🍷💀 Book Review: Friends in Napa by Sheila Yasmin Marikar 💀🍷

What happens when six old friends reunite in a luxurious vineyard mansion in Napa Valley? If you’re thinking “fine wine and nostalgia,” think again! Friends in Napa by Sheila Yasmin Marikar is a wickedly sharp, darkly funny tale of friendship, secrets, and plenty of spilled wine…and blood.

Raj and Rachel Ranjani throw an all-out reunion, complete with exclusive tastings and lavish dinners, but from the moment a brick smashes through their window, it’s clear this trip isn’t going as planned. The college vibes come rushing back, along with all the messy feelings these friends thought they’d left behind. And when one of them turns up dead, the tangled web of secrets, resentments, and unfulfilled crushes unravels with a vengeance.

Marikar delivers a perfect blend of dark comedy and suspense that’ll have you laughing one moment and questioning everyone’s motives the next. Each character is layered and flawed, adding to the thrill of wondering who’s hiding what—and why.

If you’re a fan of juicy friendships, high-stakes drama, and a sinister twist on luxury living, Friends in Napa is the ultimate page-turner. Just be careful who you bring to your next reunion. 🍇🥂🖤

🍇 Question for You: If you could sip on any wine in the world during a thriller like this, what would it be? 👀🍷

I thought this was readable but nothing remarkable. I can't think of any readers that this book would particularly appeal to.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. The beginning of this book was just stream of consciousness thoughts from our main character, who I found very annoying. Nothing happened for so long that I lost interest and decided not to finish this one.

Wanted to love this one because I am a Northern California gal who spends a lot of time in Napa for escape time. Unfortunately, it didn't feel realistic to me as I know Napa. Was also a bit slow with the pacing. But it had potential and humor, and I'd be happy to try another book by this author, perhaps in a different setting.

This book was an interesting read. It felt like a slower start. It was harder than usual to get through, and I'm not sure about the character development in it either.
It feels like it could benefit from more editing.
It was a cool premise but definitely one we're seeing a lot more nowadays.
This book would be a good beach read I think, when you're not looking for a huge commitment but just something to read.

Sheila Yasmin Marikar's Friends in Napa is a delightful blend of friendship, drama, and suspense. This sparkling novel whisks readers away to the luxurious world of wine country, where a group of college friends reunite for a weekend of celebration and revelry.

Marikar's characters are both relatable and intriguing, with complex personalities and hidden depths. The author skillfully explores the dynamics of long-standing friendships, as old wounds resurface and new connections form. The stunning Napa Valley setting provides a picturesque backdrop for the unfolding drama, and the descriptions of wine and food are simply mouthwatering.

As the weekend progresses, tensions rise and secrets are revealed, leading to a shocking twist that keeps readers guessing until the very end. Friends in Napa is a captivating escape that offers a perfect balance of humor, intrigue, and heartfelt moments.

Whether you're a fan of friendship dramas or simply looking for a fun and entertaining read, this novel is sure to delight.

A group of friends are invited to a reunion at a lavish winery hosted by two of the most wealthy friends in the group. All expenses are covered, the friends just need to get themselves to Napa Valley and embark on a week of luxury and pampering.

As a reader, you’d expect this to be a juicy story about the most extreme examples of extravagance complete with drama as the personalities of all these “friends” clash in a small environment. But no. The characters are all terrible, even the ones you think would be the most logical and down-to-earth are just not. There is so much name dropping, brand dropping, social comparisons, judgmental thoughts and behaviors. It was exhausting. None of them had a redeeming quality and the clichés were so over the top that it just made this book ridiculously unbelievable and gross. Was it all supposed to be a joke? Some commentary on the lives of the 1%? I have no idea, but if so, I don’t think it landed. I think there are other stories that have done this better and not had me hating the characters so much.

Maybe this is just a bad time with the state of the world to have read a book like this, but I just did not like it and it took me awhile to get through it. At least it was a complementary copy and short.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

I really thought this book was going to be different.

Unfortunately I found it unrelatable and had a hard time getting through.

This book drew me with the fabulous cover and as a Northern California native I felt a tad relatable. However a much darker and richer crowd than I expected. I obviously count relate to the champagne problems of buying a winery for millions but I found the vibe of the book was too spacey for me, I generally like a morally grey character I just couldn’t dive in to any of these characters. Overall the writing was very visual and the location was my favorite aspect.

Would read more from this author just think this didn’t come all the way together for me.

Book Review: Friends in Napa by Sheila Yasmin Marikar

Rating: 2 Stars

As I delved into "Friends in Napa" by Sheila Yasmin Marikar, I was excited to explore the luxurious world of Napa Valley alongside six old friends reuniting for a weekend getaway. The premise promised a dark comedy brimming with fine wine, simmering tensions, and unexpected twists.

However, my experience with the book left me wanting more.

The story revolves around Raj and Rachel Ranjani, who invite their college pals for a celebratory weekend in their vineyard mansion. What begins as a promising reunion soon unravels into a series of conflicts and hidden agendas, culminating in a shocking turn of events.

While the setting of Napa Valley exudes opulence and sophistication, the pacing of the plot felt sluggish, failing to build suspense effectively. The characters, touted as complex with deep-seated resentments and secrets, fell flat, lacking the depth needed to truly engage me as a reader. As tensions escalated, I found myself detached from their predicaments, unable to fully invest in their fates.

The climax, which should have been a crescendo of suspense and revelation, instead fell short, leaving me underwhelmed and craving a more impactful resolution. Despite the promising premise and the allure of a dark comedy, "Friends in Napa" failed to deliver the gripping narrative I had anticipated.

While the cover art of the book is visually appealing and the synopsis holds great promise, my overall experience with the novel was marred by its slow pace, one-dimensional characters, and lackluster conclusion. As much as I wanted to love this book, it fell short of my expectations. Yet, as with any reading experience, not every book will resonate with every reader, and "Friends in Napa" may find its audience among those seeking a light read set against the backdrop of wine country.

In conclusion, "Friends in Napa" by Sheila Yasmin Marikar may not have been the captivating read I had hoped for, but it serves as a reminder that literary tastes vary widely among readers, and what doesn't resonate with one may well enchant another.

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

Friends in Napa by Sheila Yasmin Marikar will have you wondering are your friends really your friends? When you want to show off to your friends how rich and successful you are why not invite them to your vineyard for the weekend. There seems to be a lot of things that should have been left in the past that resurface when everyone gets together. Everyone seems to have secrets that they hope will not come out!

I wasn't a big fan of this book. Usually to enjoy a book I have to have some reason to care about terrible characters but there wasn't anything remotely likable or redeeming about them. Not my favorite!

Can you say fun summer read? This book was a slow start but once it roped me in, I was hooked. This book was just delicious. Like a really fun reality TV show, I felt like I was a fly on the wall of this messy trip. It almost reminded me of a Liane Moriarty book. The descriptions of Napa made me want to grab a glass of wine and settle into a lounge chair in the sun with this book.

I can definitely see the White Lotus comparisons! I love looking into the lives of the wealthy and Friends in Napa didn't disappoint on that aspect! I think I enjoyed looking into their lives and seeing how they got there more than the mystery aspect. That part fell a little flat for me, though it was satisfying like on White Lotus.

I found the characters in this book very difficult to empathize with or even relate to. There is so much attention to details that paint the enormity of wealth that this elite group of college friends are privileged with or are motivated by. The decisions they make are so implausible and despicable. The meaning in their lives has been reduced to their social media presence and the acceptance or lack there of by their followers. Their lives are shallow and corrupt. I didn’t think that the story was believable or left me feeling like I had learned anything worthwhile other than the dangers of wealth, betrayal, social media, and so much more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mindy’s Book Studio for the advanced reader’s copy.

Maybe this book just isn't for me. I didn't like anyone and nothing made me care about a character or what happens to them. I didn't like the writing either. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Phew, this took a WHILE for me to get through. It opens with a bang and I kept reading because I wanted to know what happened but it was a slog to get there.

The characters are well written as incredibly unlikable. Every single one of them. Sheesh, there isn't even one single redeeming, decent character but because I get so fired up about it, it tells me they're written pretty well at least. The backstory mixed in gives the reader juuust enough of a sense about what got the characters to this point.

I didn't like how slow it was and I didn't think the ending was all that explosive but everything gets wrapped up so there's that.

Overall it's okay, if you love character driven drama this might work better for you.

While I found the cover intriguing, I’m not sure if this book or subject matter/characters were for me.

What I liked: A fun premise of college friends reuniting for a weekend in Napa after 20 years. Lots of status climbing and self destructive behavior.

What I disliked: The plot moved too slowly. The author spent too much space doting on the lifestyle of the 1%.

I was given a copy of this prior to publication thanks to the generous publisher and Netgalley! Thank you!

White Lotus-esque-- this story follows as reunion of friends meeting up in Napa with varying degrees of personal success under their belts. You find out quickly that there has been a tragedy of some sort, followed by a cover-up, but you are left to discover what that tragedy was as this interpersonal drama unfolds.
Unfortunately, I DNF'd at about 40%. I wanted to find out what happened, but only to a point. The characters felt very one-dimensional, and frankly, very millennial core. Their characteristics felt a little outdated and surface-level, if that makes sense. I don't want to give any spoilers in case anyone is interested in reading, but I will say, I was really thrown off with a love interest that takes place in this book (at least the first 40%) given the fact that I felt 0 chemistry between these characters. All of a sudden they were kissing and I had to go back pages to make sure I hadn't read it wrong.
High hopes, but unfortunately was not my favorite!