A fabulous summer read! Readers will be transported to the French countryside and carried away in this dreamy, scandalous love story. 4 Stars.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author herself for this ARC, I apologise profusely and intend no offence with what I’m about to say. I have to be honest as a reviewer.

This is a romance novel following Lea, a consultant who transforms dilapidated French country estates into five star hotels and chateau’s. This summer Lea is tasked with transforming the Levesque family chateau in Loire into a hotel fit for guests. Her cousin Stephanie and her niece Maya end up tagging along to get away from Stephanie’s messy divorce and while there Stephanie gets swept up in a romance with the Levesque patriarch while Lea falls for the much younger son of her boss. What follows is a summer full of forbidden dalliances and crossing boundaries.

I really did enjoy the atmosphere and the way the setting was describe. We’re having a heatwave right now in the UK and this book felt very summery. I found Lea’s job to be really interesting and enjoyed the design aspects.

However, when the romance is the least interesting thing about a romance book we have an issue. There was absolutely zero chemistry between Théo and Lea and I could not stand them together or apart honestly. This was the only romance book I have ever read where I was waiting for their downfall. The characters were all awful. Lea was selfish, judgemental and the very definition of a “snake” in my opinion. Théo was about as three dimensional as a cardboard cutout. Stephanie kept trauma dumping on her daughter while jumping from one codependent relationship to another. Maya was written like a fifteen year old and treated like one as well. Let’s not even talk about the sex scenes because there was nothing sexy about them. Lea is supposed to be this “intimidating”, “vibrant” and powerful career-driven woman when any criticism of her work literally has her running to her room to cry, she doesn’t stand up to anyone and while apparently “not caring about her age” she has to remind Théo of it every five minutes. I just couldn’t. I’m sorry.

This was released on 6th June if you’re interested but I personally don’t recommend it if you’re looking for a romance between interesting people who you can root for.

This was a fun escape read, which is exactly what I love in a book during the summer. I felt like the relationships were underdeveloped and/or happened too quickly, in my opinion. I did enjoy this book but felt it missed the mark a bit in terms of the romance aspects. I still liked this book overall and think if you are looking for an easy read by the pool during an afternoon, this would be a good option to go with.

Thanks to NetGalley + Orsay Press for the gifted copy!

Perfect summer read! I will definitely be recommending this book to those looking for an escapist read, whether summer or not. Such a fun, vibrant setting, and a romance that lives up the hype.

I loved this book, it was an addicting read. The author did an amazing job at having distinct voices for the many characters, something I often find many authors struggle with, which makes it difficult to follow. Appreciate that it had some spice without it being over the top! Great read.

Do you need a story to transport you to the French countryside? Do you need a book that immerses you into a deep, complicated love story? Well then this book is the perfect read. With rich descriptions of setting and well written characters, I found myself sucked into this book. There were times I wanted to shake Lea by the shoulders, but it made her all that more relatable. Perfect summer read. 4.25/5.

Really liked this one! A twist on the summer romance abroad - which I won't elaborate on so as not to spoil the story. But it was slightly unexpected even if ultimately predictable. The setting was really the star of much of the story as it was easy to imagine yourself in this old French chateau while all of the drama unfolded around you. There were a few little things that didn't sit quite right, but for the most part I really connected to the main characters and enjoyed the secondary ones as well. A very nice escapist novel, best enjoyed with a nice bottle of French wine.

I really wanted to like this book - it has a great premise, the setting sounds so gorgeous, the characters seemed interesting.

Unfortunately I think this one needed a little more workshopping. In particular, the writing of action scenes was lacking and often avoided through time jumps, letters/text messages, flashbacks/recollections. The reader was then told about the action later. This meant the story was far less engaging and I didn’t feel invested in the story. It also often felt repetitive.

Admirably, the author tried to cover a number of themes within the book: work/life balance, ageism, grief, addiction, trauma, parenting, divorce to name a few. However there was not enough depth or insight for this exploration to feel meaningful. Perhaps more focus and specificity would have worked here?

I don’t like to leave negative reviews and I hope this feedback might be helpful in the author’s future endeavours.

For fans of rich family sagas, I would recommend Crazy Rich Asians. For fans of a workplace romance, I would recommend Romantic Comedy.

Pick this book up if: you’re looking for an easy, not-that-spicy summer romance

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am not sure what to say about this one. I enjoyed the beginning and ending and overall like it. I struggled in the middle with it being part soapy intrigue, part romance and part family drama. I wanted it to be more focused. I had trouble connecting with the main character, but I enjoyed her dynamics with the supporting ones.

OLD MONEY. YOUNGER MEN. ONE INTOXICATING SUMMER.
When I read this, I knew I wanted to read it and was lucky enough to get an ARC. To me this felt like it would be Gossip Girl and the Magnolia Parks Universe wrapped up into one book. Sorta, but not exactly. The cover definitely also added to my desire to read this book. It's stunning and looks like a perfect summer read.
The family drama was plentiful, but the best part of this book was the imagery of the French chateau. Really made me want to book a trip ASAP! I didn't care for Stephanie at all, and while I understood she needed a break from her messy divorce, I didn't love that she basically forced Lea to come with her on this job. In my opinion, this was an inappropriate ask and I wish Lea had set boundaries earlier on. I didn't personally care for the Lea/Theo relationship which was supposed to be the star of the show. If anything, I was more interested in Lea and Stephanie's friendship dynamic.
It's definitely a fun summer read, but it wasn't a book that made me feel anything deeper.

I was intrigued by the title and based on the description felt like this would be a perfect summer read. If I don’t get to go to France in real life at least I can transport myself there via book.

This story follows Lea, a consultant for turning old estates into boutique hotels (what a job), on one of her projects in France. She brings her cousin and her daughter along with her after the cousin experiences a rough divorce. There is family drama with Lea and her cousin along with the family who owns the estate Lea is transforming. And of course there are multiple love stories.

The setting was idyllic and the estate sounds like a place I would love to spend a summer drinking wine by the pool and having dinner parties on the grounds. The author did a great job of painting a picture of the setting and made you feel like you were there. I really liked Theo as a character and Nico. They added lightness and fun to a group of people that were all focused on themselves.

It did take me a bit to get into the story. The beginning didn’t capture me. Once I got more into the book the story did pick up and I was more intrigued and invested in the lives of the characters. That being said, the characters except for Theo weren’t likable. The main character Lea was so hung up on her career and the age gap between her and Theo that she seemed to lack depth and ultimately I wanted her to grow as a character and she didn’t. The cousin, Stephanie and her daughter Maya did not add more to the story and Stephanie felt extremely immature to me. I think the focus could have been on Lea’s project and her love story with Theo and it would have been a better book to develop those storylines in more depth. The family drama with one of the brother’s seemed like a random side story that didn’t do much for the overall storyline.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book has a promising premise but just didn’t do it for me. I spent the first half of the book waiting for the inevitable Lea/Theo hookup like a car crash, then skimmed the second half. It was too much drama for me (David’s reference to Maury felt apt) without enough emotional growth or substance. I had a hard time getting over how easily Lea got together with someone Maya was interested in.

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Readers who love family drama, forbidden romance, and career driven women will enjoy A PERFECT VINTAGE! I loved the setting, ALWAYS love family drama, and loved the character growth. If you enjoyed books like HALF BLOWN ROSE and THE IDEA OF YOU, don't miss out on this book!

A light summer read full of rich-people drama that draws on some of Fagan's own life experiences. It definitely appeals to those who love juicy drama with a bit of romance, and Fagan sets the scenes so well that you can easily be immersed.

First, I must say, the cover and title had me hooked before I even dug into the book! The story revolves around main character Lea, child-free by choice and seemingly uninterested in love (but that's no fun, is it?!). She's a unique character, with a fascinating job. An American living in France, Lea works as a consultant for families purchasing estates to flip into luxurious boutique hotels. She is definitely a bit of workaholic (remember, no kids, anti-love).

However, her best friend, Stephanie, goes through a pretty bad divorce which brings their lives together, including Stephanie's daughter, who is in college. They come visit Lea in France for the summer, but cause issues leaving Lea falling behind in her work. Coupled with the distraction of her best friend and her bff's daughter, Lea has also fallen for the son of her boss (drama!).

Obviously, this is major rich people drama which I find so intriguing and Lea is realizing that she's risking her job by being so smitten with the boss's son (who is much younger, might I add)! This was a really interesting read and, though I wasn't SO in love with Lea as a character, I thought the story was fun and is definitely worth reading!

I can really see the appeal of this book, as it's a light summer read, but it wasn't my favorite.

I loved the setting and Fagan did a great job setting the scene where the reader feels like they're there with the characters.

I think I didn't love that almost all of the characters are unlikeable. I wasn't really pulling for anyone because they all got on my nerves.

3.5/5

I liked this book.
It has rich people family drama which is always interesting to me.
The author did a great job with the imagery of the French château.
Some of the characters fell a little flat

This was overall a good summer read!

I had a really good initial first impression of his book. Definitely started off like a good summer read. However, as it got rolling I couldn’t help but see so many levels of inappropriate behavior here. It was inappropriate of Stephanie to ask to be brought on this trip. It was inappropriate of Leah to say yes, it was inappropriate for Stephanie and Maya to become romantically interested in the employers, and it’s really inappropriate for Leah to have ongoing sexual relationship with the 25 year old her niece is interested in who also happens t be her boss’s son. Listen, I love the idea of a French summer romance. I love the idea of a romantic winery/hotel but the people in the story suck.

I don’t get why Lea felt bad about setting boundaries with Stephanie. She should have done that from the beginning! This was the first bit of common sense she had all summer!
At the end when it was the big opening/ media night Stephanie was incredibly selfish.
She told Lea it was important evening of her summer? Her messy divorce is ruining her best friends career!!
I had really high hopes for this book but it fell short with its cheesy dialogue and deeply unlikeable characters.

A summer romance - old money - new love - a French Chateau… a perfect combination for a summer read.

Lea is a 30-something divorcée who owns her own business, is fiercely independent and knows what she wants - and won’t stop until she gets it. Her next project is to overhaul an old hotel in the French countryside and when she catches the eye of the owners cute son, she gets a little distracted…

A fun, flirty read about family, friendship, travel, and love. I loved the setting and the characters of this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced read!