Ugh this was so good. I loved how messy it was, the depth of tension but also care between the characters, the whole world....this is what I want romance to be.

This is the second book I’ve read by this author and I think maybe she just isn’t for me. In no way am I saying book was bad, but I just didn’t love it.

The story is based on complete miscommunication from their teen years, to them reconnecting, and to about the 75% mark. Marriage of convenience is one of my favorites but I didn’t feel much emotion for theirs. Yes these two have a ton of family trauma and need to work through it but it didn’t feel momentous when they finally did talk.

I liked their banter but it was also a reminder that both of them were hiding their true feelings and had been for a long time and it was a main reason that she missed important moments for her gran.

Like I said, overall not a bad book - many others enjoyed it - just didn’t seem to be the one for me

Thanks to NetGalley for the Arc!

Home renovations will test even the most solid of marriages. Doing them with your ex? Who you marry to access the money to fund the renovation? In a house without walls and doors in most of the rooms? Yeah, that’s just asking for everything to go wrong.

Tarah DeWitt captured this stressful experience perfectly. The tension was crackling between LaRynne and Deacon. They reminded me of Melanie and Jake in the movie Sweet Home Alabama for so much of the first half of this book! Their banter was dripping with sarcasm and innuendos, and they were so quick with serving digs up left and right. It was hilarious 🤣

And while it felt like the slowest of slow burns, they finally got to the point where they were knocking down walls literally and figuratively to reconnect. And when they did was it STEAMY! 🥵 This is definitely an open door romance for more than the fact that there were literally no doors to the rooms while they renovated. I ended up skimming these chapters because the spice wasn’t quite written in the way that I personally enjoy but it was a very sex-positive relationship 🌶️

This was my first from Tarah DeWitt and somehow my first romance with a marriage of convenience trope! 💍 While I didn’t find myself connecting with these characters on a deeper level, I loved how they were messy, real and perfectly imperfect. I’m looking forward to reading more from Tarah DeWitt in the future! 3.5 Stars

This took me an embarrassingly long to finish. But not because it was boring or lacked anything. No, it was a lot in the best way possible.
I was combing through my own big feelings while they were combing through theirs. It had my heart in a vice grip with emotion.
I loved seeing teenage LaRynn and Deacon navigate their obstacles, but was also yelling at them to communicate and to just give into the love. Teenagers, amiright?
But it was well made up for as they fell apart and came back together years later. Unfortunately due to the passing of their grandmothers months prior and the actively falling apart home they passed on to them, but what else would force them back together than this whirlwind of issues. Then you toss in the marriage of convenience that had me kicking my feet over the tension.
The push and pull between our MCs will hurt your heart, I’m sorry for the spoiler on that, but also not because you need to know they will put you through it. You will scream and cry and laugh and dance along with them.
And I loved it so much. I love LaRynn because I saw a lot of myself in her. I love Deacon because he saw her and still loved all the sharp bits. Plus that man is scrumptious.

<i><b> My home, my girl, my pain in the ass, my world. That fucking force of nature. I want her on my side, that formidable, fierce woman.</b></i>


ARC REVIEW

Th Co-op is a well told enemies to lovers, second chance romance. Deacon and LaRynn are the epitome of black cat and golden retriever energy. LaRynn is emotionally exhausted from leaving law school and being cut-off by her father after a lonely childhood. They didn’t give her the love and support she needed, so she learned to be alone, and to never ask for help. Deacon is giving, loving, and thoughtful, but he has his own baggage to overcome because of his father’s infidelity and battle with cancer. To make things more complicated, they fell in love as teenagers and it ended badly. So when they are forced together as adults for a home renovation where they have to live together, all of their bitterness and anger is still there needing to be dealt with. As well as their grief for the grandmothers who left them jointly the house. This book is emotionally charged, absolutely bursting with anger, angst, and miscommunication, but the payoff when they finally get together is so worth it!

5 ⭐️ I love this book with my entire heart!


WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ second chance romance
✨ dislike to love
✨ marriage of convenience
✨ roommates
✨ forced proximity
✨ pranks
✨ insane tension
✨ ‘that’s my wife’
✨ 2.5/5 spice
✨ it’s always been you
✨ soulmates
✨ HEA
✨ the sweetest epilogue I’ve ever read
✨ TW: grief, loss of family member


My Thoughts:

I first read the indie version last year and now the updated traditional published version, and while they have some differences, I still feel the same way about this book. In both version, I fell in love with Deacon and LyRynn. Their second chance romance is EVERYTHING. These two ripped my heart out and then put it back together. So much chemistry and love. 🫶 But on top of their amazing love story, they are wonderfully flawed, relatable, and real characters. I could relate to both of them and their struggles.

I don't actually know if I've ever actually read a romance with a marriage of convenience trope and let me just say this one has me hooked. I found her slightly annoying in the beginning but I did grow to like her.

LaRynn and Deacon first met as teenagers when their grandmothers got married. They shared a passionate summer as young adults but it ended in heartbreak. When their grandmothers pass away, LaRynn and Deacon inherit their beach house but it is in disrepair. Deacon has been fixing it up himself, but he desperately needs more capital to finish the job. LaRynn has a trust fund, but she needs to be married to access it. Deacon and LaRynn end up making a deal: they will get married, use LaRynn’s trust fund to fix up the house and then share the profits when they sell it.

This was such a sweet story! I am always a big fan of second chance romances with dual POVs and dual timelines. This book was so fun and I absolutely loved LaRynn and Deacon together. This is officially my new favourite book by Tarah DeWitt and I am so excited to read more of her books.

What to expect:
🩷 Romantic Comedy
🩷 Marriage of Convenience
🩷 Dislike-to-Lovers
🩷 Second Chance
🩷 Dual POV, Dual Timeline

Thank you to Tarah DeWitt, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a beautiful story about what happens when two grandmothers leave their home in need of many repairs to their respective grandchildren. Those grandchildren also happen to be former lovers. Now they must work through expensive renovations as they decide what to do with a home that holds so many memories. As money runs out, a lucrative opportunity to access a trust presents itself through marriage.

LaRynn and Deacon's dynamic and relationship were wonderfully complex. Both characters were beautifully flawed in their own ways. As a bonus, this story has a multitude of delightful tropes.

🛠️ Marriage of Convenience
🛠️ Forced Proximity
🛠️ Rivals-to-lovers
🛠️ Second Chance

Thank you NetGalley, Tarah Dewitt, and St. Martin's Griffin for the e-ARC.

Tear down the walls and pick up this amazing new romance read.

✨ Book Review: THE CO-OP by Tarah DeWitt ✨

Just like a renovation project, this book will tear you apart and put you back together again more whole than you started. The characters are both so beautifully written. The dual timeline and dual POV of the story work to show who LaRynn and Deacon were and how they are working to be better versions of themselves for their own wellbeing and then maybe also for each other.

The depth of the characters and how deftly there were written reminds me of Abby Jimenez, one of my favorite authors. So, if you’re also an Abby fan, please pick this up. Definitely recommend.

Read THE CO-OP for
😭 All the feels
🥊 Enemies to lovers
💍 Marriage of convenience
💕 Second-chance romance
🛠️ Forced proximity
🫶 Found family and belonging
🏐 Tall, sporty main characters
🏡 Small town coastal charm
✌️ Dual POV and dual timeline

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5 stars)

😘 Thanks to @SMPRomance and @NetGalley for an eARC of this fun read. All opinions are mine alone.

This was such a cute book with some sprinkles of spice that featured tropes such as cat and mouse, second chance, marriage of convenience, and forced proximity. I really enjoy the author’s writing style and I especially adored how the cat and mouse game between the two MCs was portrayed. The multiple points of view along with the slow burn were just *chefs kiss*. The character development is absolutely phenomenal (I mean admitting faults and being the bigger person???). This book had me crying happy and sad tears throughout. Needless to say, I really enjoyed this story and I can wait to read everything that Tarah Dewitt has written!

The co-op
5/5⭐️ 
3/5🌶️ 

“-I should know how that feels, to be put in a box and for assumptions to be built around me. But instead of closing himself off and turning into an angry, imposing fortress, he just gives more of himself to people”

LaRynn and Deacon are former summer flings that ended in dramatic heartbreak. After a decade, both of their grandmothers have passed, and they’ve inherited their home and need A LOT of work. With LaRynn’s trust money and Deacon’s knowledge of construction, a marriage of convenience is struck up so they may fix the house, sell it, and put the past behind them.

This book had the best character development, displaying imperfect people deserving of love like everyone. The chemistry and banter between these two were fabulous. Tarah did an amazing job portraying how their childhood traumas carried into insecurities as adults. I loved how, with time and forced proximity, they navigated through their miscommunication of what happened that summer. 

Tropes:
Black Cat FMC POV
Marriage of convenience
Second chance 
Forced proximity
Slow burn

TW:
Death of grandparent (off-page)
Emotional abuse/neglect
Parental abandonment

This is my third book by Tarah DeWitt. I love her writing style and the emotional ride that she takes us on each time. I’m never a big fan of miscommunication but I do love a second chance romance.

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy of this renovated story!

I always know a book is going to be special when I start highlighting on the dedication page.

I enjoyed The Co-Op from start to finish. Tarah DeWittdid such a great job at dropping the reader into the story. Through the use of music, I felt like I could easily picture each scene as if it were on a screen.

This book made me genuinely snort-laugh and ugly cry and truly was the whole package. LaRynn and Deacon are so easy to root for, separately and together. Add to that their entire community, and you have a winning combination with all the best parts of a romantic comedy. Their banter was fantastic, and their chemistry was off the charts.

Getting to see their relationship morph from enemies to reluctant partners to friends and eventually, to something romantic, was such a treat. The pacing of their story really allowed for the friendship to come across as organic and we really got to see them care for each other deeply, even before getting together. Miscommunication was used SO WELL here, too. It never seemed contrived and it made sense for who these characters were.

In addition to the romance, there were many other relationships that took center stage at various points, pushing this into the “contemporary romance +” category for me. I always really love when we get to see the characters grow outside of their partnership and foster relationships with their own friends or families alongside their romantic connection. It really added so much depth to LaRynn and Deacon, and that just made their story richer.

I recommend this to everyone, but specifically if you’re into:
- A playlist that absolutely SLAPS
- Second chance romance
- Marriage of convenience
- Imperfect main characters that pull at your heartstrings
- Books that pass the Bechdel test
- Couples that are hot AND fun

ARC provided by St. Martins Press via NetGalley.

Well this was a very cute romance book, it dealt a lot with acknowledging past mistakes in relationships, addressing past miscommunications and realizing how your childhood plays a part in your adulthood. I overall enjoyed it and thought it was a sweet book, the aspect of home renovation while also having a dislike to love story was cute and interesting. I just think I never felt truly invested in either character, they were ok and I liked that they were pretty realistically portrayed. Overall this was a cute and easy romance read that gave some beachy and some small town vibes.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for granting me access in exchange for an honest review.

“I’m struck with the memory of seeing LaRynn’s name next to mine on a giant stack of paperwork, and the weird jolt alone that has given me.”

Was this my first Tarah Dewitt novel? Yes, but it won’t be my last. Friends, this book had everything I love in a book. Second Chance Romance is my favorite trope. But, the way Tarah wrote it had me gobbling this book up like a Thanksgiving meal. I truly love the author’s writing style. It had me hooked. Not to mention the way she wrote their banter! So good. This book had me tearing up from angst and from laughter. It was the best of both worlds. We love good Black Cat FMC and Golden Retriever MMC! Ah! Just want to say that her writing of grief, not feeling enough, and mental health was very great. It was a refreshing and respectful take. This book really was a great read and I’m so happy that this was the start of my journey into Tarah Dewitt’s universe.

The way this book had me giddy and kicking my feet was ridiculous, but so good! The past with Deacon and LaRynn lends itself to some big feelings and tension between the two when they are playing house during their reconstruction project. There are definitely flaws within the characters but they learn to break down walls and build up trust. They end up getting married in order to gain access to the trust and the marriage might just prove itself to be very convenient.

I am still absolutely giddy when thinking about these two! I hope everyone enjoys this story.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc copy!

I was granted an ARC via #Netgalley of the expanded -remodeled - updated version. However you wanna call it and it is amazing. The Timeline jumping is so much smoother. The TENSION. The back and forth. The banter that leads to the hottest 'taking the edge off' scene I have ever read. That addition to this new version is a masterpiece. I had the pleasure to read and listen to the original version to be able to compare. This new version needs to be rated 6 stars even if that isn't a thing.

I never thought I would think a man calling a woman 'Larry' hot? Who knew? Surely not me. Why is it so hot?!

The story follows LaRynn and Deacon as they navigate a marriage of convenience with renovating their grandmothers' beach home. With a teenage dream summer behind them they will have to sort through their unresolved feelings as they navigate fixing up the home to sell.



Comments for the first version:
This audio book was EVERYTHING. I truly mean that when I say this. Go listen the audio, whether you buy it or borrow it from the library like I did.
I know that Tarah is re-releasing this book with 27k worth of added materials but I was going through all her books that the library had and didn't want to wait until November for the release of the new book.. I will be purchasing this book myself on release date of the newly renovated version. This story is beautiful, and sweet. It's Tarah Dewitt usual funny bits with incredibly moving moments. Somehow she pokes at such sensitive wounds and doesn't drag the story down. Deacon is such mood. I can't wait to see what the update version has in store for them both.

“Back to the house that broke us down and apart before it brought us together again.”
Deacon Leeds and LaRynn Lavigne are a perfectly imperfect couple who have had so many highs and lows that eventually lead them to their happily ever after. I loved every moment of it!

Deacon and LaRynn met when they were teens, their grandmothers had gotten married so when the two visited them they shared a space. It was not love at first sight. Everything Deacon said rubbed LaRynn the wrong way and she made it known. Then one summer they became more than friends but it ended in disaster. Now a decade later the two are forced together while they fix up their grandmothers’ home.
“This whole thing with you two and the house? Sounds like kismet to me. I always thought you made a good team.”

Deacon and LaRynn had to work through their individual baggage and past in order to work together on the renovations. It was great to see how they managed to break down their walls and become something so much more.

Thank you @authortarahdewitt for the ARC!
Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥: “What if we didn’t touch?”

Oh, Tarah. Truly, I felt like you couldn’t get better after Savor It. Then I cracked open this gorgeous book and fell in love with Deacon and LaRynns story. Deacon is swoon worthy, my friends. Absolutely top notch book boyfriend material.

LaRynn and Deacon both grew up visiting Santa Clara, where their grandmothers married and own a duplex together. When their grandmothers (affectionately called ‘the grans’) pass away and leave the dilapidated duplex to both LaRynn and Deacon, a flame is reignited. The banter is excellent, the spice is spicy, and the heart was so happy reading their love story!

Thank you NetGalley, Tarah DeWitt, and St Martin’s Press for the advanced copy of this romance novel (out today!).