A Study in Sparkling (Love Notes #2)

Author: Jodi McAlister Title: A Study in Sparkling Publisher: Atria Date Published: 09/15/2026

Read Dates: 08/09/2026- 08/10/2026
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

 📖 I received a gifted e-book ARC. The following is my honest review✍🏻

A Study in Sparkling is a dual POV, age gap romance. Satoshi fell in love with his friend Fiona gradually but all-consumingly. He never intends to act on this since she was married, but when her husband abandons Fiona and their three kids for his secret second family, he’s there to help pick up the pieces, even though he has more than enough on his plate running his business and studying to become a Master Sommelier. Fiona is reeling, struggling with a complicated family (part helpful/supportive and part patronizing and gloating “I told you so”) and as attracted as she is to her friend, she’s reluctant to begin a relationship, especially with a younger man, fearful that she’ll lose her strongest friendship and her oldest child’s biggest ally if things go wrong. The two can’t stay away, and a secret relationship starts, but secrets have a way of becoming complicated!

Friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes! I really loved Satoshi, his unwavering support for Fiona, his mentorship/allyship for her child Lex as they explored their nonbinary identity, even his desperation to win the affection of his cat! I found Satoshi running himself ragged to be what everyone else needed, and Fiona’s difficulty accepting help from others to both be so relatable. I loved that she was able to find who she was in the middle of such a mess, that she held her ground against her ex, and found a passion to pursue. The two of them were great together!

Fiona Fisher thought she had it a loving husband, three kids, and a life far away from the suffocating expectations of her family. But when her husband reveals that he’s leaving her for his secret second family, Fiona is left devastated and humiliated.

Satoshi Tsukamoto wants it all. He’s the owner of a popular wine bar, and he’s studying for the hardest test in the the Master Sommelier exam. There aren’t enough hours in the day for anything else—except maybe for Fiona, his favorite customer, and the woman he’s absolutely, head-over-heels in love with.

On paper, Fiona and Satoshi make no sense. He’s eight years younger than her and has no time for romance. She’s a single mother and doesn’t know if she’ll ever be able to trust anyone again. But how can Fiona resist when Satoshi suggests they give into their mutual attraction and let off some steam? And how can Satoshi resist when the woman he adores is finally within his grasp—even if they’ve agreed to keep things casual?