I loved One Summer in Santorini last year when I read it and was eager to read this next instalment and see where Sarah is at in her love triangle with Josh & James.

This book is based between London, Maui, Sydney and New Zealand. I loved the choice of locations used and the beauty of each destination. The descriptions were vivid so I could picture the scenery at each location, reading this book was like a glorious holiday with the authors love for travel apparent throughout the book.

I loved reading about the relationships between the three main characters and how they progress as the adventures for Sarah continue. This is the perfect sun lounger book and I made the most of reading this whilst we experienced glorious sunshine.

A brilliant trip to Sydney which I thoroughly enjoyed and kept me entertained from beginning to end.

Not just one but two guys! Sarah met Josh and James on a boat and now she's trying to decide between them. Josh is an American and James is an older Brit but they both like her- she likes them. But which will she choose? She spends time with James in London while she's visiting her sister but then takes off for Hawaii with Josh before heading home to Sydney where she's teacher. And then...James shows up and they go to New Zealand. Sarah's a little ahem "mature" to behave the way she does and the idea of two men competing for her- well..... No matter, this was a light read for the pandemic, especially since the locations (Hawaii! New Zealand! Australia! London!) are just delightful. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. No spoilers on her choice!

I have such a fun time reading this series, so to finally get the closure of whether Sarah would choose Josh or James, I was over the moon with the final results! I loved that we got to explore three different places throughout this story including her time in London, Hawaii with Josh and New Zealand with James. Another fantastic read and I can't wait to see what Sandy has in store for us next!

The premise: Sarah, a Sydney woman of around 37 years, goes on a solo trip to Greece where she meets two men - a 28-year-old American and a 52-year-old Brit. Josh and James. She then continues seeing both of them for a time and has to decide which one she wants to stay with.

I might be over-analyzing, but I absolutely hated Sarah. It's not only that she's not a good role model, which annoys me in female leads from time to time, but she's a person whom, if I'd met her in real life, I'd actively dislike and avoid. Taking that into account, you can probably see how that ruined the whole book for me.

Why the hate, you'd ask.

Well, Sarah is at an age closer to 40 than she is to 30. Now, I have nothing to say about people in their 40s or 50s or later, even, who have fun and sleep around. It's their business. But that's not the problem with her being at that age. The problem is how generally immature she is. I believe around 30% of the book was Sarah crying and having meltdowns over her two boyfriends. Speaking of the two boyfriends - another shining example of how exactly childish her behaviour is. She's so embarrassing to read about, I was cringing and eye-rolling half of the book. She's so petty, she keeps talking about how expensive or not things are, she keeps throwing in names of brands and restaurants and whatnot, and spoiler alert - I don't know any of those so it meant absolutely nothing to me. Also, she's extremely dishonest, going on and on and on how either Josh or James hasn't made up their mind about her. Well, guess what, you haven't made up your mind either... And not to mention the nerve she had to get pissed off at James and spend the whole night seething because he was a bit shaken up by seeing his ex-girlfriend, while she herself is actually in a sort-of a relationship with another guy at the same time. Disgusting. Additionally, the woman has a serious alcohol problem. She's drinking throughout the majority of the book, and not just a glass for good measure, but actually getting somewhere on the range from tipsy to hammered and often being hungover. It's so incredibly unbecoming for anyone, and especially a nearly 40-year-old schoolteacher, to be drunk half the time while dating two guys, flashing herself naked to bellboys and having sex in public spaces. Not my type of person AT ALL.

If one tries to see this book beyond Sarah's presence, it's nothing special either. I thought I'd enjoy the travel part of it, but aside from a few flashy restaurants, a sunset here and there, and many occasions where Sarah and the boyfriend of the hour do not go sightseeing so that they can have sex and drink, there isn't much travel, really. I was excited about the bit in New Zealand, I thought that might bring something to the book, but nope, how New Zealand was described was "better than the Peter Jackson tourist advertisement" or something. What's more, and what completely lost me, was the fact that Sarah/the author actually used the opportunity to badmouth The Lord of the Rings movies as being too long and boring. Only an incredibly shallow and depraved person would think that it's okay to have a drunken, cheating, insecure and dishonest main character (who also uses the word "wowzer" more than once, teacher and all) and expect readers to root for her, but to talk crap of a story which has, with its values, inspired generations of readers and viewers.

I LOVE SANDY BARKER'S BOOKS!

There, I said it. I devour each of her books. I'm fully invested in all the characters and I totally love the story. While love triangles are typically the trope I least enjoy. I adored this book. Even if I did prefer James over Josh! Ha.

However, i love how each reason to go for a particular man was totally justified and explained throughout the growth of the characters. The ending was perfectly powerfully emotive and I just CAN NOT WAIT for the next instalment!

A Sunset in Sydney is a cute romance novel! This would be a great, easy beach read for the summer when you're looking for something light.

How lovely it is to be back with Sarah and her love triangle! How would it feel to have not just one, but two men in love with you and wanting to be with you and whisk you off for lovely holidays! I have enjoyed Sandy's other novels very much and I couldn't wait to read this one as well. The cover really stood out to me, I adore the colour of the sky and the Sydney Opera House taking centre stage. It really is a stunning cover and made me want to delve straight in!

As mentioned, this story follows main character Sarah as she makes her journey towards deciding who she prefers out of Josh and James. Both men are very different. Josh being young, American and quite care-free, and James being older, English and very, very rich. This novel has laugh-out-loud moments (like when the bellboy walked in on Sarah in Hawaii) and I really found myself wanting to read this novel more and more as the story went on. Sarah is really rather fond of both of her lovers, and simply cannot decide who she prefers. Of course, the main issue is location (with them both being half way around the world from her) and other issues being age as well as class.

It's a fantastically refreshing, enjoyable and lighthearted novel which is a perfect easy read, especially in these uncertain times. We get to read about a lot of the world including beautiful Hawaii and New Zealand as well as a lot of scrumptious descriptions of the food that Sarah gets to enjoy on her various trips. I also enjoyed how there are three parts of the book, as it makes it easier to understand just where abouts Sarah is. The style of writing is simply and really nice to read. I just really loved this novel. I can't wait to read more by Sandy in the future.

Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read an advance copy of this novel via Netgalley, which I have reviewed honestly.

This book picks up Sarah's love triangle with James, the silver fox and Josh, the younger lover. She met both of these men while she was on holiday in Greece. This story is covered in Barker's first book. It is possible to read this one as a stand alone novel.

Sarah is torn as she is fond of both of her lovers and geography is an issue with both of them. James lives in England, Josh in the US. As the book progresses she shares some lovely meals, and holidays with both of the men. But where does her heart lie.

I thoroughly enjoyed Barker's description of London, Hawaii, Sydney and New Zealand; as well as Sarah's romantic predicament.

I'd say this book was gentle. It undulated through the pages and there weren't any rapids that I would usually expect to find in this genre. I found myself becoming annoyed with Sarah and her indecision and wanted to give her a good shake! I did finish the book though, despite it's somewhat slow pace, as I wanted to see how it all ended. I won't spoil that for you with any spoilers here.

Thanks to NetGallery, One More Chapter Publishing, and Sandy Barker for a free E-book copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
While this is the third book in the series, this book can be read as a standalone. This book is about a woman named Sarah, who is determined to finally make a decision between the two handsome men, who she met while vacationing in Greece, in her life that would love to build a life with her. One is a very rich yet handsome sliver fox man, James. The other is a handsome American man, Josh. Both have a place in her heart, but there can only be one to make a future with. As Sarah is working through the pros and cons of each man, she meets each of them for a romantic getaway. Sarah spends time wining and dining with James in London as she is also spending time with her sister. Then Sarah flies to Hawaii for a romantic New Years' holiday with Josh. Which man holds Sarah's heart? Who will she choose?
This book was so good! I am not always a fan of love triangles because most authors tend to make the guy they want a stronger character in the book than the other man, so there is not much a choice, but this author had no such problem! She was able to make each man equal in their appeal and chemistry with Sarah. I loved the different locations Sarah was able to travel with both of these men. Each location as well as the activities and outings they had together really provided another way to show their personalities also how much they really knew Sarah. Just like Sarah, I went back and forth between the two men. The writing and story line was well developed and kept a great pace for each part of the book. I liked that the author broke the story up into 4 parts. It made the section full and purposeful in building up to the ultimate result of Sarah's choice. I was pleased with Sarah's choice in the end! And no I will not tell, you will have to read the book to find out! Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend this book to those who enjoy reading travel books with romance.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I purposely didn't request this book as I'm not a fan of love triangles. When I was invited to read it, I tried really hard to like it. It had different destinations, two great guys, but I really struggled to get through it. At times it was like witnessing some really uncomfortable moments between a couple and wanting to look away.
I won't be posting this review on other sites, apologies in advance.

When I first got a widget for “A sunset in Sydney” I didn’t realized it was part of a series and, although it can be read as a stand alone, I guess it would be preferable to read first the other books to know about Sarah’s story from the beginning and where she’s coming from.

Although the love triangle situation was a bit of a cliché it was entertaining enough if only because all the different places Sarah gets to travel to. I must say I had major issues with her attitude for the most part. I don’t think she was fair with Josh and James (call me old fashioned, but I like my lovers one at a time) and found her stringing them along pretty selfish. I can’t understand her dilemma but at least be clear with both guys so they know where they stand! But Sarah was not the only one being selfish. When Josh asks her to not make any decision and put her life on hold till he makes up his mind I couldn’t believe it! Seriously? I think that the only one who behave maturely all throughout the story was James, as he was the one that from the beginning put all his cards on the table.

There were some pretty great secondary characters and I would love to read their stories. Siobhan was so fun and I loved how Lindsey and Nick were so supportive of Sarah while being straight forward without sugarcoating their opinions of her behavior.

Although I had some issues with the MC I’m curious enough to read the other books of the series.

3,5 ⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK One More Chapter for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I smiled all the way through this delightful tale of Sarah, usually unlucky in love, who finds her self attracted to two fabulous men. Funny and full of life Sarah is a likeable character who you can't help but empathise with as she tries to decide who she wants life. The authors descriptions of Sydney and New Zealand made me long to go back there. An easy and enjoyable read that I couldn't put down

A Sunset in Sydney is about a girl who goes on a trip and meets two guys in two different countries. She ends up liking both of them and has to choose which one she likes best.

Unfortunately I didnt like this book, it was a dnf for me. I tried two different times to read but maybe the way it was written or formatted.....if just didn't work for me.

DNF

A love triangle for Sarah and a choice of James or Josh. Great location descriptions which makes it an easy going summer read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

This is the follow up book to the first in the series, One Summer in Santorini, although it can be read as a stand alone. This left Sarah, an Australian based in Sydney, with two lives in her life, Josh and James and she is struggling to decide who she wishes to choose : Josh, a younger American with commitment issues, James an English older silver fox multi millionaire art dealer.
As previously arranged she meets Josh in Hawaii for the New Year, rekindling their relationship, however had previously had a fling with James in London on the way back from her holiday in Santorini. After having her holiday, where Josh is still struggling with his commitment issues, she returns to Sydney to resume her job as a teacher. She then meets James again when he is visiting on business and he takes her on holiday to New Zealand.
As usual the author's descriptions of both Hawaii and New Zealand are amazing, really making me wish that I could visit them both. I did struggle with Sarah and her decision choice and initially found it difficult to engage with the book, but persevered as I needed to know what the final outcome was.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

With thanks to one more chapter for an early copy in return for an honest review
Having never read this author's work before I was highly delighted withe book it's a real sunshine book easy to ready and highly entertaining throughout I can highly recommend this for a nice easy light beach read.

This is an Australian book written by an Australian author and this review is by an Australian woman, so Australian slang shall be used liberally throughout…. With explanations so that you too can speak Aussie when needed.

Sarah Parsons (Sarah-Jane when she’s in trouble) discovered that her bogan (sort of like an asshat) boyfriend was cracking the fat (gaining an erection) with another sheila (a woman) and rather than be treated like a mug (a gullible person), she unceremoniously dumped (got rid of) him. As all girls do after a traumatic breakup, she hauls herself off for a much-needed ripper (great, fantastic) holiday to the back of Burke (a very long way away) where her desire is to be as boy free as possible and avoid any B & S parties (Bachelors' and Spinsters' Ball - a party usually held in rural areas.) Grouse (awesome) right? But fate has different plans and sweet as (something really good), Sarah meets not one, but two eligible men who take more than a passing interest in her. One is younger than her, techie and a Yank (American) and the other is a millionaire, silver fox Pommie (English) who lives in London. So what’s a girl to do? Date them both and try them on for size. Strewth! (exclamation or mild oath.) That makes for a busy time for our girl as she juggles the affections of both men. But Sarah has an amazing connection with both men and cannot seem to make up her mind which man she is falling for – is it possible to fall for two men at once? Because bloody oath (certainly true), eventually she is going to have to make a choice.

This book is the third in the Holiday Romance series by Barker, but joyfully, can be read as a stand-alone, although chances are you’re going to want to go back and read the other two novels in the series because they are just so much fun. The characters are well defined, the confusion that Sarah experiences are beautifully portrayed and there is a healthy dose of Australian flavour in the style of writing – although there is not the Aussie slang so don’t worry, you won't be reaching for a dictionary as you read this book! It is fun to see both men vying for her attention and without a doubt it will have you choosing which team you are on, hoping Sarah will choose the right guy – whoever that might be. Sarah as our heroine is a lovely break from the usual 20-something woman so often found in romance stories as she is at the delightful age of thirty-seven, making her much more relatable for the slightly older reader and has fantastic married friends and family who give her sage advice along the way.

This is entertaining, lighthearted and a real treat for an easy-going day.

A Sunset in Sydney is the third book in the Sandy Barker trilogy following in from One Summer in Santorini and One Night in Paris. Once again we are joining Sarah, she’s had her summer in Greece where she met the handsome and suave James and also the gorgeous Josh. After returning home she finds herself pulled in different directions by two very different men. She’s agreed to meet Josh in Hawaii for New Year but James also wants to entertain her in London. This book is a really fun read that will take you on a great journey with Sarah as she tries to work out which man is for her. I would rate this book 4.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, One More Chapter and the author for the chance to review.

A strange story.Beautifui descriptions of New Zealand and Hawaii. I loved the decriptions of Sarah' s clothes. She was a character hard to warm to. An easy read