This was not for me, which I was bummed about because I liked what I've read of this author before. I didn't feel like I bought the marriage of convenience trop, which is normally a favorite of mine. I also can't stand miscommunication because it can make characters feel immature. This just wasn't for me, but I know others loved it and I will recommend it to those that fall in this category.

Even with the forced proximity and fake marriage in this book, parts of their love story felt attainable and real. This romance is a sweet mix of vulnerability and humor but definitely a spicy read. 3.5⭐️

Unfortunately this book was not for me. After finding out that it was a re-release, I wondered if that was part of the problem. The book felt over-written and forced. I found the characters off-putting from the start and was very bothered by the niche cultural references (such as TikTok memes). I didn’t finish it because I was just so bothered by the writing style and didn’t connect with the story. I imagine other readers of this author would enjoy it, or maybe someone looking for something with a sharper voice than most romance.

This is my first book that I’ve read by Tarah Dewitt. And gosh if I won’t immediately pick up another one. The Co-op was such a fun book to read!

Not only was this a fun read but it delves into the true nature of human beings, childhood trauma, growth, and grief. Sounds deep and it is, but Dewitt does such a great job with these characters and how utterly real they are.

LaRynn and Deacon have an intense history as teenagers. After not speaking for years, as adults they inherent a beach house in Santa Cruz after their grandparents’ passing. They have to learn to work together to renovate this death trap while working out their differences and their pasts. The twist is that they get married to receive funds for the renovation…

4 stars from me! I loved this and look forward to reading more from this author. I recommend picking this up when it comes out November 12.

A great thank you goes out to Tarah Dewitt, St. Martin’s Griffin, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I overall quite enjoyed this book! It had really great tropes that I really enjoyed, and the characters were great and I love their connection and how they bond over their traumas and families.



The tropes in this book were so well done! If you love second chance romances, then this book is definitely for you! I love how it was done, and how we saw a little of their past together and how that connected them today. I also loved that this was combined with marriage of convenience and enemies to lovers! The whole premise and the plot of this book felt very original and I enjoyed every second of it!



I really enjoyed Deacon and LaRynn together, and I felt like they were imperfectly perfect together. They were both strong personalities, but they both had so much love for each other and their families at their core, and I love how they tried to make each other better. I also loved how this was a slow burn and the journey that they had to fall in love. My only problem was that they didn’t have the best communication, however, I really liked them together most of the time!



I really enjoyed the writing in this book! Some parts were really beautifully written, and this book was a great mix of emotions and moments that made me laugh out loud! The banter between our two main characters was so good and this was such a great read! I would highly recommend this book to any romance reader! 🥰



4.25⭐️

I grew up off of highway 17 and loved getting to be in Santa Cruz for this book. The MMC is the perfect handy man and the house they inherited from their passed grandparents kicks off the rekindling of their love story. This was such an easy cute read and I couldn’t put it down. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC. <3

To start, thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for allowing me to read an ARC of The Co-Op

Marriage of convenience to the one who broke your heart when you were young, and a house renovation with a healthy dose of forced proximity on top of it...LaRynn and Deacon certainly have their work cut out for them. After their grandmothers, 'the grands', die just a few months from one another, LaRynn and Deacon are left the house that their grandmothers first fell in love in, the same house they met in as teenagers and fell in love in as young adults, only to break quickly break each others hearts. They tell themselves they would rather be in this situation with anyone else, but they have to do this, financially, and for the grandmothers who loved them so. Together they battle all of the drama and hurdles every home renovation faces, all the while fighting their chemistry and their own personal demons, the very things that once upon a time brought them together and then tore them apart.

Every so often a book comes along that hits this piece of you deep inside, wrestles its way in there, and stays, filling you with the kind of thoughts and feelings only a really good book can. I had the pleasure of reading Funny Feelings, and an ARC for Savor It, so I went into this read expecting to love it and all that Tarah DeWitt brings to a love story. The Co-Op however struck a personal chord that echoed from the pages. I did the thing that I do when I love a book and go look at what others say about it, and one of the critiques I saw many times which was around the miscommunication and maturity of these characters. While I do understand, I think it is worth it to really step back and ask what the characters back story is trying to tell you about them and how their brain and emotions have been wired to function based on what they were told about themselves from a young age, those are not easy pathways to navigate, and they take time and sometimes a soft and supportive place to land before smoothing them out.

Absolutely reccommend

I’ve had the opportunity to read both versions of The Co op, and I can say there's been multiple changes in the book. However, I believe the essence of the first manuscript is still in the new one, which might not be a good thing because I did not like the book the first time around.

Despite the changes, I stand with my first review, which is that this book was exhausting to read. It was a constant back a ford where they were vulnerable for one minute only for them to be at each other throats 30 seconds later.

I know the author is not going to write an entire book where everything they did was fix up the property— I'll watch an HGTV show for that—, but where was it? When a book is built around them getting married to keep a propery they are going to renovate, I believe you have to add some elements to make that happen.

The problem I had with the main character is the fact that they were so defensive all the time for no apparent reason. Also, I understan the events in chapter one might have affected her, but have a goddam conversation and stop letting the issue fester for EIGHT F*CKING YEARS, like girl your frontal lobes weren't fully developed, what were you expecting?

Also, LaRynn, you are twenty five, and have a tight budget so, please, as much as that man ended up "liking" the pillows, I think is pretty obvious spending $95 on a single pillow—she bought a few— is pretty stupid and something Deacon might have the right to get mad over. And let's ignore all ignore the toothbrush scene, because you have to be pretty selfish and childish to think about doing something like that.

In that same note, the epilogue was a cute thing to read, but seeing how toxic this couple truly was, I don't believe for a second they stayed together, and please don't get me started on the name they give their daughter— Dot, as in full stop dot.

The cover is really pretty, though.

Thank your NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc!

I enjoyed this book. It took a little bit of time to get invested in the MCs separately, but I love second chance and as soon as they started messing with each other I was hooked.

This was a cute second chance romance story. The story follows Deacon and Larynn throughout when they met as late teens and then ended up seeing each other again later in life. This was not my favorite book by this author but it still held my attention and was interesting.

The Co-op is such a lovely second chance romance with fun tropes including forced proximity, marriage of convenience, and slow burn! Also no third act breakup!!! From the beginning I knew I was gonna love it. The writing and pacing is immaculate.

Ahhhh when I got this book I was so excited to get to reading it!! This book is a second-chance romance with a mix of miscommunication and such a heartbreaking history. I will start being honest and saying that miscommunication tropes or miscommunication in general gets me really frustrated and annoyed so there were parts where I was STRUGGLING to like the characters because I just wanted them to sort their shit out. At the same time, I wanted to keep reading because I did truly like the characters and wanted to see how they would grow together. I loved the bantering and flirting and all of their adventures together as well. The grandmas and Sally had my absolute heart and got me crying a few times too. I think this was honestly a very cute book, but you’ve been warned, if you don’t like second-chance and miscommunication, you might get a little annoyed! (It’s worth it though, in my opinion)

Tarah dewitts the Co-op an enemies to lovers to enemies to fake married??

what a compilation of tropes, they like each other so much they hate one another, If this didn't provide so much angst and anticipation id wanna smack them. This story mainly focused on our two love birds but the side characters involved added humor and plot to the story. I am questioning about the lives of the others we met, hopefully we’ll learn more about them in the past. I think the communication issues with these two is a common hurdle for a lot of couples and it was nice to see it resolved with open and honest communication. Overall this was a very good read and I’d love to read more of her books.

LaRynn and Deacon had a mini romance though seem like enemies during a summer when they were younger both while visiting their grandmothers. Years later their grandmothers have passed away and both left their house to their grandkids. This brings LaRynn and Deacon back together with the added problem of renovating the house with limited funds while they're both living there. Not to mention she has one idea for the building and he has another. Renovations of the house, their lives, and their past hurts all take place throughout the course of this story. The characters were great and so much fun.

#arc
#netgalley
#thecoop

Thanks to NetGalley for access to this book!

My overall rating for this book would probably be 3.7.

I enjoyed most of this book- it has some of my favorite tropes: marriage of convenience, second chance romance, forced proximity.

To be honest, I was worried I would have to force myself to finish this book when I was reading the first few chapters. LaRynn’s temper was kind of off-putting because of how easily she could be triggered. And I also was worried about how I was going to like Deacon because, of course, you only get her POV about what happened. But as the story went on- I genuinely was invested in their relationship and their situation. It might have taken me a bit to get used to the past/present flashbacks, but I do think they were done very well and were kind of necessary to help understand the characters and how they each felt and viewed their history!

I enjoyed the sexual tension and most of the banter between them! Their chemistry was very good together, but at times you do worry if they’re toxic for each other—- however I think that gets out to rest as the story continues.

I do think that their best friends could have had more character development and inclusion in the story. The minor characters felt a little unfinished.

Marriage of convenience and second chance are two of my favorite tropes so combining them should have knocked it pit of the park for me. I did enjoy this one a lot but there were definitely times I wished the story would have moved a bit faster through things. The romance really doesn’t pick up until about 85% through (no third act breakup though!) so it just felt a little under developed even though we did get a lot of their history in the flashback chapters. Overall I’ll give this one 3.5 stars.

Content flags: death of parents and grandparents off page and in last; strained parental relationship

I voluntarily read a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

This book is for the trope girlies 🤭💘
- black cat x golden retriever
- forced proximity
- marriage of convenience

La Rynn and Deacon are such powerful characters that totally captured my heart. La Rynn in particular resonates deeply with me 💘They are not just characters in a story, but reflections of ourselves at our most passionate.

Deacon was written so well. I really loved his acceptance and patience for La Rynn 🥹 it feels both refreshing and inspiring.
Also, the spice was 😏😏

Basically, this book was like a perfect cup of coffee - warms the soul, makes you happy, and brought the perfect amount of coziness 🥰

Tarah DeWitt’s The Co-op brings together a second-chance romance, home renovation, and the ever-popular marriage of convenience trope. While the concept has plenty of promise, the execution didn't quite work for me, mostly due to the frustrating personality of the main character, LaRynn.

LaRynn and Deacon (yes, those are the names) had a high school fling. They forced to reunite after their lesbian grandmothers leave them a dilapidated Santa Cruz property. They strike a deal: she has the money but needs to be married to access it, and he has the construction skills but lacks the funds. This premise sounds fun, but the dynamic between the characters is more grating than endearing.

LaRynn’s sharp attitude came across as more irritating than relatable. Instead of feeling like a woman with well-justified emotional walls, she often seemed stuck in patterns of immaturity and deflection. While flawed characters can be compelling, LaRynn’s constant prickliness made me wish she’d opt for some serious therapy sessions instead of rehashing old grievances with Deacon. Her journey felt stagnant for much of the book, and it’s hard to cheer for a character who’s clearly in need of growth but seems resistant to it.

Deacon, on the other hand, is the more balanced of the two. He’s patient, capable, and the kind of steady presence that might make readers wonder why he's so willing to endure LaRynn’s constant drama and her emotional overspending jags. His layers are slowly revealed, but the chemistry between the two doesn't quite carry enough weight to feel believable. It often feels like Deacon is doing a lot of the heavy lifting in their interactions, and his growth is more subtle but real.

If you enjoy forced proximity romances with a slow burn and/or second chance romances, this book definitely has its good moments and might be right up your alley.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Tarah DeWitt is such a fantastic story teller. She writes the best romances. They sweep you up in the drama and feelings. I really enjoyed this second chance romance. I like the back and forth from present to past.

Second chance romances have a unique charm, and when it involves a couple with intense, angst-filled chemistry like Deacon and LaRynn, it's irresistible. Their story is not just about rekindling an old flame; it's a journey of personal growth and healing. Both characters have had troubled childhoods, with experiences that left deep scars. LaRynn, who faced constant pressure to be perfect, never felt good enough. It's heartwarming to see her find someone who cherishes her for who she is—sharp attitude, smooth edges, and all. Deacon, similarly, finds acceptance and love in LaRynn. The renovation project is more than just a backdrop; it's a metaphor for their lives. The building, once broken and in shambles, mirrors their fractured relationship and individual struggles. But as the walls are mended and rooms are brought back to life, so too are Deacon and LaRynn's spirits, leading to significant growth for both. As they collaborate on renovating their home, they also rebuild their relationship, discovering love anew amidst the sawdust and paint. The elements of forced proximity and a marriage of convenience add spice to the narrative, but it's the characters' development that truly captivates. Tarah's talent for creating characters that readers can instantly adore is evident. Deacon and LaRynn's story is a testament to the beauty of second chances and the magic of love's restorative power. They are tender, sweet, and perfectly imperfect—simply meant to be.