A Perfect Vintage by Chelsea Fagan offers a captivating journey into the world of the Levesque family lavish lifestyle and intricate problems. With an enticing beginning and a satisfying ending, the book holds promise for a compelling read. However, while the opening and concluding sections are enjoyable, the middle portion of the story falls short, leaving much to be desired.

The novel follows Lea Mortimer, a highly sought-after consultant specializing in transforming French country estates into boutique hotels. As Lea navigates her meticulously constructed life, she becomes entangled in the aftermath of her cousin Stephanie's bitter divorce.
Fagan initially captures the readers' attention with a strong start. The allure of old money and the complexities of aristocratic families hold great appeal, providing a promising foundation for an enthralling story. Additionally, the final chapters deliver a satisfying conclusion, tying up loose ends and offering a sense of closure.

Despite its shortcomings, A Perfect Vintage still manages to provide an entertaining read,

Great character development and fun story line. This is a great summer read. I really enjoyed this book. Thanks NetGallery!

I loved this book! It is a thoughtful, intelligent romance with strong female characters and a page-turning plot.

Absolutely LOVED A Perfect Vintage!! Told the story of a 30-something woman falling in love with a younger man and I was so here for it. The setting was immaculate, the story had super real elements of falling in love in your mid-30s and I want a sequel! Absolutely will be reading more by this author.

I have mixed feelings about this book, I feel the author did a wonderful job setting the atmosphere for a beautiful French chateau, but I feel the characters personalities needed a little bit of work. The book starts strong, but somewhere in the middle of the story the characters become intolerable. The main character Lea seems to revert to a selfish whiny woman who comes across as a much more immature and insecure women than she is portrayed in the beginning of the book. Overall, I did enjoy reading this book, the characters seemed to redeem themselves towards the end of the book, and the authors ability to transport me to France with her detailed setting of the story sold me on continuing to read to the end.

If you are looking for a drama-filled escapist read set in France, look no further.

The Perfect Vintage follows no-nonsense Lea has she help transform a family estate in the French countryside into a chic hotel, spa, and winery.

Everything about this story is ultra-luxurious: the setting, the food, the clothes, the people, and the romance. I loved Fagan’s beautiful imagery—it made me want to hop on a plane and travel to France right away. While I found a lack of connection with any of the characters, I did connect with the deep love of travel and fully experiencing another culture.

As far as the characters go, I wasn’t really a fan of anyone. There was some tension, a little steam, and A LOT of drama. The story started a little slow in the beginning, but definitely ended with a juicy bang!

Overall this was a fun summer read, especially if you are a Francophile or plan on traveling to France this summer.

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I had a lot of fun reading this book. Rich people behaving badly, family drama, bad ass woman making her life the way SHE wants it, and an amazing sense of place that I could almost feel as I read the book - it has so many great things. I loved the cast of characters and I felt like Fagan did a great job fleshing out the secondary characters and not making the book all about Lea, while still keeping things mostly focused on her situation. If I have one complaint about the novel it's that I feel Fagan tried to pack a few too much in the book, but that's a minor thing. Overall it was so much fun and I loved every moment I spent with this beautiful scenery and excellent characters.

*3.5 STARS*

Lea Mortimer, a highly sought-after resort and vineyard consultant, takes on a new project in the Loire Valley over the summer. She takes with her her best friend and cousin, Stephanie, and her daughter Maya to help them escape from a nasty divorce. Affairs bloom, inheritance is at stake and betrayals are revealed all while the idyllic chateau is brought to life.

I really wanted to love this one. The setting is so picturesque and I was truly transported to the Loire Valley and loved every French detail. I was really enamored by the story of bringing new life to a dilapidated chateau and those details were my favorite. The pacing is nice and I felt like the author did a great job with keeping me intrigued. Overall I had Hotel Nantucket vibes but without the ghost. The thing is I LOVED Hotel Nantucket and I didn't love this one. This might have benefitted from some alternating perspectives like NH had. Maybe from Lea/Gabriel/Theo. Even some of the supporting cast intrigued me more than the main characters (Chef Caroline, Marie ...)

In short, I couldn't get into the love stories. You have one character hiding from her terrible divorce and falling in love (too quickly if you ask me) with an older French man and then don't even get me started on the Lea/Theo storyline. Both of these felt forced on me and I just had trouble buying in. I might have loved the Lea/Theo storyline better without the Maya component. Gabriel and Marcus were great villains but not fully developed it just felt like they popped in and out without a lot of cohesion.

Overall, good but not great. I would have liked more character development. Honestly, I'm not sure I wanted this to be a love story. I loved the hotel/restaurant plot points the most. Would have loved more of that!

Thank you to Net Galley and Orsay Press for this E-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The premise for this one was neat in a lot of ways but I feel like it didn't totally do it for me.
I do like that Lea was very aware of her feelings (most of the time). I just did not enjoy her choices.
I kept thinking for a long time that the love interest was actually another one of the characters mostly because at the start I felt no tension at all between the main couple. And I was actually confused by who it was when the flirting started, the thing is, I'm not sure I was supposed to be surprised by that?
I would have wanted, more just in general from the characters. And more interaction between Leah and her relatives.
However. The setting was great, and I enjoyed the renovation part of the story, that’s something that I’d happily read an entire book on.
Overall. If the author puts out another book, I’d be interested in seeing the evolution in the writing.

CW: Death of a parent (past), drug use, emotional abuse.

A Perfect Vintage was the perfect sip of summer. A sexy, emotional, fun read that transports you immediately to a country estate in France. Lea was a complicated main character and while there were certainly times that she wasnt very likeable, it was a delight to be on her journey and share in her love affair and her passion for her work. This book had a lot of fun moments (I am ready for a disco night ASAP) and I tore through it in one sitting. Would definitely recommend if you're looking for a beach/pool/travel read!

A stunning and sophisticated romance - the characters are well fleshed-out with such clear relationships with each other. Set in the dreamy French countryside, this is the perfect book to really settle in to. The plot moves gently but never slow, creating such a beautifully immersive reading experience. I really enjoyed this one and look forward to more fiction from Chelsea Fagan.

3.5 stars

This book started out really strong, I was really enjoying the book, but around 70% the main character, Lea, became insufferable.
The dialogue was cringy and I felt like she was a total pick me girl.

At the 70% mark Lea started to tell Theo all the time that she was 'too old' 'washed up' 'why would you want someone like me' 'I shouldn't be doing this' and then they proceed to sleep together.

I understand that she would have insecurities being 12 years older than him, but she brought it up SO often. And every time he said that it didn't bother him and that he loved her, but she kept bringing it up.

Again some other dialogue was cringy. I didn't feel like it wasn't something that people would actually say in real life.

overall if you like age gap romances, rich people with drama, and summer vibes then I would recommend this book. I think a lot of people would like this book, the writing was not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book has been getting "summer beach read" hype and there are many aspects that fit the bill - love triangle, French countryside chateau. family drama, hidden secrets and conquests. Lea is hired to makeover a chateau and brings along her cousin Stephanie and daughter Maya to help out = escaping their family drama back home. You can probably guess how this unravels over the course of the summer. I expected a quick read, but it took a while to get into the story. Plus, it was a little frustrating that some of the female characters were portrayed as whiny and as the reader, you could solve their problems for them.

Honestly I loved the idea of this book, but the execution felt very lacking in my opinion. Other than the fact that I didn't necessarily love the main character, this book did not hold my interest, other than a few short sections. I think it could have definitely been trimmed down and streamlined so it got to the point a lot quicker. Not quite what I was hoping for with the description!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher but the opinions in this review arr strictly my own.
This was a great read for the summer. Highly sought-after designer Lea Mortimer gets a great opportunity to go to France to redo a family home and make it into a chic French Boutique Hotel. Her cousin and best friend Stephanie is leaving her narcissistic husband after 20+ years. She begs Lea to let her and her daughter tag along. She reluctantly agrees and romance is everywhere for all 3 women. Deceit is also in Lea's life as she falls for a much younger man who has also caught the eye of her niece. Pain and heartbreak consume Lea as she gets found out and leaves the job and France.

Loved this novel! It started a bit slow but the pace picked up which is when I couldn’t put it down. Very quick read then kept me on my toes. A great suspenseful thriller.

Absolutely perfect summer read that starts off fun and atmospheric and absolutely sucks you in. I whipped through the second half like my life depended on it. Literally begging Chelsea to keep writing!!

People might love or hate this, because the MC, Lea, is a little polarizing. She's 36, American, career-driven, self-isolating, & chock full of intimacy/control issues. Despite her age, she's not always emotionally mature (see list of problems), which was at times annoying but balanced out by how relatable I found her in other aspects. Lea owns a consulting company that specializes in restoring historic French properties into boutique hotels. Basically, if Emily in Paris were about human beings & not...whatever you'd call those characters, & was set at the estate from Call Me By Your Name, but French. 

Lea ends up inviting her best friend/cousin, Stephanie & her 20-yo daughter, Maya, to France with her for the summer as she restores a chateau, to help them get distance from the messy divorce Stephanie is going through. They quickly settle into the French countryside & start on renovations alongside the family who own the chateau, & (of course) romance blooms. Stephanie & the family patriarch hit it off, & Maya is entranced by his 24-yo son, Théo. Unfortunately for her, Théo's equally entranced...by Lea. 

Théo's (again, of course) mature for his age, & I really enjoyed him as a love interest. He was genuinely nice & laidback, but not a pushover. I think what I liked most about him & Lea was that they both had a strong sense of self, which is not always the case in romances. Lea's so sure that a fling with a college kid won't be a threat to her emotionally that she doesn't bother with her usual walls, &, well. Oops. She ends up struggling to maintain her usual iron control over her job, her love life, & her friendships as the summer goes on.

This story wasn't anything groundbreaking, but I binged it and had a lot of fun with the summery, European vibes, & it was refreshing to read characters who differed slightly from the usual romance archetypes. I definitely recommend if you're looking for a good vacation read, but don’t expect a lot of spice. It was a very cinematic read, & I’d equate the spice to what you’d expect from a mainstream romance movie.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, & the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of "The Perfect Vintage" and to interview its author, Chelsea Fagan, for the Storytime in Paris podcast. Here is what I said:

"My guest this week is the illustrious Chelsea Fagan. Chelsea is an author and the founder and CEO of The Financial Diet, the largest women's personal finance media company. You may know her written work from her numerous non-fiction books or her pieces in publications like The Atlantic, VICE and Cosmpolitan, but we’re here to talk about Chelsea’s steamy fiction debut: “A Perfect Vintage.”

Lea is an industrious American charged with overseeing the renovation of a chateau in the Loire Valley. Her meticulous plans start to go awry the moment her best friends invites herself along, but the story really kicks up once Lea meets the much-younger son of the boss. “A Perfect Vintage” doesn’t shy away from real world issues or a sexy, sultry love scene.

In our conversation, Chelsea reveals what drew her to the romance genre, how she broke with stereotype, what it was like to craft a love scene, and so much more. Then, she treats us to a reading from her book.."

You can listen to the full episode on the Paris Underground Radio website, on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, YouTube, Spotify and anywhere else you listen to podcasts.

This ended up being a let down for me. I was really looking forward to a story that rivaled with The Idea of You since it had similar tropes plus a beautiful setting. The setting was done well. I loved the descriptions of the hotel, the French countryside the wine making and French fashion.
I did not like pretty much any of the characters in this story. I found the FMC to be bland, immature and self pitying. I felt no chemistry between her and the MMC even though they were supposed to be madly in love. Lea's relationship with her best friend, Stephanie, felt unhealthy and toxic. There was just a lack of depth all over the board.

Aside from that, I found that there was little to no physical descriptions of the characters which led difficulty picturing the story in my head as I read. At one point late in the book, it was mentioned the MMC had blonde curly hair and I realized I had no idea what this guy even looked like. Not a major issue, but just something I have yet to experience before in a book.
If you're really into age gap romances and or French culture I would say give it a try you may like it.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ebook ARC in exchange for my honest review.