I will start this review by saying that Savor It has aggressively taken over the proverbial bookshelf in my heart as one of my all time favorite books. This was a no notes, chef’s kiss, altered my brain chemistry, 5 stars aren’t enough kind of read for me.

The book starts with Sage Byrd—who is a national treasure that must be protected at all costs—living on a hobby farm in Spunes, Oregon, with a pony sized Wolfhound named Sable, a Clydesdale named Bud, the three legged elderly gray cat named Legolas, Gary and Gronk the geese, and like, a dozen hens. She is sunshine personified and is described by the MMC in this story as someone who had to learn not to overwater her plants because all she does is give. Her ex, the town golden boy is engaged a year after he ended their 5 year relationship. It’s a small town, everyone knows and she can feel their pity. She wants people to stop feeling sorry for her and to win the town’s annual summer competition, the Festival of Spunes but she needs a partner. Then Fisher Lange, a hot man who goes to therapy (!!!), and his teenage niece Indy move next door from NYC for the summer. Fisher’s boss sent him to Spunes to consult on a restaurant opening there after he lost his Michelin star and joy for cooking. The townspeople hate the restaurant and try to thwart its opening. Fisher needs Sage’s help to win people over. Sage needs Fisher’s help to compete in the competition and to get people to stop pitying her. What could possibly go wrong? What feelings could possibly be caught?

This was so utterly silly but also incredibly heartfelt? And hot! And just overall, so, so great. Here’s to hoping that Spunes is revisited in later books that maybe center on say, another Byrd family member?

There is commentary in this on the phenomenon where you enjoy something so much you want to push it away and hit pause to avoid it ending. That’s how I felt about this book. I both wanted to finish it so I got the whole story but mourned it being over even before it was. I love books with small towns or quirky settings that feel like characters in their own right. I love love stories where the main characters are open about their feelings and maturely communicate. That was definitely Savor It. I laughed, I cried. It’s everything I want in a romance book. I know this will be a comfort read that I will be rereading again and again.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Savor It by Tarah Dewitt is a sweet, quirky, small town romance novel and overall I'd give it 4 stars.

When I saw this book I knew I wanted to read it because I loved Funny Feelings, by Tara Dewitt, and while this book had a completely different vibe I enjoyed reading Fisher and Sage's story.

Fisher is a Michelin Star chef in New York City who is burnt out... and raising his teenage niece. When he gets a new opportunity in Spunes, Oregon, his niece is less than pleased to be moving from the big city to the much smaller Pacific Northwest town. Sage is a quirky teacher, born and raised in the small town of Spunes, and unlike most people from small towns, she loves it there. When Fisher faces dissenting opinions on the restaurant he's supposed to be opening, Sage offers to help him out with the locals.

Not only is Fisher confused about what to do with his professional life, he's also dealing with the grief of losing his sister and becoming the guardian to a teenager, who is also grieving. Sage immediately hits it off with both Fisher and his niece, Indy, almost adopting them like she does with her plethora of animals. <spoiler>Most of the conflicts in the book were from external conflicts and I felt like were dealt with a little too easily... For example, Indy's attitude changed super quickly.</spoiler>

I think this book had a very sweet cast of characters, and I loved Sage, who had many relatable moments throughout the book. I think it could be a little cheesy in moments, but I also think that's what adds to the charm of the book, and to small towns. I really enjoyed the town's dynamic and at times reminded me of Stars Hollow.

Overall, I think it's a super well written, easy read. I think fans of Tarah Dewitt's other books will also be a fan of this one!

I'd like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Savor it is the perfect summer romance. The small town, the relationships, the angst, the sizzling chemistry between the main characters. It has everything you need and wants in a romance book. This was my first Tarah DeWitt book, but it will certainly not be the last.

I adored both Fisher and Sage. They were such beautiful characters. Indy and the geese had me in my feels (I cried for a geese). All the animals <3

THE ONE RAIN SCENE. HOT DAMN. Chapters 37 and 38 mean so much to me!!! Highly recommended.

Thank you, St. Martins Press and Netgalley for the e-arc!

4.25 ⭐️ this was such a great setting. Loved th3 small town vibes that were just quirky enough without being overly cutesy. I loved the banter between the MCs and absolutely loved Fisher (I highlighted multiple things he said because they were just... amazing).

I F*CKING LOVE THIS BOOK. Sweet and heartwarming with characters you just understand and want to root hard core for. Give me a slow burn with open and honest communication and I’m yours. I really enjoyed the relationship growth and healing between Fisher and his niece. Sage is such a caring wonderful yet quirky person and I love it. Seeing her find herself and her worth is beautiful. There is so much depth to the story and characters it makes you feel like you can relate to them and their struggles. The banter is fun and the side characters are also entertaining. I need more Spunes, Oregon in my life and I hope we get to see more of this small town and these fun characters.

This is an emotional book that brings you right into the world of Spunes, Oregon. Sage Byrd has always lived in Spunes, she loves her world with a menagerie of misfit animals and friendships with everyone in the town. Her relationship with the town good boy has recently ended and he became engaged soon after. She is feeling a little lost. In comes Fisher Lange, a chef from New York. He is renting the house next door for the summer on a sabbatical with his niece, Indy, while he tries to find his mojo back while grieving his sister and helping his niece through the grief. Sage and Fisher form an unlikely alliance, where she helps the town accept him and a new restaurant he is trying to set up, and he helps her with the summer festival competition she has poured herself into since her breakup. Both Fisher and Sage start to realize that their friendship may be more and his leaving at the end of summer will be sure to end in heartbreak.

This was a sweet story that captures the feelings of grief, loss and belonging while adding humour at the same time. Fisher was such a swoony guy, who made Sage feel that she wasn’t too much, and was perfect the way she was. Their banter was top notch and Sage’s quirkiness was just right. I loved not only the connection Sage and Fisher had but also Sage’s relationship with Indy. Both had experienced a similar loss and Sage’s outlook on it helped Indy cope with it.

I thought the author did a great job normalizing therapy in this book and having a guy talk about his feelings. Fisher, though coping with loss, is open with his grief and feelings and talks openly about therapy. This is also a story about 30-something-year-olds and I found there was such great communication between them. Tarah created such a great small town in Spunes and I felt I was transported there getting to know everyone. I missed them when the book was over and hope for more stories in this world.

If you want a small town romance, full of heart and humour, this is the perfect book for you! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine.

📣 recommended for fans of Chloe Liese

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

📖 what’s one thing you plan on savoring today? For me, it’s going to be my audiobook on the drive to pick up my daughter after work.

If you’re a fan of Chloe Liese’s books, try Tarah DeWitt’s Savor It, which feels very similar—minus a bit of the overt earnestness that sometimes come across for me in CL’s dialogue.

An emotional, character-driven contemporary, Savor It is about a picking up the pieces & turning it up into Thrive Time when life doesn’t go totally to plan.

Sage Byrd lives in small-town Oregon where semi-disgraced chef Fisher moves with the orphaned niece he’s guardian of. Neighbors & soon friends, Sage & Fisher are the grumpy & sunshine pair you might be looking for.

This book pulls on so many feelings, offering a romance that deals with weighty things—grief, a bad break-up, career success—& also captures the sweetness & thrill of falling in love with someone unexpected.

It’s often adorable & on the whole, heartwarming.

4.5 ⭐️. Out 05/21.

Please see a trusted reviewer’s list of CWs.

[ID: Jess’s white hand holds the ebook in front of a brick wall painted purple, pink, & yellow.]

Well this was just plain adorable. 🛶🌌

Sage has lived in small town Spunes, Oregon her whole life, surrounded by her brothers, animals, and a town that is like a family to her.

Fisher is an NYC chef down on his luck and lacking direction, all while trying to raise his niece, Indy. After being fired from his job, he ends up in Spunes to take some time to regroup and to help open a new restaurant that seems to struggle through the town’s “red tape”.

I absolutely loved the romance between Sage and Fisher, and Sage might just be one of my favorite characters I’ve read so far this year. I just found her so to be so endearingly honest and true to herself.

A few weird timing issues with the plot in my opinion, some things felt rushed, others dragged on. But overall, I really enjoyed this one!

Read this if you’re a fan of:
🪿adorable animal side characters
🪿 small town romance
🪿neighbors to lovers (he literally hides from her at the beginning 🤣)
🪿found family
🪿summer romance
🪿witty banter
🪿slow burn

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for arc!

I have read DeWitt’s three previous books, and FUNNY FEELINGS was one of my 2023 favorites. So, I went into SAVOR IT with a lot of enthusiasm. Sadly, I wasn’t able to finish it. And it pains me to say that because I wanted to love this one! But I just found the writing so awkward and choppy. The biggest reason was the random page breaks and odd transitions. There would be a *** to signal a shift, but nothing was really changing in the scene to necessitate a break. It broke up the flow and took me out of the story every single time! Additionally, I felt like there were so many filler/fluff paragraphs. I don’t want to get details about the town and its inhabitants at the expense of actually developing the main characters! In the first chapter alone, I already felt like I was reading a string of random, disconnected thoughts — and it didn’t improve from there. I’ve seen other readers responding well to this one, however, so it may just have not been the right book for me.

Oh my god, I loved this!! The writing was creative and meaningful. The romance was something special and I just couldn’t get enough of these two. The author wrote a beautiful romance that had fun/smexy banter and swoon worthy chemistry. **Sigh**
I was swept away and read this in one day! It was full of ups and downs and I felt things deeply. I’m still smiling about the ending and it made me so happy.
Just a side note, I have many rescued animals and I started a vegetable garden that is now a flower garden.
Things I loved:
• Sage’s garden
• their first time in the canoe
• Nail polish, mazes, and favorite rings
• Libraries
• Fisher! I love Fisher and he’s my new book boyfriend
I hope everyone who love’s romance reads this! I highly recommend.

Some of my favorite quotes:

“I can’t wipe off the dumb look I know I have on my face, and if I had a tail, I know it’d be wagging.”

“Life’s short. Go to the library. Live a million different stories and see a million different places in one. You might not have control over some things, but you can always foster your imagination.”

“My chest feels heavy, every breath weighted and scraping me raw from the inside out. I miss her so much I think it could swallow me whole.”

“You’re all the shapes made perfectly to hold me, and you’re all my favorite colors.” His lips press against my chin. “You’re definitely my favorite flavor,” he lowly says into my ear, and I feel my laugh rumble through our embrace softly.”

Thanks St. Martins Press via NetGalley.

S A V O R I T 🪿

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

tarah must put magic in her books, because every one that i read seeps its way into my soul forever and i think about it all the time. savor it is no different. its a 'lives rent free in my head' book. well done tarah! i cannot wait to read what's next.

fisher lange comes to the town of spunes, oregon to help a fellow chef start a new restaurant, in the quiet, character filled town. he arrives with his 16 year old niece, indy, who he has custody of. they rent a house from a family across a field from sage byrd, a lifetime resident of spunes and town sweetheart. before long, their lives are thrust together and entangled indefinitely.

this story dealt with some difficult subjects beautifully and showed such heart and depth. i would truly recommend this book to anyone, its universally gut wrenching and life affirming. on the other hand, it also has such funny moments that had me giggling, particularly gary the goose who steals the show at every turn. we love gary! 🫶🏼

i hope these edits do this story justice and that i managed to convince you to read this book when its released in may.

thank you @authortarahdewitt for letting me read this book in advance - you're so stinking talented! love you ❤️‍🔥

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Steam Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 (several moderately descriptive open door scenes)

Fisher Lange has lost his career as a Michelin-star chef and now has guardianship of his niece, but there's hope for him to restart his life while relocating to Spunes, OR for the summer. Sage Byrd has lived in Spunes all her life but hopes this summer she can move on from a bad breakup by winning the town's summer canoe competition. When Fisher ends up renting the house next door to Sage they quickly strike up an agreement to help each other meet their goals. But what happens when they catch feelings and get in too deep with each other?

This started off promising but really fizzled out in the second half. It was this weird contrast of too much happening and nothing happening at the same time. The initial premise is that Sage and Fisher decide to fake date to make her ex jealous while helping Fisher fit in with the locals as he sets up a new restaurant in town. There's also a canoe competition that Sage wants to win, and there's discussions about teen pregnancy and loss of loved ones. So, lots going on. Unfortunately, as soon as the fake dating begins, every other plot line goes out the window (including the fake dating). From that point on, the focus is on their physical attraction and endless desire to sleep together. We barely hear about the restaurant, the canoe race lasts about two pages, and the ex-boyfriend is barely even a blip on the radar. I felt like Fisher's guardianship of his niece didn't get the page time it deserved either. I can see how this is setting up to be a series with Sage's brothers getting their own stories, so that did seem promising. I do still want to try Funny Feelings by this author, and hopefully I'll have better luck with that book.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so cute! I’ve really enjoyed all of Tarah’s previous works and I’m so grateful that I got to read an early copy of this book. I’m a sucker for a small town setting where the whole community is involved. Sage was a super relatable main character and her relationship with Fisher and Indy was so sweet. I also loved the animals, they were a fun little touch. I thought grief was portrayed so well in this book and the found family aspect was also a favorite of mine. I can’t wait to see what Tarah writes next. Thank you Netgalley for the arc.

I feel bad about it, but I just have to give this 2 stars.

I keep having the same problem with this author's writing where I feel like the bones are there, the premise is good, the words are all there....but I feel nothing. There is such a distinct lack of chemistry for me and there are always real issues like trauma, grief, etc., and I think they overshadow the romance, but don't even get handled in a way that feels profound.

I read pages and pages of what felt like total nonsense about the town and its history and canoes and festivals and whatever that I didn't care about, and neither did the MMC. the FMC actually lectures at him about the town history and he repeatedly tells her he doesn't care (in a nice way) and neither did I. I just think there was too many extraneous irrelevant plot points that didn't add much to the story for me. They spent a lot of time rowing a canoe, and it added nothing to their romantic development. I really don't even know what the main conflict was supposed to be. Every single one was not actually fleshed out. The story just built and built and then went nowhere.

I feel like the child in the story was a throw in. I did not see any development there in his pseudo parental relationship, and I feel like we didn't get to appreciate her character like we were supposed to. I mean she is pretty much absent most of the time. Just insert petulant moody teen here and then forget about her for 30 pages.

The sex was good, the parts where he cooked were fun, but the "love" just really had no basis to me.

If this wasn't an ARC, I probably would have DNFed but I just kept hoping for more.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Savor It was my first read by Tarah DeWitt and I was absolutely charmed.

Fisher Lange was once a big-time chef in NYC, at the top of his game, but everything came crashing down. His boss knows that he needs a reset, and she sends him to the small town of Spunes, Oregon for the summer.

There he is tasked with crafting the menu for a new restaurant - which won't be easy in a town full of meddling characters. Fisher also hopes the change in scenery will also help him rebuild his relationship with his niece, Indy, of whom he has guardianship.

Fisher's new next-door neighbor is the lovely Sage Byrd. Sage is a small-town girl who loves her life, even if she sometimes feels a bit lonely. Fisher is unable to resist Sage's charm and they are both instantly smitten, but both are cautious since Fisher's presence in Spunes is only for the summer.

However, friendship and undeniable attraction turns into something more and soon Sage and Fisher embark on a summer fling, which they agree can only be temporary. Silly lovesick fools.

The slow burn build up, the sweetness of the protagonists, the caregiving, the found family, and the small-town shenanigans, all made Savor It a wonderfully charming read that any romance reader will love.

"What if I prefer to savor things? Want it good and slow and drawn out?"

That's literally how I felt about not wanting to finish this book. "Savor It" hit all the good feels of a small-town summer romance, where a city man (yes, he is a man, not a boy), Fisher, has to live in Spunes, Oregon with his niece during the summer to try and rekindle his passion for cooking and get his life back on track by helping with an opening in a restaurant. The only problem is, he doesn't know if he can do it, since he has been lost for so long.

Until he meets Sage, his neighbor, who spends her time living in the little moments and enjoying her garden and animals during the summer. Little did she know, Fisher was the one person she needed during the summer as well.

THE CHEMISTRY made me want to swoon the entire book, and not to mention the tension you see from the start between them. Not only that, but the puns and the giggles of all the jokes this book has agh loved each one. And can we talk about how amazing it is to read a book where the MMC KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS and communicates it (he is in therapy btw, hot)?

A great 5-star book that I die for them and for Gary the Goose iykyk.

Tropes:
Small Town Romance
Neighbors to lovers
Witty Banter
Found Family
Chef MMC x Gardener/Teacher FMC
Dual POV
Competition (they train together)
He falls first
Friends with Benefits

Thank you Netgalley, Tarah DeWitt and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest review!

SAVOR IT was a pretty sweet romance novel that was a light, easy read. It was definitely filled with all of the tropes that are popular in romance right now. While I wouldn’t say this was a unique book, I was entertained, even if I found the story to be a bit of the same as some of the other romance novels I’ve recently read.

I do really like this book! I thought it was perfect for those that love romance trope heavy books and enjoy a story filled with heart! The writing was well done and the story itself was entertaining and easy to digest. I think if you love that in your books, this is a perfect fit for you. But it wasn’t unique or different by any means. To me, that is ok! But it wasn’t anything that knocked my socks off.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Read if you like:
✅Fake Dating
✅Just for the Summer Romance
✅Quirky Small Town
✅Grumpy MMC
✅Sunshine FMC

Fisher is a chef and he doesn’t find any joy in cooking anymore. Being a chef who doesn’t enjoy cook can be a big issue. He is lost. He ends up temporarily assigned. To a small town in Oregon. He is sent there to get a new restraint up and running. He heads to Spunes Oregon with his niece, who he has custody of. While in Oregon he meets Sage, a feisty local. Sage is very strong willed just as her brothers and they will crack you up. The towns people of Spunes are wonderful, The relationship that ensues between Fisher and Sage is adorable and the chemistry they have is great. They help each other heal and learn to love again. But with some love it may not be meant to be a forever love as Fisher has to head back to New York or does he? This was a wonderfully written book full of fantastic characters.

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Worth savoring, I didn’t want this one to end.

Sage has lived her whole life in Spunes, Oregon, a town built on mistakes. She feels like Spunes’ identity is a perfect fit for her non-descript, quiet life as a teacher living on her small farm. Fisher is a famous chef in NYC who’s lost his passion for cooking, a Michelin star, and his job. His boss sends him to Spunes to consult on a restaurant she’s opening there as a way to earn back his job and reputation in NYC. Adding to his job woes is the recent death of Fisher’s sister which makes him the guardian of his teenage niece, Indy. As neighbors, Sage and Fisher determine that they can help one another to win over the town for their respective goals and a strategic alignment for the summer is made. At the end, they’ll return to their lives without one another . . . if they can.

After reading Rootbound earlier this month and confirming my love of everything by Tarah Dewitt, I was thrilled to get the chance to read an advance copy of this on NetGalley and it did not disappoint. Dewitt again writes strong, but struggling main characters who help each other to find wholeness. Also as usual, the setting and side characters and unique and bring so much to the story. I want to move to Spunes and was sad to see its not a real town! I really, really identified with the FMC and her flower growing, farm-girl, funny t-shirt wearing self. The theme about a “big” life versus a “small” one resonates heavily with me as I reach my late 40’s and re-think all my own life goals and as I prepare to send teenage children out into the world to make their own dreams. A sign of a great author is one who challenges our thinking and how we expect a book to end. Dewitt really had me questioning the HEA of of this one and I cried lots of hot tears over it all. Highly recommend of you like your romance books with heart and substance.

Thank you NetGalley, Tarah Dewitt and St. Martin's Press for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Savor It
Tarah DeWitt
Pub 5/21/24
4☆

This was such a heartfelt and swoonworthy, slow-burn romance. Fisher and Sage were grumpy/sunshine perfection. They were real, relatable, and their banter was outstanding. Gah you can’t help but adore them and the quirky side characters.

I am a total sucker for animals in books and this one had so many I was giddy.

What I adored;
💜 Small Town Romance
💜 Grumpy/Sunshine
💜 Witty Banter
💜 The Animals

Thank you so much to St. Martins Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. I am obsessed with this gorgeous cover and cannot wait to add a physical copy! 🥰

If you’re in the mood for a small town romance that will have you feelin all the feels, Savor It is for you!