Trouble Brewing by Suzanne Baltsar
My Review - 3.5 Stars
I like beer but I wouldn’t call myself a beer aficionado. I like what I like and I enjoy going on brewery tours but I don’t think much about how it gets made or the steps between idea to actual sales. As such, I’ve never thought about it being a male-dominated industry and I was highly intrigued when I learned Trouble Brewing is about Piper, a female brewer, and what she faces on her quest to start her own brewery.
I admired her drive and passion for her work, as well as the frank understanding of the obstacles she faces in addition to the rampant sexism and misogyny in the industry. I didn’t always understand her reasoning, particularly when it came to Blake, but I could empathize with her struggle in wanting to be treated fairly, while also wanting to date the guy she’s interested in.
The sexism she did face felt heavy-handed and I wish this element of the story had been handled with more nuance. It’s a hard critique to make because I really appreciated the way the story didn’t back down from Piper’s roadblocks and how infuriating it is we women are still dealing with this BS. It made me that much grateful Blake understood the double standards Piper faced and that he was supportive of her no matter what.
Even though Piper and Blake have a few things stacked against them, I was really rooting for their relationship once it got started and hoping they’d have a happy ending.
Blake was a magical unicorn in some ways and a conundrum in others. He has an extremely toxic family but he still goes to family dinners. His best friends said really inappropriate things when they first met Piper. I think we’re supposed to see them as lovable goons but I just wanted to tell Blake to find better friends. Blake also has a hard time not trying to fix things for the people he cares for, regardless of what they want. This could be aggravating to watch. He has more growing up to do and while I wish he’d had to grovel more, he does make some big moves that were satisfying to watch.
While I had some nitpicky issues, I really did enjoy reading it. Piper’s foray into brewing and watching her ups and downs was fascinating to me and that’s the real reason to give this one a a try.
Synopsis
This sweet, savory, and satisfying novel—perfect for fans of The Coincidence of Coconut Cake by Amy Reichert—follows a smart, ambitious woman making her way in the male-dominated world of beer brewing.
Piper Williams is used to being the only woman in a room full of men, but she isn’t used to being instantly drawn to someone she’s in business with.
After working long hours brewing in her garage, Piper is determined to prove herself—and to ignore the chemistry she has with Blake Reed, owner of Minnesota’s newest gastropub who is going to stock four of her brews. She wants her craft beer to stand on its own merits and knows that the tight-knit male-dominated brewer community will assume the worst if she starts anything with one of her vendors. No way she’ll risk everything she’s invested in her budding business on a guy who might not stick—no matter how charmingly handsome and funny he is, right?
And Blake has a conflict of his own—his haughty family wants him to ditch the gastropub and support his father’s political campaign. Well, that, and the fact that he knows Piper’s snark and sass is the perfect blend of crisp and refreshing for him. So Blake and Piper make a pact: she’ll go out with him if, and only if, two additional pubs start carrying her beer. Sticking to the pact proves harder than either of them expected—especially since the attraction is off the charts between quirky, independent Piper and smart, charming Blake.
Then Piper gets a once-in-a-lifetime offer that could launch her company to the next level—and take her away from Blake. Are she and Blake just drunk in love, or do they have something real that’s worth risking her dreams for?
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Disclosure: I received an advanced copy from Gallery Books in exchange for an honest review. Affiliate links included in this post.
