
Friends in Napa
A Novel
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
3 months free
Buy for $20.00
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Soneela Nankani
About this listen
“Smart and wildly entertaining…like drinking a glass of wine with an endlessly witty, scandalous friend.”–Mindy Kaling
Six old friends descend on Napa Valley for a luxurious weekend of fine wine and good times…until old tensions simmer to the surface. So much can go wrong in this dark comedy by the author of The Goddess Effect.
Just get yourselves here, everything else is on us.
Raj and Rachel Ranjani have invited a small group of their ride or dies from college for a celebratory weekend in Napa Valley. On the agenda: three nights in the couple’s vineyard mansion, a lavish dinner at Napa’s hottest new restaurant, exclusive tastings, and the grand opening of the Ranjanis’ ultra-high-end winery. It’s a reunion of six friends who haven’t seen each other in years. What could go wrong?
To start, there’s the less-than-warm welcome: a brick flung through a window and palpable tension between the hosts. But no worries—all Raj has to do is pop a few bottles of vintage Dom, and the college vibes come rushing back. So do old resentments, animosities, and unrequited crushes. Soon enough, the illusion of friendship shatters like a gossamer wineglass, and one of the friends ends up dead. Everyone has their motivations. Everyone has something to hide.
Here’s to a weekend in the valley. Drink up and watch your back.
©2024 Sheila Yasmin Marikar (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Drop Dead Sisters
- The Finch Sisters, Book 1
- By: Amelia Diane Coombs, Mindy Kaling - introduction
- Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
- Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Remi Finch has spent the better part of her adult life avoiding family—especially her sisters. They just don’t click. Besides, her unconventional upbringing and major anxiety have convinced Remi that she can’t build a relationship with anyone. Period. When her parents plan a family reunion camping trip to celebrate their anniversary, Remi’s willing to reconnect, if only because she doesn’t have a choice. But then a dead body turns up at their campsite, and their sisterly bonding kicks into high gear.
-
-
the younger sister
- By valerie on 11-18-24
By: Amelia Diane Coombs, and others
-
Divorce Towers
- A Novel
- By: Ellen Meister
- Narrated by: Sarah Mollo-Christensen
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Addison Torres has nothing left to lose in New York: no job, no fiancé, no parents to lean on. So when Uncle Arnie offers her a concierge gig in sunny California, she hops on a plane without looking back. Before it all came crashing down, Addison had a matchmaking career and handsome partner—then she got a little too cozy with a client. Digging her way out of the wreckage, she’s taken a strict vow of celibacy. Unfortunately, Addison’s new home is where such promises go to die.
-
-
Meh.
- By V. Davis-Showell on 10-28-24
By: Ellen Meister
-
Some Other Time
- A Novel
- By: Angela Brown
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The next step in Ellie Baker’s marriage: divorce. She and her husband, Jonah, are heading to Florida to break it to the family. No great drama to share. After twenty years of marriage, they’ve just fallen out of love. Simple. Not to their college-age daughter, Maggie, who is devastated. Or to Ellie’s father, Frank, who grows as cold as a retiree can get in Orlando. As for Ellie’s mother, Bunny: no, no, no. She doesn’t want to hear it. After a dreadful weekend, Ellie and Jonah return home to New Jersey with hearts and minds still set on a split.
-
-
Menopausal woman feels sorry for herself
- By Amazon Customer on 06-24-25
By: Angela Brown
-
My Favorite Terrible Thing
- A Novel
- By: Madeleine Henry
- Narrated by: Angela Dawe
- Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Detective Nina Travers is so good at her job that she blends in like a benevolent Tom Ripley. She can be anyone. She can be no one. Nina wants to be someone. Her new case will finally get her noticed. Bestselling author Claire Ross has disappeared from the Hamptons on her wedding day. How tragic that the author of an epic romance that captured the heart, soul, and imagination of the world should suddenly vanish on the happiest day of her life.
-
-
Bad Word Choice!
- By Empress Karen on 01-30-25
By: Madeleine Henry
-
Woke Up Like This
- A Novel
- By: Amy Lea, Mindy Kaling - introduction
- Narrated by: Natalie Naudus
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Planning the perfect prom is one last “to do” on ultra-organized Charlotte Wu’s high school bucket list. So far, so good, if not for a decorating accident that sends Charlotte crash-landing off a ladder, face-first into her obnoxiously ripped archnemesis J. T. Renner. Worse? When Charlotte wakes up, she finds herself in an unfamiliar bed at thirty years old, with her bearded fiancé, Renner, by her side.
-
-
Sweet story.
- By Jenn on 02-09-24
By: Amy Lea, and others
-
Into the Fall
- A Thriller
- By: Tamara L. Miller
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For better or for worse, Sarah Anderson has it all: a thriving career, a nice home in Ottawa, two young kids…and a marriage coming apart at the seams. Then her husband, Matthew, vanishes without a trace during a family vacation up north. Sarah and her children are nearly lost among the slumbering lakes, treacherous cliffs, and brooding forests of the Canadian Shield. A glacier-scraped realm of ancient beauty and terror, it’s a world away from the safety of the suburbs. And a big storm is brewing.
-
-
An Excellent Thriller!!
- By BookDragonGirl on 02-08-25
By: Tamara L. Miller
-
Drop Dead Sisters
- The Finch Sisters, Book 1
- By: Amelia Diane Coombs, Mindy Kaling - introduction
- Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
- Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Remi Finch has spent the better part of her adult life avoiding family—especially her sisters. They just don’t click. Besides, her unconventional upbringing and major anxiety have convinced Remi that she can’t build a relationship with anyone. Period. When her parents plan a family reunion camping trip to celebrate their anniversary, Remi’s willing to reconnect, if only because she doesn’t have a choice. But then a dead body turns up at their campsite, and their sisterly bonding kicks into high gear.
-
-
the younger sister
- By valerie on 11-18-24
By: Amelia Diane Coombs, and others
-
Divorce Towers
- A Novel
- By: Ellen Meister
- Narrated by: Sarah Mollo-Christensen
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Addison Torres has nothing left to lose in New York: no job, no fiancé, no parents to lean on. So when Uncle Arnie offers her a concierge gig in sunny California, she hops on a plane without looking back. Before it all came crashing down, Addison had a matchmaking career and handsome partner—then she got a little too cozy with a client. Digging her way out of the wreckage, she’s taken a strict vow of celibacy. Unfortunately, Addison’s new home is where such promises go to die.
-
-
Meh.
- By V. Davis-Showell on 10-28-24
By: Ellen Meister
-
Some Other Time
- A Novel
- By: Angela Brown
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The next step in Ellie Baker’s marriage: divorce. She and her husband, Jonah, are heading to Florida to break it to the family. No great drama to share. After twenty years of marriage, they’ve just fallen out of love. Simple. Not to their college-age daughter, Maggie, who is devastated. Or to Ellie’s father, Frank, who grows as cold as a retiree can get in Orlando. As for Ellie’s mother, Bunny: no, no, no. She doesn’t want to hear it. After a dreadful weekend, Ellie and Jonah return home to New Jersey with hearts and minds still set on a split.
-
-
Menopausal woman feels sorry for herself
- By Amazon Customer on 06-24-25
By: Angela Brown
-
My Favorite Terrible Thing
- A Novel
- By: Madeleine Henry
- Narrated by: Angela Dawe
- Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Detective Nina Travers is so good at her job that she blends in like a benevolent Tom Ripley. She can be anyone. She can be no one. Nina wants to be someone. Her new case will finally get her noticed. Bestselling author Claire Ross has disappeared from the Hamptons on her wedding day. How tragic that the author of an epic romance that captured the heart, soul, and imagination of the world should suddenly vanish on the happiest day of her life.
-
-
Bad Word Choice!
- By Empress Karen on 01-30-25
By: Madeleine Henry
-
Woke Up Like This
- A Novel
- By: Amy Lea, Mindy Kaling - introduction
- Narrated by: Natalie Naudus
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Planning the perfect prom is one last “to do” on ultra-organized Charlotte Wu’s high school bucket list. So far, so good, if not for a decorating accident that sends Charlotte crash-landing off a ladder, face-first into her obnoxiously ripped archnemesis J. T. Renner. Worse? When Charlotte wakes up, she finds herself in an unfamiliar bed at thirty years old, with her bearded fiancé, Renner, by her side.
-
-
Sweet story.
- By Jenn on 02-09-24
By: Amy Lea, and others
-
Into the Fall
- A Thriller
- By: Tamara L. Miller
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For better or for worse, Sarah Anderson has it all: a thriving career, a nice home in Ottawa, two young kids…and a marriage coming apart at the seams. Then her husband, Matthew, vanishes without a trace during a family vacation up north. Sarah and her children are nearly lost among the slumbering lakes, treacherous cliffs, and brooding forests of the Canadian Shield. A glacier-scraped realm of ancient beauty and terror, it’s a world away from the safety of the suburbs. And a big storm is brewing.
-
-
An Excellent Thriller!!
- By BookDragonGirl on 02-08-25
By: Tamara L. Miller
-
The Rules of Fortune
- A Novel
- By: Danielle Prescod, Mindy Kaling - introduction
- Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
- Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On their Martha’s Vineyard estate, the Carter family prepares to celebrate. But when the billionaire patriarch dies right before his seventieth birthday, the media is quick to question the future of the multi-industry conglomerate that makes the Carters living legends. Amid the succession crisis, his daughter, Kennedy, is questioning her father’s past.
-
-
Good not great family saga
- By Susana Fraga on 06-23-25
By: Danielle Prescod, and others
-
You Shouldn't Be Here
- A Novel
- By: Lauren Thoman
- Narrated by: Christina Ho
- Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When sixteen-year-old Angie Stewart starts hearing a mysterious voice in her house, she’s thrilled at the possibility of a ghost. Finally, something interesting is happening in her boring hometown of East Henderson, Pennsylvania. But why is she the only one who can hear it? And what does it want from her?
-
-
tried to edit
- By L. DeWind on 09-30-24
By: Lauren Thoman
-
The Sublet
- A Short Story
- By: Greer Hendricks
- Narrated by: Karissa Vacker
- Length: 1 hr and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Anne is barely keeping it together. A frazzled ghostwriter and aspiring novelist, she juggles nine-year-old twins and a listless marriage from an overcrowded Manhattan apartment, spreading herself thinner each day. Just as Anne is about to give up on her dreams, she lands her biggest client yet: Melody Wells. Melody paints a picture of serenity and empowerment in the lavender haze of her visualization workshops—however, the one thing she can’t manifest are the pages her publisher is demanding for her new motivational book. Enter Anne.
-
-
A crammed mess
- By ALR on 04-02-25
By: Greer Hendricks
-
The Bootlegger's Daughter
- A Novel
- By: Nadine Nettmann
- Narrated by: Jesse Vilinsky, Allyson Ryan, Keong Sim
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s 1927. Letty Hart’s father is long gone, but his old winery provides a meager wage and a legal livelihood for selling sacramental wine. But when that contract goes bust, Letty stumbles upon a desperate option: her father’s hidden cellar—and enough liquor to tempt Letty to bootleg the secret stash. In an underworld dominated by merciless men, Letty is building an empire.
-
-
Thee we narrators
- By LA Woman on 05-17-24
By: Nadine Nettmann
-
Grave Talk
- By: Nick Spalding
- Narrated by: Imogen Church, Steve West
- Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The last thing Alice expects to see at her husband’s graveside on his birthday is a giant, talking frog. On closer inspection, it’s a grown man dressed as Kermit. Turns out Alice’s husband is buried next to Ben’s older brother Harry, who—as a parting practical joke in his will—insisted that Ben visit his grave each year, on this specific day, dressed in an as-yet-undisclosed pageant of embarrassing fancy dress.
-
-
Interesting premise
- By RW on 05-08-25
By: Nick Spalding
-
Blank: A Novel
- By: Zibby Owens
- Narrated by: Sharon Freedman
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Pippa Jones is a fortyish former literary sensation who fears she will be a one-hit wonder. After the follow-up book she was almost done writing, Podlusters, had to be tossed (it ended up sharing a plot and title with superstar author Ella Rankin’s summer blockbuster!), she couldn’t write a thing. Months of staring at a blank page made her confidence vanish like a one-night stand. When she finds out that she has only five days left to finish (or rather, start) or repay an advance she’s already spent, Pippa has a brilliantly original idea.
-
-
The plot twists
- By Tracie on 06-21-24
By: Zibby Owens
-
Family Reservations
- A Novel
- By: Liza Palmer
- Narrated by: Stevi Incremona
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Maren Winter is a world-renowned restaurateur who has built an empire. No one heeds the whispers of her retirement more closely than her three daughters, all in service to their mother’s legacy. On the night of Maren’s annual New Year’s Eve party, a line is crossed, and word of a humiliating family meltdown spreads like a Northern California wildfire through the culinary elite. It’s a golden opportunity for one of them to step into power—and a trigger for a spiraling descent into paranoia and blind ambition.
-
-
Great change from romance
- By Kayla P on 04-09-24
By: Liza Palmer
-
There's Something About Mira
- A Novel
- By: Sonali Dev
- Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mira Salvi has the perfect life—a job she loves, a fiancé everyone adores, and the secure future she’s always imagined for herself. Really, she hasn’t a thing to complain about, not even when she has to go on her engagement trip to New York alone. While playing tourist in the city, Mira chances upon a lost ring, and her social media post to locate its owner goes viral. With everyone trying to claim the ring, only one person seems to want to find its owner as badly as Mira does: journalist Krish Hale.
-
-
Why was this free?
- By Renee Macias on 05-16-25
By: Sonali Dev
-
Three Mothers
- By: Hannah Beckerman
- Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
- Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When seventeen-year-old Isla Richardson is killed in a hit-and-run incident, a community’s lives are thrown into disarray. For Isla’s mum, Abby, it is her second devastating bereavement, having lost her husband five years ago. As Abby begins to uncover secrets about Isla’s life, she’s forced to rethink everything she thought she knew about her family.
-
-
Eh it was ok
- By Lindsay123 on 06-26-25
By: Hannah Beckerman
-
The Alone Time
- By: Elle Marr
- Narrated by: Jennifer Aquino, Christina Ho, Naomi Mayo, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fiona and Violet Seng were just children when their family’s Cessna crash-landed in the Washington wilderness, claiming the lives of their parents. For twelve harrowing weeks, the girls fended for themselves before being rescued. Twenty-five years later, they’re still trying to move on from the trauma. Fiona repurposes it into controversial works of art. Violet has battled addiction and failed relationships to finally progress toward normalcy as a writer. The estranged sisters never speak about what they call their Alone Time in the wild.
-
-
Would not recommend
- By IBaum on 07-11-24
By: Elle Marr
-
The Letters We Keep
- A Novel
- By: Nisha Sharma
- Narrated by: Soneela Nankani, Vikas Adam
- Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It doesn’t take long for ambitious freshman and aspiring engineer Jessie Ahuja to learn about two university legends. One is the haunted history of Davidson Tower, where more than fifty years ago, two ill-fated lovers disappeared in a devastating fire. The other is Ravi Kumar, a privileged billionaire nepo baby who’s aggravatingly charming and occupying more brain space than Jessie has room for. Things change when a campus prank locks them both in the old tower’s ghostly library.
-
-
Loved this story!
- By Tricia B on 05-06-24
By: Nisha Sharma
-
The Vacation Rental
- A Novel
- By: Katie Sise
- Narrated by: Michelle Price, Anne Marie Lewis
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Georgia rents her country home for the month of August, it’s off to the relaxing Connecticut shore for her; her husband, Tom; and their young daughter. It’s just what they need to ease family tensions and reconnect. All that’s left to do is leave behind their house keys—to a stranger. For Anna, Georgia and Tom’s house in the cool woodlands is a dream break from the oppressive heat of a New York City summer—and from an increasingly ill-fated relationship with her lover. A month apart and Anna can clear her head and reassess her future. She’s found the perfect place to do it.
-
-
A tearjerker thriller
- By Melissa Armstrong on 08-24-24
By: Katie Sise
Critic reviews
“Soneela Nankani's narration maximizes this story of reunion and suspense. Her expressive voice captures the complexities of Raj and Rachel Ranjani's special weekend.… Nankani's skillful character differentiation immerses listeners in the diverse personalities and hidden agendas of the six main characters. Her pacing perfectly builds the tension, ramping up old resentments and secrets that have lingered over 20 years. As the conflict escalates to a shocking murder, Nankani's narration keeps listeners on the edge of their seats.” —AudioFile Magazine
“Marikar is skilled at dissecting the social-media-obsessed culture of comparison that traps so many people in its web.” —Booklist
“A perfect dose of suspense and deliciously complex friendships…Come for the mystery and friend drama; stay for the unbelievable lifestyle details. Marikar knows the best of the best from her years of writing about luxury travel, and it sparkles on every page. You’ll be packing your bags for Napa. The vineyards, the food, the fashion, every chapter is a dreamy escape—with a dark edge. It’s a Liane Moriarty set in gorgeous wine country.” —Kate Myers, author of Excavations
How boring this story is
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Unnecessary Rambling
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
DNF
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Perfectly awful.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Not my usual read.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Obnoxious rich people
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Raj
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
OK, I guess
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Our book club rated the book 1 star only overall
Not worth the purchase
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Interesting plot
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.