Nice story about a family who owns a vineyard in Sonoma that is about to be sold. Trials and tribulations of the three adult kids and their romantic lives AND the parents who are dealing with changes in their own relationship. Besides the romantic stories there is a lot of discussion about how to make good wine.

There are some things that annoyed me greatly (like the unnecessary alrea be of a movie star) but overall I found this a pleasant diversion. It would not shock me if there is another book to come about these characters. ( )

I enjoyed this novel more than I expected. Though much of the fancy wine talk went whooshing over my head, I found myself a passenger on quite the emotional roller coaster with a main character who can't seem to decide what she wants - ever. I don't mean that in a bad way, I mean that in a way that we can all relate to. Do we do what we feel we must do, or do we do what is the biggest risk? Do we make waves or do we coast?

Much of the fancier wine talk went over my bottom-shelf purchasing head, but the bigger picture of the family dynamics and Georgia's roller coaster journey to figuring out what she wants was something I could definitely relate to. I found myself taking those plunges with her - with Ben, without Ben, the subtle flirtations with Jacob, and the anger she feels towards her mother and Michelle and even her father. Simultaneously, Dave's writing was able to give me incredible insight to the other sides of these emotional hardships, which lead to a much fuller understanding of the novel and the entire cast of characters. Many times a novel that bounces around in time or point of view can fall short of giving you a rich and full story - but Dave was able to seamlessly weave all of these aspects together in order to give the reader a satisfying conclusion.

I found the novel to be about so much more than just Georgia - it is about the sacrifices we make for the ones we love, and the sacrifices they have (perhaps without us knowing) made for us and how to make those sacrifices count for our own journey to peace and happiness. As Georgia's father so aptly puts it "No one else has a clue what you're doing, but at the end of the day, you get where you want to go."

I received this novel free of charge from Simon & Schuster. ( )

Digital audiobook narrated by Joy Osmanski.

From the book jacket: Growing up on her family’s Sonoma County vineyard, Georgia Ford learned some important secrets. The secret number of grapes it takes to make a bottle of wine: eight hundred. The secret ingredient in her mother’s lasagna: chocolate. But just a week before her wedding, thirty-year-old Georgia discovers her beloved fiancé has been keeping a secret so explosive, it will change their lives forever.

My reactions:
I had read Dave’s The Last Thing He Told Me with my F2F book club last year and thought it was a decent thriller. This one piqued my interest because of the setting in the Sonoma Valley, and the book jacket blurb led me to believe it would be a lighter, romantic read.

There IS some romance involved … but …

Georgia turns out to be a bit more complex that I originally gave her credit for. The book DOES start out with her running out of her wedding-dress fitting … still wearing the dress. Shocked by the discovery of her fiancé’s secret she immediately heads home to her family’s winery, only to discover disarray. She puts her skills as a lawyer to use in an effort to help the family, but what she really wants for her life will take some serious thinking. Should she go ahead with the wedding, now that Ben has explained? How can she help her parents, and her brothers with the winery and with their lives?

The resolution of the difficulties has to wait for a few more twists and turns and complications, but the ending is still satisfying in a chick-lit romance sort of way. Not exactly tied up in a pretty bow … but the ribbon is there.

Joy Osmanski does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. She has clear diction and sets a good pace. ( )

When Georgia looks out the window of the bridal salon and sees her fiancé Ben walking with his ex-girlfriend and a small child, she decides to flee Los Angeles and return to her family vineyard in Northern CA. There, she finds some shocking things about her family-her parents are taking a break, her twin brothers are having issues over the same woman, and the vineyard is being sold to a family that Georgia believes will destroy what her family built. As her life is falling apart, Georgia needs to make some decisions and in doing so learns about love and being there for each other.
Quick read, enjoyable. ( )

Kurz vor ihrer Hochzeit stellt Giorgia fest, dass ihr Verlobter ihr etwas Entscheidendes verschwiegen hat. Sie flieht auf das Weingut ihrer Familie, doch auch dort hat sich einiges verändert.
Ein harmloses Gute-Laune-Buch, das jede Menge Lebensweisheiten enthält. ( )