Savor It: A Novel

by Tarah DeWitt Narrated by Karissa Vacker, Zachary Webber

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

A small-town romance that's equal parts humor and heart, sprinkled with heat and riddled with tension. Add in human characters and authentic emotions, this is a recipe sure to satisfy.

"An absolutely delightful treat to savor! Relatable, sexy, and beautiful." -Elena Armas, New York Times bestselling author of The Spanish Love Deception

Summer won't last forever.

Sage Byrd has lived in the coastal town of Spunes, Oregon (not to be confused with Forks, Washington) her entire life. She's learned to love her small world, with the misfit animals on her hobby farm, and her friendships with the town's inhabitants. But when her 5-year relationship ends and her ex, town-golden-boy Ian, suddenly gets engaged, Sage needs a win-something that will convince everyone to stop pitying her all the time, and to put Ian in his place. The Festival of Spunes, the town's annual summer competition, would be the perfect opportunity. She just needs a partner.

Fisher Lange was a hotshot chef in New York City until the loss of his sister left him numb, grieving, and responsible for his teenage niece Indy. When Fisher loses his Michelin star along with his love of cooking, his boss sends him and Indy to Spunes on a much-needed summer sabbatical to consult on a restaurant opening. But when clashes with the townspeople threaten his last chance to redeem himself and a kiss with his new neighbor Sage leads to dating rumors, a strategic alliance might just be the best way to turn things around.

A deal is struck. Sage will improve Fisher's image in the eyes of the town and remove the roadblocks he is facing with the restaurant, and Fisher will be Sage's partner for the competition. But as their pact quickly turns into steamy rendezvous, emotional wounds begin to heal, and the pair tries to savor every moment, they start to realize that summer is racing by much faster than they would like...

Filled with spicy summer fun, small-town charm, and Big Feelings, this highly anticipated romcom is Tarah DeWitt's best yet.

"Simply unputdownable. A top read for me this year!" -Elsie Silver, USA Today bestselling author of Flawless

"DeWitt's sprightly narrative is by turns funny and red-hot, as Sage and Fisher, who share a love of puns, develop some serious chemistry... This is a charmer." -Publishers Weekly

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

03/18/2024

DeWitt (Funny Feelings) pairs a small-town teacher with a burned-out chef from the big city in this thoroughly enjoyable contemporary. Social studies teacher Sage Byrd has spent her life in tiny Spunes, Ore., raised mostly by her firefighter brothers after the death of their parents. Michelin-starred chef Fisher Lange lost his job in New York City when he gave a reviewer a face-full of his dessert—but he has the chance to redeem himself when his former boss asks him to supervise construction on her restaurant-to-be in Spunes. With his 15-year-old niece, Indy—whose mother, Fisher’s sister, died three years earlier—in tow, he heads to the Pacific Northwest. After a memorable middle of the night first meeting, Fisher and Sage, who are now neighbors, agree to help each other achieve their goals: Sage will help smooth the way for the new restaurant by endearing Fisher to the hostile locals, and Fisher will help Sage win the top prize in a multipart competition that encompasses everything from canoeing to cooking at the town’s annual festival. Soon their partnership gets passionate—but can their romance survive for more than a summer? DeWitt’s sprightly narrative is by turns funny and red-hot, as Sage and Fisher, who share a love of puns, develop some serious chemistry. Readers will also be delighted by Sage’s menagerie of lovable animals, particularly Gary the goose, who bonds with Indy. This is a charmer. (May)Correction: An earlier version of this review mistakenly referred to Sage’s brothers as police officers.

From the Publisher

"What an absolutely delightful treat to savor! With the comfort only a small-town romance can bring, and the allure of a deal that’s struck between our leads, Tarah DeWitt effortlessly captured my heart with Savor It. Sage and Fisher’s journey is a relatable, sexy and beautiful tale about falling in love, finding your place and bravely unveiling new beginnings. And my favorite thing about it? It packs the most delicious emotional punch." —Elena Armas, New York Times bestselling author of The Spanish Love Deception

"This Pacific Northwest rom-com has delicious tension from the first interaction. Add in fake dating and a steamy scene in a library, and who could ask for more? Readers will appreciate how much attention and care DeWitt put into creating fully-framed characters grappling with grief, chasing dreams, and figuring out how to live in the moment." —LibraryReads, May 2024 pick

"DeWitt’s sprightly narrative is by turns funny and red-hot, as Sage and Fisher, who share a love of puns, develop some serious chemistry... This is a charmer." —Publishers Weekly

"DeWitt delivers another emotion-packed rom-com that readers will be eating up, full of witty banter, comical hijinks, and tender moments of healing. Hand to those who enjoy grumpy/sunshine pairings as well as fake-relationship romances." —Library Journal

“Stir small-town charm together with an equal-parts sweet and spicy love story—you’ll get this perfect fake-dating recipe for summer romance. This delightful read had us savoring every page.” —Emily Wibberly and Austin Siegemund-Broka, authors of The Roughest Draft

“Equal parts swoon-worthy and poignant, Savor It is deliciously sexy. If Schitt’s Creek and The Bear had a love-child, it would be this book.” —Julie Soto, USA Today bestselling author of Forget Me Not

"Savor It is brimming with heat, humor, and heart. Real, relatable characters make this read simply unputdownable. Tarah always weaves a world that is easy to get lost in, and Savor it is no exception. A top read for me this year!" —Elsie Silver, USA Today bestselling author

"Savor It is exactly what I wanted to do with every page of this spicy, soft, sensitive read. Chef’s kiss (literally)!" —Ava Wilder, author of Will They or Won't They

"With equal parts sharp wit, delicious tension, and aching intimacy, Savor It immediately captivated me and refused to let go. Tarah DeWitt expertly crafted Sage and Fisher into fully realized, beautifully imperfect people and made me fall in love with them just as surely as they fell in love with each other. The title might as well be a promise, because I savored every gorgeous word until the very last drop." —Jessica Joyce, USA Today bestselling author of You, with a View

"Savor It is a glittering love letter to small towns, big puns, wrenching heartaches and expansive palates. Bittersweet, sexy and full of feeling, DeWitt has a gift for giving equal space in her stories to explore everyday nuances and those once in a lifetime moments. Simply put, I love her brand of love stories.” —Erin Hahn, author of Built to Last

"Tarah DeWitt writes with a warm authenticity and charm that simply shines off the page. Sage is one of the most compulsively likeable protagonists I've read in a long time—big hearted, bohemian, and unapologetically living her life the way she wants to live it. Fisher's a man adrift, magnetic and angsty—and watching him find his home in Sage is an absolute delight. Summery, sensual, and wildly swoony, Savor It is a delectable treat." —Jen Devon, author of Bend Toward the Sun

"Tarah DeWitt’s Savor It mixes heat, humor, and heartfelt moments to serve up a delightful read that will stir your emotions and make you smile." —Sophie Sullivan, award-winning author of Ten Rules for Faking It

"No one is using the twenty-six-letter alphabet like Tarah DeWitt. Savor It is delightfully funny, perfectly angsty, and indomitably hopeful. Sage and Fisher will have you swooning and sweating, but even if you can't stand the heat, I promise you'll want to stay in the kitchen." —Lyla Sage, author of Done and Dusted

"Savor It is a small town romance with huge heart...I would give it a Michelin star if I could!" —Lana Ferguson, USA Today bestselling author of The Nanny

"Charming and unique...Savor It is a hilariously hopeful and swoon-worthy love story." —Liz Tomforde, author of Mile High

Library Journal

02/01/2024

Sage Byrd knows that her tight-knit community of Spunes, OR, loves and supports her, so she shouldn't be feeling the failure of her long-term relationship with the town golden boy so sharply. Still, she's been avoiding her ex and his new fiancée and thinking that winning the annual festival competition is a way for her to prove her worth without him. Chef Fisher Lange is no stranger to failure either; his spectacular fall from grace in his career was paired with the gut punch of realizing he was failing as the guardian of his recently orphaned niece, Indy. His boss offers him a new restaurant venture, which will also give him and Indy the chance for a fresh start. Sage needs a partner for the competition, while Fisher has to navigate the town's roadblocks for his restaurant. They agree to help each other, and attraction and respect begin to grow between them. Readers, meanwhile, will be craving Fisher's deliciously described food and enjoying the sizzling heat between the couple. VERDICT DeWitt (Rootbound) delivers another emotion-packed rom-com that readers will be eating up, full of witty banter, comical hijinks, and tender moments of healing. Hand to those who enjoy grumpy/sunshine pairings as well as fake-relationship romances.—Morgan Lockard

Product Details

BN ID:	2940159500144
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	05/21/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	448,708

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