From award-winning author, Terra Weiss, comes this humorous and heartfelt small town story about finding love and the truth about a painful past.
Claire...
My veil dangles from my fingers as I hightail it into a wine cellar instead of down the aisle. My caterer, famous bad boy chef, Jack Brady, provides a bottle opener and a listening ear.
Leaving my fiancé at the altar gets me booted from the restaurant he and I ran together, but I land a job as a chef at Jack's steakhouse. So what if I'm a vegetarian?
After a rocky start—involving a piglet who ghosts his own roasting—sparks fly between Jack and me in the kitchen.
But the past lingers between us like the smoke from a Southern barbeque. Jack left Blue Vine eighteen years ago after tragedy struck both our families. Does it haunt him like it does me?
The buried secrets of that day could make our dreams go up in flames.
Award-winning author of romantic comedies, Terra Weiss brings heart, humor, and happy endings to each of her books. She grew up in a small town in Idaho, but now lives in Atlanta with her mad scientist husband, wacky and wonderful mother, spunky daughter, and the feral ten-pound dogs who run her house. She enjoys jogging at a snail's pace, reading, and piling bright orange mountains of squeezy cheese on her crackers.
Well isn't this book delightful! The writing is light and fresh and I felt the characters jumping off the page - and the chemistry between Claire and Jack was palpable, which I always love in a novel that involves romance! But it's not just romance, it's history, family, loss, plus I love how most of it is set in a restaurant, so we get a look at what it takes to run one! I found myself rooting for Claire from the start and am so glad she found the right move for her life after struggling for a bit to find her footing. Claire and Jack (and Winston!) are so likeable, and it was fun and intriguing to learn more about the family backstories and Blue Vine's town history - we've got a close family, a small town, and a happy ending that we're all rooting for from the first time Claire and Jack speak. This is a must read! Thank you to Book Sirens and Terra Weiss for this ARC, can't wait to move on to the rest of the books in this series. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book is delightful. It follows Claire, who has the sudden realisation as she's about to walk down the aisle that she's not in love with her fiancé - so she cancels the wedding. Unable to work in the restaurant she owned with her ex, she moves home to small town Georgia and is quickly employed by her childhood pal (who is conveniently now a celebrity chef). Finding Yesterday is more than a straightforward romance: it grapples with shared trauma, complex families, grief, and figuring out where you fit in when you feel like you're on the outside.
There were a few things that felt forced: the "interest" in history, that felt shoehorned in to progress the plot, and Blue Vine being a surprising and potentially incongruous hub of progressivism. There were also a few too many "fade to black" moments - not necessarily in terms of the romance, but with other plot moments that I would have loved to have experienced rather than just hearing about them in retrospect. Some things are better shown, not told.
Despite these minor quibbles, it was a charming, heartwarming and sweetly entertaining novel that I'm glad I got a chance to read! I really enjoyed Claire's voice and thought her journey over the novel was convincing: I felt like I grew right along with her. It's just a pity we can't get our hands on some of her recipes!
I received a free ARC of this book. This review is provided honestly and voluntarily.
I NEEDED to read a sweet rom com and I’m so glad I picked this one. I’m always a sucker for a friends to lovers romance. I’m also a sucker for anything involving cooking. I’m Finding Yesterday, Claire leaves her fiancée at the altar and in turn loses the restaurant she co-owned with him. She returns to her hometown of Blue Vine, Georgia to kick her wounds and winds up reconnecting with a man from her past. They bond over a shared history and their love of cooking.
Honestly, after reading this I wanted to go through all the recipes I’ve created over the years and make sure everything is written down somewhere. Cooking for people is my love language and I have so many fond memories of cooking with the women in my family. I cook with my own little kid and as I was reading this book and thinking about how families pass down recipes and how some recipes feel like family, I cried. Food, how it is cooked, and who you cook it with is so important. Finding Yesterday really brought all of the emotions around that out in me. I was so involved in the love story and yet at the same time lamenting the fact that I don't have some of my great grandmas recipes. I keep my own recipes in my grandma’s recipe box, where they mingle with note cards and paper scraps written on by all the women in my family. Truly, I haven’t read a novel that made me feel this deeply in awhile.
Finding Yesterday was perfect and I can’t wait to read more of this series and learn more about the characters that call Blue Vine home.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily .
Published: January 4, 2022 Autumn Sky Books Pages: 283 Genre: Romantic Comedy KKECReads Rating: 5/5 I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.
Terra Weiss is a rom-com author who brings small towns to life with her knack for witty banter and gift for capturing authentic family dynamics. Readers love how her stories steer away from typical romcom cookie-cutter formulas and show how real-life people find real-life love. When Terra's not spilling the tea on what happens in Blue Vine or the other small towns that live in her heart, you'll find her with her spunky daughter, mad scientist husband, wacky and wonderful mother, and the two six-pound dogs that run her house. She enjoys jogging at a snail's pace, reading from her iPhone, and piling bright orange mountains of squeezy cheese on her crackers.
“Buried secrets could send our dreams up in flames.”
Claire has recently moved back to her small hometown after calling her wedding off as she was supposed to, walking down the aisle and being kicked out of her position as head chef of the restaurant she and her now ex-fiancé owned. The last thing she expects while she tries to figure her life out is to have a head-on collision with the past. But ready or not, here it comes.
This was a charming book. I loved the balance between romantic comedy and heartfelt emotion. The elements came together in such a beautiful way, which draws you in and holds you tight.
I loved the characters in this novel. They all have something that will capture your heart and make you feel seen. Claire was a beautiful leading lady. I loved her tenacity, heart, spirit, and passion.
She and Jack balanced each other well. I love the way memories were tied together with cooking. That is something I think most of us can identify with. The way this story was told was lovely.
As the story was building up to the point of explosion, the emotion was played so well, and you find yourself so wrapped up in the characters that everything else fades away.
This series will be sweet, full of sass and charm, romance and chaos. I hope Winston is featured throughout!
Claire, a chef and history buff, leaves her fiance and their jointly-owned restaurant to return to her small-town roots. She finds work at a steakhouse run by handsome Jack, and is optimistic about her new life despite the complications of her vegetarianism, her chemistry with Jack - and the tragedy from their past that could bind them together or split them apart.
I found a lot to love in this story. There's romance, cooking, the trials of a newly-established small business, and family dynamics. There's also a mystery: Claire's mother and Jack's grandmother died eighteen years ago under mysterious circumstances. Even though Claire has few memories of her mother she feels strongly connected to her and longs to understand the cause of her death.
However, with so many threads, the author sometimes leaves them hanging. For example, the story begins with Claire walking out on her own wedding, but we never learn much about her old relationship or see how its abrupt end changes her life. I often found myself wanting to know more about Claire's background, for example why she began cooking (and how, at twenty-five and with no formal training, she became head chef at a well-known restaurant) and what attracted her to her ex-fiance. A better understanding of Claire's professional and romantic past would have helped me feel more invested in her future.
The story redeems itself with its ending: the many threads unite, and Claire's new beginning feels well-earned. The story covers many wounds that can't be fully erased or even, necessarily, healed, but the ending shows the characters moving forward together in meaningful and heartwarming ways.
[I received a complimentary review copy of this book and am reviewing it voluntarily.]
This was my first Terra Weiss book, and I absolutely adored it. I was expecting a funny and light reading, but I was taken by surprise how much I enjoyed it. I was hooked from the first page and couldn't put it down.
Claire's life is in a mess! On the her wedding day, she decided to call it off, she broke up with her almost husband and partner in a restaurant business. Now, she has to start things over, alone and without her beloved vegetarian restaurant, so she decides to go to Blue Vine, to live with her father while looking for a new job.
Enter Jack, a famous awarded chef, who is also living in Blue Vine temporarily and helping in his grandfather's restaurant. Jack offers Claire a job in the fine dine Steak House and quickly they form a bond. The chemistry between the two was amazing.
All the characters are engaging, Claire's family is full of drama but they have very emotional moments. Claire is funny and good-hearted, Jack is handsome and sexy, but also a perfect gentleman. I enjoyed every moment when they were working together, and I also was intrigued with the mystery about Claire's mother and Jack's grandmother.
This was a great reading and I highly recommended it.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
A sweet funny feel-good type of story with a little bit of mystery thrown in.
Not your typical kind of romance - this is more a story of journeys. I enjoyed seeing the growth in Claire starting from the very first chapter when the realisation hits her that marrying the man waiting at the end of the aisle for her is not the right path for her life.and continuing through her relationships with her family members, friends, career, etc.
I loved the journey Claire and Jack embarked on together, both in their relationship and in working to solve a decades old mystery.
There were just enough hints about the journeys behind and in front of some of the other characters to make you really want to read their stories also. In fact, I'm just about to go onto KU and download the next two books in the series to read.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Am I glad I read it - yes Was it a waste of my time - no Would I sit down and read it all over again - if I didn't have such a long TBR pile, I just might Would I read more by this author based on this book - Yes, about to download the next 2 books from KU right now.
This sweet romance begins with Claire, minutes away from walking down the aisle. Hiding in the wine cellar, she talks with her handsome caterer, Jack who helps her realise it is not the right decision. Now calling off the wedding has left her unable to work with her ex-fiancé at the restaurant they owned together and she moves back to her small hometown, where Jack offers her a job in his steak restaurant.
I really enjoyed this romance, and was pleasantly suprised that it had a lot more depth to it, with mystery behind the characters family and past.
Thank you Book Sirens for giving me the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review! I loved the story and am looking forward to reading the following books in the Blue Vine series!
Welcome to Northern Georgia where we meet Chloe on her wedding day. She decides that she is not in love with her fiance, and leaves him at the altar. Jack, who is catering the wedding, talks with Chloe and helps her leave the wedding. She comes back to her hometown looking for a job and Jack hires her to be a chef at his steakhouse. Jack and Chloe have a past together, as his grandmother and her mother died together in the mine and Jack and Chloe come together to find the secret behind their passings as well as find romance together.
A fast pace exciting novel. Great characters.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I absolutely loved this book and really fell in love with the characters! Especially Winston! I love the sweet romance and the history between these two families. It was surprising to me that Claire was a head chef with no formal training but it just goes to show you that natural talents exist and can go back to childhood. Claire's Mama would be proud!
This is the first book written by Terra Weiss that I have read and I will continue to seek out books written by her! I can't wait to read the next in this series!!!
This book had it all - a bride with cold feet who hot-footed it away from her wedding; meeting an old friend who became so much more, and a family mystery to unravel. The pace of the plot development meant I could hardly put the book down, and together with the main characters’ development alongside the slow unraveling of the family mystery against a Small Town background was fascinating. This is a clean romance, the first of a series, and I’m looking forward to reading more by this author.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
A warm and fuzzy romance with a little mystery thrown in as well. I really enjoyed this closed door romance and look forward to the next in the series. I was rooting for Claire and Jake from the start and enjoyed following their journey in finding love not only for each other but also love for themselves.
Who doesn't jealously covet a close family, the ties of a small town, and a true love happy ending? Oh and don't forget to add in a cute pet pig! This is a great story that is well balanced with not everything or everyone perfect on the first go around. There's mystery to be solved and honesty to be shared that's inspiring.
I noticed a few minor 'typos' towards the beginning of the book. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I loved how the story built up and what they did in the end when discovering 'the truth'. I would definitely recommend to my reader friends who enjoy this type of book.
I received a review copy of this book for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Written well and flows nicely. Wonderful characters and beautiful setting. Clean read some kissing that is it. Part of a series this is the first book. Next one is Claire's sister, Emma. Very enjoyable romantic read with a little mystery. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I love a good romcom but often feel they lack depth. Not this book! Finding Yesterday delivers intrigue and mystery that kept me turning the pages until the end. Now there’s a fight in my house for who will read it next!
Getting married or not? What happens in the wine cellar? Going back home to Blue Vine to find one's calling and release from the past. Can Claire find what she needs most in her life?
There are a few words that I don't use that have become every day language. I enjoyed that the couples disagreements were not blown out of proportion and dramatize. Story line was great. Not a clean read in my opinion.
I rarely leave reviews unless a book speaks to me in some way. A friend recently recommended “Finding Yesterday” by Terra Weiss. So, I took a chance with a debut author. Ms. Weiss surprised me! Her writing is fresh, her characters are fun, and her humor is relatable. And the chemistry between Claire and Jack is a real page-turner. FIVE STARS and here’s why:
I made a mistake and started reading this book with my morning coffee. I couldn’t put it down. Laundry? No. Groceries? No. Make dinner? Oops, I hope my husband brings it home or we’ll be eating popcorn.
I devoured this story in one sitting, and not just because of the pandemic and limited places to go, but because the author sucked me in with her humor, and I was hooked until the end. This story resonated with me long after I finished it. I was reminded that it’s hard to find joy amongst upheaval, but it’s certainly worth a try, and that’s what the two families did. Plus, I love a good runaway bride story, but what made it even better was a runaway Winston, a pig who ghosted his own roast! I knew then I was going to love this book. So much so, I purchased a copy for my mom to read while she recuperates. Highly recommend!
Que romance bom e que agradável surpresa com esta autora inédita para mim. A trama é relativamente simples e aparentemente cheia de clichês (o que para mim não é defeito), mas a autora consegue dar um twist em todos esses clichês. A escrita é super envolvente, os personagens bem construídos e é perceptível a evolução deles, principalmente da personagem feminina. A trama começa com o término de um noivado (horas antes do altar) e de um grande recomeço para a personagem, a história vai seguindo como um romance comum, até chegarmos no mistério que cerca a vida dos personagens principais. As duas tramas acabam caminhando juntas e é muito bom. A leitura é extremamente agradável, fluida e envolvente, eu simplesmente não consegui largar o livro e li tudo de uma vez. Esse romance é a prova que nem tudo precisa de muito drama ou muito hot para dar propósito a história. Recomendo muito, leiam que é ótimo.
QOTD: If you drink wine, what is your go-to? My A: I've only ever drank boxed wine once in college. It was as awful as you'd expect. 🤣🤦🤷 . This was a book I had randomly stubbled across on my Kindle and decided to give it a chance. Hidden gems like Finding Yesterday are the reason why I love KU! This is a small town romance with the perfect mix of opposites attract & a little bit of mystery. The side characters had me laughing more than once, but Winston the pig definitely stole the show. What I'd give to see him in his little hat and give him a few belly scratches! . This was a sweet romance, perfect for an afternoon of light reading or a palate cleanser after a heavy book. . BLURB: My veil dangles from my fingers as I hightail it into a wine cellar instead of down the aisle. My caterer, famous bad boy chef, Jack Brady, provides a bottle opener and a listening ear. Leaving my financé at the altar gets me booted from the restaurant he and I ran together, but I land a job as a chef at Jack's steakhouse. So what if I'm a vegetarian? After a rocky start—involving a piglet who ghosts his own roasting—sparks fly between Jack and me in the kitchen. But the past lingers between us like the smoke from a Southern barbeque. Jack left Blue Vine eighteen years ago after tragedy struck both our families. Does it haunt him like it does me? The buried secrets of that day could make our dreams go up in flames.
This is a new author to me and I enjoyed this one.
Claire is a giant mess, and I found myself wanting her to find her way!!
While the story was exactly what I expected, it had things that surprised me throughout this book, and that kept the pages flipping. I enjoyed the HEA and how they got there.
I would certainly read another book from this author as it was easy to enjoy.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Finding Yesterday by Terra Weiss is the first book in the Blue Vine Stories series. Ms Weiss draws the reader in from page one. I did not want to put the book down! I loved getting to know her characters. The story of Claire and Jack was interesting and sweet, with a little mystery thrown in. Winston became my favorite 'character' in the book. He stole my heart! I'm looking forward to reading more from Ms Weiss! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
ENG Plot. Claire calls her marriage off the day she should have been getting married: her relationship with Husdson is no longer a love one but just a business one. She spends some time at Emma's home, her sister, but since they are incompatible she decides to go back to Blue Vine, at her father's home. Here she is surrounded by her past, she wants to know more about her mother's death, and she wants to understand better what she wants to do about her future. . What I think. I sometimes liked Claire's character: she has her own priorities and that's good but on the other hand she seems really too naive. For instance, she ran a restaurant for years: how come she does not know one thing about how to manage it other than cooking… The other thing I found too much are her reactions: she is a bit extreme, it is always and immediately everything and/or nothing, burned to ashes. One think I did not like about how the story is told is that there are minimum dialogues, a choice it can be, but they are interrupted by really long descriptions of her thoughts, sometimes repeated… quite confusing because it made me lost truck of how everything started. My favourite character is Winston… the pig. . Note. The book is the first of a series: in book 2 the main character is Emma, in book 3 Charley. . I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
ITA Trama. Il giorno del suo matrimonio Claire lo annulla, il suo rapporto con Hudson è diventato solamente un rapporto di lavoro. Dopo qualche tempo a casa della sorella Emma, decide di tornare a Blue Vine a casa del padre. Circondata dal passato cerca di trovare indizi relativi alla morte della madre, avvenuta quando aveva 7 anni, e anche di trovare la sua strada. . Cosa ne penso. Allora. Il personaggio principale ogni tanto mi piaceva ma a volte no, a volte ha delle reazioni buone direi, altre sembra una principessa uscita dalla sua bolla. Un esempio. Ha gestito per anni un ristorante e non ho capito come è finita che non sa gestire nulla, se non cucinare. Un aspetto che ho trovato un po'... sono le sue reazioni: molto estreme. Quando ci sono dialoghi, questi sono davvero minimi, una scelta e questo non si discute, però sono intervallati con digressioni lunghissime da parte del personaggio principale, a volte ripetitive, che mi facevano perdere il filo del discorso. Il mio personaggio preferito rimane Winston, il maiale. . Nota. Questo libro fa parte di una serie, nel libro 2 il personaggio principale è Emma, nel libro 3 Charley. . Ho ricevuto una copia gratuita dalla casa editrice tramite Book Sirens. Questa recensione contiene la mia opinione ed è pubblicata liberamente.
I loved this sweet romance and fell in love with the characters Claire and Jack, as well as the pig Winston. The family backstories added an intriguing mystery and the town itself is a character with its own interesting history. I highly recommend this book and look forward to the rest of the series!
I didn’t expect to read Finding Yesterday in one most-of-the-day sitting, but that’s what happened. I found myself turning page after page to learn more about Claire and Jack, their families, the charming little vineyard town of Blue Vine, and the mysterious accident that affected all the characters in different ways. Terrific book!
The cover of this drew me in but admittedly, the title had me a bit confused. Finding Yesterday ... what does it MEAN?! But as I got into this sweet book, it dawned on me and it will make total sense to the reader as the story develops.
I loved the foodie and wine themes of this book ... they added extra interest for me as someone who appreciates both of those things very much.
As someone who has been a serial on-again-off-again vegetarian, Claire's attitude toward her own way of eating and the perceived "hypocrisy" of her thoughts about food really rang true with me.
I really liked this story and the dynamic between the MCs. I empathized with their individual family dramas but only took away a star because some of it was a little out-there as far as being believable to me. Some of the details weren't quite developed enough for me to accept them. Nothing was really said about Jack's parents and I needed to close the loop by understanding them more.
Thank you so much to Book Sirens and the publishers for the copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review! :)
Sweet romance with just the right amount of mystery. Was rooting for Claire and Jack to get together and to solve a family mystery - and I was not disappointed. Happily ever after - check. Looking forward to reading Emmaline's story.
I love Claire and Jack…especially Jack! Their chemistry alone is worth reading the book. A wonderful small-town, warm-hearted love story with a touch of mystery. A great read!