I went into this book expecting it to focus more on Inés and her sisters but found the story felt more centred on the main character’s relationships with the men in her life, which wasn’t quite what I anticipated.

Overall, I didn’t end up loving this one as much as I’d hoped. While I appreciate what the book aimed to explore and found some of its themes interesting, it didn’t fully resonate with me. I wished the story had been more gripping emotionally.

That said, it was still an easy and enjoyable read in many ways.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bindery for an eARC of "Orange Wine" in exchange for my honest thoughts, but I am DNF-ing this book at 38%.

The crux of the issues with this story lie in the writing style, the characterization of the main character and all side characters, and the weak execution of the intent of the plot. On it's own, none of these elements would have been a substantial enough weakness to completely derail a story, but in tandem, the problems cascade into an avalanche of problems.

First, the writing is incredibly simplistic, nearly veering on juvenile. The prose seems to make an attempt to be poetic or lyrical, but instead leaves gaps littered throughout the text that disjointedly pushes characters from point A to point B in a type of rigidity that lacks any sort of structural flow. Pivotal event points are constantly glazed over and scenes are flat and dimensionless in a way that immensely detaches readers from the events of the story. I don't mind a non-linear plot structure, but Inés' story severely lacked introspection on how her upbringing and family dynamic shaped her character, and the choice to tell the story in passive tense adds a dense layer of telling over showing in her narration.

In terms of characterization, Inés lacked dimension, not only in regards to the way in which she narrated the story, but also in her portrayal of her personhood. She felt like a character who was a constant passive element in the story of her own life, jerked around by the others around her. There were small emotional notes of bitterness in her recounting of her story which are in line with the direction her life takes, but these were few and far between, popping up only in telling the events surrounding her husband and sister's treacherous betrayal. And in that vein, both Alessandro and Isabel felt like complete caricatures, also lacking in dimension and defined solely by their action of betrayal. Alessandro's entire characterization could be defined by the word "scoundrel", and one would have an apt idea of how the author has portrayed him within the story. For a story that seemed to promise an exploration of self discovery and new life paths, the characters sorely lacked the nuances, both big and small, needed to craft together the premise.

Finally, in regards to the premise, the exploration of the Christianity was incredibly flimsy, as well as being rooted in a strange flavors of ignorant writing. The description of the Protestant pastor was egregious fatphobic, seeming wax on about the pastor's size in an attempt to be a contrast to the stick-thin Catholic bishop. The paltry attempts at analysis on womanhood in a patriarchal society subsisted solely on ideas of gender essentialism, speaking to how women are secretly superior to men based purely on their higher tolerance for pain during childbirth. To a degree, this narrative is marred by a character who has recently been the victim of infidelity, but this was also the first moment where Inés shows any degree of introspection. Ergo, this was the moment in which I decided to DNF; between the weak writing, flimsy characters, and lack of story depth, this is definitely not the story for me.

2.5 stars rounded up to three. i really enjoyed the first half of this book, but the second half had so many large time skips and felt quite rushed -- and so many irrelevant plot points!

[i received a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. all opinions are my own.]

Orange Wine by Esperanza Snyder is a beautifully written, poetic exploration journey of identity and connection. The characters are compelling, and the vivid descriptions bring the story to life especially when things were different back then. While the pacing slows in some parts, it’s a deeply engaging read that stays with you long after you’ve finished. A great pick for fans of reflective, character-driven stories.

I didn't end up loving this one as much as I was hoping for unfortunately.

Overall it was just fine, I understand and respect what the book was trying to do and enjoyed the exploration of its themes somewhat but it just feel lacking to me. And more often than I would've liked to, I can't help but question our main character and some of her choices throughout. I wished it was more gripping than what was presented in text.

Thank for NetGalley and Bindery Books for this eARC.

I definitely started reading this book thinking it would focus more on Inés and her sisters, which I was excited with. I figured it would really center around the complexity of sisterhood, but I feel like it was more about the main character's relationship with the men in her life.

I still liked this book, even if it was not what I expected. It was an easy read and I will definitely recommend it to friends.

Orange Wine is a beautifully written and emotionally charged novel that captivated me from the very beginning. Set against the backdrop of early twentieth-century Colombia, it tells the poignant story of Inés de la Rota, a woman torn between duty and desire, tradition and self-expression. The narrative explores themes of sisterhood, betrayal, and self-discovery with poetic depth and emotional honesty.

I was especially moved by how the author mirrored the transformation of oranges into wine—a process both bitter and sweet—as a metaphor for her own growth. The writing is lyrical, the characters are richly developed, and the emotional stakes are high throughout.

This is a powerful novel that stays with you. I truly enjoyed Orange Wine and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves stories about strong, complex women, emotional depth, and cultural richness.

I really really wanted to.love this book. But if fell just a little short. The characters and story lacked a depth that's hard for me to explain. I understand the point of the book was exploring the intersections of several veins of womanhood, but I constantly felt let down by the main character's choices. I wanted to deeply root for her but in the end I just felt disappointed in her.

This was an emotional rollercoaster of a book. My issue isn't that I didn't connect with the character it's that I was so frustrated by them.

I want to heavily underscore that I don't think this is a "bad book," but that I probably wasn't the intended audience.

"Orange Wine" is a complex familial saga of love, loss, and betrayal. The first half was compelling, but after a while, it became tedious for me. Overall, I didn’t enjoy this story as much as I’d hoped—it felt too messy for my liking.

A journey theough time and devotion. I was sold from the first sentence, for this heartbreaking story gripped me oh so fiercely. It will take you through all the emotions such as sadness, yearning, love. Could not recommend more!

The general concept of this book about the choices a woman has to make while trying to make her way in life despite relationships, religion and family getting in her way is engaging idea. Unfortunately the character development and the first person POV style of the heroine felt lacking. As the story moves through Ines’ journey, the language felt a little stunted- as if the voice of a 15 year old, not a woman, was telling the story. I did not understand a lot of the characters’ decisions and a few chapters and storylines felt like they began and ended very abruptly. That said, the descriptive visuals of Columbia and South American food and culture are beautifully written.

Really difficult to get into because of the pacing that never picked up. Desoite the family drama, the explorations of character were a bit flat for me which meant that I never really got invested. Whereever character work was attempted seemed like exposition instead.

Setting was really good and well developed though!

Thanks to Netgallery and Bindery Books for the eARC of Orange Wine by Esperanza Hope Snyder in exchange for an honest review. I have to say I was somewhat excited for this one. The premise seemed intriguing and to be completely honest, the cover was the first thing that caught my eye when I first saw it here on Netgallery, it is stunning. While I stand by the fact that the book had a great premise, and I love the idea behind Bindery books publishing, this one just didn’t quite meet my expectations, it fell short for me. Maybe it was the writing? while great at describing the environment, the story just didn't make sense to me. Characters lacked depth in my opinion and I just didn't enjoy Ines for the most part. I hope while this book was not for me others can enjoy it.

I received an ARC of this book for an honest review.

What an interesting and engaging story! The story starts with Ines finding out that her husband has ran off with her sister. From there, you travel back in time to meet (and love) many of Ines’ vibrant family members and to discover how she met her husband. It’s a rollercoaster of a ride, set in the early 1900s, and Ines has a hard time letting society determine her wants, needs, and lifestyle. She lets her emotions sweep her off her feet, which is both inspiring and a tad frustrating at times. The story continues as she navigates a her new life while trying to heal and find herself again, only to be swept away by love again, which results in yet another rollercoaster of emotions, guilt, family struggles, and navigating society’s harsh judgement. Regardless, you do end up rooting for Ines to find happiness and inspiration - she’s just the kind of person who appreciates beauty and love and you can’t not appreciate her as a character!

The writing was very descriptive when it comes to setting the scene and reveling in a location’s beauty or emotion. The story is peppered with love letters, poetry, art and other cultural references that add quite the atmospheric and historical feeling to the story. Come to find out, the writer was inspired by her grandparents’ story to write this, which makes it all the more lovely.

I loved everything about this! I loved the setting, the characters, and the writing. This book is on the shorter side, but it feels a lot longer with the way that its written. I look forward to rereading when the book comes out!

Orange Wine tells – loosely – the story of Inés and her sisters, though it feels more like it’s about Inés and the two men in her life. In and of itself that’s not a bad thing, but I definitely went into this expecting there to be a great emphasis on the complicated nature of sisterhood – and there was, in a sense, but it felt like it was overshadowed by the constant, and more intense, presence of both Inés’ troubled and unfaithful first husband and the love she meets later in her life.

The writing did not help balance out the expectations I felt were not met. The voice felt passive in a way that didn’t serve the story, and at times it was like I was reading a history book. Mind you, a history book I would have probably read and enjoyed, but that is ultimately not what I came into this wanting to read!

There were parts of it that definitely resonated! In the end, thanks to its passive voice, I flew through this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery Books for this eARC.

Thank you @netgalley for this gifted ARC copy. This book will be published on : September 30, 2025

Orange Wine
Author - Esperanza Hope Snyder @esperanza_hope_snyder

While I was giving birth to Lucy, my husband, Alessandro, was lying in bed with my sister, Isabel. 

And thus, Inés de la Rota—the youngest daughter of an Italian nobleman and a Colombian poet—begins to speak in a bitter, sweet voice. 

Against the backdrop of early twentieth-century Colombia, where the Catholic Church exercises total control over women, Orange Wine weaves an unforgettable story of sisterhood, love, passion, and betrayal. Isolated in a society that opposes her desires, Inés struggles with her identity as a mother, artist, sister, lover, and woman. Her choices are stark: accept her duty to her family or embark on a sensuous journey of self-discovery. Each path will cost her—or those she loves—something dear. 

Mirroring the alchemical process of turning oranges into wine, Inés must create a new life from a bitter pith, pressing sweetness from life’s agonies as she struggles toward artistic freedom and feminine awakening. 
🍊
It's an heartwrenching story of a woman's struggle for living in a catholic church dominated world where women were treated like less than a human, I feel they suggest women are born sinners. You will feel growing helpless and frustrated with every chapter of the book.

Early twentieth century and women's life is incomplete without man, all they grow up only to find the suitor, the societal norms of the time always makes me feel irritated and the fact is, it is still a fact in some broad part of the world.

One thing that I feel, however Ines was going through a lot of struggle still at some pivotal time of the novel I felt Ines was like her sisters, she is also heartless, a bit selfish and she actually never thought about being independent like her sisters rather she always looking for a man's shoulder to lean on which makes me off.

My rating 3⅐/4

The first line of the book kinda grabs you and you want to know what has transpired to make this happen. I kept waiting for the “Orange Wine” to come into play and it finally did 3/4 of the way through the book. I enjoyed the storyline of Ines and her family living in Colombia and reading about some of the customs and lifestyle. Unfortunately, the writing didn’t flow for me and I found myself fast forwarding through some of the story. Ines, her husband Alessandro and her children lead a complicated life and her three sisters weren’t supportive of her dilemma. As time went on her life seemed to take on an even keel but in the background you’re always wondering what’s going to happen next to upset this.
I persevered and finished the book, which ended abruptly.
The premise of a good plot was there but it fell short for me and I found the writing a bit immature, almost that of a young adult writing it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery Books for my ARC.

As much as we watched Ines struggle with decision, loss, sorrow, I do think we deserved to see more of her wins and triumphs. We hear about her art in galleries in Paris (which she never sees in the book), and she is selling soaps that sell out. But we didn’t stay with that for too long. It felt like it was cut short. I would have loved more of that

From the outset, I was very interested in reading this book. But I think I might not have been the best audience fit for this book because I really struggled to stay engaged, interested, and feel empathy for these characters. Reading the author’s acknowledgements and recognizing that this story is inspired by the author’s grandparents helps to personalize the story, but the work still struggles to be humanized for me.

The first aspect was the writing style and approach. The entirety of the book is told in the past tense, and things are narrative with the passive voice. The narration is more like a long winded diary entry stitched together to form the narrative. Huge plot events happen and are over and done with in one chapter. And it makes it incredibly difficult to feel the emotional buildup or interest in the narrative at all.

The second aspect was the characterization. The characters suffer from the writing approach, and seem two dimensional and flat. The main character is a self proclaimed feminist and yet the entirety of the novel is her in a relationship with two separate men, who are (arguably) not worthy of her. She is also someone who is incredibly vain with a great degree of internalized misogyny, leading to a lot of disillusionment in readers. The other side characters are flat and feel more like goofy caricatures to be the villains in this character’s story.

Overall, I struggled immensely to connect with this book. I think that it has merits though, as some people have found it to be a good read. I think perhaps I’m just not the right audience for this book, and that there are stylistic choices that I as a reader do not prefer.