This is one of those books that people will either love or hate, because the MC, Lea, is a little polarizing. She's 36, American, career-driven, self-isolating, & chock full of intimacy/control issues. Despite her age, she's not always emotionally mature (see previous list of problems), which was at times annoying but balanced out by how relatable I found her in other aspects. Lea owns her own consulting company that specializes in restoring historic French properties into boutique hotels. Basically, if Emily in Paris were about human beings & not...whatever you'd call those characters, & was set at the estate from Call Me By Your Name, but French instead of Italian. 

Lea ends up inviting her best friend/cousin, Stephanie & her 20-year-old daughter, Maya, to France with her for the summer as she restores a chateau, to help them get distance from the messy divorce Stephanie is going through. They quickly settle into the French countryside & start on renovations alongside the family who own the chateau, & (of course) romance blooms. Stephanie & the family patriarch hit it off, & Maya is entranced by his 24-year-old son, Théo. Unfortunately for her, Théo's equally entranced...by Lea. 

Théo's (again, of course) mature for his age, & I really enjoyed him as a love interest. He was genuinely nice & laidback, but not a pushover. I think what I liked most about him & Lea was that they both had a strong sense of self, which is not always the case in romances. Lea's so sure that a fling with a college kid won't be a threat to her emotionally that she doesn't bother with her usual walls, &, well. Oops. She ends up struggling to maintain her usual iron control over her job, her love life, & her friendships as the summer goes on.

This story wasn't anything groundbreaking, but I binged it and had a lot of fun with the summery, European vibes, & it was refreshing to read some characters who differed slightly from the usual romance archetypes. I definitely recommend if you're looking for a good vacation read, but don’t go into this expecting a lot of spice. It was a very cinematic read, and I’d equate the spice to what you’d expect from a mainstream romance movie.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, & the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.