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qraveline's review against another edition
4.0
Overall a great story, and worth the listen/read. A great romance and discovering, accepting, and standing up for oneself.
Pros:
-Jae did an amazing job with the inner dialogue for Annie, and establishing that self-doubt that made Annie a very relatable character. She was not just some stereotype straight-to-queer trope to slap in, but was a very sturdy character with strong development and growth throughout the book, all of which Jae gave very good insight into.
-As ugly as Annie's relationship with her family was, it was very real. It didn't seem like her family was designed just to be a plot point for Annie, but was a real, messy relationship between her parents and her brother.
-As always, Jae is wonderful with how she writes romance, building up tension and feelings and describing them in a way to make you connect with the characters and their own feelings.
Cons:
-This is audiobook specific, but while the voice of the narrator was pleasant it was missing a lot of emotion. During heightened emotional scenes, it made it harder to connect to the characters when it was said in the same, calm and gentle tone as the rest of the narrative and dialogue. While not exactly monotone, it left a lot of room for improvement in engagement.
-Drew had a lot of potential to develop as a character, but it felt like Drew was introduced as a fully developed character already. Jae could have delved into her feelings about her parents more, or how she grew and got over this grief throughout her relationship with Annie, but this was missing. The only insight we got into Drew was in relation to Annie, and as one of the main characters where her POV is directly described this was jarring in comparison to how detailed Annie's development was.
-In relation to the above, Drew had very little interaction with things outside of her relationship to Annie. It's a romance and that was the focus - but without any interaction outside of Annie Drew became a bit one dimensional.
Pros:
-Jae did an amazing job with the inner dialogue for Annie, and establishing that self-doubt that made Annie a very relatable character. She was not just some stereotype straight-to-queer trope to slap in, but was a very sturdy character with strong development and growth throughout the book, all of which Jae gave very good insight into.
-As ugly as Annie's relationship with her family was, it was very real. It didn't seem like her family was designed just to be a plot point for Annie, but was a real, messy relationship between her parents and her brother.
-As always, Jae is wonderful with how she writes romance, building up tension and feelings and describing them in a way to make you connect with the characters and their own feelings.
Cons:
-This is audiobook specific, but while the voice of the narrator was pleasant it was missing a lot of emotion. During heightened emotional scenes, it made it harder to connect to the characters when it was said in the same, calm and gentle tone as the rest of the narrative and dialogue. While not exactly monotone, it left a lot of room for improvement in engagement.
-Drew had a lot of potential to develop as a character, but it felt like Drew was introduced as a fully developed character already. Jae could have delved into her feelings about her parents more, or how she grew and got over this grief throughout her relationship with Annie, but this was missing. The only insight we got into Drew was in relation to Annie, and as one of the main characters where her POV is directly described this was jarring in comparison to how detailed Annie's development was.
-In relation to the above, Drew had very little interaction with things outside of her relationship to Annie. It's a romance and that was the focus - but without any interaction outside of Annie Drew became a bit one dimensional.
patricia71's review against another edition
5.0
So...let me wipe away my tears first. I loved this book. Maybe more because I didn’t expect I would. I so felt The emotions of Annie. And I loved Drew. I hope there Will be a book in The future where they are Friends of other MC’s or something so we can revisite them. The short story about them is not enough. 5 stars for sure. If there would have been more kissing and touching it would have gotten more than 5 stars.
dreamazing's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
wickedregal's review
5.0
***advanced reader's copy from YLVA publishing***
I’ve come to expect nothing but amazing work when I pick up a book from Jae, and this met all expectations. The main characters were lovable and I immediately attached to Annie, as I saw pieces of myself within her, while I also (just like Annie in her own journey) began to fall in love with Drew. You come across books every so often that you can’t seem to put down, and keep you up at all hours of the night because of it. This book was one of those for me. I stayed up till the wee hours of the morning reading, only catching a few hours of sleep before waking and feeling the draw to pick the book back up to finish it. The fact that this edition also included the short story sequel, “Seduction for Beginners”, made me over joyous. Because by the end of this book I was craving more of these characters, so I was more than happy to have them stay in my life a little longer while they let me continue to follow theirs.
I’ve come to expect nothing but amazing work when I pick up a book from Jae, and this met all expectations. The main characters were lovable and I immediately attached to Annie, as I saw pieces of myself within her, while I also (just like Annie in her own journey) began to fall in love with Drew. You come across books every so often that you can’t seem to put down, and keep you up at all hours of the night because of it. This book was one of those for me. I stayed up till the wee hours of the morning reading, only catching a few hours of sleep before waking and feeling the draw to pick the book back up to finish it. The fact that this edition also included the short story sequel, “Seduction for Beginners”, made me over joyous. Because by the end of this book I was craving more of these characters, so I was more than happy to have them stay in my life a little longer while they let me continue to follow theirs.
xxsksxx's review against another edition
5.0
Thirty-year old Annie Prideaux is what some would call a wallflower–and that’s how she sees herself as well. Working as an accountant for a small firm, she prefers to share as little as possible with her colleagues about her private life and more times than not she spends her free-time with her cat Amadeus and a good book. Her experiences with men so far have been rather boring and when she is out on a date she tries to get it over with as fast and as painless as possible–a fact that gives her brother Jake ample opportunity to tease her. As long as Annie can think, Jake has been playing tricks on her so it comes as no surprise when he sets her up on a blind date with his lesbian college friend Drew without telling his sister that his friend is in fact a woman. But this time he has taken it a bit too far and Annie and Drew decide to get back at Jake and pretend they started dating. But their little revenge plan takes on a life of its own–while Drew struggles with her attraction to Annie, Annie is forced to face her demons for the first time in her life.
One of my main interests when I start reading a book is that I want to care about the characters and what happens to them. For me, there is nothing that kills the mood faster than shallow two-dimensional characters and a plot that doesn’t draw me in. “Something in the Wine” didn’t disappoint at all. Jae managed to draw me right in.
At first, when I started reading this book, I thought there wasn’t all that much to like about Annie, a rather self-doubting woman who doesn’t seem to have enough willpower to stand up to her dominant brother. But getting into the book I realised that there was a lot more to Annie and her thoughts and intentions. Then there is Drew. Jake’s college friend is introduced as a young woman who thought she knew where life was taking her when all of a sudden both her parents died and left her with the sole responsibility for the family’s vineyard. The author developed both women into three-dimensional characters by showing them in their daily lives and without giving away too much. As a reader I got to know them through their actions.
I thought it was very interesting how these quite different characters started as partners in crime, trying to get back at Jake and became friends by seeing life through the other’s perspective. In the end, I cared very much for both women as well as Jake and even though the book has nearly four hundred pages, I was sad when it was finished. I would have loved to read more about those characters. And this is my only complaint. Despite its length, I felt it ended too soon without giving the reader the opportunity to learn how Annie and Drew would deal with their developing relationship, now that all the outward conflicts had been addressed. I would have loved to share in their success after having been along on the way to get there.
I can really recommend this book. And if there’s a chance to visit Annie and Drew in another book from this author I’ll be sure to get that as well.
One of my main interests when I start reading a book is that I want to care about the characters and what happens to them. For me, there is nothing that kills the mood faster than shallow two-dimensional characters and a plot that doesn’t draw me in. “Something in the Wine” didn’t disappoint at all. Jae managed to draw me right in.
At first, when I started reading this book, I thought there wasn’t all that much to like about Annie, a rather self-doubting woman who doesn’t seem to have enough willpower to stand up to her dominant brother. But getting into the book I realised that there was a lot more to Annie and her thoughts and intentions. Then there is Drew. Jake’s college friend is introduced as a young woman who thought she knew where life was taking her when all of a sudden both her parents died and left her with the sole responsibility for the family’s vineyard. The author developed both women into three-dimensional characters by showing them in their daily lives and without giving away too much. As a reader I got to know them through their actions.
I thought it was very interesting how these quite different characters started as partners in crime, trying to get back at Jake and became friends by seeing life through the other’s perspective. In the end, I cared very much for both women as well as Jake and even though the book has nearly four hundred pages, I was sad when it was finished. I would have loved to read more about those characters. And this is my only complaint. Despite its length, I felt it ended too soon without giving the reader the opportunity to learn how Annie and Drew would deal with their developing relationship, now that all the outward conflicts had been addressed. I would have loved to share in their success after having been along on the way to get there.
I can really recommend this book. And if there’s a chance to visit Annie and Drew in another book from this author I’ll be sure to get that as well.
sarahthornton's review against another edition
4.0
Surprisingly good despite the trope. Well-written, believable characters.
raizca's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.25
Well written, nothing new for Jae.
Unfortunately, the plot is a really weak. I felt nothing during my reading. 😞
Still, for those wanting a light lesbian reading, this one is cool.
Unfortunately, the plot is a really weak. I felt nothing during my reading. 😞
Still, for those wanting a light lesbian reading, this one is cool.
mjsam's review against another edition
3.0
This is a sweet story, with nice leads. I enjoyed the scenes between them and the deepening of their relationship as it moved from friends to something more. Jae's books can always be counted on to flesh out the details and this book was no exception. The secondary characters weren't as interesting in this one though, which let it down a bit.
On the flip side, I detested Annie's brother, and their 'let's pretend to be together to shock him' revenge twist thing was flimsy at best. All it did was provide the reason for them to continue to be in each other's space, but I honestly felt like there must have been another way to do this. I don't mind the fake relationship trope, but I do mind when it's in an f/f book and it's done as a joke.
Fair warning, if you're reading this for hot love scenes, you are destined for disappointment. I give it extra points for focusing on the relationship rather than the sex, and also because given that Annie is struggling with her realisations about her sexuality, I can see why a slow approach would be needed.
On the flip side, I detested Annie's brother, and their 'let's pretend to be together to shock him' revenge twist thing was flimsy at best. All it did was provide the reason for them to continue to be in each other's space, but I honestly felt like there must have been another way to do this. I don't mind the fake relationship trope, but I do mind when it's in an f/f book and it's done as a joke.
Fair warning, if you're reading this for hot love scenes, you are destined for disappointment. I give it extra points for focusing on the relationship rather than the sex, and also because given that Annie is struggling with her realisations about her sexuality, I can see why a slow approach would be needed.
mjsam's review against another edition
4.0
This revised edition of Something in the Wine is essentially the same as the first edition, with some minor tweaks. I'm not going to bother re-reviewing it, my original review stands.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1220718046book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
The only real difference is that this also includes the follow up short story 'Seduction for Beginners', which pretty much just consists of the sex scenes that a lot of reviewers seemed to think the first edition of Something in the Wine should have included. I wasn't bothered by the lack of sex scenes in the first edition, but enjoyed the follow up anyway, as a nice catch up with the characters. If you've yet to read any version of this book, then buy this one, as it contains both stories.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1220718046book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
The only real difference is that this also includes the follow up short story 'Seduction for Beginners', which pretty much just consists of the sex scenes that a lot of reviewers seemed to think the first edition of Something in the Wine should have included. I wasn't bothered by the lack of sex scenes in the first edition, but enjoyed the follow up anyway, as a nice catch up with the characters. If you've yet to read any version of this book, then buy this one, as it contains both stories.