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lighthearted
medium-paced
There were parts of this I enjoyed and others I hated. The flashbacks to their summer of young love hit me with a nostalgia I was not expecting. However, the current-day perspective chapters were infuriating. I can understand that childhood trauma affects people differently but, man, these two are messed up. Talk about a seriously dysfunctional, toxic relationship like 75% of the time. There is character growth but I'm not sure it offset the dysfunction and unresolved issues between them. There were parts I thought were well done, including the way the author illustrates the rollercoaster of grief. I also loved the Santa Cruz setting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Abandonment
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Cancer, Death of parent, Sexual harassment
I enjoyed this read. There were times where I wanted to scream at the characters because they were being annoying. I expected the ending to be honest.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Grief, Abandonment
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
After a few pages in, I thought to myself “damn, I’m going to have to read everything DeWitt ever writes now, aren’t I?” And I was not wrong! I found The Co-op after reading Savor It, and was even more impressed by DeWitt’s humor, world-building, and attention to overarching themes. It has everything I would want in a romance: prose that’s as smooth as butter, simmering tension, a hilarious voice, and characters that learn to grow together (and of course an affable, goofy MMC who finds himself enchanted by an anti-social, slightly terrifying heroine).
The Co-op takes place in a scenic Santa Monica neighborhood, centered around one duplex in which the two main characters’ grandmothers met and fell in love. The story is broken up between past and present: “Before” sharing glimpses of LaRynn and Deacon as 19 and 20 year-olds stumbling their way through first love. In the present, with both “grands” having passed away and left their home for LaRynn and Deacon to take over, the pair now forced back together after 7 years of silence following the traumatic separation that left them both haunted, tasked with renovating the now-dilapidated site of their origin story. The novel starts at the end; bringing us back to where the characters left off, both themselves and the home a little wrecked, stripped down and in need of a new start. In order to repair the duplex, LaRynn and Deacon enter a marriage of convenience and endeavor to do justice to the place where they both first felt truly at home, without killing each other (or falling in love).
DeWitt manages to serve a fresh take on the summer romance trope, sharing nostalgic tableaus of young love and heartbreak blossoming over a summer in
a dreamy beach town. Like Spoons in Savor It, the town becomes a character itself, encapsulating the feel of being a new adult on summer break, on the precipice of big change. For LaRynn and Deacon, the time spent with their grands is when they both felt the most accepted as themselves, the love of Cecelia and Helena, as well as their love for their grandchildren, seeming to reverberate throughout the home even after their deaths. LaRynn and Deacon’s reconstruction of the house becomes a reconstruction of their idea of what happened that fateful summer, imbuing the remodel with who they are now: “he lays me down with heartbreaking gentleness—onto the bed he built, among the pillows I picked for their colors because I think they reminded me of us. Tans, blues, blacks. Sand, ocean, leather. Night skies and back seats. Maybe I picked the green tile for the redwoods and the buildings around Santa Sea. Because he and this place are part of me again.”
While having to work through the physical, foundational issues of the property, LaRynn and Deacon have to do the same to their own relationship, busting through metaphorical walls and demoing their long-held beliefs of one another. One of the (many) beautiful aspects of DeWitt’s third novel is the way the characters transform in each other’s eyes as the duplex does the same through their shared efforts. This construction project lends itself to the idea of home, and how that can be a person as well as a place.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent
One of the main character’s parents, who was a compulsive cheater, died of cancer. There’s also discussions of grief, for the two grandmothers who died before the events of the book. One main character has recently come out of a deep depressive episode, which landed her in the hospital, only briefly mentioned towards the end. The same character was also the victim of emotional neglect as well as emotional/verbal abuse from her father, which only happens off-page.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
A sweet story about a second chance romance and loving all the versions of a partner along the journey of life. I appreciated the two main characters’ positive evolution of communication and how they showed up for each other. Will definitely pick up more books by this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity, Grief
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Books by this author always feel so long to me.
In this one, hilarious moments were often followed by abrupt shifts in mood or tone. It was giving me whiplash. Also a lot of poor or lack of communication.
I did appreciate the subtle references to some of the author's other books. They were refreshingly understated.
In this one, hilarious moments were often followed by abrupt shifts in mood or tone. It was giving me whiplash. Also a lot of poor or lack of communication.
I did appreciate the subtle references to some of the author's other books. They were refreshingly understated.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment
Minor: Ableism, Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Death of parent
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death of parent
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
i originally listened to this in august, i was scrolling through audiobooks that were "available now" on libby and for some reason my library had 34 copies of it? i had seen the author's name on various explore pages and decided to give it a shot. after listening, i discovered that the book was being republished and the author had actually made changes, so i decided not to review until i had read both versions.
i re-listened to it about a week ago to help refresh my brain of the story (and i wanted something to listen to while crocheting a blanket and it was still available instantly lol)
indie pub: 4 stars
trad pub: 4.75 stars
as soon as i saw the prologue, i realized mrs. dewitt didn't just change a couple things here and there, oh no, miss thing got it's own renovation. i enjoyed the original story and the rewrites catapulted it into something that will stick in my brain for years to come. this book has been added to my list of desired paperbacks for future rereads.
deacon, a goofy blue collar golden retriever.
larynn, a snarky service industry black cat.
i love these two so much!! loved the banter and how they played off each other. i could really feel the chemistry, the tension, the yearning between them. i loved the additions of the "before" to give some depth to the characters and their first love story.
two of my absolute FAVORITE tropes are present here: second chance and marriage of convenience. i thought they were both played beautifully, we get a couple "my wife"s and the "it was always you" and i was giggling and kicking my feet!!
and excuse me while i scream this from the empire state building: LARYNN IS SIX. FEET. TALL!!! the tallest FMC i have ever read, i was so fucking giddy when i first discovered her height. books with super tall women will ALWAYS get flowers from me.
my ONLY qualm and the reason it's not quite a full 5 stars is because of the changes to the character of june. most of what made her relevant to the story was given to elyse since she was rewritten to be from santa cruz instead of larynn's friend from law school. without june owning the cafe, she really didn't have a place in the story. i think she probably should have just been written out (i actually thought she was until her name was mentioned). i liked all the changes to elyse, but it left nothing for june to give her a reason to be there.
i re-listened to it about a week ago to help refresh my brain of the story (and i wanted something to listen to while crocheting a blanket and it was still available instantly lol)
indie pub: 4 stars
trad pub: 4.75 stars
as soon as i saw the prologue, i realized mrs. dewitt didn't just change a couple things here and there, oh no, miss thing got it's own renovation. i enjoyed the original story and the rewrites catapulted it into something that will stick in my brain for years to come. this book has been added to my list of desired paperbacks for future rereads.
deacon, a goofy blue collar golden retriever.
larynn, a snarky service industry black cat.
i love these two so much!! loved the banter and how they played off each other. i could really feel the chemistry, the tension, the yearning between them. i loved the additions of the "before" to give some depth to the characters and their first love story.
two of my absolute FAVORITE tropes are present here: second chance and marriage of convenience. i thought they were both played beautifully, we get a couple "my wife"s and the "it was always you" and i was giggling and kicking my feet!!
and excuse me while i scream this from the empire state building: LARYNN IS SIX. FEET. TALL!!! the tallest FMC i have ever read, i was so fucking giddy when i first discovered her height. books with super tall women will ALWAYS get flowers from me.
my ONLY qualm and the reason it's not quite a full 5 stars is because of the changes to the character of june. most of what made her relevant to the story was given to elyse since she was rewritten to be from santa cruz instead of larynn's friend from law school. without june owning the cafe, she really didn't have a place in the story. i think she probably should have just been written out (i actually thought she was until her name was mentioned). i liked all the changes to elyse, but it left nothing for june to give her a reason to be there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content