Oh how I wanted to love this book. The cover is gorgeous and the premise sounded dramatic and full of chaos. However, it greatly undelivered the drama. The story felt bland and almost like I was reading a memoir.

This book was definitely not what I expected. If you were reading a retelling of a telenovela I feel like that’s what it would look like.

Layered with beautiful writing.

“Orange Wine” is set in early 20th Century Colombia, where the Catholic Church looms large in life for everyone but especially women. Ines struggles with her sisters, her husband’s betrayal, societal judgment but despite all her success in her mid life, seems so distant.

I struggled with Ines on many levels, but the gorgeous writing kept me in the thrall of the story.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Bindery for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.25⭐️

[a copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher from netgalley. thank you!]

the characters came off really one dimensional, and the writing style was quite flat and uninspired. the story didn’t engage me at all.

Orange Wine by Esperanza Hope Snyder didn’t quite meet my expectations. The premise was promising and full of dramatic potential, with all the right elements for a compelling novel. However, it fell short for me. The narrative felt somewhat immature, resembling a young woman’s journal, and I never felt fully connected to Ines as a character. The same applied to the rest of the cast, particularly the sisters, who seemed underdeveloped. Interestingly, where the book truly excelled was in its vivid descriptions of the landscape and environment. It’s ironic—I only wish the author had brought the same level of detail to her characters.

Never connected with this one. The voices are distant. All the other sisters aren't even given characteristics, except for being ugly. I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5- I enjoyed this story. Ines (one of my favorite names) is a relatable and complex narrator who tells an honest story that plenty of women have known- with the sweet comes the sour. Navigating a world and society that moves against her while maintaining her determination to live her life by her own terms is refreshing especially in a historical fiction context. The story is absorbing and immersive. Ines is endearing and beautifully human. My reason for my rating is the incomplete ending, and the unfinished business left with the different characters in her journey. Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery Books.

Unfortunately this book was not well-written, and I’m terribly disappointed. The writing is very stilted and simplistic, and sounded overly juvenile for my tastes. It took away completely from my ability to enjoy the story being told. I just kept getting distracted by my distaste for the writing style. There was a noticeable lack of description, complexity, introspection, connection, and it just felt like I was reading something akin to “See Jane jump. See Jack run.” I simply cannot, in good conscience, recommend this book.

The premise for this story sounded dramatic, interesting, and colorful. Unfortunately, none of those descriptors apply to the book. Ines is the only pretty sister in a flock of sad family members, who appear mainly flawed for the benefit of Ines - and all of the sisters seem to have developed their mother's propensity for selfishness and shallow character. Even the ones who appear to exist only to help others are weilding a subtle, unhealthy control over the family.
The descriptions of the landscape of Colombia were beautiful and very detailed, but it would have served the story much better if the author had spent as much time fleshing out the characters. As it is, they are simply uninteresting. It is especially odd in the main character, Ines, who tells the story from the first person - and yet, we never learn who she really is, or her real feelings. She doesn't appear to have any, to be honest. She is like a paper doll - pretty to look at, with costumes and situations that change frequently - so that should be very touching, or causing great feelings - but she remains as flat as the paper the story was written on. We have no more idea who she is at the end than at the beginning. The people who inflict cruelty and drive the bulk of the dramatic tension are similarly flat and merely seem to exist to move the story along without engaging with it. All of this is very odd and more than a little frustrating for a reader.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

Orange Wine was fascinating but read more like a memoir than fiction. I didn’t feel very connected to any of the characters, and the constant literal moving of location to location felt bothersome.

I did appreciate the mysticism of the great-grandmother’s prophecies and the vibrant language but this book overall was just okay.

Orange Wine is a fascinating and thought provoking novel about a woman, Ines, who's world is turned upside down by a shocking revelation. I really enjoyed this novel, however, I was curious to learn more about the people in her life.

The opening lines of this novel captured me but it was a catch and release so to speak. I found myself highly engaged with the story, however I had a very difficult time getting invested in Inez’s story. Each time I felt myself being pulled in, something would happen and we’d start the process all over again.

As much as I know that this story takes place in a time and place that I will never truly understand, I found most of the decisions made by our main character, Inez, confusing and frustrating. Her sisters also made me crazy. I can’t, for the life of me, understand how Inez was so calm towards people who treated her so poorly. From her sisters to her husband, all their transgressions and she was still so kind to them…couldn’t be me.

I really wanted to love the love story between Inez and Regulo but I don’t think it was well developed on page. I don’t mind that necessarily, but all this talk about him being her destiny made it less engaging than an on page romance would have been. The story felt like a very long winded diary entry and less like a love story.

I have mixed feelings about it overall. I found Inez strong and likable (most of the time) but wish it would have fleshed out the relationship between Inez and Regulo.

Alessandro got the ending he deserved though…

Orange Wine is an absolutely beautiful and immersive novel about an early twentieth-century Colombian woman and her life as she creates, loves, loses, and finds herself. I was hooked from the first sentence and was enchanted with Synder's words as I tore through this book. The atmosphere, language, lush and vivid descriptions, characters, magical themes, and tone of the book surrounded me as I felt immersed within these pages, as if I was there too, sipping orange wine and walking through the streets of Bogota. Synder's way of telling this story overwhelmed me, and I can only dream of the kind of love that Inez and Regulo shared. This book is why I read--to learn new experiences through remarkable writing and be left speechless afterward. Orange Wine is an absolute masterpiece of a book.

Orange Wine by Esperanza Hope Snyder is a riveting account of life and relationship in early 20th century Coloumbia. It is a reflection of the thoughts and trials of Inés and the other women around her. It also reads like a travelogue -describing the changing locations and settings in detail. The description blends in architecture and art with the characteristics of the places with ease.
The language is poetic and beautifully written. One cannot help being invested in Inés's story and also feel enraged with the helplessness of women in society, rightfully so. The only issue which bothers one is the validation sought by the protagonist from her sisters, often in the face of bitterness and betryal. At the same time it makes her entirely human and it also illustrates how we are shaped by the times we live in. The ending with the proper closure was satisfying and rewarding. Overall a beautiful and lyrical book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery Books for the chance to read Orange Wine before its release!

I requested this book on a whim, unfamiliar with the author, but intrigued by the summary. This story was absolutely breathtaking, and I am so honored that I had the chance to read it early.

Orange Wine is the story of Inés, a young woman in Columbia in the early 20th century. As Ines navigates the ups and downs of love and womanhood, she is faced with extreme pressures of her religion, family, and generational and societal expectations.

Following Inés through various phases of life as a wife, girlfriend, mother, sister, and Catholic, the reader becomes acutely aware of the pressures and inequities of women to men in society. Simultaneously, Inés is faced with the harsh reality of sisters and a community who choose to turn a blind eye to her pain, and also shun her success. Her story is one of love and hope, but also pain and internal and societal conflict.

This book gave me all the feels. Snyder does a fabulous job of creating complicated characters with depth, and a story of love, hope, faith, art, madness, and the reality that there are things, good and bad, that happen in our lives that we just cannot explain.

On a personal level, as a Spanish major, I loved the culture of this story. I loved reading of Bogota and the different towns in Inés’ life. Having studied in Spain in college, the last part of the book filled my heart with nostalgia and love for a country that means so much to me. I also found myself very much wanting a nice glass of Orange Wine. 🧡

I cannot wait to add the hard copy to my book collection. Thank you Esperanza Hope Snyder for this beautiful story. 💕

This book reminded me a lot of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Rather than following a patriarch in a fictitious town, In Orange Wine, we follow the life of Ines de la Rota, the youngest daughter of an Italian nobleman who moved to Columbia and married a poet. It occurs in early twentieth-century Columbia, with moments in Italy and Spain. The story is equal parts love and loss. Just like with any life, moments of joy intertwine with moments of frustration and sadness. It’s full of passion, love triangles, and independence. Ines discovers her strengths, creativity, and true love through all this. I enjoyed this book a lot. It kept me wanting to know what happened next. I am giving it a 4.5 instead of a 5 because the ending felt abrupt. This would make a fantastic movie.

Thank you, Net Galley, Bindery Books, Mareas, and Esperanza Hope Snyder, for the privilege of this advanced copy.

Orange Wine by Esperanza Hope Snyder is a beautifully written historical fiction novel set in early 20th-century Colombia. The story follows Ines, the youngest of her sisters, as she navigates her place in the world while carrying the weight of family expectations.

I rated this book 3/5 stars. The writing is rich and immersive, with descriptions so vivid that I felt transported to each setting. However, the novel read more like a memoir than a work of fiction, which made it feel emotionally distant at times. Despite the hardships Ines faced—especially from her sisters and first husband—I wanted more depth to her emotions. Her reactions often felt too restrained, leaving me frustrated and wanting to shake her into action.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and its atmosphere but wished for a stronger emotional connection to the protagonist.

Thank you Bindery Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book, set in the early 20th century, which explores themes of love, family relationships, betrayal, despair, and the strict rules of the Catholic Church. The writing was engaging, with a fast-paced narrative and short chapters that made it easy to read. I found myself deeply invested in the characters and eager to see how the story unfolded. I also appreciated that the novel was inspired by the author's grandparents and loved the analogy of orange wine, transforming from bitterness to sweetness. The ending was fantastic.

I received an advanced review from Netgalley and this is my honest review.

Beautifully written and deeply moving book. I devoured this in just a few hours. Highly recommended.

Orange Wine is a poignant and evocative novel that masterfully blends themes of love, betrayal, and self-discovery against the rich backdrop of early 20th-century Colombia. Esperanza Hope Snyder brings Inés de la Rota to life with a voice that is both tender and fierce as she navigates the suffocating expectations of family, religion, and society. Inés’ journey is deeply moving, as she grapples with the bitter betrayals that surround her while striving to reclaim her identity as an artist, a sister, and a woman. Snyder’s prose is beautifully layered, mirroring the transformative process of turning oranges into wine—finding sweetness in life’s bitterness. The novel’s exploration of artistic freedom and feminine awakening feels both timeless and personal, making it resonate deeply.