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

OH MY HEART!! This book is absolutely amazing! Words cannot express how much I adored it! What a sweet, heartwarming and beautifully written contemporary romance that will truly touch your soul. Be sure to keep your tissues close by because you will definitely need them🤧. I found myself shedding tears of both sadness and joy, but it was also incredibly swoon-worthy, keeping me laughing and smiling throughout. "Savor It" delves into the intricacies of love, exploring the profound impact of losing a loved one, facing career burnout, and the unpredictable nature of life. It sheds light on how life often disrupts our plans, reminding us to cherish the moments of joy amidst the challenges we encounter. The author has masterfully crafted a touching story with rich depth, portraying characters grappling with real life struggles and raw emotions. Dewitt's handling of these themes showcases precision, respect, and compassion. While this is my first read by Tarah Dewitt, I am already a huge fan! I savored every moment of this book, and it will linger in my thoughts for a long while.

Sage Byrd, a lifelong resident of Spunes, Oregon, finds solace in her coastal town's simplicity, her quirky hobby farm animals, and the tight knit community. However, after a five year relationship ends and her ex, Ian, swiftly moves on, Sage seeks redemption and a chance to prove herself at the town's annual Festival of Spines. Enter Fisher Lange, a former acclaimed chef from New York City struggling with loss and a dwindling passion for cooking. Sent on a summer sabbatical to Spunes with his niece Indy, Fisher's clashes with the locals threaten his chance for renewal. A strategic pact with Sage emerges: she'll bolster Fisher's image while he becomes her competition partner. As their partnership blossoms into something more, Sage and Fisher navigate emotional healing, unexpected romance, and the fleeting nature of summer.

In summary, I was completely captivated from beginning to end! I wholeheartedly recommend this book without any reservations, and it unquestionably merits infinite stars!!!♾️💫💫💫💫💫

What a delightful small-town romance! “Savor It" by Tarah DeWitt transported me to the coastal town of Spunes, Oregon. Full of charming characters, mouthwatering food, and heartwarming moments, this novel is a perfect summer read.

Meet Sage Byrd. She’s a local high school teacher, has spent her entire life in Spunes. She loves her small world, complete with misfit animals on her hobby farm and close friendships with fellow townspeople. But when her long-term relationship ends and her ex, the town golden boy Ian, gets engaged, Sage needs a win. The Festival of Spunes, the town’s annual summer competition, presents the perfect opportunity. All she needs is a partner.

Meet Fisher Lange. He is a former hotshot chef from New York City. Fisher's life takes a drastic turn when he loses his Michelin star and his love for cooking. Grieving the loss of his sister, he finds himself responsible for his teenage niece, Indy. Sent to Spunes on a summer sabbatical to consult on a restaurant opening, Fisher clashes with the townspeople. His last chance at redemption lies in improving his image and overcoming obstacles with the restaurant.

A strategic alliance is formed: Sage will help Fisher navigate the town, and Fisher will be Sage’s partner for the competition. As they work together, their pact evolves into steamy rendezvous. Emotional wounds begin to heal, and they savour every moment. Summer races by faster than they'd like, and they must confront their feelings before it slips away.

DeWitt weaves a captivating tale of love, growth, and second chances. Her writing captures the essence of small-town life, where quirky characters and picturesque landscapes come alive. Sage and Fisher's chemistry is palpable, and their banter is both witty and endearing. DeWitt skillfully balances romance with deeper themes of healing and self-discovery.

The coastal setting adds to the book's allure. Spunes, with its rugged cliffs, crashing waves, and salty sea breeze, becomes a character in itself. Readers will yearn for lazy afternoons by the shore, sipping lemonade and watching the sun dip below the horizon.

The culinary aspect of “Savor It” is a treat and I’ll admit to eating a lot while reading this. Fisher's culinary expertise shines through, and DeWitt tantalizes our taste buds with descriptions of mouthwatering dishes. From fresh seafood to decadent desserts, the food becomes a metaphor for life's flavours: sometimes bitter, sometimes sweet, but always worth savouring.

The supporting cast adds depth to the story. With vulnerability and resilience, they tug at the heartstrings. The townspeople have wonderful quirks and idiosyncrasies, which create a sense of community that enveloped me.

This is a slow-burn romance which builds gradually, but this allowed me to savour each moment. The pacing is well-balanced, and the tension between our protagonists keeps the pages turning. DeWitt's prose is evocative, painting vivid scenes that transported me straight to Spunes.

While the plot follows familiar romance tropes, DeWitt infuses it with freshness and authenticity. The Festival of Spunes serves as a backdrop for Sage and Fisher's journey, and its competitive spirit adds excitement. As the stakes rise, so do the emotions.

I found this story to be a delightful escape. It’s a sun-kissed romance that warmed my heart. Whether you're lounging on the beach or curled up on your couch, this book invites you to savour life's simple pleasures. DeWitt left this reader totally craving more.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a temporary e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book totally took me by surprise! I absolutely loved it. It gave me a Gilmore girls small town feel while also being so poignant and romantic. Absolutely will recommend!

This is the third book by this author that I’ve read (the other two are Funny Feelings and The Co-Op) and this is the third book that I’ve absolutely loved by her. This book was wonderfully written with a beautiful setting and characters that were fantastic. Fisher is a perfectly imperfect MMC and Sage gave me the same strong, beautiful and funny vibes as Dewitt’s other FMCs. This is a beautiful love story and I’m hoping the author does more books set in this world (cough, cough Wren and Ellis please😉).

With a title like Savor It, this book practically demands to be relished, and it’s easy to why so many readers are doing just that. Though both sweet and steamy, the romance is at all times tender, and I have a soft spot for tender relationship stories, ones that don’t start with instant fireworks, but build naturally as characters support one another and help each other identify the things that truly make them happy while they sort through life’s dilemmas. This one delivers in spades, while also exploring deeper themes about the transitory nature of joy, the complex relationship between taking care of and being cared for, and how sometimes what we want most in life changes over time, so letting go can be the best gift we give ourselves. It’s a rich, layered story, one that also happens to take place in a small coastal Oregon town, so of course I was hooked by the setting, too, and DeWitt made me care deeply for her characters, even the four-legged ones. A joyful and thoughtful love story, and one crafted with obvious care.

Tarah Dewitt's novels have been on my radar for a while and when I was given the opportunity to receive an arc in exchange for an honest review, I jumped at the chance! Unfortunately, "Savor It" was not all I had hoped it would be. In this story, we follow Sage Byrd, our animal-loving and endearingly quirky female lead, and Fisher Lange, our surly and down-on-his-luck chef with a bruised ego and the new guardian to his niece, Indy.

"Savor It" takes place in the small town of Spunes, Oregon. Sage is a teacher and her home is basically an animal sanctuary. One of my favorite parts of this was reading about Sage's animals and her love for them. Fisher temporarily moves with his niece, Indy, to Spunes to spearhead a new restaurant his boss is opening. He is a world-renowned chef but he's lost his love of cooking after going through a rut and losing one of his Michelin stars. He's hoping Spunes will give him some inspiration while he oversees the opening of the restaurant. And guess what? His rental house is right next door to Sage and you know what they say ... the rest is history.

It definitely was not a bad book by any means and did not do anything "wrong," I just found it very mundane. I didn't feel the chemistry between Sage and Fisher and found myself counting down the pages until it was over. I will definitely check out more books from Tarah Dewitt as I did enjoy her writing style but sadly, this one was not for me.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️4/5
🌶️3/5

If you love small-town romances, Tarah DeWitt's 'Savor It' will certainly scratch that itch. Witty banter, whimsical characters, and a lot of heart make for a fantastic summer small-town story!

Sometimes you just need a quick pallet cleansing easy read that means what it says and says what it means but in a way that still leaves you satisfied. For me this did that. Personally I like when a story is written in a way that doesn't shy away from using words beyond the capabilities of a third grader. So much of mainstream romance reads are written in a way that feels like you just read a teenager's journal and this story does the opposite. I'm not talking about nuanced rarely used words like "insouciant", but rather words like "emblazoned", and I appreciate that this was not "watered down". I will be looking forward to and picking up Tarah DeWitt's next book as a direct result of how I enjoyed this one.

Thank you!

Light and rom-com with likable characters in a fun small town setting. Perfect summer steamy read with spice and a good story. This is my first book from DeWitt and will for sure read more from her. I want to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

And why was this so cute?? This was my first novel by DeWitt and I'm sold. It was light, easy to fly through, and just what I needed getting ready to go into summer. Definitely worth the pick up!

LOVE LOVE LOVED THIS ONE. I was so excited when Tarah put this one up for a limited time on Net Galley, as she has quickly become one of my favorite authors. Funny Feelings remains one of my favorite books. Fisher and Sage were such relatable and well written characters. Dewitt does such a nice job of creating fresh and unique stories that do not feel like your stereotypical romcom. This one really pulled on the heartstrings while also making you laugh. I will highly recommend this one to friends!

Sage Byrd loves her small town life in Spunes, Oregon. She’s never felt like anything was missing amid her hodgepodge collection of farm animals and keeping the town boutique in business buying fancy robes. When Fisher Lange arrives for the summer with his 15 year old niece Indy, Sage realizes that there may have been one thing her life was missing: a partner who truly saw, accepted and loved her. Fisher’s only in town for the summer, though, so they have to savor every moment of their romance before time runs out.

Tarah Dewitt is honestly magical. This book was everything. I honestly feel like it healed parts of my heart that have taken a beating in my real life over the past few months. I couldn’t put it down, I laughed and I cried and I cheered Sage and Fisher on all the way to the canoe race finish line and into their happy ending.

Everyone should read this one. Especially if you love: 🛶 small town charm 🪿 comedic relief geese 📚 library rendezvouses 👨🏻‍🍳 “yes chef” 🌺 sizzling banter and chemistry ☀️ summer romance ❤️‍🔥 slow burn

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the advanced copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁:
- Summer Romance
- Opposites Attract
- Stars Hollow-esque town
- Slow Burn

Fisher and Sage, couple of the summer? I think so!

Savor It is the type of love story that you know is probably going to break your heart but you don’t care because the hurt is only going to make the HEA that much more impactful. Ya’ll know books never make my cry but this one did have me sniffling and I will SHOUT to the rooftops that Fisher and Sage must be protected at all costs.

Fisher (chef, single guardian of his niece) is trying to get back on his feet after events back home have him feeling lost, meets Sage (the town’s sunshine who is probably the sweetest person you’ll ever meet) in the small town of Spunes, Oregon.

There is an instant spark but it is the gradual development of their friendship into romance that shines through. The constant communication. The small gestures. Knowing Fishe’s presence in Spunes has an end date adds tension and had me almost skipping dinner to finish because I had to know what was going to happen.

Amongst the sizzling chemistry and fun banter, the citizens of Spunes give you the laughs and busybodies a la Stars Hollow.

Savor It is a must-read and should be at the top of your May TBR!

4 ⭐

"you once told me you thought you were a lot of nots. i want you to know that to me, you're everything."

so...this book is summer in a bottle. it was so warm and cozy, with beautiful descriptions and just-the-right-amount-of-quirky characters. the first 60% is very slow burn and quiet, and then everything speeds up all at once. i wish the second half was as fleshed out and detailed as the first, but i do love how everything came together in the end.

tbh, the little squad of farm animals were the true main characters.


*thank you to netgalley for the digital arc. this is my honest review and all opinions are my own*

This is a very sweet story about grief/loss, love and animals! It was my first by this author and definitely won’t be my last, Potential trigger warning to those grieving—multiple losses occur off the page.

ARC Review. 5 STARS and a new favorite romance! This was EVERYTHING I want in a romance novel. I put the book down at the 80% mark for the evening because I didn't want the story to end (dare I say I wanted to "savor it"?). Sage and Fisher were well fleshed out characters; I adored them both. I LOVED the small town setting, side characters, and adorable pets. I laughed, teared up, swooned, and more. This story felt both comforting and therapeutic. I will definitely be picking up a physical copy to re-read this summer.

I loved this book! Sage and Fisher were so cute, and I love love loved how they accepted and loved each other for exactly how they were. I really enjoyed the small-town setting - Sage’s house/farm and the town itself. Seriously, now I want to move into a house with a cute sunroom and everything. There were definitely some parts that made me giggle, but it was also a story that was not lacking in depth. Seeing Fisher further his relationship with his niece, Indy, was very sweet too. I thought the topics of death and grief were handled very well. I really loved seeing Sage and Fisher become each other’s person. I would absolutely recommend this book! It was so sweet and the characters were so lovable!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press - Griffin for the ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

I don’t even know how to start this review so I’ll just say that this book was very good. It’s more of an emotional romance than I normally gravitate towards but the slow, simmering burn in this book is so good. Did it drive me crazy at times that Fisher was getting in his own way? 100% but he repeatedly redeemed himself in the end.

The only annoying thing in this book for me was the fact that their relationship really doesn’t take off until over halfway into the book. You spend all this time just WAITING for them to get together and by the time they do the books already ending but the build up is good so I guess that makes up for it.

I’d give this a 1.5-2 spice level rating. If that’s not your thing you can easily skip those sections without any impact on the storyline.

4-4.5 stars. If you love a small town romance this is a great choice!

This book is a work of art. I loved every minute of it! The characters—animals included—were all amazing. I found myself wanting a friend like Sage, and I loved how she “jumped feet first” into everything. This was only my second book by TD, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

Grumpy meets sunshine ✅
Small town romance ✅
Fake dating ✅
Small town girl big city boy ✅
Solo dad ✅
And it all blends in so well …!

Fisher a famous Michelin star New York based chef moved temporarily to the small town of Spurnes where he met his quirky neighbor Sage. He is navigating the loss of his sister, the loss of his job and how to take care of his niece.
This book is so fluffy, I loved every minute. I am just disappointed that we do not get a full summer festival competition (the cooking part especially I felt rob!) and more Indy/Fisher moments.

5 ⭐️ & 2 🌶️