Sparrow and Vine was an easy and funny read, I liked the scenery and thought it was quite original and the marriage of convenience between the main characters was the cherry on top, although I found their chemistry lacking at times.
I grew somewhat fond of the Sparrow girls and the Beaumont boys and am curious about their stories but I’m not sure I will continue the series once their books come out.

Ngl I got pulled violently out of the story twice: once when June, the middle Sparrow sister, talks about her wine production process being inspired by El*n (should come with a content warning or something considering the state of this country and the rage I feel whenever I see that name), and the other time when Monroe says: “I don’t want to sound ignorant, but shouldn’t there be a crew of people with questionable work visas picking these grapes for us?” Um I’m not sure what Lark was going for here/the intent behind this because, again, considering the state of current events in the US and what’s in the news, I found this super questionable.

I did, in fact, finish this book though and tried to ignore those things because I liked the premise of the story and the setup, and I liked Sadie with all her insecurities and people pleasing tendencies. I even mostly liked Monroe (beyond that one quote that made me stop for a few minutes…) because of how much he liked Sadie without even being aware of it at first. They were cute together, and the dedication made me push through because I wanted to see them find their own home in each other.

However, I also feel like this fell a little flat for me; we’re told a lot of things rather than being shown them in the sense that we learn about Sadie and Monroe mainly by them telling each other things that happened in the past and things they felt. I feel like the character depth suffered in that regard; it also felt a bit insta-lovey because of that. Honestly some of the writing felt a little bit like it was trying too hard to be sweeping and romantic to the point of getting repetitive. I’m a hopeless romantic but even I was getting a bit tired in the latter chapters of them going on about the same points lol. I think I was missing a bit of that connection, the spark, or I wouldn’t have minded it that much. I also hated the other Beaumont brothers (Grayson especially lol what an ass) and didn’t learn enough about Sadie’s sisters to like them much either… I know there are going to be more books about them, but… I don’t care much because I don’t like them much.

I did like that the third act conflict (at least what I’m assuming it was supposed to be) was resolved in a way that showed Sadie’s character growth and her trust, since I did wonder if she was going to buy it. And it was really sweet, despite my issues with the rest of the book. And Monroe’s belief in Sadie and her belief in him was pretty adorable. I did like seeing them learn to open up to each other and get bolstered by the other’s support.

Not sure how to feel about this one still… those two things that pulled me out of the story really yanked me out and it never quite recovered.

Thank you to Netgalley/Bloom Books for the ARC.

I was shocked by the racist and hurtful comments in this book. I’m also shocked they weren’t removed originally before eARCs were sent out.

I was really interested in reading Sophie’s book. It was so disappointing to see these comments in the book.

Thank you sourcebooks bloom books and NetGalley for the eARC.

Rating: 🦆

this has been pulled & idk if ill be wanting to read it currently. i would love to come back & read it when there is an update on how the author will be continuing editing the issues

Due to the recent polemic, and the message the author posted a few days ago on her social media saying she was postponing the release of this book and the series in order to rewrite them, II decided not to read this book.

This book had potential to be good, but has some clearly offensive content. Won't be finishing this one and definitely think it may need some reworking before it is published. Thank you for the opportunity to ARC read it

DNF.

There's a difference between problematic characters and a problematic book. If the opinion of the book is that a character being racist, ableist, misogynist, etc., is bad and morally reprehensible, then that's one thing. But if the book (i.e., the author) does not express that opinion: big yikes.

Unfortunately in the case of this book it's big yikes. I simply cannot root for a main character that expresses such racist beliefs.

Given Sophie Lark is pulling the title, I will not be posting a review of this book elsewhere.

I know there are some controversial things going around about this book, and I agree, some things should've been left out and were very unnecessary, they should defenitly not be looked over.
However, still book is not out yet, and Sophie Lark should address this and delete/rewrite some parts of the book.
Update: Sophie Lark addressed it and said she will rewrite parts of this book.

Ok, but now about the book itself.

This wasn't really for me.
I usually really like Sophie Lark's books, but I really didn't click with this one. I didn't see the connection between Monroe and Sadie. I also disliked pretty much all of the side characters, except the grandpa's. I don't know if that was on purpose or not.

I wish this was 50 pages longer in the beginning of the book. You get thrown into the story without any background information.
You didn't even get introduced to the characters and then they were married (which you didn't even attend as the reader).
For me it just moved too quick.
That being said, I did enjoy parts of this book so it's still a 3⭐️.

I usually do not give out one star reviews, but after seeing a distasteful, arguably racist comment made by the MMC, I could not continue further with this book. Immigrants have been facing issues in America much longer than just this year, and to include the MMC making a “joke” about visas left a bitter taste in my mouth. Please do better and realize people’s livelihoods and awful experiences are not punchlines.

So the choice to send this out to readers was not a good one. To continue on with publishing after the author decided not to take out racist content, was a poor move on Bloom’s part. But ultimately, the author’s decision to make that part of the story in the first place is diabolical.

As others have stated, the disgusting line in the book about "questionable visas" and the fact that the author has not apologized or said she regrets putting that in, I will not be finishing this book. I will not support this author in the future based not only on what she wrote but because of how she reacted to her critics - unacceptable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited by the description of this book. I had heard some of this author's other books were good, but unfortunately, this book was very off-putting to me with the insinuations (racism) and references and support to people in today's world that are controversial.

Perhaps the author meant this for certain politically inclined people, but I was very disappointed and will not try reading another one of her books.

Thank you to #NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I give this book 0 stars. The things I read in this book made me question if somebody even edited this book beforehand. Very disgustingly racist book. Won’t be recommending it.

Sophie lark… this book was incredible. I am a huge fan of the brutal prince series and this was *chefs kiss* - yes please, thank you!!!!

Thank you to Net Galley and Source Books Bloom books for the ARC to review; However, this book has been pulled due to problematic and racist content that I do not want to support. Maybe if the edits are done and the author gives a better apology. 2024 is not so long ago that the comments aren't offensive. Thank you.

As many others have stated, the authors gross negligence is what ruins this book. I've read a few other books by the other and liked them so this was quite shocking to me to see her make such hurtful comments toward certain minorities. I DNF'ed this book before I even made it half way through.

Hi, due to light being shed on certain lines in this book. I do not feel like it aligns with me, morally. So I will leave this as my 1 star review (bc it’s making me) otherwise I’d leave it unrated until SL rewrites.

Thank you so much for your consideration.

THANK YOU so much for an ARC copy of this book! This was my first Sophie Lark book and I want to read MORE!
This was a solid 3.50 star book for me. It wasn't super revolutionary but I really enjoyed the relationship between Sadie and Monroe and how it progressed. I felt like the ending was a bit rushed in how the big issue was solved, and it almost felt too easy. I figured early on this would at least be a trilogy with each sister pairing up with one of the (other families) brothers. I am excited to keep going because I think Heath and Hazel will be AMAZING together!

I did read the statements about the racist and hurtful things in this book. Those comments aren’t okay, a political agenda was definitely a poor choice. I’m reviewing this book as if these elements have been removed. Thank you, NetGalley and Bloom Books for allowing me to read this book early. The opinion in this review is my own.

Sadie Sparrow, the FMC has returned to the family vineyard to help with it since the family is dealing with the grandfather’s dementia. Monroe Beaumont is the MMC who is one of the descendants that also has claim to the land, but his grandfather is also dying. There is a trust that could be unlocked if a person from the Sparrow family and the Beaumont family married, so this brings in the marriage of convenience trope.

The writing was okay, but not great. It felt kind of amateurish, and used many lines over and over, and the banter felt forced. The character development had some depth, but they still felt a bit shallow. If the racist comments aren’t removed, I can’t honestly recommend this to anyone. Even if the comments are removed, I would only give this book a 3 star rating. I liked it, but didn’t love it.

Thank you for selecting me for this ARC. Unfortunately, I am not comfortable reading and reviewing it as it is due to the racial dialogue present. I'd be happy to read and review the revised copy when it is completed. Thank you for your understanding!