I received a complimentary copy of this book "The Second Chance Hotel" and all opinions expressed are my own. The was a really fun book to read. The characters were great and believe me there were a lot of "characters" in this book. So much fun! You get lost in the book set in the Greek Island of Asteri. I enjoyed reading it and couldn't wait to see what kind of crazy thing would happen next.

Thank you NetGallery for the arc! I absolutely loved this book. I am a huge fan of Mamma Mia and obsessed with books set in Greece. This was such a fun read, it was just the escape I needed from hectic life!

I loved this story and thought the concept was amazing. It was a surprisingly deep story but I really didn’t like the main character which is why it is only a 3 star read for me, but I would still recommend

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Second Chance Hotel is a book that has it all: the romance, the drama, and the magical beauty of a Greek island. The book follows Amelia and James–two people who need a break from their current realities and end up on a small Greek island. However, the real story starts when they find themselves unable to leave.

I was drawn into this book when I saw the title. Now that I’ve finished it, I can say that it has one of the most unique scenarios I’ve read in a romance novel. Two strangers meet at a once glorious hotel and are stuck with the hotel after the hotel’s owner suddenly dies and leaves the hotel to them. And that’s not all of it: they get married (accidentally). It was so entertaining to watch Amelia and James turn from strangers to friends to co-owners to lovers.

While reading this book, I tried to imagine how the characters must have felt when they suddenly ended up being hotel owners. Reading their journey was like watching a movie, everything was so detailed and movie-like. But what I loved the most was that all of it was so real despite the one-in-a-million scenario. Amelia was not a perfect character in any aspect, she was real, she was human, she made mistakes and learned from them. Just like Ella, Amelia’s best friend, I was very mad at Amelia for missing Ella’s wedding, but as I read the book I understood that if she had stayed, she would’ve never been able to move on. Amelia’s family relationships were very complicated, with a narcissistic mother, and a newly married father. I loved her relationship with her brother though. With everything going on in her life, her parent’s divorce, and her ex sabotaging her at work and causing her to get fired, I understood her urge to leave. I also understood James needing some space after recently being engaged and not going through with it.

The island. Total Mamma Mia vibes (Amelia hating Mamma Mia is a red flag by the way). I loved how supportive everyone was on the island. The side characters were adorable and unique. I loved Birgitte soooo much, and Alexandra. Birgitte and Amelia had a rather interesting start, but in the end, their friendship was so heartwarming. Everyone on the island became a family, and everyone’s reaction to Amelia returning was the sweetest thing.

Amelia and James. I loved every second of them. I loved James even when Amelia thought he was boring. He was the sweetest character for most of the book (except his jealous moments, which were very funny). I loved how even though Amelia left, he chose to stay and run the hotel. It was clear how much he cared about Amelia and the hotel, and how he was hoping she would come back. The reunion scene. Everything about that scene was perfect. Throughout the book, Amelia and James have the perfect amount of banter and fluff. I loved how Ella and Celia helped Amelia with her feelings–also Celia was an amazing character. She didn’t tolerate the blatant misogyny in her old workspace and created her own company. I would love to read more about her. Every single relationship in this book–whether romantic or platonic– felt very real.

If you’re looking for an escape from the real world, get lost on a Greek island (without the singing), and learn what to do if you end up owning a hotel with a complete (but hot) stranger, this book is for you.

Amelia is firmly on the hot mess express, living at home with her manipulative mother, working with her ex in a tech bro firm, who sets her up to fail, getting fired from said job after losing her temper, and deciding to leave the country to europe and missing her best friend's wedding, where she is supposed to be the maid of honour.

After 3 months are living free of responsibility and drama, she is ready for one last stop, a small island in greece, where her parents spent their honeymoon. She is going to buckle down and organize her life for her return. What she does not expect is for her accommodations to be stuck in the past, and even more to accidentally marry fellow guest James, have the owner die and leave the both of them the hotel. They struggle to figure out what they want to do and settle on keepong the hotel open until the end of the busy season, and then getting back to their real lives.

Fate has a way of interfering in their plans, and they both may come to find the hotel may be their second chance in life and maybe in love.

This was a good time of a book. There was a lot of humor, the cast of characters were the strong point in this novel. The setting was stunning, and even with some tougher themes it was overall a very lighthearted read. The miscommunication between the 2 characters really got to me, and brought down my enjoyment.

*thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC*

This novel was really cute concept wise, with the setting and the holiday romance vibes. Definitely a cliche but still a cute one at that!

Two things that could have been worked on however would be in adding more to showing Amelia and James’ struggles as they learned to run the hotel and also developing their romance.

The hotel industry and hospitality in general is such a hard business to get into and more importantly, to get right. Turning a hotel that wasn’t doing that great into a success is a hard task for any professional, much more for people who don’t have any experience. So personally, it would have been nice to see them more grapple with understanding how to manage customers and also learning how to create and maintain standards.

As for the romance, as much as I saw their romance initially, towards the middle section of the book, it got a bit stagnant and then it started to feel as though they were just telling the reader they were in love without much signs showing that.

I’m always a sucker for a travel romance, even better when it’s giving Mamma Mia vibes, but I do think the things mentioned could have been made better,

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.



⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and @NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

Is it possible to like a book but not the main character? I was turned off from the beginning when Amelia ditched her best friend (SHE WAS MAID OF HONOR!!!) two weeks before the wedding. And then she couldn’t see she was in the wrong!!!! Everything else was great. I love anything set in Greece, and the accidental marriage/marriage of convenience trope is an A+ in my book. This book would have made a great romcom starring Matthew McConaughey & Kate Hudson in their romcom heyday.

(3.5 stars rounded up to 4)

Amelia, on a whim, leaves her family and friends after getting fired at her job for a mistake and throwing a mug at her ex’s head and heads to Europe. She travels around and after several months, finds herself on a small Greek island staying at the hotel her parents stayed at on their honeymoon.

Amelia meets James, who is also staying at the Ria Hotel and befriends the owner. The owner dies, Amelia and James get married by accident and inherit the Ria. They have to learn to live and work with each other while pay down the debt of the burial. (Side note: it really is a thing in Greece that families “rent” a grave for 3 years and then they get dug up unless big money is paid.)

This is a s l o w b u r n romance. I didn’t really see the chemistry between Amelia and James until the romance really hit (3/4 of the way through). Amelia had a lot of growing up to do because she was definitely the lesser in her relationships.

I loved the Greek setting and the people. I enjoyed the secondary characters as well as the found family trope.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this eARC. The Second Chance Hotel is out now.

The Second Chance Hotel
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
By Sierra Godfrey
Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark @bookmarked and @netgalley for the advanced copy. I desperately tried to finish reading it before pub day last month but failed miserably.

Amelia’s boyfriend breaks up with her, and then she throws a mug at his head at work, which gets her fired. She decides to take the money from the vacation they had planned to go on together and travels through Europe solo. She ends up staying at a hotel on a quiet island in Greece and befriends the owner of the hotel and a cute guest named James. Rather than returning to America to work in tech, Amelia ends up staying in Greece. An alcohol filled night changed the course of Amelia’s life completely.

This book is s rom com , so don’t be surprised. It’s cute, funny and has great travel vibes.

Favorite quote: “But you’ve also seen me throw a mug of tea at a colleague’s head.” ☕️

Favorite character: Amelia ☀️
Steamy rating: Would barely make a nun blush 😂
Profanity: No swearing 😇
How I discovered: Goodreads 💻
Method: E-book via NetGalley 📱

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for gifting me a digital ARC of the sophomore book by Sierra Godfrey. I was a huge fan of her debut, A Very Typical Family, and really liked this one too - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Amelia is running away from all of her problems - and there are quite a few of them. Her mother is driving her crazy, her ex-boyfriend and coworker deliberately sabotaged her and she got fired for throwing a mug at him; and her best friend isn't talking to her. She travels around Europe and ends up on a small Greek island to figure out what to do next. She's staying at the small hotel where her parents honeymooned and she meets James, another traveler trying to get space from his own issues. But after too much alcohol at a wedding they attend together, they get a blessing from the priest which turns out to be a real marriage. Then they are also gifted the hotel, which has lots of problems on its own. They have to work together to figure out the mess they are in.

While there's some things here that you just have to go along with, in Godfrey's wonderful hands this was a truly engaging read. I loved the whole cast of characters, the beautiful setting, the food descriptions, the community feeling, and the second chance possibilities. It's a light, tender read that is hopeful, funny, and a perfect reminder to be true to your heart and open to life's possibilities.

What a delightful and unexpected story of second chances and taking leaps of faith. The characters were well written and easy to fall for, the storyline was established well and kept me turning pages. I really enjoyed this unconventional love story and it had me wanting to hop on a plane and visit the beautiful picturesque community in Greece. A great read! Thanks for allowing me to read the arc.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy of The Second Chance Hotel by Sierra Godfrey.

Amelia’s life has gone off the rails. She has just lost her job after a humiliating display of outrage at her ex-boyfriend, destroyed her friendship with her oldest and dearest friend, and suffered through yet another conversation with her manipulative mother who is divorcing her father. At her wits end, Amelia does the only thing she knows how to do – Amelia runs away to Europe for a three-month long vacation. She winds up her travels on the small island of Asteri, where her running finally catches up with her. Through an eccentric cast of characters (and one unexpected handsome fellow tourist), Amelia discovers that running away not only hurts the people she cares about, but also hurts her as well.

When I first started this book, I was not a fan. Amelia makes very poor life choices in the beginning, which were frustrating for me to read. However, Godfrey does a good job of using Amelia’s poor decisions to teach her a valuable lesson, and I ended up really enjoying this story! The people Amelia meets on the island of Asteri are hilarious, and I laughed out loud at many of the scenes. This is a fun beach read with some serious themes woven into it as well. You will be mad at Amelia, but root for her in the end!

I tried so hard to like this book, but after 35%, I decided to DNF it. The book was just not grabbing my attention. I’m hoping to find it as an audiobook. If I do, I’ll update my review.

3.5/5

I really enjoyed this classically Greek rom-com and the cheeky narrative of the main character. All of the characters Amelia comes to know in this story are all charming in their own ways (except maybe her parents), but it really brings home the theme of going after your heart's desires and that life is too short to always be too logical.

A really charming vacation read or light-hearted read!

I finished this book in a day because it was so fun and easy to read!
I really liked James' character, he's a very sweet nerdy and handsome guy that probably doesn't know how handsome he is, and seems also very sweet, I'd love to find myself an IRL James.
Amelia is a little annoying throughout the book, especially how much of a pushover she usually is, the whole ordeal with Ella really annoys me because yeah she messed up as her best friend, but it wasn't THAT bad for her to feel the way she does about the situation and all the guilt...
All the bits and pieces about life on a Greek island were so nice!!! I really enjoyed all the Yiorgos characters, Birgitte & Alexandra. It really made me consider leaving everything behind and running off to a remote island. And I could definitely relate to how Amelia runs away from her problems because I tend to do the same thing.
Takis was a really sweet character as well, and I loveeeed his presence throughout the book.
Overall, 4/5 on the story as a whole, the characters, the setting, the love parts & the realness of all their families. Would recommend as an easy read for anyone looking for their next romance book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the free ARC in exchange for an unbiased honest review. (I've also published on Amazon)

3.5 stars!

This was a cute and lighthearted read that transported me right to the Greek isles and made me nostalgic for the delicious cuisine and breathtaking scenery from my previous travels there. The plot focuses on a young woman named Amelia, who has a terrible, horrible, no good very bad day that leads her to impulsively skip her bff's upcoming wedding nuptials in favor of backpacking Europe solo. The story focuses on the last stint of her trip, when she stops on a remote Greek island and stays at a run-down resort, having run out of the last of her travel funds. There is only one other hotel guest (James), who conveniently is a handsome, single American tourist. Things take a crazy turn when during one drunken night, the hotel owner tricks James and Amelia into getting married so he can bequeath them his hotel. After his passing, Amelia and James must quickly work together to revitalize the hotel in order to make it profitable enough for them to sell.

If you like a hot and heavy romance, this is not your jam. I'm not typically a romance novel person, however, so I appreciated that this story was focused more on the main character's self-discovery, with a dash of a slow-burn romance added.

My gratitude to the author, NetGalley, and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for this arc to read and review.

I lost interest in this story about half way through. The setting was very enjoyable but the characters were a bit meh. Thank you NetGalley for the advance ecopy.

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

I really needed this book and it was the perfect late summer, I need something light and indeed second chance focused. The Second Chance Hotel from Sierra Godfrey has all the markers of a light escape read that I want: found family, hotel and foreign settings, family "stuff", and maybe figuring life out along the way through some unexpected moments and relationships. What really sold me for this read was the focus on happiness, not just running away from fears and things that aren't working but also realizing you can move towards something/someone or just towards a happier you.
Thank you SourceBooks for my review copy, this was a made me smile read and I needed that.