This was my first book by Tarah and I thought it was good! I had a hard time with the relationship between Sage and Fischer, I think it all happened a little too fast for me, and so I couldn’t get into it. I liked the characters, it was just their romance I did not click with.

I love the setting of this story, and that it's a small town, what small town meddling side characters, and I liked that Safe had so many animals, it was all so fun.

Thanks to St Martin’s Griffin for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions below are my own.

It’s rare I rate a romcom five stars but this one just had everything I’m looking for. It definitely reminded me of the best of Christina Lauren. Both main characters are a little broken and dealing with grief, finding purpose and a little bit of loneliness. They’re both coping in their own way. What I really loved was they had instant chemistry but didn’t fall right into bed or fall right in love. They were likable and the story progression was believable. Their banter was great and their interactions were never cringey. Both characters had agency over their choices and made them with their own best interests in mind. There were animals galore and library love… what more do you need in a romcom. Definitely read this one if you need a boost of serotonin.

3.5 stars.

Loved the premise and the setting (PNW?! Sold) and the characters. Sage is such a great character, and I think Fisher's experiences and personality adds a nice dynamic. The development and connection wasn't as dynamic as I had hoped. I really wanted to know more about Sage's ventures on the farm and the market and putting together floral bouquets. I was also super intrigued about Fisher's comeback to the restaurant scene and his repaired relationship with Indy. But everything stayed a little too surface level. Because it was a solid read, I give it 3.5 overall.

FAKE DATING!! Say no more!! I was immediately hooked! This was my first Tarah DeWitt book and I will be adding her entire backlist to my TBR. Not only was this an incredibly funny read - but there were SO many swoon worthy quotes!! I absolutely loved the setting of the book - I felt fully immersed into Sage and Fisher's Life and want to spend endless amount of hours in their town.

I read "Savor It" by Tarah DeWitt on NetGalley. I really enjoyed reading this romance book. The main characters, Sage & Fisher, are easy to root for, and the other characters are just as well portrayed. This would make a perfect summer read!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Pretty standard and predictable romance story - big town chef needs to move to a small town to cool off and in doing so, agrees to a fake dating scheme with the girl next door only to really fall in love with her. The few spicy moments will have you saying "Yes, Chef" and the sweet moments endear you to Sage and Fisher's slow burn summer romance.

Oh my gosh, how does Tarah Dewitt do this to me every time??? I’ve been reading her books from the beginning and each and every dang story has brought the humor and feels and love and ALL THE THINGS.

I was SMITTEN from the first few chapters. Where you just know it’s going to be a five star read. And it never disappointed me once. I loved the grump x sunshine balance and the banter and heat between these two was next level. I loved how both Sage and Fisher had intricate backgrounds that played into their story, and seeing the growth from finding love with each other. This really read like a grown up summer romance story in allllll the best ways. I felt transported to this small town and adored the whole set-up.

This is full of swoon and romance. It’s full of heart and finding the best step forward. Full of reigniting passions and holding onto the parts of you that you love. This swept me away as an absolute romance book BUT with so much space filled with the ups and downs and pure joys of life.

I loved it. I loved it all. And I loved the ending came together too.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: moderate-high
Romance: 3+ open door scenes
Violence: low
Content Warnings: depictions of grief, death of a loved one (off page)

I really enjoyed Savor It - I thought it was a good mix of romance and both characters growing, learning, and healing. Sage is incredibly giving and king, but almost too much. I was shocked when she (spoiler) gave away her mom’s journal with all of her advice that she’s had for years since her death (spoiler). I did like how we see Fisher and Indy, his niece, grow to love Spunes just as much as Sage does, but I appreciate that Fisher went back to fix some things from his previous life and circumstances. I liked how Sage and Fisher were fairly equally giving in their relationship - each one paying attention to the other and stepping up when needed. Overall, 4 stars and a great read.

Tropes: single dad (guardian), grief/healing, fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, small town

Sage has been living in her small town all of her life. She is quirky, but also the town’s golden girl. Fisher is a successful chef from the big city, and these two couldn’t be more opposite. But when they spend the summer together, they realize they may have more in common than they originally thought.

I was shocked at how quickly I fell in love with Sage, Fisher and the small town of Spunes. The author wrote a rom com, but included so many other heavier topics with such care and consideration. I loved the small town setting, the grumpy/sunshine and opposites attract tropes, and the supporting cast of characters. This was a great book to start off my summer reading! I loved

This book is so incredibly beautiful! Sage and Fischer are both people who have experienced a lot of loss. It means that they appreciate how precious each second with each other is. I loved watching them find joy in being together even when they knew it was only for a short time.

Sage is the person I wish I was. She is so kind and giving even when life has been hard on her. She appreciates life and her town even in the moments that she doesn't feel appreciated in return. Even reading about her, I could perfectly picture her. I hope next time something bad happens I can take a deep breath and think what would Sage do?

If I haven't already convinced you to read this book there is a grumpy cat, an affectionate goose, and more furry friends that will steal your heart. There are also homegrown flowers, a man who cooks and a roomba that starts trouble. This was my first Tarah Dewitt book but I will be running to read the others as soon as I emotionally recover from this one!

🌶️🌶️ - There are some open door scenes here but a lot of them are somewhat poetic and not too detailed. However, there is enough detail that this is an adult book.

What an absolutely phenomenal book! It is actually hard for me to form full and coherent thoughts because I just really loved this book so much! This is without a doubt Tarah’s best. I found myself crying, laughing, and swooning so much throughout the whole book that my heart hurt (in a good way). Every single character was so incredibly complex, yet it was not hard to follow at all! I found myself wanting to crawl inside my kindle and move to Spunes, Oregon because Tarah does such an incredible job of building this cute little home town and all the fun and quirky characters within it. This book is the perfect summer read! I cannot recommend it enough!!

This book brought me so much joy - unlike the title, I binged it in two days!

🏡Small town
🪿Menagerie
🥦Foodie
❤️Family
🌿Sage advice
🌶️A little spice

Set in the small town of Spunes, Oregon (NOT to be confused with Forks, Washington). A wonderfully sweet small town romance between the town golden girl Sage Byrd and New York chef Fisher Lange. This book had me laughing with its silliness and then crying by the end. Every single character was so likable, Sage was a great friend, well rounded person, and sunshine personality. Fisher had that marshmallow heart everyone will be falling over. They both had history of sad events in their past that just pulled at my heartstrings. Their connection was undeniable.

All the animals (their names!) and farm shenanigans were to die for, the puns, and a couple Twilight callbacks are just few of my favorite things. Overall well written and I enjoyed it thoroughly. The sweet and spicy romance to start off the summer, highly recommend to fans of Abby Jimenez or Sarah Adams!

I absolutely savored every moment of this book! Tarah DeWitt made me fall in love with the situationship between Sage and Fischer, making ME eager for more for them. I really enjoyed the small-town feel in Spunes, where Fischer finds himself having to get acclimated to this new-to-him world as he tries to navigate through a rough patch of life. It was great to see how Sage helped him by just being the big ball of sunshine that she is. The way that he falls so hard for her is just so wholesome and cute. I had such a good time with this book!

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin's for this e-ARC!

Firstly, I want to think Tarah DeWitt, St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an Advance Reader’s Copy of this novel. Tarah DeWitt nailed this novel out of the ballpark! This was the first novel I believe I have read by her and I definitely will be checking out others. Tarah took the topics of some heavy life dealings, and wove together a beautiful and swoon worthy contemporary romance novel where the characters felt realistic, and were easy to cheer on!

I found myself indulging on this story that digs into hard issues such as losing a romantic partner, importance of love, career burnout, and the unpredictability of life itself. Tarah plays out the life lesson of enjoying life in the momennt rather than focusing on how we wish life was supposed to go or our own plans for our lives. Sage and Fischer are the main characters and they take life on in very mature ways and are working through a lot of issues/baggage.

I personally feel like a lot of individuals will relate to either Sage or Fischer and will throughouly enjoy if not LOVE this novel because of how sensitive, emotional and beautiful it is! I loved the grumpy-sunshine feel as well.

Unfortunately, I could not connect to this story or characters at all. Most of all, the writing style didn’t work for me. I found myself cringing many times at the dialogue and word choices. Therefore, it was difficult for me to read and enjoy.

I absolutely loved this small town romance!! The animals, the food, the cast of characters: all made me smile. And Fisher was so dreamy. I need to go back and highlight so many passages. I hope this is a series because I can’t wait to read her next book.

Savor It is a truly delightful treat that is sure to captivate readers. This novel is relatable, charming, and beautifully written. By blending small-town charm with a sweet and spicy love story, Dewitt has created the perfect recipe for a summer romance. Each page of this delightful read is savored, leaving me eager for more.

summary
Fisher has hit a rough patch in his career as a Michelin-starred chef. He's also recently taken custody of his 15-year old niece, Indy, 3 years after the death of his sister, when she runs away from the small town they grew up in to escape to her uncle in New York. They are... not adjusting well. When his old boss asks him to oversee the planning for a new restaurant in a small coastal town in Oregon, he takes the opportunity for a much-needed reset. Sage Byrd lives and breathes her small town. Orphaned at 12, she was raised by her 3 older brothers and the village around them, and as an adult she's carved out a classic small-town life for herself - she teaches in the high school, sells flowers and produce at the farmer's market, volunteers for all the planning committees, and takes in stray animals on her sweet little hobby farm by the beach. And like a couple more strays, she takes in Fisher and Indy when they move into the rental next door, getting Indy to help her around the farm and helping Fisher develop a menu that the locals will love. Sage and Fisher grow closer, but he's promised Indy he won't trap her in another small town against her will, and he's determined to redeem himself at work back in New York, so they try hard to savor the time they have together.



Right from the beginning, I loved how Sage and Fisher just really liked each other. It seems like it should be a given in romance - if they fall in love, obviously they like each other, right? But it's surprisingly rare. So many contemporary authors start with a misunderstanding or a negative first impression to give the characters something to overcome early on. When that's not the case, it's usually insta-lust for at least one of the characters; often in romance, I feel like the only things drawing the characters together are physical attraction and/or whatever forced proximity scenario the author has come up with. Fisher and Sage both acted how a normal person would feel when meeting someone they eventually end up dating - noticing that they are attractive, sure, but paying much more attention to the way that they're sharp-witted and interesting and have a great laugh and that they leave you curious and wanting to see them again. It's something that I don't even realize most books do poorly until I see it done well.

This had a lot of elements that were really familiar - "big city hotshot vacations in small town and falls in love with a local" is a romcom tale as old as time - and while I can't really think of anything that would make me say Tarah is putting a new spin on them, it was also really, really enjoyable and well written. A much angstier tear-jerker than I expected, too. Reminiscent of Book Lovers by Emily Henry, which is a big compliment coming from me. I barely went a page without highlighting something.

I will riot if this doesn't become a series, because Sage's protective, stoic eldest brother Ellis and his ex-wife Wren have my sentimental, yearning, second-chance loving, childhood-best-friends-to-lovers obsessed ass feral.

As a small-town PNW girlie by chance and by choice, this story was so precious. I can't recommend it enough and am so grateful to Netgalley for the arc! Releases May 21st!

miss tarah does it again!!!! savor it was an absolute delight. it had everything i’m used to in a tarah dewitt book and more. it had main characters that I absolutely adored, a fun setting, heavy on the romance and pining, beautiful intimate spicy scenes that will bring you to tears, and a third act that ripped my heart out and had me ugly sobbing then smiling with stars in my eyes afterwards 😂 so it’s safe to say this one was a rollercoaster of emotions but in a good way! first we meet sage who is our girl next door from spunes oregon. she lives the cutest life (in my opinion) with a comfy home, her garden, and her load of unusual animals. it may seem simple but she’s truly so happy with the life she’s created in the small town she grew up in. then comes fisher from new york who’s life is barley hanging on by a thread. he just got fired(ish) from his fancy job as a chef and lost some michelin stars (cue the tiny finger violin). he also recently got guardianship over his teen sassy niece and is feeling extremely lost and has no clue what he’s doing. his boss sent him on a mission to spunes to 1) help w the start up of a new restaurant they’re opening there and 2) try and get his life together. his first night in spunes was a little weird and ends up with the meddling cops at his rental and he later meets sage who is his neighbor 👀!!!!!! she tries clueing fisher in on the tea about the town and tries to help him feel welcomed. but he starts to feel like she’s just another meddling townsperson. but sage is no quitter! she found a way to wiggle her way into fisher and indy’s (his niece) life. fisher is hesitant but they slowly become friends and help each other out in different ways.

throughout the story you see sage and fisher slowly opening up to one another. I liked how they first created a friendship before diving into more. it made the progression so beautiful. they were both so tender with one another and that shit made me melt. their dynamic was everything to me. I loved seeing the way they slowly became entwined in each others lives. they both help each other out in various ways— sage helps fisher w some restaurant stuff and navigating life w indy. and fisher helps sage around her little farm and with the canoe race 🥹 they made a great team in all aspects!!!

now while this book had me laughing out so much (tarah’s humor is my kind of humor and I absolutely adore it!!!!) this book made me cry SO HARD OMG. but seeing how everything ended up made me TRULY SO HAPPY! like I could cry rn thinking about fisher and sage’s happy ending. they both deserve the best and I love seeing them happy.

this was an absolute delight to read and I can not want for the rest of the world to SAVOR IT!!!! 💜

Book is amazing! I love rom-coms as a genre and DeWitt delivered! The book comes out May 2024 and I would recommend reading it. You won't be disappointed.