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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2672 KP) rated Helpless in Books
Mar 19, 2025 (Updated Mar 19, 2025)
This is more of a ticking clock thriller than a mystery, with the book taking place over the course of a day. As much as I love this series, this one was a bit of a letdown. I found Zoe’s portion of the story slowed the plot down, and I found it a very dark book, even by this series’ standards. On the other hand, the overall plot of the book was great and I was still always reluctant to set the book down. It was great spending time with Zoe and Pete, and I enjoyed seeing the updates we still got on the series regulars and some ongoing stories. Fans of this great series will still be glad they picked up this book.
This is a sweeping novel that gives a lot (!) of details about wine and vineyards. The Hollander family owns their Long Island winery—belonging to matriarch Vivian and her husband, Leonard. Leonard, who is quite firm in his ideas about gender roles, would not let their daughter Leah take over, so she runs a cheese shop in New York City. Leah’s daughter Sadie is struggling in college with her thesis.
When they all converge at the vineyard, they discover Leonard is thinking of selling. He refuses to accept any of Leah or Vivian’s ideas to help save it. But when Sadie finds Vivian’s trashy old novels from her book club days, the three women come together. It’s fun to hear about the old novels (you’ll enjoy this book if you like Krantz or Collins) and watch the women triumph over Leonard, who, honestly can be sort of awful. The themes of marriage, sexism, and family run strong and make this an interesting read, even if the characters sometimes frustrate you to no end. 3 stars.

