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Release date: March 26, 2019

Publisher: Graydon House

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Blurb:

The follow-up to Raintree’s sparkling debut Perfectly Undone, MIDNIGHT AT THE WANDERING VINEYARD brilliantly meshes the provocative relationship fiction of Jennifer Weiner with the nuanced family dynamics of Karen White in this story of a young woman who reconnects with her estranged best friend to complete their teenage bucket list, but the man who came between them years ago reappears to challenge their bond once again.

A young woman at a crossroads in her life returns home to her family’s vineyard in California when tragedy strikes and reconnects with her estranged childhood best friend. They decide to complete the bucket list they created the summer they were 18, the summer that saw their friendship torn apart. But when the man who came between them all those years ago reappears, it challenges their fragile new bond and pushes each woman to confront past hurts and buried truths.

Review:

It was love at first sight for me as soon as I saw this stunning cover, I had a feeling that with a cover this beautiful the inside would have to be just as gorgeous and I was right, this was a really lovely story about forgiveness, family and doing what makes you happy.

One of the things I enjoy most about the authors books is her ability to create realistic characters with messy lives and histories that could be any one of us. Mallory is back home for the first time in ten years and she didn’t leave on the best of terms with a few people in her life. So much has changed since she’s been gone and the changes she experiences just throughout the book are amazing. The characterization is where the author shines, she writes about different types of relationships with an assuredness and accuracy that I find refreshing.

This book was a very solid read for me all the way up until the very end and things just fell flat for me in those last couple of chapters. Admittedly I need a strong, tidy ending to fully enjoy most books and this one was left wide open. I also felt like some of the last minute decisions made by Mallory were out of character and not entirely fitting with the way she behaved throughout the book, but again, I truly need things all tied up with a bow to be totally satisfied, so keep that in mind.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.