This book was delicious. I particularly enjoyed the character of Sarah - she was so sassy and so brave and massively relatable. Right from page one I was hooked.
The imagery of Greece was so vivid I felt like I was on holiday too, the emotions were easy to live through. The general thoughts of what women think had me laughing along the entire way through too.
I loved the Chemistry between Sarah and Josh - even if he did come across rather childish a lot of the time. I do wish I saw more of what could develop for Sarah and James, I felt like that part of the story was barely explored. However, the fact this book ended on a bit of a cliffhanger makes me HOPE there will be a part two - one with her life after the holiday. Does she see James? Does she go to Hawaii? I NEED TO KNOW.

Overall, a very pleasant and exciting holiday read. An easy book to recommend and an absolute delight to read.

As a Greek woman who hasn't visited Santorini yet, this book really highlighted the beauty of our islands and I truly felt like I was transported there.
I highly recommend this book!

A lovely lighthearted read. The author confirms in her acknowledgements that she has taken real life events and used them as a basis for the novel. What a wonderful holiday she had around the Greek islands and I’m so pleased that she shared them with us.

The only thing I would say, and it’s not a negative about the book or the story, is that whoever has transferred the manuscript to enable ebook/Kindle usage hasn’t done a very good job of proofreading as there are several typos throughout the book. As I got this as a free book via Netgalley to compete before publication I would assume that these will be picked up and corrected before then, in which case apologies for bringing it up. It certainly didn’t stop me from enjoying the story at all and I still give it 5 stars. I look forward to any future publications and have now subscribed to Sandy Barkers blog!

This book made me want to go on vacation! It was such a fun, romantic and light-hearted read. I felt like the relationship between the characters progressed deliciously and the writing made me feel like I was escaping my normal every day life. Would definitely recommend for a great summer book!

It’s Cute. A nice cozy story. Not on my favorite list but great as a holiday beach read by the pool or ocean.

One summer in Santorini – Sandy Barker

How fortuitous that Sandy’s publishing team asked would I review Sandy’s debut novel just as I was arriving on one of the beautiful Greek Islands themselves. Not Santorini, but as good as, and lying in the sunshine with the extravagant light, heady perfume of spring flowers and a huge dollop of sunshine, reading this lovely, clever little Rom Com certainly helped set the scene.
Sandy obviously knows her Greek islands: her descriptions of the ripe tomatoes found in all good Greek salads was totally spot on and it was probably the one thing that had me setting off for the local taverna in search of such.
The setting of a small yacht with, for our hero Sarah, previously unknown men and women as travelling companions, was bound to produce interesting characters as well as intrigue and romance. (And, for me, a slight sense of claustrophobia and a need for a full ensuite bathroom and walk-in wardrobe!) Despite telling herself she’s not there for romance, Sarah immediately feels an attachment to the American fellow traveller, Josh. But then she re encounters “The Silver Fox” a suave and sophisticated and rather gorgeous older man.
Sandy has written a humorous first novel that will have you wanting to book your ticket out on the next plane to Greece. An ideal holiday read that ticks all the boxes. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

5*

Julie Houston
Thanks to Netgalley, Avon books and the author for the review copy.

I love the cover for this book!!
This was a really nice story but I found it to be a little slow in places.
The characters worked well together and I enjoyed getting to know them.
I enjoyed the trip around Greece, it is somewhere I have never visited and the author did a great job at bringing the area to life for me. I thought it was well detailed and an enjoyable story
Four stars from me for this one, highly recommended and thoroughly enjoyable!

Oh my word, what can I say?!
I loved this book so much, and I was craving for more!
I really felt I was there, and I wanted to be there. The descriptions were so real. I lost myself in the gorgeous Greek sunshine. I adored the sailing aspect. Not something I’ve ever done but makes me fancy it now.
The relationships between the travellers on the boat, ‘the family’, made this for me.
The meals out, the daytrips on the islands visited, and just sitting on deck added to the lovely feeling this book gave me.
I think this book will stay with me for a long time.
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this, as soon as I saw the description I knew I'd love it.
PS. I call my dog Miss Sandy Barker, so it made me giggle when I saw there was an author named Sandy Barker :)

This book was exactly what I needed. An enjoyable, light read on a cold winters day. It was total escapism to find myself cruising around the Greek Islands with Sarah and her newfound travel mates, including sexy American Josh. Not everything goes to plan however. Sarah is sworn off men after a disastrous relationship, and Josh is determined to remain a bachelor forever. They keep sending each other mixed signals, and then another player enters the game, slick "silver fox" James.

This is a book that will keep the smile on your face. The wonderful setting of the Greek Isles really comes to life, with some memorable restaurant meals you can even taste, beaches you can feel yourself swimming in, even a wonderful canine tour guide. So, who does Sarah end up with, Josh? James? Neither? Haha, I'm not letting you in on that secret. You'll have to read it for yourselves. I'm hoping Sandy Barker has more adventures in store for Sarah, because I for one really need to know what happens next...

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah has decided to broaden her horizons by joining a sailing holiday round the Greek islands with a group of travellers. She was held back for too long by her ex and now needs some freedom. We join her as she explores the scenery enjoying food, fun and friendship whilst trying to decide whether she wants to take things further. Entertaining. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I enjoyed this book but I struggled to connect with the main character. I found her to be a little judgemental and didn't enjoy the way she viewed some of the world around her. Also, she referred to a sister as a cow. I know it was in jest but I found that really off putting.

Oh, how I have been dying to read this novel!!! As soon as I saw this pop up on Netgalley, I immediately requested it. I adore the title of the novel and the cover is absolutely stunning. It's so summery and simply beautiful! I love the little houses in traditional Greek colours along the bottom, the sea in the background and the perfect ombre sky. I know this was the authors debut novel but I had high hopes and I wasn't disappointed!

At first, I was a bit unsure of the main character Sarah, she seemed a bit full of herself and a bit moany but seemed to change dramatically once we got into the story and she got onto the yacht. I then started to love her character and found her hysterical in some parts with what she came out with. I also found it so interesting and loved reading about the other characters who were also on the yacht. It's funny how you can immediately warm to some people, and others you're unsure of (Josh and Patricia!).

This novel was just as I expected however, the stunning surroundings of all of the Greek islands sounded idyllic and I just wish that it was me who was on the yacht! Some of the places which Sarah visited sounded beautiful and everywhere was so well described that I could clearly picture in my head where they were. Another thing that I adored was the descriptions of food! Warning: Probably not best to read this novel if you are hungry! I longed to eat a Greek salad or try some of the other local delicacies! It was a perfect summer novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

As well as main character Sarah, I loved reading about the other secondary characters and particularly warmed to Marie and Gary as well as Josh and I was so interested to read about where Josh and Sarah's relationship was headed as from the start Sarah was adamant that she didn't want any kind of relationship! But I have to say the thing I loved the most was the locations, it just seemed like Sandy Barker really knew what she was talking about and the descriptions just made me fall in love! It was obviously researched really well and because of that it made the novel really fantastic. Overall, an amazing first novel I've read by this author - I can't wait to read more by Sandy Barker in future! Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read this novel via Netgalley, which I have reviewed honestly.

If you want to be transported to Greece so very realistically, this is the book for you. Barker is a master of painting scenery with words, and her talent with including food and all kinds of sensory details like breezes and warmth is completely outstanding. What we have here is the perfect pick for when you want to get away from it all, with or without heartbreak. It's hard to put down, not necessarily for the romantic storyline but for the calm and healing aspect of that glorious setting. Loved it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC, in exchange for a review. You've handed along a gem here.

I enjoyed reading this book and found the storyline easy to follow. A real summer story to keep you entertained right up to the end. Definitely recommended.

I really wanted to like this book. I thought the story line was a great idea and was excited to read it, but I just don’t think it was executed very well. I felt bored by about 50% of the book, and actually did put it down for about a week before I picked it up to finish it again. I felt that there was a lot of unnecessary detail that didn’t add anything to the story, like description of every meal that every character ate, or little tidbits of Sarah going to make food in the galley then bringing it back to everyone. In other books I’ve read, these little lead offs may have been a segues to an cute interaction or a cute story or something that contributes to the plot, and I felt like none of these little segues did. Because nothing ever happened, it felt boring. I also am a fan of dialogue, especially in the romances I read, and I feel that there was a lot less dialogue, and the dialogue there was didn’t feel super meaningful. As far as the plot, I felt that there was such potential with the story line for anticipating back and forth between the two men, but I feel that it just fell flat, only introducing the silver fox late into the story, and with very minimal involvement in the plot. Overall, this book wasn’t for me, but I do feel that it would be enjoyed by some people. I wish I could give it a 2.5 star rating, because I feel it fell between “I like it 3 stars” and “I didn’t like it 2 stars”.

A sweet book to read on the beach.
This book made me want to go on holiday to Greece. Characters were real and genuine.
A beautiful heartwarming book

Sarah decided it's time to get back to her passion of traveling after a bad break up, so she booked a 10 day sailing trip around the Greek Islands with a group of strangers. What she didn't expect was meeting and having to decide between a good looking but younger American man and an older, successful, handsome silver fox.

This book made me want to book a trip back to Santorini! Excellent details on the highlights of the various islands. I LOVED the beautiful book cover. However, I thought the writing was just okay. I disliked the ending so much - it lacked real closure and that really turned me off. Was it just a fling? Are they going to try a long distance relationship? Does she meet up with James? Too many loose ends.

Warning: This novel will make you want to book a trip in the Greek islands. You can definitely tell that the author’s been around, and my thought afterward was: “I went on such a delicious trip…now I want to go, for real!” As for the romance part, I was totally transported into Sarah’s story. It was light, and funny, and well-written. Pure delight.

Sarah is in need of a holiday after breaking up with her boyfriend. So she heads to Europe from Australia to get away from her life as it is. She spends her first night in Europe with her sister in London before heading to Greece to have an adventure on a boat touring around the Greek islands.

Sarah wanted a break from men but that is not what happens as she gains attention from two men on this trip. But who will she choose?

Barker's book is perfect escapist summer fiction. A book that is easy to read and while away the hours as you are transported to the magical Greek islands and the heavenly food.

Having split up with her ex, Aussie Sarah is currently on her way to London for a quick overnight stay with her sister before flying off to Santorini to sail with a bunch of strangers to Mykonos. She’s not interested in meeting anyone new but then she meets American traveller Josh and it’s lust at first sight. But then she’s also encountered ‘The Silver Fox’ - why is it when she’s not looking for love, two gorgeous men come along at once!

I loved reading this book. You are instantly transported to the Mediterranean and can almost feel the hot sun on your skin and taste the feta and ouzo. The book flows along at a good pace and kept me thoroughly entertained to the end. A fantastic holiday read that I can highly recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books and the author for the chance to review.