‘Welcome, to Greens.’ Described as ‘a bottomless money-pit run by three mad women who don’t know what they’re doing.’ Green’s is the perfect wine bar for a cool crisp Chardonnay or a bubble filled Pinot Grigio. Run by three diversely different females including Claire, driven and predictable, Sarah, gentle and homely and the unpredictable, highly emotional and difficult Gaynor. Six weeks of hard work to build up the run down bar and the three are ready for opening night. With it’s freshly stripped boards and newly painted in Mediterranean colours that glow and contrast with the burnished terracotta pots that line the sides of the bar, it is a stunningly beautiful bar. Over the chink of glasses you can vaguely hear the sweet lulling voice of Norah Jones.  Except, it’s not going quite perfectly, each have their own personal problems and the opening of the wine bar are not going to stop them.

Three women and three very different reasons for the opening the bar; Sarah needs something sustainable to support and give a home to her children. Claire is extremely ambitious and a businesswoman at heart and Gaynor on the surface has everything she could ever want or need. The perfect home and the successful husband that loves treating her. However there are problems; why is Victor (her husband) always going away, why is he cold at times, and why does he stay away so long? When the bar starts getting threatening phone calls Gaynor’s world starts to fall apart! However, Sam (the knight in shining armour) makes an appearance; the strong and silent type he starts to worm his way into Gaynor’s life, helping her, and being a shoulder to cry on in the lonely nights. Although their friendship appears unlikely they form a startling bond; something that will change Gaynor’s life forever.

This book is full of charming touches. Delightfully, the chapter are named after different types of wines with a little description, which is beautifully fitting for the main stance and basis for the book. (I love the little touches) The writing style is strong with a good sense of pace and the book emits a lot of feeling that makes you want to visit the bar immediately. I found the characters warm and engaging and I thought the use of their differences worked well to create contrasts for the audience. The romantic links that are created between Gaynor and her beau are thoughtful and well explored; however I found the links with her brother brought into create an impact however the emotions weren’t properly explored leaving them ill-fitting to the rest of the story. Additionally, later in the book one of the stories takes an unexpected turn which is difficult to believe however this is only a minor issue. If you fancy a story that won’t test you but will leave a fuzzy feeling on the inside, pick this up and give it a read; I implore you!