Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee

Wendy and Amy mull over a young romance. / Will a fake meet cute lead to real love, by chance? / Maybe, if Noah just follows his list. / Pop a cork for the love he almost missed!

Show Notes:

Author: Emery Lee 

Prosecco: Borrasca Prosecco Rosé 

Oliver Fox’s Writer’s Write Article “Four Pillars of Romance” 

Big Gay Fiction Podcast 

Next Episode: 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand  paired with Conca d’Oro Prosecco Rosé 

Please Follow, Rate, and Review us on Apple or Spotify Podcast. 

Transcript

Prosecco N Prose | Season 4 | Episode 39 | Meet Cute Diary  by Emery Lee

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Co-hosts: Wendy and Amy

Amy (A): Welcome to Prosecco and Prose Episode 39.

Wendy (W): This week’s prosecco is Borrasca Prosecco Rosé. 

A: This week’s prose is Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee.                        

 * * * INTRO * * *  

W: I finally got you to read two books from one of my favorite genres.

A: You did. I can’t say young adult will ever be my favorite genre. Although, I read them when I was teaching to stay engaged with my students, and I’ve actually enjoyed reading a couple this season. As teachers, we know it’s so very important to engage with all readers.

W: I agree. In the meantime, let’s engage in our prosecco today.

A: I really like the label this week. It’s simple, just a sparkly silver square with Borrasca Prosecco DOC Rosé.

W: Very simple, but I have to say, the letters make me think of a wanted poster from the Wild West days.

A: I can see that. I can also imagine our pictures smack centered on that wanted poster…crimes against wine. But…we’ve got a few tasting notes on this bottle. Been missing that from the last few.

W: Maybe we’ll be clued in and pull out a few more things than we have been. Been using a lot of it’s clean.

A: And strawberry, for me anyway. But let’s see. 

W: Tell us what we’ve got.

A: Okay…So we already said it’s a DOC … This one’s extra dry, 11%, and it says, “Sparkling Rosé, layering bright acidity with flavors of dried cherry, salted almond, yum, raspberry and of course strawberry. Great as an aperitif but also pairs very well with Risotto, salads and sharp cheeses.”

W: And you have some cherry almond and raspberry dark chocolate. I can’t wait to try that with it.

A: Got to have the chocolate. We got this one for $13.99 at Total Wine and it’s rated a 4.1.

W: Wow! Okay. We’ve had the regular Borrasca a few times. It’s good. Curious to see how this one will be.

A: Gunna make a prediction;...I’ll probably like it better than you, and it won’t rate as high as the regular for you. I can read you like a book.

W: That’s a good prediction, but I don’t know that any of these could rate higher than regular prosecco because I just like regular prosecco so much. These aren’t bad, I just have a preference.

A: Just messing with you, but I agree. I’ve really enjoyed these rosés…especially the chocolate pairings this season. I, too, am missing my regular prosecco. That I could drink every day, or nearly, but I’d have to save the rosé for a special occasion.

W: Yeah, me too. But I’d probably give this more as a gift because it’s just so pretty and special.

A: For sure. A great gift. With chocolate. Of course…

W: Of course. Now this one wasn’t very bubbly on the pour, but I definitely have lots of bubbles in the glass.

A: Yeah, no risk of bubble overflow on the pour, lots and lots of bubbles in glass. Looking at it, it’s kind of like our label, very sparkly.

W: It is! Pretty! And the color as well, it’s a peachy pink.

A: It’s not as orange tinged as some of the them, more of a pale pink for me, but I see your hint of peach.

W: Wow! Definitely get some yeast on the nose.

A: Yes, yeast for sure, but other than that, I really don’t smell a thing. Let me see the label again. 

W: To be fair, I think the label said the flavors, not the nose.

A: Oh, that’s right.

W: I think I might be getting a hint of citrus, but nothing else. No berry fruit of any kind.

A: I’m not even getting any citrus. Just yeast and it’s really clean.

W: And there we have our good old fall-back, clean.

A: Well, I don’t have any intelligent words to describe it.Tasting. See if I do better there. Maybe get some of the “stuff”  intelligence there again…you know stuff from the label.

W: Cheers and good luck.

A: To both of us.

W: It’s not as fizzy as I was expecting.

A: Not super fizzy at all with all the bubbles in the glass. A nice tingling feeling around the tongue though, and now I get citrus. Maybe tangerine, maybe orange.

W: Yes to the citrus, though I can’t pick out anything specific like you have. It’s also got a bit of a sticky mouth feel to it.

A: That’s so you’re thirsty for more.

W: Oh those prosecco makers have a method to their madness.

A: I don’t get any strawberry. Do you? Or really anything from the label?

W: I’m getting some cherry. Some citrus and cherry, but that’s about it. It’s very light in flavor. And now I don’t even really have a smell.

A: I agree, but it’s crisp, it has a bit of bite. Not bad.

W: I’m starting to think we wouldn’t stand a chance as sommeliers. 

A: The Consortium would call us sommeli-NOs, so we probably should keep practicing then.

W: I think that’s a good plan. I dug up a bit of info on this Borrasca because I was curious about the name. Like was it a family name or a word with special meaning or something totally random.

A: And what did you learn when you ventured down the ole Borrasca hole?

W: Well, Borrasca is Spanish. They actually started with cava and then added prosecco and just recently added cuvée [cu vay] which is a French-style sparkling wine.

A: Like a champagne or made in the same method as champagne.

W: Yes, exactly. And borrasca means storm.

A: Really? Maybe they’re playing on words, you know, taking the world by storm with their sparkling spirits.

W: That’s kind of the angle I took with it, but I looked all over their website and found nothing as to how they chose the name, but I do like that way of thinking. I’d also like to try their cava and cuvée sometime. Especially since we’ve liked what we’ve tried so far from this label.

A: You know I’m always up for a tasting party

W: I knew you would be. Let’s talk about our author Emery Lee.

A: Meet Cute Diary, published in May 2021, is Emery Lee’s debut YA novel. Visiting e’s webpage, which I highly recommend checking out, is https://www.emeryleebooks.com/…Looks like Emory’s been writing and writing. Novels, short stories, webcomics. E has a second novel, Café Con Lychee, that came out this May. I’m so looking forward to reading that. 

W: Yeah, I’ve added that one to my ever growing stack.

A: Never shrinks.

W: Never. Emery Lee used to work as a trade book reviewer and on e’s website, ey does this thing with other authors called Pitch Wars. Published authors work with and mentor upcoming authors. It’s really cool. And having worked as a trade book reviewer, and obviously now being published, e knows a bit about the process.

A: There’s also a whole list of other authors participating with guidelines of what they’re looking for, so if you’re a writer looking for that, check out emeryleebooks.com/. 

W: Emery Lee also has a list of favorites on eir website.

A: We love lists and especially lists of favorites.

W: We do. E has books, animated series, live action series, movies, and one that fits right into our season, tropes.

A: A few of Emery’s favorite tropes definitely made it into the book.

W: They did. And if you’re a superfan, the shop on e’s website has sweatshirts, mugs, stickers, bags, postcards, hats; all kinds of meet cute stuff.

A: Lots of great stuff. For even more on Emery Lee, check out the Big Gay Fiction Podcast episode entitled Gay Agendas and Meet Cutes with Jason June and Emery Lee. This podcast is co-hosted by Will Knauss and his husband Jeff Adams. They discuss literature, but also interview authors, give book recs, and explore the latest in gay pop culture. They drop a new episode every Monday.

W: A really fun podcast.

A: I love the vibe these two have. They’ve even gotten a shoutout from Oprah. She named them in her list of “26 of the best book podcasts to listen to when you’re not reading.”

W: High praise, but I can see that. Loved listening to them.

A: Book Riot, who you and I both love, also gave them kudos. They put them on their “33 of the best book podcasts for all genres” list.

W: Jeff interviewed Jason June, author of Jay’s Gay Agenda, and Emery Lee. Jeff and Will also gave a great summary of both books. We’ll get to our summary in a bit, but it was a very fun and informative interview. The authors talked about book covers, story inspiration, next projects, and favorite reads, which they both said was Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun by Jonny Garza Villa. Definitely going to be checking that one out. 

A: I’ll do the same. Really fun podcast and I always love a good author interview. Guys, Check them out; its the Big Gay Fiction Podcast. Okay Wendy Wendy Wendy…Let’s get a quick summary of Meet Cute Diary.

W: Sure. Noah, a 16-year-old transgender boy, runs a successful blog called the Meet Cute Diary. The blog features anonymous meet cute stories of trans couples finding love. Except all of the stories are fake, which a troll figures out and sets out to expose the blog.

A: Now Noah is in serious damage control to save his blog. He’s staying with his older brother in Denver for the summer while their parents move to California from Florida. When his Mom tells Noah he needs to get a job, he meets Drew, who suggests they fake date to save the blog.

W: Noah has written the steps to a perfect romance, which are also the chapter titles, and even though it's a fake romance, Noah, falling for Drew, starts to believe he and Drew are well on their way to a very real romance as they, according to Noah, check off each step.

A: Meanwhile, Noah has gotten a job at the summer camp his brother also works at and meets Devin, his new boss and co-worker. There are no sparks between Noah and Devin and their first meeting is definitely not a meet cute. Poor Devin.

W: I know! But Devin and Noah’s friendship begins to grow and Noah learns he and Devin share a past that draws them even closer.

A: The blog is doing even better than before with everyone eager to see what’s happening in Noah and Drew’s relationship, but not everything is going quite according to Noah’s romance steps.

W: And Noah’s starting to look at Devin in a different light. He’s been living in a fantasy with Drew, curating the perfect relationship from meet cute to happily ever after, but he’s learning that relationships of the heart don’t always follow a 12-step plan.

A: Most of the time, they just sneak up on you. Now Noah is a messy, self-centered, teenage boy.

W: I know you kind of struggled with him at first, but then we talked about age and stage, one of your favorite things to point out to me, and what were we like as teenagers?

A: Ah! Messy and self-centered!

W: I know I was at that age. But I think Lee wrote Noah brilliantly. Being a teenager, especially one moving, leaving a best friend, trying to find love, trying to find his identity, it’s messy and emotional and Lee gave us all of that in Noah. I loved Lee’s writing, even if I didn’t exactly love the characters, I think that only just speaks to e’s skill as a writer.

A: Completely and totally agree. Lee’s writing is incredible, and I will probably read anything e puts out. I’m ready to dig into some tropes!

W: So there are actually a number of tropes…so we’ll cover the weakest ones first. I say coming of age/first love.

A: Not sure I would say weakest, but I know what you mean. 

W: That does kind of have a negative connotation. Maybe “less powerful” Perfect So, Noah may write about love, but Drew feels like his first love. I think the fact he’s written 12 steps and expects every step to go as planned, in his head, or it isn’t love or a relationship kind-of speaks to that.

A: I agree, first love and sort of learning as you go and grow. He’s had crushes and dates, but he really falls for Drew. I think we could also say the trope new boy in town. 

W: Oh right. He’s definitely not familiar with Denver.

A: Nope, and in swoops Drew, and Devin, to an extent, to befriend him, show him around, make him fall in love.

W: I also thought of workplace or even holiday romance because Noah and Devin work together and he’s in Denver for his summer holiday, which is where he runs into Drew.

A: Makes sense. There’s also a bit of a love triangle, Drew—Noah—Devin. It doesn’t really start to happen until the middle of the book when Noah starts to realize his relationship with Devin is stronger than his relationship with Drew.

W: You knew it was going to happen, I mean everything that happened with Devin was the complete opposite of what happened with Drew. Did not follow his 12 steps at. All.

A: Which made it just so much more real. There was also enemies to lovers, which might be a bit of a stretch.

W: I see where you’re going, but I felt it was more like friends to lovers. You’re talking Devin, right?

A: Yes, you're right; I see your point, but Noah really, really disliked Devin when they first met. That whole getting thrown up on did not do wonders for their relationship. And Noah was so fixed on his 12 steps that if the relationship didn’t start with a meet cute, the relationship didn’t start. Period.

W: Yeah, he had a bit of a learning curve when it came to relationships. But Noah and Devin did become friends and it's through that friendship, and Drew’s ever more controlling behavior, that Noah starts to see Devin in a different light.

A: Drew was totally after some internet clout. Just my opinion.

W: Oh mine, too. What do you think of forced proximity with Noah and Devin? Having to work together every day, Noah starts to see a bigger picture of Devin. He learns Devin’s story.

A: It definitely played into their relationship. I mean, they wouldn’t have even met if Noah had got the job at the bookstore and not been forced to get a job at the camp.

W: Then it would’ve been Drew and Noah forever.

A: I really doubt that, but speaking to that, let’s wrap up with our main trope, the premise of the book, fake dating/relationship.

W: Which is one of Lee’s favorite tropes, along with enemies to lovers and forced proximity, to name a couple. 

A: Lee took a very familiar trope and made it of the moment tying it into social media. Meet Cute Diary was Noah’s baby, his creation. He was willing to do anything to save it from the troll.

W: Even if it means fake dating a really hot guy that he was crushing on and had written a post about.

A: A couple posts actually. You had to know it wasn’t going to last because how can anything phony withstand the pressures of a relationship?

W: Well, the whole premise of the trope is that you can really get the hot guy/girl even if it starts out fake. That’s what Noah was hoping for. But I couldn’t help but wonder if Drew was just thinking he’d only need to last the summer, the holiday romance, build his online clout, then Noah moves away and the relationship just dissolves because of the distance.

A: Oh! Hadn’t thought of that, but it makes a lot of sense. I have a little different take …

W: Okay.

A: I think Drew needed to be there to sort of help Noah see what a true relationship is. Their fake relationship ticking off all the steps on his list really helped him, Noah, see what a real relationship was with Devin. Made him see the light that relationships can’t be put into little boxes that you can neatly check off as you progress. They’re messy and emotional and wonderful and dreadful and different and imperfect.

W: I like that. Noah needed a fake relationship to find a real relationship.

A: He did. And if that isn’t the life a teenager!

W: Very true. Well, we have a lot of tropes, let’s see if you have a romance, according to “The Four Pillars of Romance” by Oliver Fox from the Writer’s Write blog.

A: Okay …. Pillar 1 - The Couple: Lover and Beloved.

W: We have this. Actually, with our love triangle, we have a couple couples, Drew and Noah … I felt like they changed roles as lover and beloved. Drew felt like the lover, but as Noah starts to fall for him, I felt like he became the lover.

A: I didn’t feel they were very clear cut either, and maybe that was due to the fake relationship, but Drew definitely started out as the lover by proposing the fake relationship and he was the one that controlled all their dates and really, the relationship.

W: He really did. But I think the more Noah tried to mold their relationship to his steps, the more Noah took on the lover roll.

A: I can see that, but for me, I felt like Drew wanted Noah more towards the end of their relationship and he grew just overly possessive. It was like he tried to own him instead of love him.

W: That’s true, but Noah was also really forcing a role more and more because he didn’t want to lose his blog. And he wanted the steps to work. 

A: I think Noah loved the idea of pursuing someone, even if it was of fake status.

W: Because he thinks his steps, followed correctly will bring him love and lasting romance. But really his love is for the blog. Even Drew asks on one date if it can just be them and not for the blog.

A: The blog was really Noah’s first love!

W: I think it was. So for the Noah—Drew romance, what Noah wanted was to save his blog …

A: …and he also wanted love.

W: He did; and what Drew wanted, in my opinion, in both of our opinions, I think, was a bit of Noah’s celebrity to rub off on him.

A: Oh yeah…so Agree. And how they plan to get it–fake date and post their romance on the blog.

W: Why? They believe it will give both of them what they ultimately want, social media clout. Alright, so Noah—Devin.

A: Oh Devin, for sure. I knew the moment Devin puked on Noah that Devin was going to pursue Noah.

W: You did? I knew there was going to be something, but I can’t say I thought that.

A: There’s just something about throwing up on each other that binds people together.

W: Maybe if it’s your girlfriends and you’ve had a wild night together, not first time you meet.

A: Is that the stipulation? Anyway, I felt like this was the strongest pursuance in the novel.

W: Maybe, it was at least the most subtle. And don’t you think Noah takes on the role of lover towards the end when he realizes his feelings for Devin? Think of the Christmas gift. He was stressing about the absolute perfect gift and it giving him an opening to tell Devin how he feels.

A: You have a point. But Devin was just more mature, so eirs pursuit of Noah was more …it was more refined, I’ll say. I’m not sure that’s exactly the word I’m looking for, but Devin was not doing all the romantic gestures and over-the-top dates Drew was. Devin was being a friend first, and just observing.

W: I think Devin taught Noah how to be a friend as well.

A: Truth. Now, what did these two want? Really just love and to be loved. Like many people the world over.

W: How does Devin plan to get it? With a lot of patience.

A: And a lot of free coffee. For Noah.

W: Oh yeah! Forgot about that. Definitely Devin was a pursuer. Now your angle makes more sense. I had totally forgotten about that. And why do they want it? Who doesn’t want love?

A: Love just makes you feel complete, heard, seen … A part of someone’s other world. So we’re off to a good start with a pretty strong Pillar 1.

W: I would say so. Let’s see about Pillar 2 - The Obstacles: Rivals, Taboos, and Loved Ones—Oh My!

A: Speaking of obstacles, I feel like I’m having some obstacles with this Borrasca Prosecco Rosé.

W: Obstacles like you’re not getting any strawberry? Or your glass is only half full? Or that it’s really good with this raspberry dark chocolate and you only gave us each a square?

A: I guess I could go with all of those, the one piece of chocolate is to keep us from overindulging. 

W: Which I very much appreciate. You always have more self-control than I do. 

A:  I don’t know about that! Anyway…I am getting maybe a bit of cherry, both on the nose and a little in the mouth, but there’s not a lot of flavor with this one.

W: No, there really isn’t. I can definitely smell and taste the cherry as well. I kind of thought it might taste a bit more yeasty, just based on the initial smell, but not getting any of that at all.

A: Neither am I. It’s just, it’s good, it’s just different.

W: So the obstacle is it’s different? Not prosecco-ey enough for you?

A: Maybe…just not enough flavor. I’ll give it a bit more time. Now obstacles in our story … The troll was definitely an obstacle, even though I sort of liked them. Got to love a storybook troll. The investigator in me liked that they did their homework in finding that the statistics didn’t make sense. It was an outside the box troll. 

W: I kind-of feel like Drew might’ve been the troll. Really? I mean, he did recognize his own meet cute story and seeing that it wasn’t true, maybe just decided to check on other ones. Now he’s got a way to start building his own social media clout by proposing fake dating with Noah and posting it.

A: Wow! That actually makes a lot of sense. I can’t even unthink that now. I bet he was the troll! Emery! Is Drew the troll??? Inquiring minds need to know!

W: It just fits, when you think about it. To me. I think the blog was an obstacle.

A: Oh yeah…Me, too. Noah was so wrapped up in what a perfect romance was, with all his steps and keeping up appearances, he was, as they say, missing the forest for the trees.

W: He was. We could even take it a step farther and say Noah was his own obstacle, for the exact reasons the blog was. He and it got in his own way.

A: I think so. I also felt like time was an obstacle, and we mentioned age and stage, him being just 16, his immaturity on top of having just transitioned would be an obstacle for anyone, I would think.

W: Yeah, I agree. You’re a ball of nerves as a teen anyway and to add figuring out your identity and online bullying …. I can’t imagine.

A: I’m so glad there was no social media when I was a kid.

W: Not to age us, but me, too.

A: I thought of Devin as an obstacle that got in the way of Drew and Noah’s relationship.

W: Yeah, I thought of him as a rival, and Drew definitely did.

A: He did. But I saw Drew as a conduit for Noah and Devin’s relationship. Drew was the step Noah had to take that allowed Noah to really see how he was treating people, how he was being treated, thinking of possessive Drew, and for Noah to begin to learn what a real relationship is. Not a series of carefully scripted steps, but a messy, at times uncomfortable, imperfect, evolving thing.

W: Yes! So well said. I think speaking of rivals, the blog could also be looked at as a rival. It was always coming up for Drew and Noah, which, I know, was the premise of their relationship, but I think Drew started to resent it after awhile.

A: Yeah, you could see that. We know Noah started to develop feelings for Drew, but Drew also started to develop feelings for Noah and towards the end, we see him asking Noah if they can just do something for them and not the blog.

W: So we’ve got some obstacles, let’s see how Pillar 3 - The Romantic Arc: Winning and Losing and … Winning Back Again? unfolds.

A: I’m going to start with Noah and Drew. Noah sees Drew at an ice cream shop and turns his brief interaction with Drew, if it even happened and wasn’t totally made up, into a meet cute for his blog. So, not an official meet, but that’s their first interaction, you could say.

W: I suppose, I wouldn’t call it their meet, myself, though. They really meet in the bookstore when Noah goes there looking for a job and both remember seeing each other in the ice cream shop.

A: True. Drew totally falls for Noah’s celebrity status, that’s how I saw it, and pursues him by proposing they fake date to save the blog.

W: Drew pursues Noah through his elaborate dates and they grow closer, kind of. Their relationship was so superficial to me. I know it was fake and all that, but it never really grew past fake for me.

A: But they did develop feelings for each other.

W: Yeah, but it was always superseded by their first desire to gain media clout.

A: Maybe we should be talking about their relationship with social media.

W: That would be a whole other episode!

A: It definitely could be. Anyway, Drew starts to get really possessive and controlling and he loses Noah, never to win him back again.

W: Even if Noah fantasizes about a big gesture Drew could do to win him back, they are done. Finito.

A: Now…Devin and Noah. I loved this connection! There were butterflies in this relationship. They were a couple I could really root for. Devin was patient and kind. Isn’t that what love’s supposed to be? 

W: Devin is just good for Noah because e will help him grow. So they meet at camp.

A: Not a meet cute. Not the way Noah has planned out his romantic relationship. 12 Step Plan…

W: Which is why he overlooks even the idea of a relationship with Devin. Dismisses it entirely.

A: It’s quite subtle and easy to miss, Noah certainly does, but Devin falls for Noah and quietly pursues him. The coffees, the being a friend and listening, the confiding in Noah. 

W: Noah starts to see Devin differently and he does his own bit of pursuing, helping Devin during panic attacks, the Christmas gift.

A: Noah and Devin grow closer and they have some minor ups and downs, but then Noah and Drew break up and Devin finally wins Noah over.

W: Now Noah pulls away, he’s convinced they’ll break up after summer’s over. The physical distance between them will be too much to overcome. According to Noah.

A: But then we learn Devin is moving and will only be within a drive’s distance and our two love birds get their happily ever after.

W: So happy for them. Devin was just so perfect for Noah. 

A: Loved them. Pillar 3–covered. I think we’re well on our way to a romance.

W: I think so. Final pillar, Pillar 4 - The Lover’s Sacrifice.

A: I’m not sure there was much of a sacrifice of anything in the Noah—Drew relationship, did you?

W: No, unless you want to say they sacrificed actually getting to really know each other because they were so fixated on social media clout.

A: Maybe. I just didn’t think they were even strong enough from the get-go as a couple to achieve long-lasting love. It wasn’t the right mix.

W: No, they weren’t. But I think a lot of us had a relationship like that in our teens. Not all of us find our true love so young.

A: Very few find that. Gotta kiss a few frogs to find your prince.

W: Oh I did my fair share. And my fair share of princes who just weren’t meant to be my prince, no disrespect to my past infatuations.

A: None at all. I would say Devin sacrificed time and even a little patience to get the boy.

W: E did. The goal was important to Devin, even if e wasn’t actually sure at first. Remember their first conversation?

A: I do. But Devin knew e liked Noah, Devin just wasn’t sure in what capacity at first, but they’re meant to be together.

W: They were. All the pillars are there. I’d say we have a romance.

A: They were, in a sense, maybe it was just that I didn’t connect as much with this book as I did with Detransition, Baby and Red, White & Royal Blue. Though I loved Emery’s writing style and will definitely be reading more of Lee’s work.

W: We’ve said once, we’ve said it a hundred times, not every book is going to be a winner for everybody. That’s why it’s great there are so many to choose from.

A: Cheers to that. What’s your final thoughts on this prose?

W: I’m a huge YA fan, my second most-read genre after thrillers, but I did struggle a bit with Noah. At first.

A: Yeah, I think that was my problem. I like to connect early to characters and I had a hard time with him until the very end. But he did evolve and grow and I had to tell myself, and you did as well, he’s only 16. Took me back to when I was teaching high school English. Lots of maturing happens in those teen years. At least we hope it does.

W: There’s always exceptions. I really enjoyed the book and Emery’s writing. Looking forward to picking up e’s latest release this summer. Final thoughts on our Borrasca Prosecco Rosé?

A: It’s not bad.

W: Ringing endorsement.

A: It’s simple, it’s tart. Crisp with a bite. Went well with both the raspberry and cherry dark chocolate. I thought the plain dark chocolate brought out a bit more of the cherry in the prosecco.

W: It’s tart, acidic, and the chocolate did bring out the cherry, but it’s kind of plain tasting, otherwise.

A: But it’s a good, simple starter prosecco. A good wedding prosecco because with the pink prosecco and the sparkly silver label, it’s super pretty.

W: Yeah, I’d totally buy this as a gift just for the label.

A: And the prosecco is good, just not a favorite. For me. Bottle is gorge….so pretty. Instagrammable!

W: Picture perfect. It’s really easy to just sip with nothing, but I think it’d go good with a shrimp cocktail.

A: Always a shrimp cocktail, but also some hard cheese like the label said. What’s your rating?

W: I like it but I don’t love it. I give it a 3.5. I think the Kirkland brand at Costco blows it out of the water. My opinion.

A: Hard to beat Kirkland for us. Like I said, it’s not bad, not my favorite, not a lot of flavor, but the bottle is just so pretty …. Because of the bottle, I’m giving it a 3.8.

W: Wow! I didn’t think you’d go that high. I guess your prediction is correct, even though I thought your rating might be lower.

A: I’m looking at the whole picture, inside and outside, and the label just bumps it up. Plus, I think this is a universally appealing prosecco.

W: Okay, makes sense. I’m looking forward to us trying out the cava and cuvée.

A: Me, too.

W: Alright, I think that does it for us.

A: I think so.

W: If you guys enjoyed our prose palaver 

A: Or prosecco partaking 

W: Drop us a rating and review on apple or wherever you listen.

A: We’d love to hear from you.

W: We would!

A: And come on back in two weeks for our discussion of the final book in this season of romance, 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand paired with Conca d’Oro.

Cheers!