A story of courage, of fresh beginnings and finding yourself after being lost.

Following an affair with her married boss, Antonia decides to remove herself from his reach by moving to Croatia to take up a housekeeping position at Vila Maslina, a beautifully renovated boutique hotel, run by the enigmatic Damir.

Over time Antonia begins to see a deeper side to the handsome Damir, a darkness and a haunted look. As they build a relationship of trust and friendship, he eventually opens up about the sadness and guilt that is sitting on his shoulders.

I thought this was a charming story, and the description of Croatia certainly made me want to get on a plane and explore it for myself. While there is romance, the central theme is friendship, and family and hope.

Antonia wants to escape from her life in the UK, and takes employment as housekeeper at a newly renovated farmhouse in Croatia. The owner Damir is haunted by demons from the war when he was a child. Can she help him overcome his nightmares? An enthralling book, telling of the horrors of war and the effects on the people.

This is a lovely book. Antonia courageously decides to make some life changes and gets a job as a housekeeper at a Croatian villa. We meet a cast of wonderful supporting characters - Damir, who is a young man with a very troubled past; Vincenzo - a famous artist who teaches lessons at the villa, and the island itself.

The things I liked the most:
Antonia's character - she is a mature woman with a grown daughter and she's drawn so realistically. She struggles with doubts, feelings of self worth, and wanting to make everyone happy. The author did a fantastic job with showing her strength and her vulnerability.

Damir - who is so damaged by his young childhood in Bosnia. Like Antonia, and I suspect much of the world, I knew the things that happened there were horrible, but I only knew in a very abstract way.

The beauty of the setting - I felt like I could see the views, and the beaches, and the historic towns.

Big thanks to netgalley and the author and publisher for introducing me to this gem of a book.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for e review based upon my honest opinion.

What a lovely read. This book made me long for travelling to Croatia, you could almost smell the lush foliage, taste the vibrant dishes and feel the mystery humming in the air. This story had great charcater development and stgoryline, it hooked me right from the start and I read most of the book in one sitting. Antonia and Danir's story was beautiful and haunting.

I will definitely be watching for books from this author again.

Antoinia seems to have stumbled onto the chance of a lifetime when she takes a job on a remote island for a wealthy family. After arriving at this beautiful picturesque location she soon discovers that the island and its residents have many dark secrets that may cause her to rethink her position. Waiting to see if she is able to get out unscathed and with her life.

First of all, the cover grabbed my attention, a charming picture. The main action is located in Croatia, on the island of Korcula. Damir Maric is renovating the farmhouse to open Vila Maslina - a new holiday villa. The idea is more profound than that - Damir plans to teach tourists about the history hidden in Croatia, the truth that can only learn from the people who witnessed that part of the past. A stormy and uneasy past hidden in the war still has an impact on his contemporary life. On the other end, you will meet Antonia Butler, a middle-aged woman, also with a painful past and unhealthy relationship. The affair ruined her life, and one day she will accept Damir's offer and move to the Vila Maslina.
The plot is ideally constructed, and there is more hidden by this simple idea presented above. You will find the dilemmas here, desire, sadness, ghosts from the past, heartbreaking descriptions of war and human's life devastation - and it all in contrast with beautiful, breathtaking landscapes and magical atmosphere. There will be romance, the need for love and happiness. Is it possible to build life under these unusual circumstances, with ghosts from the past, unexpected emotions and stormy feelings? Maybe it is a truth that:

'Home isn't always where you are born, after all, but where you choose to make it.'

Can they build the new chapter, have a fresh start?
A beautiful novel, rich in twists and turns, jumps to the past, well-written. The book kept me hooked to the last page. I highly recommend it.

Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, for an ARC of this book.

2.5⭐️ rounded to 3

I am on the fence about this book. There were aspects of it I found enjoyable or interesting for sure, such as the idea of taking a risk and seeing where that takes you. Experiencing a country I do not know much about through a fictional story. Learning about a war that I also do not know much about. The authors descriptive detail is very well thought out and executed and brings the reader right into the words and pages.

On the other hand, I did not find myself lost in this story. I found it very slow to start and had a hard time getting into it. I wanted to love it so much, but found myself feeling it was just okay. I was not drawn in by the characters, although Damir and Declan were probably my two favourite. I had a hard time connecting with the cast of this story and whether that is because of this story being about a different group of people than I have read I could not say.

As always, read it and draw your own conclusion!!!!

Thank you to Eva Glynn, One More Chapter and Netgalley for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful setting in Croatia where Damir sets up a new holiday rental in the home in the Olive grove where he was brought up. Antonia escapes a bad romance in England to join him as housekeeper. Idyllic - I'd love to go there on holiday. We learn that Damir was brought up by his aunt who has died not long before. He has terrifying nightmares and flashbacks to his early childhood in the Bosnian war - he has suppressed these memories for 25 years. Now his aunt is dead, the memories come back in snippets and affect every aspect of his life. I really enjoyed how this was a story of friendship, not a typical romance novel although there was some romance. I really enjoyed this book. #netgalley #theolivegrove

An interesting story interwoven with the break up of the former Yugoslavia. The characters were believable and varied - not too many so you could remember them. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Wow - this is one of the best books I’ve read in a long while. I love the author’s lyrical way of writing and how simple scenes portray so much about the characters. The book had me digging out photographs of a family holiday in Yugoslavia well before the Bosnian War. I was carried along by Eva Glynn’s characters and the effects of war upon Damir. Antonia’s problems with her daughter and her affair prove more difficult to leave behind in England than she imagined. This book was so much more than I thought it was when I began reading it, more beautiful, complex and thought provoking. The story has stayed with me long after the last page.

Antonia Butler realizes that her relationship is not going anywhere so she ends the relationship and quits her job. She sees an ad for a multilingual housekeeper at a Croatian farmhouse that is a Bed and Breakfast. When Antonia arrives at the tiny picturesque island she feels a spark of hope. She is ready to began her new life. The owner of the B & B is a man that has been through the tragedies of losing his parents and living through a war. After the loss of his parents, he was raised by an aunt. When she dies, he converts her farmhouse into a B & B. Antonia and Damir both have secrets and things that they need to recover from. Antonia feels like she has come home to a place she now belongs on the Croatian Island. Can she and Damir be there for each other in the future? I highly recommend this book.

This was a lovely story, a mixture of sorrow and joy, success and failure all mixed together. A great cast of characters that I linked to very quickly. The background history to the story was very interesting.. I do love happy endings, makes everything worthwhile..

I really enjoyed this story. Antonia, tired of her life and promises made by her boyfriend that he will never keep, decides to go and work in Croatia as a housekeeper for Damir who is troubled by his past. Although she misses her daughter, Antonia settles quickly into the routines of life in Croatia, learning about the routine surrounding coffee and finding new romantic interests whilst helping Damir confront his demons. For me, the ending was quite abrupt and I was left wanting to know more about how life pans out for Damir and Antonia.

Antonia is having an affair with her married boss. After a humiliating incident she realizes it is going no where. Her daughter and partner need space so Antonia quits her job and accepts an offer at the Vila Maslina in Croatia. Damir is a young man who was raised by an aunt. Since she passed away he has turned her home into a bed and breakfast of sorts, modeling it after the villas he maintains for a rich man.

The characters were lovely. I really liked Antonia and would love to be her friend. She took herself out of an awkward position, had the strength to leave her daughter and move to a foreign country. Damir was a tortured young man haunted by a war and the loss of his mother and father but found a friend in Antonia.

This is about the devastation of war and the toll it takes on the young. Korcula sounds like a beautiful place but even surrounded by beauty one can be sad. Eventually Antonia realizes she has found a home and friends that will be in her heart and life forever and Damir eventually is able to put his war experiences into a sort of perspective and find some peace.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for providing me a copy of this lovely story.

I love the setting of this story; a villa on an island in Croatia. I have never read anything about the area, so it was so interesting to read some history and geography of Croatia and Bosnia. The characters were very well developed and likeable too.

What an enchanting read! It brings up some uncomfortable truths about war and division but at its heart it is a story about identity and love. I enjoyed getting to know the island of Korčula better and to learn more about the Croatian traditions and way of life. There are a few surprises along the way but mostly this is just a easy to read type of book. I’m a big fan of this author’s books and I’ll definitely be recommending it to others.

I was drawn to this book because of the setting on an Island on the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia. I like the way that Eva Glyn slowly develops the characters, whilst at the same time explores aspects of the tragic recent history of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Although this is a work of fiction I like the use of real places. Having toured the region recently, this use of real places helps to give the novel a sense of both geographical and historical reality.

I won't go into detail about the storyline for fear of spoiling the plot, suffice to say that the author has successfully married a story about the lives of her characters with the region in which the story is set.

It is one of those books which I didn't want to end. On the strength of this novel I will certainly look out for future books by Eva Glyn.

Finally I give my thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins (One More Chapter) for a copy in exchange for this review.

I wanted to read this book because I spent a week in Korcula many years ago . Did I recognise it from the book ? Not at all though more because I didn't see much of the island then. This book has made me want to return !
On the whole the characters were likeable, the location interetsing and stunning. The effects of war on the way of life and some of the characters was well written. The relationship details were skimmed over at times and people seemed quick to take offence. Not all of the ends are tied up in this book and I will be thinking about it for a while yet
For a short book, it was not always an easy or quick read . The typeface in my copy was very small which made reading on a e-reader more difficult.
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Completely unexpected story, exceptionally written.

The Olive Grove is not my usual type of book, but something about the burb had me hooked, it might have something to do with growing up during the conflict that endeared the country to me.

Antonia is a protagonist who is very conflicted, in love with a married man, sharing her home with her adult daughter and her partner, the last straw is being belittled by her lover’s friend. Solace is found in Croatia, having taken a job as a housekeeper at an upmarket villa.

I enjoyed that the affair part of this story was minimal as I tend to steer away from such tropes, instead the focus is on Antonia’s and Damir’s friendship, the good and the bad. Damir’s experiences as a child have come back to haunt him after the death of his aunt.

The story follows both Antonia coming to grips with life in a foreign country, making friends, finding a lover, and treading carefully around her boss’s mood swings. Whilst Damir is being pulled in different directions, new opportunities and trying to keep his aunt alive.
As time goes on Damir learns he can trust Antonia, and she in turn helps him to confront his past and find out the truth that was kept from him.

A wonderful story of love, loss, friendships, and new beginnings. My thanks to the author, #OneMoreChapter and #Netgalley for allowing me to read and review a copy of #TheOliveGrove

Wow, the writing is amazing. The way it's describes the island, the whole settings, the culture,the dishes it's make you want to visit Croatia immediately.

The book itself it's listed as a woman fiction but really there is much more to it. it was beautiful story with characters that develop so nicely that you don't want to leave them yet.