Review: Memorable, Fun Romantic Coastal Wine Country Story
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 9, 2012
I didn't want this book to end. Once it did, I wanted more. That's why this story gets 4 starts from me. The editing & pacing could be better & I suspect that the author will improve in those ways. But the characters were fun & most of them were even believable for a lighthearted RomCom story.Other people have described the plot, so I won't. As a lover of Sonoma County & one familiar with its smaller coastal towns, this one nailed the small town culture, inhabitants & vibe. Weaving in Lila's love of 80s pop music, Westlake manages to connect with her readers while giving us hope that Lila's life will improve. Indeed, it does, over the course of a year, from one Christmas to the next.Lila's striving, stressful, unknowingly self-defeating lifestyle falls away thanks to getting fired, moving & learning to make soup. Yes, really! And moreoever, it's believable. Soup is only one of the ways that Lila grounds herself in a new way of life, in a small town where she can indulge her love of books, learn to nourish herself, mind, body & spirit, and become a contributing member of the community instead of a mere cog in a heartless corporate wheel. I dove below the surface of this book in order to see the underpinnings of this story's values, beyond the standard RomCom format. Doing so enriched my experience of this story. The values of community, nourishment, nature, the life of the mind, right livelihood, self-discovery, generosity of spirit & allowing yourself to dream big even when your enemies and culture try to show that you'll always be small are themes in this fun story. I liked Jake, the romantic interest. He was imperfect & a bit of an enigma when first seen through Lila's eyes. Her wiser side started to see him for who he really was and despite the chip on her shoulder about rich people, she allowed him into her heart. Of course, resulting heartbreak was there, but even so it didn't defeat Lila. At that point, she had supportive people & a healthy lifestyle to see her through, at which point things with Jake turned around. The two good friends of Lila's, one a practical, down to earth mom & one a more whimsical sprite of a woman, along with goofy co-worker & a loving grandmother all help Lila discover herself outside of the life she'd previously constructed for herself. Her ability to laugh at herself and deeply enjoy her new found world come through delightfully & warmly invite the reader in.I agree that the ending was too abrupt - I'd like to be able to follow the storyline further so that the reader sees where Lila's manifestation of her dreams lead her.All in all, this was a solid first published effort by Addison Westlake and I look forward to more of her books. I'd be thrilled if that included a sequel to Christmas in Wine Country!