Now this is what I want when I think of contemporary romance. Tarah DeWitt said this was a difficult book that took much time to craft. I can't say thank you enough for persisting. This marriage of convenience, enemies to lovers, second chance trope fest truly hit the depths of my many emotions. No third act breakup!!!!! What a triumph.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

“I don’t mind your mess.”
“I don’t mind yours, either, Rynn.”

The first book I read by Tarah was Savor It, and I loved its cozy, eccentric small town vibes so much that I was nervous to start this one. But I was so happily blown away by this book, I would rate this 6 stars if I could!

The way that Tarah writes grief and heartbreak should honestly be studied; it’s always so well done and handled with care. Dual timelines are always a risk in books, but this one was woven into the present storyline perfectly in my opinion!

LaRynn and Deacon are easily some of my new favorite book MC’s! I love a black cat girl who is secretly soft, and LaRynn was so well written. From all of her sharp, prickly edges to her sensitive heart that lay underneath it all, she was such a relatable and multifaceted character. Deacon was a surprise for me! He had so many layers to him that made him too complex to be simply labeled as a golden retriever, and it was so refreshing.

And their BANTER??? God tier🔥🔥🔥
As much as I loved seeing them get under each other’s skin (like giggling and kicking my feet an absurd amount kind of love), it was their overall growth that made me fall in love with them. The way that they never thought the other needed fixing, and how they loved the “hard” things about each other was extremely healing for me.

The re-release of The Co-Op is out November 12th and available for preorder now!

*Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Griffin for the E-ARC of The Co-Op in exchange for an honest review*

Okay I still love Tarah and I will till read all her books this one just didn't go to the top of the list for me. And hey that's okay! I need to remember that I can still love an author and not connect with one of their stories.

LaRynn and Deacon had a summer fling years ago but are now brought back together to save their late grandmothers dilapitaded home. They get married to access LaRynn's trust fund to help fix up the house. They are trying to save the historic home and themselves as they work through those same hot and heavy feelings they had all those years ago.

I wanted a little more of these two working on the house together but still a fun read for the contemporary romance fan!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars!

I surprisingly enjoyed this book even if the tropes present weren't necessary my cup of tea — Tarah DeWitt just has a talent for making me root for a second-chance romance coming out of a marriage of convenience. I loved getting to see the trust and relationship grow between LaRynn and Deacon, it felt extremely realistic and I liked that they both faced on heavy trauma from their past. In my opinion, this was 100% better than Funny Feelings, which was the only other book I read from Tarah and didn't particularly love.

The one major complaint I had for this was I wish there was a bit more flashback from their previous relationship to see the whole picture of their history. Without that context, I felt like their romance was a little bit too fast.

Thank you very much for the e-Arc and I'm looking forward to reading more of Tarah's works in the future!

LaRynn and Deacon met each other when they were teenagers. They would visit their grandmothers every summer, until one summer where everything fell apart. It’s now been 8 years since they last saw each other, and now they have to work together, renovating their late grandmothers’ home, to get it ready for sale.

I really enjoyed LaRynn and Decon’s story. How they managed to get work done while pining over each other and hate each other at the same time was quite impressive. It’s a bit sad that they bonded over past trauma they had, but a the same time ir was wonderful because that epilogue was precious. I loved how they worked through their insecurities. The way I cackled at the sex shop encounter and the $95 pillow conversation. So good!

No third act breakup
He calls her Larry and she hates it
Dual POV
Past and present timelines
Set in California
Marriage of convenience
Second chance romance
Dyslexia representation

Thank you St. Martin’s Press, Tara DeWitt and NetGalley for the arc!

I've never read anything by this author before so I went in pretty blind but I really enjoyed this one! The premise was original and the romance was cute.

I absolutely loved The Co-op by Tarah DeWitt! I originally read her self published version of this book and fell in love. I read through the rest of her books and knew I had to read the updated version when it was announced. The banter and tension in this book were so engaging and the story line really pulled at the heartstrings. Through the whole book you were truly rooting for both the main characters and aching for them to realize what they had in eachother!

This was so sweet! I loved the second chance x marriage of convenience premise. The side characters were super fun and I love Tarah’s writing. Her characters, themes, and conflicts are always so rich!

Oh my gosh this book takes the cake. And if you’re here for the cake then go ahead and grab a slice because this had me giggling and even pulled a tear or two out of me.

LaRynn and Deacon’s story was so sweet. Bittersweet at first and then just all the sweet feelings in the end. They set out to renovate their grans’ home, wanting to give it the love it deserved since it brought their two grans together. I loved the back and forth showing their past history mixed in with the present day. I loved their spiteful little tricks they played on each other lol. That stuff had me cackling the whole time.

Since I don’t want to give any spoilers, I do want to say that this entire story was beautiful and the ending wrapped it all up in a perfectly beautiful bow.

You have young love-to-enemies-to-roomies-to-just friends-to-lovers here (with a sweet surprise in between that I won’t spoil). Spice level was a good 3 for me. Mature readers only but I highly recommend!!!

I read and loved this book in its original form and wasn't sure exactly how it could be made better--but if the book was a plant, Tarah gave it the perfect amount of water and TLC to make it blossom in its full glory. Deacon & LaRynn are ITTTTT! Period. My favorite dickheads. My favorite pranksters. The best kind of second chance in which the stakes are unfathomably high but the pressure forms their bond into diamond strength.

LaRynn is such a complex character and both times reading her POV I felt more seen than ever before in a fictional character. She's a scared teddy bear wrapped in coils of barbed wire, and Deacon's attempts to disarm her usually end up triggering an argument (real). I love her character progression through the ins and outs of (inconveniently) married life/forced proximity, and I genuinely believe that she and Deacon are soul mates.

Can't recommend this enough--a must read for sure!!

I enjoyed the writing and the development of the characters. The setting felt real and well thought out.

The Co-op is a standalone novel written by Tarah DeWitt.

Format: NetGalley ebook
Genre: Contemporary fiction, romance
Overall score:⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level:🌶️🌶️
Characters: LaRynn (FMC) & Deacon (MMC)

This title is a second chance, marriage of convenience romcom story. The two main characters were teen sweethearts that fell apart once they hit adulthood.

Now that they are adults they are brought back together due to the passing of their grandmothers leaving them the house that they lived in. The house is in desperate need of repairs and it takes both of the main characters to make this happen.

Overall, this was a sweet and funny romance story. It was written well and I enjoyed the alternating timelines detailing how the main characters first met, and how they rekindle their love.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title!

Tarah DeWitt gets me every time. She makes me think I'm about to read the cheekiest romcom with her pretty covers and hilarious social media presence, and then BAM the emotional yanking begins and I get sucked into an emotional rollercoaster I was unprepared for but hold on for dear life throughout anyway! All of that rambling to say, she writes emotional heartfelt romances very well and the Co-Op is no different. I think Funny Feelings is still my favorite but I absolutely adored the premise of this one and cannot wait for her next new release because I am fully onboard the Tarah Train!

This was just a cute sexy DELIGHT. I love a good petty plot and the how annoyed the main characters were with each other! Wasn’t necessarily enemies to lovers but was definitely annoyances to lovers!

I know this is a reimagined rerelease so even if you read this before I think it’s been changed quite a bit! This had me grinning and giggling the whole time!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

2.5 ⭐️

While the premise was good (close proximity and a DIY fixer upper house scenario), it missed the mark for me. Almost all of the characters fell flat, especially the minor characters. The subplots, especially the FMC’s job and big career idea, are so underdeveloped. They felt like they were added in almost as an afterthought. A bit more development and details would have made it so much better.

The marriage of convenience is also not necessary. Supposedly it helps the characters access a trust, but there is no word on how this occurs or if this triggers a response from the parents who, more than likely, control or have access to the trust.

Overall, this one was a miss for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of the novel.

The Co-op follows LaRynn and Deacon as they fix up their grandmothers’ (they aren’t related - don’t worry!) multi family house. The twist? They previously had a fling and have barely spoken in the years since. I absolutely loved this book, which was very unexpected. The author did a really good job at making you feel apart of the scenes. The insecurities these characters felt and the frustration truly came off the page and you felt as though you were them. I really enjoyed the story line and how much these characters grew since their fling. The snippets of their past was helpful in really pulling this story together and providing necessary context for what shaped the MMC and FMC.
Tropes in this book:
Slow burn ✅
Enemies(ish) to lovers ✅
Second chance ✅
One bed ✅
No third act breakup ✅✅
5⭐️ highly recommend this book

💍 Marriage of Convenience
🏡 Forced Proximity
🧡 Second Chance
🐈‍⬛ Black Cat FMC

LaRynn and Deacon had a summer romance that didn’t end well. Years later they inherit a home together. Funds are running low to fix it up so they can sell it. The only way LyRnn has access to her trust fund is to get married because her dad is a jerk. LaRynn and Deacon are now partners in home ownership and marriage. This story is worth a read. A marriage of convenience with forced proximity is one of my favorite tropes, while miscommunication is one of my least favorites. This book is chock full of miscommunication to the point I wanted to shake the MCs. Why did I keep reading? Because I understood. Their childhoods, especially LaRynn’s, caused them to be the way they are. It worked this story. I enjoyed watching them grow and come together as a couple. I was surprised at how much I liked this story. I definitely recommend giving it a read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tarah DeWitt for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of The Co-Op.

Oh WOW I adored this book!❤️

LaRynn and Deacon had a summer fling that ended in heartbreak. Eight years later when they’re forced to deal with the grief of losing their Grands & renovating the house they now both own, old feelings resurface as they navigate an awkward, tension filled marriage of (in)convenience to save the house they met at all those summers ago!

A marriage of convenience, second chance romance, forced proximity, spicy, sweet, funny.. ALL the good things you want in a book!

THE BANTER was 10/10! I was full on laughing out loud at the one liners and foolish petty competition between LaRynn and Deacon😂

This was such a well written book and I felt every single emotion reading it. I laughed, I cried, I SWOONED, I was angry.. then happy! UGH it was just soooo good!

Such a great read, I was obsessed from the beginning! Highly recommend!

I can’t thank NetGally, the publisher and most importantly Tarah Dewitt enough for this eArc.. because now I have discovered one of my fav books! I can’t wait to read more of Tarah’s magic!

Thank you to netgalley, the author and publisher. I'd read the OG version of this book first and after reading the new/improved version it's still my favorite of her books. The banter was everything!

Unfortunately, the way the story is written is not for me. I am not a fan of books that are written like you're the character's bestie and they're telling you a story. So if you DO like that sort of thing, you might enjoy this.