Blame it on the Chardonnay by A. Emma Hollis is a funny, heartfelt novella that follows one lesbian on her journey to find ‘the one’.
The story centers around Jenna, an athletic, funny, all-American young woman. In high school, she’s living a teenage dream. She spends time at the movies, hanging out with friends, and going out with her steady boyfriend. Jenna’s world shifts when she locks eyes with a beautiful cheerleader, hurling her into the realization that she’s a lesbian.
Jenna falls in love – and hard – with the high school cheerleader. After the loss of that relationship, she finds herself in the arms of her first rebound, a whirlwind of an entanglement that ends as fiery as it began.
Moving forward, Jenna knows she’s looking for the right woman, but all she seems to find are the wrong ones. She meets many women – military types, book-ish women, even a co-worker – but none are her perfect match. What will it take for Jenna to find her Mrs. Right?
Jenna’s relationships are one wrong turn after another. Is it possible that all these twists and turns will lead her to the lady of her dreams, or will she spend her whole life searching?
The Characters
Jenna is mellow, laid-back, and somewhat introverted. She fits in anywhere, making her a fabulous main character for such a dynamic story. Her transformation from a young, rather plain teenager to an emotionally mature woman is a natural, organic flow.
The supporting characters are well-written. Jenna’s mom is kind and thoughtful and provides stability throughout the changes in Jenna’s life. Jenna’s lovers, however, fluctuate wildly. Somewhere between Jenna’s first love and her worst love, there’s a woman you can relate to – or relate to having dated.
They can’t all be Mrs Right, and it was refreshing to see that here. It was nice to see relationships that needed work, ones that just weren’t right, and relationships at different levels of maturity. The relationships were well-timed and gave Jenna the experiences she needed to evolve.
The Writing Style
Blame it on the Chardonnay was like catching up with a college friend about what’s been happening in her life. The language was casual and welcoming.
The first-person writing was perfect for this story. I appreciated Jenna’s internal monologues. Aside from giving great insight into her decision making, they were often perfectly timed humor.
Pros And My Favourite Parts
What I liked most was how relatable these characters were. I could see myself and even a few exes in the characters. Whether it was an “aww” or a “what are you thinking??” moment, I felt like I could understand where they were coming from.
Cons And Heads Up
There’s some mention of cheating if that’s a dealbreaker for you, and some physical aggression between lovers, but they are limited to one or two pages each. There’s also a reference to loss of a parent if that’s something you’d like to avoid.
The Conclusion
I’d recommend Blame it on the Chardonnay to anyone looking for a comforting, easy-going short story about growing up and growing into love.
TLDR (too long didn’t read)
Blame it on the Chardonnay is a novella that follows one woman’s journey to love through a succession of relationships with Mrs Wrongs.
Excerpt from Blame it on the Chardonnay by A. Emma Hollis
We never said the words “I love you,” but I think we both felt it. Every look, every kiss, and every touch resonated love. But we knew that saying those three little words would make her leaving that much more unbearable.
The day she moved came too fast. I helped her pack the weekend before she left. It felt surreal. How could the best time of my life, with the best person I’d ever known, end like this? I took the day of from work on the day she left; then I took two more days off to sulk in bed.
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Bits and Bobs
- ISBN number: 9781723899522
- Publisher: Indie Author
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