My first book by this author and I really enjoyed it! We are so use to the FMC being sunshine and rainbows, that I really loved that we didn't get that this time. She was who she was and you either accepted it or you didn't, wasn't her problem. I loved the premise of them having a history. Overall I really enjoyed this!

4.5 stars rounded up. Tarah DeWitt is such a talented writer who paints such vivid scenes with her words. As someone who grew up going to Santa Cruz, this book made me long for a visit.

Tarah always breathes new life into tropes, this time enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, and second-chance romance. Sometimes the reasons for the marriage can feel so contrived or thin, but their love for the house and their grands really tied everything together. “Watching” LaRynn and Deacon needle each other was such fun, but watching them fall back in love was even better.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for proving me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

“Dream and fight with me, let me dream and fight with you, too.”

I’m convinced that Tarah DeWitt can do no wrong. This book is beautiful. It expertly weaves the angst and longing that besets a second chance love story.

These are characters that will make you want to comfort them while simultaneously shake them by the shoulders. LaRynn is perfectly flawed. She is scared to let her vulnerability show because the one time she laid her heart on the line was when it was broken. Her brashness and sharp edges were endearing and understandable.

DeWitt utilizes dual timelines to gut wrenching results. When the flashback to their breakup in their early 20s occurred, I felt both sides’ agony and heartbreak. Their journey back together was lovely.

This is perfect for fans of Jessica Joyce’s The Ex Vows or Kate Clayborn.

Absolutely fell in love with this book!

I loved the characters, the setting, & the build up to the romance was perfection. I couldn't put this book down.

Highly recommend!!

This is a fine story. I was a bit let down with this one since I LOVED Savor it. The relationship between Larynn and Deacon was okay at best. I didn’t like Larynn at all. I found her to be way too stuck up and not in a funny out of place type of way. Like she was just bad. Deacon was just as bad but lacked personality in general. Their late teen/early twenties relationship seemed more fun and entertaining than the one we get to read through. I enjoyed the dual pov but it just lacked to me so of the fun and relatability through the characters. I’m pretty sure this is rerelease but has been rewritten, so I’m not sure what the other version was like and if that one was better or this one is. Still a fan of Tarah and I’m looking forward to more stories from her. I appreciate St. Martins Press and Netgalley for giving me this opportunity to read this.

I can’t say enough about this book, which I recommended to several friends within minutes of reading the last page. It was my first time reading a book by Tarah DeWitt, and it cemented her as an auto-buy author for me in the future. She writes such a rich, complex love story, and the characters feel so real within a matter of pages. I love that she doesn’t shy away from conflict between her characters, and the satisfaction of watching the second-chance romance play out while they overcome that conflict is precisely why second-chance romances are my favorite. Oftentimes I find myself preferring one POV to another, but I loved being in both Deacon and LaRynn’s heads, and I’m already hoping this turns into a movie so I can see the coastal setting come to life.

What happens when two people who used to love each other inherit a fixer-upper and are forced to get along because of fake marriage? Apparently not a lot of talking lol
The premise of this story is super cute and for the most part it was! I think there definitely needed to be way more communication between LaRynn and Deacon because that would have solved so many arguments, especially if they both said what they were feeling. I do have to admit, there were parts in here where I was laughing out loud, but for a lot of it I was frustrated. Also they never actually seemed to do any work on the house??

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin’s for the opportunity to read this book! All opinions are my own :)

I have to say that anything I MEAN anything that Tarah touches I LOVE, adore, and obsess over.
The Co-op is all about LaRynn Lavigne and Deacon Leeds, who had one fiery summer fling as teens but definitely didn’t think they’d end up working together again, let alone inheriting a rundown building from their grandmas. LaRynn needs to be married to access her trust fund, and Deacon’s got the construction skills but no money. So, they make a deal: get married, fix the place up, sell it, and go their separate ways.
Simple, right? Nope. Cue emotional walls, a home without actual walls, and two people who can’t help but clash. This book gives off major HGTV vibes with a side of steam, banter, and just the right amount of second-chance romance feels. LaRynn is a tough nut to crack, but by the end, you’ll be cheering for her. Deacon? Total sweetheart who’s all about communication (bless him).
It’s a fun, steamy story about love, renovation, and working through life’s emotional fixer-uppers. I loved every brick by brick of it.
Thank you St. Martin Press and Netgalley for the eArc!

3.5 ⭐️ a solid romance book for me. It was short and sweet; I flew through it. I had a lot of fun, there were times when it was slow but I really enjoyed this romance..had solid banter and always love when there’s no 3rd act break up!! Thanks NetGalley for the earc!!

LaRynn and Deacon had a summer fling when they were teenagers. But now, ten years later, they find themselves as co-owners of the run down building their grandmothers lived in. With their relationship strained by various factors, they have to figure out how to work together to get the building fixed. Deacon has the construction experience and LaRynn has a trust fund that could fund the project - the catch - she has to be married to access it. The come up with an agreement to get married, for Deacon to do the construction and LaRynn will fund and decorate and then they'll never have to see each other again.

This is my second title by Tarah Dewitt. I read Savor It and really enjoyed it so I was hoping for the same with this one. I can't say that I did. This one fell on the "just okay" scale for me. The miscommunication was a lot. I felt like I really had to push myself to keep reading. I usually love a good enemies to lovers romance, but this one just didn't hit the mark for me.

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

This is a re-release, and apparently, almost everything was rewritten but I'm left wondering if v1 may have been the better version? I was SO duped because this is described as You Deserve Each Other – one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE BOOKS! – and it did NOT deliver. Like to the point of being insulting that it was compared. If these characters had ever had a conversation, like ever spoken to each other with their big kid words, they could've solved their issues. But they didn't. Tropes weren't even trope-ing and I ended up skimming a good portion of this when I realized that I had been basically duped.

This book is a solid 3.5 star read! I love a good marriage for convenience and it only gets better when both characters have flaws- but they are SO loveable. I got hooked on Tarah DeWitt after reading Funny Feelings, and this book is the perfect continuation of her writings. This book read so smooth and I couldn't put it down.

The one thing that would normally turn me away from this book is the lack of good communication through the beginning and middle of the book. It wasn't enough for me to DNF- but it was there. I enjoyed the way the two of them found each other again by the end...HOME.... oh my gosh that line was IT. I love a good moment when a character realizes home isn't a place but a person. It had some large Emily Henry vibes which I enjoyed.

There were good parts of this book and there were some not great parts, but I think it was well balanced. It was a solid 3.5!

ps...i love the name Dot...how cute!

I loved this! The way the characters tripped, struggled, and eventually have to be so open and vulnerable it hurt. I read this at the perfect time because I swear I felt everything they were going through. From the FMC not wanting to be a burden on anyone in her life so she kept her problems and emotions to herself. To the MMC who wears his heart on his sleeve and just want the FMC to be her true self, even at the risk of it not being with him. Ugh it was beautiful. And I'll take 14 more please!

Love it! Tarah DeWitt has become one of my favourite authors. Can’t wait to read the next one. Enjoyed the past and present. The build up was annoying frustrating but in a good way. Love the banter!

Tarah DeWitt cannot write a bad book. I’ve fallen in love with everything that she’s written and this was no exception. The feelings she pulls out with her characters and their situations. I loved the dual POV and timeline but I also thought the “before” wasn’t pulled out too long and had perfect timing. Deacon and LaRynn were truly meant to be and I loved their grandmothers love story too. The place was such an important part of both the love stories. I can’t wait to read more Tarah DeWitt in the future!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was wonderful!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The book follows LaRynn and Deacon. Their grandmothers leave a property in their name. They have to work together in fixing this property. Deacon and LaRynn had a brief summer fling when they were teens, that did not end in the best terms. So A LOT of tension between them. In order to access her trust fund to fix the property, she has to marry Deacon.

I was drawn in immediately by the banter and tension between Deacon and LaRynn. I was laughing out loud at times. The writing style captured my attention right away. The going back in timelines gave great insight into their relationship.

I did find LaRynn unlikeable at times. She came off as entitled. Where the book fell short for me, was the second half. I LOVE a slow burn but this was a bit too slow for me. Deacon and LaRynn do not officially get together until at 85% to 90% mark. I felt the story wasn’t progressing at times. It felt a bit repetitive.

The co-op is a second chance romance meets forced proximity when Deacon and LaRynn reconnect after almost a decade apart.

“For the ones still working on it, whatever it is. Whether finding your way, or finding yourself. Don't give up. You're worth the investment.” 🤍🥲

Like with all of Tarah Dewitt’s books, I couldn’t put it down. There is truly something special about her writing that is really just top tier comfort, her words just hit different. She is also the queen of bickering 🤝🏻 banter !!!

I loved both LaRynn and Deacon as individuals, they had such well written personalities and they were both so charming I was smitten with them right away. Their relationship is funny and fierce but also wholesome and tender and it’s clear even with all their flaws and their growth that these two are always a great match!

The co-op will be out November 12th!

**Thank you to St Martins Press for the ARC and the chance to read and review. All opinions are my own**

I really enjoyed the witty banter. This book was a lot funnier than I was expecting it to be. I almost died of second hand embarrassment in THAT one scene. The ending was super sweet. Having done house renovations with my husband I was thoroughly entertained by this book. I can say that renovating is one of the least sexy activities to do with a loved one, so to have this be the thing that makes people fall in love is the utmost in irony. This was my first book by this author and it won’t be my last.

Not my favorite. The communication issues between the MMC and FMC were just too much for me. It didn't contribute to the romantic tension, it was just bad conversation with no fruit at the end of it. That being said, I did like the premise, and the epilogue was lovely.