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Love Notes #2
A Study in Sparkling
Not yet published
Expected 15 Sep 26Win a free print copy of this book!
14 days and 22:35:38
50 copies available
U.S. only
The author of the “brilliant” (Library Journal) An Academic Affair returns with a steamy romance about a recently separated single mom who’s absolutely not looking for another relationship...only to fall for the younger owner of her favorite wine bar.
Fiona Fisher thought she had it a loving husband, three kids, and a life far away from the suffocating expectations of her family. But when her husband reveals that he’s leaving her for his secret second family, Fiona is left devastated and humiliated.
Satoshi Tsukamoto wants it all. He’s the owner of a popular wine bar, and he’s studying for the hardest test in the the Master Sommelier exam. There aren’t enough hours in the day for anything else—except maybe for Fiona, his favorite customer, and the woman he’s absolutely, head-over-heels in love with.
On paper, Fiona and Satoshi make no sense. He’s eight years younger than her and has no time for romance. She’s a single mother and doesn’t know if she’ll ever be able to trust anyone again. But how can Fiona resist when Satoshi suggests they give into their mutual attraction and let off some steam? And how can Satoshi resist when the woman he adores is finally within his grasp—even if they’ve agreed to keep things casual?
The perfect read for fans of Jasmine Guillory and Abby Jimenez, A Study in Sparkling proves that Jodi McAlister truly is “a writer to watch” (Booklist).
Fiona Fisher thought she had it a loving husband, three kids, and a life far away from the suffocating expectations of her family. But when her husband reveals that he’s leaving her for his secret second family, Fiona is left devastated and humiliated.
Satoshi Tsukamoto wants it all. He’s the owner of a popular wine bar, and he’s studying for the hardest test in the the Master Sommelier exam. There aren’t enough hours in the day for anything else—except maybe for Fiona, his favorite customer, and the woman he’s absolutely, head-over-heels in love with.
On paper, Fiona and Satoshi make no sense. He’s eight years younger than her and has no time for romance. She’s a single mother and doesn’t know if she’ll ever be able to trust anyone again. But how can Fiona resist when Satoshi suggests they give into their mutual attraction and let off some steam? And how can Satoshi resist when the woman he adores is finally within his grasp—even if they’ve agreed to keep things casual?
The perfect read for fans of Jasmine Guillory and Abby Jimenez, A Study in Sparkling proves that Jodi McAlister truly is “a writer to watch” (Booklist).
384 pages, Paperback
First published July 27, 2026
About the author
Jodi McAlister
20 books968 followersBy day, Jodi McAlister writes romance novels. By other time of day, Dr Jodi McAlister studies them. She's written romantic comedies for adults, romantasy and contemporary romance for young adults, and several academic books.
For adults
If you're a reality TV lover, the Marry Me, Juliet series are the books for you. Even if you're not a reality TV lover, they might be the books for you - several reality TV haters have enjoyed them.
The trilogy all take place at the same time on the same season of a reality dating show called Marry Me, Juliet (which bears a very strong resemblance to The Bachelor). While they all stand alone and can be read in any order, they work best when read in order.
Start with Here For The Right Reasons (he's the series lead, she's the contestant he eliminates on the first night), move on to Can I Steal You For A Second? (she's a contestant, she's... also a contestant), and finish with the book the New York Times called a "full-on villain romance", Not Here To Make Friends (she's the villain, he's the producer who's pining for her).
For young adults
If you're a romantasy reader, you'll like the Valentine series, a young adult paranormal romance/urban fantasy series about smart girls, small towns, and scary fairies. There are three books: Valentine, Ironheart, and Misrule. If Picnic at Hanging Rock meets Holly Black sounds like something you’d be into, these are the books for you.
And if you're a theatre kid, Libby Lawrence Is Good At Pretending is the book for you. It's my love letter to theatre kids as someone who used to be one.
Academic books
No one really cares much about these on Goodreads, do they? More info on my website if you're interested.
About Jodi
Jodi is originally from Kiama, a seaside holiday town on the south coast of New South Wales, and has lived in a bunch of different cities: Canberra (where she did her undergrad degrees), Wollongong (where she lived while she did her PhD in Sydney), and Hobart (where she held her first academic job) among them. Currently, she lives in Melbourne, where she works as a Senior Lecturer in Writing, Literature and Culture at Deakin University.
When she’s not writing about romance, Jodi is an academic studying romance. Her research focuses on representations of love in popular culture and fiction. It means that reading romance novels and watching (and let’s be real, writing huge amounts about) The Bachelor/ette is technically work for her.
**Want to dip your toes into the Valentine universe? Try the free short story Galentine, set a year and a bit before the events of Valentine. http://jodimcalister.com.au/galentine/ **
**Want to read a bonus epilogue to Libby Lawrence Is Good At Pretending? Check it out here: https://jodimcalister.com.au/libby-la... **
For adults
If you're a reality TV lover, the Marry Me, Juliet series are the books for you. Even if you're not a reality TV lover, they might be the books for you - several reality TV haters have enjoyed them.
The trilogy all take place at the same time on the same season of a reality dating show called Marry Me, Juliet (which bears a very strong resemblance to The Bachelor). While they all stand alone and can be read in any order, they work best when read in order.
Start with Here For The Right Reasons (he's the series lead, she's the contestant he eliminates on the first night), move on to Can I Steal You For A Second? (she's a contestant, she's... also a contestant), and finish with the book the New York Times called a "full-on villain romance", Not Here To Make Friends (she's the villain, he's the producer who's pining for her).
For young adults
If you're a romantasy reader, you'll like the Valentine series, a young adult paranormal romance/urban fantasy series about smart girls, small towns, and scary fairies. There are three books: Valentine, Ironheart, and Misrule. If Picnic at Hanging Rock meets Holly Black sounds like something you’d be into, these are the books for you.
And if you're a theatre kid, Libby Lawrence Is Good At Pretending is the book for you. It's my love letter to theatre kids as someone who used to be one.
Academic books
No one really cares much about these on Goodreads, do they? More info on my website if you're interested.
About Jodi
Jodi is originally from Kiama, a seaside holiday town on the south coast of New South Wales, and has lived in a bunch of different cities: Canberra (where she did her undergrad degrees), Wollongong (where she lived while she did her PhD in Sydney), and Hobart (where she held her first academic job) among them. Currently, she lives in Melbourne, where she works as a Senior Lecturer in Writing, Literature and Culture at Deakin University.
When she’s not writing about romance, Jodi is an academic studying romance. Her research focuses on representations of love in popular culture and fiction. It means that reading romance novels and watching (and let’s be real, writing huge amounts about) The Bachelor/ette is technically work for her.
**Want to dip your toes into the Valentine universe? Try the free short story Galentine, set a year and a bit before the events of Valentine. http://jodimcalister.com.au/galentine/ **
**Want to read a bonus epilogue to Libby Lawrence Is Good At Pretending? Check it out here: https://jodimcalister.com.au/libby-la... **
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July 29, 2026Bye i got the arc 🫢🫢
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
2.5 ⭐️?
✧*:.｡. TL;DR: I went into this thinking I’d love it, but came out a wounded soldier of disappointment and anger. This is all my fault, not the book’s or the author’s. 😭💔 I guess I’m just an asshole, which makes sense. 🤷♀️😂
〖 ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ: I Was Made for Lovin’ You by YUNGBLUD 〗
↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺ 1:41 ───ㅇ───── 4:21
✧*:.｡. Oh boy, where do I start? I guess I’ll begin by saying that I had no intention of being this disappointed or frustrated with this book. I loved An Academic Affair, and when I heard there was going to be a book about Fiona and Satoshi, I was over the moon, especially when I got the widget in an email. My family can attest to how excited I was. 😂
But where did everything go wrong for me? Could it be the fact that, even though I was so stoked for the story, I was a bit wary about liking Fiona since I was a tad bit annoyed with her in the first book? Or was it when Satoshi was just way too accommodating for his own good? Or, perhaps, it was when Fiona literally made me almost pull my hair out by how infuriating she was when it came to a relationship with Satoshi?
Yeah, I think that’s where it all went wrong for me. Let me explain.
There will be a lot of venting and some swearing, so I truly apologize in advance. I try not to swear in my reviews, but I don’t think I’ll be able to help myself. 😭
I sincerely feel bad for Fiona. I do. Matt doesn’t even deserve to be called a piece of shit because that would be offensive to shit itself, but he is, and I was just as angry as she was at his audacity and stupidity. I think she handled everything as well as she could, and she was a great mother to her kids. I’m not mad at her about any of that. None of it was her fault.
However…when it came to Satoshi, my sympathy was scrambling for the open window. Ma’am, do not play games with this man’s feelings. Just don’t. He doesn’t deserve that. YOU don’t deserve that. You are so freaking mad at what Matt did to you, yet you turn around and do the same damn thing to Satoshi! You handled everything in that relationship so wrong! Who wants to be a secret? Huh? No one! You know what that feels like, but here you are, making excuses about wanting to keep everything hush-hush, when there’s literally no reason to do so. I get that you’re older with baggage, but you don’t have to tell me every damn time you have an opportunity to. It seems like Satoshi is more mature than you, but y’all both suck at communicating and hiding your feelings. Everyone and their grandma could tell that you two love each other. It’s kind of a hard thing to conceal. So why must you constantly tell the poor man the wrong things? You should be telling him how you feel about him, and go from there. If he rejects you, okay. You’ll figure it out. But if he doesn’t? Then there’s nothing to worry about! You stressed not only Satoshi out, but me as well, and I will be collecting compensation because I am not your lover (thank God), who is willing to overlook things. I am so done with you, Fiona. You ruined the romance for me!
And then there’s the situation with your family–particularly your brothers. This is from my notes: “If you want them to forget about your past or your mistakes, then forget theirs…because they’ve proven time and again that you can go to them and trust them.” And I stand by it. I know their reactions were negative and rude, but to be honest, my family would react the same way if they thought I was making a mistake. Do you know why, honey? Because they love me. It might be the wrong way of showing it, but I know them well enough to discern when they’re being straight-up assholes or if they’re trying to help me. And even if there was no possible way of understanding what they said, don’t their present actions make up for their past blunders? You don’t want to be defined by what happened to you–don’t define them by what they did so many years ago. Y’all need to learn to forgive and forget because if it’s always lingering in the back of your mind, moving on won’t happen. You’ll stay stuck in the past, and that gets you nowhere.
Then there’s your dad. Don’t even try to look for his approval at this point, girlie. There are some people in this world you just cannot please, and he is one of them. I hope you discuss that in therapy if you haven’t already, because your fear of your family looking down on what you are doing to put money in the bank and food on the table needs to be addressed. You’re a grown woman with three awesome kids, and you have your brothers and mom, who are also victims of your dad’s stubbornness and stupidity. You’ll be fine. I promise you.
Okay, moving on from Fiona before I go into another lengthy rant, let’s talk about Satoshi. I really wish we had gotten to know him better. I don’t know if his entire life surrounds his work, his mom and brother, and Fiona, but if it doesn’t and he has friends he hangs out with (the study group wasn’t explicitly stated as his friends, so idk if you can even coin them as that word) and a whole other life outside of those three main components, I wanted to see it. He was a great character, sure, but he didn’t feel fully fleshed out as one. If being with Fiona was a found family aspect because of her kids and her brothers, then that would make sense, but he has his brother and mom, whom I think he sees regularly. I don’t know, I just don’t think we really got to know Satoshi well enough, which is a shame because I liked him, even if he was wayyy too nice and forgiving in my book.
The last complaint I’ll address was the email and text message chapters. Look, I didn’t hate them. I love it when books include stuff like that. But it did kinda make the pacing a bit wonky, and some of the texts were cringey, so I just read them as quickly as I could without missing anything to get back to the story.
Whew. Okay, now that I've finally vented, I’m ready to talk about some positives.
I really liked the information about wine. I don’t drink, and I have absolutely zero knowledge about alcohol, but the info dumps about wine and the process of making it and how you can taste all the different flavors were super interesting to me. That was fun. ☺
I also liked the ending, especially a certain part that got me so excited. 🤭
And Isamu, my hero, lol. Thank you for telling your brother and Fiona off. They needed to hear what you said, and I am forever in your debt. And Lex as well, for your bravery to feel what you felt and put words to those feelings. I was just applauding them–they were one of my favorite characters as well.
Overall, I’m very sad that I didn’t love this, but I’m grateful I got a chance to read it. If there’s another book in the series, I’m definitely reading it because I want to know who’s next on the roster. Is it Isamu, Chess, or Elias? I guess I’m going to have to find out. 💖
⁑ Thank you to Atria Books for inviting me to read the arc! All opinions and statements are my own! ⁑
My thoughts on the rest of the series:
An Academic Affair
《 Content Warnings 》
Swearing: Yes
Spice: Yes (🌶🌶🌶.75/5)
✧*:.｡. TL;DR: I went into this thinking I’d love it, but came out a wounded soldier of disappointment and anger. This is all my fault, not the book’s or the author’s. 😭💔 I guess I’m just an asshole, which makes sense. 🤷♀️😂
〖 ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ: I Was Made for Lovin’ You by YUNGBLUD 〗
↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺ 1:41 ───ㅇ───── 4:21
✧*:.｡. Oh boy, where do I start? I guess I’ll begin by saying that I had no intention of being this disappointed or frustrated with this book. I loved An Academic Affair, and when I heard there was going to be a book about Fiona and Satoshi, I was over the moon, especially when I got the widget in an email. My family can attest to how excited I was. 😂
But where did everything go wrong for me? Could it be the fact that, even though I was so stoked for the story, I was a bit wary about liking Fiona since I was a tad bit annoyed with her in the first book? Or was it when Satoshi was just way too accommodating for his own good? Or, perhaps, it was when Fiona literally made me almost pull my hair out by how infuriating she was when it came to a relationship with Satoshi?
Yeah, I think that’s where it all went wrong for me. Let me explain.
There will be a lot of venting and some swearing, so I truly apologize in advance. I try not to swear in my reviews, but I don’t think I’ll be able to help myself. 😭
I sincerely feel bad for Fiona. I do. Matt doesn’t even deserve to be called a piece of shit because that would be offensive to shit itself, but he is, and I was just as angry as she was at his audacity and stupidity. I think she handled everything as well as she could, and she was a great mother to her kids. I’m not mad at her about any of that. None of it was her fault.
However…when it came to Satoshi, my sympathy was scrambling for the open window. Ma’am, do not play games with this man’s feelings. Just don’t. He doesn’t deserve that. YOU don’t deserve that. You are so freaking mad at what Matt did to you, yet you turn around and do the same damn thing to Satoshi! You handled everything in that relationship so wrong! Who wants to be a secret? Huh? No one! You know what that feels like, but here you are, making excuses about wanting to keep everything hush-hush, when there’s literally no reason to do so. I get that you’re older with baggage, but you don’t have to tell me every damn time you have an opportunity to. It seems like Satoshi is more mature than you, but y’all both suck at communicating and hiding your feelings. Everyone and their grandma could tell that you two love each other. It’s kind of a hard thing to conceal. So why must you constantly tell the poor man the wrong things? You should be telling him how you feel about him, and go from there. If he rejects you, okay. You’ll figure it out. But if he doesn’t? Then there’s nothing to worry about! You stressed not only Satoshi out, but me as well, and I will be collecting compensation because I am not your lover (thank God), who is willing to overlook things. I am so done with you, Fiona. You ruined the romance for me!
And then there’s the situation with your family–particularly your brothers. This is from my notes: “If you want them to forget about your past or your mistakes, then forget theirs…because they’ve proven time and again that you can go to them and trust them.” And I stand by it. I know their reactions were negative and rude, but to be honest, my family would react the same way if they thought I was making a mistake. Do you know why, honey? Because they love me. It might be the wrong way of showing it, but I know them well enough to discern when they’re being straight-up assholes or if they’re trying to help me. And even if there was no possible way of understanding what they said, don’t their present actions make up for their past blunders? You don’t want to be defined by what happened to you–don’t define them by what they did so many years ago. Y’all need to learn to forgive and forget because if it’s always lingering in the back of your mind, moving on won’t happen. You’ll stay stuck in the past, and that gets you nowhere.
Then there’s your dad. Don’t even try to look for his approval at this point, girlie. There are some people in this world you just cannot please, and he is one of them. I hope you discuss that in therapy if you haven’t already, because your fear of your family looking down on what you are doing to put money in the bank and food on the table needs to be addressed. You’re a grown woman with three awesome kids, and you have your brothers and mom, who are also victims of your dad’s stubbornness and stupidity. You’ll be fine. I promise you.
Okay, moving on from Fiona before I go into another lengthy rant, let’s talk about Satoshi. I really wish we had gotten to know him better. I don’t know if his entire life surrounds his work, his mom and brother, and Fiona, but if it doesn’t and he has friends he hangs out with (the study group wasn’t explicitly stated as his friends, so idk if you can even coin them as that word) and a whole other life outside of those three main components, I wanted to see it. He was a great character, sure, but he didn’t feel fully fleshed out as one. If being with Fiona was a found family aspect because of her kids and her brothers, then that would make sense, but he has his brother and mom, whom I think he sees regularly. I don’t know, I just don’t think we really got to know Satoshi well enough, which is a shame because I liked him, even if he was wayyy too nice and forgiving in my book.
The last complaint I’ll address was the email and text message chapters. Look, I didn’t hate them. I love it when books include stuff like that. But it did kinda make the pacing a bit wonky, and some of the texts were cringey, so I just read them as quickly as I could without missing anything to get back to the story.
Whew. Okay, now that I've finally vented, I’m ready to talk about some positives.
I really liked the information about wine. I don’t drink, and I have absolutely zero knowledge about alcohol, but the info dumps about wine and the process of making it and how you can taste all the different flavors were super interesting to me. That was fun. ☺
I also liked the ending, especially a certain part that got me so excited. 🤭
And Isamu, my hero, lol. Thank you for telling your brother and Fiona off. They needed to hear what you said, and I am forever in your debt. And Lex as well, for your bravery to feel what you felt and put words to those feelings. I was just applauding them–they were one of my favorite characters as well.
Overall, I’m very sad that I didn’t love this, but I’m grateful I got a chance to read it. If there’s another book in the series, I’m definitely reading it because I want to know who’s next on the roster. Is it Isamu, Chess, or Elias? I guess I’m going to have to find out. 💖
⁑ Thank you to Atria Books for inviting me to read the arc! All opinions and statements are my own! ⁑
My thoughts on the rest of the series:
An Academic Affair
《 Content Warnings 》
Swearing: Yes
Spice: Yes (🌶🌶🌶.75/5)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2026
thank you to netgalley for this arc!
this is unfortunately going to be a low 3 star read for me. i absolutely loved the premise, and i adore Sato, our mmc, but i was finding myself constantly frustrated and irritated by our fmc and her actions and thought processes. she was insistent on keeping their relationship a secret, and Sato was far too accommodating, to the point of it being detrimental to him. it felt like our fmc was walking all over him for this entire book, and it felt disrespectful to me. how many times i had to read scenes where she was obviously embarassed of him, and he just put up with it, really irked me. i essentially just felt bad for him for 300+ pages.
this is also an age gap romance (he’s mid twenties, she’s mid thirties, so really not a big deal in my books), and it was referenced faaar too many times for my liking. i also feel like it was a tad insta-lovey for me, and we lacked actual depth and relationship development within the story itself - lots of text messages were shoehorned in in place of actual scenes, and i feel like that let the chemistry down a bit.
this is unfortunately going to be a low 3 star read for me. i absolutely loved the premise, and i adore Sato, our mmc, but i was finding myself constantly frustrated and irritated by our fmc and her actions and thought processes. she was insistent on keeping their relationship a secret, and Sato was far too accommodating, to the point of it being detrimental to him. it felt like our fmc was walking all over him for this entire book, and it felt disrespectful to me. how many times i had to read scenes where she was obviously embarassed of him, and he just put up with it, really irked me. i essentially just felt bad for him for 300+ pages.
this is also an age gap romance (he’s mid twenties, she’s mid thirties, so really not a big deal in my books), and it was referenced faaar too many times for my liking. i also feel like it was a tad insta-lovey for me, and we lacked actual depth and relationship development within the story itself - lots of text messages were shoehorned in in place of actual scenes, and i feel like that let the chemistry down a bit.
Want to Read
July 23, 2026˒˒📖 pre read ˒˒࿐· started jul 17・xvii 𖦞.˖
i need to catch up on my ARCs, and the cover of this one instantly drew me in + i've heard AMAZING things about the first book. hoping for a fun & cute romance 🌺💌
─ જ thank you to Netgalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review
i need to catch up on my ARCs, and the cover of this one instantly drew me in + i've heard AMAZING things about the first book. hoping for a fun & cute romance 🌺💌
─ જ thank you to Netgalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review
Want to Read
June 21, 2026I can't believe I have the arc for this. The first was actually pretty good and these characters were intriguing so I have high hopes.
June 26, 2026
I struggled tooth and nail to get though this book. An interesting premise can only take you so far. I honestly love the reverse age gap trope, throw in a single mother and you’ve got a really intriguing story.
So I was so disappointed when the prologue immediately hit me with the insta-love trope. Satoshi didn’t have enough page time to properly yearn for Fiona. He just had the prologue before he was, and I quote him “in love” with her.
Now, I could look past that little insta love moment if the romance that followed it was well done. Even though there were moments where the romance was undeniably cute, there were to many problems for me to ignore.
First, Fiona treated Satoshi as her dirty little secret for far too long. I get that she didn’t think she was worthy of him because she was older and had a bunch of baggage, but that doesn’t mean you get to hide him away and keep him like a secret. He deserved so much better than that. I think if he wasn’t already “in love” with her, he wouldn’t have put up with her poor treatment.
Next, I wasn’t a fan of the messy divorce drama. Not a criticism on how it was written, I thought it was actually very well written. It just was not my cup of tea and that definitely contributed to overall dislike of this book.
A lot of parts definitely didn’t work well for me at all, but I would like to mention a few things that I did enjoyed.
I loved Satoshi’s relationship with Fiona’s kids, especially Lex. He made them feel seen after they came out as non binary and stocked his bookshelves with ya lgbtq books. His relationship with the girls was also very sweet.
I appreciated the setting of the book and I liked how much information there was on wine. I liked learning about the different courses and tests you have to take to become a “Master Sommelier” and how hard that is to achieve. There was definitely a lot about the wine world that i learned about.
Overall, this book was not for me. I can see how the tropes and the characters would resonate better with someone else. I just ultimately believe that this isn’t the book for me—and that’s totally ok.
2 stars ⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Book for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
📆 Publication date: September 14, 2026
So I was so disappointed when the prologue immediately hit me with the insta-love trope. Satoshi didn’t have enough page time to properly yearn for Fiona. He just had the prologue before he was, and I quote him “in love” with her.
Now, I could look past that little insta love moment if the romance that followed it was well done. Even though there were moments where the romance was undeniably cute, there were to many problems for me to ignore.
First, Fiona treated Satoshi as her dirty little secret for far too long. I get that she didn’t think she was worthy of him because she was older and had a bunch of baggage, but that doesn’t mean you get to hide him away and keep him like a secret. He deserved so much better than that. I think if he wasn’t already “in love” with her, he wouldn’t have put up with her poor treatment.
Next, I wasn’t a fan of the messy divorce drama. Not a criticism on how it was written, I thought it was actually very well written. It just was not my cup of tea and that definitely contributed to overall dislike of this book.
A lot of parts definitely didn’t work well for me at all, but I would like to mention a few things that I did enjoyed.
I loved Satoshi’s relationship with Fiona’s kids, especially Lex. He made them feel seen after they came out as non binary and stocked his bookshelves with ya lgbtq books. His relationship with the girls was also very sweet.
I appreciated the setting of the book and I liked how much information there was on wine. I liked learning about the different courses and tests you have to take to become a “Master Sommelier” and how hard that is to achieve. There was definitely a lot about the wine world that i learned about.
Overall, this book was not for me. I can see how the tropes and the characters would resonate better with someone else. I just ultimately believe that this isn’t the book for me—and that’s totally ok.
2 stars ⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Book for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
📆 Publication date: September 14, 2026
June 11, 2026
༄₊˚🥂 ┆ 𝐀 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠
» I Need Her - JBC«
0:47 ────────⚪──────── 1:54
⇄ ◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹ ↻
༄₊˚🥂 ┆ 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬
🥂 Wine
🥂 Romance
🥂 Cheating (not main couple)
🥂 Age Gap
🥂 Adult Fiction
🥂 Golden Retriever Boy
🥂 Friends To Lovers
༄₊˚🥂 ┆ 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
⋆｡˚🥂⋆ 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 ⋆｡˚🥂⋆
┊5/5┊
⋆｡˚🥂⋆ 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 ⋆｡˚🥂⋆
┊2/5┊
༄₊˚🥂 ┆ 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬
જ⁀➴ ugh this book was so addicting from the start, i didn’t expect to love it as much as i did, not only where the characters realistic and likeable, but the story was written beautifully and i genuinely could not wait to read every day.
the wine aspect was interesting to me as well, even though i don’t drink wine, i was still able to follow along. this book was fabulous.
༄₊˚🥂 ┆ 𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭
જ⁀➴ Fiona Fisher thought she had her life together until her husband left her and their three kids for his second family. now, she's trying to rebuild her life while unexpectedly growing closer to Satoshi Tsukamoto, the owner of a popular wine bar.
જ⁀➴ the plot was addictive honestly, there were no lulls in the book and i was constantly enjoying my time reading this, even when i was at the verge of tears. (trust me, this book gets ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑦)
there were some minor mistakes in this book but i’m assuming those will be fixed before publication so they didn’t really bother me.
this book honestly should have felt a little insta love to me but it honestly didn’t, the character felt so human and the emotions and feeling felt so human too, that even if it was kinda insta love, it just didn’t feel like it. this book genuinely has my heart and is exactly what i needed.
༄₊˚🥂 ┆ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬
𖦹 𝐅𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚
i saw some hate on her in other reviews but i genuinly don’t understand it. she was hurt badly by her husband so obviously she wouldn’t be all willing and happy to jump right into another relationship. but maybe i don’t understand it because she is lowkey me.
Fiona was such a beautifully written character and i feel like she was portrayed realistically.
𖦹 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐢
sadly i don’t think there are any men out in the world like him. Satoshi has my heart, he is so kind and gentle, and forgiving and sexy and genuinly just so fucking perfect. i don’t think i have ever read a book with a more perfect man, and i am so glad i requested this arc in the first place because otherwise i don’t think i ever would have found one.
though Fiona kind of did treat him not so great, i feel like he handled it the best way, knowing what she was going through and that she wasn’t fully ready to go all in.
Satoshi officially has to be my number one book boyfriend right now honestly.
༄₊˚🥂 ┆ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝
✧ Satoshi
✧ about 20% mark
✧Satoshi
༄₊˚🥂 ┆ 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥
જ⁀➴ I really REALLY enjoyed this book and definitely am going to be biting an actual physical copy when it comes out. It’s one of those books where you will already be smiling and grinning by the ten percent mark, and OML the things Satoshi said had my heart throbbing.
I will def be posting quotes after the publication date so stay tuned. And I hope that everyone else that got the arc enjoys thi sbook as much as me!!
🥂 rating : ★★★★.75
𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐭-𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐜 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
༄₊˚🥂 ┆ pre-review:
ugh this book was genuinely what i needed, i love these characters so fricking much oml, Satoshi has my heart.
rtc 🥂
༄₊˚🥂 ┆ pre-read:
I GOT THE ARC OML, i’m so happy this is my first ever arc that i was approved for and im so excited to read this. the cover is actually so fricking cute.
» I Need Her - JBC«
0:47 ────────⚪──────── 1:54
⇄ ◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹ ↻
༄₊˚🥂 ┆ 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬
🥂 Wine
🥂 Romance
🥂 Cheating (not main couple)
🥂 Age Gap
🥂 Adult Fiction
🥂 Golden Retriever Boy
🥂 Friends To Lovers
༄₊˚🥂 ┆ 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
⋆｡˚🥂⋆ 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 ⋆｡˚🥂⋆
┊5/5┊
⋆｡˚🥂⋆ 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 ⋆｡˚🥂⋆
┊2/5┊
༄₊˚🥂 ┆ 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬
જ⁀➴ ugh this book was so addicting from the start, i didn’t expect to love it as much as i did, not only where the characters realistic and likeable, but the story was written beautifully and i genuinely could not wait to read every day.
the wine aspect was interesting to me as well, even though i don’t drink wine, i was still able to follow along. this book was fabulous.
༄₊˚🥂 ┆ 𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭
જ⁀➴ Fiona Fisher thought she had her life together until her husband left her and their three kids for his second family. now, she's trying to rebuild her life while unexpectedly growing closer to Satoshi Tsukamoto, the owner of a popular wine bar.
જ⁀➴ the plot was addictive honestly, there were no lulls in the book and i was constantly enjoying my time reading this, even when i was at the verge of tears. (trust me, this book gets ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑦)
there were some minor mistakes in this book but i’m assuming those will be fixed before publication so they didn’t really bother me.
this book honestly should have felt a little insta love to me but it honestly didn’t, the character felt so human and the emotions and feeling felt so human too, that even if it was kinda insta love, it just didn’t feel like it. this book genuinely has my heart and is exactly what i needed.
༄₊˚🥂 ┆ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬
𖦹 𝐅𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚
i saw some hate on her in other reviews but i genuinly don’t understand it. she was hurt badly by her husband so obviously she wouldn’t be all willing and happy to jump right into another relationship. but maybe i don’t understand it because she is lowkey me.
Fiona was such a beautifully written character and i feel like she was portrayed realistically.
𖦹 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐢
sadly i don’t think there are any men out in the world like him. Satoshi has my heart, he is so kind and gentle, and forgiving and sexy and genuinly just so fucking perfect. i don’t think i have ever read a book with a more perfect man, and i am so glad i requested this arc in the first place because otherwise i don’t think i ever would have found one.
though Fiona kind of did treat him not so great, i feel like he handled it the best way, knowing what she was going through and that she wasn’t fully ready to go all in.
Satoshi officially has to be my number one book boyfriend right now honestly.
༄₊˚🥂 ┆ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝
✧ Satoshi
✧ about 20% mark
✧Satoshi
༄₊˚🥂 ┆ 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥
જ⁀➴ I really REALLY enjoyed this book and definitely am going to be biting an actual physical copy when it comes out. It’s one of those books where you will already be smiling and grinning by the ten percent mark, and OML the things Satoshi said had my heart throbbing.
I will def be posting quotes after the publication date so stay tuned. And I hope that everyone else that got the arc enjoys thi sbook as much as me!!
🥂 rating : ★★★★.75
𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐭-𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐜 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
༄₊˚🥂 ┆ pre-review:
ugh this book was genuinely what i needed, i love these characters so fricking much oml, Satoshi has my heart.
rtc 🥂
༄₊˚🥂 ┆ pre-read:
I GOT THE ARC OML, i’m so happy this is my first ever arc that i was approved for and im so excited to read this. the cover is actually so fricking cute.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, & Jodi McAlister for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
📼 𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 ~ 𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝔀𝓲𝓷𝓮 𝓼𝓾𝓹𝓮𝓻𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓪 ~ 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓵𝓵 𝓻𝓸𝓪𝓷 ⋆˚࿔♫⋆˚࿔📀♡⋆.˚
ʙᴀʙʏ, ᴡʜʏ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴏᴠᴇʀ?
ʀᴇᴅ ᴡɪɴᴇ ꜱᴜᴘᴇʀɴᴏᴠᴀ, ꜰᴀʟʟ ʀɪɢʜᴛ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴍᴇ
𝓯𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰 ‧₊˚ 🍷⋅♡✨ ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
꒰ 🌈 ꒱ lgbtq rep
꒰ 🍷 ꒱ wine
꒰ 💕 ꒱ dual pov
꒰ 🗝️ ꒱ "forbidden" romance
꒰ ✨ ꒱ he falls first
꒰ ❤️🔥 ꒱ slowww burn
WHEWWW
first off, the vibes were ✨sparkling✨ wine tasting + bookstore??? invite plsss
a study in sparkling, aside from making me drool over all the alcohol mentions, features our hot queer japanese mmc
╰┈➤ˎˊ˗ satoshi ‧₊˚ 🍷⋅♡✨ ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
📼 𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 ~ 𝔂𝓸𝓾'𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓸𝓷𝓵𝔂 𝓸𝓷𝓮 ~ 𝓭𝓸𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓸𝓷 ೀ⋆｡˚💿
ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴏɴᴇ, ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴏɴᴇ
ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴏʟᴅ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ᴀɪɴ'ᴛ ɢᴏɴɴᴀ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ
a workaholic sommelier who falls HARD for our aussie fmc
╰┈➤ˎˊ˗ fiona ‧˚꒰🍷💋ྀིྀི ꒱༘‧
📼 𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 ~ 𝓫𝓻𝓾𝓽𝓪𝓵 ~ 𝓸𝓵𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓪 𝓻𝓸𝓭𝓻𝓲𝓰𝓸 ⋆˚࿔♫💿✮˚.⋆
ɪ ᴡɪꜱʜ ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴅɪꜱᴀᴘᴘᴇᴀʀ
ᴇɢᴏ ᴄʀᴜꜱʜ ɪꜱ ꜱᴏ ꜱᴇᴠᴇʀᴇ
ɢᴏᴅ, ɪᴛ'ꜱ ʙʀᴜᴛᴀʟ ᴏᴜᴛ ʜᴇʀᴇ
a newly single mom as she struggles through a highly fked marriage/divorce. literally all the men in this except satoshi can go fk themselves.
as for the YEARNING in this OOO THE YEARNING was ALL OVER their thoughts, their texts, their emails, their sexy times. satoshi had it baddd for fiona and fiona was an inferiority complex tornado. the miscommunications and misunderstandings in this worked so well and had me feeling bad (mostly for satoshi). i hated fiona sometimes for stringing satoshi along like the adorable puppy he is. also he matches his glasses frames to his outfits oolalallalaala
loved: satoshi, wine, the vibes, the wine blurbs for each chapter, fiona's cutie pie nonbinary child lex, did i mention satoshi?
qualms: weirdly formatted dialogue (likely technical issue), a bit too much yearning, fiona's yapping
matt im gonna kill--
p.s. us is still beating aus in the world cup ;)
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
💖 𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕 💖
first read out of the hospital yaaaaaaaaaa
✨ 𝕒𝕣𝕔 𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕔𝕖𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 ✨
OMGOMGOMGOGMOMG I GOT THE ARC
📼 𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 ~ 𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝔀𝓲𝓷𝓮 𝓼𝓾𝓹𝓮𝓻𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓪 ~ 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓵𝓵 𝓻𝓸𝓪𝓷 ⋆˚࿔♫⋆˚࿔📀♡⋆.˚
ʙᴀʙʏ, ᴡʜʏ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴏᴠᴇʀ?
ʀᴇᴅ ᴡɪɴᴇ ꜱᴜᴘᴇʀɴᴏᴠᴀ, ꜰᴀʟʟ ʀɪɢʜᴛ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴍᴇ
𝓯𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰 ‧₊˚ 🍷⋅♡✨ ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
꒰ 🌈 ꒱ lgbtq rep
꒰ 🍷 ꒱ wine
꒰ 💕 ꒱ dual pov
꒰ 🗝️ ꒱ "forbidden" romance
꒰ ✨ ꒱ he falls first
꒰ ❤️🔥 ꒱ slowww burn
WHEWWW
first off, the vibes were ✨sparkling✨ wine tasting + bookstore??? invite plsss
a study in sparkling, aside from making me drool over all the alcohol mentions, features our hot queer japanese mmc
╰┈➤ˎˊ˗ satoshi ‧₊˚ 🍷⋅♡✨ ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
📼 𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 ~ 𝔂𝓸𝓾'𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓸𝓷𝓵𝔂 𝓸𝓷𝓮 ~ 𝓭𝓸𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓸𝓷 ೀ⋆｡˚💿
ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴏɴᴇ, ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴏɴᴇ
ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴏʟᴅ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ᴀɪɴ'ᴛ ɢᴏɴɴᴀ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ
a workaholic sommelier who falls HARD for our aussie fmc
╰┈➤ˎˊ˗ fiona ‧˚꒰🍷💋ྀིྀི ꒱༘‧
📼 𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 ~ 𝓫𝓻𝓾𝓽𝓪𝓵 ~ 𝓸𝓵𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓪 𝓻𝓸𝓭𝓻𝓲𝓰𝓸 ⋆˚࿔♫💿✮˚.⋆
ɪ ᴡɪꜱʜ ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴅɪꜱᴀᴘᴘᴇᴀʀ
ᴇɢᴏ ᴄʀᴜꜱʜ ɪꜱ ꜱᴏ ꜱᴇᴠᴇʀᴇ
ɢᴏᴅ, ɪᴛ'ꜱ ʙʀᴜᴛᴀʟ ᴏᴜᴛ ʜᴇʀᴇ
a newly single mom as she struggles through a highly fked marriage/divorce. literally all the men in this except satoshi can go fk themselves.
as for the YEARNING in this OOO THE YEARNING was ALL OVER their thoughts, their texts, their emails, their sexy times. satoshi had it baddd for fiona and fiona was an inferiority complex tornado. the miscommunications and misunderstandings in this worked so well and had me feeling bad (mostly for satoshi). i hated fiona sometimes for stringing satoshi along like the adorable puppy he is. also he matches his glasses frames to his outfits oolalallalaala
loved: satoshi, wine, the vibes, the wine blurbs for each chapter, fiona's cutie pie nonbinary child lex, did i mention satoshi?
qualms: weirdly formatted dialogue (likely technical issue), a bit too much yearning, fiona's yapping
matt im gonna kill--
p.s. us is still beating aus in the world cup ;)
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
💖 𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕 💖
first read out of the hospital yaaaaaaaaaa
✨ 𝕒𝕣𝕔 𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕔𝕖𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 ✨
OMGOMGOMGOGMOMG I GOT THE ARC
anticipated
February 20, 2026Book 2?! Fiona?! Book 3?! Elias?! 👀🤞
Read
April 8, 2026full review tk closer to pub day but i really loved this second book in the series! 🩵
a massive amount of wine involved, but especially fantastic character growth🥰🙂↕️
a massive amount of wine involved, but especially fantastic character growth🥰🙂↕️
July 22, 2026
⋆.˚✮ 5 stars ✮˚.⋆
⤿ Thank you to Atria Books for the arc through netgalley and a physical arc in exchange for an honest review!
hello to a new favorite read of the year omg!! when i tell you this was unputdownable and so spectacular, i mean that in the way that i picked this up and finished it in the same day because i was so obsessed with it! i was highly anticipating this release after being gifted an arc of An Academic Affair earlier this year, the first book in this romance standalone series, and really enjoying it. that one had a few things that were a mixed bag for me, but i was hoping this would blow me away as it featured my two favorite characters from the last book Fiona and Satoshi. luckily that was the case and i was floored by this book!!
this follows Fiona, a married mother of three who thinks she has everything she needs in life until her husband reveals that he is leaving her for his secret second family. shes left devastated and humiliated, already teetering under the weight of her family's expectations. Satoshi runs her favorite wine bar and wants it all, to become a Master Sommelier, grow his establishment, and maybe most importantly of all, Fiona. on paper they make no sense, he is eight years younger than her and stays extremely busy, and she's a newly single mother unsure when she will be able to trust someone again fully. but what happens when he suggests they give into their mutual attraction?
first of all, the most well-rounded part of this novel was the divorce pieces. i know that this isn't going to work for some readers, and people will complain that its messy and drama-filled. but as someone whose parents are divorced, and watched them both go through a second divorce, with one of them having a similar experience to Fiona, i felt so seen. both as a daughter of divorced parents and someone on the side when my parents divorced again. these things are NOT pretty or fun, and often the divorce proceedings don't always go the way you want. everything Fiona went through was horrible and i detest Matt, but i also really appreciated how McAlister didn't shy away from everything that happened to Fiona and Matt. especially all the emotions her kids were feeling while this was breaking apart their world
usually miscommunication is my least favorite trope and i detest any book that relies so heavily on it, but there was just something so delectable about the plot in this book. both Fiona and Satoshi were going through a difficult moment in their lives and they weren't perfect, but that seemed to make them all the more human. of course i didn't loooove that Fiona did seem to keep Satoshi hidden away for so long, and Satoshi yielded a lot to her in that way, but the mistakes they were making eventually led to so much character growth and to me that was the important part!! i know how some readers could be frustrated by this (and will be) but i just had so much empathy for the situation Fiona was in, and i understood Satoshi so much being someone who often overworks herself like he does. they aren't perfect, and both make mistakes and stumbles, but seeing them grow together and learn to rely on each other was beautiful! the payoff was so good too- both of them grew lots by the end of the book and thats all that mattered to me. i gave them grace that they needed and it paid off!! also the spice? amazing. Satoshi knows how to deliver truly.
both of them as individual characters were so fun to follow too, they share a few similar passions but also i loved seeing them be unique characters!! i know nothing about wine or alcohol as i don't drink (no shame to people who do, i just don't!) but it was really fun seeing how passionate Satoshi was about finding the perfect pairings. the descriptions made absolutely everything sound so delicious. and it was really sweet to see Fiona start to discover herself outside of her marriage and being a mother with wine training and writing. as someone of a single mother, i know how hard it can be to have outside of just being a mom when you are constantly focused on your children. i am really glad she had so much support around her to be able to do that.
the family dynamics for both Fiona and Satoshi were marvelous in this book. in An Academic Affair, McAlister sets up for some family growth after events that unfold with Fiona's brother. i know family can be tough, but i truly loved seeing both Jonah and Elias come together and be her major support when she needed it, i love them as brothers and as characters. Satoshi has a brother too, and their father has passed away (of overworking himself). Satoshi tends to do that as well, and his brother is constantly trying to help him throughout the book. it was a refreshing piece of this book i hope we have more books for, as i would love to continue to see family dynamics.
the representation in this book was really well done. Satoshi himself is pansexual, and Fiona's child Lex is nonbinary. Lex is really able to connect with Satoshi even before their mom and him get together, and it was really sweet to see them have a person to look up to in the 2SLGBTQ+ community when their real dad wasn't so kind. there's a scene where Lex breaks down crying after telling off their dad becuase they believe it's their fault their parents broke up, as "there is nothing wrong with you mom or my sisters" and it broke my heart. i felt that as a child of divorce, but also i am sure that specific sentiment will be shared with many readers in that community.
another one of my favorite parts of this book was all the mixed media we got! we get emails between Fiona and various people, as well as text messages between all the characters. there are a couple months in this book that go by just in this format, and that again won't work for everyone but i thought it was so fun! especially as they would have been going through the same motions every week (studying, taking care of kids, etc). it added a bit of freshness into the story, and it was so fun reading their text messages!!
a truly outstanding release of the year and i am crossing my fingers that there will be more books set around this circle of family/friends!! i would love to see Elias, Chess or Satoshi's brother get their own love story too. even if you haven't read An Academic Affair i am begging you to pick this book up because it truly blew me away!!
↬ trigger warnings: infidelity, misogyny, depictions of panic attacks, pregnancy, transphobia and homophobia
⤿ Thank you to Atria Books for the arc through netgalley and a physical arc in exchange for an honest review!
hello to a new favorite read of the year omg!! when i tell you this was unputdownable and so spectacular, i mean that in the way that i picked this up and finished it in the same day because i was so obsessed with it! i was highly anticipating this release after being gifted an arc of An Academic Affair earlier this year, the first book in this romance standalone series, and really enjoying it. that one had a few things that were a mixed bag for me, but i was hoping this would blow me away as it featured my two favorite characters from the last book Fiona and Satoshi. luckily that was the case and i was floored by this book!!
this follows Fiona, a married mother of three who thinks she has everything she needs in life until her husband reveals that he is leaving her for his secret second family. shes left devastated and humiliated, already teetering under the weight of her family's expectations. Satoshi runs her favorite wine bar and wants it all, to become a Master Sommelier, grow his establishment, and maybe most importantly of all, Fiona. on paper they make no sense, he is eight years younger than her and stays extremely busy, and she's a newly single mother unsure when she will be able to trust someone again fully. but what happens when he suggests they give into their mutual attraction?
first of all, the most well-rounded part of this novel was the divorce pieces. i know that this isn't going to work for some readers, and people will complain that its messy and drama-filled. but as someone whose parents are divorced, and watched them both go through a second divorce, with one of them having a similar experience to Fiona, i felt so seen. both as a daughter of divorced parents and someone on the side when my parents divorced again. these things are NOT pretty or fun, and often the divorce proceedings don't always go the way you want. everything Fiona went through was horrible and i detest Matt, but i also really appreciated how McAlister didn't shy away from everything that happened to Fiona and Matt. especially all the emotions her kids were feeling while this was breaking apart their world
usually miscommunication is my least favorite trope and i detest any book that relies so heavily on it, but there was just something so delectable about the plot in this book. both Fiona and Satoshi were going through a difficult moment in their lives and they weren't perfect, but that seemed to make them all the more human. of course i didn't loooove that Fiona did seem to keep Satoshi hidden away for so long, and Satoshi yielded a lot to her in that way, but the mistakes they were making eventually led to so much character growth and to me that was the important part!! i know how some readers could be frustrated by this (and will be) but i just had so much empathy for the situation Fiona was in, and i understood Satoshi so much being someone who often overworks herself like he does. they aren't perfect, and both make mistakes and stumbles, but seeing them grow together and learn to rely on each other was beautiful! the payoff was so good too- both of them grew lots by the end of the book and thats all that mattered to me. i gave them grace that they needed and it paid off!! also the spice? amazing. Satoshi knows how to deliver truly.
both of them as individual characters were so fun to follow too, they share a few similar passions but also i loved seeing them be unique characters!! i know nothing about wine or alcohol as i don't drink (no shame to people who do, i just don't!) but it was really fun seeing how passionate Satoshi was about finding the perfect pairings. the descriptions made absolutely everything sound so delicious. and it was really sweet to see Fiona start to discover herself outside of her marriage and being a mother with wine training and writing. as someone of a single mother, i know how hard it can be to have outside of just being a mom when you are constantly focused on your children. i am really glad she had so much support around her to be able to do that.
the family dynamics for both Fiona and Satoshi were marvelous in this book. in An Academic Affair, McAlister sets up for some family growth after events that unfold with Fiona's brother. i know family can be tough, but i truly loved seeing both Jonah and Elias come together and be her major support when she needed it, i love them as brothers and as characters. Satoshi has a brother too, and their father has passed away (of overworking himself). Satoshi tends to do that as well, and his brother is constantly trying to help him throughout the book. it was a refreshing piece of this book i hope we have more books for, as i would love to continue to see family dynamics.
the representation in this book was really well done. Satoshi himself is pansexual, and Fiona's child Lex is nonbinary. Lex is really able to connect with Satoshi even before their mom and him get together, and it was really sweet to see them have a person to look up to in the 2SLGBTQ+ community when their real dad wasn't so kind. there's a scene where Lex breaks down crying after telling off their dad becuase they believe it's their fault their parents broke up, as "there is nothing wrong with you mom or my sisters" and it broke my heart. i felt that as a child of divorce, but also i am sure that specific sentiment will be shared with many readers in that community.
another one of my favorite parts of this book was all the mixed media we got! we get emails between Fiona and various people, as well as text messages between all the characters. there are a couple months in this book that go by just in this format, and that again won't work for everyone but i thought it was so fun! especially as they would have been going through the same motions every week (studying, taking care of kids, etc). it added a bit of freshness into the story, and it was so fun reading their text messages!!
a truly outstanding release of the year and i am crossing my fingers that there will be more books set around this circle of family/friends!! i would love to see Elias, Chess or Satoshi's brother get their own love story too. even if you haven't read An Academic Affair i am begging you to pick this book up because it truly blew me away!!
↬ trigger warnings: infidelity, misogyny, depictions of panic attacks, pregnancy, transphobia and homophobia
Want to Read
June 4, 2026I enjoyed An Academic Affair but I didn't love it as much as I wanted to. I'm thankful for publishers invite to continue the series.
This story is about a single mom who is not looking for love or another relationship yet again can't stay away from a younger owner of her favorite wine bar. Satoshi Tsukamoto wants it all, unlike Fiona Fisher. On paper, they make no sense. He's 8 years younger and she's had a rough couple of years. Can they agree to keep things casual or will they give into their mutual attraction?
Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books and the author, Jodi McAlister for an early copy!
Publication: September 15, 2026
This story is about a single mom who is not looking for love or another relationship yet again can't stay away from a younger owner of her favorite wine bar. Satoshi Tsukamoto wants it all, unlike Fiona Fisher. On paper, they make no sense. He's 8 years younger and she's had a rough couple of years. Can they agree to keep things casual or will they give into their mutual attraction?
Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books and the author, Jodi McAlister for an early copy!
Publication: September 15, 2026
Want to Read
June 24, 2026・❥・⁀➷ 🍷📚𝕡𝕣𝕖-𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕
how are you going to tell me I got denied for the first one yet accepted for this one. like cmon now 😭
OH WELL. better one than none ig😝
how are you going to tell me I got denied for the first one yet accepted for this one. like cmon now 😭
OH WELL. better one than none ig😝
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
As someone who mostly only reads books with queer characters, giving 5 stars to 'An Academic Affair', a cishet book, back in January was something rare and serious for me. While requesting this, I thought, "Wow, getting the Jodi McAlister writing I loved with a queer character? Yes Please!", however it did not live up to expectations.
Starting with the fact that the optics of a straight woman watching a queer man and his lover kiss and getting off on that just isn't a good look in general, the book already had one strike against it. Then I read that they had an 8 year age gap with Fiona being older and the buzz was back more than ever. The way the book is formatted with all the momentum and tension being built almost always being offset by pages and pages of text messages did not make my reading experience any better. It might look good on physical pages, but it did not work digitally and only served to irritate me.
The characters, Satoshi and Fiona,though were written pretty well. Fiona moreso.
Maybe it's the fact that I just do not enjoy this trope as much as I do fake dating/marriage, but I think it's truly sad when the best part of my reading this was getting to see Jonah and Sadie again!
Thank you Netgalley and Atria for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Starting with the fact that the optics of a straight woman watching a queer man and his lover kiss and getting off on that just isn't a good look in general, the book already had one strike against it. Then I read that they had an 8 year age gap with Fiona being older and the buzz was back more than ever. The way the book is formatted with all the momentum and tension being built almost always being offset by pages and pages of text messages did not make my reading experience any better. It might look good on physical pages, but it did not work digitally and only served to irritate me.
The characters, Satoshi and Fiona,though were written pretty well. Fiona moreso.
Maybe it's the fact that I just do not enjoy this trope as much as I do fake dating/marriage, but I think it's truly sad when the best part of my reading this was getting to see Jonah and Sadie again!
Thank you Netgalley and Atria for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
June 2, 2026
6 stars, AGAIN!
I got an ARC and started it right away but I loved this book so much that I will be ordering both paperbacks ( I mean Academic Affair and Study in Sparkling) and rereading them a lot.
The amount of times I teared up was crazy. I do get emotional sometimes when reading but rarely to such extent and really almost never actually cry.
Single mom of three dealing not only with divorce but her (ex)husband living double life for years? AND reverse age gap trope? This is like a catnip for me.
It’s very easy for a book to not live up to the hype when your expectations are high. Mine were off the charts high, but I am happy to report that Jodi McAlister delivered. (Not that I doubted even for a second!)
Exceptional writing, capturing different difficulties of Fiona’s and Sato’s situations - their respective ones and common one. My heart broke oh so many times. For Fiona, her girls, the complexity of relationship with her parents and brothers.
The story focuses A LOT on wine and while I don’t really drink any alcohol and wine is the second last type of alcohol I like, I enjoyed all the wine bits a lot.
I just love this book. I loved the plot itself, the story telling, pacing, execution, writing, how the characters are built, basically I loved every little thing about this book.
There are some very unlikable characters and you will get angry at times but the way they are written - flawless.
Go read An Academic Affair now and put this title on your TBR.
I am already so giddy for Jodi’s next book!
*might edit my review later and add some quotes. Check out my reading updates, I added a few ;)
The biggest thank you to Atria for the eARC 🩷🩷🩷
Updating as of 2 June 2026 cause I got NetGalley widget with such good marketing email that I want to rate this email 6 stars too.
Copied from Atria Marketing mailing:
“
🍷 he falls first, she falls harder
🍷 slow-burn emotional intimacy
🍷 second-love stories
🍷 yearning so good it should probably be illegal
Funny, romantic, sexy, and deeply relatable, A STUDY IN SPARKLING is a story about rebuilding, discovering who you are outside of everyone else's expectations, and finding the courage to believe you deserve to be fully chosen.
For every reader who's ever watched Ginny & Georgia and thought, What if Georgia actually ended up with Joe?”
🩷 After reading this book I can tell you the above is not only good marketing but truly describes what A Study in Sparkling is about 🩷
I got an ARC and started it right away but I loved this book so much that I will be ordering both paperbacks ( I mean Academic Affair and Study in Sparkling) and rereading them a lot.
The amount of times I teared up was crazy. I do get emotional sometimes when reading but rarely to such extent and really almost never actually cry.
Single mom of three dealing not only with divorce but her (ex)husband living double life for years? AND reverse age gap trope? This is like a catnip for me.
It’s very easy for a book to not live up to the hype when your expectations are high. Mine were off the charts high, but I am happy to report that Jodi McAlister delivered. (Not that I doubted even for a second!)
Exceptional writing, capturing different difficulties of Fiona’s and Sato’s situations - their respective ones and common one. My heart broke oh so many times. For Fiona, her girls, the complexity of relationship with her parents and brothers.
The story focuses A LOT on wine and while I don’t really drink any alcohol and wine is the second last type of alcohol I like, I enjoyed all the wine bits a lot.
I just love this book. I loved the plot itself, the story telling, pacing, execution, writing, how the characters are built, basically I loved every little thing about this book.
There are some very unlikable characters and you will get angry at times but the way they are written - flawless.
Go read An Academic Affair now and put this title on your TBR.
I am already so giddy for Jodi’s next book!
*might edit my review later and add some quotes. Check out my reading updates, I added a few ;)
The biggest thank you to Atria for the eARC 🩷🩷🩷
Updating as of 2 June 2026 cause I got NetGalley widget with such good marketing email that I want to rate this email 6 stars too.
Copied from Atria Marketing mailing:
“
🍷 he falls first, she falls harder
🍷 slow-burn emotional intimacy
🍷 second-love stories
🍷 yearning so good it should probably be illegal
Funny, romantic, sexy, and deeply relatable, A STUDY IN SPARKLING is a story about rebuilding, discovering who you are outside of everyone else's expectations, and finding the courage to believe you deserve to be fully chosen.
For every reader who's ever watched Ginny & Georgia and thought, What if Georgia actually ended up with Joe?”
🩷 After reading this book I can tell you the above is not only good marketing but truly describes what A Study in Sparkling is about 🩷
June 19, 2026
I enjoyed Jodi McAlister's first book, An Academic Affair, so I went into this one expecting the same... However, that's not what I got. This one had a lot more smut and a lot more miscommunication, neither of which are things I like in my books lol.
Fiona Fisher is a mom to three kids who has the rug pulled from under her when her husband drops a bomb saying that he has a secret second family and he's leaving them. She finds herself seeking refuge from this storm in the wine bar, Tsundoku, owned by Satoshi Tsukamoto. This book includes a small age gap--8yrs, so nothing *crazy* but not something you see often. There was also no development in their relationship not associated with the escalation of physical intimacy? Then, Fiona really never would listen to Satoshi, nor did she ever really allow herself to be known by him until like the last 50pgs. Which makes it even harder for me to wrap my mind around them being sooOoOooOoOOooooOOOoo in love lol.
Anyways, now I'm not so sure I'm going to want to read the third Fisher love story if it's going to be like this. But if it's like Jonah's was, I'm totally on board haha. We shall see!
Fiona Fisher is a mom to three kids who has the rug pulled from under her when her husband drops a bomb saying that he has a secret second family and he's leaving them. She finds herself seeking refuge from this storm in the wine bar, Tsundoku, owned by Satoshi Tsukamoto. This book includes a small age gap--8yrs, so nothing *crazy* but not something you see often. There was also no development in their relationship not associated with the escalation of physical intimacy? Then, Fiona really never would listen to Satoshi, nor did she ever really allow herself to be known by him until like the last 50pgs. Which makes it even harder for me to wrap my mind around them being sooOoOooOoOOooooOOOoo in love lol.
Anyways, now I'm not so sure I'm going to want to read the third Fisher love story if it's going to be like this. But if it's like Jonah's was, I'm totally on board haha. We shall see!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you, Netgalley and Atria Publishing, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I am, quite frankly, underwhelmed and disappointed by this book. I really enjoyed the first of the series, and what stood out to me was the distinct, unique voice of the characters. But this book was bland like plain oatmeal, and the main characters did not have a unique voice at all. I hope this does not sound harsh, but I much preferred it when the author was writing the academia romance. I feel like there was much more realism in it; this book was weak.
The book was so wine-focused that it took away from the chemistry between the main characters, which I struggled to feel throughout the entire book. Also, the age gap being referenced throughout the entire book made me feel wildly uncomfortable, and made the FMC look odd for always pointing it out.
Fiona, the FMC, has gone through horrible things, but I think she would benefit from some therapy, because her behavior and actions were quite childish. Her communication skills were absolutely lacking, and I do not think she should date until she addresses her trauma.
The writing was nothing special, but I will not remember much of this book. I would not recommend it to those who have read the first book in this series.
I am, quite frankly, underwhelmed and disappointed by this book. I really enjoyed the first of the series, and what stood out to me was the distinct, unique voice of the characters. But this book was bland like plain oatmeal, and the main characters did not have a unique voice at all. I hope this does not sound harsh, but I much preferred it when the author was writing the academia romance. I feel like there was much more realism in it; this book was weak.
The book was so wine-focused that it took away from the chemistry between the main characters, which I struggled to feel throughout the entire book. Also, the age gap being referenced throughout the entire book made me feel wildly uncomfortable, and made the FMC look odd for always pointing it out.
Fiona, the FMC, has gone through horrible things, but I think she would benefit from some therapy, because her behavior and actions were quite childish. Her communication skills were absolutely lacking, and I do not think she should date until she addresses her trauma.
The writing was nothing special, but I will not remember much of this book. I would not recommend it to those who have read the first book in this series.
July 22, 2026
Delightful. Warm. Charming.
I love how the book opens and had me keen to read about how they fell in love…
I love how the book opens and had me keen to read about how they fell in love…
June 17, 2026
I have been ready to fistfight Fiona’s ex for well over a year now so I AM HERE FOR HER GETTING THE LIFE SHE DESERVES
🌟🌟🌟🌟✨
Once again, Jodi has written characters who are so soft for each other but are also ride-or-die for each other (even if it takes them a minute to get there reliably). Fiona has been through SO much and has been so busy taking care of and protecting her children that she’s had no time to actually sit and process everything herself. Satoshi has quickly become her home, but she has very little to give and has long since forgotten how to ask for help.
Satoshi is so determined to prove himself (to himself and to everyone around him) that he’s rapidly burning out. And while the sparkling moments of joy and comfort he finds with Fiona are what he most looks forward to, they’re also breaking his heart - because he’s been ten steps ahead of her the entire time they’ve been falling in love, and he knows she has a lot to work through before she feels safe meeting him where he is.
🌟🌟🌟🌟✨
Once again, Jodi has written characters who are so soft for each other but are also ride-or-die for each other (even if it takes them a minute to get there reliably). Fiona has been through SO much and has been so busy taking care of and protecting her children that she’s had no time to actually sit and process everything herself. Satoshi has quickly become her home, but she has very little to give and has long since forgotten how to ask for help.
Satoshi is so determined to prove himself (to himself and to everyone around him) that he’s rapidly burning out. And while the sparkling moments of joy and comfort he finds with Fiona are what he most looks forward to, they’re also breaking his heart - because he’s been ten steps ahead of her the entire time they’ve been falling in love, and he knows she has a lot to work through before she feels safe meeting him where he is.
Want to Read
July 5, 2026🍾✨ A Study in Sparkling ✨🍾
📖 Bookish Thoughts
My full review will be shared closer to the publication date.
✨ What to Expect
• Age Gap
• Single Mom
• Wine Bar Setting
• Friends to Lovers
• He Falls First
_ _ _ _
📅 Pub Date: September 15, 2026
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
📖 Bookish Thoughts
My full review will be shared closer to the publication date.
✨ What to Expect
• Age Gap
• Single Mom
• Wine Bar Setting
• Friends to Lovers
• He Falls First
_ _ _ _
📅 Pub Date: September 15, 2026
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
Want to Read
April 28, 2026⋆˚ʚɞ
pre-read : wdym i got the arc ♡ᰔ૮₍ ˃ ⤙ ˂ ₎ა
pre-read : wdym i got the arc ♡ᰔ૮₍ ˃ ⤙ ˂ ₎ა
June 14, 2026
I hadn’t read anything by this author yet, so I wasn’t sure what to expect but the premise definitely hooked me!
I really enjoyed A Study In Sparkling, the story follows Sato a young sommelier and wine bar owner and Fiona a single mom who recently divorced her husband. Fiona’s whole life is flipped when she finds out Matt her husband has a secret family (what a douche) as she grapples with hers and her three children’s new reality she leans on Satoshi, her friend who owns the wine bar. Sato has been in love with Fiona for a while and when things start to heat up between them he’s determined to prove to her that they can go the distance.
Sato was such a sweetheart, the relationship and dynamic between these two was so lovely but also frustrating! It was so easy to see that they were not communicating effectively- I couldn’t put the book down! I was so desperate for them to both explain their feelings.
This had the perfect amount of yearning and the slow burn was enough to drive any sane person feral! I also adores all the wine talk- while I’m not a sommelier myself (maybe one day) I love when books just really get into their niche. I always feel like I learn a few new things from them! Overall I had a great time with a Study In Sparkling and highly recommend!
I really enjoyed A Study In Sparkling, the story follows Sato a young sommelier and wine bar owner and Fiona a single mom who recently divorced her husband. Fiona’s whole life is flipped when she finds out Matt her husband has a secret family (what a douche) as she grapples with hers and her three children’s new reality she leans on Satoshi, her friend who owns the wine bar. Sato has been in love with Fiona for a while and when things start to heat up between them he’s determined to prove to her that they can go the distance.
Sato was such a sweetheart, the relationship and dynamic between these two was so lovely but also frustrating! It was so easy to see that they were not communicating effectively- I couldn’t put the book down! I was so desperate for them to both explain their feelings.
This had the perfect amount of yearning and the slow burn was enough to drive any sane person feral! I also adores all the wine talk- while I’m not a sommelier myself (maybe one day) I love when books just really get into their niche. I always feel like I learn a few new things from them! Overall I had a great time with a Study In Sparkling and highly recommend!
June 30, 2026
A Study In Sparkling
This one was…fine. It wasn’t bad, but there are some things that I feel really hindered my ability to absolutely fall in love with it.
Fiona’s story in Academic Affair really tugged on my heart and I was really looking forward to her story with Satoshi, who I absolutely adored in AA. And both of those things remain true. That being said, I feel like we were given SO MUCH story and so little depth.
If you’re looking for a decent romance with really likable characters this is worth a shot!
That being said, here is where I had some problems…
So my biggest biggest BIGGEST issue with this book was the random chapters that would span significant amounts of time that only consisted of emails and texts. And I should have LOVED that aspect. I love a textfic, an epistolary romance etc etc but where I take umbrage is the fact that they completely take over the parts of the story where we SHOULD be seeing Fiona and Sato fall in love.
Sato and Fiona agree to have “study sessions” and take it slow and we literally never get to see them interact. We don’t get to see Fiona fall for satoshi. One second she thinks he’s this great guy (cause he is!!!) and the next second they’ve been fooling around for months and we don’t get ANY of the emotional inner monologue outside of “Satoshi deserves better than I can give” and I felt robbed.
All we got were “thanks for last night” texts over and over and none of the ACTUAL NIGHT IN QUESTION *rips hair out* and this isn’t me wanting to read a ton of smut, I mean I WANTED TO SEE THEM INTERACT, HAVE BANTER, YEARN FOR EACH OTHER EMOTIONALLY EVEN WHILE TOGETHER PHYSICALLY like come onnnnnn
We get to see Satoshi fall in love, we know why and how and how much etc etc but Fiona’s emotional journey is barely explored. She also mentions having a therapist at the very beginning of the book and yet barely does any inner work on her self doubt and spiraling thoughts. I understand exactly what Fiona is feeling but COME ON BABE YOUR THERAPIST IS THERE FOR A REASON HELLOOOOOOOOOO
I really don’t want to rag on this book too much because I truly loved the characters, I can see the future installments for Elias and Isamu and I will probably read them. But I just wish this had given me more of their romance. The text/email chapters really took me out of the story and left a very disappointed taste in my mouth.
ALSO why are none of these people just absolutely lashing Matt or Fionas dad???? If I had to see either of those men in a room they’d get an ear full of my finest and most debilitating insults, and yet????? Barely anyone says anything to them???? NO ONE?!?! I hope someone punches one of them in the face in book 3.
Thanks Atria for the e-ARC !
This one was…fine. It wasn’t bad, but there are some things that I feel really hindered my ability to absolutely fall in love with it.
Fiona’s story in Academic Affair really tugged on my heart and I was really looking forward to her story with Satoshi, who I absolutely adored in AA. And both of those things remain true. That being said, I feel like we were given SO MUCH story and so little depth.
If you’re looking for a decent romance with really likable characters this is worth a shot!
That being said, here is where I had some problems…
So my biggest biggest BIGGEST issue with this book was the random chapters that would span significant amounts of time that only consisted of emails and texts. And I should have LOVED that aspect. I love a textfic, an epistolary romance etc etc but where I take umbrage is the fact that they completely take over the parts of the story where we SHOULD be seeing Fiona and Sato fall in love.
Sato and Fiona agree to have “study sessions” and take it slow and we literally never get to see them interact. We don’t get to see Fiona fall for satoshi. One second she thinks he’s this great guy (cause he is!!!) and the next second they’ve been fooling around for months and we don’t get ANY of the emotional inner monologue outside of “Satoshi deserves better than I can give” and I felt robbed.
All we got were “thanks for last night” texts over and over and none of the ACTUAL NIGHT IN QUESTION *rips hair out* and this isn’t me wanting to read a ton of smut, I mean I WANTED TO SEE THEM INTERACT, HAVE BANTER, YEARN FOR EACH OTHER EMOTIONALLY EVEN WHILE TOGETHER PHYSICALLY like come onnnnnn
We get to see Satoshi fall in love, we know why and how and how much etc etc but Fiona’s emotional journey is barely explored. She also mentions having a therapist at the very beginning of the book and yet barely does any inner work on her self doubt and spiraling thoughts. I understand exactly what Fiona is feeling but COME ON BABE YOUR THERAPIST IS THERE FOR A REASON HELLOOOOOOOOOO
I really don’t want to rag on this book too much because I truly loved the characters, I can see the future installments for Elias and Isamu and I will probably read them. But I just wish this had given me more of their romance. The text/email chapters really took me out of the story and left a very disappointed taste in my mouth.
ALSO why are none of these people just absolutely lashing Matt or Fionas dad???? If I had to see either of those men in a room they’d get an ear full of my finest and most debilitating insults, and yet????? Barely anyone says anything to them???? NO ONE?!?! I hope someone punches one of them in the face in book 3.
Thanks Atria for the e-ARC !
June 24, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the eARC. This was one of my most anticipated books this year and it did not disappoint!
I am such a Jodi McAlister fan. This book had everything I wanted in a romance - the yearning, the love, but most importantly the friendship. This story follow Fiona and Satoshi as they navigate friendship and an age gap turning into more. Fiona’s husband has left her for his other family and she is left picking up the pieces of not only herself, but her 3 kids as well. Satoshi is a kind and patient man who has only ever had eyes for Fiona and I loved getting to see their relationship develop. It’s messy and real and Jodi did such a good job of capturing all the emotions throughout. Plus I love how much educational content are in Jodi’s books! While An Academic Affair gave insight into academia, A Study in Sparkling explores wine. (And also a few appearances by Jonah and Sadie!!) Absolutely loved 5⭐️
I am such a Jodi McAlister fan. This book had everything I wanted in a romance - the yearning, the love, but most importantly the friendship. This story follow Fiona and Satoshi as they navigate friendship and an age gap turning into more. Fiona’s husband has left her for his other family and she is left picking up the pieces of not only herself, but her 3 kids as well. Satoshi is a kind and patient man who has only ever had eyes for Fiona and I loved getting to see their relationship develop. It’s messy and real and Jodi did such a good job of capturing all the emotions throughout. Plus I love how much educational content are in Jodi’s books! While An Academic Affair gave insight into academia, A Study in Sparkling explores wine. (And also a few appearances by Jonah and Sadie!!) Absolutely loved 5⭐️
July 30, 2026
It’s becoming a pattern: I finish a Jodi McAlister book, I immediately want to read MORE Jodi McAlister.
Did Not Finish
May 19, 2026I tried reading this book, but after a few pages I just could not get into it. I think you really have to be a wine lover to enjoy this book. And honestly? I prefer my MMCs to be straight.
I’m sure other people will love this book though! Just not for me. 💔
I’m sure other people will love this book though! Just not for me. 💔
Want to Read
June 9, 2026I got the arc wohooooooo!!!!!!!!!!
An Academic Affair 3/5
An Academic Affair 3/5
Read
June 11, 2026I truly LOVED An Academic Affair, so I literally gasped when the ARC invite for this landed in my inbox and immediately downloaded it. Jodi McAlister did it again! I loved this SO much! She is such a talent and there is just something about the way she writes romance. Her books remind me of Emily Henry and Ali Hazelwood in the best way because they feel like REAL books! Real people. Real emotions. Real messiness. Real flaws. They have depth and heart and yes, sometimes it is messy and toxic and they frustrate me, but this is the way REAL life is so I love it! In a romance genre where so many books can start to feel exactly the same, Jodi's books stand out and they make me so happy.
Fiona and Satoshi are great together, but once again, this is probably because they feel so real and not manufactured. I love when there is a particular character who doesn't see their own worth while the other person is standing there practically screaming YOU ARE THE SUN AND MOON AND STARS FOR ME, WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! Fiona has been through so much. Her ex-husband leaving her for his secret second family should be grounds for straight to jail. Immediately. What a rat bastard!
The reverse age gap was done SO well! Satoshi being younger never felt weird to me and I think Jodi nailed this trope. He just adored Fiona exactly as she was: mom of three, complicated past, baggage and all. And I ate that up!
I also loved all the wine details woven throughout the story. It gave the book such a unique atmosphere and made Satoshi's passion feel so real authentic. I don't know much about wine, but I enjoyed the tasting notes and all the little details scattered throughout the book. This book really gave me Abby Jimenez vibes at times, where the romance is wonderful but the emotional journey is equally important.
Tropes I LOVED:
✔️ Reverse age gap
✔️ Single mom romance
✔️ Divorced FMC finding herself again
✔️ MMC completely gone for her
✔️ Mutual pining
✔️ Healing after heartbreak
✔️ Wine bar setting
This book made my heart so happy! It's romantic, emotional, hopeful, and is the kind of love story that really makes me remember why I love the genre so much in the first place. Highly recommend and please read this and An Academic Affair because it is worth it!
Thank you to NetGalley, Jodi McAlister, and Atria Books for the eARC of this book.
Fiona and Satoshi are great together, but once again, this is probably because they feel so real and not manufactured. I love when there is a particular character who doesn't see their own worth while the other person is standing there practically screaming YOU ARE THE SUN AND MOON AND STARS FOR ME, WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! Fiona has been through so much. Her ex-husband leaving her for his secret second family should be grounds for straight to jail. Immediately. What a rat bastard!
The reverse age gap was done SO well! Satoshi being younger never felt weird to me and I think Jodi nailed this trope. He just adored Fiona exactly as she was: mom of three, complicated past, baggage and all. And I ate that up!
I also loved all the wine details woven throughout the story. It gave the book such a unique atmosphere and made Satoshi's passion feel so real authentic. I don't know much about wine, but I enjoyed the tasting notes and all the little details scattered throughout the book. This book really gave me Abby Jimenez vibes at times, where the romance is wonderful but the emotional journey is equally important.
Tropes I LOVED:
✔️ Reverse age gap
✔️ Single mom romance
✔️ Divorced FMC finding herself again
✔️ MMC completely gone for her
✔️ Mutual pining
✔️ Healing after heartbreak
✔️ Wine bar setting
This book made my heart so happy! It's romantic, emotional, hopeful, and is the kind of love story that really makes me remember why I love the genre so much in the first place. Highly recommend and please read this and An Academic Affair because it is worth it!
Thank you to NetGalley, Jodi McAlister, and Atria Books for the eARC of this book.
July 27, 2026
Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for providing an ARC of A Study in Sparkling. All thoughts are honest and my own
It was lovely getting back into this world of Jodi McAlister's! After absolutely devouring An Academic Affair, I was very excited to be given the opportunity to read the sequel early. This second book follows Fiona (Jonah's sister), a now single mother who is trying to manage her new life of divorce proceedings and single-handedly caring for 3 children, and Satoshi, the co-owner of Fiona's favourite wine-bar and who is absolutely head-over-heels in love with her.
I'd like to start with what I liked about this book. I find McAlister's writing style to work very well for me, it engages the reader very quickly and makes for a very easy read. I enjoy Satoshi a lot as a main character, it was fascinating being able to explore his mind and what goes on in his life and being able to see Fiona's challenges from his perspective. The side characters are also very strong, each lending themselves well to the story. Lex is a stand-out for me, and of course Sadie and Jonah.
Now unfortunately, which you can probably tell by my star rating, this didn't quite hit the mark for me. I am usually all for a man pining and yearning for the woman, but I wish we got to see a bit more of Fiona and Satoshi solely as friends before he fell in love with her, I think that would have worked better for their development, but we were really only given the prologue quickly running through when and where Sato fell in love with her. Towards the middle of the book, there are a chunk of chapters that are told purely through emails and texts, and we miss a lot of romantic development between the main couple where I think it was really needed.
Which takes me to Fiona. She has gone through a lot, and truly I understand why she acts the way she does in this book, but that didn't make it any less frustrating to read. The way she treated Satoshi just really, really irked me. I think they would have benefited from being apart for a while and for Fiona to have some time to herself and discover who she is without a significant other.
Look, I did enjoy this for the most part, but I wouldn't see myself reaching for this in the future.
It was lovely getting back into this world of Jodi McAlister's! After absolutely devouring An Academic Affair, I was very excited to be given the opportunity to read the sequel early. This second book follows Fiona (Jonah's sister), a now single mother who is trying to manage her new life of divorce proceedings and single-handedly caring for 3 children, and Satoshi, the co-owner of Fiona's favourite wine-bar and who is absolutely head-over-heels in love with her.
I'd like to start with what I liked about this book. I find McAlister's writing style to work very well for me, it engages the reader very quickly and makes for a very easy read. I enjoy Satoshi a lot as a main character, it was fascinating being able to explore his mind and what goes on in his life and being able to see Fiona's challenges from his perspective. The side characters are also very strong, each lending themselves well to the story. Lex is a stand-out for me, and of course Sadie and Jonah.
Now unfortunately, which you can probably tell by my star rating, this didn't quite hit the mark for me. I am usually all for a man pining and yearning for the woman, but I wish we got to see a bit more of Fiona and Satoshi solely as friends before he fell in love with her, I think that would have worked better for their development, but we were really only given the prologue quickly running through when and where Sato fell in love with her. Towards the middle of the book, there are a chunk of chapters that are told purely through emails and texts, and we miss a lot of romantic development between the main couple where I think it was really needed.
Which takes me to Fiona. She has gone through a lot, and truly I understand why she acts the way she does in this book, but that didn't make it any less frustrating to read. The way she treated Satoshi just really, really irked me. I think they would have benefited from being apart for a while and for Fiona to have some time to herself and discover who she is without a significant other.
Look, I did enjoy this for the most part, but I wouldn't see myself reaching for this in the future.
July 8, 2026
Thank you to Atria for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Another delightful romance from Jodi McAlister! I really enjoyed An Academic Affair so when I saw that there was going to be a book 2 I had to get my hands on it!
The book follows Fiona, the sister of Jonah (our MMC from book 1) and Satoshi, a wine bar owner we were also introduced to in book 1. Fiona is trying to figure out how to start the next chapter of her life as a single mom of 3 kids after being blindsided by her husband revealing he has a secret family and is leaving her for them. Satoshi, a man 8 years her junior, is hopelessly in love with Fiona and is more than happy to be there for her in any way she’ll let him.
Jodi’s writing continues to shine in this book. I believe the chemistry, platonic and romantic, between every single character. No interactions feel forced. Do characters have immature and irrational thoughts? Yes! But it’s not over the top and so unrealistic that I want to throw my e-reader across the room. These feel like real people making real decisions.
Bonus: Everyone’s going to therapy! Love that.
I enjoyed the authors use of emails and texts near the midpoint of the book to progress time a little faster. It’s a clever way to move things along without sacrificing the reader being able to see relationships and plots flesh out. I do wish maybe she would have included at least the first Thursday night meet up between Satoshi and Fiona before using this particular device as, at this point in the book, we still haven’t gotten just the two of them completely alone, but that’s just my own personal gripe.
Also have to give Jodi her flowers: I think wine, wine tasting, sommelier, and that whole culture is so fucking pretentious. Did I roll my eyes sometimes? Yeah, but for the most part, I was able to just sit back and enjoy this sweet little romance.
Another delightful romance from Jodi McAlister! I really enjoyed An Academic Affair so when I saw that there was going to be a book 2 I had to get my hands on it!
The book follows Fiona, the sister of Jonah (our MMC from book 1) and Satoshi, a wine bar owner we were also introduced to in book 1. Fiona is trying to figure out how to start the next chapter of her life as a single mom of 3 kids after being blindsided by her husband revealing he has a secret family and is leaving her for them. Satoshi, a man 8 years her junior, is hopelessly in love with Fiona and is more than happy to be there for her in any way she’ll let him.
Jodi’s writing continues to shine in this book. I believe the chemistry, platonic and romantic, between every single character. No interactions feel forced. Do characters have immature and irrational thoughts? Yes! But it’s not over the top and so unrealistic that I want to throw my e-reader across the room. These feel like real people making real decisions.
Bonus: Everyone’s going to therapy! Love that.
I enjoyed the authors use of emails and texts near the midpoint of the book to progress time a little faster. It’s a clever way to move things along without sacrificing the reader being able to see relationships and plots flesh out. I do wish maybe she would have included at least the first Thursday night meet up between Satoshi and Fiona before using this particular device as, at this point in the book, we still haven’t gotten just the two of them completely alone, but that’s just my own personal gripe.
Also have to give Jodi her flowers: I think wine, wine tasting, sommelier, and that whole culture is so fucking pretentious. Did I roll my eyes sometimes? Yeah, but for the most part, I was able to just sit back and enjoy this sweet little romance.
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