Tarah DeWitt is quickly climbing my favorite author list, and I could not put this one down. I'm a sucker for second chance romances, and this most definitely did not let me down.

From the beginning, the character development pulled me in. Truly

Solid 4.5⭐️’s. Thank you NetGalley for my ARC of this book. This is my first Tarah DeWitt book and won’t be my last ☺️ LaRynn and Deacon’s love was always there from the beginning just needed the right timing to make it last this time around. Such a good mix of tropes of forced proximity, marriage of convenience, and second chance romance. The book had a good mix of laugh worthy scenes and some heavier emotional development that made it even easier to finish in one sitting.

I first read this when it was an indie publication. I loved it so much more this time around. It was funny, heartbreaking, tender, and romantic. I really enjoyed the flashbacks and dual POV. I loved Deacon from the get go. LaRynn was a little rough around the edges to start, but it was special to learn about her past and why she was so closed off and fall in love with her that way. I also really loved watching Deacon fall in love with her as she gave him tiny little pieces of herself and glimpses into why she presented herself the way she did.

Top tier enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience! I really enjoyed the home renovation premise and loved the setting in Santa Cruz. The characters went through so many ups and downs together so I’m glad we got both of their POVs. It felt like the miscommunication between them went on a little too long and got repetitive sometimes but it was so heartwarming when they finally got on the same page.

I had been wanting to read this book since I saw the cover and I really wanted to love it!! I enjoyed the second half more than the first. I couldn’t connect with the characters or their history and the way they mistreated each other. The book definitely had its funny, entertaining moments. It just wasn’t for me unfortunately but it was okay.

LOVED! I grew up in Santa Cruz so this was an instant yes read for me. I loved the tension and angst. I loved all the Santa Cruz references as well. The characters were relatable and the book was so fun and easy to read. Sad it's over.

I've been wanting to read this since the first edition came out and I'll say this one is worth the wait 🥹

The mix of tropes to name a few: young romance vs. coming back, marriage of convenience, forced to work together, etc. all create the perfect build up throughout. It had me tearing up, kicking my feet for the characters, while also laughing throughout. I genuinely couldn't put this down. Immediately purchasing a copy as well 🫶🏼

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Love how goofy and full of heart Tarah’s books are, and this was no exception! Tarah is excellent at writing the love we all want- someone who can be silly with us, and who sees all our vulnerabilities and loves us for them. Loved seeing these characters grow together!

I’m sorry but the characters, especially larynn, were SO ANNOYING, like actually insufferable. The plot didn’t completely make sense and I really didn’t see the chemistry or like them together. Everything was so flat and everyone was so annoying that this took me like 3 weeks to read when it should’ve taken less than a day…
(sorry not sorry

I love the second chance trope and Deacon and LaRynn were adorable together. Also loved the HGTV-ish aspect and having two of my favorite things put together in a book. I first read this when it was indie published and I'm happy to see it getting a mainstream debut because Tarah DeWitt is a great author who writes characters with depth and stories that just make you feel good to read, while also being SO ROMANTIC. Even though they're different tropes, something about the story reminded me of Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young. Same sweet, sexy vibe and relationship goals!

Thank you to NetGalley for this wonderful ARC. I first discovered Tarah when I read Savor It which I loved and this book did not disappoint. A second chance romance with a little marriage of convenience all throughout a home renovation. The vulnerability of both main characters was so heartwarming and brave. I love the way they found their way back to each other, dancing through all of life’s moments..

**4.5 ⭐** I received an arc of this book and man oh man did it live up to everything I wanted. I read Savor It and absolutely loved it, but this one felt different - it felt raw and real. Also as an enemies to lovers girly I know when that trope is done well and this was a mix of enemies and friends to lovers and it was **chefs kiss** perfection. I laughed really hard and I also found myself feeling it super deeply when the characters were battling their demons.

The only reason I didn't give it five stars was because I could've gone for even more background and understanding of each of their pasts and even LaRynn's history with her dyslexia and school, flash backs to after Gran had died, etc. At some points I just felt like things were blurry that they were referencing. But it's so hard, when an author only has 250-350 pages to fit everything in you can't possibly solve each of their family issues fully and let's be real - it's more realistic if they don't. Plus I liked that LaRynn never talked to her dad again (as far as the reader knows) - because he wasn't a safe person to be around there was no need to try to repair that relationship because it wasn't safe for her to repair it.

But yes I love the renovation setting (even though I have 0 desire to ever renovate anything) and the beach vibes. The whole thing just felt sweet and good.

Anyways here are some of my favorite quotes:

"Oh, thank you. I love having the dangers of being a woman mansplained to me first thing in the morning." 🤭 (LaRynn was so savage sometimes)

"It meant something." (I'm sorry when those three words are spoken in any romance novel I go feral)

"Someone wheeled in poor Ruby Chester at the same time and the whole things collapsed. Knocked her clean out." (Why was Sal so hilarious 😂)

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure going in if I wanted to read this book. The last book I read by this author wasn’t love for me. I tried to go into this with an open mind and not consider that book and boy am I glad I did. I LOVED this one. LaRynn and Deacon are fabulous. I enjoyed their story, I enjoyed their banter and relationship, and I devoured this book!

LaRynn and Deacon’s grandmothers were married and have both now passed away. They left their home to LaRynn and Deacon. The two have history - they were in love when they were young, but Deacon ruined things between them. Now they’re forced back together to fix up the house they were left before they sell. Through forced proximity and a history of truly knowing each other, they are able to get back to that love they once had - but not without some more heartache along the way. This book has great tension, great angst, and so much happiness.

The writing is both warm and witty, filled with moments of genuine humor that balance the more serious undertones. The dialogues feel authentic, capturing the essence of community interactions and the sometimes messy process of collaboration.

*Spoiler Alert*


From the start, the chemistry between the pair is palpable, with witty banter and playful teasing that showcases their deep-rooted connection. The initial setup of their fake marriage is filled with humorous situations and misunderstandings, making for a lighthearted read that keeps you smiling. The author does a fantastic job of balancing comedy with moments of genuine emotional depth, allowing readers to connect with the characters’ struggles and insecurities.

Second Change Romance, with a side of forced proximity. I absolutely loved the female main character, and the epilogue made the whole book for me. I was not in love with the second time line, it seemed to fall flat. Overall, this book was a steamy and fun book, I would highly recommend.

I loved Funny feelings but honestly, this one fell a little flat for me. The concept was fun and I liked the ending but overall, it wasn’t super interesting to me.

This story is a second chance-ish trope with fake marriage and forced proximity as LaRynn (this name????) and Deacon struggle to remodel and sell a house their grandmothers left for them. I wasn’t super impressed with either MC or their story lines.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

“I don’t mind your mess. I don’t mind your mess either, Rynn.” 🥹🥹. Deacon and LaRynn are perfectly imperfect and you can’t convince me otherwise.

I love a good second chance romance and Deacon and LaRynn are just that. Left to renovate the old home their grands left them when they passed, Deacon and LaRynn reconnect after years apart. While they are both in very vulnerable moments in their lives, they’re left with the task of finishing the building they inherited and in turn work on rebuilding a relationship that ended on rocky terms as young adults. The dual timeline is done SO well and adds so much to the story, Tarah absolutely killed it. Major bonus points, there’s no third act break up.

The comedy, the banter, the spice, the emotions, it’s all there and all top tier. Deacon and LaRynn are 🥵 hotttt and funny as hell, and I added so many “heart eyes” notes it’s not even funny.

Tarah will forever be an auto buy/read author for me. This book just solidifies why that is the case. Her writing does something to me. I’m sucked in and immediately want to be friends with her characters.


Thank you NetGalley, SMP, and Tarah Dewitt for the ARC. I read this book when it was indie released and loved it, but was also lucky enough to get this ARC and I absolutely adored this remodeled edition 😍.

This book gave perfect lazy, late summer on the beach type of vibes and I was here for it. I had debated whether to hold off and read the indie version first or dive straight in to Tarah's renovated version and I just couldn't wait. Tarah created well-rounded main characters that showed how and why they became who they were, both in the past and present, which gave a very simple story more depth and felt like real, messy people trying to figure it out for themselves and you can't help but root for them. That said, the banter and quips between the characters was so smooth and witty and honestly were the shining stars of this book. Solid 4.5⭐️ to wrap up a late summer/early fall reading!

3.5⭐️

I loved Tarah DeWitt’s Funny Feelings, so I was very excited when I got the ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley.

I thought the title sounded familiar, then I realized that I read the original a couple of years ago. I loved it the first time, but unfortunately didn’t leave a detailed review back then. I wish I remembered why I adored the first one, since this one didn’t hit me right in the feels this time around.

I found LaRynn to be so mean, especially in the beginning, it’s very off-putting. Was she always this mean in the original version?

The story picked up about halfway through once both characters were finally (sort of) getting along. The last ten chapters or so could’ve been condensed into one chapter.

I loved how the songs were incorporated in the story. Loved Sal. I wish she was there more.

Having read and loved Savor It I thought I would enjoy this but it’s a miss for me.

I found Declan really likable and relatable but LaRynn decidedly less so. I really like the concept of young love coming back around when both partners have matured but our FMC could have used a few more years (and probably therapy) before reconnecting with MMC. There were some shining moments, especially Sally and Declan’s mom, but overall I felt disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.