Tarah Dewitt hooked me with Funny Feeling and Savor It, and with this stunning cover, I was so excited for The Co-Op! LaRynn and Deacon had a summer fling as teens that didn’t end well, but a decade later their lives are thrown back together when their grandmothers leave them shared ownership of their dilapidated building—LaRynn has the money but to access it, she needs to be married; Deacon has the skills to fix the house, but no money, so a fake marriage later, these two are thrown into a world of reconstruction and reflection. This has all the tropes: marriage of convenience, forced proximity, second chance. The banter is on-point and as always with Dewitt’s writing, the depth of these characters is so strong and they’re all so well developed will still being lighthearted. I will say there was something about the pair that just didn’t 100% click for me. It is a slow burn story, and maybe that was it, that I wanted more of them as a couple to really get into their love story. But I really enjoyed the plot and the setting and the growth of LaRynn and Deacon. LaRynn is working so much on her own path and she’s just got so much heart and love. I loved her as the heroine. This is a swoon love story, maybe not my favorite of Tarah Dewitt’s, but still beautiful and fun with beautiful characters!

I went into this a bit skeptical as I’m not usually a fan of marriages of convenience. But this was a fun read. I am a fan of second chance love, especially teen romances rekindled, so this was right up my alley. Deacon and LaRynn were fun and had great chemistry. It was a quick read.
Tarah DeWitt is a terrific writer and I think she delivered with The Co-Op! I’ll be eager to read her next one.
Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for ARC copy!

Review to Come

Love the cover ❤️
Description intrigued me…
Author is new to me.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

What a beautifully delightful heartwarming read!

LaRynn and Deacon had some amazing banter and sexual tension! They have a complicated history and I loved seeing how everything unfolded and them finally come together. I seriously loved both of these characters and Deacon totally had me swooning. That epilogue was icing on the cake!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

This is my first time reading Tarah DeWitt and I think I'll be reading some of her prior books, based on this one. I definitely found it hard to put down, but also a bit frustrating at points...

This book follows Deacon and LaRynn, second chance lovers with some forced proximity, and what can I say? I love romance books because the tropes are enjoyable. :) A few notes:
* I loved the setting - it felt a lot like Beach Read by Emily Henry
* I loved all of the little stories and personifying details that were given to each of the characters
* I found some of the plot points/details to be unbelievable. I can't imagine LaRynn's shopping spree costing so much when she knew their budget. I also feel like some of their flirting/nakedness/interactions happened before they'd be comfortable doing so without a conversation/shared common ground emotionally first.
* For real, I just wanted the characters to have some communication! Have a conversation sooner! I really want romance books that exist even if that happens.
* Vinyl records being called vinyls. That's not correct. The plural is vinyl - that detail really distracted me. That said, I loved the role of music in their life together.
* I loved their love for the grands and how much I could feel it being reciprocated for them in their memories, as well as their other friends.

I enjoyed this second chance romance of first love.

There were a lot of unsaid things and feelings when they first fell in love. I thought it was mature of them as adults to really speak their mind with each other. Because their perceptions were vastly different then what was perceived. And them in a middle of a renovation, with all that added stress.

LaRynn was a very relatable character. The flashback scenes were so much fun.

For fans of Chloe Liese’s Bergman Brothers or Christina Lauren, you will enjoy.

The 2 main characters had a steamy summer fling when they were teens which ended horribly and end up in decades of “hatred” towards each other, but later on their grandmothers marry each other— and then when they pass they leave their dilapidated home to both of them.

They decide to fix it all up using funds from LaRynne’s trust fund only released if she gets married to turn into a rental, but they’re both broke so they have to live together in it while renovating, forcing them to deal with the past while temporarily being husband and wife.

Fake marriage trope + some steam. Was a cute rom com and a good easy read!

This was my second Tarah DeWitt book, and although I liked Savor It, it didn't blow me out of the water. The Co-op blew me out of the water! I loved this book, and I immediately downloaded the author's backlist and made my way through it. I am only now coming up for air!! In The Co-op, LaRynn and Deacon's grandmother's were married to each other. As teens, LaRynn and Deacon had one summer of passion, but now kinda hate each other and are emotionally broken. When their grandmothers pass away, the grandchildren are left with their fixer upper property that they need to rehab and sell in order to move on with their lives. However, living together and acknowledging their unrequited feelings for one another turns their relationship on its head. This one is so, so good!!! I am now a DeWitt devotee!!

3.5 stars rounded up. This was my first book by the author and I liked it. I know this was previously published but she added/changed some things and reworked the book as a whole. I love marriage of convenience and second chance romance but for some reason this felt almost forced and even aggressive at times. Once the aggression died down, the banter was fun. Both main characters have their issues and once they learn to talk those issues out, the relationship started to fell more real. I did enjoy the flashbacks and dual POV, they helped build the story more for me. I don't know what it was exactly but I really just wanted more. I do look forward to reading more of the authors books though!

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

This was such an emotional and beautiful slow-burn second chance romance. I loved being immersed in the love story of Deacon and Lavigne. This author never disappoints.

I was definitely not feeling this one. Maybe it was the wrong time but the FMC just rubbed me the wrong way. I really didn't vibe with her character at allll and she was insufferable.

i tried listening to this one prior to the rerelease/reworking of this version of the book and it was not my favorite. i did end up DNFing but due to knowing there was added chapters and reworking i wanted to give this another shot!

unfortunately my feelings remained the same, i just was not the biggest fan of the FMC. i had a hard time rooting for the two of them to be together and truly i dont know how the MMC could put up with the way LaRynn behaved 😅

absolutely beautiful cover and great concept the execution just still didnt do it for me

LaRynn and Deacon have had a thing for each other since childhood. From the deep rooted bond and beautiful relationship that their grandmothers shared, it’s no surprise that they would eventually end up together.

But when things take an unexpected wrong step, it leads to the two of them leading completely different lives. AND they lose contact for a long. long. time.

After the unfortunate passing of both of their grandmothers only months apart from each other and finding out that the home they shared together was left to their beloved grandchildren.

The issue is - the house is a mess and they have NO money to put into it. Not only that, but LaRynn and Deacon have left so many things unsaid about the past that it’s difficult for them to move forward.

A marriage of convenience to access LaRynn’s trust leads to them having no choice but to live in close proximity to each other and work out their issues.
- What working out their issues entails;
endless banter and poking fun
mutual… satisfaction (iykyk)
and the slow unwinding of sexual tension that is WORTH 👏 THE 👏 WAIT 👏 (don’t fret, you don’t have to wait a super long time)

When I read Savor It, I was like “No. No Tarah-written couple will have my heart the way Sage and Fisher do.” Then I read The Co-Op. The entire premise of the book is so interesting and I absolutely L O V E LaRynn and Deacon with my whole entire heart and soul.

AND TARAH!!!! THAT EPILOGUE 😭😭😭😭😭👏👏👏👏👏

Thank you so much to Tarah DeWitt, NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC 🫶 all opinions are my own xoxo

This was such a good book! I finished it in like 4 days, and that’s super fast for me. I have never been a huge romance reader; but after reading this, I’m obsessed. Incredible job!!

I loved it before and I love it now!

Love Tarah’s writing so much and I just love Deacon and LaRynn, I wanted even more time in the Co-Op world!

Second chance romance AND fake relationship/marriage of convenience? Sign me up, please. Twice. Thrice.

I wasn't disappointed by The Co-op despite my lofty expectations, considering how much I loved Tarah DeWitt's last books. I LOVED it. Loved the main characters, loved their progression, loved the side characters (especially neighbour Sally). Good amount of spice for a romcom. Can't wait to recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and SMP for the review copy of this book. All opinions are mine!

Primera vez leyendo a la autora y me ha encantado! Es un libro que puedo recomendar fácilmente.
Quiero abrazar a los protagonistas. Me identifiqué con los dos.
En definitiva seguiré leyendo más de la autora.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of the co-op.

I really liked this book and would recommend it to all who love a second chance romance.

I absolutely devoured this book! Second-chance romance is my kryptonite and this gem combines that with a marriage of convenience. That's right, folks, it's the cherry on top of the literary pudding!
The story flips between the present and the past. I know that some people might not dig this style, but I love it—it's like getting juicy little sneak peeks into the history of our main characters. There’s a delightful mystery as you try to piece together what happened that made them break up in the past. The author skillfully reveals the details, just as we see them falling in love all over again in the present.

This romance felt absolutely epic. I could practically feel their chemistry sizzling right off the pages. he reason for their breakup? Totally believable for the dramatic teenagers they once were, and their journey to overcome past bitterness and evolve into better versions of themselves was heartwarming.

And oh my goodness, must I mention the steaminess? Oooh lala! The robe scene was so scorching hot, I’m pretty sure my book spontaneously combusted. This one is a must-read, folks!

4.5⭐️ LOVED it! Thank you Tarah for the ARC !!

Short Synopsis: LyRynn and Deacon, HS lovers now turned enemies, have to work together to renovate their grandmothers’ Co-Op in order to sell and make a profit. With 8 years of not speaking and built up animosity, will they be able to let go of their history, confront how they feel and start over?

Thoughts: Okay this book has SO many of my favorite tropes- second chance romance, marriage of convenience, forced proximity- all within the context of a home renovation, which I’ve been loving lately. The plot, will not the most unique, was hilarious, entertaining (lots of pranks/banter) and filled with so much love. Tarah is skilled at creating characters that feel like friends, and by the end of her books, I always feel apart of the HEA. I adored LyRynn and Deacon both separately and together, and appreciated the balance she created between their hesitation to move on from the past and their openness to find a new beginning. Also, there is no third act break up so extra brownie points :)

Read if you like:
-Second chance romance
-Forced proximity
-Marriage of convenience
-Dual POVs
-Fixer Upper