Ahh, a book set in Greece never fails to make me feel all warm and happy! This novel is set in such a gorgeous location that had me dreaming of sandy beaches and cool Greek salads! The cover is absolutely stunning, and reminds me of a mix between Sue Watson and Mandy Baggot covers - I love both of those authors so just had a feeling that I would enjoy this novel too!

It's a fantastic story about Mandy, who has just broken up with her husband for most of her adult life Danny, and decides to jet off to the hot destination of Greece for a well needed rest. Along the way there are lots of laugh-out-loud moments and I found that this story was so easy to read that I literally flew through the pages. I loved every minute and I will definitely look forward to more novels by Sue Roberts in the future!

One thing I will say, is that at the beginning I started to get a little confused as there appeared to be a lot of flashbacks. One minute we were reading about Mandy's life at the moment in the pub, and the next paragraph would be about one of the women who she used to go to school with and what happened during their time at school. Some points I thought were needed and made sense, but at other moments I was just a little lost and wondered if that really needed to be in the story as it didn't seem relevant. For example, nearer the end of the novel, something comes up with Mandy's mum which happened rather fast but then we didn't hear much about it after that, making me wonder if there was any point in having it in the novel at all? (That sounds so horrible! - sorry!) Having said that, I still really enjoyed it so don't let the use of flashbacks put you off! Sue Roberts is a fabulous writer and I was literally glued to my Kindle for 3 consecutive days.

The ending was brilliant and I felt like I was whizzing through the novel! Overall, I still feel that this story was amazing and I really loved it. Sue Roberts writes really well and I can't wait to read some more by the author. Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read this novel via Netgalley, which I have reviewed honestly.

Cyprus is my favourite place in the world but sadly there aren’t many women’s fiction stories set there. And so Greece is my next favourite place for a story like this to take place. My Big Greek Summer was an enjoyable read that encapsulated most things Greek that I love, however there were a few niggling issues that prevented me from loving the story as much as I would have liked. I am however excited to read more from Sue Roberts.

I feel like this story would suit an older woman as opposed to somebody looking for a pure escapist read. I don’t know whether that’s insulting but Mandy, her friendship group and the stage that she is at in her life was just hard for me to relate to. We don’t actually get to Rhodes until around about the 25% mark because all of that time is spent introducing Mandy’s character, and giving us her backstory and showing the dire situation that her marriage is in. In books like this I just want to read about our main character in the airport, and then them stepping off the plane into the glorious sunshine and being swept up by the Greek setting. For me too much time was spent in the UK and not enough in Rhodes (and sadly what time was spent in Rhodes bored me a little because I wasn’t interested in the musical aspect and much prefer reading about quaint little businesses or the renovation of boutique hotels). I suppose Sue Roberts has written something a little different here rather than going down that cliched path most other authors go down in this genre so I can award marks for that, even if I personally didn’t enjoy it.

Reading about Mandy stepping off the plane in Rhodes is exactly what I wanted from this story and was exactly the same feeling I feel when I arrive in Cyprus. That heat smacking you in the face when you step out of the plane, the smell of a foreign country and just the huge excitement at being on holiday in one of your favourite places. I enjoyed reading about Mandy’s experiences there as a child, and I liked the fact that Sue created this small village that was in need of some TLC, something that Mandy was only too happy to provide. It contains all of the hospitality you would expect from the Greeks, however parts of it have fell by the wayside, due in part to the all-inclusive hotels which I personally detest. To go on holiday to a Greek island or Cyprus and eat hotel buffet food is sacrilegious when the local restaurants are so amazing. I enjoyed witnessing the revival of this village and ended up wanting to go there myself. I felt that certain opportunities were missed and I didn’t fully embrace the Greek setting because of the back and forth nature of the story, and because I felt that whilst Sue did a good job of adding in plenty of Greek elements to the story, there were plenty more that could have been added had more time been spent on the island rather than faffing about back in the UK on bit part characters who had no relevant role in the story.

What ultimately saved the story for me and left a smile on my face was the ending. There aren’t many women’s fiction novels that take place in Liverpool (where Mandy is originally from and I loved the Liverpool scenes throughout) and without giving too much away I felt a little envious at the closing scenes to the story and would love an ending like that to my own life! My Big Greek Summer is not a girly chick lit read, and the passion throughout is as cold as a holiday cocktail and there’s zero sex scenes but instead it deals with some serious topics which, depending on which stage you are at in life, will mean that you could take something different from this story than I did. It is about Mandy rediscovering herself, and finding out what she truly wants from life. It’s about taking chances and not just accepting the life you have ended up living, but about taking the one you want to live. As is usually the case in fiction, things fall into place far too neatly for Mandy, however I was satisfied with the ending and I will definitely be reading whatever Sue Roberts writes next.

An easy enjoyable read. Full of travel and romance. I enjoyed it!

A wonderful debut novel about growing up, moving on, and finding yourself. Definitely recommend you add this to your TBR list. A great beach read! I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you #NetGalley and #bookotoure for the eARC. This is my honest review.

This book was my first by this author and simply brilliant from the first page fill of romance and finding happiness again and going away to Greece. Its well written with great characters and excellent story lines and has you hooked from the first page. Also about friendship and starting over again.
Mandy has been married to Danny and they met at school and she thought she was in love with him but they hardly have time together due to jobs and he starts coming home late but she doesn't suspect anything. He asks to talk with her and she learns he's been having an affair so he leaves and she can't cope at all so hope on a plane to Greece where she remembers it being beautful when she went as a child. She gets very friendly with the owners of the hotel but it's not all she thought it was to start with. Her best friend comes out as a surprise as well and they have fun. While she is there she has an idea to bring the lovely village alive again and to hold a concert. She comes home from her break and after speaking with her dad and then Danny she gets back with him but can it last or will he cheat again. She keeps going back to Greece to sort this concert out and she has a friend who has come back in her life helping her. While she's in Greece can she find happiness again and learn to love again. Well worth reading and great to curl up and think of summer days. Amazing read.

My first book by this author. I liked the storyline and the main characters. It was an easy read but I felt like it was missing a bit of oomph.

Just what I needed on these cold wet spring days... roll on summer! A fantastic cheerful beach read

I would say this is one of the best beach reads I have read in a long time. I loved following Mandy’s adventures. While, I would never want my husband to have a fling, Mandy definitely had a good time. The only question- Does she stay or does she go?

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. It is a wonderfully relaxing read! I read this on a road trip and time flew by!

What a lovely, cheerful book! I was really in the mood for something like this, and the story really does work with this charming cover. I liked Mandy and following her adventure, and the setting was beautifully rendered as well. Recommended!

Fabulous! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book
I was transported to Greece, and given that I also have ties to Liverpool, this book was fantastic! Stayed up late to finish it. Great summer read, and lovely story.

When bar manager Mandy finds out her husband Danny has been having a fling she up's and leaves for exotic Greece inspired by watching A Place In The Sun, for adventure, sun and sea. A welcome break from the pub as her boss wanted her to take a break after the shock break down of her marriage after they'd been together since they were teenagers.



Her best friend Hayley also suddenly arrives in Greece to stay with her and also falls in list after Matt. Meanwhile kindly hotel worker Costas takes a liking to Mandy especially after Mandy helps him and his father begin hotel renovations and she helps them set up a music festival, even when she returns home she carries on helping. Danny also see's sense and splits up with Slimming World Sarah, an old school acquaintance of Hayley and Mandy's but Mandy knows Greece is calling once again.



The chemistry between Danny and Mandy was dwindling from the start as the serial cheat got on with his own life without Mandy yet when she met Costas you can't help but root for the pair to get together for sure! A fun read with great maturity in Mandy dealing with a rubbish situation and I'm glad she got so much from her trip to Greece with helping out a festival beginning which is a first in any chick lit book I've picked up and oi loved it the story line was perfect for this book!



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!