I really wanted to like Wine People. I really did. But I could not get into any of the characters or really resonate with liking anyone. I wish it were better, but it needed a lot more editing and some better characterization and world building.

Many thanks to the publisher for my copy - all opinions are my own.

This book is FANTASTIC, and I so, so, so enjoyed getting lost in this plot. The settings are atmospheric and dynamic and I love the way the story sweeps you around from city to city making you feel like you are physically there. I adore a book that has tastes and smells and sounds jumping off the page, and this story delivers that in spades.

Not to mention the women making their way in a male dominated world aspect to the story, which is also so powerful and was such a delight to read. Truly all together just an absolutely perfect summer reading pick.

A captivating novel that delves into the intricate world of wine culture and the relationships that revolve around it. Wildgen's vivid descriptions bring the vineyards to life, creating a sensory experience for the reader. The characters are well-developed and their passion for wine shines through, as they each struggle to make their way in such a competitive industry. With its blend of drama, romance, and a backdrop of wine-making, Wine People is a compelling read that will appeal to both wine enthusiasts and fiction lovers alike.

The book read like overproduced cheap grocery store wine. Nothing felt more than 1 or 2 dimensional and fell flat. The relationships all felt choppy as did the overall plot.

I love the way the women came together along w/ the wine to make it all happen!
Great book
THANKS so much!

Since I know several people in the wine industry, I was very excited to received a complimentary eARC from NetGalley and Alcove Press of the book Wine People by Michelle Wildgen. I also consider myself a foodie and love to read about travel. So this book had all of the makings of something I would enjoy, and I was not disappointed!

While I initially came for the wine and the whirlwind travel, I found myself most enjoying the exploration of female friendship. That part was very well done.

This book would me a great gift for the wine "snobs" in your life, as well as any reader who wants to escape into a the competitive world of the wine business.

This novel is about and told from the perspectives of two women in their 20s, Wren and Thessaly, who are working for the same wine importer and professional rivals who start become friends. The book follows them over the course of the next years, tracing the course of the ups and downs of their friendship, their careers, and their general journeys to figure themselves out, along with plenty of colorful details about the wine business.

I loved this book and it was such a pleasant surprise! I don’t know why, but for some reason I thought this was going to be more of a fluffy book so I just loved the unexpected depth. I also feel like there are so few books that are focused either on female friendship or on women’s careers, so I loved that this book did both. Wren and Thessaly are both complicated and sometimes prickly characters but I really got invested in them. And despite knowing nothing about the wine business and not being much of a drinker, I enjoyed those parts too.

4.25 stars

I was intrigued by this book about women in the wine industry upon reading the synopsis, but I found the story to be repetitive without much payoff. It felt like a long read, and I didn't identify with either of the female main characters. At the beginning, I also had some trouble differentiating between the two, because neither one stood out as a unique voice. That being said, the descriptions of food and wine were well written, and I did enjoy being taken into a world I wasn't familiar with before

This story was about two women trying to make it in the wine business, which was very top heavy with men. The ladies started out pitting against each other hoping for an opportunity to advance themselves but end up teaming up instead. The highs and lows experienced in the business of sales and travelling around the globe made it a great read for those who enjoy wine and can relate.

Although I'm a wine lover, I just didn't feel the draw in with this book, it started out great, but it kind of lost me after a while. Still great for those who enjoy chick-lit, but not always my glass of red.

Not at all what I was expecting and was wanting more fun instead of fierce competition between the two women. Interesting story about female friendships and the competitive wine world however just a bit slow for me.

While I am not a big wine drinker and do not have a lot of knowledge about the industry I have read some similar-styled books on the topic so I was curious about this one. While I enjoy the female empowerment and taking on the male dominated industry, I found the story overall slow and it took me a while to get through it. I enjoy the story of their friendship and the growth that they each went through but again, it was not enough to hold my attention. Thank you to NetGalley and Zibby Books for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

i love learning about wine and really enjoyed this behind the scenes look at the high pressure wine importing business. I really liked seeing the story through the viewpoints of two different characters. It really helped explain the motivations for their actions. I especially like how they each went out of the comfort zone to befriend the other. And I gained a better appreciation for how wine is produced!

I like to drink wine and I’ve been on a good number of tours and tastings to feel like I know a bit about the industry, but I feel like I was at a disadvantage at times with some of the dialogue. It made it hard for me to really connect with the story, and I really wanted to feel more for this story. Especially because it was two women making waves in a predominantly male environment.

While I may not have been the best audience for the book, I think anyone who enjoys a nice glass of wine or fancies themselves a sommelier may find this delicious.

Thank you to Michelle Wildgen, Zibby Books and NetGalley for an advance e-copy of the book. I can’t wait to go back and read the author’s first book.

I was drawn in by the synopsis promising “a rich, intoxicating escape into the hedonistic and cutthroat world of wine and what happens when two ambitious women, opposites in every way, join forces to succeed in a competitive male-dominated industry.” That sounds great to me. Unfortunately, I’m 34% in and it’s just boring office politics so far and it’s lost my interest. Thank you to Zibby Books, Netgalley and Libro.fm for the advance reading and listening copies.

As a prolific wine drinker who loves learning about varietals, blends, and the wine making process, I was thrilled to dive into this wine selling world. The characters are dynamic, and the portrayal of women in a male dominated field/office was spot on. Overall, a delightful book of female competition, friendship, and life goals.

Wine People is a fascinating behind the scenes peek into the business of wine - the production, importation and sales while also being a fantastic coming-of-age story and a fascinating exploration of the pursuit of friendship the feeling of belonging, also the underlying impact of alcoholism. There are purchasing trips to beautiful European wine growing areas, interesting takes on operating and financing in the wine import industry, romps through different tasting rooms. All these things only add to the central plot, though, Thessaly and Wren figuring out how to have a career as women and maybe even be friends in a male dominated industry. They are pitted against one another when a potential promotion comes up.
Thessaly, daughter of a Sonoma growers, fantastic seller and fun drinking buddy is competing against Wren, with only five years restaurant experience, no special memories of food or childhood, but desperate to learn from observation, she is diligent, great at the operations minutiae but a bit mousy. Both women battle with insecurities bred in their different childhoods - Wren's mask is competitive forthrightness and Thessaly's is excessive drinking - being all in with the “boys”.
Thessaly and Wren learn that as women most likely neither one of them will actually get the promotion unless they learn to trust each other, and work together. When even that doesn’t work, they start their own business together... now they really need to rely on one another …
This made for a great reading experience- I loved it and learned a lot about wine and the wine industry !

I don't think I was the right audience for it. I couldn't get into the world of sommeliers or have any feelings (good or negative) towards the characters.

Long-winded and Slow, this Fictional book just wasn't engaging.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a novel about people who love wine and work in the industry. There is passion for the product, struggle in the field, competition, betrayal, and friendship.

I enjoyed the slow building friendship between Wren and Thressaly. Their differences were both distressing and interesting. The ending was perfection.

🎧Song Pairing: Red Red Wine - UB40 (isn’t it obvious)

💭What I thought would happen:

I thought the mere mentions of Pinots, Cabs, or Gewürztraminer oh my!

📖What actually happens:

Wren is an aggressive wine rep that is fighting for her seat in the male dominated industry. She knows the ins and outs of operations.

Thessaly is a wine heiress, who is establishing herself independently in wine sales - trying to learn all angles of the business before she breaks off and starts producing her own weird and artistic wines.

Wren and Thessaly team up rather than compete to create something wonderful.

🗯Thoughts:

I’ll start by saying I have worked in the industry so I just knew what to expect and related. That being said, it’s clear the author has also worked in the industry but I was bored.

I wanted MORE WINE. WHY WAS THERE NOT ENOUGH WINE! As a wine person it’s what I came for, so perhaps a touch underwhelmed.

Read if you like:
🍷Wine - how it’s made, how it’s sold
😊Character driven reads
🩵Slow burns
💞Females crushing it in male dominated industries

This book starts out slowly and coincided with my move, so it took me much longer than usual to get through it. There are quite a few characters so once I learned their names and their personalities things started to come together. It’s a story of friendship and personal growth. I liked it!
Thank you Netgalley and Zibby Publishing!