The writing- good. 4/5! The storyline itself may not have been for me - however, I feel that I would read another book by Godfrey with an open mind! Godfrey also does a good job of creating a character you can picture - I could visualize Amelia's character and her flighty behavior etc.

THOUGHTS ON THE STORY:
When I think about the premise for this book - I thought I'd be reading something a little more lighthearted and fresh feeling... what we have, however, is a bit too much of an unlikeable 'heroine'.

I don't think all unlikable female characters have to have a perfect redemption - but there is a way to choose oneself without rationalizing hurting other people. The first 30% took quite a bit to get through, and while I understand it was about a journey to self-discovery... the character leaving behind her BFF the way she did really struck me as off-putting and made it hard to like her later. Mistakes are one thing, but justifying it and leaving things hanging for a while didn't give me the warm, sunny, idyllic Greek island vibes I was looking for.

<i>**Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤</i>

An entertaining escape read of two people, who have experience past hurts and have been running from life. After traveling, they both end up at a run down Greek hotel. Things get interesting when they somehow find themselves married and have the hotel bequeath to them. Their journey of figuring out how to run a hotel and accommodate guests, as well as get to know each other had me turning the pages. I enjoyed reading how their unlikely friendship turning into love. I also liked the quirky and close-knit community. A fun, entertaining summer read!

I was provided an early ebook addition of this title for review through NetGalley.

I had a very hard time getting into this book. I felt the beginning dragged, and everyone (including the main character) were slightly irritating. By the middle is when I really started getting into it and then quickly finished the rest. I liked the idea of the story and I do like my romcom books, but this may not be one that I would pick up again. I would suggest this title if you like a slow and confusing burn and I mean SLOW. I will still be ordering this title for our collection because again, I feel like it wasn't a bad book, just not my personal favorite.

My pros: I loved the descriptions of Greece and all of the new characters that our introduced in the book! It also gave a great description of customs and culture as well, which I originally didn't know very much about.

It also made me want to plan a trip there as soon as humanly possible. So warning, you're going to want to travel after this book.

I adored this sweet, gripping, and romantic novel! A rare romance that had me hooked from page one, with unexpected turns and nothing stereotypical. THE SECOND CHANCE HOTEL will make you yearn for a spontaneous trip to Greece, and I loved getting lost in the rich, vivid setting the author paints for the reader.

The set-up is a bit over the top, and it takes a while for the plot to crescendo, but once it does this book truly sings. Long story short, Amelia finds herself unexpectedly married to a fellow American traveler after a drunken night in a picturesque Greek village. Come to find out, a wedding present was the tiny bed and breakfast they have been staying at by the owner who decided they were meant to be, both as romantic partners and hotel owners. Amelia was only planning on backpacking through Europe for a few months, and Greece was her last stop, but she is jobless, unenthused about her life in San Francisco, and is maybe having feeling for his mysterious American she's now married to?

Like I said - what!? It's surprising and adorable, and has a fantastic cast of characters. You'll only wish the town the main characters become a part of was not fictional because I would love to visit! A truly perfect summer book to enjoy with a tasty cocktail on the side.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of The Second Chance Hotel by Sierra Godfrey.

This book was a delightful read that transported me to Greece (a bucket list vacation for me!) with its beautiful setting and well-developed characters. The push-pull tension in the main character Amelia's relationship with James was particularly engaging and the lovable group of side characters added to the story's charm. With elements of romance, friendship drama, family drama, and humor, this book has something for everyone. This was a perfect beach read...now if only I could have read it on a beach in Greece! :)

I found this book had a interesting start but after 8% I found myself loosing interest. DNF


******************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley.*********************

A slow Summer read set in a small hotel in Greece.

After getting fired, Amelia decides to leave the country on a whim and travel Europe. She lands in Greece as one of two guests of a small hotel, James is also traveling and they spend time together. Their host invites them to his niece’s wedding where they get awfully close and couple misunderstandings later, they are married and inheriting the hotel. Now Amelia and James must work together with the small community to entertain new guests as the owners of the Ria Hotel and exploring their relationship.

I liked the idea of this cute hotel on a charming island. The side characters made the story more lively with added drama. It was an average read and maybe a little forgettable and repetitive. I didn’t find Amelia particularly likable at first and I was confused most of the time about the romance - married but friends, I wasn’t completely sold on Amelia and James actually being a couple, besides the fact they wanted to make the hotel work.

If you are looking for a low key story that could be considered a beach read, you may enjoy the Grecian setting and food detailed in this book and a finale that ends on a happy note.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC.

I fell in love with this book and its characters. It was a funny, romantic story that kept my attention until the very end. I read it in one sitting. It was set in beautiful Greece. A must read!!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

I received an electronic ARC from SOURCEBOOKS Landmark through NetGalley.
Godfrey offers a look at life on a small Greek island through the eyes of her main character. Amelia ran away from life in the US after she was fired. She wandered around Europe and has ended up on Asteri because her parents honeymooned there. She meets another American, James, who is also wandering Europe. They both end up at this run down hotel and are tricked into being the new owners (plus a surprise wedding). The rest of the book shares their story as they attempt to run the hotel and become part of life in this small village. The characters are colorful though a bit one dimensional for most of the story. The Yorgos men's descriptors are humorous but get a bit old by the end. The vivid descriptions of life let readers feel they are visiting also though they become redundant at times. A delightful light summer read for those seeking second chances at love and life.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebook landmarks for an e-arc of this book.

This was such a great and fun read, easy 5 stars. The way everything is described and the way the characters personalities come through the pages is amazing. I felt like I was watching a movie in my head the entire time (this would be a great book to turn into a movie).

This book probably had some of my favorite characters, all I will say is Birgitte stole the book for me. I also love that the book comes with a recipe at the end. The only thing I wasn’t crazy about was the length of chapters but that’s more of a me issue.

Sierra Godfrey’s last novel “A Very Typical Family was a fave of mine so I was excited to see this newest book out by her. I enjoyed this book being set in Greece and I now want to go visit. Amelia “accidentally” marries James after only knowing him for 2 weeks and they are given a hotel. This is a fun novel and a quick read and I really enjoyed it! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published September 2023.

I really liked this book. It was a really good read and well written. Thank you for the ARC! I really appreciate it!

At the start, I wasn't sure how I'd like this. It took me a while to ease into the rhythm and the author's tone and had to set it down and walk away for a bit to recalibrate. I think the challenge for me was in my prior reading collection, primarily memoir essay collections and contemporary romances, and this was a tonal shift. I wouldn't have expected this to be so radically different, but it just was structured differently than my usual, including the 3rd person POV.

Over time, I became invested in Amelia and James and wanted to get to a resolution. Lastly, I appreciated the author bringing the Bay Area to life -- both the good and the bad.

Boy did I like Amelia right off the bat! who jumps on a plane and take a 3 month vacation knowing your best friends wedding is in 3 weeks!?!? i would have also loved more info more the 3 month vacation as there was so much emphasis on it. There were some slow part for me, but overall it was an okay read.

After Amelia's personal and professional life implodes, she flees to Europe, eventually settling in Greece to figure out her next steps. She's enjoying her time at the remote Ria hotel, the place where her parents honeymooned; that is, until the owner tricks her into marrying another guest and then promptly dies, leaving the hotel to the newlyweds in his hastily-revised will. Though Amelia and James are initially desperate to find a way out of their predicament, they soon realize that fate may have given them the second chance they desperately needed.

If you spent the summer lusting over everyone's European vacation photos on Instagram, this is the book for you. Godfrey's writing is so vivid that you can practically smell the bougainvillea and taste the potato moussaka (don't sleep on the recipe in the back of the book!) I laughed out loud many times and swooned over the slow-burn romance. The side characters are an absolute delight, and I wouldn't be mad if they got their own books. Highly recommend this!

This book was cute in the good gracious it’s kind of cheesy but also I want to hang out with these people sort of way. Amelia needed a break from the disaster her life was becoming so she travels to Europe and on her last stop in Asteri, all sorts of things go upside down.

I did find A LOT of this completely out there because it just seemed like one the night her and James made that exchange, thing after thing kept happening. And then toward the end of the book, she literally jumped through every single hurtle ever to get to where she was going. Who has that bad of luck? 😂 Made for great entertainment but the burn on this book was so slow I found myself saying “come on already” a lot. Cute story but one I’m not entirely sure I’d recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is such a fun romance novel! I hope someone turns it into a movie. I read the author notes at the end and learned that Sierra Godfrey has lived in Greece which helps explain how it was so easy to visualize the action. This novel includes just the right amount of romance tropes and obstacles on the way to love and happiness.

I loved this story. Amelia is running away from an awful job and more awful boyfriend. She ends up on a tiny Greek Island where her parents spent their honeymoon at the Ria Hotel, a charming but rustic hotel in need of updating. When she checks in she finds the only other guest is James, a young man who is also traveling Europe. They make friends with the owner, an older man in poor health. Takis befriends them and invites them to his niece's wedding. They have too much wine and are caught making out in the church after the wedding where the priest decides the proper thing is for them to be married. Of course, being drunk and knowing no Greek, they have no idea what is happening. Takis meanwhile is dying and makes a plan to leave the hotel to Amelia and James. Of course, things do not go smoothly and and there are lots of twists along the way. The story is filled with great characters and beautiful descriptions of a Greek paradise. I couldn't put this book down and recommend it to anyone who enjoys a bumpy but beautiful romance. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in return for my honest review.

This book is everything you need apart from a good glass of wine and an ocean few to enjoy some lazy summer days.

Our main character Amelia wants nothing more than to run away from her life that is falling into pieces. On impulse she buys a plane ticket to Europe and goes a backpacking adventure. Two weeks before she needs to return home, she stays at the Ria hotel. That is where she bumps into James. A men she will accidently marry and inherit a hotel with.

I must say that this book goes completely over the top. But it is a very enjoyable read.

The Last Chance Hotel by Sierra Godfrey was an unexpected delight. It is a heart warming, slow burn, accidental marriage, romantic comedy.
James and Amelia are escaping from their problems back home and end up in beautiful Greece. They end up meeting at the Ria Hotel where they are the only two guest. After a few too many drinks and a series of misunderstandings (or trickery), they end up unintentionally married and were given the hotel as a present. As you can imagine, this book takes off from here.
I can't say I was particularly taken by Amelia off the bat. But she grew on me as did her dynamic with James.
As some of you may know, I often rate romance novels based on how it made me feel. Romance is one of those genres you get to walk into knowing there will be a happily ever after, but you get to enjoy the ride.
It is easy to get lost in the beautiful setting and the story of this book. The book just left me with a smile on my face. I would definitely recommend this read for those who love an exotic settings, cute banter and a fun loving community of supporting characters!
Thanks you to NetGallery and Sourcebook Landmark for the ARC of this enjoyable book.