Unfortunately I wasn’t able to finish this and DNFed at the 35/40% mark. The premise was exciting and the cover is gorgeous, but I found the majority of the characters unlikable and couldn’t get myself to root for any of them.

If you love romance with not a lot of spice this book is for you!

Set in the French countryside this book follows Lea, who is working to makeover a hotel, fall for her boss's younger son. This book tackles many issues such as women dating younger men and being judged for it. Whereas if it were a man dating a younger woman he would not be judged.

I enjoyed this book it was a quick read and I enjoyed the story.

3.5 Stars!

You had me at a wine reference and a summer love story in France. This gave me "Under the Tuscan Sun" vibes. The writing was great but dragged at times. The characters were relatable but a 24 year old male is not as mature as Theo is, that is for sure.

Perfect Summer read! Would recommend to all the romance lovers out there :)
I instantly fell in love with the main characters.

As someone who is constantly longing for a French lifestyle, I loved the setting in this so much! The main character was someone who I feel like we don't see very often in books, and it was refreshing. She was ambitious, no-bullshit, and it was great. Also, loved the steamy romance of this one!

Such a great summer read! Anything with that filthy rich family feel is a perfect pool read and this was deliciously intriguing.

This was a little slow for me. I got some of the characters mixed up and found some of the relationships to be rushed and/or one dimensional

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Chelsea Fagan has smashed it again! I have been a fan of her work with personal finance for years and when this book was announced I knew I had to check it out. You will not be disappointed if you pick up this book. The vibes, the characters, the romance, it is all perfection. Lea is more than capable, she is the best. Journey with her as she balances friendship and burgeoning lust while completing her summer job in the Loire Valley. You will be transported by these pages and not want to leave. A well earned five stars and will leave the readers wanting more from this debut fiction author. Happy Reading!

While I really enjoyed the setting of this book and the cast of characters, I didn't quite find the love story between the main character and the younger man so convincing. I struggled with their supposedly undeniable connection and found the main character to be a bit short-sighted in her choice to begin this risky relationship. Additionally, I found her cousin to be so frustrating that it almost took away from the story. However, I did overall enjoy the book, I just had a few qualms.

Full disclosure, I have been a fan of Chelsea's since the early days of The Financial Diet and I was thrilled to see that she had written a novel. I had low expectations, but I mean--twist my arm with this setting and this plot. The perfect summer read! This book is smart, it's well-paced, it's steamy without being too spicy to share with your mom, it's just so satisfying and lovely and I enjoyed every minute.

Lea is a design consultant that specializes in transforming spaces and old estates into boutique hotels. Her next project requires her to spend the summer while updating and rehabing a French vineyard estate. When she gets a call from her cousin that is like a sister asking if she and her daughter can tagalong as she is going through a divorce. Lea says yes, but what has she gotten herself into?! As her family and the estate family meet each other, there is undeniable chemistry between several key players, but is it a recipe for disaster....

4 stars!

A great summer read for mood readers like me! I was so excited to get this ARC and it did not disappoint! I could imagine the beautiful setting, really made me wish I could go to France! A little romance, a little comedy, with a little steam thrown in!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orsay Press for this digital ARC.

Fagan did a wonderful job transporting her readers to the French countryside! In my opinion, A Perfect Vintage is the read of the summer. It is hot, has a touch of scandal, and is overall the perfect escape. Thank you to Netgalley and Orsay Press for the ARC

This book did not live up to the hype for me. I found the characters deeply unlikable with selfish motives / toxic relationships. The setting and premise were both promising, but unfortunately I DNFd this one at about 75%.

I was delighted to include this title in my July round-up of Guaranteed Great Vacation Reads, highlighting engrossing summer titles for the Books section of Zoomer, Canada’s national culture magazine for 45+. (see column and mini-review at link). That it was such a escapist pleasure at a high level was all the more impressive once I realized, after the fact, that the novel was independently edited and published (and marketed and designed...). A Perfect Vintage delivers on what the gorgeous cover promises!

once i got into the book, it was pretty fun and i thought the prose was good. however, i could not stop laughing at the characterization of the main character as being so perfect and girlbossy! someone who could run in heels! even french people adore her! it was just kinda silly and indulgent. but hey, silly and indulgent makes for a great beach read.

I only truly enjoyed the last 15% of this book. I couldn’t bring myself to like a single one of these characters, which I acknowledge is completely a “me” problem. I was bored by everything happening, and the big issues that popped up seemed so low stakes. It was a lot of characters being shallow and irritating.

Unfortunately this wasn't for me, I had to DNF it.
The premise was very promising but I just couldn't get into it and didn't connect to the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A Perfect Vintage by Chelsea Fagan

A special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an E-arc of this book.

Set in the French countryside, Lea is hired to renovate a beautiful chateau into a luxury hotel. She is a 30 something single woman that had worked hard to establish her business and is very proud of what she does and her accomplishments.
Stephanie is Lea's cousin and in desperate need to remove herself and her teenage daughter from an impending divorce.
Lea, not wanting to mix her personal life with business, reluctantly agrees for them to join her for the summer.
The Levesque family is the host family, a single father with 2 grown sons and a teenage daughter.
In such a romantic setting, with good food and exquisite wine, it was only a matter of time before sparks began to fly. Lea, a type A personality, finds herself drawn to Theo, a man 12 years younger than her.
Torn between her work and her heart, can Lea have the one thing her heart truly desires?

I fell in love with the story, the setting and the characters. They each had their flaws, but their heart was always in the right place. For Lea and Stephanie, it took a lot of courage, strength and soul searching to find what truly matters to them.

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Lea Mortimer is a successful consultant known for her work turning old European villas into bustling, popular vacation spots. In her mid-30s, she is child free by choice and enjoying the formulaic flow of her life that limits her investing in forming personal relationships.

When her cousin turned non biological sister finds herself on the receiving end of a vicious divorce, Lea spirits Stephanie and her daughter away with her to her newest hotel launch - and things quickly go awry when both Lea and her niece find themselves falling for the younger son her new boss. As Lea begins to lose control - she realizes she’s risking not only her heart but also her carefully honed career as well.

This one was rough for me - I deeply disliked Lea and it made it hard for me to get through the rest of the story. Her lack of self-awareness but also the impact that her behavior has on the people around her was mind boggling for me - if she was 10 years younger, maybe it could have been justified. But as a 30-something year old woman, I had a hard time seeing the appropriateness of her not taking ownership for her desires and thus causing havoc at work and in her personal life, potentially ruining her bond with her cousin.

I did appreciate the high emphasis on individual therapy - but was disappointed that Lea used it as a method to avoid talking about her issues. It also felt like a disservice to see her go back to a past lover instead of her therapist for the big “A HA” moment.

This was good - but honestly, could have been so much better with the right situational awareness.

Thanks to NetGalley, Orsay Press and Chelsea Fagan for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Read if you like:
+ Summer Romance
+ You enjoyed “The Idea of You”
+ Stories based in Europe

If you want to feel like you traveled to France this is a great option! The descriptions of the settings helped make this book enjoyable. The people were in a bit of everyone here sucks, but I still wanted to know how all of their drama would end up. The fallout after the climax was pretty realistic too, often loose ends are tied together as quick as possible, but this felt more real.