Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave | Rating: ★★★☆☆

Maybe that was just childhood? You hurry up, pick the opposite path, try to make childhood end. Then, as an adult, you have no idea why you were running away. What, exactly, you needed so desperately to get away from.

As a note, a printed galley of this novel was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

Beyond its gorgeous cover art, Eight Hundred Grapes has many things going for it in terms of intriguing readers. One look at its gripping summary and the promise of fiery emotions/the outcome of secrets will make this obvious.

Its premise alone promises us a trip of secrets and the explosive reactions it leaves in its wake when shocking secrets are revealed. Who can resist, right? Secrets, secrets are SO fun. Readers will instantly be drawn in with this standout in this years chick lit releases. There are many moments you will want to grab your highlighter or tabs to mark various quotes/passages.

Because of this, and its prose which leads to a light way of reading, it’s sure to find a generous fanbase. Eight Hundred Grapes reads in a way that leaves us with a vivid picture without all that much work on our part.


You may be wondering why I’ve given it only a three star review when I don’t seem to have anything bad to say–the truth is, it was nice. But I didn’t leave the story behind feeling all that satisfied (though perhaps I should) or like the story was memorable. I can't say if/when I'd ever read it again but it was fun in the moment.

Eight Hundred Grapes is fun for a these moments, the span of a sit down and read in the shade session, but for the most part that’s all it is. Not perfect, not awful, just kind of there. I mean, the characters were great and the pace was solid but I didn’t know what to think when the ending came about. It was easy to predict and I was hoping to be surprised.

It was just good and is well suited for spring and summer. There is nothing directly wrong with it but it wasn’t enough to hold me in for the long haul or make me a fan of the story.

I was also surprised by how much, as I was reading it, I had continued thinking one thing: “hey, this would make a great movie!” there was just something about it that felt more fit for a film than a novel. I guess that was my main problem with it, that it felt sort of shaky being on paper and perhaps would have translated better on screen.

That, right there, is a rare thought for me, as I am not a film purpose.

Pros:

I loved the setting. I really did and thought that the wit within the novel was solid. It really was fun and a pleasant read to blow through. I am not saying this just because I love wine, either, but I really liked the inclusion and how things were woven in here and there.

Characters were great, some of the secondary ones felt more alive than our lead but that wasn’t enough to make me dislike any of them. I liked the emotion behind it and how the family dynamics also felt incredibly real.

Awesome writing. Like I said, Laura Dave did a great job creating something as breezy as this and didn’t skimp out on descriptive scenery and emotion. It was nice. I feel like I’m saying that so much but that’s what comes to mind with EHG, it was nice: pure and simple.

Overall Georgia Ford is intelligent, stubborn and likable and while I enjoyed reading about her, there just wasn’t enough for me to say “I LOVED THIS BOOK!”; I enjoyed it while I read it but probably wouldn’t read it again any time soon. Lovers of chick lit, though, will find themselves enamored with the characters and plots and seeing how it unfolds.