Review: The Shortest Way Home by Miriam Parker

Hannah has everything she could have dreamed of: she has a promising high-paying job, a wonderful boyfriend, and an amazing apartment in Manhattan.  With just two weeks left in grad school, all her hard work is finally paying off.

When she and her boyfriend, Ethan, head to Sonoma for a relaxing and romantic getaway, she falls in love with wine country, and in particular, a quaint family owned vineyard.  It's struggling, so she offers marketing advice.  When she's offered a job and doesn't immediately refuse, everything Ethan has meticulously planned for their future begins to crumble.  She accepts the job and instantly becomes an part of the beloved wine country she fell in love with.

It doesn't take her long to realize that the dream job and life she was initially perusing wasn't necessarily her own dream, but rather she fell in love with the idea of its perfection.  Her new job, the gorgeous cottage she gets to call home, and the feeling of belonging, rewards her ten-fold.

I haven’t fallen for a book like this one in some time! Honestly, I’m having a difficult time not gushing endlessly about how amazing it is!  I adored Hannah’s character! I was right with her when she made the decision many of us dreamed we could make: to work full time at a vineyard.  I appreciated her desire and need to follow her own path and purpose for once, instead of the one that others laid out for her.  And, most importantly, I was thrilled when she decided that she didn’t need a man in her life when she opted to depart on this personal journey toward a more fulfilling life!

The setting, too, was perfection.  I’m not going to lie, I do love me some wine.  I frequent a local vineyard built into the side of a mountain, and it is my idea of heaven.  I couldn’t help but picture a setting like that one while reading this novel.

My moment of disclosure: I’ve known Miriam for approximately 10 years; she was (and is) one of the best book pushers (I mean publishers!) in the industry.  That said, I was able to separate that connection while reading this title, for it is simply perfection in book form.  Highly, highly recommended.