Silly, cute and quite horny.

This was a very conventional romcom, just substitute the usual male lead with a woman and it’s every other romcom I’ve ever read. She even growled and had muscular forearms. I’ve not read all that many f/f but I don’t think this was the best representation of that genre.

But it was cute enough, the story was wrapped up nice and tight even if no one really behaved like normal a human being, so pretty much your standard romcom. Sometimes romcoms surprise me and have depth and realistic human stories, but most of the time they don’t. This one didn’t.

So it’s a light, fluffy listen with low conflict and high sex (I found myself fast forwarding through the abundant sex scenes that took up most of the last half of this).

This is a perfectly well written romcom, very similar to hundreds of others I’ve read. It was a smooth listen and didn’t take much brain power. But I did cringe a lot and had to speed through some pretty cheesy moments. My tolerance for that kind of thing is at an all time low right now.

So this might work as a very light read for someone who doesn’t really care about representation but wants to try sapphic romcom without actually dealing with conflicts that might arise therein.

I really liked this, but it's now going to be a new fave. I thought Zoe was a very interesting character, she had a real Bridget Jones-poor me vibe that I totally understood.

I enjoyed the wine facts and the vineyard insights. I thought it was really cool. I didn't like Rachel and thought she was so annoying. I feel like these two probably would have had a moment of reconciliation a lot sooner. The pettiness of Rachel was a little too juvenile for me.

I thought Charlaine (spelling?? Unsure, I listened to the audiobook!) was SO HOT. she was my fave and I was wishing she was the main character. She was complex, sexy, talented and better than Zoe lol

I also got a little uncomfortable with the Boss/Employee dynamic. Her dad's behavior also kinda bugged me the entire time, along with the fact he called her Zoe Nicoletta EVERY time he talked to her 😂

Overall a solid read and I'm excited to see what else Laura Piper Lee writes!

Laura Piper Lee crafts a delightful blend of humor, romance, and small-town charm in Zoe Brennan, First Crush. From the first page, the story captivates with its instant spark, seamlessly transitioning into an entertaining enemies-to-lovers dynamic that keeps readers hooked.

Set against the backdrop of a close-knit community, the novel is brimming with colorful characters and laugh-out-loud moments that inject energy and lightheartedness throughout. Lee’s talent for witty dialogue and relatable scenarios ensures that readers are not only invested in the central romance but also charmed by the vibrant ensemble cast.

The chemistry between Zoe and her love interest is electric, balancing tension and tenderness in a way that feels authentic and satisfying. The story also beautifully weaves small-town themes, creating a cozy and immersive setting that enhances the emotional stakes.

With its engaging plot, memorable characters, and comedic flair, Zoe Brennan, First Crush is a perfect pick for fans of feel-good romances with a bit of spice. Laura Piper Lee delivers a thoroughly entertaining read that will leave readers smiling long after they’ve turned the final page.

3.5
So witty and funny! Loved the more story line than smut
And loved that zoe was able to find her love and live a better life than she ever thought, so dreamy

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐈 𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨. 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞. 𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲’𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭, 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬, 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰. 𝐈 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞’𝐬. “𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐭, 𝐭𝐨𝐨?” 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐭. “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜?”

OH MY GOD this book is so good. It's such a horny slow burn, which I am a sucker for. But it's got so much heart and love and passion.

Audio note - Lindsey Dorcus narrated this alone and was SO good. Absolutely loved her portrayal of Zoe.

This book is single person POV but I didn't even mind it. Zoe grew up on her family's winery and knew she was gay from her first look at her best friend's older sister, Laine. But when Zoe's family winery needs help and Laine is back from wine country in need of a job, Laine becomes Zoe's vitner.

Zoe has never had anyone stay for her, and Laine is out to prove that she's all in for her.

And did I mention it was horny? We have a blindfolded threesome, masturbation in front of a window, face sitting and so much sapphic goodness this book is equal parts sweet and spicy. I was laughing and kicking my feet and everything was just so good.

“𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰, 𝐙𝐨𝐞, 𝐈 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨𝐝.” 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞, 𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞, 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞. 𝐀𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐈’𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞. “𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭,” 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝐩𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞. “𝐑𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞. 𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝?”

The added layer of grief from Zoey's mom and the fact that people don't stay for her brought me to tears at time. The book has so much depth and was really just lovely.

It will make you want the taste of a good wine and the love of a special person. I just absolutely loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC and the ALC in exchange for this review.

Let the wooing begin!!! I really enjoyed this sapphic novel set at a Blue Ridge vineyard. Zoe Brennan doesn’t have much of a life beyond her beloved Bluebell Vineyard. It was her mother’s dream and it has become the connection to her after she died when Zoe was twelve. When Zoe’s dad unexpectedly goes to Italy he arranges for Laine Woods, a trained and skilled vintner to work at the vineyard. Laine was Zoe’s first crush as she became aware of her own sexuality. Zoe was once best friends with Laine’s younger sister who is now an arch enemy. Her family runs a more successful neighboring vineyard.

Zoe meeting Laine again is an unforgettable moment in the story. I love the extended community feel in the book. There were several side characters that give the feeling of a found family. They brought extra humor and warmth. Also I noticed two were previously featured in the author’s first book Hannah Tate, Beyond Repair (Feb 2024). I’ve already put that book on hold at my local library.

The author writes with a lot of descriptions. Some of it felt repetitive (colors, flavors), but now I want to visit the Blue Ridge mountains and see them in the sun setting. I also want to sample the earthy wines and I don’t drink alcohol. LOL. I loved how worn down Zoe is and yet she doesn’t give up. She is lonely and you feel it. I love the wooing between she and Laine. And they really connect over time without jumping to intimacy.

I enjoyed the narration by Lindsey Dorcus. Although I couldn’t have told you her name I recognized her voice from other audiobooks I’ve enjoyed. I love the graveness of her voice when Laine calls Zoe “boss”. Something that can be read on the page as sarcasm instead comes across as a warm endearment showing the pair's attachment.

I enjoyed this romance and appreciate the extras including; friendship, family, grief, and community. (4.5 Stars)

I received an advanced copy of this book. This is my opinion.

Zoe Brennan is a grape-stomping good time! (I'm sorry I couldn't resist--please excuse this horrible joke.)

Anywayyy. This book starts off with a bang (a threesome right off the bat in chapter 2) when Zoe's dad hires the sister of her former best friend to be a temporary vintner at their family's vineyard. And, oh yeah, Laine just happens to be Zoe's first crush and a huge part of the reason Zoe is no longer friends with Laine's younger sister Rachel. At first, they clash, their ideas on how wine should taste mixing about as well as oil and water. But when they work together to bring a festival to the winery, Zoe and Laine find themselves growing closer, even though Zoe is afraid and tends to keep people at arm's length.

I love this cast of characters and hope we get to return to Blue Ridge because this was an absolute delight!

If you've read Hannah Tate, don't come into this one expecting the same women's fiction sort of vibe. In my opinion that one, while still wonderful and with the same setting and cast, leaned a bit more women's fic where Zoe is much more of a true romance!

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC!

Zoe Brennan, First Crush is about the title character and her longtime crush Laine. They both work at Zoe’s family’s Georgia Appalachian winery/vineyard in this funny, quirky, sapphic romance. While we get told right away there is past drama between the characters, it is refreshing to know what went down back in the days of highschool almost immediately. In other romances, it’s almost like a secret holding over the readers, so I liked that we had all the information upfront.

The Georgia winery is a great setting, and the past of the characters add to the story as well. If you’re looking for a nice, spicy, angsty romance with a lot of humor thrown in, this is it!

I listened to the audiobook and loved Lindsey Dorcus’ performance. It was a fun listen and I would definitely recommend.

In this book:
Sapphic romance
Workplace romance
childhood crush
winery/vineyard
Small town

Thank you Laura Piper Lee, NetGalley, and Dreamscape Media for an advanced listening copy of this audiobook.

4.75 stars rounded up

If you enjoy messy Sapphics, you'll like this one.

I did not realize this was part of a series until reading the reviews after I'd finished, so it is absolutely a solid standalone.

I had a lot of fun reading this. Laugh out loud moments, a little bit cringey in a lighthearted way, and there's escapades with a GOAT! Childhood crush, ex best friend's sister, boss x employee, there's a lot going on. I really enjoyed the courtship between Zoe and Laine, but Laine's attitude even towards the end bothered me.

Even so, it was a good time, and the narrator was fun and quirky. Definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

CW: grief, death of parent

I loved this even more on reread via audio. The narrator truly brought these characters to life with her inflections.

Original review- I was beyond thrilled to be back in Blue Ridge. After meeting Zoe in Hannah Tate, Beyond Repair I couldn’t wait to see her again and read her story.

Zoe Brennan, First Crush was such a fun novel filled with tons of humor but with really beautiful commentary on grief, growth and forgiveness. I had tears rolling down my cheeks many times both out of laughter and emotion. The characters all felt real with great depth , the spice was delicious, and the banter top notch, I truly enjoyed this sapphic rom-com. Zoe and Laine are new favorites.

Laura Piper Lee has captured my heart again & I am here to start her fan club. This is THE SAPPHIC BOOK OF THE YEAR. If you love hilarious rom coms featuring 2 amazing women, then please check this out.
This book is nothing short of horny & heartfelt. One second I’m in my feels and the next second I’m wanting to throw my panties across the room for these characters.

I knew nothing going into this book & I am so happy that I had no idea what was going to happen in chapter 2. The story opens up with 2 of the funniest opening chapters I’ve ever read for a rom-com. Chapter 2 opens up the story with such a major BANG.

Zoe Brennan is a super relatable character. She loves colorful gel pens, needs to be i control, loves fiercely & it a bit of an organized hot mess. Liane is such a wonderful example of a partner everyone deserves. She shows her love for Zoe in such beautiful ways.

Sapphic workplace enemies to lovers continues to work so well for me. It’s enchanting to watch these characters think they can’t stand each other when they obviously just need to bang & fall in love :)
The term Alpha Queer had me cackling because this is super reminiscent of my childhood & baby gay days lmao.

If you read Hannah Tate Beyond Repair, you will enjoy the cameos. They are both read as stand alones but I appreciated seeing Hannah, River & their kid pop up often in this book. I think it’s nice to see characters still living out their dreams.

A major thank you to the publisher, the author, & to NetGalley for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

4.75 stars

This sapphic romance was a pure delight! I loved the whole first crush returns home aspect with a boss/employee twist. Plus the spice, oh baby from the jump it was great!

Also the setting was so well described that I flashed back to my own southern vineyard wedding many times (truly a vineyard is such a great venue). I loved the queer community in this small southern town (hi, we are everywhere even in red states) and getting to revisit the previous couple from Hannah Tate.

Regarding the audio, the narrator was fantastic and her acting was on point (seriously, that panic attack scene felt so real!)

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ALC!

This was ok. It was incredibly cheesy at many times and had me cringing more often than I'm comfortable admitting. I was hooked enough to finish but I found Zoe to be completely annoying and immature.

There were parts of this book that were cute and fun, but then there were things that really annoyed me. To start off there were just a bunch of lines of cringy dialogue that I couldn’t look past. I also think that Lindsey Dorcus, who read this audiobook, makes the lines even cringier with her delivery. Most books I’ve listened to from her has a quirky girl main character that just gets on my nerves. I’m not sure if it’s her delivery that is the problem or if she’s just often hired to read books with FMCs that aren’t my vibe. Even with the cringe dialogue though this would have been a three star book if it wasn’t for Lane’s insane behavior at the end. Like I’m sorry you don’t get to make major life decisions for your partner without having a discussion that’s insane. Overall, wouldn’t recommend it personally.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Zoe Brennan, First Crush by Laura Piper Lee is a delightful and witty sapphic romance that combines heartfelt storytelling, laugh-out-loud humor, and a healthy dose of sexual and professional tension. Set in the beautiful backdrop of Blue Ridge vineyards, this story delivers a refreshing take on enemies-to-lovers and second-chance romance tropes, with plenty of authentic queer representation to make your heart soar.

i fear i may need to stop trying romance.

this simply didn't work for me on multiple levels and it was hard to maintain a suspension of reality to get through some of the excessive cheese.

here we have zoe, lonely and sad, and now facing having to handle operations for her family's struggling vineyard since her father must return to italy to aid his dying mother. so naturally, zoe has a threesome. here's the first plot point where i struggled - why? it felt like such a strange thing to include, especially since zoe seems to have no interest in polyamorous-related things throughout the rest of the book, really. maybe it was a reason to shove a sex scene into the first 5% of the book, i don't know.

in fact - and this is probably just a me issue - but this book felt weirdly and unnecessarily sexual often. i'm not a prude, but two side characters were walked in on during sex. and it was so excessively sexualized given the scene was meant to be, uh, some people accidentally walking in on it and being embarrassed about it instead of like, observing them.

anyway, one of the two other people at the threesome turns out to be zoe's childhood crush and dun-dun-dun, the person that's going to help take care of the vineyard and help make the wines while zoe's dad is gone.

laine's arrogant and frankly frustrating, deliberately ignoring zoe's knowledge of how her own family's wines are made, including refusing to participate in various processes to keep mold out of the wine, various processes to make the wine taste like the standard from the brand. i think what's most frustrating to me is that laine is a liar, knows that zoe won't want to leave her family's vineyard, and purchases her own vineyard in another state. the idea? she lied about it so she has time to talk zoe into it. and later, laine snarls that she should be able to have everything she wants. with zero consideration of what zoe's going through. gross.

zoe's not a real peach, either. a part of this plot that came up a couple of times - apparently when zoe was a teenager she stole one of laine's sports bras and hid it in a box under her bed full of other laine keepsakes. this is weird. this is a violation. it's not cute, it's not funny. and at the end of the book when zoe SHOWS laine the stolen underwear i got pretty annoyed with this book as a whole.

i don't even want to get into the tidily wrapped subplot involving rachel, laine's sister, sabotaging the wine at zoe's vineyard. none of these characters feel like real people making real people decisions, which seems to be an issue that occurs in romance novels in general. if you like cheese, this one may be for you, but it simply did not work for me.

This was... fine? I thought the couple had great chemistry, but I never really cared about the plot. I really don't have much else to say... maybe if you really like wine you'll enjoy this one more than I did.

Since I listened to the audiobook, I'll throw in that the narration was great.

Characters- 9
Atmosphere- 7
Writing- 7
Plot- 5
Intrigue- 6
Logic- 6
Enjoyment- 7

<i><b>"You're going to rue the day you decided to court me, Lane Woods."

"No, but I rue all the days I didn't."</b></i> 🫠

Zoe Brennan is determined to save her family vineyard by winning a prestigious wine festival. But her plans unravel when her new vintner turns out to be Laine Woods—her first crush, sworn enemies big sister, and a secret one-night stand. As tensions rise and sparks fly, Zoe must decide if working together is worth risking her heart.

I really wanted to love this, but it was just ok for me. The story had potential, but the main characters often felt toxic and overly combative, making it hard to connect with their journey.
And I hate to admit it, but I think I'm rooting for Rachel to get a redemption arc??

Lindsey Dorcus did a wonderful job with the narration of this book and it really kept me engaged where I may have otherwise DNF'd this book.

<i>As always, shout-out to my homies at Netgally and the publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

3.5 stars - This was a cute and fun sapphic romance about a girl and her first crush getting a chance to explore a relationship after growing up and growing apart. It’s set in a vineyard setting and it was neat to learn a bit about the wine making process.

I was excited to read Zoe Brennan, First crush because I really enjoyed the last book. I didn’t like this one quite as much but it was still a good read. Love the winery setting and the setup for the relationship. The conflict was a little messy but not to the point that it affects my enjoyment of the book. Overall, would recommend