This was such a sweet read. It started a little slow for me, but once it got going I was hooked. The last 25% of this book was fantastic. The last 10% was perfect.

I didn’t really get attached to the town race aspect of the story, but there were so many things I loved enough to make up for it. Including: the many walks between their houses where all I could picture was the scene from the book cover, the small town quirks and characters, the animals.

I love small town romances and this one was well done. I loved seeing the character growth between the two main characters and watching them try to overcome their demons.

I would absolutely love to see more from this town and its characters in the future.

Chef’s Kiss…LITERALLY!

Oh my, Fisher BROKE the mold! Absolutely loved him. Sage was so cute and understanding and ahhhh! The bird and his girl!😂 I loved this book so much! Thank you so much for the ARC!

Hold on, I have to stop crying before I can continue…

OK. DEAR GODS. Where do I even begin? Sage & Fisher. My heart will never be the same. I laughed, I cried, I laughed while crying, and I cried while laughing. The last two being very different, but equally amazing emotional states. Sage & Fisher are EVERYTHING. Relationship goals, friend goals, found family goals, small town goals, adopted animal goals – just – ALL. THE. GOALS. I have not loved or been moved by a book this much in a very long time.

Sage Byrd has lived in Spunes, Oregon all her life. She lost both her parents at 12 and was raised by her 3 brothers. Now she happily lives in the house she grew up in on the edge of town and tends to her farm. Sage is a high school social studies teacher, mother to many orphaned animals, and lover of terrible puns. She is also very tired. Tired of being pitied, tired of being overlooked, and tired of being devalued. She dated the town golden boy, Ian, for 5 years and he belittled Sage the entire time they were together. They broke up a little over a year ago and he’s already engaged to someone else. Typical. Sage doesn’t ask for much from life. She wants to feel important to someone, she wants to feel useful, and more than anything, she just wants to be happy. And maybe – just maybe – one day she’ll find someone who will love her “as is”.

Fisher Lang is a three-time Michelin star winning chef. His sister died in a car accident three years ago, and life has been nothing but rocks in his pocket, dragging him down, ever since. After spending 15 years deeply ingrained in, and at the top of the culinary industry, Fisher is teetering dangerously close to a meltdown. Three months ago, it happened. The result? He lost his restaurant one of their Michelin stars and got himself fired. Two months ago, his niece, Indy, ran away from his parent’s house in Nebraska, and showed up on his doorstep in NY. One week ago, his former boss/business partner staged an intervention of sorts, and confronted Fisher about “the incident” that ended his career. She’s willing to give Fisher a second chance, so he’s now on his way to Sprunes, Oregon, teenage niece in tow, where he will design a menu, and set up her new restaurant, Starhopper. Oh, and Indy is resentful, angry, and seemingly hell bent on hating him, so life is going swimmingly for Fisher.

When Fisher arrives in Sprunes, his rental house is across the meadow from Sage’s farm. After an eventful first night, the two meet and Sage quickly realizes that Fisher & Indy are both struggling on every level. Sage befriends Indy and puts her to work on the farm and asks Fisher for help with some errands to make him feel useful. Along the way, she gives Fisher some sage advice, they become friends, and Fisher slowly begins to emerge from his funk.

Sage’s favorite place in all of Sprune, other than her farm, is the library. After unexpectedly coming face to face with her ex, Ian, and his new fiancée, Cassidy, Sage is shaken & embarrassed. In an attempt to help Sage take back her library, feel in control, and powerful again (and also to shamelessly flirt a little), Fisher offers to kiss Sage between the stacks so Ian can see. By the next day, the gossip train has barreled through town, and everyone thinks Sage and Fisher are dating. Shortly after, Fisher runs into some permitting problems with Starhopper, and Sage is still looking for a partner for the yearly Festival of Sprunes canoe race (that she’s desperate to win). Fisher and Sage agree to do a little bit of fake dating so Sage can help Fisher get Starhopper back on track with the Main Street Business Coalition, and in return, Fisher will be her partner for all the festival activities. But the more time they spend together, the more they realize this thing between them isn’t pretend. Their feelings are growing exponentially, and Fisher’s time in Sprunes has an expiration date. They are both in too deep, and deeply in love with each other.

Can Fisher and Sage figure out how to love each other “as is”? Will they win the canoe race? What happens to Bert and Ernie, the baby Nigerian Dwarf goats? Or the miniature donkey family, Rosemary and Ginger? And most importantly, will SageByrd, Fisher, and Indy get their happily ever after? Do yourself a favor and just read the book. It comes out on May 21, 2024. Pre-order now & thank me later.

Also, Gary the goose & Indy. ❤️ 👩🏻 🪿 ❤️
I’m just not emotionally capable of saying more about Gary right now. (IYKYK)

Mrs. DeWitt. You had absolutely no right to shatter my heart and make me ugly cry so hard that all 3 of my cats came to check on me. And then – THEN – you had the gall to put the teeny tiny pieces of my broken heart back together, better than before, and make me smile, and then laugh through those tears. I have been forever changed by Sage & Fisher. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU – but also – HOW DARE YOU. Savor It will live rent free in my head for a long, long time.

It’s been a privilege to read your novel, Tarah.

Aaaaand…I’m crying again.

** I received this book for free from St. Martin's Griffin, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. **

“I like mastering something, I think,” I admit. “I struggle when I don’t feel like I'm good at it, or struggle to jump into something when I don’t feel like I can see and control the outcome.” OK I SEE YOU AMY MARCH I WANT TO BE GREAT OR NOTHING.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review! If this book interests you, make sure to check it out on 5/21/24!!!

Ok I have some very non-extreme opinions about this book. There were some elements of it that I didn’t like, but there were also some elements that I actually quite enjoyed.

First, the star of the show: the romance. I felt like there was absolutely no build-up to the sage and fisher just randomly making out. I wish there was more tension, more angst, more subtle flirting. Instead, they go from 0 to 100 with seemingly NO substance or spark.

Yes, the writing was a little cheesy, a little cliche, a little cringey (the trifecta of c’s!), but honestly, that’s just the standard for contemporary romance books nowadays. One major pet peeve/gripe I have about the writing is that it constantly references internet slang and current pop culture, which I can't imagine aging well. I know that this bothers a lot of people, so definitely keep that in mind if you want to read it.

Continuing the conversation about the writing in this book, sometimes characters would just come out with super profound, philosophical lines (see the above quote), and immediately follow it with the cringiest gut-wrenching sentence written in all of history. The whiplash was honestly hilarious.

The two main characters were fine. I don’t have any major complaints about either of them, and neither of them really irked me. I will say, Fisher’s niece Indy go on my nerves so much. She was supposed to be the moody, “no one understands me,” teenage girl caricature, but as a teenage girl, no part of her character felt remotely relatable. Like I understand that she went through some truly tragic events in her life, but she was SO ANNOYING.

The plot of the book was nothing groundbreaking. It followed the general plotline and pacing of any other contemporary romance book. However, I want to emphasize that this isn’t necessarily bad!!! Sometimes you just want a reliable story that won’t throw you for a plot twist!

Overall, this book was very classic-contemporary-romance book with a cute little cartoon cover. it was also very trope-y: small town, grumpy/sunshine, single dad, fake dating (kinda, not really). Although it wasn’t revolutionary, it definitely accomplished its goal of being a solid romance book!

Thank you to the Author & publisher for the ARC.
First off, this book cover is STUNNING. I was very excited to read this book as I’ve heard so much about her other books being amazing. So I immediately got into reading this one. Sadly I had a lot of trouble getting into it. Honestly the beginning felt like I didn’t know what I was reading. I was very confused. The only reason I knew who the main characters were was because of the synopsis. I really wanted to like this but I could not do it. It’s very hard for me to dnf a book especially early on.

“Has something ever been so good that you wanted to push it away? Maybe you’ve seen a film, read a book, or even had a vacation that was so incredible, you didn’t want it to end. You wanted to hit pause and stave off the inevitable.” Yes!! Each chapter I finished, I grew sadder that I had one less to read.
Properly named, I tried to SAVOR every last word of this story, as I never wanted it to end.

Sage and Fischer are meant to be. Their banter, her teasing, his flirting, they had me giddy with every interaction. The PUNS 😂 It seems like they’ve known each other for years, and can share parts of themselves that they wouldn't normally share with anyone else. I loved how they didn’t have any issues communicating what they were feeling. (not a fan of the miscommunication trope)

Sage is so relatable, in the fact that every one identifies her as the “nice girl”, but she views it as wanting to experience people’s joy and smiles as life is too short not to. She had been through so much at a young age, and I love that she could relate with Indy and give advice as someone with similar circumstances. She is sunshine, and we all need to be surrounded by someone like her.

Fischer and Indy’s relationship made me so emotional. He just wants to be steady for her and to connect with his niece while dealing with his guilt. The healing they went through individually and together is so heartwarming. And their connections built with the animals was so precious, they are the perfect side characters rounding out this beautiful story.

By far, Tarah Dewitt’s best novel yet. It is witty, moving, and just an overall great read.

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!!
(Review available now on Goodreads account linked below. Will post review to Instrgram May 7th, two weeks before release date.)

Withholding my review in solidarity with the readers' strike with Readers for Accountability: https://www.instagram.com/readersforaccountability/.

It’s like a Hallmark movie but with spice! Five stars for me!!!

Small town girl.
Big city chef.
Neighbors.
Baby goats.
A cat with three legs.

JUST READ THIS next! Good stuff!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC.

LOVED THIS BOOK!!! Romantic, spicy, and pulls at your heart strings. Last few chapters may have caused a tear or two…

I wasn't sure what I would get out of this book but goodness I loved it. 5/5 stars.

The inner growth and inward challenges faced in this book keep you glued the whole time. The backstories and details feel cozy and sweet but there is a deeper level of emotions and challenges being faced. It has the right amount of romance, spice, plot, challenges and the last few chapters had me crying the entire time.

Thank you for the ARC!! I loved it,

I enjoyed the small town, friends-to-lovers troupe, though felt the FMC was a bit over the top at times and thought it had a slow start. I still enjoyed it overall and have liked the author's previous books. Looking forward to the next one!

This book surprised me with how much I liked it, because it started a little slow for me. Once I got more into the story, I fell in love with the story of Fisher and Sage. The author did a great job of building their love and putting in a good amount of angst. This book had me crying big tears and then soothed my soul by the end. I recommend this book, especially if you like small town, close proximity, and let's make your ex jealous tropes.

God I loved this book. It was a little different than I was expecting going in (I thought it would be more of a romcom), but in the best possible way.

If you’re going to do a lot of internal emotional growth and grief processing, I don’t *need* a terrible amount of plot. Dewitt knew what she was doing when she plopped a grieving, burnt out chef and his teenage niece/ward in a little Oregon town and put them next door to a ray of sunshine that creeps into both of their hearts against their better judgement. Sage just gives Fisher room to feel however he feels and in turn, Fisher encourages Sage to stretch her wings a little bit.

I think these are two people that have worked themselves into boxes that aren’t where they want to be and they really needed each other to help them realize that the world is in their grasp and even if it’s not big giant decisions that they need to make, they can still reach for the little things that can make their lives happier and more fulfilling.

And as sweet and cozy as this small town romance is, there’s some heavy grief work being done here. Sage was orphaned pretty young and raised by older brothers. Fisher lost his big sister in a care accident three years prior and is now responsible for his teenage niece. So not only are they wildly attracted to each other, they’re able to connect over that painful feeling losing someone you love leaves all over you like an uncomfortable coat you can’t shake off.

And I love that Dewitt gave us the angst. Fisher js returning to NYC at the end of the summer because he has to put Indy first. And he does. It’s Indy that’s the final decision maker that decides that they’re happy ending is back in small town Oregon. Between all the dinners and canoe race training, all three of these lost little ducks begin to heal and find their place in a little family of their own. Loved.

Tarah, I’ll be sending you my bill for the Kleenex I went through in the last ten percent.

Loved this book. The connection between the two main characters was so well written, I was so upset at the end of the book I was crying. I have to read her other books now!!

✨B o o k • R e v i e w ✨

ARC || SAVOR IT by @authortarahdewitt

Release date: May 21, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️/5

If you’re looking for the perfect summer small-town romance read, here it is! I’ve loved @authortarahdewitt previous books and this was no exception!

This one started out a little slow for me, but then sucked me right in! You can’t help but fall for the cast of characters that were both very charming and relatable. I loved the small-town Gilmore Girls vibes and the “sage” advice sprinkled throughout the book!

Read this if you like ⬇️:
•Dual POV
•Grumpy x sunshine
•Slow burn
•Funny banter
•NYC chef x small-town teacher
•A farm of castaway animals
•Gilmore Girls vibes
•PNW setting
•Single guardian
•Friends with benefits
•Just for the summer

My favorite book of Tarah’s is still The Co-Op, but I also really enjoyed Funny Feelings. Be sure to check them out if you haven’t already while waiting for the release of Savor It in May!

Thank you so much to @authortarahdewitt , @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

🏷️: #savorit #tarahdewitt #bookreview #bookrecommendation #bookstagram #romancereads #bookworm #booknerd #booktrovert #bibliophile #bookrecs #netgalley #arcreview #igreads #goodreads #thecoop #funnyfeelings #booklover

I'm so sad I finished this book. It was such a feel good romance. And so perfect after watching the bear, yes chef.

-neighbors to lovers
-single "dad"
-loss of a close family member
-found family
-farm animals

Sage is a high school teacher trying to enjoy the summer and make the town hers again after her and the town "golden boy" break up. She is tired of the towns pity. In walks Fischer, an out of towner in for just the summer. Fischer and Sage both help each other grow and navigate this new stage of life

Thank you the NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC

🤞🏼Ellis and Wren get the next book. Or even Indy and Sam 🤍🤍

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity

This one hit on grief and healing.. and that hit home for me. All though I didn't feel as warm and fuzzy about the whole book. Overall I did enjoy it and the characters...

3.5 STARS

Living in a small seaside town of Spunes, Oregon, Sage Byrd knows everyone is in her business as she is in theirs. Since her boyfriend of five years ditched Sage and got engaged to someone else, Sage needs to find some new self-esteem and show she is doing great. The town has only one major event, a festival with competitions, that everyone participates in and draws in their paltry share of tourism in August. Sage needs a partner to compete so when her new next door neighbor shows up, it looks as if they can help each other out using a fake relationship to meet their individual goals.

That neighbor, disgraced and disgruntled New York Michelin starred chef, Fisher Lange, needs a lot of help. Fisher got fired after a major meltdown at his job; the owners of the restaurant are giving him a second chance by letting Fisher help with the construction and menu of a new restaurant they are opening in Spunes. Not everyone is happy about that so Fisher is finding a lot of roadblocks which Sage can help with that as well as his surly, uncooperative teenage niece whose late mother made him guardian.

Sage’s rural home is a refuge for lost souls including a motley assortment of animals like the island of lost toys. Either unwanted or abandoned, Sage tends them all even the human variety such as Fisher and Indy, his niece. Fisher has lost his way in the pressure filled world as a top chef while Sage has some serious self-confidence problems, seeing her ex around town with his new love only makes them worse.

Fisher has a big learning curve when it comes to living and working under the sharp eyes of quirky small-town inhabitants. With Sage’s help, he and Indy begin to unwind and even flourish, and although Sage knows any kind of relationship with Fisher has an end by date, she takes the chance for something knew and life-changing. This women’s fiction romance tale has a mix of humor, conflicted relationships as well as family, and a fair amount of angst. Both Sage and Fisher have family issues, past and present as well as the fact that Fisher plans to leave at the end of the summer. This story will certainly take readers for an emotional ride; told in dual perspectives, it was sometimes hard to tell them apart as Sage and Fisher’s voices do not seem that distinct.

So if you scroll through the reviews on this one, it seems to either be a hit or miss with readers. Unfortunately this was a bit of a miss. Rootbound was actually a DNF for me, so I'm starting to wonder if this author is just not for me. I know others love her, and I think that's great! We all have our own tastes :)

Make no mistake, the writing is very soft and dream-like so I see the appeal there. And that cover? Gorgeous. But Savor It has a lot of plot points going on and many of these felt underdeveloped by the end. In that vein, something would get mentioned, like hoping to win the town competition, but then not come up again until several chapters later. In the end, I just needed more. More connection, tension. development, etc.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and SMP for the ARC. All opinions are my own.