I received an ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I’ve enjoyed many of this writer’s books but this was disappointing. Light on the romance, heavy on ridiculous misunderstandings and much exposition about wine. A pleasant read.

Light Through the Vines.
I liked it. I wanted to love it. I also wanted more.
It's about a British woman who inherits her aunts house in the south of France and relocates there to pursue her dream of learning about wines and vineyards. In doing so she finds out secrets about her family and falls in love with someone she thinks should be untouchable.
I loved the idea of the story. Love the happy ending.
What I didnt love was the length of time it took to find a man, and then they were happily after after in the span of like 10 pages.

Overall, it was an incredibly charming read. I will read more of Valpys work and look for more in the series if there is some ..

Thank you to Netgalley and Valpy for the ARC.

“Light Through the Vines” is a republished book by Fiona Valpy. Here’s what I liked about the book - it’s a quick read. Ms. Valpy lived in France for a number of years and her description of the countryside read as being authentic. I also liked how she included pretty realistic reading descriptions of roof fixing and the countryside houses. The story itself is where this wasn’t as strong for me - and I know it’s a me thing. I really dislike the miscommunication trope … along with the making assumptions trope (they don’t always go hand-in-hand). So, some of the assumptions our heroine makes just didn’t sit well with me. I’m not into wine making; having worked with a number of people with Fermentation degrees, I’ve heard enough about it to last me a lifetime - but Ms. Valpy tried to make it interesting (you can skim those parts if you wish). I’ve read a few of Ms. Valpy’s more recent works and in this book I can see how her plots and character relationships have matured over the years. It’s not a bad book - it just didn’t quite work for me - but if you like Ms. Valpy’s later books, do give this one a try.

A definitely quick summer read. The rural of Bordeaux and the warm feeling of neighborhood which has been slowly darted away from us. I love how the wine making process was quite elaborated and not only as a plot device to make the main characters has something together. But it also become the flaw as it was too detailed more than the relationship of Gina, the main character, with her surroundings. It feels so distant even with her point of view. Or maybe that’s the point. The misunderstandings were quite irritating for me and dragged for a little too much as the one of the most important things to her character.

One thing that I love the most is the fact it also stress in the way a rural living is like as it demands some of our time to belong. The feeling of inclusion joined by alienation is aligned by how the past events has built them into what they were. Wrapped in suspicions, lack of trust, and devastation. But in the end, the process of nurturing the grapes into wine that is telling us everything needs time and process to grow into a ripen fruitful thing. That there’s the light throught the vines.

I received an ARC of, Light Through the Vines, by Fiona Valpy. Gina has not had an easy life, everyone she loves leaves her, will Cedric be the same, or came then make it?

I chose to read this book because I had been reading heavy non-fiction, heavy non-fiction that I was rating highly. I thought I would read some light fiction, and I normally rate romantic fiction at 3 stars; thus, I couldn't be thought of as a reviewer who gave everything she reads 5 stars (although I do tend to only read what I think I will like). This book surprised me; it is clearly 4 stars, and I would buy a Fiona Valpy book (in English). I'm not even sure why it is being offered as an ARC since the book has been published in French, but it is my understanding that Valpy did do a little revision for this English edition which will come out the first of September 2022.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Interestingly, the month before I had read a romance that I bought because it was set in a place to which I had traveled. I have not been to France and wonder what my French friends will think of this book, but given that it was originally published in French, I think it must be accurate. In which case, the countryside sounds beautiful (and so lovely to read a French story not set in times of world war). Also, like the other story I read, the protagonist has lost a parent (in this case a father and also an aunt). The grief in Valpy's novel is there, but it does not take over the story. Also, her characters are quite likable.

The romance makes sense in the book. Yes, the conflict does revolve around some "How could you not know?" situations (even one of the characters says this), but it wasn't unrealistic.

A person could get this book for a parent, grandparent, older child, grandchild (if they liked romantic fiction) and feel that you wouldn't be offending anyone, yet still feel it was realistic, light reading, and even informative. The wine making business figures prominently in the book -- maybe a bit too detailed for some readers. However, I enjoyed it. I did not realize some of the challenges "old wine" has had to face with the advent of "new wine".

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this ARC.

A charming read set in the wine region of Bordeaux, Gina moves to her Aunts farmhouse following a redundancy from her wine buyers job. She soon embraces village life and embarks on a masters wine course. And possibly love is just around the corner too.
Vivid descriptions of the French countryside and wine making process make this an easy enjoyable read

I loved this story. It is part of a set and I read in the wrong order but did not matter. Gina lost her job and went to live in her late Aunt's house in France. . She had to make peace with her mother, there was the mystery of why her Aunt did not marry. Three very nice builders, beautiful descriptions of a grape harvest and a love element that was all mixed up. Ace read

This was a quick summer read, set in France’s wine producing region of Bordeaux.

Gina is a wine buyer based in London, and she’s been having a tough year. Her beloved dad has died, her boyfriend, who was supposed to be “the one” has deserted her for a lover she never knew he had, an aunt living in Bordeaux - who has always been like a second mother - died suddenly, and a corporate buy-out means she’s been made redundant at her job.

Devastated and confused, when the Bordeaux home is left to her in her aunt’s will, Gina decamps to France and begins a specialty wine course that will help her land a better job. In Bordeaux, she quickly becomes a part of local life as she struggles to get her life back on track.

There are great descriptions of the winemaking process, a family mystery to solve and a sexy local man who has seen his share of heartache, too. The book flows in gentle rhythms as Gina works to carve out a life for herself.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy - all thoughts are my own.

Light Through the Vines by Fiona Happy

Gina’s London life lies in tatters: she has lost her father, her steady job as a wine buyer and her suave but unfaithful boyfriend. When she also suffers the loss of her beloved aunt, a silver lining dawns in the shape of an unexpected legacy: Aunt Liz has left Gina her beautiful, if slightly ramshackle, house in the heart of Bordeaux wine country. With nothing left to lose, Gina takes a chance and moves there.

Previously sold under the title - French for Love

You always know what your going to get with books by Fiona Valpy. A brilliant read !
A heart warming story about a woman who has moved to France to study some after a bereavement.
Things don't always go right for Gina with a few hiccups along the way , but they eventually sort themselves out in a delightful way.
A wonderful read that takes to to a warm and sunny place. Perfect holiday reading.

3.5
Originally published as The French For Love, this is standard Valpy fair - British lady moves to the south of France for a new start after her life doesn’t go to plan, and she falls in love with a local. In this case, wine expert Gina faces redundancy shortly after breaking up with her boyfriend, so when she inherits a house in France she moves there while studying to become Master of Wine. It’s a quick and breezy read despite the requisite death and family secrets.

However it felt a little shallow at times, like I wasn’t given substance to back up some of the Gina’s feelings, including with non-love interest characters. From the woman who apparently ‘thinks of her as a daughter’ to a post-get-together relationship that seems to mostly happen off the page, I was left wishing that I was given *more* - the romance arc mostly consists of them being attracted to each other from a distance, dragging out the ‘misunderstanding,’ and the ending gets rushed. Also, as a non-drinker with little interest in wine-making, I skimmed through a lot of the wine-related chapters (I think this mostly bothered me in light of needing more substance to the romance/friendships - I felt like I was given all this wine-making while being short-changed on the deeper relationships).

I’d recommend if you want something that doesn’t require much thought and that you can finish quickly, but it didn’t leave me with the deep satisfaction I like from a romance.

This book is a charming read with a cast of characters that you would want to hang out with. Don't be surprised if you find yourself wanting to book a plane ticket to France. Or at the very least, a trip to the liquor store to buy some wine.

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK, Lake Union Publishing for the eARC.
This was a lovely read, with a very likeable cast of characters, set in a beautiful area of France's wine country.
Even though I'm one of the few people in the world who doesn't like wine, the act of wine making was fascinating reading and the ending was very satisfying. I'm looking forward to reading the next two books in the series. Definitely recommended!

This is a quick fun read with likable characters. The story moves quickly to a satisfying ending. The author is talented and gifted at making the characters come alive on the pages. The book was sent to me by Netgalley for review.