I’ve been transported to a tiny island in Greece! The imagery was so beautiful in this delightful novel. I could see, smell, and taste each scene in this book and I am now googling trips to Greece 😅. There was character growth, there was romance, there was friendship, and beautiful scenery! The writing was above average but could’ve swept me away a bit more. Same with the romance itself. I’m giving this a 4/5 because there’s room for improvement!

A fun rom-com set in a beautiful destination! Amelia and James have both fled problems at home in the U.S. to travel in Europe for several months when they find themselves as the only guests at a hotel on a small Greek island that doesn't get much tourist traffic. In a strange turn of events, they find themselves married and owners of the hotel. As the book's blurb says: "It's all fun and games until you accidentally marry a stranger in Greece and inherit a hotel!" Amelia agrees to stay and run the hotel through the busy summer season with James but as she finds her attraction to him growing she begins to wonder if she should be returning to her real life as a project manager in San Francisco or whether the universe has presented her with a second chance to start over and live a different sort of life. I thought this was an enjoyable read - funny with quirky secondary characters and a great sense of place - The Second Chance Hotel made me want to run off to Greece and run a hotel!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I read A Very Typical Family last year and enjoyed Sierra Godfrey’s debut a lot. Her writing is clever, the delivery funny, and I couldn’t really put my finger on how to describe it. The premise was quite serious examining family dynamics with well developed characters, yet I laughed out loud a LOT because the humor was unexpected and spot on. I wouldn’t necessarily call A Very Typical Family a comedy novel, but the humor was definitely a bonus.

In The Second Chance Hotel the author leans even more into her entertaining delivery and it was a delight to read from start to finish. The Second Chance Hotel goes over the top, but it works really well because the humor lightens up the underlying, heavier topics such as running away and not facing difficulties in life.

The heroine Amelia messes up big time, and I was unsure if she could redeem herself. Once she found herself accidentally married to James (a man she just met) and inheriting a hotel on a idyllic Greek island (with more locals named Yorgos than tourists), it’s easier to overlook her pretty unlikeable actions. The heroine Amelia messes up big time, and I was unsure if she could redeem herself. Once she found herself accidentally married to James (a man she just met) and inheriting a hotel on a idyllic Greek island (with more locals named Yorgos than tourists), it’s easier to overlook her pretty unlikeable actions. The romance component could’ve been stronger (just a tad more chemistry would have been great), but the side characters - especially the Greek locals and Amelia’s brother - were fa-bu-lous.

All in all, an entertaining novel, fun, lighthearted, yet thoughtful. Another great novel that makes me look forward to Sierra Godfrey’s future books.

I read the Second Chance Hotel in a day! I loved following the characters as they tried to figure out what they wanted their lives to look like in the face of unexpected circumstances.

A very interesting plot, early 00s rom-com vibe. I adored the secondary characters. Every character had such well shaped personalities and storylines sketched out. They were so humane, not the kindest people or the nicest but they were good people.

Usually, I dislike scenes where there are so many side characters all together, like weddings or parties but here I was just wanting more of that. They were fun to read about separately and all together.

The MCs were okay, very average to me. I didn’t like James a lot, he was a miss for me but the concept and execution wasn’t bad.

The climax was also just very frustrating. At some point, I actually felt like the Amelia and James might not be the best for each other, which is never great.

Overall, a very interesting and impressive book, very fun and for you if you want the rom - com deja vu.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for providing me with this ARC.

this was really funny and great! The premise was promising and it delivered. I was caught since the first chapter and it was really fast paced!

I could not put this book down! This book is an engaging, wanderlust-inspiring summer read that made me want to book a trip to Greece as soon as I finished the final chapter.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved the Greek setting, but something was missing for me. Maybe the ending was too perfect? The main character was just okay and I didn't love the male lead.

Thank you for this arc!!!
I honestly really liked this. It was such a cute romance. Amelia and James got a second chance to go for the life they really wanted to live. That involved a few months spent backpacking through Europe separately before they met each other in a secluded, decaying Greek hotel on a small Greek island. Very MammaMia. With a dash of accidental marriage.
This one is perfect for the summer!

Thank you so much for the ARC! This book was cute and funny! It was such a treat to read. It completely left me smiling. The Second Chance Hotel is about James and Amelia who are escaping their real lives but for completely different reasons. The things that happen at the hotel on the island are cheesy but wonderful. Such a great read!

I just finished THE SECOND CHANCE HOTEL and immediately wanted to go back into the book! I love the way Sierra Godfrey paints a beautiful, authentic picture of a Greek island in its majestic ruggedness. I adored the love story in this book and the way the characters have to learn about themselves as well as each other. Every bit of THE SECOND CHANCE HOTEL felt real, and I didn't want to put it down. Godfrey's compelling writing kept me hooked on the story, and I thoroughly enjoyed the bright cast of characters. And the cats! What a joy to read. Pack THE SECOND CHANCE HOTEL for your next vacation--or just the next time you want to feel like you're on vacation!

I hate the heroine so much. So, so much. But more than that, I hate how the author depicts Greeks and Greece. I spent a chunk of each year in Greece, have lived in Greece, speak Greek. The fact that the Greeks are depicted as being so backwards, bad at running hotels, living old fashioned lifestyles… it’s really reductive.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

This is my second Sierra Godfrey book and she never disappoints. She writes emotional reads and fantastic characters. The setting in Greece plus the hotel was such a fun atmospheric read. This was a sweet little escape and I really enjoyed the main characters ongoing relationship development. Definitely recommend if you enjoy contemporary romance!

This book made me want to go on a Greek vacation immediately. The descriptions of the setting and ambience were delightful. I enjoyed the two main characters and the interesting collection of island friends. I felt like a breezy vacation read...perhaps while on a Greek Isle. I received a complimentary copy of this book, thank you NetGalley.

Although this was a formulae rom com with a lead character I couldn’t quite find all that interesting, it was fun anyway. The other characters who populated the Greek island were fascinating with interesting backstories and quirky personalities. I breezed through the book in a day and even though I knew the ending almost before I began reading, the author led me there in a charming way. Definitely will recommend as a fun read.

Overall, I loved how over the top this was but the pacing in the second half of the book was excruciating. Definitely a summer beach read, with a beautiful setting and great secondary characters. Not a huge fan of the romance part, mainly because I don't think I liked the main pairing as much as the rest of the story.

This book was really lovely!

In The Second Chance Hotel, we meet Amelia, who has recently lost her job and broken up with by her ex-boyfriend. On a whim, she decides to use her nom-refundable tickets to go to Europe, needing an escape from life. She makes it to her final stop in Asteri, Greece and stays at the Ria Hotel, where her parents had stayed on their honeymoon. After a drunken wedding, she wakes up married to James, another guest at the hotel, and as a wedding gift? The hotel. James and Amelia agree to keep the hotel open for the season, and we get to follow along as they jump into their new normal.

I had a lot of fun with this book. Sure, the premise is a bit predictable, but I thought the characters are well developed and I loved their interactions. There’s a colorful group of side characters and I adored those characters as well. The settings sounded beautiful and I dreamt of what I would be like to be there. It was beautiful lighter fare and I found myself transported.

If there was anything to find issue with, I felt the book slumped a bit in the middle. Not a major story issue by any means though!

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC copy of this book!

Publishing Date: 9/12/23

Many thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.

É oficial: romances sobre protagonistas no fundo do poço que embarcam numa viagem de autodescoberta e acabam se envolvendo em relacionamentos falsos ao longo do caminho simplesmente não são pra mim. Esse é o terceiro livro que li com essa premissa. O primeiro foi mediano, até agradou; o segundo foi terrível; esse aqui foi infelizmente chato.

Cheguei até os 30% com muito esforço e depois daí fui só lendo os diálogos e pegando o contexto geral de onde estavam os personagens. O final da história é previsível demais. Tem alguma coisa sobre essa premissa que pede excitação, pede alguma coisa nova, diferente, animada. Amelia e James são até fofos, mas a narrativa foi tão exaustivamente lenta e monótona que eu não consegui terminar a história com vontade.

Quem sabe um dia eu releia essa história com um novo olhar, ou então consigam escrever um livro com essa premissa que realmente seja divertido, mas até lá eu sigo com a minha lição aprendida.

DNFing this one. It was not what I expected at all. The beginning about the work conflict and leaving suddenly and missing your best friend’s wedding seemed extremely unrealistic to me, so I wasn’t able to buy into the premise of going to Europe. I was really excited to read a book about Greece but I guess this one wasn’t it!

Regardless; thank you for the ARC.

A slow burner of stranger to friends to lovers.
I’m not usually a fan of slow burners but the sweet story of Amelia and James and how their lives drastically changed, paired with the friends they made in town and the relationships Amelia was trying to manage her with her mother, her friendship and her work situation, kept me reading.
I rate this book a 3/5.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this lovely story.