I found this book to be a great vacation read. Having been to Athens I found the references to the city a great reminder of the time I spent there.
The only critique I have is that it was a bit of a jump for the main character to suggest getting with the other woman. There was not enough to convince me that she would suggest doing that and that the husband would buy in so quickly. Once I got past that I found the story to be entertaining and it had a satisfying ending as well.

I see that this is in development now and I think it will be better on the screen than it was on the page. The juice wasn't worth the squeeze if you know what I mean because the ending was so, so disappointing. There was so much build-up and then poof, a whimper of an ending. This had good pacing in the beginning but then just became stressful and I thought something would happen and . . . ugh. Hope you have better luck!

Ruins comes out next week on August 12 2025, and you can purchase HERE.

The Acropolis looked down on them all, and even though it was more likely to be described as imposing or formidable, she found the sight of the ruins comforting. It was a direct reminder of history, and like the glimpses of other people's balconies, it reminded her of just how many lives had been lived as richly as her own, of how many were yet to be lived.

Ruins follow Emma and Julian, a couple in their thirties, who decide to go on vacation in Greece and house-sit the apartment of a friend. The point of view alternates between the two, giving us a glimpse of the emotional turmoil of each one of them. In an attempt to get through a rough patch, Emma wants to add someone to her couple. She then meets Lena, a beautiful Greek woman who accepts; little does she know this encounter will turn into a nightmare.

Ruins is completely engrossing. What starts as a couple drama quickly turns into a mysterious thriller, and ends as a Greek tragedy. Amy Taylor's prose is excellent and far from what we usually expect in contemporary dramas. I finished this book on the plane and couldn’t stop reading. If you are looking for a compelling vacation read with great writing, I would recommend this book.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you net galley for the arc!!

I was really excited to read this book because of its setting and intriguing plot! It ended up being a perfect summer read! It was a fun, with just enough drama and tension to keep me wanting to find out how it would end. The author's writing was very descriptive! I felt like I was walking through the streets of Athens myself. However, I felt like something was missing and some parts were a little predictable so that was why I rated it 3/5 stars!

I liked the idea of this book better than the execution. I think affair and affair adjacent stories aren't for me. I am sure others will enjoy it.

Thank you Netgalley & Random House Publishing Group - Random House | The Dial Press for the advanced reader copy.

summer lit fic of my dreams! the setting was haunting, and i loved how the heat added to the weird atmosphere. the writing was captivating and i never wanted to stop reading. emma was so well written, i loved when we got to be in her head. her thoughts on motherhood were soo good. i felt like the ending fell a little flat for me but i overall enjoyed it and had such a good time.

thank you netgalley and random house for the ARC!

Well. Emma and Julian, a couple in their thirties, are unhappily adrift when a vacation fling with Lena, a younger Greek woman changes everything, It's easy to be judgey about this sort of thing and I gotta admit I wanted to tell them just no but then we would not have this moody domestic drama with a bit of thriller to it. Taylor writes well and I was curious about how things would end so kept going even when I'd had enough of all of them. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC, For fans of literary fiction.

Grateful to The Dial Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

Emma and Julian are a British couple spending time in their friend's flat in Athens. While there, they meet a young woman named Lena who works in a bar who tests existing fissures in their relationship.

This novel gripped me from the beginning - Emma and Julian were incredibly complex and interesting characters and their doubts and desires about their marriage were explored throughout both of their perspectives. The way their trust in each other and their marriage broke down was incredibly well played out in their interactions and led to incredible tension that grew throughout the story. This story reads like a modern Greek tragedy - highly recommend!

I tried really hard with this book, but it just never really captured my interest. Quite disappointing, with the beautiful setting and interesting plot outline.

This was a lot of fun. A couple begins an affair with a young Greek woman, exposing the flaws in their relationship and causing a whole lot of really entertaining drama.

I think this is going to be a huge hit - it's a good time! I finished it and immediately recommended it to a bunch of friends.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.

Ruins was such an interesting concept, but I could not do it. The setting was not for me. The characters were not for me. The drama was not for me. I am certain it will do well with certain audiences, I just am not a part of them.

As always, thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Amy Taylor for this Advanced Reading Copy of Ruins in exchange for my honest review. This book had me questioning what I would do if I were in their situation. It was such a beautifully written book.

What starts as a fun and exotic novel becomes a dark and uneasy story about a couple trapped in a nightmare of their own making. The whole time I kept thinking, "Oh man! What have you done?"

I loved the little flashbacks that gave more light to Julian and Emma's relationship. They showed up throughout the book, and I thought they added more layers to the story. Also, I loved that it read like a Greek tragedy set in Greece in modern times.

Emma and Julian were not a perfect couple, but they were both trying to move forward. I enjoyed the story being told from both Julian's and Emma's points of view. It gave insight into what each person was thinking. It also helped to see just how much Lena was manipulating them.

Amy Taylor writes with such eloquence, and her prose is incredible. I can't wait to read more from her.

The only reason this book didn't get 5 stars is that it features my least favorite trope. I won't reveal the trope because it contains a spoiler, but every time this trope appears, I want to close the book. Ruins is probably one of the few books that pull this trope off well.

This is a great summer read if you are looking for a summer drama that feels like the walls are closing in on the main couple.

Emma and Julian are at a turning point. He’s under pressure to finish a major paper, and she’s recently quit her job. They decide to spend the summer housesitting in Greece, hoping the change of scenery will give them some clarity. Of course, it doesn’t quite go as planned.

They meet Lena, and things start to shift. Quickly.

Let’s just be honest, threesomes rarely end well. Unless it’s a paid gig, they tend to unravel fast. And why is it always Greece or Italy for this kind of thing? Never Sweden or Norway. Just once, I’d like to see the drama unfold somewhere cold and logical.

The book itself? Pretty solid. Predictable in parts, but well written. Emma and Julian’s arguments felt familiar and believable, which helped ground the story even when it drifted into messier territory. Not groundbreaking, but worth the read.

*Ruins* by Amy Taylor totally surprised me—in the best way. It’s part breakup story, part mystery, and part deep dive into how social media messes with our minds. The writing feels raw and real, like you’re inside the main character’s head as she unravels. I loved the mix of emotional honesty and suspense, and the Melbourne setting gave it such a cool vibe. It’s moody, messy, and smart—definitely one that sticks with you after the last page.

*Ruins* by Amy Taylor is a moody, slow-burning novel that follows Emma and Julian, a couple in a marriage rut who travel to Greece to house-sit. They find themselves drawn into a tangled, intimate relationship with a mysterious local woman named Lena. As their connection deepens, the arrangement becomes increasingly complex and emotionally volatile, pushing the boundaries of trust, control, and desire. The way the story unfolds serves Emma’s character arc well. Taylor’s prose is captivating, making the story strangely addictive and hard to look away from.

Emma and Julian are in Greece for three months, housesitting for friend, Alistair and all is going well until Emma goes out to get ice and meets the enigmatic Lena. Who knows what damage can be done to a marriage when you're on vacation? If you're not sure--or just curious--read this book!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

There is something so atomospheric about this story. Not just the writing, but the way the relationships played out were so easy to visualize while reading. No wonder this is soon to be a movie. I loved it!

I wanted to love this book, the synopsis was enticing and it seemed comprised of everything that I love but the novel itself didn't deliver.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group for an early copy of this novel in exchange for my honest feedback! This book will release on August 12th 2025 🧚🏻‍♀️

What a fun little Greek drama. We follow Emma and Julian, a couple at a bit of an impasse in their relationship while traveling to Greece for the summer. Wanting to revive their marriage following a miscarriage, subsequent job loss, and Julian’s academic struggles, Emma and Julian invite Lena into their relationship. Lena, a young and vibrant bartender, may just be the spark they need to bring a little heat back into their lives, all under the hot Athens sun. As Lena starts to overstay her welcome and her presence becomes more of a nightmare than the dream Emma imagined, the couple finds that it’ll be much harder to get rid of Lena than they once believed.

This novel was a claustrophobic scorcher that made the reader feel a real sense of unease as the story built from the lighter foreground. I cruised through the beginning, found myself struggling to pick it up a little in the middle, then once again cruised to the end. The ending really pulled it all together, the only reason I’m not rating this higher than four stars is because the middle was a bit of an effort. Overall, this book had some good flavor. I’d recommend to anyone looking for an end-of-summer fiction that fills you with a little bit of dread🏛️

I knew from the initial description that this book wouldn't be a new favorite for me- I tend not to like anything with prominent open relationship plot lines. That being said, the writing was lovely at times and the effort made to settle the story in Athens worked on me. The story ended up playing out like a dramatic soap opera, which just isn't really to my tastes.