What a fun debut! I have loved Chelsea’s writing since her blogging days and have always found her so chic in her dinner creations, outfits, interior design, etc etc. This was evident through her main character, Lea. Lea was a refreshing main character as someone who is career oriented and unapologetic about not wanting kids/ doesn’t waver on that. The pining & tension of the forbidden romance potentially getting caught was so fun to read. I neglected many of my responsibilities because I couldn’t put down the last 30% of the book. That being said - I feel like there was some sections in the middle that I had to re-read/I felt like feelings or actions didn’t have enough character development to make complete sense. (I am also a short chapter girlie and I thought some of these chapters could have been broken up a bit). Over all - the last part of the book was so addicting and this will be a perfect summer read!!

I didn’t know what to expect going in to this book having followed Chelsea for a while but I really like this book. It reminded me a lot of the Idea of You with White Lotus vibes.

Thos was good. It was a perfect book to lay out in the sun and just get lost in. I was quickly emotionally vested in these characters.
I just reviewed A Perfect Vintage by Chelsea Fagan. #NetGalley
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Loved Chelsea's debut novel! The summer vibes, hot romance, and beautiful setting all made for a great read. I'm definitely down for a book 2 set in Paris!

A perfect read for summer. Smart, dazzling, "unputdownable'. I couldn't get enough of this novel and cannot wait to share this with others!

I loved everything about this book! The characters, the writing, the dialogue, the story, everything was a delight

Books are after all, often judged by their covers. This one has one of the most beautiful covers I’ve seen in a while. That being said it is only fitting that I direct you to APerfectVintageBook.com where not only can you preorder the book you can quite literally buy the cover art by Elizabeth Lennie which I think is so great! No this is not sponsored, I just really thought this was a nice touch. Here you will also find the playlist for the book. A full circle vibe of seeing, hearing and reading.

This story follows Lea Mortimer in France who is a very talented consultant who transforms French properties that need a makeover and a lot of TLC. We are talking large estates in the country and flipping them into popular functioning hotels.

Typically our protagonist is an independent single woman on a mission when it comes to her job. This time her best friend and cousin Stephanie joins her with her daughter who is in her late teens. She is very determined to not mix business with her personal life, but let’s be honest things don’t always go as planned. Including some age gap trope romances.

I found this book to feel very original and unique. It felt unlike anything else I’ve read. I saw it recommended by our authors marketing partner Mackenzie Newcomb and it is safe to say if she recommends a book on her socials that I too will enjoy it. This story has it all, the location, powerful family dynamics, good characters and romance. I think it would make a perfect summer/beach/vacation read.

A giant thank you to our author, Netgalley and Orsay Press for providing me with an advanced eGalley copy of the book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The publication date will be June 6th, 2023 and I hope if you choose to read it you love it also.

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

I was excited to read A Perfect Vintage after hearing a lot of buzz on social media. This book is a great summer read for those of us who won't be spending part of our year on a gorgeous French estate! I was a little slow to get into the book because I don't typically read many age gap romances, but before long I was invested in Lea's story and rooting for her happiness. Overall, this was a quick, enjoyable read, but I definitely would have liked more details around the development of Lea's relationship. I will definitely recommend this to my friends for a great beach/pool read!

A Perfect Vintage is a stunning debut by Chelsea Fagan. This book beautifully portrays the setting of the Loire Valley, but also the internal struggles women deal with throughout various phases of life.

The book follows Lea, who must find a way to balance finding love, professional success, and personal fulfillment. Will she choose the safety of her established life, or risk it all for a chance at love and happiness? Meanwhile, Fagan incorporates interesting characters that challenge Lea every step of the way.

This book does a perfect genre dance incorporating women's fiction with romance. You can gift or recommend this book to any woman in your life and I am sure they will find something to relate to.

TLDR: If you like HGTV, travel channel and romcoms you will love this book!

This book literally hooked me in from the very first chapter and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I finished in a day.

I really enjoy Chelsea's social media presence so I was really excited to receive this ARC of her new novel. Unfortunately, I don't think it quite landed for me in the way I was hoping it would have.

A Perfect Vintage follows Lea, an American interior designer, as she gets ready to travel back to France for a project renovating a chateau into a new hotel/resort. As she is getting ready to leave her cousin/best friend Stephanie announces that she is getting divorced and forces her way into Lea's trip. The novel follows the rest of their time in France and the renovations as Lea sets up the hotel.

First off, while Fagan does use vivid language to help you imagine the hotel and décor, sometimes I found the story getting a little too lost in these descriptions. Two pages describing the wallpaper they were using just kind of broke up the plot for me and made me want to skim more as I got the general idea about the prints, sconces, etc. I wish this level of description was put into the surrounding area as I feel we were never really described the Valley and instead I just heard a lot about inside the house. If we're in a gorgeous location, give me the gorgeous location!

Secondly, and this may be just because I follow Fagan, but sometimes I found the main character to maybe be a little self insert. Often I could picture the outfits or actions of Lea matching up to exact things Fagan has worn or said. Which is not a bad thing, but kind of threw me off every once in a while as reading.

I do wish the characters had been a little more thoroughly developed as I wanted more from Lea and Theo's relationship in the way of why the connection was so strong. It seemed almost insta love and that we never really got to know the depth of their relationship other than a strong attraction.

It was an easy read that was was fun to read!

If you like French Countryside settings, summer romance, reverse age gap, and messy problems, look no further, this book is for you.

I'm not sure how to review this book. It was ok. It had interesting characters and an interesting location but ... it felt like it was missing something. I also thought the writing was a bit difficult to follow, a lot of details could have been avoided.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. This post may contain minor spoilers.

Warning: reading this book may cause a sudden desire to spend the summer in France with a hot younger man.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this book. In full honesty, I was mostly drawn to the cover (can we take a moment to appreciate the beauty of that cover?).

Our main character Lea always spends the summer in France because of her business. This year, however, she’s bringing along her best friend/cousin and niece (or whatever your cousin’s daughter is) as they deal with a family emergency.

The summer is supposed to be the same as any other year, except there’s a younger man pursuing Lea. This causes a few problems since her niece is crushing on him AND he’s the boss’s son. Honestly the age thing is the least of their worries.

Lea has to juggle a large project, her friend’s personal problems, her own personal problems, and a secret romance. All without anyone’s help. It’s not wonder she needs therapy.

Speaking of which, I am thrilled that Lea’s therapy was included in the book. It helps de stigmatize mental illness and therapy, and it encourages people to pursue support. Furthermore, it moves along Lea’s character arc in a natural way that couldn’t be done in any other way.

This is a great book to bring along for a summer vacation or read for a book club. I highly recommend it.

This will be one of the best selling books of the summer without a doubt. Sexy, messy, emotional and French!! If you loved Emily in Paris this is her better older sister! très magnifique!

I'm not sure how to review this book. It was ok. It had interesting characters and an interesting location but ... it felt like it was missing something.

The characters, while interesting, seemed vaguely over-the-top and it took away from the story for me. Gabriel, in particular, was far too hostile that it made his storyline uncomfortable to read at times. Lea seemed immature at life in general, especially considering her age. We all know age isn't everything and her character definitely proves that.

Stephanie and Maya both seemed like they weren't integral to the story. Yes, I know Stephanie falls in love with Alain but there wouldn't be any story loss with them not included.

I'm not sure how to word it all but I felt the book was too much on many occasions and also not enough in many more.

I will say I liked the ending. Exactly the last few paragraphs the story needed.

It’s hard to find a great heroine in a romance novel. But Chelsea Fagan has created something special with the leading woman in A Perfect Vintage. Lea is complicated and messy but also intelligent, interesting, and not a carbon copy of every other book heroine ever. This romance novel earns its use of tropes through vividly rendered characters, a beautiful setting, and frustratingly real side characters. This book is a love story but it’s also a coming-of-age where a grown up, accomplished woman gets to sort out her own shit. Thoroughly enjoyable, laugh out loud funny at times, and has just the right amount of dramatics, none of which feel unnecessarily or overwrought. Fagan’s description of this book seemed to good to be true but she really delivered!

(Posted on Goodreads)

This book made me feel like it was summer in France. The writing truly made me feel like I was there. I felt like I got to know all of the characters, and I was rooting for their success. Overall I really enjoyed this book and may have to reread at the beach this summer.

3.5 stars, rounded up. I loved the FMC, a thriving, childfree, career-loving woman who also has family and a support system. It's an honest portrayal of a more common reality and I want more of it. Knowing what I know about Fagan, this particular FMC and this particular setting were perfect for her first foray into romance.

My only complaint is the, ahem, spice between the FMC and her love interest. In less than a half a page during their first sexual encounter, they go from a single kiss to *fully joined*. I may be queer but I know enough to know that a woman needs more than a single kiss, even when she's been mooning after the partner in question for days. I expected more robust foreplay writing from Fagan (and from my romance novels in general) based on what I've learned about her through TFD, etc.

Thank you to NetGalley, Fagan, and Orsay Press for the free advance copy.

Lea may have been a great success at work but personally, her regimented and structured life allowed no one to get close to her. I think David said it best that she is a victim of self sabotage and she pushes people to the extent of anger that they begin to believe how she thinks about herself. She may create items of true beauty; however, her life is completely empty and void of emotion. It is only when she meets Theo and lets herself open up that she realizes what is the purpose of life. It is love. She realized why Stephanie chose Alain despite what she went through with Marcus. Yes at times it was hard to emphasize with Lea due to her bouts of crying when it was her actions that caused it but the end made it all worth it. There is such a thing as a second chance.

Absolutely flew through this one - it's a winner. I was drawn in by the strong characters and irresistibly messy plot and quickly found A Perfect Vintage impossible to put down. I even brought it on my honeymoon so I could keep reading! The writing is fantastic, and just such a pleasure to read. I sincerely look forward to whatever Chelsea Fagan writes next. This is without a doubt one of my favorites of the year - highly recommended!