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reading_historical_romance's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
As if I needed any more proof that Tarah DeWitt is really just out there writing the best contemporary romances one after another and another. We should be seeing her books on billboards. Her last book, Savor It, has been ranked in my Top 5 of 2024 and now it has a new bestie on that list.
Because writing and reading is ALWAYS political, I’m now going to be adding political themes and issues as part of each of my reviews, and I’m honored to start with The Co-Op!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️ (made me blush at one point 🥵 which is rare for me!)
💙🌎💙 Angry woman/female rage
💙🌎💙 Defying patriarchy
💙🌎💙 Lesbian joy and legacy
💙🌎💙 Anti-capitalism
💙🌎💙 Older adult visibility and caretaking
🛏️ Second chance + marriage of convenience
🚪 Forced proximity and while there is more than one bed, there are no doors 😂
🔥 Deacon is a 6’4” beach volleyball player and the most earnest and hottest of home reno Jonathan Scotts you can imagine. He loves dogs and they love him.
🖤 LaRynn is the fiercest, loyal protector of her humans and a 5’11” bad ass bitch
🌊 Santa Cruz, CA setting is its own character in the novel
🍆 Sex positive. The sex in all of Tarah’s novels is fun, affectionate, passionate, tender, and intimate, and it is no different in this one. It always belongs, flows organically into the narrative, and is true to the characters.
🌊 Grief and forgiveness
🌲Motion sickness is so real, folks. 💀
📚 THE EPILOGUE omg omg omg
Thank you SMP, NetGalley, and the author for the opportunity to read and review an eARC. But I absolutely bought a physical copy for my shelves of fame!
Because writing and reading is ALWAYS political, I’m now going to be adding political themes and issues as part of each of my reviews, and I’m honored to start with The Co-Op!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️ (made me blush at one point 🥵 which is rare for me!)
💙🌎💙 Angry woman/female rage
💙🌎💙 Defying patriarchy
💙🌎💙 Lesbian joy and legacy
💙🌎💙 Anti-capitalism
💙🌎💙 Older adult visibility and caretaking
🛏️ Second chance + marriage of convenience
🚪 Forced proximity and while there is more than one bed, there are no doors 😂
🔥 Deacon is a 6’4” beach volleyball player and the most earnest and hottest of home reno Jonathan Scotts you can imagine. He loves dogs and they love him.
🖤 LaRynn is the fiercest, loyal protector of her humans and a 5’11” bad ass bitch
🌊 Santa Cruz, CA setting is its own character in the novel
🍆 Sex positive. The sex in all of Tarah’s novels is fun, affectionate, passionate, tender, and intimate, and it is no different in this one. It always belongs, flows organically into the narrative, and is true to the characters.
🌊 Grief and forgiveness
🌲Motion sickness is so real, folks. 💀
📚 THE EPILOGUE omg omg omg
Thank you SMP, NetGalley, and the author for the opportunity to read and review an eARC. But I absolutely bought a physical copy for my shelves of fame!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Abandonment
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
booksalacarte's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The co-op
4.5⭐️3.25🌶️
Contemporary Romance
1st person
Dual POV
Second chance romance
marriage of convenience
Property Reno
Flashbacks
Tw: parental abandonment, emotional abuse, cursing, family death, parental infidelity
I adored Funny Feelings, so I was excited to read an ARC of The Co-Op.
Two kids who fell in love a decade ago meet again after loosing their grandmas. They are tossed together when they have a common goal of fixing up the duplex their grandma’s owned.
I found the story to be very charming. I loved the pacing and steadiness of the plot. The characters were solid and had great emotional arcs. The side characters were very cute.
I especially adored the epilogue.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol
samchase112's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Oh wow, this exceeded my expectations! And I’m so so happy about it. I adored Deacon and LaRynn’s dynamic — cheers for a TRUE enemies to lovers! — and how they worked through their personal baggage together. The renovation plot was so much fun, I was genuinely sad by the prospect of them losing the house, and there wasn’t even a third-act conflict to ruin all their hard-earned progress. This was also so easy to fly through, because I didn’t want to stop reading. Another favorite added to the list!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Grief
Moderate: Death and Infidelity
thisteachreads's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of “The Co-op” by Tera Dewitt.
This story is a sweet second-chance love story between two former lovers-turned enemies- turned lovers. When they were 19, they shared a passionate summer romance that ended in a spectacular fashion. 7 years later, they find themselves co-owners of a house that is in dire need of renovation and find their way back to one another throughout the process as well.
One of the things I like most about Dewitt’s style is the fact that she creates realistic everyday characters. Her stories seem believable. Rynn and Declan didn’t work out because they were young, naive and didn’t know how to communicate properly. And let’s be honest; what 19 year old does?! But when they reunite, they start to slowly unravel their communication issues and work together to figure out that they actually never stopped loving one another and, even though they grieve the lost time they had together, they find a way to move forward together as well.
I thought this story was a sweet read. Their banter was witty and the dialogue fit well with the characters. She peppered in spice that just seemed to make sense and built the sexual tension between the characters well.
This is worth a read, especially if you enjoy a second chance romance story (with a bit of marriage of convenience peppered in).
This story is a sweet second-chance love story between two former lovers-turned enemies- turned lovers. When they were 19, they shared a passionate summer romance that ended in a spectacular fashion. 7 years later, they find themselves co-owners of a house that is in dire need of renovation and find their way back to one another throughout the process as well.
One of the things I like most about Dewitt’s style is the fact that she creates realistic everyday characters. Her stories seem believable. Rynn and Declan didn’t work out because they were young, naive and didn’t know how to communicate properly. And let’s be honest; what 19 year old does?! But when they reunite, they start to slowly unravel their communication issues and work together to figure out that they actually never stopped loving one another and, even though they grieve the lost time they had together, they find a way to move forward together as well.
I thought this story was a sweet read. Their banter was witty and the dialogue fit well with the characters. She peppered in spice that just seemed to make sense and built the sexual tension between the characters well.
This is worth a read, especially if you enjoy a second chance romance story (with a bit of marriage of convenience peppered in).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Cancer, Death, and Death of parent
ashleighrobin's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Not life changing, but a cute read! I did read all in one sitting, and the switch in perspectives was well done. The forced proximity/enemies to lovers tropes are acknowledged but I appreciate that this book didn’t try to be life changing, it just was a good, not super intense read with a little bit of emotion. Macy’s quote about forgiveness is something that I needed to read when I read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Death
ambercunningham's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This was my least favorite Tarah book but I would still die for Deacon and LaRynn. I’m always a sucker for a childhood friends/highschool sweethearts/second chance romance and this one was so funny while also not losing that angst that comes with first heartbreak. LaRynn is one of the most relatable heroines I’ve come across, and while the story wasn’t as captivating to me personally as FF and Rootbound, I felt so connected to the characters, and their flaws had me rooting for them even more??? Also this book gave me my first “my wife” moment and I swear it changed me on a molecular level. This woman is magic and I want to know wtf she puts in her books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, and Classism
sydapel's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Fun premise and audiobook listen - especially loved how the mistrust between both characters was written in an entirely believable way - they have to actively take steps to listen better to one another which I don't often see in romance. I wished it could have been *slightly* spicier a little earlier on, but still really solid!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Minor: Sexism
linnea_tornblom's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Infidelity
Moderate: Sexual content
samone2's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The main guy character in this book talking about getting a tattoo only for the main guy character in Funny Feeling to get a tattoo warmed my hopeless romantic heart. This book is a solid five starts, there are no faults in this book. Tarah Dewitt is the newest author that I'm obsessed with.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting
Moderate: Infidelity, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Ableism, Cancer, and Death
kaylaogle's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
SURPRISINGLY good! Their rivalry to romance felt very natural, and this whole story felt very real. Loved it!
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Death of parent