Well I wanted to like this book, I just couldn't get into it. This was a dnf for me and I'm just going to move on. I couldn't engage with these characters or storyline.

Good book! Here are some tropes/facts:
❤️straight romance
💰tax exile
🗣miscommunication
🤭cheating/affairs
🏡bnb
🇵🇹good Portuguese holiday vibes
🔄complete lifestyle change
👨‍👩‍👦family drama


I have to admit, when i started reading, i fully expected to hate this book. The main characters, especially emily, were extremely spoiled, selfish, arrogant, etc. I really could not like them at that time. When Mark lost his job, they had to move to portugal to become tax exiles, the best way for them to come out of the situation. I was put off by the dishonesty, miscommunication, and the affairs and cheating mentioned in the book.

HOWEVER, this all turned around while reading. The characters more and more started changing, together with their lifestyle, they adapted to their new life, and with that they became so much more likeable people. I really like how the writer managed to gradually change these characters from hateable to likeable. I also love that it shows money does not make you happy, but a fulfilling life does.

I happened to have also fallen in love with portugal when i was there on a holiday. The vibes there are so good, so that absolutely helps!

I would have liked to know more about how things ended with Tim and Fran, but i still totally recommend the book.

Thank you to netgalley and the author for sending the the book in exchange for an honest review

I wanted to love Emily’s Algarve Escape by DCR Bond. It sounded good and I really enjoyed the setting, antics, and writing style. I didn’t find the plot to be very engaging and the characters bothered me. I finished the book, but begrudgingly. I feel like this book was more General Fiction versus Mystery/Thriller. What I really did not appreciate was the use of the word “Shylock” and am disappointed it was allowed to be printed. It is an antisemitic slur. Common. All-in-all, this book was not for me.

This book was good and it kept me entertained. I liked her writing style so I would definitely try another of her books. This one was good.
I just reviewed Emily's Algarve Escape by DCR Bond. #EmilysAlgarveEscape #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Emily and Mark leave for the Algarve and the chapters keep a record of their bank statement as they have a change from their glamorous lives. This is a casual read as the story follows Emily and her family through a different lifestyle.

Abandoning her glamorous life in London's Knightsbridge for the breathtaking Algarve, desperate Emily seeks a new life of luxury, sun-drenched days and, most needed of all, her financial freedom.

But, with family in tow, this isn’t a simple relocation…

Tensions mount, boundaries are tested, shortcomings confronted and priorities re-evaluated as the Ellis's stumble into unexpected roles, discover hidden talents and try to reconcile the fact that their previous way of life has all but ended.

Can Emily prevent catastrophe as she navigates a new culture, language and work-life balance? Will blood ties hold as nerves fray?

𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄

What a family they were: Investment Banker Mark, his dutiful wife Emily who's happy to be the kept housewife and needy son Alex, who loves the endless bank of mummy and daddy.

An unexpected redundancy later, Mark whips his wife away from the mundane to the sunnier climes of the Algarve to take advantage of the NHR scheme.

Emily decides to make the most of their new and.sets about turning it into a fully functioning B and B...without the breakfasts lol.

But, as the saying goes 'money doesn't grow on trees', so will everything be as much fun when the money dries up? And isn't Alex old enough to be told the truth?

This is the second book I've read by DCR Bond and although they're not fast paced or suspenseful or anything, they are enjoyable family dramas that are well written, with humour and would look great enjoyed as televised British style sitcoms.

This is one of the best books I have read in quite a while. As a former Algarve property owner, this story sang to me. The description of the people, the places and, above all, Portuguese bureaucracy, were so accurate, I felt like I was back there in the sunshine and shopping at Aldi. Mark lives the high life as the MD of a city bank and his wife, Emily reaps the benefits, with a champagne lifestyle and a housekeeper who does all the work. But, suddenly, Emily's days of shopping at Harrods come to an end when Mark loses his job and decides to move the family to Portugal to take advantage of the NHR a scheme which allows British citizens living there to pay very little tax for 10 years. Emily struggles with life on a budget and the couples decision not to tell their friends or their son, Alex that mark has been sacked adds to her woes. How the family survive from the beginning of one tax year to another is both amusing and believable. Along the way, lessons are learned and there are some shocking revelations. Despite their obvious faults, I grew to like Mark and Emily and their champagne socialist son and found myself willing them to succeed. This book is well crafted and would make excellent reading at any time of year, especially on a beach in summer. The notes tell me there is to be a second book which explores the story that might have developed, had the couple not run away to Portugal. I'm looking forward to reading it as soon as it is published.

Poorly written, almost no storyline and one dimensional characters- give this one a hard pass. I wanted to like it. It there was nothing likable about it

This looked like a fun book to read but it was a bit depressing. I really wanted to like this book, and maybe it was the formatting of the e-book but the switch in POV from Mark to Emily to Alex was hard to follow. Neither Mark nor Emily (nor Alex, initially) are particularly likeable, and continuously come off as unsympathetic, mean and spoiled.

2.5 stars
I was hoping for a better read. Didn't care for the characters at all, esp Emily - she loves to spend money, doesn't realize where the money comes from, lots of talk of legislation and tax evasion....however it is set in beautiful Portugal but couldn't enjoy it due to all the problems, issues that this family faces.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Mark is an investment banker, Emily a kept woman who loves spending money, his wages, bonus anything! Alex. Is their son who she pampers and frivolously bails hon out relentlessly.
One morning my mark gets made redundant by effing Paul. This sends them both into a tailspin. This was a gorgeous book because of the desorptions of Algarve, you could almost smell the bourganvilla flowers and the the warmth of the sun. Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

"Emily’s Algarve Escape" by D.C.R. Bond follows the life of a wealthy London couple, Emily, a housewife, and Mark, a senior banker. One day, out of the blue, Mark whisks them off to Portugal, and they try to make the best of it. Emily has to think of original ways to keep them afloat while keeping mum about the reason for the move from their left-wing son and their friends.

On the surface, it sounds good, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. While I liked the settings, the neighbors' antics, and the writing, I wasn't enamored with any of the characters, nor did the plot keep me fully engaged. They were complex characters, and I liked the change they went through, but that was it. If it wasn't an ARC, I would have DNF'd it.

First, "Emily’s Algarve Escape" by D.C.R. Bond belongs to the General Fiction genre and not to the Mystery/thriller genre as advertised. Second, it was described as "a fast-paced family drama set in the Algarve, Portugal; A gripping beach read with a delicious twist". However, it is rather a slow-paced family drama, and, unfortunately, it failed to grip me. Lastly, I found the main characters quite annoying. Most of the action revolved around the ups and downs of their life, and they kept doing the same errors over and over. Additionally, there were too many discussions about legislation and tax evasion. Also, there was a sharp transition between scenes without space in between, which was confusing at times.

Emily is portrayed as a privileged, shallow, and spoiled woman who only cares about finding ways to spend money, devoting her days to volunteer/charity work, and indulging in unnecessary expenses, while her housekeeper handles all the hard work. Mark comes across as arrogant, overbearing, and dishonest. Mary, Emily's best friend, isn't any better and pokes her nose where it doesn't belong. The 22-year-old son is a Socialist who takes the high moral ground but lives at the expense of his parents. I liked Emily's two dogs better than any of them and didn't like Mark's attitude toward them. Mark should have been more open with his wife and shown more appreciation for her efforts, while she should have been more supportive and less hard on him. In fact, they deserve each other.

Another issue that bothered me was the use of the word Shylock in place of moneylender (Loc 2638). This word is derogatory, and the author should replace it with a less offensive term. If you don't know, Shylock was the Jewish usurer and antagonist of Antonio in Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice', and the word is considered an antisemitic slur.

As for the themes, the book tackles themes such as loss, infidelity, family, morality, and how a situation could bring out the best and the worst in people. Upon reflection, I rate it 2 out of 5 stars. It wasn't all bad; it just wasn't for me.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

Join The Ellises on their tax avoidance journey to Portugal.
Emily - straight out of “Real Housewives”, she thinks money grows on trees. A proper pretentious princess. Mark, her husband, who doesn’t like dogs. In fact, he’s outwardly mean about Emily’s dogs. And their son, Alex, an entitled spoilt brat.

I didn’t like any of the characters and, I’m sorry to say, I felt the story was lacking something. It didn’t have me gripped and I wasn’t left wanting more.

Thank you NetGalley and Prosperina Press for an advanced copy.

So excited for a holiday read! Definitely needed a good one to escape into! So excited to follow an Emily on her adventures to Portugal! I love the reality of no matter how far you travel. Things like family and problems you never can quite escape. Ain’t that the truth! But that’s real life and I know readers are going to gobble this one up for the beach!