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Through all of life’s ups and downs, four Napa Valley women manage to find time to meet a few Sunday afternoons each month for food, wine, and conversation. This isn’t just small talk; these friends expose their lives and true feelings during this special “Happy Hour.”
These get-togethers are the topic of a column written by Jamie, the editor-in-chief of Wine Lover’s Magazine. Life isn’t easy, and she appreciates this time together. As a widow with a young daughter, also serving as the caretaker for her senile mother-in-law who still lives in the 1950s, she endures financial and emotional hardship.
Kat, a sommelier and divorced mother of two teenage boys, lands a job at a top restaurant and becomes romantically involved with the owner. What appears to be a world of bliss is everything but. However, when you think about it, it’s just everyday life.
Danielle, a vintner and divorced mother of two young adult daughters finds herself competing in the wine world with her ex-husband. Soon her memories and relationship with her ex take a backseat to a startling fact that she learns about one of her daughters.
Alyssa, an artist, is carrying her own secret, which she feels that she can’t even tell her best friends. Readers learn bits of the secret as it slowly unfolds throughout the book.
Using both humor and drama, author Michele Scott weaves in and out of each woman’s life as each chapter focuses on a particular friend. Readers are often forced to wait a couple of chapters for a resolution to a specific problem, when that woman’s story is revisited; but that’s okay. It enhances the suspense and makes the novel difficult to put down.
Together these women deal with issues such as problems at work, raising teens, dealing with exes, blended families, senile parents, and parents who refuse to grow up. You may think that some of their issues are over the top, but think again. Like me, you’ll realize that you know people who have even stranger stories to tell. Again, the stories told in Happy Hour are just like real life, and you’ll be able to identify with these women.
Still, some may not be able to identify with the type of strong friendship that these women are able to share in this era of competition and alienation. In fact, many of you may even be a little jealous. In any event, this page-turner will remind you of what’s really important in life. You may even be prompted to contact some dear friends and start your own Happy Hour.
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