Orange Wine is a poignant and evocative novel that masterfully blends themes of love, betrayal, and self-discovery against the rich backdrop of early 20th-century Colombia. Esperanza Hope Snyder brings Inés de la Rota to life with a voice that is both tender and fierce as she navigates the suffocating expectations of family, religion, and society. Inés’ journey is deeply moving, as she grapples with the bitter betrayals that surround her while striving to reclaim her identity as an artist, a sister, and a woman. Snyder’s prose is beautifully layered, mirroring the transformative process of turning oranges into wine—finding sweetness in life’s bitterness. The novel’s exploration of artistic freedom and feminine awakening feels both timeless and personal, making it resonate deeply.

This story really felt like a memoir to me. The author notes that it was inspired by her grandparents. The story follows Ines as she deals with the fallout of her marriage and family relationships. This story explores themes of love, forgiveness, betrayal, and navigating societal pressures in the search for authentic love. The writing is engaging and I loved the descriptions of all the settings the story takes us to. I will say the story did not focus on sisterhood. Most of the sisters have antagonistic relationships to Ines and each other. Overall, I really enjoyed this and would recommend to anyone who likes historical fiction, emotional family dramas, and romance.

this book was really good! I like the themes of despair, growth, love, relationships, and moving on. I think this was a good story with well written prose and character development that was well done!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Thank you to Bindery Books, NetGalley, and Marines for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start with the fact that I really wanted to like this book, but I feel that ultimately, I was not the correct audience for it. If you enjoy stories that are reminiscent of the stores told my family members passed down, then this is the book for you.

The distant narration made it difficult to empathize with Ines’ choices. I struggled to see how she could treat her sisters so unkindly and make choices that put her children’s stability at risk.

That being said, Esperanza’s writing was at its best when she was describing the rich landscape in Colombia. And I am interested in reading the next thing she writes, in hopes that I will be a better audience for it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bindery Books for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Orange Wine is a story that captures the tumultuous and wonderful experience that is pursuing joy in life. Inés is a woman of resilience and determination, from her whimsical childhood to growing pains with sisters and her turbulent first marriage, she uses her drive to continually move forward and grow to eventually find her love, peace and legacy.

You can feel the love Snyder has for her characters as you follow Inés. She is a strong protagonist that allows herself, and pushes herself to adapt, even when she didn’t want to. Each character was well rounded, their choices and actions made sense, and the complexities of their relationships we expressed with thoughtfulness.

My favourite part of this novel though was the passion in exploring the many wonders and beautiful places in the world. This book felt like an ode to detail. I was never left feeling confused, and I always felt the atmosphere written on the page.

4 stars

a big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC!

things I enjoyed in this book - the setting, naturally, as you'll always get me reading something set historically in Colombia / Latin America. I also found the book to be very easy to read and relatively fast paced, which is just what I needed right now to get out of a sort of slump.

however, I also have a few issues with this book. our main character Inés is like the 20th century version of a 'not like other girls'. she is CONSTANTLY, and I mean constantly, described as being the most gorgerous, clever, smart, mysterious, lovely woman in all of Paipa, Bogotá, Italy, doesn't matter the setting, she will be so far above any other woman that we won't hear the end of it! in fact she is so much more beautiful and better than everyone, including her own sisters, one from which she steals the man she was interested in (and has zero remorse) - who cares about the other two sisters, they're too ugly to ever get married so we don't need to know about them (although they are actively working and contributing to society and actually furthering the status of women for the country and time period). Every other woman mentioned in the story is torn down and compared to Inés just to show how great she is. She also manages to invent an orange wine better than ANY other wine in the entire world, plus has incredible talents in art and perfumery.
Inés was also warned OVER AND OVER by EVERYBODY NOT to marry her first husband because he is a KNOWN scoundrel and what does she do... marry him... and what happens... he leaves her with huge debts, has an affair with her sister... Inés just didn't seem concerned about anything, never thought of consequences or her actions, but I think the lack of detail in the writing is also to blame. i don't mind a morally grey character, not at all, but it is more the lack of seeing into Inés that I missed here. I just wanted more from her - why did she really go above everyone's advice and marry Alessandro, beyond their physical attraction? How did it leave her feeling when her husband left her for his sister, moments after she gave birth to their child? that is a HUGE event and yet we didn't have much of a chance to get into the MEAT of it, she just moved on quickly to the next man. Her son DIES aged 7 and again, doesnt seem to affect her past a couple of pages. Another example- towards the end of the book Isabel murders Alessandro and we get about 2 sentences on it then we move on! The travel sections of the book were also pretty boring and could have been sliced out.

I wanted a feminist story, showing a woman who, despite society's expectations and restrictions manages to achieve her desire - a la Allende- but instead the story followed a woman with poor judgement who allowed herself to be put down by everybody in her life (while still being the best woman alive) and was 90% (bad) romance. The plot had a lot of potential but the writing let it down just a little - would have loved just a bit more oomph to the story! More show and less tell! The blurb does it way more justice and the story deserves

I got more and more involved with the characters and life of this book as I read. I did it expect to have such a connection and was initially drawn in by the book and the cover. I realized I was in love by pages 268 and 269. My heart felt the struggle. We don’t always let ourselves love and definitely don’t always feel deserving of love. So we make stupid mistakes and decide for ourselves when our fate is so willing to let us feel what we rightfully are owed. Thank you for the ARC. Thank you for the opportunity to read this story.

Hello, Netgalley. Thank you for another read. I did not enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed other books. I am not able to finish this book because it is not my cup of tea. I would say the plotline is interesting but the book just feels slow and unengaging to me.

**Review: *Orange Wine* by Esperanza Hope Snyder**

Imagine a story that unfolds like the layers of a fine, unexpected vintage—*Orange Wine* is an experience that seduces the senses and lingers like a whispered secret. At its heart, the novel follows a woman who returns to her coastal hometown after years of living elsewhere. Confronted with the echoes of a past she thought she’d left behind, she finds herself swept up in a tapestry of rekindled relationships, long-hidden family secrets, and the bittersweet pull of memories that refuse to fade.

As she navigates the familiar streets and rediscovered haunts of her youth, every encounter—whether with an old flame, a trusted friend, or even a mysterious stranger—uncovers another hidden layer of her identity. Snyder’s narrative is lush and evocative, exploring the delicate interplay between love and loss, and how the passage of time can both heal and haunt. The title itself hints at the transformative journey ahead: much like orange wine, the protagonist’s life is complex, unexpected, and enriched by every nuanced moment.

If you’re drawn to stories that invite you to savor life’s complexities and embrace both its joy and its sorrow, *Orange Wine* is an intoxicating journey into the depths of personal discovery.

**Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity 💕**

Orange Wine was a touching story that took me through years and years of trauma and hope through Ines. It was hard to see just how the world was treating her, and how she was taking it. This is a book of feminine strength! And orange wine sounds delicious.

This book has everything! Lyrical language, multi- generational saga, love story, magical realism, characters that leave their mark on the reader, international backdrop ( Columbia and Europe) and much more! Very reminiscent of Isabel Allende’s writing style. I want to read everything Esperanza Snyder writes! Bravo!

Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC!

"Orange Wine" wasn't what I expected. If anything, it was felt reading one of those bad *your name* fanfics. (That sounds harsh, but it's really not)

This novel is about a (very beautiful, very talented, very elegant, very nice, just perfect) woman, Ines, whose life shatters as her husband betrays her with her sister (who's not even half as beautiful, talented etc).
Taking her 2 small children with her, she leaves him and goes to her other sister's (who are even uglier than the betraying sister).

Ines' qualities catch the eyes of all the men she meets and they all fall in love with her (because she's very beautiful and talented). Then there's a "Redeeming Love" moment, before the happy ever after.

Even though the writing style is really good and the atmosphere is charming (20th century in Colombia), I was barely able to keep up reading. The main famele character is a pick me and a "feminist", while constantly putting other women down because of their looks (or more specifically because their beauty is inferior to hers) or lack of prospects (she got like 5 men that want to marry her, while her other sister didn't even get a single proposal). Her mother also favoured her, leaving her the family home

She's also constantly and actively seeking male validation and isn't able to have one female friend.

Obviously, because of her great qualities, she navigates through life easily: the man she sells her house to offers to start a relationship, another man is ready to marry her even though she's still married, providing for her and her children, her artistic friend and guide falls in love with her and promotes her art. All her paintings and ideas are brilliant and successful.

Also, she's the only one who gets a happy ending, while all the other sisters can only struggle. Don't those other 3 sisters deserve a bit of happiness too? (No, because they are ugly)

I expected more drama, more challenges, maybe even a bookish soap opera, but this novel fell short.

From the second this book started, I was engaged! I loved every aspect of it! I cannot wait to promote this book when it releases, and get all my friends to read it!

This story follows Ines through her past and her present. The novel starts off in such a striking way with Ines in bed after giving birth to her daughter Lucy, meanwhile, her husband Alessandro is in bed with her sister Isabel. Three weeks after she gives birth, Alessandro runs off with Isabel, and Ines must figure out what to do. The novel immediately flips to the past explaining Ines background of her family, how Isabel is a sister from her mother's previous marriage, and she has 3 sisters from her mother's second marriage (Ines's father). As a child, Ines met a woman in the fields who showed her the face of a man that is going to cause her grief, but also happiness. The book flips back to the present as Ines doesn't work and takes care of her two children full time, her money runs dry and she has to sell her childhood home, and she heads to Bogota to live with her sisters.

This novel not only deals with heartbreak, but touches on so many things such as the endurance to go on, facing grief, the struggles of being a single woman. It was such a beautiful story, very nostalgic. The author did such a great job of making you feel like you were in all of these places with such rich descriptions of scenery and food. I liked how the story parallels the flavors of orange wine - it starts off with a bitter taste and leaves you with a delicious ending.

(Check my Instagram story highlight ARCs to see the saved story review at @the.bookish.dietitian) - Bindery reposted on their story today on 3/03/25. Also totally jealous of the PR package people got lol it was what made me want to read this in addition to the synopsis sounding great!

I just could not get into this. I tried very hard but didn't care for the narrarator. I liked the idea of family secrets and lore, but this just didn't do it for me.

🍊 ARC Review 🍊
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Thank you to @netgalley for the early copy to read
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Orange Wine by Esperanza Hope Synder
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
Release date: Sept 30th, 2025
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Man to live during the early twentieth century in Columbia, where the Catholic Church pretty much decides how a woman lives is rough to imagine. But that's what Inés did. She struggles living in this society as she is told to look for a suitor to marry & how to carry herself as a woman. Only to marry a man who ends up betraying her.. by sleeping with her sister!! Inés now has to pivot, figure out how to live her life without it being tied to men. From then on, Inés goes on a journey of self-discovery, and I loved that for her. I was rooting for Inés all the way through, crying when she cried, grieving when did, and cheered for Inés through her joys.

Some betrayals arrive like a lightning strike—sudden, devastating, and irreversible. Others, like Inés’s, are woven into the fabric of a life already in motion, unfolding with an almost fated inevitability.

Three weeks after Inés gave birth to her daughter, her husband ran off with her sister. The warning signs were there, but she ignored them. Orange Wine by Snyder tells her story—not just of heartbreak but of endurance, of carrying the weight of her family’s past while forging a future. The novel reads like a family secret passed down through generations, intimate yet distant, painful yet mesmerizing. Snyder’s poetic, economical prose mirrors the way elders recount tragedy—not with hysteria, but with a quiet, knowing acceptance.

This book is for those who love stories that feel both deeply personal and universal, for fans of Isabel Allende, Elena Ferrante, and Gabriel García Márquez. It lingers, much like the scent of citrus long after peeling an orange. Though Inés’s choices can be maddening—at times returning to pain like a dog to its own vomit—the novel evokes a full spectrum of emotions, making it an unforgettable read. Five stars.

Oh, this book hurts. That opening line alone knocked the wind out of me, and it does not let up from there.

Orange Wine is a gorgeously written, gut-wrenching novel about betrayal, identity, and the impossible choices women are forced to make. Set against early 20th-century Colombia, it follows Inés de la Rota, a woman trapped between societal expectations and her own artistic, passionate spirit. Her world is shaped by duty and sacrifice—until the weight of it all threatens to crush her.

Snyder’s prose is lush—like a glass of the book’s namesake, it’s both bitter and sweet, rich and sharp. The themes of sisterhood, motherhood, and self-liberation feel deeply resonant, and Inés’ struggle for agency is both devastating and inspiring.

Read this if you love The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende or the kind of literary fiction that makes you stare at the ceiling and rethink your entire life. Absolute chef’s kiss of a book.

Some stories are told as they unfold, urgent and immediate. Others are recounted with a layer of distance, shaped by time and memory, emotions softened by the years but never lost. Orange Wine belongs to the latter.

From its opening lines, the novel introduces us to Inés, a woman who, while giving birth to her daughter Lucy, unknowingly loses her husband to her sister Isabel. The revelation is devastating yet presented with a quiet, almost fated inevitability—a betrayal not just personal but woven into the very fabric of her life and lineage. There is a matter-of-factness to Inés‘s narrative voice that reminded me so much of listening to my grandparent’s stories around a kitchen table, hearing the most devastating things they experienced as if they weren’t the ones to experience it.

That is to say—Snyder’s storytelling mirrors the way family lore is passed down—not always direct, but full of echoes. Snyder is a poet, and her language is beautiful in a precise and economical way.

Inés’s story is one of survival, not just in the immediate sense of picking up the pieces after Alessandro’s departure but in the way she carries the burdens of those who came before her. Her mother, Aura, a woman who lived for beauty and roses, cultivated a life of refinement but left her daughters unprepared for a world that required more than aesthetic devotion.

This book is for anyone who loves books that unfold like a family secret—one that is painful, but also intoxicating in its telling. This is for those who appreciate narrative as something that unfolds like a folktale—personal yet collective, distant yet deeply felt. This is for readers drawn to the works of Isabel Allende, Elena Ferrante, or Gabriel García Márquez. This is for anyone who has ever listened to an elder tell a story—one where sorrow and survival are spoken of in the same breath, where tragedy is recounted with the simple knowledge that it happened.

I hope that like the scent of citrus on the hands long after peeling an orange, this one stays with you and that with time, Ines’s story burrows into your heart.

This was not my favorite, and I’ve been struggling over why that is. First of all, this book succeeds in creating a vivid atmosphere with lush descriptions of settings, food, and wine. I enjoyed that, and reading a story set in Colombia, which was a first for me.

Here are my thoughts as to why I didn’t click with this much:
- It reads more like a memoir than a novel. It’s all telling and no showing. The narrative is extremely distant despite being in first person. It seems like Inés is just recounting an (extremely bland) story rather than taking us on the journey with her.
- I don’t know how this managed to be so undramatic. The premise is fascinating and rife with drama. The affairs, the sister betrayals, the illegitimate children, all of it. But it just falls flat. I was bored most of the time, and I think Inés’s monotone recounting of everything is the reason for that.
- I also found Inés unlikable. She’s prettier than all of her other sisters—who are all ugly. Every man wants her. She steals one from her sister while she’s already a married woman. Everywhere she goes, she causes mass destruction. I often like complicated characters, and am soft to ones that most people hate. But I didn’t know Inés enough to see past all of this. I still feel like I have absolutely no idea what her personality is, and that goes for all of the other characters as well.
- There were several times that the dialogue seemed to be disjointed with the intensity of the corresponding reaction. The dialogue would be so mild and unbothered, and then suddenly people are smashing things. I saved an examples of this:

“I don’t mind cooking and cleaning. But having to clean up after your parties is getting harder!” I grabbed a wineglass and smashed it against the chimney.

- I was shocked by her anger because leading up to that scene, that’s not how I was interpreting her tone. There is just a disconnect with emotional cues here in a way I haven’t seen in other novels.
- There is no sisterhood. At all. They all hate each other. And don’t forget, they are all much uglier than Inés.
- I don’t know how Inés’s husband running away with her sister Isabelle could’ve been less dramatic. That was the premise that initially drew me into reading this book, and it was such a letdown. Everything about it seemed so inconsequential, and me not being connected to the characters at all didn’t help that.
- With Inés’s child’s death, we were informed that she cried for months, but again, it prompted no emotional reaction because we weren’t really with Inés at all. Child deaths are usually emotional for me, and this one wasn’t at all.

There were several feminist quotes that I appreciated:
“I am angry at God for making me a woman and at the world for deciding my fate.”

“God’s punishment to women, I concluded, was not the torment of pregnancy and childbirth, but coupling these with the intellectual ability to question and to wonder.”

I received a free ARC of this book from the publisher. All thoughts are my own. This was unfortunately a miss for me, but I appreciate the chance to read it.