My Review for One Summer in Crete by Nadia Marks

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. I listened to One Summer in Crete by Nadia Marks as an audiobook, mainly whilst pottering around in the garden. I love to lose myself in a good story whilst spending time in one of my happy places and I definitely found a great story in this heartwarming book from Nadia Marks.

Calliope (Calli) is a thirty-something young woman who believes her world has ended when a long-term relationship disintegrates and the chances of her having children diminishes. However, after a few months, Calli picks herself up and embarks on a photography assignment on the Greek island of Ikaria. Whilst there, she makes many friends and begins to enjoy her life again. Calli travels from Ikaria to Crete, where her mother is from and where she still has some family. She settles down, making friends on the island and enjoying the relaxing way of life, with dawn swims each morning and many revelatory conversations with her aunt. Could Crete be the place Calli has been searching for and could it become her home?

One Summer in Crete is incredibly focused on family and community, and how Greek people all stick together through good times and bad. By alternating between the past and present, Nadia Marks draws the reader more deeply into the story, creating a world in which it would be so easy to become a part of, the descriptive narrative being incredibly moving and both happy and sad.

This book is so much more than just another beach read. Both thought-provoking and, at times, heart-wrenching, Nadia Marks has written a real winner.

I would recommend One Summer in Crete to those readers who enjoy contemporary romance particularly, if you enjoy, like I do, anything set in a sunny climate, to take you away from the reality of your own lives for a while.

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My Review for Interland (Interland Series Book #2) by Gary Clark

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ It was an honour to be asked to read and review Interland (Interland Series Book #2) by Gary Clark before the publication date of 26 April 2021, and I would like to thank the author for this opportunity. Once again it was a delight to read a Gary Clark novel and a joy to discover the next adventures for Jay, Cassie and Stitch.

Towards the end of Gary Clark’s previous novel, The Given, Jay and her friends discovered the Interland and found safety from the warped government officials on the outside. However, it is quickly becoming apparent that the outside world is on a downward spiral, Jay’s friend Cassie has gone missing, and the Readers are slowly getting closer to ruling in a way they believe is right.

Jay, therefore, has no alternative other than to leave the safety of the Interland, search for Cassie and find out what is going wrong on the outside. Accompanied by her friends, and with the help of the energy of the elements around her - the land, the sea, the creatures and the mountains, Jay sets out to once again try and defeat the Readers. Meanwhile, back at the Interland, all is not as it should be, and Jay’s brother Sammy and his friends are left fighting a battle of their own.

Once again, the author’s talent for writing takes you on the same journey as Jay and her friends, and many times I felt that I wanted to be alongside them, helping in any way I could!

The book demonstrates teamwork, and how, with the help and support of others, you can achieve the goals you set yourselves despite the obstacles that often jump in the way.

Although aimed as a book for Young Readers, I would nonetheless recommend this to anyone who enjoys a dystopian fantasy novel, both young and old alike. After all, who doesn’t need to escape now and then!

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My Review for Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐This review is for Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. Eleanor has been sitting on my 'to be read' shelf for a few months now, bought in the middle of Lockdown 1.0 after it was recommended by a million and one members of the various Facebook book groups that I belong to. I loved Eleanor, she is a bit scary, unhinged, friendless - at least at the beginning - and yes, ever so slightly weird. But she's addictive, I couldn't get enough of her!

Eleanor Oliphant has absolutely no social skills, her daily life follows a strict routine, from what she eats and drinks, and when, to how she conducts herself at work and heaven forbid if she actually needs to talk to anyone, other than her mother, who she speaks to on a Wednesday via telephone. During the course of the novel, Eleanor meets Raymond, a work colleague, and then Sammy, an elderly gentleman who she helps when he falls over in the street.  The story follows the three of them as their lives intertwine.

Gail Honeyman is adept at describing her characters and their lives. Every heartbeat and every tear we share with them. Through their pain and their suffering, we are involved and, equally, as love and happiness shine through, we find ourselves thankful for some positivity in their journey.

Eleanor Oliphant wasn't the book I was expecting. I have to admit I hadn't read the synopsis and I hadn't read any reviews, I just went on recommendations alone. I think I thought it would be a happy beach read - I have no idea why - but it was poignant and heartbreaking in places, Eleanor is just such a sad young lady and I'm sure many people will see parts of her in themselves. Whether the author intended for readers to feel that Eleanor has a form of autism, I'm not sure, but from the way Eleanor behaved and how she conducted herself, I think it was a distinct possibility. She certainly reminded me of people I know who are autistic.

I was pleased with the way that the author tied up all the loose ends in her story, rather than leaving it to the reader's imagination, particularly in regards to Eleanor's mother.   I would like to read more of Gail Honeyman's work, and I will definitely be looking out for more.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy something a little bit different. Eleanor is lonely, scared and frankly, mentally unwell. It will make you thankful for the good things in your life and sad if Eleanor's life slightly resembles your own. I loved it, I hope you do too.

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My Review for The Butterfly Box by Santa Montefiore

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This review is for The Butterfly Box by Santa Montefiore.  I was lucky enough to discover this in a box of giveaways outside a neighbour's house and I am always on the lookout for something new to read!  I have heard other people discuss Santa Montefiore novels, but this is the first time I've read one, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It coincided with a delightfully warm, three days in March in the UK, during lockdown 3.0, and I spent the majority of my time outside in the sunshine, enthralled in this book.  

The story is set primarily between Chile and Cornwall, with Federica Campione being the main character in the book.  With a Chilean father and an English mother, the novel begins with Federica as a 6-year-old girl who idolises her father, and despite his many absences, in her eyes, he can do no wrong.   The story follows Federica as she grows to become a young woman, and we join her on her journey through life, loves, hardship and torment.  

I loved many of the characters and how each one links to Federica, her life and the effect they have on her throughout her childhood, teenage years and beyond.

Santa Montefiore's descriptions of both Chile and Cornwall are enticing, with Chile's exotic landscapes and Cornwall's cliff top walks, you could almost imagine yourself being right there.

The Butterfly Box is just a lovely, easy read. Perfect for when you don't want to have to concentrate too much and ideal for a trip to the beach - once we are allowed to travel again! When I've finished a good book I often hanker after a sequel, and with this one in particular I would love to find out what Federica gets up to next as she falls in love and grows older.

There wasn't much I disliked about the book. There were characters that I really didn't like, but to me, this is a sign of a good author. Santa Montefiore wanted certain characters to be disliked and in this, she succeeded.

I would recommend this book to anyone who just wants to sit down, read and be absorbed in a book. No, it's not Wuthering Heights or Oliver Twist, but it is a book you can just lose yourself in instantly and is a great getaway in a world where, at the moment, we sometimes just need to forget.

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