Member Reviews
Edited to add:
I just finished the Audio ALC from #netgalley and #MacmillanAudio and OMG. If I thought reading this book with my eyes was special the audio version was just absolute perfection.
Karissa Vacker and Zachary Webber are absolutely fabulous in this and if you get the chance to read and listen to this one, I highly suggest you do. One of my favorite books this year. It's so heartfelt and emotional and tender and loving and perfect. AH. So good.
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This is my first book by Tarah Dewitt and the EMOTIONS.
"๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ค ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ - ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ - ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฆ๐."
Sage is a small town girl that enjoys her simple life. Her little hobby farm, her garden, her students, and her friends and family. But she's no stranger to grief, and no stranger to the pitying looks of the other people in this small town because life didn't go her way. She's such an endearing and kind character and I instantly loved her.
When down on his luck chef Fisher comes to the town Spunes for the summer to stand up a restaurant and hopefully get his life on track, he doesn't expect to fall for his sweet and charming and quirky neighbor. He's raising his niece, and dealing with his own grief from the loss of his sister, and the grief of said niece, and trying to get back to a life he recognizes. Extra props for a man in THERAPY.
I loved that the town has it's own little personality. I loved the side characters, the best friend, the over protective brothers, the goose that falls in love with a girl from the city that doesn't want to fall in love with a small town.
Fisher and Sage live next door and he decides to help her win a town race, and she helps him get in with the locals so they'll accept the new restaurant.
๐๐๐๐ฎ ๐ค๐ฃ๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐จ๐ช๐ข๐ข๐๐ง before Fisher leaves and goes back to NYC, and they can't hold back this attraction for each other so they enter into a summer only, friends with benefits situation.
Obviously, feelings get caught. And boy, do they ever ignite in the most beautiful and spicy and delicious and heart wrenching way.
Guys, this book is swoony and sweet but I was not prepared for my heart to be RIPPED OUT by the end. I was bawling. With no spoilers, let's just say there is a happy ending and it's hard won, but my heart may never recover. This is what a love story should feel like. And I absolutely loved it.
"๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ค ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ, ๐
๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ซ." ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ. "๐
๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ซ. ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ค ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐, ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ."
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. I may never recover!
Pub Date for this book is May 21st.
I loved this book! Iโm a sucker for a sweet small town romance. Plus there are cute farm animals and it takes place in Oregon!
Sage and Fisher were the sweetest! I loved their chemistry and their banter. They had me swooning.
Iโm giving this book all the stars! I just loved how it all came together! The epilogue had me smiling ear to ear! I definitely recommend everyone read it! Plus the audiobook was perfect! Two of my favorite narrators! So good.
Read if you like:
๐ฒ Small Town Romance
๐ฒ Grumpy/Sunshine
๐ฒ Dual POV
๐ฒ Cute Animals
๐ฒ Lots of Banter
I was so lucky and happy to have received my first ARC ever and it be from the amazing Tarah Dewitt! I fell in love with Funny Feelings (which was the first book I read of hers) and Savor It was no different (I definitely savored every second of this book). This book left such a heartwarming impact on me and everything about it was beautiful, from reading the characters' internal thoughts to how things can go from sweet to just the perfect amount of spicy. I loved seeing Sage and Fisher overcome their personal obstacles and I also really loved the โmen in therapyโ representation a lot, which is something I rarely read about in books. The audiobook was perfectly paced and the narrators spoke in the right emotions for each scene. Huge thanks to Tarah, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of Savor It. Everyone please go add this to your tbr (even though it should be there already)!
Savor It is everything I've come to expect from Tarah Dewitt's writing. It is beautiful and whimsical, deeply emotional, and deeply satisfying. Get your tissues ready. Fisher and Sage's love story is woven together alongside themes of familial love, grief and loss, resilience and new beginnings. Savor It delivers all the best smalltown romance goodies including the obligatory progress-halting town meeting and an annual competition for the town to rally behind.
Karissa Vacker and Zachary Webber gave incredible performances as Sage and Fisher. Vacker's airy tone complemented Webber's portrayal of serious and unwavering Fisher.
Savor It is a must-listen and Tarah Dewitt remains one of my top auto-buy authors.
Thanks to @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for the ALC of Savor It.
What a cutie! A school teacher who rescues animals and a talented chef from New York make for the perfect opposites attract trope. And I love that the FMC doesnโt have to give up her life to be with the MMC. Such a refreshing and fair HEA!
Spice was like 3/5๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ โ steamy but not sizzling.
P.S. The MMC has earrings, and yโall know how I feel about piercings!! And tattoos.
(Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.)
Tarahโs stories are so beautifully messy and layered and even when they break your heart, they skillfully put the pieces back together. Her characters and their stories, struggles, heartbreak, and dreams are so relatable and it is truly a testament to Tarahโs writing that so many readers have found a home with and recognize themselves in her books.
There was so much about this story I adored, but the main issue I had was with the romance. I love a grumpy sunshine trope and thought Fisher and Sage settled into their roles perfectly, but I was desperately missing the tension from their dynamic. I also thought the fake relationship storyline could have been eliminated, especially when so many people in town knew the truth.
This book was soft and beautiful and I loved so much about it, but ultimately, for me, the romance component didnโt come together and I thought the spice felt forced and didnโt organically flow with the story. That being said, I still recommend picking this book up because the story is deeply human and these charactersโ lives will resonate with many readers.
I enjoyed the audiobook experience better than reading with my eyes, but as much as I enjoyed the narration, the story was still a little lackluster for me and I didnโt find the chemistry between Sage and Fisher believable.
Audiobook narration gets five stars but the story, for me, is three stars, which pains me to say because I have absolutely adored Tarahโs other books. While I might not have fully connected with this story, I am eager with anticipation for Ellis and Wrenโs story.
Tarah DeWitt is a fairly new to me author, but I understand why she is so beloved among romance readers. Savor It is a small town romance that explores what happens when life serves up something different than you ever expected.
Sage Byrd has lived in Spunes, Oregon her whole life but never felt true belonging. Fisher Lange is an acclaimed chef who is escaping the big city for a small town after an interaction with a reviewer goes viral and causes him to love his job. Heโs also newly a guardian for his 15 year old niece Indy. Over the course of the summer, all three of them - Sage, Fisher, and Indy - all learn more about belonging in this delicious small town romance.
I really loved the development of the relationship between Fisher and Sage. They start as neighbors then become friends before they canโt resist their chemistry. Itโs also impossible not to love the small town side characters. If anything there were some storylines that felt a little unresolved by the end but overall I loved the story.
The audio is absolutely fantastic. Zachary Webber and Karissa Vacker bring so much emotion and feeling to their characters. They both did amazing voices for different characters and brought all the feelings portrayed on the page.
I voluntarily read a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
This was a cute read! I gave it 3 stars because it just seemed kinda slow, and the characters didnโt actually seem to have anything in common. They didnโt really seem to have chemistry either which made it seem like they just fell in love out of convenience.
I also thought we would be solely focused on the restaurant aspect of the story and the story seemed mostly just about the dialogue between the two characters more than an actual plot. But at the same time, it felt like nothing really happened.
Overall, this was a great audiobook that was clear and easy to listen to. A lot of the male narrators chapters did end abruptly without them finishing reading the dialogue so hopefully that is fixed before release.
Thank you to NetGalley, Tarah DeWitt and Macmillan Audio for the audioArc in exchange for an honest review! Savor It is available May 21st!
This story had such a strong premise. It reminded me of that PC game Lake that went viral a few years ago, about a big city professional taking over as a mail person for her father for a couple months in the Pacific Northwest. Unwilling to be there, but falling in love with the scenery, the local characters, and the cutie next door.
This story took a sharp left turn right into the lake of melodrama. Both main characters for some reason were able to recall word for word the most poetic, enlightening, awe inspiring words of wisdom from their late loved ones. Cue up the violin as they weep while staring into each otherโs eyes. What started as so heartwarmingly funny became sticky sweet heartburn.
Itโs a clever premise: a small town girl with a mini farm meets big city Michelin star chef whoโs raising his niece. I was hoping for a steamy opposites attract or enemies to lovers. Unfortunately, I didnโt relate with either of the main characters, so I didnโt feel invested in anything that happened to them.
The meet-cute involves police and firemen. It was funny and had my attention. But the middle was a little slow for me. I got lost in the words and wished there had been more witty banter or action. Little happened for a long time and then it seemed like everything happened at once.
There were some sexy scenes that were well-written but, for some reason, I didnโt feel any of the romance between the characters.
Savor it by Tarah Dewitt
* Sage is so funny, confident and quirky I love her I feel like we would be friends, also such a beautiful name ๐ฅฐ
* This audiobook is amazing I feel like Iโm on the phone with Fisher as heโs going through it ๐๐ญ ( they thought a bear broke in but it was a robot vacuum Iโm dying )
* This book has me giddy and laughing out loud eating this book up
* They become neighbours and work together we love a forced proximity ๐ซถ๐พ
* I love the banter and spice
* Iโm in love with Fisher ๐ฅน๐ฅฐ
* I love when the MMC takes care of the FMC is sick that trope is just chefs kiss
* Felt a bit long but so enjoyable
Rating: โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
4.5 stars โญ๏ธ Sage Byrd has lived in Spunes (pronounced spoons) all of her life. After her motherโs death, her brothers raised her, which shaped her view on life โ cherish moments in life before theyโre taken away. She is a quirky, animal-loving teacher. Fisherโs sister died, leaving him the guardian of his niece, Indy. Heโs a Michelin star chef, whose career is in jeopardy. When Fisher and Indy move for the summer to Spunes to open a new restaurant for his boss, they move next to Sage. Fisher helps Sage to make her ex-boyfriend jealous by fake dating, but their connection was deep enough to that the fake dating became physical and turning into love.
I enjoyed Savor It. I love that Fisher and Sage were looking for acceptance, and they gave each other different perspectives that each needed on their lives. Sage is more sunshine whereas Fisher is more grumpy. They were alike in the important ways, which made their connection and their chemistry deeper โ especially when they began to hook up. The secondary characters, the setting, and the pacing were well done. The writing is impeccable. It has the small town feel with a sweet, relatable romance.
Zachary Webber and Karissa Vacker did a fantastic job narrating Fisher and Sageโs story. I absolutely recommend the audiobook! Thank you to Netgalley for an ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Trigger Warnings: talk of parental death (past trauma), talk of sibling death (past trauma)
Tropes: small town, single dad/guardian, neighbors, slow burn, chef hero, quirky and animal loving heroine
Iโve listened to a lot of ARCโs lately, but this one is by far the best Iโve listened to in a long time. I laughed, I cried, I listened with a smirk. The banter was good, the feeling was good. This is my first Tarah Dewitt and it most certainly will not be my last, I now need to back read her stuff. Thanks NetGalley, Tarah Dewitt & St. Martinโs for the ARC.
I was thinking, oh this is a small town fake romance I will not be crying, I was wrong. I've had Tarah DeWitt books on my TBR forever so of course I had to start with the newest release. You will definitely Savor It while reading, very wholesome family oriented, spice level 2. Sage is a Social studies teacher who rescues animals and has a flower garden in her family farm. Fisher a 2 Michelin star chef, guardian to his niece and has a reluctance to small towns. The friendship blossoming between these two is full of chemistry and panty melting kisses at the library that turn into a fake relationship with both benefiting from its kisses. The ending had me holding back tears, i loved this book so much. The execution was brilliant, all main and side characters had strong qualities that can be turned into a series, if not already.
The audiobook was an experience, the voices matched perfectly with the characters. Enjoyed listening to Fisher whispering to Sage at the library.
A huge thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio, and Tarah Dewitt for the ALC of Savor It - I LOVED this one and am so glad I listened to the audio version. This one is swoon-worthy, binge-able, and an absolute must-read/listen. The narrators (Karissa Vacker and Zachary Webber) did a fantastic job bringing this one to life; they are creeping higher and higher on my favorite narrator list. I love listening to books they narrate! There is so much love about this book, but topping the list is the amazing characters and character development - I loved Sage and Fisher and watching them fall for each other. This book is steamy, fun, and emotional. I love a book that makes me laugh and cry, and this one did both (no, I do not want to talk about my sobbing while shopping at Trader Joe's, listening to the last chapter ๐ซ ).
My favourite by this author and what an audio narration, both of these narrators nailed these characters.
This is pure small town, romance magic and I cried like a baby at the end.
Tarah Dewitt has totally honed in her craft:
All the stars.
This was a work of art. Iโve read a lot of romances lately but this completely drew me in and made me melt in ways I didnโt know possible.
I loved them. I cheered them on. I cried all the (happy) tears for them.
Read the book! Just maybe not hungry because some of the food sounded mouthwatering ๐
Spoons needs to be a real place. I want to go! I also want a goose now but thatโs not happening! This author just landed on my auto-buy/read list!!! Loved it!!!! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of the audiobook!
Savor it
By: Tarah Dewitt
I was able to read an arc of this book through NetGalley. This is the same author of Funny Feelings which has been on my TBR for so long. After reading Savor It, I will definitely be reading more of her books. This book was so good. Thereโs romance, grief, and humor, but I would highly recommend this book. I gave it 4 stars.
Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to listen to Savor it in exchange for an honest review.
Tarah Dewitt's "Savor It" is a heartwarming and easy to read novel that captures the charm of a small town. Sage, an animated and optimistic young woman, and Fisher, a charming newcomer, form an unlikely bond that fills their lives with joy and laughter. Despite their struggles, Sage and Fisher find comfort and support in each other.
Through their witty banter and genuine connection, they navigate the challenges of life with humor and resilience. Sage's infectious optimism lifts Fisher's spirits, while Fisher's quiet strength provides Sage with a sense of stability.
Full of small-town charm and endearing characters, "Savor It" is a delightful read that celebrates the power of friendship, love, and facing life's obstacles together. I truly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to every romance book lover out there. This was a solid 4.5 Star read for me!
Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for giving me early access to this Audio book in exchange for an honest review.
In Savor It, Sage Byrd, a small-town girl with a big heart, finds herself at a crossroads when her long-term relationship ends and her ex moves on. Determined to reclaim her confidence and put her ex in his place, she teams up with Fisher Lange, a former New York City chef grappling with grief and a tarnished reputation. Their unlikely partnership in the town's annual summer competition sparks not only rumors but also a passionate romance. As they navigate healing and newfound love, they discover that time is fleeting, and summer may not last long enough for their burgeoning relationship
This is the first novel I've read by Tarah DeWitt's, and I must say, it's a standout in the genre of contemporary romance! I loved this audio, I finished it in one day. DeWitt's writing is wonderful and filled with delightful wit, making this book/audio one of my favorites! The banter between the female and male leads is electric, creating a dynamic that's both flirty and fun. However, while the story was a delightful and quick read, I couldn't help but feel that the overall relationship between the main characters could have benefited from more depth and development. BUT! I still highly enjoyed this... I'd love for this to be a series! I need more of Sage and Fisher... Oh and I want to live in Spunes.