3 stars.

I feel like Sierra Godfrey's "The Second Chance Hotel" starts off really strong with its zany premise, but it ends with a predictable whimper, not an exciting bang. First of all, I loved the setting of this book. Godfrey paints such a delightful picture of the Greek island of Asteri. It sounds like such a wonderful place to visit, truly serene and calming and lovely. True escapist fodder for those who love to travel or read about new places. Unfortunately, I really did not like the main female character, Amelia. From the jump, her character comes off as selfish, brash, and frankly, unlikable. I appreciate that she's a mess of a person, but she treats people as disposable and blames most of her personality foibles on her mother. To be fair, her mother *is* the worst, but she uses this as a crutch and an excuse for continuing her bad behavior. Other than that, I found her to be a very whitebread, bland main character. Nick as the main male protagonist is a little bit better, but I really didn't want him and Amelia to be together. I wanted him to find someone who would appreciate him and his nerdiness more! There is some decent banter and humor between the two of them, but I didn't ever find myself rooting for them to make it as a couple, fake marriage or otherwise. I think this book is too long, and it can also get a bit repetitive. The concept is great, but Godfrey fumbles the ball the long it goes on. Maybe if I had cared about the characters, I would have felt differently.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sierra Godfrey, and Sourcebooks Landmark for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

A wild romance set in Greece. Amelia is used to running away. After losing her job, (for throwing a mug at her exes' head!), she hops on a plane for a three month stay in Europe. This break is just what she needs. Her final stop before heading back home is the small Greek island of Asteri. There, she stays in a rundown hotel. She's the only guest, other than James, another American traveler. Unfortunately, their host is in poor health, and as he is passing, he convinces the drunk Amelia and James to take over the hotel (and cons them into getting married). Uh oh. How will they make it out of this situation? Or will they even want to?

You definitely have to suspend your disbelief for the wacky situation that Amelia and James find themselves in. But it's such a fun journey. They fight their feelings for most of the story, leading to a successful conclusion. Asteri is a beautiful setting. Makes me want to go to Greece. Amelia is initially a bit unlikable, but I soon connected with her, and rooted for the romance. James is sweet and nerdy cute. Very slow burn.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The setting of this somewhat odd romantic novel is exquisite - an enchanting Greek island. It is a cute love story in a way but the development of the main characters felt off to me. When Amelia suddenly takes off on a European trip after being sabotaged by a jerky boyfriend who works at the same company, it seems like a good idea...except...she has to betray her best friend who counted on her to support her during her upcoming wedding.

When the story picks back up a few months later, I am a bit baffled by some aspects of Amelia's character as she recalls sleeping around in several countries while she makes one last stop - the Greek island where her parents had a romantic stay early in their relationship (but who are now divorced - the whole parental thing and clingy, self-centered mother are another aspect of the book that just didn't sit well with me.) She just seems so crass and ignorant and oblivious to other people's reality or feelings. Of course it isn't unusual for a young person to avoid dealing with their own pain or mistakes by getting drunk and hooking up, but the way these memories are depicted are just so cold, with not one iota of introspection or understanding of self afterwards.

So, when she seems to transform into someone more sensitive with a good heart, it is jarring and quite unbelievable to me. Though the setting and other island characters are fairly well-done, I just never really felt that it was a very believable story in terms of characters and plot. But, it was fun and I loved the setting, and even the romance was rather sweet, eventually. There was a twist toward the end that really had me intrigued.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for allowing me to read an eARC of this book, which was published on September 12, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher! This was a delightful novel! I enjoyed the premise and setting, and found this to be a quick read. I’m excited to read more from this author.

Amelia Lang is having an early mid-life crisis. Her horrible ex-boyfriend finally drives her to her breaking point and she throws a coffee mug at his head in a meeting at work, gets herself fired, and decides it’s time to take a break from life. She runs away to Europe, knowing she is going to miss her best friend’s wedding and ruin their friendship.

I discovered this book after being slightly obsessed with blue zones and wanting to immerse myself in all things Greek culture. This was the perfect book to pick up! A small Greek island, the local food, the local community and traditions, and a love story to boot. It was exactly what I needed. Once Amelia lands in Greece, she learns that the owner of the hotel she is staying in leaves the hotel to her and another hotel guest, James, who she has formed a friendship with. Amelia and James try navigating the world of hospitality, neither of which have experience, with the help of a comical and quirky cast of characters from the Greek village on the island of Asteri.

This book had me all over the place with emotions, it made me crack-up, had tension you couldn’t help but feel, had moments where the main characters drove me crazy and I wanted to slap some sense into them, but it was also adorable and made me smile. I wasn’t really feeling the chemistry between Amelia and James until the end of the book, but all in all, It was a unique story set in a beautiful location that I couldn’t put down.

The Second Chance Hotel was a good, if predictable, read. The Greek Island setting was its greatest strength. The island scenery, Greek food and local personalities were all very appealing. And I liked the accidental marriage trope, silly though it seemed. Amelia was a successful business woman. Unfortunately, her competence did not carry over into her personal life. Her many bad decisions and her inability to read and consider others’ feelings and needs were at odds with the skills she demonstrated professionally. All that said, I enjoyed this (mostly) formulaic story., the slow burn romance and the supporting cast of friends and family. A good, light read. And I appreciated the inclusion of the moussaka recipe at the end!

I adored this fantastic story of two people finding each other, discovering themselves in very unique circumstances, and eventually falling in love. James and Amelia are so good together and I love that they both need to find a little bit of themselves in the process of becoming a couple. The descriptions of Greece are beautiful and I had lovely images in my head of the views. Sierra's writing style is just so good and hilarious. I laughed out loud 1many times in this book and found much of it very relatable. I listened to the audiobook and it was incredibly well done. I had such a good time in this story and I didn't want it to end!

Amelia Lang's life is kind of a mess. She's stuck living at home with her narcissistic mother. Her tech bro ex-boyfriend deliberately sabotages her at work, and she gets fired after throwing a mug at his head (it's okay! She missed.) Then she has a major falling out with her best friend. So Amelia does what Amelia does best: She runs away.

This was such a charming book. It has a wonderful found family aspect to it that I adored. You cannot help but fall in love with the people of Asteri. There is some miscommunication in here which I cannot stand and why I had to dock it half a star. I normally will not read a book if I know it has miscommunication in it, but I am so glad that I did not know about it in this one. I would have missed out on a great read.

I am excited to read more of Sierra Godfrey's work.

4.5 stars

I just didn't like this book. I found it to be boring. Amelia makes very bad decisions and is not a character that I want to read about. Everyone else in the story felt characterless, I couldn't tell one from another.

This is such a cute and happy summer read! I loved the vibes of the Greeks islands which provided all the fun Mamma Mia feels!
Our main character was very relatable and quirky and I actually really enjoyed her journey. If you love a slow burn with all the flirty tension, you’ll definitely love this one!

"The Second Chance Hotel" by Sierra Godfrey is a heartwarming tale of renewal and hope. The story follows Lainey, who inherits a dilapidated hotel, and through hard work and unexpected friendships, she transforms it into a haven for second chances. Godfrey's storytelling is endearing, and the characters are relatable, each with their own path to redemption. This book is a comforting reminder that, sometimes, the most unexpected places can offer a fresh start and a new sense of belonging.

What happens when your ex boyfriend gets you fired and forgets about the trip you were planning to Paris? In Amelia's case, she change the dates and decide to make a trip through Europe the same day. Sure, her best friend will get super mad because she is not going to her wedding... but she needs to regroup, remember who she is and start all over. Everything is good until she gets to this little island in Greece and meets James... How the hell did they end up married and owners of the hotel they were staying at? Read this book to find out! I hope you keep writing like this! I would love to read more form you.

I don’t know about you but I really struggle when it starts getting super cold. I love the summer and fall months so much and while snow is so pretty I am always cold throughout the winter and wish for warmer temperatures. It has been rainy and colder here and I decided to read The Second Chance Hotel to get a little taste of summer back. This is the PERFECT escapist, beachy, summer-y read and I loved it!

The writing is lighthearted and funny, the characters are sweet and the setting! I have always wanted to go to Greece and now I definitely need to!

I really loved the themes of starting over and taking chances. Amelia’s character is truly delightful and I loved being along on her journey. James is also really heartfelt and I also loved the Ria hotel!

There are so many hilarious, entertaining moments and so much heart in this story. I really think you’ll enjoy it too!

4 stars

This was a DNF for me. I didn't like the protagonist at all, I felt she was very selfish especially when one second, she didn't want a relationship and the next second, she was mad some guy didn't hit on her.

Something happes at Amelia's job and she is fired. She decides to go to Europe for three months until she only has 2 weeks left before she goes back to the US and find a new job. So, she decides to go to a small island in Greece in order to figure out what's next. There she is tricked into marrying another hotel guest, James.

The problem I had with this book is the same that Amelia has with James in the beginning: it's bland. It's not a bad book, but it didn't engage me at any point and I didn't care about the characters or their stories.

It was just an ok book.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

Amelia didn't regret throwing the mug at her ex-boyfriend's head. What she did regret was that he also happened to be her co-worker and that mug was her favorite. Now out of a job and definitely single Amelia decides to act on impulse and heads straight for the airport. After three months away and many European countries crossed off her bucket list Amelia's trip is at its conclusion. She promised her mother she wouldn't come home without a visit to the tiny Greek island of her mom's youth and a hotel she had such vivid memories of. The owner's inspired Amelia's parents to get married even if it turned out to be a horrible idea in the long run. The almost vacant hotel was just what she needed before re-entry back into reality. But after a wild celebration with the owner's family and the only other guest in the hotel turned into a blurry night of bad choices Amelia now finds herself married and the co-owner of the hotel. Now Amelia is left holding the keys to a business that the island depends on when her only goal is to get back to the life she once knew or could this be the second chance at a life she never knew she needed? Author Sierra Godfrey has written the perfect book for escapists who dream of giving it all up and running away to a new life. Though predictable at times I found the story really enjoyable. The kind of rom-com we all need from time to time. Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A cute and fun RomCom that mostly stays away from
insufferable Romance tropes.

This is a sweet story about starting over and finding your place in the world, and I loved the Greek Isles setting. It left me eager to visit the area again, long a favorite vacation spot of mine.

I like seeing a heroine who is lost rather than a tragic victim lead these types of stories, and I appreciated that there was plenty of humor and hijinks to offset the romance. It makes the story more fun, less maudlin, and less cringey than many books in the genre. I also appreciated that the love interest was also more lost soul than tortured one.

The story does have some frustrating tropey aspects and the ending definitely veers unnecessarily into schlocky romance, but you’re certainly rooting for the happily ever after here, and there’s more than enough good stuff to offset the few hokey aspects of the story .

The Second Chance Hotel is great read and I thoroughly enjoyed the characters in the book. It is a well written book like her first novel and I can’t wait to read her next novel. Bravo Sierra and a special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a early E-arc copy of this entertaining read.🙋‍♀️🇨🇦👏📚🙏💐

I wanted to enjoy this book, but forced arranged marriage isn’t for me. The characters were well written, but I do not enjoy this trope. Others who do like this trope will enjoy it.

Unfortunately this book wasn't really for me. Originally, the premise sounded great, but once I realized it was a forced marriage trope I wasn't interested in. Arranged-marriage where they both agree to it? Sure! But, a marriage where someone tricks them in a foreign country? Hell no.

I tried to get further into it as they continued to navigate their new future, but ultimately I just really didn't like it.