I adore this book! I love unlikeable characters because I see so much of myself in them. I’m someone who has sharp words and pointy edges that harm people- even when I don’t mean to. To see characters like me be loved for who they are makes my heart so happy. Tarah is such a great story teller and I loved every second of this book

I wanted to love this one but found parts of it to be super frustrating. I found certain aspects of the characters that I wanted something happen to redeem themselves.
While I finished this book and liked it for the most part I felt it was a struggle towards the end to finish as I was completely invested in finding out how it ended.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the digital ARC.

5
They say love and construction don't mix, but *The Co-op* proves that sometimes, love and renovation are a perfect match. In this steamy second chance romance, LaRynn Lavigne and Deacon Leeds, who once shared a fiery but short-lived summer fling, find themselves reunited by a shared inheritance and an old dilapidated building in Santa Cruz.

The novel follows LaRynn and Deacon as they navigate their unexpected partnership. LaRynn, who has the financial means, needs to be married to access her trust fund, while Deacon, with his expertise in construction, is lacking the funds. Their solution? A marriage of convenience to fix up the property, make a profit, and then go their separate ways.

What starts as a pragmatic arrangement soon reveals the complexities of their relationship. Living and working together in a building that’s as much in disrepair as their old feelings, LaRynn and Deacon must confront their emotional barriers. The close quarters and shared responsibilities force them to confront past grievances and unearth what it means to truly collaborate.

*The Co-op* is a masterclass in tension and chemistry, with the renovation of the building mirroring the emotional rebuilding that LaRynn and Deacon undergo. Their journey from antagonistic ex-lovers to a cooperative team is both steamy and heartwarming. The novel skillfully weaves together themes of partnership and personal growth, showcasing the messiness and rewards of both construction and romance.

Filled with engaging dialogue and vivid descriptions, *The Co-op* offers a satisfying blend of romance and renovation, proving that sometimes the most worthwhile projects are those that involve both brick and mortar and matters of the heart.

This was my first Tarah Dewitt novel and I already can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of Savor It, as she may just be another auto buy author to add to my (rapidly growing) list. As I’ve mentioned before I LOVE an enemies to lovers and this book had the best banter, especially early on. LaRynn and Deacon met as teenagers and have a bitter ending to their young love due to miscommunication and a need for more self discovery and personal growth. They are reunited as adults when both of their grandma’s leave a duplex to them that they must fix up and rent/sell. In order to do so, they enter into a fake marriage so LaRynn can access her trust fund. We flip back and forth between present and past and the way Dewitt captures rhetoric angst teenage summer love is pure perfection.

Also posted on Goodreads

Scheduled to post to IG @therunaway.readers on 10/3

3.5

I have loved other Tarah DeWitt books, but this one just isn’t it for me! The relationship felt a bit forced and I didn’t really experience the chemistry I was looking for between the characters. I did love the premise of working on a renovation together, since it adds stress and pressure on top of “will they, won’t they”!

LaRynn and Deacon are given shared ownership on a property that their grandmothers owned. The property is in sore need of repair and LaRynn has money in a trust and Deacon has the skills. Just one problem, she has to be married to access the trust. Despite their youthful history, they decide to have a marriage of convenience until they can fix the place up to be sold. Now they have to live under the same roof and finish this project, what could go wrong? Could this be their second chance? Honestly, it was a fun storyline, but it was a bit slow to get moving. It was still enjoyable.

3.5 stars rounded up. This book was a fun read and I feel like we were given enough context between the couple to understand why there were lingering feelings between LaRynn and Deacon.

Something about this book’s pacing just felt really off to me, but it was centered around the flashbacks. The first chapter felt like it was setting the stage for more context on the couple’s initial breakup, which was frankly a little disorienting once the book got going and we were thrown into the beginning of their relationship. Additionally the final flashback describing their first meeting felt odd. I understand what the author was going for, but it felt a little clunky reading through the flashbacks.

This definitely gave me Beach Read vibes and I loved it! 4 stars instead of 5 because there was an event in the last that we kept flashing back to and I felt like I never got any closer on how that event ended, it just kind of dropped off. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 42%.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a story where I hope the two characters don’t get together, but there’s a first time for everything. I didn’t like LaRynn and Deacon together, and honestly I didn’t really like LaRynn. I just never connected with her character the way I do with others. I also didn’t get pulled into this story. I wanted to read it so I powered through it, but I really had to force myself.

This story isn’t flowing as well as the other book I’ve read by this author, and I think it’s the flashbacks. They are just taking me out of the story. Something that could’ve been cool was have this story in two parts where part one was the flashbacks and part two be the present scenes.

Thank you St. Martins Press and Tarah Dewitt for an early read of this book. All thoughts are my own, I do not receive money for reviews.

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC of this book. Tarah Dewitt is an auto read author for me so this was very exciting to get.
I love a marriage of convenience and forced proximity, so this was right up my alley. Both characters had mutual goals they wanted to achieve so it set a nice backdrop for their love to unfold. I could feel the chemistry between the characters and was rooting for them the whole time.
Really enjoyed this read.

Larynn and Deacon, once high school lovers, reconnect to renovate a housing structure left in an inheritance. Part of the stipulation was marriage, so they’ve found themselves as enemies in a fake marriage of convenience and working towards a possible second chance at love. This book was funny, it was cute, and it had some well played out and appropriate spicy scenes. Although I did think that the two main characters were a bit immature in some ways, and there was major miscommunication scenes, their journey was endearing and relatable. My favorite part was the epilogue by far…I just love when they are set years into the future.

4.5 stars rounded up. Tarah DeWitt is an auto-read author for me, especially considering I'd already read the original version of The Co-Op and I generally am not a re-reader. A decent chunk of this is rewritten from the original version, and I will say I could tell that some of the scenes and chapters felt new. And I did still enjoy re-reading the things I remembered from the original version. The marriage of convenience trope is still not really for me, but it bothered me less in The Co-Op, maybe because it wasn't the first thing that happened in the plot, maybe because there was history between LaRynn and Deacon. Maybe because I just really love Tarah DeWitt's writing.

And maybe the most important thing about The Co-Op is that there's no! third! act! break-up!

5/5 Stars 2/5 Spice

Tropes:
Marriage of Convenience
Second Chance
Slow Burn
Opposites Attract
Forced Proximity

i loved the original version of this book & the edits in this one made it absolutely perfect. these two own my heart. i loved the way the second chance played into their story. these two could not be more opposite but they just fit so well together (well when they aren't bickering but i never want them to stop hahaha) i loved the remodel plot line it was so unique & fun to read. definitely recommend this one.

"I'll see you at home," she says. Home. Home. Home. Three months together in a ripped up building and nothing's ever felt more like it. "I'll see you at home." 🥺

I am immediately sold when I hear enemies to lovers with marriage of convenience! Plus I have always loved Tarah’s writing style. So this was a no brainer to pick up. Deacon and LaRynn are perfect for each other ( the banter and the angst) and their growth was something to be proud of. Unfortunately I wish I loved this book more. The idea was great but I felt I needed a more of a complex plot and felt like I kept waiting for something big to happen and it didn’t. Definitely lands in the cozy romance category. So my rating is just average. With that aside I loved how she portrayed the emotion that two people who are slowly and cautiously finding their way back to each other. Second chance romances are one of my favorites if done well and she did. Will be reading more of her books in the future!

This was a good one! Well written characters and story. Funny Feelings is still my favorite but I definitely enjoyed this book and would recommend this to anyone who wants a well written romance with characters that are easy to like and a plot that’s not so far fetched as to be annoying.

I loved the concept of this book. Enemies to Lovers stuck with a mutual goal in a confined space. What’s not to love? But the female protagonist seriously needed to seek a therapist and I found myself rooting against them instead of for them. I also thought the book could have used 50 or so less pages. I would have rather seen more of their journey together than the constant “I like you but I’m not gonna tell you and keep acting like a child”

This was a super funny, and serious book, it has the spice, and the fun and laughter and everything you want in a book. It was great follow up to the first one

I was so excited for this one, but man the FMC is insufferable. I just couldn't relate to her or have any sort of sympathy for her. She was truly just plain mean. I also felt that too many tropes were just shoved into this book just for the sake of it. I had to DNF I could not find the urge to continue.

Super cute and fun to read. I loved all the tropes and I will need to check out more by this author!

4.5⭐️!!!!
i’m not the biggest fan of second chance romance where we get flashbacks because i often feel that it takes me out of the story and i did feel that some, but this was second chance romance, rivals to lovers done right!! i love Deacon and LaRynn so much and how obsessed they are with each other!! the timeline of how their relationship progressed was perfect and made so much sense with their history. also i’m a epilogue lover and theirs was PERFECT!

this had great 5 star potential but the only reason that it’s not is because it took me almost a week to read because of life and i just wasn’t as connected as i would have been if i read it in a couple days. i could definitely see it becoming a 5 star if i reread it!!

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!