A review by bribreez
Savor It by Tarah DeWitt

funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

*This book was kindly sent to me, and I greatly appreciate it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Please check Trigger Warnings Before reading.

4.25⭐️/ 2-3🌶️

I feel like I’ve always heard a lot about Tarah Dewitt’s books so, when I read part of the synopsis for this book being set within a small town, and seeing the cover, I had a feeling this book would be right up my alley. Right away, I loved the relaxed vibe I felt while reading especially with the picturesque setting of, Spunes (name of the small town) Oregon. This story followed, Sage Bryd and Fisher Lange. Sage had lived her whole life in the small town of Spunes, whereas Fisher was from the city and was going to working on consulting for a restaurant being built in Spunes. Fisher and Sage were complete opposites and yet they had an easy going and lighthearted connection from the start. With the small town vibes, a bit of the single parent trope (Fisher became the legal guardian for his niece), fake dating, and grumpy/sunshine, this was the perfect book to also give me summery vibes as well as a look into Tarah’s wonderful story.

For being in a small town, there was a lot going on from the beginning of the story. With Sage going about her daily routine of caring for her animals, home, and hanging out with her best friend, Wren, it seemed like a good life she had. Although, if you asked Sage about her love life, she’d probably say that was the last thing she was thinking about. With her ex boyfriend also living in Spunes, Sage just wanted to focus on herself as opposed to him and his upcoming nuptials to her former friend. Even with some things going on in her life, Sage was an overall optimistic, bright, lovable person that radiated kindness which I adored about her. 

Fisher wasn’t having the best of times either. Between the loss of his sister, feeling burnt out, losing his job, and becoming the legal guardian of his niece, Fisher had a lot of changes happen to him. Not everything was as simple as Fisher had once hoped for, and so, with the need to kick back up inspiration for his passion in cooking, he came to Spunes to help curate and prepare a menu for the new restaurant opening up in Spunes. All while being in Spunes, Fisher not only met the nosey and close knit group of townspeople, but also met his sunshine of a neighbor, Sage. With Fisher dealing with a lot of things both mentally and emotionally, when it came to meeting Sage, he found himself liking the way they spoke and obviously sparks started to happen! 

You know what’s always a good idea when living in a small town?…ASKING SOMEONE TO FAKE DATE YOU!!!! OMG! The fake dating trope in this book was a little gem that gave Sage and Fisher the perfect opportunity to use to their advantage. I like the way Sage and Fisher just kind of fell into agreeing to fake date each other. When Fisher was faced with some roadblocks in getting the restaurant ready and Sage needing some help in the yearly competition Spunes holds, the two found themselves eagerly “working” together. Come on, you can’t tell me that when it comes to fake dating, it’s so cute and satisfying to see the real feelings come through! Because, even before fake dating, the chemistry between Sage and Fisher was only the beginning of what would later become STRONGER! 

AWWWW THIS WAS SUCH A LOVELY STORY! By the end of the book, the meaning behind this story really hit me, and I absolutely adored it! Fisher and Sage’s story was sweet, endearing, loving, and meaningful. I think in particular the way Fisher started out in the beginning dealing with so many life changes to the way he slowly became part of the town of Spunes really highlighted how much growth he developed. Even Sage slowly but surely came to the realization that taking a risk was better when she finally took the chance to make her dream of selling flowers and creating beautiful displays. The romance was really endearing and I loved how Sage and Fisher became not only good friends, but also how they were supportive of one another. The townspeople of Spunes were a rowdy bunch of lovable people, and close knit together. This was my first time reading a book by, Tarah DeWitt, and the thing I most enjoyed about her writing was not only the significance she put into Fisher and Sage’s story, but also how much I felt at ease and entertained throughout the whole book. Even with some heavy topics being discussed throughout the book, I felt relaxed, absorbed in taking in the details, and ultimately seeing how Fisher and Sage were. Perfect summer book, a great start for me to read even more books by Tarah DeWitt, and I really adored Fisher, Sage, and even the wide variety of animals Sage owned haha. I’m hoping this will eventually become a series because, I would love to read more about the other characters in this book! Great story, lovable characters, and a well written story!