This book was so so sweet. I loved LaRynn and Deacon from the start, and absolutely ADORED the grands. While I do think at times the story felt a little clunky, the emotional beats and the dual timelines of their relationship as young adults vs. present day made up for it in the best ways. Bonus points for the “10 years later” chapter that brought the biggest smile to my face 💗

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this read!

Unfortunately the lack of communication... was lacking...

I hate that trope, but if pulled off well I can overlook it.

Unfortunately, with how quickly the past timeline ended, and the overall lack of communication between the main characters, this was just not my fave.

Tarah's writing is gorgeous. I have loved her other two books funny feelings and savour it. I think she writes emotional books brilliantly. I liked the plot of home renovations and both living in the house. Also the setting of small town was cute and believable.

The Co-op by Tarah DeWitt is a second chance, marriage of convenience romance that brings the laughs, tears, and all the delicious angsty yearning.

LaRynn and Deacon are old fleeting flames who reunite to team up to renovate a building their grandmothers left them for them in joint ownership. They meet again after close to a decade with seemingly insurmountable miscommunication, riddled with spiteful words, that have them instantly at odds. But to solve their problems they need to come together— in holy matrimony.

What follows is a heartfelt tale of healing, reconciliation, and second chances. It doesn’t come easy for either protagonist, but wow, is it a worthwhile venture to take. I am so glad I followed this one through to the end!

Of the two leads, LaRynn held my heart the fullest.
I felt immense sympathy for LaRynn, some may consider her apathetic but that’s not at all how I viewed her. She feels too much, if anything, but she also feels the need to fiercely protect herself. So she banishes all vulnerable feelings to do just that. I saw through her previous perceived meanness into fragile vulnerability. A vulnerability birthed in her childhood and adolescence. She was a young girl who was hurt very much and kept feelings so tightly wound to her chest. As an adolescent she finally loosens that cord thanks to Deacon, only for him to break her heart in turn. She grows up into a woman who is more openly kind-hearted— but all the more guarded. I instantly liked her, I wholeheartedly rooted for her, and I so very much admired her personal growth throughout this journey.

Deacon took me longer to warm up to, but once I did I got it. I got him. And suddenly where I admittedly had trouble engaging with the love story I felt all in. All thanks to peeling back the layers of Deacon and seeing his past and present self for who he is: good, kind, loyal, resolute, and loving.

What started as a slow climb for me in this narrative, became an exhilarating rush. I wanted to instantly consume every page thoroughly once I came to see both protagonists clearly. Once I came to cheer their romance on.

There is so much hurt between the two, but they don’t see, at first, how mutual it is. Nor the reasoning behind it all. At times the sheer vitriol exchanged between LaRynn and Deacon frustrated me to the point I had to walk away, it was initially difficult to keep my attention going, but there came a moment where that suddenly changed. And suddenly— nothing was stopping me from turning every page, one after the other. I was addicted to seeing how these two would work things out. Because behind the bickering, the assumptions, all that messy miscommunication, reside two souls so clearly meant for one another. Their unfolding love story is absolutely worth the early frustration.

My favorite part was the final act, including the epilogue. I teared up, which I did not expect to do, but there was no avoiding it. The love for family and partner came through exquisitely in that final act. I loved it immensely. I left this one with a heart full of love.

If you enjoy hate to love, second chances, and bickering rivals whose hearts slowly but surely soften and sizzle in chemistry, be sure to pick up The Co-op!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this complimentary copy, I leave this honest review voluntarily.

The cover is gorgeous and I love the author but I didn’t love this book. I wasn't attached to the characters and I wasn't invested in their story at all. This book just fell flat for me. Overall I would say it was Meh. I started and stopped reading so many times - I'm normally a fast reader but I struggled and had to force myself to keep going....The timeline jumps from past to present so often kept throwing me off. I'm definitely a mood reader so maybe it's just me.

3.5 Stars

I did not love this one although it was still able to keep my attention.
The characters just did not grow on me. Their behaviors were so immature and childish, and the miscommunication was frustrating. Nothing about it was cute or fun. I did like the different plot.
LaRynn and Deacon have history as teens. They are pressured to marry one another in order to receive an inheritance and then proceed to renovate a property together. Living and working together proves to be difficult.

The inability to enjoy the characters I think overall ruined this for me. The story had great potential but unfortunately fell short. The alternate timeline also did not mesh well. I thought this was a slow burn but the buildup never happened.

I still love and adore Tarah DeWitt... This just wasn't the one for me.

I really enjoyed this book. It has great pacing and character development. It was a fun read!! I will definitely pick up other books by the author.

This book was pretty good. I’ve liked other works by this author better, but it was still solid. I feel like I just wanted more chemistry between the two main characters. More pining, more banter, more longing…just more. It seemed like the relationship relied too heavily on their past to support their present relationship. I will continue to read Tarah’s work moving forward but would recommend Savor It before recommending this.

THE ROMANCE. THE RENO. THE RECORDS. 😍😍😍

Look, I'm a Tarah DeWitt stan for life. It's decided. This was SO good and so much fun. I really loved the story, the idea, and the whole arc of our main characters here. LaRynn and Deacon are hilarious, natural, and down to earth characters (even with a slightly wild background for LaRynn). Their story together is moving and just lovely.

Truly another delight by a talented author - and good reminder to hug those people who fight and dream by your side a little bit tighter.

I like Deacon and LaRynn individually, but maybe not so much as a couple. I know they aren't technically related, but their grandmothers married each other, making them... stepcousins(?). That felt a little icky. Especially when that's a huge bond for them and they talk over and again about how much their grands loved each other and are the reason Deacon and LaRynn ever met in the first place. The spicy scenes were excellent and brought this book to a 3.5 out of 5, but the egregious lack of communication between the couple was too grating on me to round up, so we sit at a 3.

Im gonna be honest, i wasnt crazy about the characters names in the book but the story itself was great. I loved the open communication the MC’s had and I also liked the banter and storyline.

Thanks so much net galley for the ARC!

LaRynn and Deacon are left shared property by their families that is in...less than ideal shape. However, with funds being tight, the solution to get money is...a marriage of convenience for LaRynn's trust fund! As the story goes on, we learn more about these two and their past relationship, and how they grow together in the challenges of (fake) marriage, home ownership, and the joys that come along with those challenges.

I didn't care much for the characters' names: LaRynn and Deacon—BUT I really loved these characters! I think DeWitt does a great job with having characters who openly communicate and express themselves well, which is a relief in this genre. With that said, there is a large portion of this novel where LaRynn and Deacon have things unsaid between them, but that is by no means dragged out throughout their arc of enemies-to-friends-to-lovers.

I think I didn't care much for the scenes that were written in the past. It just flashed back at moments where I would've rather stayed in the present, and I didn't think they added much overall to the plot because a lot of the growth they do takes place in the present. It was just odd pacing wise! Overall I had fun with this!

3.75 ⭐️s
2 🌶️

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley for providing an ARC!

I enjoyed this book! I love love a second chance romance and marriage of convenience!!

i loved Deacons mom, and their neighbour! she was an interesting character.

this book was also hilarious! I was laughing every few pages and this was honestly just what I needed!

LaRynn and Deacon hadn't seen each other since that fateful summer when they were 18, but when both their grandmothers pass away, they find out they both co-own their old place. When the opportunity of an inheritance comes up, the decide to get married to access it and use the money to renovate and then eventually sell the house, but things don't go quite as planned.

The relationship development between them was so much fun, they had great banter and so many laugh out loud moments as they navigated being married and renovating a house! The slow burn was so satisfying and filled with great tension and chemistry. They were both flawed in the best way that you couldn't help but love them.

Overall this was a really enjoyable read!

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞:
💜 marriage of convenience
💜 hate to love
💜 second chance
💜 forced proximity

The Co-Op is a dual POV forced proximity marriage of convenience romance. LaRynn and Deacon were brought together as teens by their grandmothers. After a disastrous summer romance as young adults, they went their separate ways, only coming back together because of the house they jointly inherited. Needing LaRynn’s trust fund to finish fixing the place up to rent out, they reluctantly agree to a temporary marriage to make ends meet.

This was my first book by this author but I enjoyed it very much! It had a mix of funny moments and angsty moments, as they found their way to each other and through their baggage. Very moving and captivating story!


Read dates: 10/15/2024 - 10/16/2024
Goodreads review: 10/16/2024
Instagram review: 10/17/2024
Blog review: 11/12/2024

I love stories that start out when the couple was young and it doesn't work out and the meet up later... 2nd Chances give me hope.

This was so much fun and ended with a depth I wasn’t expecting. Fun banter and a way to cute ending and epilogue. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

The Co-op by Tarah DeWitt is an absolute must-read for fans of second-chance romance! LaRynn and Deacon’s journey is full of chemistry, heart, and just the right amount of tension. Their forced proximity as they navigate both home renovations and old feelings creates an irresistible story that pulls you in from the start. The way the author intertwines personal growth and romantic tension makes this a truly satisfying read. With steamy moments, humor, and emotional depth, this book is pure romance magic. If you love characters you can root for and a plot that keeps you hooked, this one’s for you!

This second chance romance was overall, an enjoyable read. Several aspects of the novel certainly drew me in, including: Deacon and LaRynn’s chemistry and banter; the flashbacks to their young adulthood and how their relationship progressed to where it is today; the mature themes represented throughout the novel; and the setting of the novel, i.e., how Deacon and LaRynn are tasked with restoring an old house. However, I found that certain aspects of the novel fell flat for me that ultimately prevented me from being fully engrossed in the novel. For one, Deacon and LaRynn have extremely poor communication skills that led their main conflict to draw out to the point of boredom and frustration. In my opinion, the novel could have been much shorter and more effective if the characters’ issues with one another did not span 95% of the book and instead their positive interactions were displayed more frequently throughout the novel. For instance, I would have appreciated more interactions of them restoring the old house together. Relatedly, I disliked the main conflict, namely, the reason why the two characters ended their relationship when they were younger. I understand that trauma influences the way we interact and communicate with one another, but the characters' relationship ended due to poor communication and I found that this did not reflect well on their characters. Consequently, it was not fully believable and it was hard for me to root for them to end up together. In addition, I was excited about the characters' fake marriage that took place at the beginning of the novel, however, I found that the trope was not fully fleshed out. It's very infrequently mentioned and simply has no implications on their relationship or causes them to suffer any consequences. I love a good fake marriage trope, but I felt that it was unnecessary here and ultimately prevented me from being fully immersed in the novel. Nevertheless, I did enjoy this novel and I will try another one of Tarah DeWitt's novels in the future.

Thank you NetGallery for the Arc!