TITLE/AUTHOR: Blush; Jamie Brenner
PUBLISHER: G.P. Putnam
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2021
GENRE: Fiction / Family /Contemporary
FORMAT: eGalley / LENGTH: 384
SOURCE: NetGalley
SETTING(s): NY
ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY: A story about wine, trashy books and and three generations of strong women.
BRIEF REVIEW: Hollander Estates and winery, located in the North Forks of Long Island in Cutchogue, NY, has been a wonderful place for family, parties, day trips and destination events. Leonard Hollander has spent a good part of his life developing the winery after gaining experience in CA. He has provided his family with a beautiful home and lifestyle and has groomed his son Asher to learn the business. Leonard now has a big announcement to make. The winery is in dire financial straights and must be sold otherwise Leonard and his wife Vivian may not have enough money for retirement. For years Leonard has kept the business operations a "man thing" while his wife Vivian, entertained, looked beautiful and hosted her book club with her like-minded friends. Leonard even kept daughter Leah in the dark about the operations. Leah is married to Steven and she and her husband operate a popular cheese shop in Manhattan. Their daughter Sadie, has had trouble focusing on her senior thesis and needs a break to refocus her priorities. As these three strong women converge at the winery during the summer, Sadie discovers some old journals stashed away in the library from years gone by, along with some trashy romance novels by 1980s feminist authors which inspire the women to come up with a plan to take charge and make their input count. Smart women, good cheese, good wine and trashy books that inspire, do these women have what it takes to save the winery and change their lives in the process?
This is my third summer themed book by the author and unfortunately this one was my least favorite. The story moved very slowly for me ( it took me over a week to finish what should have been a quick read). Although the story finally came around, I just never connected with the characters and family drama. I'm guessing my love of good wine just wasn't enough to make this one work for me. Disappointing.
RATING: 3/5
Oh no, slow movers aren't enjoyable at all.
ReplyDeleteNope, I hate a snooze feast unless I'm in need of a good nap.
DeleteOh I'm sorry this wasn't what you'd hoped for.
ReplyDeleteThe reviews are a bit mixed but, more seem to have enjoyed it more than me.
DeleteHmm, I haven't read this author and it sounds like this is not the place to start...
ReplyDeleteStart with Summer Longing, Provincetown, Cape Cod. It was a winner for me.
DeleteOhh too bad. And I haven't heard of this one. I guess the winery wasn't enough .... though the premise seemed worth a try
ReplyDeleteIt was just a let-down after loving her previous book: Summer Longing.
DeleteI was hoping this would be good after reading that the three women were going to try to make a go of it--but then the failure to connect with the characters and the slow pace....
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure exactly what it was but, just felt rather boring to me.
DeleteIt's too bad this one didn't live up to your expectations. That's always a disappointment.
ReplyDeleteYes, I really hoped to love it like I did her previous book: Summer Longing.
DeleteDefinitely not a fan of a slow-moving plot in a book. But then again, sometimes, it takes patience for a great book to reveal itself. It doesn't sound like that's the case in this instance, though.
ReplyDeleteNope, this one just didn't have what it takes for me.
DeleteHonestly, Diane, I think the cover would have scared me off this one. :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, that cover certainly indicates a fluffier sort of story but, that can be okay for me in summer especially. I was just disappointed as I loved last year's book that was set in Provincetown on Cape Cod.
DeleteMakes me reluctant to have any one see my journals. Secrets! But honestly, I'm not completely open in anything I write down in a journal
ReplyDeleteI wish I would have been a one to keep a journal from an early age but, I never did except for bookish thoughts the last 10 years and even that hasn't been consistent.
DeleteIt may appeal to you Vicki, maybe it was bad timing for me - not sure really.
ReplyDeleteBummer. I think the slow pace will put me off. Hopefully the next book will be better.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it was mood that week but, it didn't work well for me.
DeleteOh. Slow is a no go for me. But that one sentence summary is fabulous.
ReplyDelete:) It might have been my mood that week, not sure as many seemed to really like it. I did like her 2 previous books.
DeleteToo bad. It seemed like the premise had potential. The wine just wasn't enough.
ReplyDelete