From the synopsis, cover and tropes, Corkscrew You should have been the perfect book for me.

Unfortunately it did nothing for me and I really struggled to get past the cringe dialogue, eventually having to DNF it.

I have no doubt there's an audience for this book it just wasn't me.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK and One More Chapter for this ARC.

Corkscrew You seemed like it would be right up my alley from the synopsis and the tropes, but this was just for me.

Corkscrew You is a small town romance, sunshine/grumpy romcom. I was excited to read this based on the story synopsis and cover, but it didn’t live up to the excitement. The dialogue is cringy and the writing style sometimes felt like stream of conscious (though I understand the author is trying to show the thoughts of the characters). The MFC’s refusal to curse ends up making this 28 year old winery owner seem juvenile (she refers to sex as bloinky blink and the MMC’s “thingy”). Even weirder is the MMC decided he’s in love by 20% in (note the story begins with him recently being dumped by his former finacee a week before the wedding). The MFC also decides she’s in love very quickly. All of this takes place in under a week and a half. Insane. It felt like one of those terrible Hallmark holiday movies where the main characters are in love and engaged or married after knowing each other for a hot second. Last I’ll flag that the handling of the MFC’s mental health struggles feels wildly unrealistic (she shares that she was super depressed after her father passed but she got some antidepressants, took them for a month and is bow back to normal, no longer depressed, and not taking meds). Overall I wanted to like this book but it was entirely a struggle to finish. I unfortunately couldn’t recommend this.

This was a cute, easy read.

It just took a while for me to get into it because the book starts off very descriptively and didn’t really draw me in at first.

This , omg this, such a fun book, first of all love the setting and the two main characters , perfection, this rom com is so well set up, the side characters make me want to know more about them and definitely expect their own books, this was a easy fun read and will be definitely recommending

2/5 stars

I was super excited for this book. I loved the cover, title, and the synopsis! The story was tough to get through and I found it extremely cheesy, especially because she not just swear and makes up ridiculous words and terms instead. The main characters, Nathan and Shelby seem to fall in love ridiculously fast. I usually am not one for a slow burn but this was warp speed! I’m disappointed because I wanted to love this book!

Thank you to netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advance copy.

I loved the sound of this from the blurb. I love grumpy sunshine and forced proximity. However this book fell flat for me as I didn't enjoy it.

I actually ended up DNFIng at 27%.

I'm sure the right audience is out there for this book. Sadly it wasn't me.

This book was a cute light hearted quick read. I loved both main characters and watching them go from enemies to lovers was so fun!

The instant love aspect was something which I did not enjoy due it being far from realistic especially for an enemies to lovers and I felt the book would’ve been better if it happened a little later in the book. I adored Shelbys family. The book encapsulates grief really well, and in a way that really resonates with readers

Thank you for the e arc

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the ARC of Corkscrew You in exchange for an honest and independent review.

Shelby Armstrong has nothing but deep love for her father's winery, Flora Valley Wines. Since his passing, she's all but killed herself trying to keep it afloat. No matter how much work she puts in, she's just doesn't contain the the business savvy side that is required to bring the business into the black. Enter stage right: Nathan, Harvard business man who happens to know his way around a winery or two (as well as the bedroom as Shelby QUICKLY figures out). When Shelby is forced to bring in an investor to keep the business afloat, Nate is hired to be the brains of the operation so Shelby can focus on making great wine, no matter how terribly this sits with Shelby as she fears that her father's business will be dismantled piece by piece.

However opposite Shelby and Nate happen to appear, Shelby knows she's going to have to play ball if she stands any shot of saving her father's winery. One thing they cannot disagree on is the immediate connection they have toward each other, despite their ability to equally frustrate each other as well. Can Shelby and Nate capitalize on their sexual chemistry in the hope of saving the family business or will their differences bring it all crashing down?

This one has me left with mixed emotions after finishing it. While I think the storyline has promise, I feel like everything happened so suddenly to the point where is just wasn't believable. I mean, by chapter 8 Nate was admitting he was in love already (come on man-make us work for it). Beyond saving the winery and helping Nate's dad not be such a stubborn jerk about his medical decisions, there wasn't much of a story here.

While the characters were great, I felt that the banter between them was just weird and sometimes confusing. I found myself backtracking to try to figure out who was talking and a lot of the references were just lost on me. I felt that the opportunity to dive into those relationships missed the boat a bit and that could have been a saving grace. I wanted to love this one, I really did, but everything just happened so quick, yet it felt like it didn't really go anywhere (quite the paradox right?). Don't let my opinion sway you, give it a read for yourself and let me know your thoughts.

So I have some mixed feelings about this book. I was originally attracted to this book purely based on the title, however; I found this book to be very fast paced and it felt like the romance in the book went from hating each other to sort of dating to getting married all in the semi-unrealistic span of like six months. I’m all for a fast paced romance, but this one just felt kind of forced and a lot of the conflict that happened just felt like it was thrown in there. Overall, I did enjoy the plot of it and the world building and characters were great (although I did find Shelby to be a tad bit annoying). I loved that it was written in alternating POVs so we get both sides of the story. I do fully intend to read the next book in this series and I did enjoy this book as well. I guess I just had high hopes for a book with such a fun name. But I will say that the author was very knowledgeable about the wine making process and I applaud their research skills. I would recommend this book to someone who enjoyed watching Emily in Paris, likes wine, and fast paced small town romances.

DNF.

Really love the cover and the summary, did not so much love the rest.

Dialogue was cringey. Super crazy instalove. I feel like there were two different men written under the same guy here

This was a very rom-com-y and cute book. The only thing I didn’t like about it was the MMC. He was a little unbearable for me. This book has instalove and I usually love that, but it just didn’t make sense in this book. It seemed out of nowhere that he fell in love with her. I really liked Shelby (the FMC). The ending was very cute and it looks like there could be a chance for other stand-alones in this series.

Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for the arc of this book.

Corkscrew You by Catherine Robertson is a rom-com with potential, but it fell short for me.

While the premise of the story had promise, with Shelby Armstrong and Nathan Durant navigating the complexities of reviving Flora Valley Wines, the execution left much to be desired.

My biggest issue lies with the male main character, Nate. He came across as an overly aggressive "alphahole" whose sudden change of heart towards Shelby felt forced and unrealistic. Their relationship lacked genuine chemistry and depth, making it hard to root for them as a couple.

Although I appreciated the focus on mental health and grief, particularly through Shelby's character, I found her to be somewhat one-dimensional and overly reliant on tears. While vulnerability can be endearing, it felt excessive in this context.

Additionally, the writing style felt unnatural, with odd grammar choices and confusing narration shifts between Nate and Shelby. The use of third-person self-dialogue without clear punctuation made it difficult to follow and detracted from the overall reading experience.

Despite these flaws, I did find some enjoyment in the side characters and the potential for future stand-alone novels in the series. However, Corkscrew You ultimately fell short of my expectations.

#CorkscrewYou #CatherineRobertson #bookreview #romcom #bookish #bookstagram #2stars #readingcommunity #booklovers

The whole no-swearing deal was odd from the get-go. Like, if you can't swear, just don't, right? Those quirky replacements felt forced. On the flip side, the forced proximity aspect, with her saving his dad's winery, added some spice. But the pace? Lightning fast. Didn't leave much room for character growth. And the love story? Went from zero to a hundred real quick. I believe there is room for improvement.

A very cute rom-com with lots of banter and a lovable cast of characters! I really enjoyed it, it was light and summery, and the Durant family drama was very fun!

This was one of the loveliest covers I have seen. It instantly pulled me toward this book, and the premise sounded fun. The book was fine, nothing stellar or overly exciting, a bit cliche in some points, as were the characters, all of whom fit into the traditional rom com roles. Does that mean I didn’t get butterflies at the end? Not at all. There is a place for these kind of books, the ones you binge super quickly, and just because it wasn’t my fave doesn’t mean it won’t be someone else’s

cute cover with a cute synopsis - however i couldnt get into this one. Corney at times, no depth, etc.

Love romance books with great family dynamics involved! A woman trying to save her family’s vineyard, while having to deal with a new guy running the show! So many relationships at play while still bringing all the spice! Enjoy

This enemies to lovers romance is set in a vineyard, a gorgeous setting for two people who have each other to fall in love.
There are plenty of twists and turns along the way and a whole host of brilliant side characters too.

I want to start this off by saying that I think the premise of this book is great and it had so much potential. Unfortunately the mmc Nate ruined this book for me. He is so full of him self and decides out of nowhere that he is in love with Shelby the fmc after he has been nothing but rude to her the entire time. There is literally a part in the book where Nate fantasizes about hitting Shelby so hard that she passes out just so she’ll shut up. I also felt like the pacing was all out of whack. With that being said I still enjoyed the book I just thought it was lacking a little in those areas