ARC Review: "Savor It" by Tarah DeWitt ★★★★★
ARC Review: Savor It by Tarah DeWitt
“I want you to know that to me, you’re everything. I love that you’re full of terrible puns that you’re not afraid to follow with profound wisdom...You’re all the shapes made perfectly to hold me, and you’re all my favorite colors.”
PLOT SUMMARY
Sage Byrd small-town girl (teacher) living in her not-quite-so-lonely world with her rescued animals, three firemen brothers, and best friend Wren, gets a new neighbour: one Fisher Langue, former Michelin star chef now fired and looking after his 15-year-old niece Indy after his sister died in a car accident. Reassigned to the country to set up a new restaurant with a second chance, Fisher lacks the passion he used to have for cooking and strives to find it again.
Sage’s ex-boyfriend of five years Ian is recently engaged so she feels like a loser whom everyone pities. She wants to win the canoe competition at the Summer festival this year to prove her own worth (and Ian keeps winning it every year) but she needs a partner for it. Fisher has some problems with the project being delayed, and he requires an insider to know how to appease the townspeople to get it back up and running. Circumstances ensue wherein they decide to pretend to date, solving their problems yet causing more as they navigate their way through the real feelings they harbour for each other.
This present-tense dual POV rom-com is from the perspectives of Sage and Fisher.
OVERALL OPINIONS
<< Positives >>
ㅤwriting
This is the first book I’ve read by Tarah DeWitt and it has to be the best contemporary romance I’ve read in a while. DeWitt’s writing is so charming, and much like the way she describes hugs “It’s agony. It’s bliss” – the book’s warmth radiated and its pages enfolded me through the delightful and heartfelt moments. It kept me thoroughly engaged, so much so that by the end of this book even I fell in love with the town! The story had a good structure, decent pacing, and I loved that there was an Epilogue as some books leave this out and I live for it – yes please tell me what happens next!
The amount of humour got me grinning ear-to-ear, particularly the circumstances in which Sage and Fisher meet.
🠚 There are the endless jokes and puns to be found from the name of the town Spunes not to be mistaken for Forks in Washington, the “sage advice” when talking about Sage’s infinite amount of wisdom, her surname Byrd being akin to “bird”, when someone’s been “pun-etrated” when saying too many puns.
🠚 I also greatly appreciated the film and tv show references, such as Gossip Girl, Bridgerton, Twilight and best of all Lord of the Rings – naming her three-legged cat Legoless and the description of Sage crawling around like Gollum? Genius! My favourite trilogy mentioned in a book? As if I couldn’t love it even more!
🠚 Also, THE WAY FISHER CALLS SAGE “SWEETHEART” AHHH!
ㅤmature approach
🠚 We need to talk about the maturity of Sage and Fisher, namely the mature approach the DeWitt has to writing 30-something-year-olds: their communication is perfect! The way they take accountability if they are ever being distant or offhand towards the other is admirable. Communication is key in any relationship and they are always trying to communicate their feelings despite how awkward it may sound or how rejected it may be.
I have read a lot of books with the grumpy x sunshine trope and they hone in on the grumpy side by having arguments or “I can’t stand this person but I am fake dating them”. What I liked about this book is we don’t get that the same. Here, they do not mind fake dating. Fisher I believe is more reserved than grumpy to begin with, grumpy nonetheless, but Sage’s jokes and positive outlook change him for the better.
Personally, I absolutely loved the approach here and I beg more authors to do this!
🠚 Some really serious moments are handled realistically and exceptionally well, especially the loss of Freya for Fisher and Indy. The way especially Fisher and Indy’s dynamic goes from the typical father-figure unable to control or relate or talk to his rebellious teenage ward to finally him opening up and wishing he had been there more for his sister and niece to Indy finding it in her to forgive him to finally connecting over their loss, allow each other grieve and share memories.
🠚 Sage and her brothers lose their parents at a young age, which explores how loss affects them differently. Sage’s oldest brother Ellias is described as having to “become a man too young, who has carried the weight of the world since he was thirteen”, which really emphasises how he has grown up far too fast too soon because of the loss, stepping up to a parental role himself and helping to look after Sage, Silas and Micah.
<< Negatives >>
🠚 The only thing I was hoping to see more of Fisher cooking in his actual working environment, seeing him properly find his passion again.
🠚 Also, the cover of this book is absolutely gorgeous but – where was her pink dress in the story? I was living for the pinky-purple colour scheme on the front haha!
@saqphirc 📖 "Savor It" by @Tarah DeWitt (out now) 🩷 the best contemporary romance i've read in ages! my ARC rating: 5 ⭐s Beautiful, hilarious, quirky, slightly spicy yet balanced with very moving moments, Savor It is a story of love and loss, burnouts and the journey to self-discovery and recovery. And oh my, what a treat this was! A feast for the eyes and food for the soul. I will be savor-ing this book for a long time to come. Of course, you can see what I did there – and if you are a lover of puns both silly and witty, you will love this book as much as I have because this is full of them! quote: “I want you to know that to me, you're everything. I love that you’re full of terrible puns that you’re not afraid to follow with profound wisdom...You’re all the shapes made perfectly to hold me, and you’re all my favorite colors.” 💜 | #bookedit#booktok#booktokedit#bookstagram#savorit#tarahdewitt#savoritbytarahdewitt#arcreader#fisherlangue#fisher#sagebyrd#sage#fisherandsage#sageandfisher#contemporary#contemporaryromance#romance#romanceedit#booklover#bookcommunity#grumpymeetssunshine#girlnextdoor#fakedating#summerromance#taylorswift#taylorswiftedit#guiltyassin#michielhuisman#redseadivingresort#edit#explore#viral#fy#fyp#fypシ#foryoupage ♬ original sound - Sophie 💠
CHARACTERS
-ˋˏ ꒰ Sage꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ I don’t think I’ve ever related more to a character than Sage. Indeed, I am Sage, Sage is me. Well, sans the tons of rings on her fingers and many ear piercings haha but in just a lot of other ways! Her kindness, wisdom, optimism but also her self-consciousness make her a very realistic person. "All heart, full force, and making every moment matter." I love all her animal friends too, if I had the room and my asthma wouldn’t affect me, I would also be taking in animals who do not have a home.
*⁀➷ Favourite quotes
• "I would love to find a person of my own, but I refuse to let not having a partner preclude me from enjoying my life. It’d just be nice to share it with someone who appreciates and loves me as is." – same gurl!
• "I suppose I’ve never been good at stifling my curious side, and maybe I never will be." – relatable!
• "he makes me want to twirl my hair and giggle like a moron."
• "The fact of the matter is that I don’t have it in me to maintain some sort of detached, cool reserve. I never have."
• "I’ve spent so much of my life observing others, trying to learn the things I was missing, trying to make myself significant to them, but this man who has known me a month has made himself feel crucial to me"
• "Sometimes courage is just quietly trying again"
-ˋˏ ꒰ Fisher꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ Chef’s kiss. Literally! Fisher is the greenest of green flags. Bonus that he cooks, of course. Always an attractive trait. I love how in tune he is with his feelings and when he finally opens up to people it makes it all the more worthwhile. He is so observant, noticing every little thing about Sage, and I love how he looks out for and looks after her when she gets her migraine. He is your very VERY ideal man.
*⁀➷ Favourite quotes
• "I’m a chef that can’t cook, I finally admit to myself. Or doesn’t want to, at least."
• "I think therapy might be making me more in tune with other people’s emotions instead of helping me sort out my own." – not been to therapy but I do this too!
• "She was comforting me, and I refuse to misread this or risk taking advantage of her." – green flag! GREEN FLAG!!!
• “Sweetheart, I’m finding when it comes to you, I don’t know what I’m capable of, but I’m happy to test those limits.”
-ˋˏ ꒰ Sage’s friends and brothers꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ I love them all dearly! All of them care about and want to support Sage and it is so wholesome!
🠚 Everyone should have a Wren in their life. I have a friend just like Wren, and we will tease each other about our type of guys whenever so this part was very relatable as I’ve had this exact same conversation with her:
• “Isn’t that, like, your very exact dream man?”
My head falls back, and my shoulders droop. “You promised you’d stop using that information against me.”
OTHER FAV QUOTES
• "Cue the spaghetti western ocarina. I chime in before either woman calls for a showdown at high noon."
• "How perfectly cliché. The ball of sunshine, wholesome girl next door… She’s so cute it’s downright offensive."
• “I am made of nothing logical right now, only hormones and a lust-filled haze."
• " he’s perfect. No, it’s worse because he’s imperfect and honest about it and he’s deserving of so much love. This is wonderfully terrible for me."
• “I’ve been paying attention,” he says, shrugging like it’s the easiest thing in the world to him
• “It’s been a privilege to fall in love with you, Sage,”
• "I thought being with Fisher would be like cut flowers in a vase. Something lovely I let in, even knowing it couldn’t last forever. The problem is, I messed up and planted him here in all my places."
• "She’s the woman who has taught me to let go of so much so that I can wish and dream for more. I plan to savor every bit of it."
══════════ ⋆★⋆ ══════════
I am honoured to have been selected as an ARC reader for this book, and I’d like to thank Tarah DeWitt, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity. This has not affected my opinion in any way.
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