This was a fun romance but definitely had pacing issues. The two main characters aren't even a couple til 84%. It's a slow burn but worth it in hte end. I loved the epilogue.

3.5⭐️

A sexy and fun romance with some of the best tropes! There is a perfect blend of tension and chemistry between the characters which made for some great open door spice. The witty banter between Rynn and Deacon just makes their relationship dynamic that much better, and it was so funny! The second chance trope was done really nicely, I love when it gave “it’s always been you” vibes, and the alternating timelines help you get a better understanding of LaRynn and Deacon individually and together. I really enjoyed reading about them reconnecting after years and falling in love. All the little moments between them were so snarky and cute which just made me love them together. This book does deal with some heavier topics but it’s perfectly balanced between the dislike, love, angst, and character growth. And I absolutely adored the epilogue, I loved seeing how their relationship developed in the future. Also, the friendships in this were wholesome, I just wish we got more of the background characters.

I recommend checking out this quick and cute romance!

CW: parental abandonment, past deaths of family members, emotional abuse, infidelity from side character, grief.

Deacon and LaRynn have not seen each other in nearly a decade. They met after their grandmothers got married and built a loving and safe home in the building they own. Deacon and LaRynn had a whirlwind summer where fun turned into heartfelt feelings. However, LaRynn felt the sentiments were one sided when Deacon failed to express his feelings towards her.

Fast forward almost 10 years and the “Grands” have passed away and left the building to Deacon and LaRynn. After not seeing each other for so long, they enter into an awkward agreement to renovate and then sell the Co-op. But money is tight, repairs are many and old feeling start to come to the surface. While repairing the beloved home, repairs are also being made to Deacon and LaRynn.

This book is sweet, sexy, and full of laughs even though both characters are struggling with heartbreaking past relationships: Deacon with his Dad and LaRynn with her parents. They are also struggling with the very real feelings they have for each other. I enjoyed the progression of their relationship, told with flashbacks to their incredible summer of first love. Deacon is swoony and compassionate and LaRynn is headstrong and determined as she opens her heart and learns to feel worthy of love even with her broken pieces.

“…people aren’t houses or projects. You can’t disassemble them and find out how they operate, identify their broken bits and replace them.”

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I feel it unfair to rate this book as I did not realize how much sex was involved upon requesting this book. It was only when I read the trigger warnings in the beginning of the book that this was made apparent. I’m not into spicy romance books but the plot of this book was very cute. If you don’t mind the spice check it out. My rating does not take into account the spicy elements.

It’s easy to write a 3 star romance. But this book tackles all the hard messy stuff of so many tropes and it’s so well done. Having been through a second chance romance I could relate immensely. DeWitt did a fabulous job creating this adorable community and a relationship I was cheering for the entire time. The miscommunication trope isn’t fluffy and the spice doesn’t overshadow the grief and the life lessons, but it’s definitely there and it’s GOOD. LOVE LOVE LOVED.

I received an advance review copy for free from the publisher via Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I fell in love with Tarah DeWitt after reading Savor It this summer, and when I found out she was re-releasing The Co-Op, I was so excited to read it!

This is a story of second chance romance, done right. It’s normally not a trope I enjoy, but I couldn’t help but route for these two as they navigated the messy reality of being adults with past trauma and real life struggles.

My favorite part of the story was how realistic their struggles were. I felt like I could relate or empathize with them easily. I really appreciated how Tarah wrote them as flawed, they rarely handled conflict well, especially in the beginning and something about it just made me fall for these characters quickly.

Beyond that, tension was sizzling, the banter was so silly and enjoyable, and the side story of why these two were brought together again was so sweet 🥹 the character growth was also such a great part of the story. The perfect balance of wanting to do things “right”, while also teasing and taunting each other, yet fighting their natural chemistry 😏 that slow burn is always the fun part, right?

The ending and epilogue were just right. Nothing too dramatic, but still enough of a little twist that made my heart so happy ♥️

At first I was worried the main characters being enemies was going to get to me. It seemed like it could have been annoying but once the story got going I actually enjoyed the dynamic between them. I also loved Sally’s character and the subtle impact she had on the story. Overall, a great read and I look forward to reading more by Tarah Dewitt!

LaRynn Lavigne and Deacon Leeds inherit a run-down building from their respective grandmothers. The caveat? They had a brief romance ten years ago.
LaRynn has just decided to deviate from her law school path and her displeased father has cut her off leaving her penniless except for a trust fund. The trust fund can only be accessed if she is married. She and Deacon decide to combine her funds and his construction talent even though they simply cannot stand each other.

With a home with no walls, they soon learn that living with each other has to come with some rules. Before long, LaRynn and Deacon begin to understand who they are now and if they are truly meant to be together.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

I actually ended up enjoying this book. It took me some time to get into it but once I did, I couldn’t put it down.

It was frustrating at first because I wanted to know the reason why they broke up in the first place. I wanted to know their trauma, how terrible their upbringings were. What shaped them into who they are now.

It was also frustrating because they weren’t really good at communicating with one another. They were always beating around the bush, but you could tell that they cared in some way.

I loved that LaRynn was a hard ass but had a soft side to her that she didn’t know how to express. I loved how Deacon would pull back on the sarcasm and let LaRynn know how much he appreciated the gesture. Lol what I didn’t like was the fighting that happened right after that.

But regardless of the fighting and miscommunication, I ended up liking their story. Especially when they did get better at communicating once it hit like the 75% mark of the book. I think that’s what I loved the most. Rarely in slow burn books do we get to see how the main characters future will unfold and I loved that we got a glimpse of it with this book.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this arc for my honest review.

WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO READ THIS!!! i’m quite literally kicking myself for not reading this sooner because it was sooo dang good!

‘the co-op’ had everything i love in a romcom - the banter was top tier! it was such a fun, cute, & quick read, i had such a hard time putting it down!

larynn & deacon are definitely one of my fav book couples now 😍 i love them together so much!

i adored the little epilogue also, getting a glimpse into their future and how their relationship panned out is everything i needed!

thank you so much tarah, st.martin’s press, & netgalley for the arc of ‘the co-op’ 🤍

What a blast this was to read. The banter, the tension, the angst of it all. But also. the love. It’s second chance done right and in between the fighting you could truly feel the love the characters had for each other.
I really enjoyed reading this and giggled and kicked my feet through much of it. Definitely would recommend this to anyone wanting rom com vibes and a good time.

THE CO-OP by Tarah DeWitt was a perfect read for this week.

Usually I have no objection to third act breakups, but not right now. This was a lovely second chance romance, with two people who hurt each other when they were younger forced to work (and live!) together in a marriage of convenience while they renovate the house they inherited. They gradually open up to each other, learn patience with each other, fall in love with each other. And they don't break up! It was exactly what I needed.

This was not one of my favorites from Tarah.

I had a hard time connecting with the characters and really investing in their love story. As always I loved the banter that she includes in her book. The ending felt a little rushed and felt like more time could’ve been spent on that than the build up in the first half.

Typically I enjoy a duel time line but I didn’t necessarily feel that the chapters in the past added anything to the story and could’ve just been included in the present day.

I’m a sucker for a strong grandparent relationship so I didn’t love that portion.

Overall it was a good easy romance with good banter but just not a favorite by Tarah. Bonus points for the playlist

This book is so full of emotion and wonderful characters. I was a little worried when I realized it was a second-chance romance since that's a trope I don't usually enjoy, but this book was so good! It had the right amount of humor, tension, spice, and emotion. Both of the main characters really go through it in the story but manage to be there for each other, even before they forgave each other for their past. Also, their elderly next-door neighbor added some needed jokes throughout the story and was by far my favorite character. This is a wonderful story and a very enjoyable read!

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have not read many books by this author, but The Co-op truly surprised me! This felt like a true enemies to lovers romance story and the banter between the MMC and FMC kept me giggling the entire time.

I don’t normally love books that go back and forth between timelines, but I do think Tarah handled that very well, and I was excited for every chapter I read, past or present!

Both of these characters felt very raw and real (especially LaRynn) and while I can’t say I necessarily related to their stories, I definitely felt empathetic towards them regarding certain personal struggles.

This was overall a very sweet book and I’m so glad I was able to read it!

This book is too slow-paced for me. It didn’t hold my interest. I’m sure others will enjoy it.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

The writing consists of sharp dialogue and relatable characters that keep you invested in their journey. The chemistry between Jamie and Theo is electric, and their witty banter adds both humor and tension to their evolving relationship. DeWitt skillfully tackles themes of forgiveness, personal growth, and second chances, all while delivering an enjoyable, feel-good romance. The Co-Op is an absolute gem for fans of enemies-to-lovers stories, with a perfect balance of sweetness and steam.

Brought together as teens when their grandmas married, LaRynn & Deacon have a summer fling that ends in tears, regret, & anger.

Years later, they inherit their grandmas’ house & decide to renovate & sell. The problem is money & LaRynn just happens to have a trust fund that she can access if she gets married 😏

Enter angst, tension, forced proximity & plenty of walks down memory lane.

When the story was focused on the couple, the house, their growth…it was good. I was interested & I wanted it to keep going. But the side stories were too numerous & scattered. I started to skim over those parts to get back to the main plot.

I do give two thumbs up for the Epilogue ❤️

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC opportunity!

In my opinion this book was just okay, it was kinda hard to get into but over all it was a cute read. I loved the house revamp idea but the romance was just kind flat to me. Kinda underwhelming. It wasn’t the worst but it wasn’t the best lol

Renovating this book was such a good decision. This version truly feels like the story Deacon and LaRynn deserved.

LaRynn and Deacon spent a summer together when they were teenagers. Now they’re in their twenties and working to remodel the house their grandmas left them. They obviously don’t like each other anymore, but get married so LaRynn can collect her inheritance money. This way they can finish renovating the house and get away from each other.

LaRynn and Deacon have two different versions of what happened the summer they spent together. LaRynn was falling in love and thought Deacon was just keeping it casual. Deacon fell in love, but thought LaRynn was ashamed of him because they were a secret. As adults, they now have to confront all of these feelings because they’re forced together in order to fix the house. They bicker and try to get under each other’s skin, but you can tell it’s not from a place of hate, they just want each other’s attention. There’s still so much love between them, but neither wants to be the first to admit it.

I absolutely loved the flashback chapters. It’s one of the things I felt was missing from the original version. They really helped me connect more with Deacon and LaRynn and just really tied the story together.

It was definitely more lovey dovey than before. It still felt like a little too much of a slow burn for me. Deacon is such a golden retriever and LaRynn really wants to be soft and sweet with him so I think more scenes like that would have been nice. I still love them and definitely feel like this revamped version is the one that was always meant to be.