Member Reviews
Really enjoyed this book. Malta is an island that I have not visited and the descriptions made me want to in the future. Good storyline, characters and general feel good factor. Recommended.
Really enjoyed this book. Felt like I was with the characters on the beautiful island of Malta. Good storyline and nice easy read. Would recommend
I love Malta, so this was a great read for me while I can't travel. She paints the pictures of the places so well that I can imagine myself there in these familiar places. The characters are interesting, the dynamics keep changing and the solutions are not all obvious. A nice holiday read for those of us who can't go on holiday
An enjoyable read, I could feel the sunshine, smell the ocean & taste the food with the author’s descriptions. She has spent a lot of time in Malta (the sunny island featured in the book) and her affection for it shows in her writing.
Good story full of sunshine, family, life’s ups & downs and budding new relationships.
I read this book over a two day sunny session, chilled out with the sun in my face, sun in my heart and the fan breezing onto me. This was the perfect form of escapism for a lockdown break. It would be perfect reading this by the pool with a wedge of watermelon and a sangria or two!
I loved Rosa and her Mum Dory. They had a magical relationship as Mum and Daughter and really appreciated each other’s company.
I loved Zach and his relationship with his niece and sisters and that he was brave enough to open his Dad’s eyes to his faults and make a real difference.
This book was a sunny romp around the beach and I’m so glad I found it and was hooked.
I was gifted this arc by netgalley for an honest and unbiased review.
5* book
I love that this story introduces Rosa and Zach from the first page, and makes the reader realise neither are looking for a romantic relationship despite their chemistry. As the story unfolds passion ignites, as their emotional barriers crumble. This is a slow burn romance, full of internal and external conflict.
The island setting is vibrant and easy to imagine, the author's first-hand knowledge evident. All the characters have a part to play in this complex story of family drama, youthful mistakes and second chances.
This is perfect Summer escapism with believable characters, contemporary issues and realistic romance.
I received a copy of this book from Avon Books UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
This was such a lovely read. Rosa needs to escape from a broken relationship and her mum invites her to spend the summer in a villa in Malta, helping her with a cookbook that she is getting published. She helps her mum source ingredients and prep the food.
She meets Zach , who has a colourful past, but seems to have turned his life around and accompanies him to a centre that helps troubled teens. It helps her with missing her job and she has to make some tough decisions about life, love and work.
You really could imagine yourself sunbathing on the terrace, helping to eat all the culinary masterpieces.
I have read a lot of Sue Moorcroft’s books and found them very enjoyable. However, for some unfathomable reason, I did not enjoy Summer on a Sunny Island as much as I was expecting to.
This is partly down to the opening chapters, which seem to begin abruptly, almost as if there is a bit missing, and the reader has been thrown into the story part way through. There was also a bit too much description of the island for my taste; at times it read like a travel guide. The main problem was that I could not warm to the main characters, Rosa and Zach, and I realise that I’m in a minority here. They are well written and believable, but I just did not take to them.
This is not a light-hearted romantic comedy, but a much darker story than the title would suggest – peer pressure leading young men into gangs and criminal activity, dysfunctional families, and controlling and abusive men feature strongly in the story. This is all dealt with in a sensitive and empathetic way, and by the end of the book there has been some resolution.
The women are strong independent characters, used to standing on their own two feet, which is just as well since the behaviour of a lot of the male characters leaves a lot to be desired. I particularly enjoyed the scene near the end with Marcus and the electricity bill – but you’ll have to read it for yourself!
Summer on a Sunny Island is a well-written story with an unusual and colourful setting; just what everyone needs at the moment when the possibility of travel to sunny islands is not on the cards. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Always enjoy a Sue Moorcroft book. Breakups are never happy. Getting over them can be hard. Mother’s always try to solve their children hurts and this time she sets her daughter up. Taking place on Malta when writing a cookbook, the descriptions are easy to imagine. Take me away. Totally enjoyed the book.
Another wonderful read by Sue. She writes perfect escape books. This had everything you could ask for. A lovely little read
This was a fun and cute story, and it made me see Malta with googly, heart-shaped eyes (my best friend is from there, and it was lovely to see such a beautiful land as the setting for an equally beautiful story).
I did have a bit of trouble at the start because it felt like being dropped into the middle of a season of a TV show and I was expected to know ho is who and what is what, and this was a bit confusing and caused me to have to slow down my reading pace to really grasp all the information that was woven in the dialogue in that first chapter. Kinda put me off a bit, that part, to be honest.
I’ve read a few of the books by this author but this one I found really very hard to get into. I didn’t give up though which is what I normally do, but feel there was something missing. It just didn’t cut if for me and was a bit let down over the storyline. Sorry but felt it hard going 😩
When Dora, Rosa's mother, decides to rent an apartment in Malta for the summer to research her new Mediterranean cookbook and offers Rosa a job helping her it is just what she needs following the breakup with Marcus her long term partner. Zach is helping renovate his grandmother's apartments in Malta and enjoying the break from the UK especially as trouble seemed to follow him around there but will he just find different trouble in Malta? The sparks fly when he meets Rosa but neither of them are in the right place to start a relationship..... or are they?
Another lovely book by this author, the characters are good and believeable and I love the way Zach looks after his family. Lots of good descriptions of the food and the island make it a great summer read
After a breakup Rosa’s mum asks her to come to Malta with her for a research trip for her latest cookbook. While there her mum puts on her matchmaking hat and introduces her to Zach, however Rosa insists she is in Malta to help her Mum, not to fall in love. Or is she?….
This was a lovely quick read, especially nice to be reading about a summer romance when it is cold and wintery outside.
Summer on a Sunny Island is written by author Sue Moorcroft. Thank you to Netgalley for the review copy I received.
Summer On A Sunny Island begins at a restaurant where we are introduced to the main characters Rosa and Zach. Currently in the beautiful setting of Malta, these two are both at different stages in their lives and in Malta from the UK for varying reasons - Rosa as an assistant to her cookbook writing Mum (and to try and get over her ex-boyfriend Marcus) and Zach is helping to renovate his family’s apartments on the island (and to get away from troubles back home and a current unsettled relationship with his father)
Neither are looking for love and romance, but will it find them here on this sunny island over the summer?
Sue Moorcroft writes a lovely story set on an island that will tempt you with its exotic food and location. Her writing slowly unravels these two characters as we delve deeper and follow their journey both together and individually. Family and food are a highlight, as well as self-discovery and of course romance!
Readers of contemporary romance will enjoy this book, it is a wonderful read during this particular time in the world over, so escapism to Malta is a perfect getaway read.
This is an honest review, and all opinions are my own.
My review can be found online on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3350803498
A lovely story with plenty of interest set on the beautiful island of Malta. A good family saga with plenty of interest thrown in.
I have been a fan of Sue's work for a fair while now. I have read each and every book and without exception, I have loved them all. I read the synopsis for 'Summer On A Sunny Island' and it certainly sounded like the perfect read to whisk me away from the lockdown depression. I was spot on too because for a short period of time I forgot all about COVID19 and lockdown. 'Summer On A Sunny Island' is a delightful read and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it but more about that in a bit.
I really took to the characters of Rosa and Zach right from the very start. In their own ways, both characters have suffered their own disappointments and have suffered setbacks in their respective lives. In a way they are like two damaged souls, who just so happen to be made for each other, although both insist they are not looking for love. I just wanted for them to realise what everybody else can see and that they couldn't be better suited if they tried. I kept everything crossed that they would get together and get the happy ever after ending that they both deserved. What happens? Well for the answer to that question and so much more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
I was drawn to this book by the bright and colourful front cover and after having read the synopsis for 'Summer On A Sunny Island', I just knew that I had to read the book as soon as I possibly could. I knew that with Sue having written the book that I would be in for one hell of a read and so it proved to be. When I initally picked up the book, I was whisked away from lockdown Britain and taken on a holiday to the island of Malta. Well it's not as if I can hop on the aeroplane at the moment so reading this delightful book was the nearest thing I could get to a holiday! I would pick the book up only intending to read a couple of chapters to fill in the odd half hour, but I would become so hypnotised by the story that I would literally forget to put the book down. I raced through the story. I found that the pages turned increasingly quickly as my desperation to find out how the story concluded, steadily grew and grew.
'Summer On A Sunny Island' is well written but then I have found that to be true of all of Sue's books. She has a writing style that is easy to take to and easy to get along with. Reading one of Sue's books reads more like a chat between friends than an actual book. Sue creates and describes her characters so well that it is as if they leap off the page and they seem just as real as you and I. I loved the way in which she describes Malta so vividly. If I closed my eyes, it would be easy to imagine that I was in Malta with the sun beating down on my face. I really felt as though I was part of the story myself and that's thanks to Sue's very vivid and realistic storytelling.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'Summer On A Sunny Island' and I would recommend this book to other readers. I will definitely be reading more of Sue's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board can only be a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.
Wow, what can I say? Firstly, don’t be fooled by the summery cover as this novel is more than just summer romances in a different country. I was genuinely surprised by how much the content differed from my first impression of the cover, and that is definitely a compliment!
I am a huge fan of Sue Moorcroft’s novels, so I had very high hopes for ‘Summer on a Sunny Island’. Did it deliver? If you asked me that question after three or four chapters, I would have said no as I felt like I wasn’t reading a Sue Moorcroft novel. It didn’t, at the beginning, have the vibe from the author that I have loved in all of her previous novels.
Wait a second, before you get angry…..
HOWEVER! Once the storyline got going, it was as though the author had warmed up her voice and got comfortable in her story because, what started off as a bit ‘meh’, ended up becoming one of my most favourite books that Sue Moorcroft has written to date! I loved Rosa and Dory’s relationship – it was so genuine and loving. A real pleasure to read.
I also loved the dynamics between Zach and his family, even though they were, like many other families, quite flawed, the level of depth that their situations brought to the storyline is what gave the novel that bite, that extra lot of oomph. In my opinion, I felt that the issues that arose courtesy of Zach and family, is what turned the novel from typical summer romance read, to a diverse, in depth, passionate, summer romance read.
Sue Moorcroft delivered with her trademark humour, her hot under the collar moments, and brilliantly crafted characters who were as strong on their own as they were together. Yes, it took me a while to warm up to this, however it was soooooo worth the wait and then some.
Loved it – this is the ideal read for all seasons, nevermind just summer. Give this author a crown because she is the queen of romance!
Lovely story in the beautiful Malta. I spent my honeymoon in Malta 18 years ago so this truely took me back. Brilliant story of taking a chance to change your life and follow your dreams. Made me want to visit Malta again :)
Rosa has just broken up with her boyfriend, and is devastated. When her mother asks her to come to Malta with her to help her with a Mediterranean cookbook she is writing Rosa takes a leave of absence and goes. Rosa's mum has also been invited to a reunion of ex servicemen and their children who lived on the Island.
Zach is also invited to the reunion in place of his father and grandfather, and it just so happens that his family own the appartments that Rosa and her Mum are renting. Zach is also fixing up his Aunt's appartment in the block for her whilst volunteering at a children's centre trying to use his own problem childhood to good effect.
Both Rosa and Zach have trust issues, and problem family members. Both have no intention of getting into a relationship. But sometimes a beautiful Island will work it's magic.
A lovely summer's tale, set on a beautiful Island. It made me want to book a holiday to Malta and I couldn't stop until I had finished the book.