| Title | : | The Co-op |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1250329388 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781250329387 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 352 |
| Publication | : | First published October 20, 2022 |
By that logic, hate and construction may as well be condemned.
LaRynn Lavigne and Deacon Leeds had one short and contentious summer fling when they were teens.
Certainly nothing to build a foundation on.
But a decade later, when their grandmothers have left them with shared ownership of their dilapidated Santa Cruz building, they're thrust back together and have to figure out how to brace up the pieces.
LaRynn has the money, but to access her trust, she has to be married.
Deacon has the construction expertise, but lacks the funds.
A deal is struck: Marry for however long it takes to fix up the property, collect a profit, and cut ties.
Thrust into a home without walls, they quickly learn that it's easy to hide behind emotional ones, even in a marriage. But, with all the exposure and pitfalls that come with living with the opposite sex (and none of the perks) they'll also have to learn what it means to truly co-operate as a team.
The Co-op is a steamy story about restoration and renovation, and uncovering all the things that build character within ourselves. It's about the never-ending construction project that partnership is, and finding enjoyment at every stage.
The Co-op Reviews
-
Oh I loved this book SO HARD! ❤️🔥
Marriage of convenience with forced proximity tossed in and a summer fling when they were 18 until things went to shit and they don’t reconnect until 8 years later, so a little bit of second chance romance — which happens to just be some of my favorite tropes 😅
I truly enjoyed this from start to finish and when I’m reading, i’m always thinking of my rating—depending on how the beginning feels along with the tone and pacing of the book, but without a doubt, 5 stars was stuck in my head the whole time
I was touched by so many parts of larynn and deacon, both apart and together as a couple. They start off not being able to stand each other and have to build this trust between them and along the way, things just start to click and they really clicked for me.
Do yourself a favor and read this when it comes out on October 25th 💕
the ending… the epilogue… *swoons* i just felt so content and happy at the end of it all. The best part is there is no third act breakup (yesss!!) <333
*thank you sm to Tarah for giving me an e-arc!! I‘ve wanted this book the moment it was announced. nevertheless, this review is completely my own 💕* -
imagine beach read meets you deserve each other and that’s the co-op!!!
this was such a fun read, i got through it so quickly. the characters have so much depth but it’s done in such a lighthearted way. the beginning was a little slow but once it picked up.. it really picked up!
tarah dewitt can do no wrong <3
“be my wife. stay my wife.” -
first of all,
if beach read and you deserve each other had a love child it would be THIS book✨
second of all,He looks back up at me and shakes his head angrily. “Because it fucking hurts. It makes me feel like I’m in pain, like I’m being choked by my own goddamn fury. Please, LaRynn. Fuck my pride, I want you to stop because I want you for me, and even if I can’t have that I just...I'm flat out begging you...”
“Show me,” I say shakily, heart swelling. “Show me where it hurts.”
His head snaps up to mine and I step to him, to between his parted knees. He studies me for one more echoing beat before he exhales, lets his forehead fall against my lower stomach with a groan. Something like relief drops his shoulders. “Show me,” I repeat, my fingers knitting in his curls.”
LIKE-
THAT SCENE YALL. IT HAS ME BY THE FUCKING THROATS.
since i didn't love-love funny feelings i went into this one without any expectations or so but i was so pleasantly surprised, to say the least😩
brief summary of the book:
when both larynn and deacon's grandmas pass away, they are left with their now ruined house that they decide to inherit and co-own and the only way to gain access of it is to get married so they could sell it out after getting it all renovated. but the catch is, they had a summer fling and had each other's firsts a decade ago that left them heartbroken. and now they can't really stand each other.
it had:
➻fall vibes
➻small town vibes
➻enemies to friends to lovers
➻marriage of convenience
➻second chance romance
the giddiness i felt while reading it I TELL YOU and the little petty acts larynn was pulling out on deacon when he pissed her off?? iconic methinks bc miss ma’am really went on scrubbing the toilet using his toothbrush😭😭its giving old married couple for sure.
the characters were so flawed and felt so realistic and loveable. i loved how it focused so much on how they grew up to experiencing their family’s poor examples of love and bond and the way they internally struggled because of it so much. it was so well explored and i’ve always gravitated towards this kind of topics so you bet that really touched me deelpy. AND THE WRITING???!! it was so beautiful and felt so intimate.
now moving on to their romance, bitch PEAK ROMANCE IS WHEN they can’t stand each other to having small miscommunications with each other here and there to trusting each other enough to open up to each other and understanding one another to doing little things for each other to falling in love. URGH. although the only complaint i have is i wanted to see more of the romantic development to their relationship. but it was nonetheless a pretty feel good read."I love you and I know I don't always…I've been trying to show you. I thought it was more important to show you, first, and I promise I'm going to keep doing that. But I also wanted to say it first." I feel raw when the words hang between us. Raw, and a little sick.
"I know you do," she says simply, smiling shyly. "You've been showing me. With your patience and your trying. Your partnership." She catches her breath and inches up to my face, kissing me sweetly. "And I love you. I plan to keep showing you, too." -
˗ˏˋ 1 ★
let's start off with what i liked about this book...
i liked the epilogue, and the fmc was alright.
what didn't i like? just about everything.
it's a second chance romance, and has the marriage of convenience trope which i LOVE. so i thought this was going to be super good.
the second chance trope sucked. there was an alternate timeline that stopped in the last 20-30 percent of the book. just gone. i thought there was going to be a build up to find out what went wrong, but it was mentioned in the present chapters and early on in the before chapter which was the last one.
if the MC's were actual adults, they could have had a conversation about what happened seven years ago when they were teenagers. what basically happened was that they had just a fling/hookups regularly, and she told him she loved him and he didn't want to say it back. so, so sad. if they had a conversation about it a lot sooner this book would have been a lot shorter.
the last 40% of the book was completely unnecessary. i didn't care that they had issues with there parents and that was basically the main focus in the last parts of the book.
the marriage of convience trope? almost nonexistent. they were renovating there grandmas house, (there grandmas were married to each other and they both died) and they called each other nicknames but it didn't deliver AT ALL.
i would have completely dnf this if it wasn't for my buddy read with julia. i was skimming so much in this book because it was just so bad. the writing style is absolutely not my favorite either. i forgot most of the characters in this book as well besides the MC's.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
br with my lovely julia 💗 -
╰┈➤ 1.5 stars
what a disappointment.
Three hundred something pages about 2 people who don’t know how to communicate and express their feelings with each other :/
This a rerelease book and author mentioned that she changed almost everything I think, so I don’t know if the previous publication was better or not…. but this one was bad.
I saw some reviews saying that this book was like you deserve each other and I disagree, this couldn’t be more different.
The fmc was SOOO selfish, I understand that she had her reasons but omggg she was so infuriating and childish, the switch in how she acted every other scene was making me go insane, I’m not even going to talk about the toothbrush scene, she would snap at anyone who tried to get closer to her, I don’t really know how the mmc could stand her. I disliked Deacon too.
The story had so much potential but it just fell flat it was bland, boring, it was like a roller coaster.. I would like one chapter and then I would hate the next 6 chapters. The whole reason behind everything was stupid.
(spoiler) and don’t get me started on the name on their daughter name. DOT? SERIOUSLY? the worst name ever, even Nara Smith chooses better name for her kids😶
I can’t believe that this is the same author that wrote funny feelings. I wasted my time reading this.
tropes:
•marriage of convenience
•second chance
•roommate
Thank you netgalley for the arc!
de verdad no puedo creer que le puso de nombre a su hija “punto”.
_______________________________________
pre-read
I remember loving funny feelings when I read it, I hope this one is just as good -
5✨
"I love you and I know I don't always…I've been trying to show you. I thought it was more important to show you, first, and I promise I'm going to keep doing that. But I also wanted to say it first." I feel raw when the words hang between us. Raw, and a little sick.
"I know you do," she says simply, smiling shyly. "You've been showing me. With your patience and your trying. Your partnership." She catches her breath and inches up to my face, kissing me sweetly. "And I love you. I plan to keep showing you, too."
This book made my heart so happy. The Co-Op is a book about a marriage of convenience, second chance (ish) between two people who have poor examples of love and family learning to love and become family. After a summer of firsts when they’re 18 leaves both LaRynn and Deacon in shambles, they don’t see each other again. Until both their grandmothers pass away… and 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 eventually sell.
Both these characters are flawed but so lovable. If you want a laugh-out-loud rom com with emotional depth, pick this up immediately. (Or Funny Feelings, because it was just as good.) Reading about the two of them not only falling in love but conquering their own insecurities was perfection.
Read this if you like
💍 marriage of convenience
💍 hate to love
💍 second chance -
Aww I needed this book today 🥰 No drama, no third act break up, just a perfect steamy romance for a rainy weekend!
Deacon and LaRynn spent a summer together eight years ago but never really sorted out things between them and haven’t seen each other since. Now they end up in a marriage of convenience to get money from her trust fund and renovate the house their grandmothers left them.
What is it with marriage of convenience stories that they always work for me? Maybe it’s because I’ve always found being married more romantic than getting married?
There are a lot of things these two had to work through. Like trying to be civil despite old wounds and grudges, but also learning to live with another person. On a construction site at that! I loved how they were gradually warming up to each other and carefully allowing themselves to open up. The slow burn was so well done!
There was one plot twist that surprised me a little. At some point they were almost getting down to business in some storage closet, but then they got caught and later on very maturely decided to ‘be friends’. Where is all the lust gone? You were both ready to jump each other’s bones and now you don’t pick up as soon as you are able to??? Huh
But this is actually a minor thing. It’s just me being a nitpicking bitch, don’t mind me, I loved this book 😍
I upped my rating from four to five stars because I checked what else I had rated four stars and decided that this one deserves five after all.
Thanks Monica and marwah for making me read it! 💗 -
2.5 ˖⁺‧✮
br with
lilly ♡
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ while i liked the idea and some of the characters, rest of the book had nothing special. from the beginning i was confused and lost in time. book is written in present and past, and even though there is a “before” above some chapters, as a reader i couldn’t figure out, when was what happening.
the main “conflict” of the book was bad. they both were teenagers and it felt like they stayed them. one dialogue between two adults would solve everything in 3 minutes. i still can’t understand why main female character hold the grudge for such a long time. wasn’t she dating in between him?
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ i feel like characters and their stories are not enough development, so that’s why plot looks so bad and plain. book also felt rushed. i only got to understand most of family lines by the end and where did renovation go? it was mentioned so little in the book and i thought it was like, main thing. i think, working together on the renovation and having interactions as they build, would add so much tension to the chemistry.
i’m also a very visual reader. every time i’m finishing a book, i have a whole image in my head of the characters, their apartments, school, work space… but i just couldn’t put pieces together. it felt very chaotic and unfinished.
Thank you Netgalley for the arc. -
[ 4 stars ]
“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.”
my meltdown is overnot really. okay hi. um. I love this book
I wish I could write a proper review but my brain is literally mush rn and it's also scientifically proven I can't write reviews for books Idie forlove 😀
I have no words. Tarah's writing style is sensational, her writing just makes me go: HFGJHGHJFEWVFVGF. I could feel the words as I read. does that make sense?
in conclusion: the Emily Henry itch was scratched. (credit to whoever said this first love the idea <3) also the similarities to beach read ohmygod I CANT.
As I said the writing is phenomenal. every single description, conversation, physical touch, TENSION and tiny details:“Hey love,” I say, before I lean over the counter and kiss her cheek. Soft, smells like coffee and burnt sugar. Maybe something coconut today, too. “Just go with it. It’ll make him stop bugging you,” I whisper, full of hope. I clock the goosebumps on her arms, and slide my hand along her wrist, note the way her frown whisks into a stiff smile. She chuckles breathily, the tiny sound like lightning in my veins. “He looks like he’s seen a ghost,” she says. “I love it when you scare people.”
something about this kind of writing makes me go insane. It feels so intimate and real, laRynn and deacon were also very flawed and realistic and so fucking loveable all their issues were relatable on a whole new level and I love that. down to earth characters own my entire heart and are exactly what I look for when asking for a perfect romance book. talking about romance larrydeacons love story couldn't be any more perfect <3
➣ short recap: when both larynn and deacon's grandmas pass away, they are left with their now ruined house that they decide to inherit and co-own and the only way to gain access is to get married so they could sell it out after getting it all renovated. The problem is that they previously had a summer fling and experienced each other's firsts, which left them both heartbroken, and never thought they'd see each other again. So they obviously can't stand each other.
➣ their relationship is just so fucking perfect. THEY ARE SO FUCKING PERFECT. everything. their development, their banter, their tiny gestures, the tension, the hurt/comfort scenes-
I FUCKING DIED.
“Let me be your friend?” I ask, gently. “Let me get to know you again, and you me? I think we’re both self-aware enough to know we’re worthy of that for one another. Can you try to trust me? At least enough to believe that I want to make this house project work for us both. Let me show you I want to be your friend, too.” Her teeth saw into her lip. “You still want that? With me?” “I basically made you marry me, Larry. I’d really like for something good to come of this. I’d like to be your friend even . . . after. I think our grandmothers would’ve liked that, too.”
I'm going to cry all over again shut up.His eyes shut in relief. “Thank you.” And he wraps me in a hug so abruptly my chin glides against the crook of his neck, the tip of my nose behind it.
“You broke my heart,” she says. And it’s worse that it comes out as a whisper. I’d rather her scream it at me. “I know,” I croak. “And I mean it. I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry, but you . . . ” She looks up at me through angry red eyes and I pause. “LaRynn, you bled mine out in pieces that summer, too. You didn’t want anyone to know about me, about us. You were the one who insisted there were no feelings, that it was just about sex. That was never my idea. You made me think you were ashamed of me.”
nvm i am crying.
but this had me dead. like rolling in my grave dead.“Because it fucking hurts. It makes me feel like I’m in pain, like I’m being choked by my own goddamn fury. Please, LaRynn. Fuck my pride, I want you to stop because I want you for me, and even if I can’t have that I just—need to be able to make it through the rest of this without wanting to put my head through the floor, alright?! I’m flat out begging you, just, please don’t—not in front of me anymore..."
"Jesus, I’m so sorry, I can’t believe I’m acting like this. I know I should just be happy to be your friend, and I am, okay? I get that we weren’t good to each other before and I took this off the table, but I can’t do it anymore, I’m sorry I don’t think I can stand it, I—”
“Show me,” I say shakily, heart swelling. “Show me where it hurts.” His head snaps up to mine and I step to him, to between his parted knees.”
sick.
I SIMPLY HAVE NO FUCKING WORDS. NO WORDS. PEOPLE DIEDIM PEOPLE
➣ the love confession had me full on sobbing. and this as well:“And you won’t hate me again someday?” He frowns as he looks at my lips, my nose, my eyes. “Hate you? LaRynn I never hated you. I don’t think I could have.
....
“I hate that I did that to you when we were younger. I hate that we wasted any time not loving one another. Hate that you thought I was anything less than gone for you. Because I’m so fucking gone for you, LaRynn. I’m so stupidly in love with you.”
“And I’m so stupidly in love with you, too.” I cradle his face in my hands and kiss him. “I’m so gone for you that sometimes I want to tear this place apart just so we can do this all over again.” We laugh inside another kiss, our teeth bumping. “And even though I know you’d be devastating in a suit, I don’t care about a wedding. I’d rather have a kitchen floor.” “I can do that,”
no comment. just know I cried a lot. and even more while reading about Larynns "problems"the number of times I said 'she just like me fr' is unrealand the epilogue.😀
yeah. this is basically me screaming and crying over a bunch of quotes and calling it a "review". if you find me rereading this in a few weeks just know I missed my babies and I will be probably rereading beach read as well I don't know if I mentioned this is got MAJOR januarygus vibes from larrydeacon 😭💗
Emily Henry and Tarah Dewitt collab when????
I got really carried away damn- but is me showing how much I love this book honestly. ok bye <3
no one asked but the song I listened to on repeat while writing this is
would've could've should've don't ask me why it just heavily reminded me larrydeacon idk what it is -
Time of death: 33%
I like the author’s writing style and the hero, but I can't stand the heroine and can't see what Deacon (H) sees in her. I understand she’s not as bad inside as she seems when she opens her mouth but I have to endure enough spoiled brats in real life to not appreciate reading about them in my free time. I like reading about heroines I can relate to, sympathize with or look up to, not a girl who show she cares by buying several 100$ pillows (each, in case you are wondering) when she was supposed to be saving money for the renovation they were doing. When the hero was angry? I would have been furious.
Anyway, the reason why I’m doing this review is to talk about the fact that this is a marriage of convenience book when there was zero necessity to be. The whole point of marriage of convenience is to create force proximity. LaRynn and Deacon were already going to live together while renovating the house their grandmothers left them-the MCs are not related by blood, in case you are wondering. I don’t mind as much doing the old ‘i need to marry to access the fund my [insert relative] left me’ if you need the marriage of convenience for something, but just to tick a box? Have we reached the point where authors just insert tropes to have one more thing to be recommended? I’m starting to understand why lately more and more romances taste the same: some authors are trying to maximize the number of popular tropes they can insert in their story, it doesn’t matter anymore if they fit or not. -
The bane of my existence.
My dear, sweet, husband.
LaRynn and Deacon have a fling when they're 18. they're both staying with their grandma for the summer which said grandmas are in love 🥺 because they're both 18, idiot and emotionally unavailable with family traumas their fling ends dramatically 😐
so 8 years later after the grandmas died(😭) they inherited the house. they need to renovate it so they can sell the house and never see each other again 🤞🏼 but the only way to find funds is getting married because LaRynn's grandma left her a trust fund only accessible if she gets married 🤭 matchmaking queen keeps working from the grave 💅🏼
“You called me your husband,” I say.
She laughs quietly. “Like that, did you?”
“I fucking loved it.”
(omw to create a shelf called my husband)
✔️ the funniest banter
✔️ the most dramatic and pathetic love confession
✔️ no third act
✔️ no owd/omd(he gets jealous of their friend but it's all in his head)
✔️ dancing in the kitchen(you don't understand how i'm obsessed with it)
✔️ the best epilogue!!! ten years in the future with kids?????? 🥺
do i need to say more because this was so good!!! 💞🥺🧿✨💓😭🪬💙💖🤭💞😌🦋
"Be my wife.Stay my wife. Forever, LaRynn."
"Make a wish," she teases when she sets the only remaining sliver of pie in front of him with a lone candle.
He looks at me as he blows it out.
leaving the actual footage of me reading this
-
4.5 stars
This book is everything I could’ve wanted and more. I love it so much, I love the development of the relationship, I love how you can tell when they started to really trust each other, I love the push and pull. I love the slow burn! I just really enjoyed this book, I’m definitely going to be read some of my favorite chapters. My heart swells thinking about it, I love Deacon and Larynn so much they are everything -
The Co-op is a lovely second chance romance with fun tropes including forced proximity, marriage of convenience, and slow burn! The story follows LaRynn who after her grandma's recent passing, has coinherited a home with Deacon, the former fling who broke her heart. Set on selling the house, LaRynn is shocked to find the home is in complete shambles and in dire need of renovations after a recent fire. In order to accomplish that, Deacon and LaRynn agree to marry so she can access her trust fund and they can renovate the house together. When the two begin cohabitating together, they are forced to acknowledge what led to the end of their previous relationship.
I absolutely loved this book, and had so much fun reading it! Deacon and LaRynn were amazing together. I loved the character development and how the two admitted to the faults in their previous relationship and were able to move on from it. Once they did, the connection they were able to forge was so healthy and comforting. I also enjoyed the tumultuous relationship the two had in the beginning, the banter and the way they were at odds with each other was so entertaining. This is my first ever read from Tarah Dewitt and I'm blown away by her writing, I'm so excited to dive into her other books. -
Loved it! The beginning is a masterclass on petty and was so funny, but also the development of the characters and them working out their self-awareness and relationship was excellent. The epilogue gave me everything ❤️
-
Straight gobbled this up in less than 24 hours!!! NO BECAUSE I LOVED THIS SOOO MUCH!!! This surprised me, although I had a strong feeling I would enjoy the story, I had no clue I’d fall head over heels for LaRynn and Deacon. I’m a feral racoon for them and I could literally give Tarah that fattest smooch for writing this masterpiece of a book.
This book literally kept me so well fed, it had forced proximity, marriage of convenience, top tier banter and moments that had me laughing out loud, AND A DASH OF SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE.
Dare I say YUMMY!!!!
5⭐️ 1.5🌶 -
I loved this book with all of my heart. Marriage of convenience plus forced proximity with the second chance romance trope??? Immaculate.
From the very beginning I knew I was going to fall head over heels for this story and characters. Not only did I love Larynn and Deacon together but I adored getting to know them as individuals too. The love between these two made me have butterflies and I was so giddy with all of their interactions.
This book was SO good and when I reached the end I was very upset because I wanted more of this amazing couple. One thing about Tarah is she is an amazing story teller and her writing just feels so comforting that you never want the story to end. If you haven’t read this book I HIGHLY recommend dropping everything and making this a priority. Also the cover is so freaking cute!
“Be my wife. Stay my wife. Forever, LaRynn. I don’t care where we end up or what we do as long as I have you.” 💛 -
✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡˚ this marriage of convenience romance is ready to make you fall madly in loveee!
tarah dewitt NEVER and i mean NEVER disappoints. as u know, funny feelings is one of my favorite books, so i was very excited to read tarah's newest book, the co-op, which is a marriage of convenience romance between people who hate each other because once upon a time they loved one another.
it is also a second-chance romance because of this and oh my god THERE IS SO MUCH TENSION BETWEEN THEM??? they have so many regrets but also a lot of miscommunication at the beginning, because of what happened one night years ago when they were 18 years old. but these two have great chemistry and it's obvious they can be perfect together, so it's only a matter of time before they speak it all out and fall madly in love u know.
and tarah does it wonderfully. the way the small moments give so much impact into their love journey. doing little deeds, helping out, smiling when they're not looking, holding their hand, washing their hair, you know... this is romance. CHEF KISS! larynn and deacon reminded me a bit of naomi and nicholas from you deserve each other. two people living under the same roof who have a very rocky relationship and tried to co-exist together inside four walls. they bicker around A LOT and they even do small pranks to each other lmao they're so funny and petty i love them so much. deacon and larynn are meant to be and that is jut facts!!!
PS. THERE IS A SLOW-DANCING IN THE KITCHEN WHILE NO ONE IS THERE SCENE JUST SAYING. -
..「 ★★★★¾ ꒱꒱
⁀➷ spice: 2/5
•---------------------------•“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 love this book with my whole heart! the marriage of convenience, forced proximity, enemies to friends to lovers, AND second chance romance trope!? yes please.”be my wife. stay my wife. forever, larynn. i don’t care where we end up or what we do as long as i have you.”
from the very beginning i knew i was going to fall in love with this story and it’s characters. the relationship development between larynn and deacon warmed my heart. i adored their communication once they started to opened up and trust each other. and of course you can’t forget about the banter and flirting between them, it had me laughing out loud numerous times throughout the book.“what if i told you i was scared i’d get lost in myself again? that i'm scared of changing, too. what would you say?” my brows pinch together. "i'd find you," i tell him, firmly. "and i don't think there's a version of you i couldn't love."
this was everything i could have wanted in a romance novel and more, i absolutely loved it. -
'because when i'm not what works for people at that time in their lives, when i'm not a convenient version of me, i always manage to lose them.'
i hate them both. especially her, litch the definition of a child and insanity.
she spends 95$ on a gazillion throw pillows + useless ass boxes + a bunch of other useless shit when they needed that LIMITED money for necessary renovations. like the house is on its last bones and she's buying throw pillows. what! and because he's rightfully mad at her for spending that much on the dumbest shit, she gets mad at him stomps around like an actual child at her big age and uses his toothbrush to scrub the toilet AND let him use it for weeks. she's so fucking sick and twisted
and! she draws the line at a bed, an actual necessity and acts like she did the world a favor. i feel like i need to be admitted at the mental institute, she has me going crazy
'we can't ever seem to get on the same page, the right foot, or build a good foundation no matter how hard we try."
do i have to hold ur hand and tell u that this is a big sign from God himself. this man was walking on glass every single time he was around her, to the point i actually felt bad for him even tho i cannot, for the life of me, stand him
and then to make matters just so much better, they name their child Dot. DOT! is this real. nara smith would cry. "just dot, because she is IT. period." omds. it was easy to read until it wasn't and that's the only reason it's getting two stars. the epilogue should've been them admitting themselves in the mental institute part of prison -
Does anyone else have this weird thing happen where you’ll start reading a book at night and you’ll be loving it, but then once you put it down to go to sleep, in the morning you just have no interest? Idk why, but last night I thought this was gonna be a 4-star read for me but then when I picked it back up this morning, I just started skimming.
I’ll just say that I liked it but didn’t love it. Also, I feel like it definitely dragged after the MCs got together, from about 60% right up to the end. -
5 ⭐️ I fucking love this book. I have so many thoughts and feelings I can’t wait to share with you. RTC.
-
dnf @ 52%
-
✩ 1 star ✩
“I like to keep people where I understand them. I typically choose to do that through charm. Keep them happy with you, but keep it surface level. Keep them just far enough so they stay in focus and I can see every move before it comes. Too close and they blur, too many things are easy to miss. When someone’s arms are wrapped around you it’s easy to miss the knife in their hands.”
What to Expect:
➼ Marriage of Convenience
➼ Forced Proximity
➼ Second Chance Romance
➼ Enemies-to-Lovers
➼ Dual POV
Y’all… I did not like the main character AT ALL. Her backstory described a weak willed, self centered human being who did not show up for her loved ones in their time of need. She seems very entitled when she shows up and demands her half of the house despite not seeing her grandma for years. The MC’s get married with almost no supporting reason and they aren’t even forced to showcase their relationship in public to add sexual tension, etc. This was a major plot point and I’m not understanding why either of them would have agreed to it.
Also, I felt like the main character was always crying and the book would just graze over it and the characters wouldn’t talk about it at all. The author basically says “and then she cried” and then cuts to the next scene. It was completely bizarre.
Maybe I shouldn’t hold this against the book, but the voice actor who did the male portion of the book put on a very hokey accent that really grated on me. It might have been better to have physically read this one but I honestly don’t think I would have made it all the way through if I had. 🤷🏼♀️ -
Thanks to NetGalley for the access of this book!
I will absolutely be an outlier here but I didn’t enjoy this at all.
The FMC was the worst brat I’ve ever read about and no money in the world would’ve made me endure her. She severely needed therapy.
The marriage of convenience didn’t have any reasons to be either. And I couldn’t wrap it around my head so that also hindered my experience.
A lot of people have enjoyed this so definitely give it a try but it wasn’t for me! -
you know how sometimes you see a baby or a puppy that’s so cute and squishy that you just want to squeeze it?? that’s how i feel about tarah’s books.
i wish i had a more eloquent explanation for the butterflies and giddiness and the just chest achingly sweet satisfaction i feel rn upon finishing this book, but unfortunately it’s 6 am and i haven’t slept bc i’ve been up all night finishing said book. she writes books that make you want to take the risk of falling in love in real life too, and that’s pretty fcking special. i am SICK over this book in the best possible way.
if you are reading this and wondering “logan, what the actual fck are you on rn?” i’m going to assume it’s bc you haven’t read this book (or funny feelings) bc if you’ve had the pleasure of experiencing tarah’s writing, then everything i’ve just said will make perfect sense (probably. idk. i haven’t slept). nobody will have you laughing harder and punching your pillow screaming ‘that should be me’ more than tarah. god dammit i love this book -
Read if you love black cat girl + forced proximity + marriage of convience!! The trad version of this is so GOOD! I still love this book it’s even better than the original! 🥹♥️
I will forever be SO FERAL for La Rynn + Deacon they are my babies! I see so much of myself in La Rynn she’s such a soul character for me.
The changes made in the trad copy were amazing for me. I loved that we got a few “past” chapters it helped me understand Rynn + Deacon’s relationship so much better & we got a little more of the grands. 🥹🫂 one thing I really really loved was seeing La Rynn being content with a small life and enjoying all the little moments.
I will forever be obsessed with a mmc who accepts the female lead for exactly as who she is. Deacon is so baby and I adore him. I loved being back with these two! The added spice chapter was ALSO GREAT I LOVE SEEING DEACON BEING SO SEXYYYY 🫦 -
Summary: When their short, teenage summer fling ends badly, LaRynn Lavigne and Deacon Leeds cut off all communication. That is until their married grandma’s pass away, leaving their dilapidated home to both LaRynn and Deacon. The only problem is, they have no money to put into it.
Soon a plan is agreed upon - they will get married in order to access LaRynn’s trust, to then use those funds on the house. Living together while they rebuild the property, they are forced to confront their feelings about what happened between them in the past and what is happening in the present.
Thoughts: Tarah DeWitt has done it again! There is just something about her writing, the mix of small town charm, with these lovable flawed characters, that creates the most endearing rom-com. Add in second chance love, which has easily become my favorite romance trope, along with slight enemies to lovers vibes and you have the story of Deacon and LaRynn in all its fiesty glory.
The added backdrop of the home renovation project they were forced to work on together and the differing ways they approached it, made for some hysterical scenes. I am pretty sure LaRynn and I share the same love for candles and baskets. I absolutely loved the parallel between the rebuilding of their relationship against the rebuilding of their mutually inherited home.
Read if you like:
• second chance love
• forced proximity
• home renovation projects
• marriage of convenience
• open door romance
4.5★ rounded up for Goodreads.
On a side note - Tarah is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet. Not only does she engage with her readers on a day to day basis, she goes out of her way to check on them. She deserves all the success I know she will have with this book and am so excited to see all of the amazing opportunities sure to come her way.
Thank you Tarah DeWitt for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Available now! -
2✨
Honestly, I am glad to be done with this book. I almost DNF’d so many times, but if I DNF I won’t review and I wanted to review.
LaRynn was one of the most unlikable female mcs I have read this year. Considering I have read 400 books, that means she is basically unbearable. She is extremely entitled and self centered. She grew up rich and felt entitled to remain that way even though her parents cut her off. So what does she do? Goes and stomps all over the male mcs house and life. He stayed there close to their grandmother’s - he deserved the house entirely. She failed to even be there for her grandma after the grandma’s wife died bc she was “too busy at law school”. Yet she shows up there to take it all over? Give me a break. He should’ve never had any interest in her she was a terribly written character.
In addition to this the it is supposed to be a marriage of convenience book. But there was no point for the marriage. They already lived together while she tried to take over his house. The point of marriage of convenience is to force them into living like a married couple. Nothing changed for them besides a piece of paper lol so this does not qualify for that trope.
The plot actually would’ve been good if it weren’t ruined by the characters. 2 high school sweet hearts turned enemies inherit a house and fix it up together, sounds cute right? Too bad lanky larynn ruined it. -
3.5 stars
I really enjoy Tarah Dewitt’s writing and this was a fun enemies to lovers romance. I liked LaRynn and Deacon a lot, but I felt there was a bit too much miscommunication over the past and took a lot longer for them to get together for real then I would have liked, but overall it was a good one!
Audio book source: Hoopla
Story Rating: 3.5 stars
Narrators: Stephanie Rose & Nelson Hobbs
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Romance
Length: 7h 53m -
this was a cute and fun reading experience. unfortunately, writing this review a few weeks after reading it (my mistake) i'm finding it hard to remember specifics of what u enjoyed and didn't enjoy so u don't think this is an overly memorable or "outside of the box" romantic novel.
