Sour Grapes

by Eliza Lentzski

From best-selling sapphic romance author, Eliza Lentzski, a story about taking chances and love after loss.
After celebrating her fortieth birthday, June St. Clare never imagined she’d be starting all over again—a new job, a new city, a new love? Looking for a fresh start after tragedy, June finds herself the unexpected owner of Lark Estates—a micro winery in the heart of Napa Valley. There, June is determined to learn the business and do her best, even if she’s convinced that her assistant winemaker, the beautiful but elusive Lucia Santiago, wants to see her fail.
Lucia Santiago grew up on vineyards, almost like a grapevine herself, working her way up from cellar rat to assistant winemaker. When the property where she works is suddenly sold to a woman with no prior experience, she can’t help but feel resentful of the winery’s lovely but inexperienced new owner. It’s too bad June’s helplessness is almost endearing, stirring up emotions Lucia didn’t quite expect.
Don’t miss Sour Grapes—a slow-burn sapphic romance from Eliza Lentzski.

Genres: Romance, Lesbian, LGBT, Audiobook, Fiction, Lesbian Romance, Lesbian Fiction

317 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2022

About the author

Eliza Lentzski is the best-selling author of sapphic fiction, romance, and erotica including the Winter Jacket and Don’t Call Me Hero series. A historian by day, Eliza is passionate about telling the stories of marginalized communities.

Born and raised in the upper Midwest—a landscape that often shapes her novels—Eliza now lives in Boston with her wife and their cat, Charley.


Reviews

[hubsie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a tough one for me. I eagerly await anything by this author, she's easily in my top 5, and have read her other books many times over. But this one missed the mark in so many ways, that I was wondering if someone else wrote it. I see I am somewhat of an outlier here so not sure what I missed that others saw......

It's a romance, yet the two MCs had no chemistry. Zero. I could not fathom what drew them together, except that they were two gay ladies on a vineyard. June, whose POV was front and centre, was so weak and frankly, kind of a fumbling mess. She seemed to wither in almost every scene. Lucia was cold and aloof and generally unlikeable towards everyone, with no explanation as to why she was this way. Did she have a checkered past? Trauma? Family dynamics? Poor past relationships? Who knows.

I was very surprised that June had such a tragedy happen in her life, yet there is no emotion attached to it. She remembers her long term partner with a detachment that made me think something nefarious went on between them. But no big reveal comes. There was no longing or tears or deep seeded grief, just matter-of-factness. This could have been so much better managed. I think back to Ms. Lentzski's "Fragmented" and how impressed I was at how she went deeeeep....getting into her character's psyche that it caused me literal pain. This one was so surface.

Overall I'd describe it as an awkward book. A head scratcher. I actually did not want the two MCs to get together. June never redeemed herself, did not stand up for herself, she just continued to be a doormat til the last page. I was left feeling quite unsatisfied.

I'm gonna go re-read the Don't Call Me Hero series for the 5th time.....

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know how I keep ending up reading books about wine (making) while I don’t even drink, but here we are.

This is such a slow burn and in general a bit of a slow book. I felt like it really wasn’t getting anywhere. I didn’t care for our main character in whose first person POV we are. I have no idea how the “romance” actually ended up happening because I really didn’t see it. It was a bit of a confusing very slow book. Still mildly enjoyable. And I guess for wine lovers there is some extra enjoyment with all the wine stuff.

[Anna Avian · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a really slow read. For the most part nothing really happened. 60% in and it was still mostly about the wine making process, explained in quite a lot of detail, which for me personally became a bit tiresome.
The single POV was not very beneficial since June wasn't really an interesting character. She acted like someone far younger than a woman in her 40s. Her communication with Lucia was scarce and inadequate.
A major turn-back and breakup at 90% in is just too annoying and doesn't leave enough time for a solid and believable happy ending.

[Tere · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a Lentzski fan and this book would have been another hit for me had it not been for the excruciatingly detailed wine information. It slowed down the story/romance so much I ended up skimming to where significant dialog took place. If you don’t mind wine history, making, etc, you’ll enjoy this one.

[Lyn Denison · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sip of wine and happy-ever-after.
Reviewed in Australia on 6 June 2022
Verified Purchase
Always enjoy Eliza Lentzski’s books and this was no exception. I liked the characters, felt for them both. I found the ‘wine-growing info’ interesting, and although I don’t drink wine as it and my stomach have a running battle, I’m persuaded to give it another go…maybe a sip. Loved the HEA ending.

[isa Simonet · Rating 4 out of 5]

No chemestry in the two protagonists. A very very slow burn romance. Lucia is totally unfriendly. One wonders why June is drawn to Lucia and too many descriptions of wine making.

[Katie Keane · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 the ending was a bit rushed

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

More please!

Ooohh the slow burn!! I really enjoyed reading this book. I love Eliza Lentzski's writing. She doesn't just jump into the romance. It's the best build up, and learning about the wine process was a bonus for me! June and Lucia are adorable! I would love if there was sequel.

[Kelli Parks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite author

This lady can write some books..the amount of research she did for this book god only knows.i feel like I can work in a winery after this read.great book enjoy.

[Lady Olenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Sour Grapes, a contemporary romantic blend novel set in a vineyard near San Francisco.

Granted, it was a typical, formulaic romance with an enemies to lovers trope. However, the characters were realistic, relatable, well developed and balanced each other out that it was a comfortable, entertaining read.

SPOILERS PAST THIS PART:

I just have a little question about the dismemberment though. Although it was reattached, albeit rudimentary stitching and all, what about the nerves and tendons and such? The patient wouldn’t have been able to make use of the digit after it healed because all the inside parts were not attached back. And a conversation with one of the characters said he can take it easy for a “couple” more days? That big of a trauma to a body part will need more than just a couple of days. 100%.

One of the main characters left. She ran away and just left. She didn’t even fight the in-laws at all. It was a weak move, very anticlimactic and doesn’t really show backbone for the character. Whenever something gets hard, she runs. And then she went back and she was just accepted back with open arms. No consequence, no “trying to be a better person” speech or anything. It kinda went against the typical formula of a resolution in a happy ending story.

Anyway, 80% of the story was still entertaining. The reader could learn a lot about winemaking and appreciate the craft more.

[lauraღ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It doesn’t have to mean anything,” I told her.
Her arms tightened around me. “But what if I want it to mean everything?”

3.5 stars. It was looking shaky for a while there, but I happily ended up liking this. I got distracted and forgot to write a review for it immediately, so I don't have all my thoughts in order, but I just have a lot of fond feelings for the book. And some critiques as well, for sure, that concern the general writing and some things that the author focuses on, but all in all it was a really engaging wine romance. Wine romance? Is that a genre? I guess.

June unexpectedly finds herself the owner of a small winery in Napa Valley. She's dealing with grief, trying to find her footing, trying to learn the ropes of her new job, but the assistant winemaker Lucia is grumpy and surly and doesn't think she's cut out for it. That was my main problem for the first third or so of the book. Lucia was SO grumpy and SO mean, and I know that can be a big plus for some people, but it never is for me. Or, maybe not never. Seldom. I'm very picky about my grumps and ice queens. There's some light hazing and a lot of rudeness that I didn't particularly like? But of course, there's a reason for it, and when she began to thaw, Lucia was SO charming. Literally a delight to read. She doesn't have a personality transplant or anything, but the way she starts taking an interest in June, in teaching her and talking to her, and most importantly, taking care with her feelings, was really sweet to me. June is a teensy bit emotionally fragile (for good reasons) and the way Lucia would mini-panic if June was about to get upset was really sweet to me. The build of the romance was just really fun to read. The side plot about winery and workers' rights was really enjoyable, and I'm glad it was included, and shed some light on how things operate in that sphere.

There were some little things here and there that were annoying. I can't remember any specific examples, but just a few times when June would think or make a comment about another person, and it would be so unnecessary. The writing was mostly good, but sometimes extremely cheesy. The book almost lost me entirely in the third act; I REALLY did not like how June reacted. The fact that she just gave up immediately (without fighting for the winery, without fighting for Lucia, or even talking to Lucia) really soured my entire mood, and all the warm feelings I'd been building up for the romance. But I do think, in retrospect, that the author laid enough foundation for why she would react like that. The moment where she went back was really moving. And by the time we got to the conclusion, I did end up enjoying it. 

Listened to the audiobook as ready by Lindsey Dorcus, one of my favourites, and absolutely devoured it. This is pretty slow burn, as I prefer all my books to be, but I still breezed right through it. This author's writing doesn't always land for me, but the romance was really sexy, really swoony, and well-built. Gotta remember to pick up more from her. (I need to finish the Winter Jacket series!)

Content warnings: grief, loss of a loved one (past) 

[Women Using Words · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can never resist an Eliza Lentzski book. She always gives readers characters that are dynamic and well-drawn. She fleshes them out and readers feel like they know them. Such is the case with Lucia and June. They are just lovely and their romance is too fantastic to resist. This is an entertaining romance. It’s well-written, well-told and I absolutely recommend it!

[Rebecca]

no star grade because i’m not interested in a quantitative measure for this.

———

it’s as if i’ve morphed into a completely different person. how did i ever write these reviews, i wonder. how was i ever satisfied with them. what even was this part of my life.

the truth is i don’t really read romance novels anymore.

this is probably a good thing, to be frank. for the ~3 years i was reading them voraciously, they were a coping mechanism, a maladaptive form of escapism. i read more than 300 in that time. that probably seems like a lot, but i’m not a particularly fast reader—if anything i’m slow—this is just the only thing i was doing back then, outside of taking care of my grandmother and her house. it was a bad time in my life and i was very lucky to have been able to spend it that way. some time has passed since then and i’ve become consumed with various other hobbies and interests in my spare time. the reason i’m here now is that eliza lentzski and i have played telephone in the past and i continue to be interested in what she’ll write next.

but anyway, let’s just start.

i would usually begin an eliza lentzski review by praising her writing. in comparison to many other romance writers i would assume this is still warranted. back in the day i found lentzski’s style to be refined in a way that most other lesbian romances weren’t. just by reading it i could tell that this person had probably been to grad school for something book-y and likely boring, in the same way that just by reading jae’s stories i could tell that english probably isn’t her first language. it’s in the word choice and sentence structure, it feels a bit more literary than usual, somehow. in the end i always found lentzski’s books to be particularly engaging because of this (jae’s as well).

however, on a larger scale i do think her writing and the overall structure could be better, and this somehow feels difficult to bring up. am i an elitist for criticizing things like prose, exposition, theme, conveyance, meaning, in a romance novel? i’m really asking here. looking at reviews it seems that other readers of the genre aren’t often thinking about these things, except maybe exposition. does this mean i’m expecting too much? i suppose it’s more just insulting of me to go like, “a romance novel… but actually good??” and i’m really sorry. mask off, i’m a snob and my story opinions are so peak lately that when i’m not reading manga or logging countless hours into decades old jrpgs, i’m reading modern literature or existentialist philosophy. so in the end i don’t think i can help saying what i mean here straight.

this is supposed to be a romance novel where the setting is a winery, but the amount of info-dumped winemaking exposition makes it feel more like a wine novel that contains a romance. it isn’t that i think winemaking doesn’t have the capacity to be interesting and isn’t worth having in a story like this, it’s that the way all that exposition is being conveyed to me is obtrusive, and it’s frankly not what i’m here for. as i’m reading, the actors in the play in my mind’s eye are reciting all this matter-of-fact exposition, and i’m just bored. like i understand, june is completely new to winemaking, she needs to be taught this stuff (a fish out of water being taught how to fly—aka the coward’s approach to world-building). but do we really need all that information to tell this romance story? do we really have to experience most of the exposition-telling in real time with her? i feel like i’m on a school tour when i get to these sections, and it doesn’t make for an interesting story.

it isn’t actually just in regard to the winemaking that i think the exposition is clunky. overall i think things are conveyed too straightforwardly. it’s something i noticed towards the end of my time with romance novels—i disliked how little ambiguity and interpretation there was to be had. characters would say and think things and more often than not they would simply mean those things they said and thought. it gradually became boring to be told most of the story explicitly.

i think part of the reason my tastes have developed in this direction is because i’ve become proficient in japanese and have been consuming even more media in that language as a result. unlike english and other western languages, it and the culture are high-context, and communication is often indirect. it’s so high-context that you usually don’t even need a subject in your sentence and it’ll still be grammatically correct and perfectly understandable. learning japanese has made me realize just how precise english is—north american english in particular, and especially the northeastern variety. (in comparison, for whatever reason, midwestern culture is supposedly more high-context. that’s where the passive aggressivene- uh, niceness, comes from.)

and to be clear in case the linguistics is making it seem all weird, japanese media is still completely normal. it’s not necessarily super cerebral or poetic or anything, just the way english language media is. there’s still well-conveyed exposition and badly-conveyed exposition, well-told stories and badly-told ones. as a function of the language there’s just a lot more implication across the board, and i find that i like it. i like being able to read between the lines.

…but anyway, that’s what it feels like to read an info dump of exposition that isn’t strictly necessary. the feeling you may have right now, the “we stopped the narrative for this?” feeling, that’s what i felt during a lot of this book. in the end the moment to moment pacing really suffers for it.

in turn the overall pacing is affected as well. the first ~40% drags. sometimes things are sort of foreshadowed to, but for the most part events feel sudden. and i don’t really feel a unifying theme that might tie everything together. more on that in a minute.

but for a romance novel the only thing anyone actually cares about is the characters so i’ll abruptly be going there next. june and lucia—do they feel like real people? do they have chemistry? those are surprisingly difficult questions for me to answer.

like i said earlier, i’m fairly certain at this point that eliza lentzski and i have been indirectly communicating—me by writing too-long reviews and her by dropping little things here and there in her next book that would make me think “ah, yes… so she read it…” sometimes character’s personalities would remind me of my reviews, even. and i’m conflicted. on the one hand this is a flattering position to be in. she doesn’t have to acknowledge my reviews at all. she could be showing contempt for them instead but she isn’t, and it’s nice to think that they were interesting enough to draw inspiration from. on the other hand—and i mean this as deferentially as possible—i like eliza lentzski’s writing best when her characters aren’t like that. at a certain point it becomes distracting, and i tend to like the characters from her earlier books better for being different from me, for being more whole-feeling.

because i’m more than what i appear in my reviews. that sounds obvious i know, but just follow me for a second—someone like me really shouldn’t be the protagonist of a romance novel. like i got baggage for days, i’m nowhere near well-adjusted enough to be able to have a relationship with anyone. really, truly.

i’ve joked before about how much of a hermit i am but it’s actually clinical, for as much as psychiatric diagnoses mean anything. adhd, major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, gender dysphoria, cptsd—i have all of these. and the wikipedia page for avoidant personality disorder makes me feel really seen so maybe i fit the diagnostic criteria for that too, i don’t know. haven’t asked my psychologist about it lately. in the end i’m just not someone who knows how to be emotionally intimate with others, let alone physically intimate.

so when i read these characters that i’m pretty sure are at least partially inspired by my reviews, it just feels really weird. in the past i know i was receptive to it, maybe even downright encouraging, but… even if lentzski isn’t going for a 1:1 representation of me (and i know she definitely isn’t), i just don’t know what to do with it. it makes me wonder if this is how i’m being seen. it makes me wish it hadn’t been written that way. because someone like me doesn’t belong here, for a lot of reasons. i hate to say it but drawing from me only makes this all feel worse than it would otherwise.

maybe “relatability” is important in a romance novel, but i find myself more and more alienated from that way of thinking about what makes a book good. i think this is another reason i’ve stopped reading romance novels—reader insert stories aren’t very interesting to me anymore. i don’t need characters who are blank slates or who share traits or circumstances with me, i need characters who i can connect to because we are both just human. relating to a character and being able to see the humanity in a character are not at all the same thing. and in the end i don’t relate or connect to june or lucia much at all.

on the relatability front everything starting from the premise is foreign to me. first and least consequentially, i don’t really drink alcohol (this setting isn’t particularly interesting to me, so the plainly told exposition was boring). second, i cannot fathom having enough money to own both a san francisco condo and an entire vineyard in napa valley all at the same time (my parents wasted their modest amount of academic boomer money divorcing each other, my mother is severely underpaid in her college staff job, and we need to fall back on our dwindling generational wealth to make ends meet every month). third, widowed and retiring at 40, what the hell even is that, what even is 40 (i’m stuck in the “queer temporality” of being a mentally ill 27-year-old with only half an undergrad degree and no financial independence or job experience).

saying it like that probably makes it seem like i’m passive aggressive and bitter, but with regards to this i’m really not. it’s just how it is. this sort of media is usually aspirational, or at the very least… uncomplicated. which is fine—useful, even. that’s what makes it so conducive to escapism, that and the mandatory happy ending.

it’s funny, i remember once writing a bemused review of a heather rose jones book that had the gall to categorize itself as a romance novel but not end with the characters together. she may have even subtweeted me about it too. (i think i may have elicited responses from three or four different lesbian romance authors in total with my reviews. this was the only one on twitter, as far as i know.) that was the first time i really thought about how the format of a romance novel all but requires a happy ending. that was the first time i realized there were authors who ostensibly wrote romance novels and felt constrained by such a genre convention. having reread that book since then i honestly think it’s really good. jones still hasn’t released the next one in the series. i know i need to redo that review…

all this is to say, i’m not comparing my circumstances to that of sour grapes because i want romance novel characters that are more similar to me necessarily, but just to illustrate where i’m coming from. reality is much messier than the rose-colored glasses escapism of a genre where happy endings are a foregone conclusion. and i’ve grown tired of running from the mess.

eliza lentzski likes to write flawed characters, but drawing from me only makes this all feel worse than it would otherwise.

you did draw from me, didn’t you? did you have me in mind when you wrote june to be a graphic designer? when you wrote her to be anxious and not interested in sports and agreeable and passive in her relationships? when you wrote the scene where she begins to cry after lucia tells her they’re unable to sell the food she made? i thought that was a bit much, even if she was short on sleep at the time. i’m almost never able to resist the sudden urge to cry when it occasionally happens, even when it’s in front of others, but this feels out of nowhere and makes her seem sort of pathetic—and wow, do i sure relate to that. my own brand of pathetic is rooted more in literally, actually being unable to function in society, however.

it’s the editing, the “feels out of nowhere” part, i think. to be honest, lentzski’s books have always more or less felt like collections of chronological vignettes, not cohesive narratives. i can see the stark edges of the jigsaw pieces sectioning off the story—it doesn’t quite feel meshed together. it makes characterization feel flat and inconsistent, uncomprehensive, among other things. this applies to lucia and the plot as a whole, as well.

looking at her books’ paratext, as far as i can tell lentzski writes all on her own (maybe her wife gives feedback…?), but i think her stories would really benefit from an editor, alpha and beta readers, etc. i know she’s an indie author so finding good people for those jobs might be difficult and maybe even financially infeasible (i have no idea how much compensation for stuff like that might cost), but i would recommend it if possible. other people are able see stuff in our writing that we can’t and all that (i mean, i’m sure she already knows how revision works, but).**

if i were to give alpha/beta feedback for this book, i would say that i don’t feel a thematic through line. june is at a crossroads in her life and maybe lucia is too, but i don’t really feel themes of grief or change or metamorphosis, not ones that resonate throughout. there are things here and there and i think they should be expanded upon. as it is, it feels like stuff happens just to happen, it doesn’t feel like anything is really being said. i think there should be a message of some sort.

i would say that i was expecting this to be sadder and more lonely and guiltier-feeling than it was. going off the blurb i expected june to be like, actively grieving a lot more. i don’t know what it feels like to lose a partner of 10 years (20?) and i know different people grieve differently, but… i mean i guess you don’t want romance novels to be depressing but… i feel like if the lows are matched by equally intense highs then having it be depressing sometimes might work out surprisingly well… maybe. i don’t really know.

i would say that the unionization subplot feels off. given what the reality of being a vineyard worker is i can totally see why you’d want to incorporate something like that into the story, but it feels entirely too simple and easy. putting aside how difficult organizing is and how effortless it feels here, bruce was against the union, but after lucia saves his vineyard from the fire he’s all of the sudden on board? i get what it’s going for, it’s very saturday morning cartoon: the bully acts like an asshole to the protagonist, there’s a crisis, despite what happened earlier the protagonist saves the bully, the bully realizes they’re an asshole and apologizes, and now they’re friends.

the problem is that people’s convictions, their morals, their ethics, their monetary interests and worldviews—they all run deep. if one good deed was all it took to get the wealthy owner of the gaudy vineyard on your side, unionization would have happened long ago and might not have even be necessary in the first place. it really doesn’t seem like a genuine change of heart, it really doesn’t seem like bruce had a sudden epiphany about the importance of human decency or something—it seems like he thinks he owes lucia one for saving his property. i don’t know, i think if you’re going to discuss political issues you should do it without whitewashing them. it feels dishonest.

i would say that if you wanted to talk about things like unionization and wealth disparity and race and the like, you should probably also be ready to talk about the mainstream liberal politics of middle-class white america, and probably not in a very nice way. i’m sure you can see it’s all related, right? a vineyard is where latino immigrants getting low pay and few benefits create wine, the alcohol with the bougiest reputation, which ultimately gets consumed by complacent white winemoms in suburbia. there are class tensions here, racial tensions. i think the closest this book comes to addressing it is towards the end when lucia talks about the suburban mom “do-gooders” making the world more just one glass of wine at a time. june immediately laughs in response so i don’t know how seriously i’m supposed to take it, but it just doesn’t feel very funny to me. i sure wish we could consume our way to a more just society, that would be nice.*

i would say, “how bold of you to have the character whose life’s goal seemed to be accumulating enough wealth to buy a vineyard to retire at 40 literally quote karl marx on religion.” like just from an optics perspective, what the hell is that lol. i literally did laugh out loud when i read it for how farcical it felt.

i would say that it was sort of disappointing that june just went like, “no, you’re completely right lucia, unionization is the way to go.” that’s the objectively correct opinion to have, but as a character beat it feels boring. (i’m not necessarily saying she should have flat-out disagreed.) and it opened the door for her to just benevolently allow it, which would be both boring and white-savior-adjacent at the very least. but she cedes the vineyard to alex’s family and it gets sold to lucia, so i think you probably avoided a white savior move there in the end. and june just giving up the vineyard is… fine i guess. had it been me in that situation i would have consulted with a lawyer at the very least, but sure. the amount of times it gets characterized as “running away” in such a short time feels weird though.

i would say that boy howdy that ending felt speedy. the twist needed more time to sit in the story i think.

there are other probably smaller things i could probably mention but won’t in the interest of time (and i can’t really remember at this point).

i think sensitivity readers may be useful too. i’m not in the position to be able to comment on the depiction of mexican culture here so i won’t, but in past lentzski books i’ve had issues with regard to the depiction of mental illness. i’m thinking of fragmented and dcmh 4 mostly. it’s just another thing to consider, again, if possible.

———

(continued in the comments)

[Sagacious Sapphic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slow Burn

Ratings (out of 5 stars)
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Story
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Main Characters
⭐️ ⭐️ Supporting Characters
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Enjoyability
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Readability
🔥 🔥 Sex

June is going through a lot. Her life has changed suddenly and dramatically. Lost and grieving she finds herself the owner of a vineyard, with absolutely no knowledge of wine. Dragging through her new reality, she discovered that a vineyard is basically just a farm. June has to learn not to cry over damaged irrigation tubing, and that it’s okay to love again. The book is written entirely from June’s perspective.

Lucia was born and raised on a vineyard, and despite her father’s protestations it remains her passion. Enraged to fine the vineyard her family tends sold out from under them, she’s ready to do battle with the clueless new owner. Socially awkward and blunt, Lucia struggles to open up.

Overall I really enjoyed this story. I had fun reading the book and enjoyed seeing June & Lucia get their happily ever after. To really balance the flavor of this book I would have liked to have spent more time with them as they came together in the end. It felt a bit rushed after they meandered so languidly in the beginning. June really needed to own up to walking away and demonstrate her personal growth while she was away. Lucia would have been way more hurt by being left. She doesn’t open up easily, and it would have hurt like hell.

The Sex
I love a good slow burn, and I think even I was left sexually frustrated at one point. The sex is only briefly explicit and detailed, but mostly slightly zoomed out and fade to black. There really needed to be more conversation and focus on June’s inability to climax that was set up in the early chapters, it was never really addressed in the end. I felt there was a bit of disharmony between the occasionally sexually explicit dialogue and the markedly tamer descriptions of it.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feeling about this one. I am not a wine drinker and did feel the type of storyline had been done however as I am a fan of lentzski I couldn’t not read it. I did find myself warming to both characters and enjoying the slow burn of the romance.

I felt frustrated around June the main character her character development just never developed. Not wanting to give too much away but just felt flat she never really stood up to what happened later in the book. It became clear throughout the book she was a pushover in her relationship with Alex and she basically stayed that way. I get how it ended it also made sense but would have preferred the path to look different for me so she could have been more brave and showed she had grown.

I still recommend the book as it is a really sweet slow burn romance.

[AL · Rating 3 out of 5]

A romantic story

I liked the book but didn’t love it, I wanted more and more dialogues and reasoning behind the protagonists decisions, instead there were a lot of long paragraphs with extra information. Nice to read

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this and liked June and Lucia. It was a rough road for them to get to where they where. I didn't like the ending. Felt like another chapter or an epilogue would have been nice and very much wished to see Lucia's POV. Overall not bad, but not my favorite.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up because it was about wine and the Napa Valley. The book goes into detail about what it takes to grow wine grapes and turn those grapes into wine, and during the course of the book it told a very nice story....for most of the book.(more about that later) about two people who don't like each other but find there is a mutual attraction, and the book is laid out against this backdrop, and it's about wine.

***** There are some spoilers coming so if you plan to read the book, don't read this review any further. ****

June, who knows nothing about wine, owns a winery because her partner invested their nest egg (they were in their late 30's) into purchasing a boutique winery. The purchase paperwork is in her partner's name, and then the partner dies. June has no where else to go. The book involves her learning about wine, and how to run a winery with the help of the wine maker, and his daughter Lucia who is the assistant wine maker. The story is interesting, and the way the two women overcome their initial conflict gives the book it's heart,

However about 25 pages from the end of the book, I nearly heaved the book across the room because I got so frustrated with the story line, probably because I believe people can be this bad. Alex, June's partner, had died not leaving a will, and she (Alex) also resisted getting married (didn't want to subscribe to society norms) so her family (who had kicked Alex out when she was a teen) inherit the winery and decide to sell it and since the paperwork was all in Alex's name, June is left with nothing (but her part of the down payment) . AND in a moment of despair, June walks away from everything, winery and Lucia and moves back to SF. This pissed me off. I wanted June to be braver and stay and fight but she chooses to leave without saying goodbye Fortunately there is a reconciliation in the end and June goes back to the winery to become the new chef, but still.

[LE · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm apparently on a roll with the wine romances so here we go.
Eliza has written some of my favorite books with the Winter Jacket series and ever since I've been working my way through her novels.
I have no prior knowledge of anything wine related so "Sour Grapes" taught me a lot regarding that aspect. June has had a rough couple of months and it's hard to review this book without spoiling too much.
I found her actions a little too unrealistic at times and I think the romance with Lucia could've been great if not for the Alex background (and Lucia's feelings were hard to understand, written in June's POV).
I think it's generally a hard task to make this particular reasoning for being single work in a novel and sadly this book couldn't 100% convince me of June's great new love and left me wondering about her and Alex's happiness (shoe incident, that was harsh, Alex making all big decisions)
There were some cute dialogues, some spicy scenes and a nice HEA but I felt the ending was a little rushed and without proper explanation of the MC's feelings.

3.5 stars for me, not my favorite Lentzski book but enjoyable read overall.

[Kirsty Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this book.

I’ve read books by this author before and she always managed to bring tears to my eyes! A lovely slow burn between Lucia and June, with a bit of whiplash at the end when things take a sudden and unexpected turn. Watching the change in Lucia was lovely, to go from such a closed and angry character, to then have her being vulnerable and open when asking June to choose her at the end had my heart aching for her.

Looking forward to reading more from this talented author 😊

[Misha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable but the characterization was a bit weak for me with the love interest. An enjoyable slow burn otherwise.

[Scriptmonkey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sour Grapes? Yes, plenty of them. I don't even like wine, and this made me want to chug a double magnum.

I see several reviews are of the "I usually like Lentzki's books, but--" variety and I get it. What most of them mean is, "Usually, the sex happens quicker, and my brain is too mushy to recognize the problems." Unfortunately, the lesson this probably teaches other would-be authors is "I better write more sex sex sex sex sex!" instead of, "I should write better."

The complaints about the excessive wine making descriptions is well-taken. However, excessive yammering is not unique to this book. Repeatedly during the Don't Call Me Hero series (which I enjoyed well enough despite myself), I asked myself, "Why is this scene?!" "Why is she still talking?!" "Why do I, as the reader of a 'mystery' need to know this?" Far too frequently, the answer was, "No reason at all." Which is another way of saying, "Editor? What's that?"

Following in the grand tradition of the Don't Call Me a Hero series Sour Grapes gives the reader a romantic couple that should, in no way, be together--but the iron-fisted HEA rules forces it to happen. Really, the fault isn't the author, but rather, reader's expectations.

You'll wonder what decade (or perhaps century) you are in when white-as-can-be June says to I'm-trying-so-hard-to-be-Mexican Lucia after watching her speak at a pro-Union rally: "You really opened my eyes!" If you're like me, you'll wonder this after you rinse the taste of vomit from your mouth. An elderly white man has a similar MOE (Moment of Enlightenment) later.

Now, if you like widows trash-talking their dead wives, then this book is also for you. Sadly, you'll have to read about half the book to satisfy your needs.

By the time the unnecessary complication of who owns the winery, you'll be tearing out pages simply to get to the ending faster.

[Brian's Book Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Navigating Life’s Vineyards

4.25 out of 5 stars

[Please note that the following review contains slight spoilers – even though I try not to spoil things, this one is going to be difficult (and it’s mentioned a bit in the book description). There’s also a trigger warning for discussions of death and loss.]

In Eliza Lentzski’s Sour Grapes, June St. Clare embarks on a journey to rebuild her life in the unlikeliest of places—a Napa Valley winery she didn’t choose for herself, her partner picked it for them and June is “forced” to continue their dream alone.

Right away June’s path intersects with Lucia, the winery’s assistant winemaker (and daughter of the head winemaker). Their first meeting sets the stage for their rocky relationship and gradually evolves into something more profound as more things come to light on both sides. Lentzski skillfully crafts their dynamic, taking time to let their connection develop, while still offering surprises that defy predictable arcs.

What’s particularly engaging is Lentzski’s portrayal of winemaking. Even for those unfamiliar with the intricacies of the craft, the author’s detailed yet accessible descriptions enhance the story’s backdrop without alienating readers. This thoughtful approach underscores the broader appeal of the narrative.

At the core of Sour Grapes lies June’s struggle to come to terms with profound loss—a challenge that resonates deeply. Some reviews have questioned the portrayal of her emotional journey, suggesting a lack of remorse or missing the point entirely. The reality is, grief is a complex journey, and Lentzski deftly captures the unexpected ways it can intersect with new beginnings. Just as life often presents unexpected twists, so too does this story.

Overall, Sour Grapes is an enriching experience despite its challenging themes, including the exploration of the harsh treatment of winery employees. Lentzski delicately navigates this emotional terrain, offering readers an enjoyable read that showcases the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity. Throw in the excellent performance by Lindsey Dorcus and you’ve got a winner in my eyes.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so I'm gonna start telling y'all that I wasn't having it with Lucia at the (very) beginning, her behaviour was sort of jerky and June so didn't deserve it. But then she showed her grumpy, sweet self and suddenly I'm team Lucia! June though, we hit it of from start, she is the wholesome kind of person and I felt for her loss (which we don't feel the punch that much, thank goodness). But I gotta say too, she was rather lacking on backbone, till the end and that I didn't love, because I love my heroines more when they stand for themselves, even if after a long while, as long as they do.

I liked the story a lot, A LOT. The length, dynamics, the whole (some would call) nothing happening, like no big drama, you get to savour, take all in and connect, with the exception of those people who showed up by the ending, I loved everyone. Oh the pace, as I said you get the chance to enjoy the whole "journey", but around 90% things started to happened a bit too fast compared to the rest and together with June's action on a certain event the story ended with sort of a aftertaste. One that, IMHO, wasn't entirely good. That's why I gave it a 4 instead of a 5. If she did something, even if was a lost battle I would've given it a 5. Yeah, I'm a petty reader hahaha.

But hear me out, don't take this last bit too close to your heart, the story was really good, like we had over 300 pages and I still think it wasn't enough, it's like we barely scratched the surface in getting to know these two, ykwim? I'd love to see them as a established couple. Eliza write these stories so well, doing justice to the characters and their relationships, so I think it'd be lovely.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice story of a sort of women's fiction (transformation of June, the main female character) blended with contemporary sapphic romance. Single POV. At times this made the changed motivations of some of the other characters a touch more difficult to believe. But June spent a lot of time up in her own head (the women's fiction aspect) trying to figure out her life's direction after losing her partner of 20 years so it was somewhat expected because of the narrative choice.

The background about how wine is made was informative and because June was learning the process herself, it didn't feel like info dump most of the time. Thankfully June reached "overwhelm" about the same time I did as a reader. I liked the bits of social commentary about the winemaking business and the workers. That made the story feel real and gave Lucia (the love interest) some complexity.

The points of conflict in the plot were a combination of issues with workers, internal conflict, and an LGBTQ issue that sort of snuck up. Not sure if I feel it was "inserted" but there's very little to indicate that it's a possible problem, until it's there in June's face. It felt a bit like info dump when June was explaining.

The intimacy (sex) was a mix of fade to black and detailed. The romance tropes were slow-burn, enemies to lovers.

[Eugenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Lentzski's writing and this book was no exception. Not only is she an excellent author but it seems she knows her winemaking too! June lost her partner of almost 20 years to an accident. Alex, her partner, was adventurous and had invested their nest egg in a winery in NAPA. I've visited NAPA Valley and Sonoma, the location is spectacular. Never mind neither one of them knew what it entailed. June decides to leave a promising career as a graphics artist and take over the winery. There she meets broody Lucia, the assistant winemaker. Lucia is not happy that the winery has been sold and is not shy to express it. The way Lentzski writes her MCs, it makes you feel like you know them personally. I had a soft spot in my heart for June, she was so lost that I wanted to meet her and be her friend. I won't reveal much else, but the story between them is very well written, the only complaint I have is that I wanted an epilogue. More of their life. Eliza, please, give us a sequel.

[Tempe Luvs Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The author deserves 5 stars just for the detailed research she did. I need to go back and take notes because listening to this audiobook taught me more about growing wine grapes and producing wine than I’ve ever heard before. Based on other reviews, many readers didn’t care for knowing this, but the wine education melded well with the budding romance between June, the new owner of the vineyard and Lucia, the assistant winemaker, of Mexican heritage.

The story grabbed me from the start, but even though the audiobook was over ten hours long, I felt it was too rushed towards the end. The story’s delivery always seemed to skip ahead, always leaving me wanting to know the results of what was happening in the next scene, but instead left hanging. I’m definitely going to listen again!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a book about communism

Lentzski writes lesbian romance novels with more poise than most, typically mixing a healthy dose of psychology, pop culture or some other extra ingredient to make the story pop. This time she has brought communism into the bedroom (I doubt her wife is ever bored). We all know that communism only failed because its leaders were thick-headed. This novel argues well that communism could indeed thrive and should probably displace last season’s drab capitalists, the next leader of the revolution just needs to be like the winemaker character in this book (who kinda sounds like AOC if she were a lesbian). Oh, and this book is also a love letter to wine. We can all get behind that.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting over!

Starting over as the new owner of a micro winery in Napa Valley, June is in over her head when she's determined to learn this business her partner of twenty years had truly wanted, but has suddenly passed away.

The assistant winemaker Lucia grew up on the vineyards and feels quite resentful of the new owner. The men of the vineyard are very kind to June and her eagerness to work side by side with them finally thaws Lucia's feelings toward her.

The author very capably gave the reader a lesson about the wine business that was very interesting, but I felt the romance was rushed, especially the ending. Maybe a sequel can tie up the loose ends. And another round of proofreading would help. There were just too many errors to ignore!

[Jan Gwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

sour grapes

I found this book to be quite endearing. I am a wine lover, being from the Pacific Northwest where wineries are popping up everywhere. I have my favorites, of course, but I actually learned a great deal about the actual wine making process from this book. The only issues I found were quite a few missing words, misused words and sentences that just didn’t make sense. I have read a number of this author’s other work and I never had this problem with any of them. Not sure why it happened here?