Sparks fly and drama abounds when Zoe's childhood crush becomes her vintner at her family's vineyard.

A spicy yet cozy read about old crushes, new love, wine, misunderstandings, love, and family is one I definitely enjoyed!

Wonderfully written characters, emotional and engaging. Spicy and fun. I enjoyed it greatly and immediately borrowed the author's other novel from the library.

Zoe Brennan runs her Georgia-based family vineyard with her father. Her mother passed away years prior, and the winery is Zoe’s way of staying connected to her. Zoe’s dad must return home to Italy as his mother’s health is failing, and a replacement vintner is needed ASAP. Enter Laine Woods.

Laine is the daughter of a neighboring, rival vineyard and also Zoe’s high school crush. Laine is the older sister of Zoe’s former best friend, Rachel. While this isn’t a grumpy meets sunshine kind of story, it is a kind of melding of two different types of people who are both very prideful and both very opinionated. Their romance starts with a surprise three$ome twist and EVENTUALLY unfolds from there. The sweetest part is how Laine wants to “court” Zoe so she’ll treat the relationship as more than just physical. The blossoming romance between the two forces a reconciliation not only between Laine and her family but also between Zoe and Rachel.

This story is not only funny meets romance at its best but also addresses life as a widow, life without a mom, repairing broken friendships, and dealing with perfectionism at its worst.

I normally find Lindsey Dorcus narrating my YA and NA reads so it was nice to find her over in my more adult sapphic indulgences. Lindsey did a spectacular job not only with this wide cast of characters, she also brought the humor/sarcastic wit of the characters and sexual tension as well. Lindsey’s accents ranged from Italian (multiple characters) to Georgia Southern. This was an excellent performance and really showcased Lindsey’s talents. I highly recommend this as an audiobook as it adds to the flavor of the entire story.

I am not surprised I enjoyed this book, I loved Hannah Tate, Beyond Repair. This was a great continuation to the series. It was full of love and heart. The chemistry between Zoe and Laine felt so authentic.
Zoe’s high school crush turned employee at her family winery, Laine Woods, reappears in Zoe’s life after more than 10 years looking better than ever.
I always expect the MC to be the hopeless romantic and the love interest to be the one keeping them at arms length, so it was very interesting to me to see that turned on its head in this one, especially after Zoe’s crush on her throughout high school!
The growth that Zoe and Laine undergo individually is an important part of why they are able to come together so well in the end.

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.

Zoe Brennan is a hilariously relatable protagonist. Her mix of snark, pride, and vulnerability makes her a delight to follow, especially as she tries to juggle her family vineyard’s future, a prestigious wine festival, and the unexpected return of her first crush and one-night-stand partner, Laine Woods. Laine, a talented Napa-trained vintner, is the perfect foil to Zoe’s stubbornness—snobby, confident, and just as prideful. The banter between them is sharp, biting, and downright hilarious at times, yet it’s filled with an undercurrent of longing and unresolved feelings that keeps the tension alive throughout the story.

One of the standout aspects of this book is how well the queer representation is handled. The romance feels incredibly authentic and avoids falling into stereotypical tropes. Instead, the story is layered with genuine emotional depth, exploring what it means for two women to love and navigate complicated histories together. The chemistry between Zoe and Laine is electric, and their growth as characters—both individually and as a couple—is deeply satisfying.

The humor in this book is spot-on. The antics of the Queer Mountaineers and the colorful cast of family and friends are laugh-out-loud funny, adding levity and charm to the story. At the same time, the book doesn’t shy away from deeper themes, like facing the past, forgiving mistakes, and learning to let go of pride to find peace and joy.

The vineyard setting is another highlight, immersing readers in the competitive world of winemaking while adding a layer of richness to the plot. Watching Zoe and Laine work together to prepare for the wine festival adds both professional stakes and intimate late-night moments under the stars that make the romance all the more compelling.

If there’s one critique, it’s that some of the conflicts feel slightly drawn out, and a few plot points could have been explored more deeply. However, the charm of the characters and the humor of the story more than makeup for these minor things.

Zoe Brennan, First Crush is a heartfelt, hilarious, and tender romance about growth, forgiveness, and finding love where you least expect it. With its realistic characters, witty banter, and swoon-worthy tension, this book is a must-read for fans of sapphic romance and anyone who loves a good laugh alongside their love story. Highly recommended!

Thank you to Netgalley. & Laura Piper Lee for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

If you enjoy your books starting with a bang, this one does NOT hold back. By chapter two we already have a threesome which also coincidentally serves as a meet-cute. Yep, you read that right. And it’s 🥵 and also super smart!

This book was the perfect sapphic small town romance I didn’t know I needed. Zoe and her father are barely keeping her family winery in the Blue Ridge Mountains alive with limited help, but a whole lot of heart. When the opportunity arises for tiny Bluebell winery to win the featured spot for the Bon Vivant showcase, Zoe thinks this opportunity could give exposure to Bluebell and grow their customer base. But Zoe doesn’t expect her dad to have to suddenly return to Italy, or for him to hire her first crush as the temporary winemaker, causing Zoe to feel even more off kilter than before.

This book is a little bit about growing up, a little bit about dreams, and a lot about family and the people you let get close to you. I felt that Zoe and Lane were authentic characters, both having their own self-worth struggles and both having to work at being open to change. Laura Piper Lee is fantastic at writing small town characters and eccentric personalities from the evil “warning! It’s that bitch Rachel!”, to Teddy, to even a goat. This book is in the same world as Hannah Tate, Beyond Repair with cameos from many characters, but could still easily be read as a standalone. I listened to Zoe Brennan as an audiobook and thought Lindsey Dorcas did a fantastic job of narrating voices for everyone. And that’s no small task! Keeping distinctly different voices for two FMCs as well as a whole slew of townspeople could have gone very gimmicky, but I thoroughly loved each personality trait she brought out with the dialogue. I received an ALC from Dreamscape Media. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌛
Narration: 📣📣📣📣📣
Humor: 🐐🐐🐐🐐
Likeability of characters: 🍷🍷🍷🍷
Steam: 🪭🪭.5

this was so good!! dare i say better than the first one!! it had me laughing, crying, and laughing again! i can’t wait to see what comes next for laura piper lee

I almost DNFed this audiobook twice. The first chapter was almost unbearable. The main character muffling through her dialogue in a dentist chair is… unappealing, to say the least. Then to immediately jump into the threesome in chapter two without any build-up felt out of place. But I kept listening! A lot due to Lindsey Dorcus, the narrator. She was talented and did a great job at the character of Zoe and her voices for the other characters. I also stayed because I love a good enemies to lovers (even if this wasn’t exactly that). I enjoyed the pacing of the book and how utterly romantic Zoe’s love interest, Laine, was. After getting through the beginning, the book actually turned out to be one of my favorite romance novels of the year.

This is a delightful and emotional read that will captivate fans of lighthearted, humorous, and heartwarming romance, particularly those who enjoy stories about found family, sapphic love, and overcoming grief, making it a perfect fit for readers who crave a feel-good, LGBTQIA+ romance with a touch of humor and a whole lot of heart.

This second chance, enemies to lovers romance is fun. She falls first, at like 16; they fall harder.

I don't know anything about wine and was happy to find that I could still follow the goings-on at the vinyard.

For me, the emotional revelations and reciprocal support in the last third of the book make up for what felt like a lack of character development in the beginning. It helped support the romance that, at the start, felt very fantasy-fueled.

There's also very much a through-line of overcoming misperceptions and misunderstandings amongst people you love, and how sometimes youe own internal work is the obstacle.

Random observations:

Not as much spice as I would have expected from a book that begins with a blindfolded threesome.

There are a few stray body talk comments.

Teddy is written in a very two dimensional way and comes across like a stereotype of a gay man.

Laine introduces herself with the pronouns she/they, but Zoe never uses they to refer to them.

If my dad didn't talk to me for two months after I asked about a way to honor my dead mother, I'm not sure our relationship would recover without an apology.

The scene with the window, after hosting a large event on the property, was...odd.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this audio ARC.

I don't really have a lot to say about this book except that it was a fun sapphic romcom. When I started the audiobook, I didn't think that it would be so much about wine. It felt like 90% wine and 10% romance and drama and everything else. A lot of times I kind of lost the plot of what's going on when they kept talking about all the different kinds of wine and how they were made. I'm sure that everyone who loves wine and likes to learn new things will love this book!

The characters were (most of the time) strong-willed and knew what they want. They still weren't able to really communicate with each other for most of the book. There were moments where I just wanted to shake them and tell them to talk to each other. Zoe was a good main character. She had her flaws and even in the end she wasn't the perfect character but was able to admit her flaws.

Overall it was a fun book with some very spicy scenes! It was way spicier than I thought it would be. The story gave me a queer Emily Henry vibe!

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this Audibook ARC!

Zoe Brennan, First Crush
by Laura Piper Lee
Narrated by Lindsey Dorcus

I received an ARC of this audiobook through Netgalley.

This was an interesting story with a pair that is easy to like at the center of everything. Both women are smart, strong-willed, talented, loyal, caring, ambitious, kind and both have their own set of issues. These two are clearly right for each other from the beginning.

The idea of later in life falling for the person who was your first crush is utterly compelling.

Parts of this story are slow. This is not an action packed book by any means. This is a story to savor slowly like a good bottle of wine.

I highly recommend this book to wine lovers, anyone who has had their dreams crushed and gotten up and tried again, romance lovers, and lovers of a heartfelt lgbtqia+ romance.

I feel absolutely swoony after listening to this audiobook!

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.