Thank you Net galley and publishers for this arc in return for an honest review.

6 college friends reunite 20 years later for a weekend at one of their wineries for good times. They all have secrets, and tensions are rising as they rehash old memories. One of them ends up dead on the night of the grand opening. What are they hiding? A weekend trip of finding themselves, of starting over, of wanting what the others have, and jealousy. How far would they go for happy ever after? This was a quick read for me as I couldn't put it down. It was an easy thriller that I didn't have to think to much about who done it. None of the characters were likable. All catty, and fake towards each other, but that made the story all the more better. You loved to hate them. A very good weekend read for me.

I love unlikeable characters, and honestly the main characters were horrendous.

I love the concept and the general vibe of a book like this, but it just fell short; I think the ending was a bit lackluster, but I did enjoy reading this.

I enjoyed the idea and plot/storyline of the book but felt like the characters were sooo unlikeable it made it hard to keep reading! The group of people were all very unhappy with their lives.

Overall great book. The ending did feel rushed. There was great emphasis on labels etc. I would have liked a more in depth ending and more relationship building between Rachel and Hari.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Mindy’s Book Studio for an ARC of Friends in Napa: A Novel by Sheila Yasmin Marikar in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

Once I picked it up, I could not put it down. There are so many layers. The characters are so well developed—so much fun. We all think the grass is greener, and this book shows on so many levels why you need to appreciate what you have. I loved the attention to detail. I had so much fun guessing throughout this book—it was an entertaining read. I will have to see what other books are part of Mindy’s Book Studio and read them all.

Friends in Napa tells the story of five (it claims six but one of them is absent) college friends who are reuniting in Napa after Raj and Rachel purchase a winery. Joining them are Anjali (Rachel's college best friend who had a crush on Raj) and her husband, Hari (who had a crush on Rachel and was always in Raj's shadow), and Victoria (who had been married to the 6th college friend, Dev, who was not there).

This book was described as suspenseful, sharp, smart, and entertaining. I didn't find it to be any of these. The biggest suspense for me was knowing that someone was going to die and trying to figure out who, when, and why. I found the constant brand names and statuses exasperating. None of the characters were particularly well developed or interesting. That said, I didn't hate it. While I didn't dread reading, it wasn't something I was looking forward to so it took me longer to get through than it should have. There was a lot of focus on social media and it was kind of like that to me - something you scroll through when you're bored, but don't really get a lot out of.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I seriously contemplated quitting this book at 21%. But I struggled through and honestly wish I would have left it as DNF. I did not love the characters and the murder in the prologue did come back until the very end of the book. This had the potential of being such a good story and it just wasn't it for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC on this book.

Friends in Napa by Sheila Yasmin Marikar is a well written account of what could happen if some college friends go on and live their lives, sometimes messing it up, and then have an opportunity to meet up again. There is an added husband to the mix (David) but Anjali, Victoria, Rachel, Raj and Hari all know each other. Rachel and Raj are married and rich. They have just bought a vineyard and invite the old friends to celebrate with events culminating in a grand opening. The book spends a little too much time, reiterating how rich they are and how they spend their money which is a small complaint. It does explore various relationships and feelings within the group which is really at the heart of the book. It also explores how women view themselves, how others view them and what it might take to finally regain control of their destiny.
I would recommend it as fairly light hearted fiction.

The cover and premise had me hooked immediately. College friends, a weekend in Napa, and murder - yes, please! I found the book to be fun, well-paced, and intriguing. I do feel that the murder scene and ending of the book were fairly abrupt. I would have loved a few more chapters to allow for a better execution of both. Overall, an enjoyable reading experience - the perfect summer/beach read!

(This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!)

Good, fast-paced read. The tease from the prologue doesn’t happen until the very end of the book. I feel like we could have dealt with the fallout for a few more chapters. Also could have focused on Puff some more.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This reminded me so much of a Kevin Kwan book but with a bit more of an American flair. It had rich people behaving badly, lots of lush descriptions, and a lot of drama.

I didn’t particularly love any of these characters but in this case I didn’t need to because it worked with the plot.

This will be a great summer read.

Friends in Napa was a look into the extravagant weekend of old friends reuniting. The drama, suspense, and bits of satire kept you engaged somewhere between laughing and trying to figure out what was happening behind the scenes.

OK - so I will try to review this book as best as I can. I did finally struggle to finish it, and I wish I could say that I enjoyed it. I found the characters to be shallow and petty, the plot was basically non-existent and it feels like even the author got bored and finally figured that she just had to finish it and get on with her life. There was not a single character in this book that I felt any empathy to. The plot was basically about five college friends who don't even seem to even like each other. No one is happy and it just felt like they only cared about materialistic things. This one was a struggle for me and I don't like giving up on reading any book, but I am really happy that this one is done. I wish I could recommend it, but unfortunately I just can't.

This book was intriguing. While I appreciate the Peloton references and the ‘mom groups’ associated with it, it felt like it was trying too hard. The plot was interesting but at times it seemed a bit slow. Overall a good book

I was drawn to this book because the cover, description, and first few chapters made me think it was a thriller. Like Glass Onion, except set in Napa Valley and with a majority Asian cast.

Unfortunately, this book turned out to be definitely not a thriller, and I wish it were. There were seeds that could have bloomed into a full thriller plot, mysteries that slowly unraveled over the course of the book.

I will say that despite not meeting my expectations, this book was surprisingly easy to read. And I didn't completely mind reading about the rich characters' lavish lifestyles; it felt kind of like an escapist fantasy. I do wish there was less name-dropping of luxury brands and other, more visceral ways to depict the excess of the one percent, though maybe real-life rich people do talk/think like that?

I'd give this 2.5 out of 5 stars. It wasn't what I wanted, but given that I've DNF'ed several books lately, it says something that I breezed through this book pretty quickly.

(Side note: The ARC was horribly formatted in multiple places, which made for a distracting reading experience.)

Peacocking : Having a very high opinion of oneself, filled with or showing excessive self-esteem. For example, She strutted about in her new outfit, proud as a peacock.

I also might be peacocking over my latest book.

That sure was a doozy!

Friends in Napa !!!!

This book might just be my book of the year! It was absolutely wild. How will I ever live without Sheila Yasmin Marikar in my life?

I hope I never have to find out, check out this teaser :

Six old friends descend on Napa Valley for a luxurious weekend of fine wine and good times…until old tensions simmer to the surface. So much can go wrong in this dark comedy by the author of The Goddess Effect.

Just get yourselves here, everything else is on us.

Raj and Rachel Ranjani have invited a small group of their ride or dies from college for a celebratory weekend in Napa Valley. On the agenda: three nights in the couple’s vineyard mansion, a lavish dinner at Napa’s hottest new restaurant, exclusive tastings, and the grand opening of the Ranjanis’ ultra-high-end winery. It’s a reunion of six friends who haven’t seen each other in years. What could go wrong?

To start, there’s the less-than-warm welcome: a brick flung through a window and palpable tension between the hosts. But no worries—all Raj has to do is pop a few bottles of vintage Dom, and the college vibes come rushing back. So do old resentments, animosities, and unrequited crushes. Soon enough, the illusion of friendship shatters like a gossamer wineglass, and one of the friends ends up dead. Everyone has their motivations. Everyone has something to hide.

Here’s to a weekend in the valley. Drink up and watch your back.

A group of friends from college reunite for a luxurious weekend in Napa. As the wine flows so do the old rivalries and resentments. I always love a good college reunion story and was fairly engaged on this one until the ending. It felt rushed and somewhat ridiculous.

I didn't love the book but I also didn't hate it. I found it could use more development and some more editing. I found the pacing to be off especially towards the end it was pretty abrupt

Friends in Napa by Sheila Yasmin Marikar was a really good read.
I enjoyed the characters and especially the writing was done well and entertaining.

Thank You NetGalley and Mindy's Book Studio for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

this book was okay. characters could use a little more development, and the ending was a bit abrupt. plot could use a little more development too. 3/5 stars