"Corkscrew You" by Catherine Robertson dives into the world of winemaking with a side of grumpy-sunshine romance. Shelby, determined to save her family's winery, clashes with the stoic consultant, Nathan. Their opposing personalities lead to fiery arguments, but a surprising kiss hints at a deeper connection.

If you enjoy lighthearted rom-coms with a dash of spice, "Corkscrew You" might be worth a try. But be prepared for potentially underdeveloped characters and a focus on the romance over the winemaking details.

2 ⭐️

Sadly, this was not for me :( and I had to DNF…

This book follows Shelby Armstrong, who must work with her nemesis Nathan Durant to save her father's winery. Despite their clashes, an unexpected kiss reveals a potential for more than just business between them.

Read if you like:
🍇 grumpy x sunshine.
🍇 enemies to lovers.
🍇 small town romance.
🍇 he falls first.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Corkscrew You by Catherine Robertson will be coming out on July 5th.

DNF at 24%

Just... no
This completely missed the mark for me. I was promised enemies-to-lovers and got a FMC who refuses to swear (totally fine) but who blushes at words like "stiff" or "hard" and calls sex "boinky-bonk"? It made me think of her as a thirteen-year-old instead or a twenty something.

And it didn't really feel like enemies-to-lovers when the MMC lusts over the FMC in the second chapter and falls in love with her after having known her for three days.

I... no, this is not my cup of tea

Absolutely charming, delightful & full of fun! I enjoyed reading this book so much - I was hooked moments into the book. Two completely different people, both navigating a new path AND falling for each other fast & hard! (Learned a little something about wine making as well 🍷)
Things I enjoyed about this book:

💜 Shelby: optimist, determined, intense when it comes to what is important to her, stubborn (especially when it comes to the winery), very passionate

🍷 Nathan (Nate): pessimist, extreme (!) Type A, attempts to take responsibility for everything, falls first & fast

💜 Opposites Attract: these two are extreme opposites but when all is said & done they fit like two perfect puzzle pieces

🍷Steaminess & Spice: simply off the charts with these two

💜 Small Town Romance: I just love this trope so much! The close knit community, love & support for each other, their protectiveness of each other

🍷 Protectiveness: Nate has an extreme need to protect all that is important to him; his need to keep it all safe & it makes him adorable!

💜 Internal Monologues: Laughed each time these two had extra little conversations in their heads! 🤣 The one liners were so fun

🍷Go Team 🙌🏻: Nate & Shelby are an on/off team so many times; fun to watch & see how it all turns out!

💜 Mental Wellness & Grief: conveyed in a manner both light & serious that shows what both can do to a person

🥰 HEA: love it & smiled the whole time! 💘

Read this book!!! Definitely a fun read!!

I really tried to like this one, and I pushed through it. I felt like it was messy sometimes. Like I didn't even feel it was a romance. I don't even want to of on and on about what I didn't like. The plot was messy and I was bored.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

2.5 stars rounded up. I thought I was going to like this a lot more than I actually did. The light-hearted writing style and the first-person voices of Shelby and Nate drew me in to begin with, and I figured I was in for a humorous enemies-to-lovers tale centred around revitalising a vineyard. Then it took a surprising turn very early on, and from there felt rather choppy and chaotic. To use a Flora Valley-esque analogy, it was rather like a Bartons cocktail: lots of promising ingredients which produced an unexpected and somewhat disappointing result.

I really wanted to love this wine series but it fell short for me. Everything happened to fast with Nate and Shelby, within days, just felt rush and unrealistic. Nate hates her until all the sudden he’s wanting to marry her, just didn’t do it for me. POV we’re a little weird. Wine lover really wanting to love these but not a book I’d recommend. Thank you to netgalkey and the publishers for the early read for my honest opinion. 3.5 star

Thank you, HarperCollins UK- One More Chapter and Catherine Robertson, for gifting me a digital arc copy of Corkscrew You in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Corkscrew You is a light-hearted rom-com that drew me in with the promise of a small-town setting and enemies to lovers battling it out to save a vineyard from shutting down. The writing is cosy, funny, and entertaining, focusing on a plot about the complexities of juggling family, love, and winery business in peril. The plot revolves around a spicy romance between enemies and lovers who have conflicting personalities, Shelby. Still, they both aim to make the Flora Valley a success. If they learn to work together, their relationship and vineyard will blossom.

Catherine Robertson has produced an exciting group of personalities at Flora Valley. The cast of characters is crazy, and I loved how different and unique everyone was. I liked protagonist Shelby, a tough cookie on the outside with plenty of grit, but at her core, she is mush. Struggling with grief, depression, and stress after losing her dad and the fate of his vineyard foisted upon her shoulders to save it from being sold. You can’t help like her. Nathan is a reserved, stoic type with a fear of failure that instantly sparks against Shelby’s quirky vibe. I couldn’t help but love Nathan’s crazy large family – they will all be in trouble at some point, I can tell.

The instant love between Shelby and Nathan was a bit cringy. They possess a striking chemistry that would set them both alight from the start. I enjoyed the tender and sweet moments they had together. I found the on-off miscommunication trope overused and tiresome in Corkscrew You.

An enjoyable, quick read perfect for the summer vibe for a small-town romance with spice and lots of laugh-out-loud moments. The romance might have been a bit insta-lovey dovy for me, but I still found myself drawn into the light rom-com atmosphere and crazy whirlwind plot. I’ll be checking out future books from this series.

Thank you Harper Colins UK, One More Chapter & netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

no. no. no. i wanted to like this book so bad! i really liked the idea of it but i simply could not get into it. it felt very instant love, which i do not enjoy. i also felt the FMC was trying so hard to be *quirky* and *different* but it just did not work..

Corkscrew You: DNF @60%

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

This was a fun romance! I loved the chemistry between the main characters. This book played out almost like a steamy version of a Hallmark Channel movie. This book was a fun and sexy beach read. I really enjoyed this one!


Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Ok, honestly, I loved this book. I zoomed through this one so fast and could have read it faster if I didn’t have responsibilities 🤣

Shelby takes over the family vineyard after her father passes. Discovering she needs financial assistance, she reaches out for investors. However, her investor insists she works with the sexy but frustrating Nathan. With different ideas about how things work, they have a lot to overcome in the partnership.

There is some spicy scenes that are *chefs kiss*, but if you can’t handle miscommunication in your romances, this might not be for you.

Thank you @netgalley for the opportunity to read this book! Corkscrew You comes out July 5th!

This took me a while to get into but once I did, I found myself enjoying the story. I felt it could have had more banter but I’m a sucker for that lol

I am totally here for a he-falls-first trope, but this one was a bit odd for me. It was a quick read and I was able to get through it on a long-haul flight. Without giving out spoilers, the MMC comes in with a bit of heartbreak over a failed engagement to help revive a struggling family winery. There is so much room and space for some great angsty build-up and enemies-to-lovers sparing as Shelby obviously doesn't want an outsider to come in to tell her how to run her family business. However, I think it missed the mark and a great opportunity. By ~20% into the book, Nate already is already in love with Shelby, and things progress physically awfully fast. I don't need things to drag out forever, but despite the cute storyline, witty quips, and banter, the overall story just left me a bit disappointed. I think there was a lot of potential here, and would love to give other books of Catherine's a go! Thanks so much to Catherine Robertson, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this e-arc.

Coworkers to lovers, this book was a quick easy read. I enjoyed that there was no huge "fight" that often comes with this specific trope. Instead it was rather easy to read, kept the story going and would recommend to anyone!

First Catherine Robertson book, but I will definitely be on the lookout for more!

Enemies(ish) to lovers has always been one of my favourite tropes, I think the book just missed the mark. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it, the authors writing style is unique and I wouldn’t mind reading something else from them, perhaps a contemporary romance.

What an adorable cover! I really loved this book and I’m super excited that it is a series, because I can’t wait to read more! I recommend.

This was a difficult story to get through simply in the way that it was written - it progressed so quickly, it was almost whiplash-ish. The characters feel quick and hard, and it was just unrealistic. I loved the premise and the idea behind the plot, but the execution was less than I would have liked. The author also included a LOT of dialogue - instead of telling me... I like to be shown - actions, thoughts, etc. But nonetheless, it's still a book that had some potential - it just fell flat for me. Thanks for the opportunity to read!

I really struggled with this one. Every time I was about to DNF it I pushed myself to keep going and then it was over? Like what actually happened? I paused and waited two days before writing the review hoping inspiration would strike. Anyhow, this is the definition of an airport book. The cover looks cute, you grab it, you read a chapter, and it lives in your bag until you get back from vacation.

The pacing was weird. The characters were half formed, appearing one dimensional and single minded. When the characters got together it was wild. Like the enemies to lovers pipeline was a game of duck duck goose or hate hate love. The FMC has all these hang ups and "quirks" that lack backstory or reasoning. I understand how her winery is going under she doesn't have a handle on anything that's happening and is throwing herself a pity party.

I read this after reading the next novel in the series, accidentally, and so already recognised some of the characters. This, I think, added to the reading rather than taking away from it but I wouldn’t recommend doing it in that order because of spoilers (the second comes a few months later). However, it was great to add some detail to now familiar characters and I did enjoy the plot overall.

Corkscrew You by Catherine Robertson is a delightful gem in the realm of contemporary romance, set to be published in July 2024. This novel masterfully intertwines beloved tropes such as grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers, small town romance, and the irresistible "he falls first" scenario. Robertson's skillful storytelling brings the charming small town to life, with characters that are both endearing and relatable. The chemistry between the grumpy, brooding protagonist and the cheerful, optimistic counterpart crackles with tension and undeniable attraction. The evolution from adversaries to lovers is beautifully paced, filled with witty banter, heartfelt moments, and swoon-worthy romance. Corkscrew You is a heartwarming and thoroughly enjoyable read that will leave readers rooting for love and eagerly turning the pages.

* Contemporary Romance
* Enemies to lovers
* Grumpy Sunshine
* He falls fist