Dual POV

I was honestly expecting a lighthearted small town romance, but this had more emotion packed into it than I was expecting. There was so much healing going on, and I was truly happy to see these characters growing. Fisher and Sage had such great communication, and their romance felt so real because of it. Spunes, Oregon immediately had me thinking of Stars Hallow and all the shenanigans of small town folks and their drama. It was fun to read for sure.

Aside from the romance, I really loved how the relationship between Fisher and Indy developed as well. Both of them needed the healing, and it was great to see how things played out for them in this book. I would also love to see more of Wren and Ellis. I'm such a sucked for second chance romance... I am hoping they will get their story.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.