Woman A manages a posh wine bar for Woman B’s mother. She gets on well with her customers and staff, is easy-going, low maintenance and happy. Woman B, a hard-nosed, corporate hot shot still grieving for her not-that-recently deceased father, is not very happy, not moving on, not in a relationship and not at all a fan of “that hippy” Woman A. When Woman B’s mother suddenly ups and leaves for an extended holiday, she throws Woman A and Woman B together to run the place together in her absence. They nearly kill each other. Then they start to recognise each other’s undeniable Hotness. They drink a lot of wine. Well, they have to for work, you know, what with all the tasting and that. Loosening up. We learn that one has a dog and one has a cat – that’s just how ‘opposite side of the tracks’ these two are. Both engage in sweaty outdoor activities which require tight-fitting clothes. They so hate each other, but, you know, the Hotness… it will not be denied.
This book is not one for the Millennial reader, as our heroines are entering their 40s, and don’t lead desperately exciting lives (we could relate!). But it’s a finely crafted, delicate read: more of a chilled Marlborough sauvignon blanc than a room-temperature Blue Nun.
It’s unusual for an epilogue to add much to these books, but in this case it was necessary. Otherwise, there was nothing to indicate their relationship had a hope past the fantastic sex and the sudden life changing declaration of love. Not convinced!
This book is also not one for anyone who gets anxious about drink driving. Apart from one massive blow-out, all the characters always drink AT LEAST two glasses of wine and then drive home. REALLY?!!! They are all over the alcohol limit, and no one says a word. Not one whisper. Yes, when one person gets drunk enough to vomit they “obviously got an Uber”, though I’m surprised they could even press the buttons on their phone by that point. I was so incensed by the small-town its-ok-im-probably-not-over-the-limit mindset that I just couldn’t give this book the better review that it probably deserves. Outdoors Type tells me I’m being over-sensitive about it.
Now, where’s our corkscrew…
She Sighed! 
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