Another Book for Francophiles -- Like Me

I really enjoyed the book The French for Love by Fiona Valpy. I read it all in one day rather than grading papers or preparing for classes or doing laundry for my son who goes back to college next week.
 Gina, the main character, lives in the UK and is in her late 20s. Major life changes in the past year spin her into a whirlwind. Her father died, her favorite aunt who lived in France died, her live-in boyfriend left her for another woman, and she lost her job as a wine purchaser for a small wine shop.
When her aunt leaves the French house to Gina, she decides to move to France. Well, the word "love" is in the title, so you can guess that there is a hunky Frenchman involved. But the book goes deeper than that too as she learns a secret about her aunt and has to choose between love and career.
Since the main character knows a lot about wine, I found myself longing for a glass of wine throughout the book. I wanted to join in.
I like that the main character is strong, and parts of the book remind me of a Victorian novel in that many of the confusions come from simply not talking about the problem.  
I'd probably give this book a 4.5 out of 5.

First Paragraph, Tuesday Teaser -- The French for Love

Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the first paragraph of her current read. Anyone can join in. Go to Diane's website for the image and share the first paragraph of the current book you are reading.
I downloaded this book onto my Kindle. I haven't started it yet: The French for Love by Fiona Valpy. I love the cover. Here's the opening:  

To-Do List:20 mins Pilates -- dailyPractise taking deep breaths and letting go-- ongoingDrive to FranceSend off applications for Master of wine course, first step on the path to brilliant and fulfilling new job financing life of glamour and fun.Find suitable man for love and children, NB not another cheating rat like Ed -- ongoing.

Turns out doing Pilates in a ferry cabin the size of a sardine tin is a physical impossibility, so I go up on deck instead to stretch my legs and watch St Malo materialise through the early morning mist. I take deep breaths of sea air as I stride the length of the ship, killing two birds with one stone on the To-Do list and preparing myself for the day's drive ahead. I'm retracing the homeward journey I'd made in the early spring after that last stay with my Aunt Liz. Only now, weirdly, my homeward journey is in the opposite direction. 

Also this week is Teaser Tuesdays. Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Open to a random page of your current read h and share a teaser sentence from somewhere on that page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers. Here's my teaser from page 114:

Wrenching the earphones from my ears, I scramble down to firmer ground, my neck and cheeks blazing scarlet with embarrassment. "Excuse me, I was just..." I burble, waving a dusty hand at the shutters. My shoulders and arms are covered in freckles of dried green and red paint. And it's only later that I discover the bits in my hair as well.

Hope you are reading something good this July. I'm also connecting to Paris in July cohosted by Thyme for Tea and Bookbath.