To succeed at her new job at one of NYC's posh, well-known restaurants, Tess, 22, insinuates herself as the protege of one of the senior servers, 37 year-old wine connoisseur Simone, whose relationship with one of the bartenders is deep and mysterious. Tess tries to get the hot bartender's attentions while also negotiating the politics of the service industry, and building a social life with these people. 
 Danler drew from her own experience and thus this book feels real, and raw. Remember being 22? This book brought it back, vividly and painfully and thrillingly. The descriptions are bold and powerful. Through Tess, I experienced the restaurant, and found the atmosphere of the restaurant stimulating. The vivid writing gave me a head-buzz. It's like Danler poured a glass of delicious wine and stuck it right in my face, and when I drank it, the world looked brighter and more interesting. Ironically, I'm not even very interested in (reading about) wine or haute cuisine, yet I felt Tess's passion for it, so passages that would've come off as pretentious, didn't. 
 I'm always interested in a story about a girl trying to find her place in the world and her adventures, (which include love, of course), but anyone who appreciates writing that pulses with life will drink this down.