3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Second chance and marriage of convenience are two of my favorite tropes, so I was intrigued from the start. The characters are sweet and well developed. I was definitely rooting for them. While it was a cute, fun read, this one fell a little flat for me.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

Tarah Dewitt does not miss, and this book was no exception. The book follows LaRynn and Deacon as they renovate the house that their grandmothers left them. Forced proximity, enemies to lovers, second chance romance, marriage of convenience? Sign. Me. Up.

This book was just such a joy to read. The chemistry? Amazing. The banter? Spectacular. The dual perspectives and alternating timelines? Give me more! I loved being in both their heads. I loved watching how they fell back in love. I loved watching them communicate and deal with their issues. I just loved everything about it.

LaRynn and Deacon were such a pleasure to read. Both of them just complimented each other in such a beautiful way. I loved that they actually dealt with why they broke up and actively tried to work on those issues to be better for the other person. I loved that they helped each other through their own issues. Everything about this was just perfection.

I honestly was surprised when the book ended because I was just having such a fun time that I didn’t even realize that I’d read the whole book. I love this book and these characters so much. They tugged on my heartstrings and made me cry and laugh and hope and it was all just so lovely.

4.5 stars from me!

I always love a Tarah book but WOWWWW, "The Co-Op" is truly something special. Deacon and Larynn are both beautifully flawed characters that waded through personal beliefs of feeling unlovable, plus the tension from their escapades when they were younger, in addition to the grief associated with losing their grandmothers. The house renovation setting was so delightful, and their banter was incredible!! Highly highly recommend ANY Tarah DeWitt book, but this has slotted itself into my #1 recommendation for sure.

Yoooooooooooo I loved this one. I haven’t liked a book like this in a long time. The LaRynn character was so unique and her thoughts and emotions extremely well thought out in such a realistic way. I also just loved the quote shown here. What girl hasn’t felt extremely insecure about someone they’re starting to fall for! It gave me such a nostalgic window to painful, teenage heartache.

The sparks between these two were 🌶️🌶️🌶️ muy caliente 🥵. Absolutely devoured this one!

Every book I read of Tarah's I think, "this is my favorite one" and then she goes and comes out with another.

The Co-op was so freaking good. I absolutely devoured this book. I love LaRynn and Deacon so much.

So here's the deal. LaRynn and Deacon meet as teenagers while visiting their grandmother's (yes both their grandmothers are married to eachother). They have a summer romance that ends in heartbreak for both of them. Several years later, both of their grandmothers have passed away and they inherit the house together and the house needs a lot of work. Deacon has the ability and skill to fix it, but he's not got the cash. LaRynn has the cash, but needs to get married to access it. Seems like an easy way to make everything happen, except they kind of can't be around eachother because of previously stated teenage heartbreak. But they are out of options and decide to marry long enough to fix the house, sell and be out of eachother's hair for good. Nothing could go wrong with that plan, right?!

I love a second chance romance, but a 2nd chance with enemies to lovers undertones and a believable marriage of convenience trope? I need it now! I absolutely loved the banter and the teasing between the two MCs. I love that LaRynn isn't outwardly soft and that Deacon loves her sharp edges.

The way that Tarah can write such an emotionally charged story and the humor doesn't take away from the depth of the book. She layers and layers and I always end up laughing and crying at the same time.

Deacon Leeds and LaRynn Lavigne are like oil and water. After a summer fling that ended badly, they haven't been on speaking terms. In a surprise turn of events, their grandmothers leave them shared ownership of their Santa Cruz property which happens to be falling apart. To move forward, Deacon and LaRynn are going to have to put their past behind them and work as a team to get the property ready to rent. Throw in LaRynns trust fund which requires her to marry to access the money and they find themselves in a real predicament. Can they move past all of their hurt and truly become a team to accomplish this project?

This was my first Tarah DeWitt read and it certainly won't be my last! I was immediately wrapped up in this story and became so invested in these characters. They are not without their flaws but that made their relationship and conflicts feel so real. I love a good marriage of convenience story and this one truly did not disappoint! The chemistry and tension between Deacon and LaRynn made me not want to put this book down. I highly recommend grabbing this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC!

3.5/5 stars

Thank you St. Martin's Griffin for the advanced reading copy!

This book was sooo cute from the start, and kept my attention throughout (honestly kind of rare for romance). LaRynn and Deacon were both very sweet and had great chemistry, making this a believable romance. Based on other reviews and the description, I expected this book to be pretty smutty, it was more romance with a few spicy scenes in my opinion -- not an issue at all just different than I expected! The spicy scenes were well done and didn't seem weird or awkward at all. While I did enjoy this book overall, nothing stood out to be as super special or memorable. The characters, plot and romance were solid, but nothing above and beyond. Would recommend if you're looking for a romance with good balance between sweet and spicy!

crying!!!!!!! because somehow tarah made this book and this story even more perfect than it already was!!! every single page is gold!!! i love so much that we got the before chapters in this updated version— it made me feel that much closer to larynn and deacon! and it made the tension in each of their interactions even more tangible! i felt immediately wrapped up in their easy chemistry and their top tier banter! and who they are at their core deeply resonates with me! so much of this story brought me to literal tears— the intimate scenes, the “fuck it” moment, the love declarations, when they finally address their past, their inner monologues when they’re finally honest with themselves, all of it!!! so many tears! i just love larynn and deacon soooo much it hurts!!!! 😭
no critiques, no notes, not a single flaw— this book is sooo sooo good i want to immediately turn back to page one and live it again! my heart is so full it could burst! 🥹

Rating: 5/5 stars

Tarah DeWitt has done it again; she wrote another book that had me unable to put it down. If you're looking for a finish in one day romance, this is the one.

LaRynn and Deacon's chemistry is sizzling. In the "Before" scenes, and in the present day, there's just something palpable between these characters. The banter adds a comedic dynamic, and their other relationships--familial and friend--add so much depth to this story. The vulnerability each shows, slowly, in little snippets, only deepens the obvious physical connection between them. I loved the dual POV in this one, because there's a real longing and respect and sense of care coming from each character for the other that you get from each perspective.

A great example of this is Deacon's internal monologue over the pillows, and how he reflects back on his own parents before responding to LaRynn's actions feels like such a moment of growth for him, but also for their relationship. But what DeWitt does so excellently is to then have the same conversation backslide a bit. Sort of a one step forward, one and a half steps back. There's still unresolved hurt between these characters, the reality is more complex. This makes the story feel real without it coming across as gratuitous conflict.

I just loved this book. More than once while reading it I had thoughts like "I want to keep this book forever and read it again and again" and then felt really happy when I realized I can do exactly that. Tarah DeWitt books just have that affect on me.

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

Arc Review

4 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love Tarah Dewitt her books are always such fun reads

I really enjoyed this wholesome and sweet second chance, romance about Deacon and LaRynn.
I loved watching each of them grow on their own and then as a couple. Even when they were bickering and butting heads.

Let’s not forget about the connection LaRynn had with her late grandmother, that was so cute! 🥹

If you’re looking for a force proximity, marriage of convenience, second chance, romance, with some spice and a HEA, then this book is for you! (As always, check your trigger warnings)

"I am learning how good it feels to be honest instead of easy"

I AM A PUDDLE. It's always been you is one of the most underrated tropes I fear. They met at 15, had a summer fling at 19, now it's been 7 years and they are reunited once again, this time while having to work on a construction project for a building that means a lot to the both of them. In order to get the funds to do so they, they need to get married (dun dun dun).

LaRynn is me, I am LaRynn. And Deacon? I was in love with him as soon as I found out he looks like Dansbae Swanson.

From about the 25% mark, I could not put this book down. The banter is insanely well down & overall exactly the feel good story I needed in ATM.

I loved this book! I was in a little bit of a book slump and took forever to finish this book, but i always wanted to know what was going on with Deacon and LaRynn. This story has me laughing and crying. It's relatable, falling in love during a renovation... you see the lows and the highs! I can't wait to meet this author one day and tell her thank you for the amazing stories!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!!!

this was just as good as it was the first time around. i’ve never read a tarah dewitt book i didn’t love. they’re always so full of heart and humor, emotion and spice. larynn & deacon’s story might be my favorite of all the stories she’s written. 🧡

This is now my second Tarah DeWitt book that just absolutely wrecked my brain in the best way possible. I don't know what she puts in her writing but I am now addicted.

This book has always been in the back of my mind on my endless TBR but I kept putting it off. It lived on my Kindle Unlimited for over a year, just waiting for its time in the sun. I was this close to picking it up earlier this year, but then Tarah announced that this book was being rereleased under SMP with over 30k in rewrites, so I held off until I could get my grubby little hands on a new release copy earlier this fall.

The Co-Op follows Deacon and LaRynn, two people that used to be in love with each other when they were teens who have now been brought together to rebuild the home they've inherited from their late grandmothers. In need of an influx of cash to afford the repairs, the two strike up a marriage of convenience despite the fact that they drive each other insane. But slowly the forced proximity and unresolved angst after all these years allows for these two to try a second chance at the romance that destroyed them so long ago.

There is so much angst in the best kind of way. These two feel so so strongly about the other in a way that pulls so deeply at your heart. What I love too is that LaRynn is considered an unlikeable character, but I fell absolutely in love with her. I love female characters with prickly, jagged edges and the boys who love them for it. There's so many moments of soft and lovely romance that warms your heart, but Tarah really balances them with the dual timeline of angst and strife that these two go through as teenagers.

I'm always hesitant to read second chance romances, but this book is definitely one to convince me to be a fan of this trope. I had a fantastic time and definitely can't wait to see what others think of it.

3.5 ⭐️

Deacon + LaRynn bring quite a bit to this second chance romance. This is a slow burn, in my opinion, but you get bits and pieces of some romance along the way.

Deacon + LaRynn have a marriage of convenience but because of their past, this marriage is a little more drama filled than others.

They are renovating a home together after their grandmothers left it to them, unexpectedly and their only choice is to fix it up, to rent it out. While they’re “newly weds” and learning to budget.

There were some funny parts to it, some spice throughout but more towards the end, as well as grief, healing and closure.

It is LGBTQIA+ friendly, which I loved. There is also mention of dyslexia and it just felt like an inclusive book.

The first half was a little lacking for me, but the romance at the end with the grief and closure was really nice. I also really enjoyed the epilogue wrap up!

This book comes out today, 11/12/24! Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the read :)

I am a sucker for enemies to lovers and did both the kindle and audio version! Love and it was a great feel good read!

The first Tarah Dewitt book I read was Savor it and I loved it! I was so excited to read this one next and it didn’t disappoint.
Tarah is so good at creating characters who are so easy to fall in love with (Deacon I’m looking at you) and whose chemistry and banter is off the charts. I didn’t like LaRynn much in the beginning but she grew on me.
Second chance romance, forced proximity, and marriage of convenience, what more could a girl ask for?!
I was giggling and kicking my feet but also there were some parts that had me feeling a little emotional.
I’m excited to read some more Tarah Dewitt books!
Happy reading!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC. I had a difficult time getting into it and ended up speed reading through the last half of the book. Overall it just fell flat for me.

This renovated edition brings a whole new viewpoint to Deacon and LaRynn’s story.

I loved the original story, but I think I loved this more. We got different points of view, bonus content, but the same story about uncovering the things that build character in ourselves and how life and partnership is a never ending project.

I liked the subtle changes and the restructuring of the timeline, I felt like it flowed through the story better.

I highly recommend giving it a second chance 😉

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for granting me an ARC copy of this new edition.

3.5/4⭐️
Was kinda torn with this book, there was a lot I loved about it and some things I didn’t. I really loved the complexity of both LaRynn and Deacon’s characters and enjoyed the time jumps showing their current situation and back to the summer they spent together. Something was just missing for me, I didn’t feel that attached to the story and got bored at some points. I did really love the ending though it was so sweet and I love the storyline of the ‘Grands’ 🥹