BLURB:

They say love and construction don’t mix. 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 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.

MY THOUGHTS:

I was really pumped to read this one after loving Funny Feelings by Tarah DeWitt. It’s a cute book at times, but honestly, the slow burn and flipping timelines kinda threw me off. I was sitting there eagerly waiting for the enemies-to-lovers moment, but just when things were heating up, the sexual tension vanished—talk about a tease! The slow burn ended up feeling more boring than romantic. There was this confusing moment where LaRynn had to be married to tap into the Trust, but she didn’t tell her parents she was married until way later, so how did she even access it? Also, that courthouse wedding scene just didn’t vibe with me; the FMC came off as such a grump. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but I felt like one or two flashbacks would’ve been enough instead of dragging out how LaRynn and Deacon became friends. I was really hooked at the start, but my interest just dropped as the story went on, and finishing it felt like a chore. I totally get where other readers are coming from when they say the FMC wasn’t their favorite—I just couldn’t connect with her. This book had a ton of potential but, for me, it kinda fell flat.