I REALLY enjoyed this story of starting over, finding yourself abroad and falling in love with both a person and a place in this strangers to lovers, forced proximity, marriage of inconvenience romance that sees Amelia waking up married after a drunken night at a Greek festival and learning that she and her new 'husband,' James have inherited a ramshackle boutique hotel on a remote Greek island.

Forced to work together in order to pay off the debt the former hotel owner owed before they can sell, Amelia and James have a steep learning curve on hotel management and property improvement as they deal with unruly guests and a cast of loveable locals.

A slow burn full of heart, this was great on audio narrated by Ri Paige and perfect for fans of books like Main character energy by Jamie Varon or Lucy checks in by Dee Ernst. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

The Second Chance Hotel uses a rather far-fetched premise of 2 people accidentally getting married while in Greece, but even so, this was such a great read: lots of humor and characters you will love, all set on an idyllic Greek island. This book would make a great movie!

When Amelia throws a mug at her ex-boyfriend, loses her job, and ditches her best friend's wedding, she takes a trip across Europe to deal with the pain. After three months of partying, she realizes she has to create a re-entry plan, and ends up in Greece, in the Ria Hotel, where she plans to use the quiet to apply for jobs and figure out when to head back to the bay area.

The owner of the hotel has other plans for her, and after tricking her and a visitor named James into a fake wedding, he also dumps the hotel in her lap. Amelia wants nothing more than to flee the island and leave the problems behind, but guests arrive and the hotel owner's family needs money for the funeral. James and Amelia rally together and start to renovate, redecorate, and cater to their guests.

While they save the Ria Hotel, they also realize they like each other more than they thought. Amelia loves being in Greece, but when she gets an offer for her dream job and James rebuts her attempts at having a relationship, she heads back home. A few months back in California is all it takes to make Amelia realize she can have both--so she hurries back to Greece to reunite with James, who planted new olive trees and has been waiting for her to return.

I gave The Second Chance Hotel a four-star rating because I really liked it and would recommend it to a friend, but I wouldn't read it again. There are several things I loved about this book: the rag-tag spirit around reviving the hotel, the travel vibes, and James and Amelia's relationship.

This book came so close to getting a five-star rating from me--I loved the pacing, the budding relationship between James and Amelia, and felt the conflict was believable and genuine. The reason I dropped it down to a four star is because the last 20% of the book felt like it was written by a different person.

James and Amelia's interactions feel more stinted and awkward in the last fifth of the book, and the pacing also falls off. It was almost like someone had to pick it up and finish writing it when they didn't want to.

All in all, I did really like this one, and I wish the ending had kept up with the rest, as it came so close to being my second five star read of 2023.

3.5 stars-THE SECOND CHANCE HOTEL by Sierra Godfrey is a contemporary, adult, story line focusing on two Americans caught up in an accidental marriage while travelling through Greece.

Told from omniscient third person perspective (Amelia) THE SECOND CHANCE HOTEL follows thirty-two year old American Amelia Lang in the aftermath of having her work sabotaged, an aggressive retaliation against her ex boyfriend, being fired from a job she didn’t love, and jumping a plane to Europe to escape the upheaval at home. Three months later, Amelia Lang arrives in Greece, to the same hotel where her parents honeymooned but a hotel that has seen much better days. Meeting one other guest, fellow American James, who was also struggling with his direction in life, resulted in an unplanned and surprise drunken wedding, and the receipt of the hotel as a wedding gift in the wake of the death of the current owner. Unable to speak or understand the language, our couple find themselves struggling with the culture, the rules and regulations of running a hotel, a determined land developer, and battling a greedy member of the hotel owner’s family but with the help of some locals, Amelia and James find success where they least expected.

THE SECOND CHANCE HOTEL reads like a cross between Mama Mia ™ and My Big Fat Greek Wedding™ with all of the craziness of a large extended family you never knew you had. The world building focuses on the marriage between Amelia and James, a marriage that James is often quick to remind Amelia is fake, a marriage that struggles with jealousy, a lack of commitment, and a definite lack of romance. The premise is entertaining but slow to build-in the early chapters there was more telling than showing; the characters are numerous, quirky and sassy; the romance is limited as the couple battle their feelings and emotions; there is one lone $ex scene near the end of the book.



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GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5838375748


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I was unsure I was going to like this book at first, the pacing in the beginning was a big off and I struggled to understand the characters' actions and motives, but as the book continued, I grew to love the characters and the relationship that formed between them! The author does a great job of making the setting into a character in the story and the important roll the tiny island in Greece plays in Amelia's life and choices. Made me want to book a trip to Greece!

I just finished Second Chance Hotel by Sierra Godfrey and here are my thoughts.

After throwing a mug at her ex-boyfriends head… at work…. Getting herself fired…. Amelia has spiraled. She jumps on a plane and takes a trip around Europe… Upsetting her best friend who’s wedding she missed.

Arriving on the Greek island her parents honeymooned at, Amelia has high hopes of getting her life back on track. Being one of only 2 guests at the hotel her parents stayed in, a now dilapidated state, doesn’t stop Amelia from trying to make the most of her time there.

When the hotel owner invites her and James, the other guest, to his niece's wedding, and after having too much booze… Amelia and James find the hotel owner has died. Then find out he left them both the hotel and they somehow got married that night!

It's all fun and games until you accidentally marry a stranger in Greece and inherit a hotel.
Amelia and James have to deal with the guests that have already booked to arrive and while they bring the tourists in and start fixing up the hotel, they must decide what they are going to do. The more time they spend together, the more they start to warm up to each other, the harder it is getting to return back to the life she left behind.
This book was so funny! Whatever can go wrong on a vacation, usually marrying someone while drunk and getting a free hotel aren’t usually one of the problems. I don’t know what I would do myself haha but a free hotel…. Count me in!
Amelia must have been in a dark place to not wait to leave until after her friend's wedding. I can feel how hard the decision must have been. The book doesn’t just feel like a second chance at life but like fate had a plan for both Amelia and James and every that was supposed to happen, did. The people on the island were such a wonderful community and all came together that I felt cozy and warm after I was finished. Greek hospitality is second to none!
The descriptive prose of Greece made me homesick for Europe and I would love to go home and tour around as an adult again. I love everything about this book. I loved watching them fall in love but try and keep their distance. They always assumed that they would both leave once winter came and the idea of selling at a huge profit was a lot to give up.
I loved the ending and I do hope we get a sequel. I would love a book on some of the side characters maybe!!!


4.5 stars!
Thank you @netgalley and @bookmarked for my gifted copy

while i read the whole thing, it was a lot of repetition. yeah, we know you didn't mean to get married, move on. it alos annoyed me the amount of borat-like speech in the scenes with yorgos or birgitte.

This book was entertaining and reminded me of a 2000s-style romcoms. It didn't blow me away, but I wasn't looking for anything like that from this book. This is one of those books you should pack in your beach bag and read on a slow day by the ocean.

The writing style is comfortable, if predictable at times. The characters are all well fleshed out and relatable (though i can promise you'll love some more than others), and the romance is cute. There's a lot of pining and a very slight bit of spice at the end. Definitely recommend if you're looking for something light and cute!

Such a cute, feel good book. This is a quick, fun read and just what I needed! I will definitely be recommending this to my friends!

This was a fun and entertaining Summer book set in a small hotel in beautiful Greece!

The story follows Amelia who leaves for a three-months long trip to Europe after getting fired in her company for throwing a mug at her ex-boyfriend's head. In Amelia's defense, she actually missed it but she also had a valid reason for being mad at him. 🙃

After traveling through Europe, her final destination is very specific: the Ria Hotel at a tiny island in Greece. To Amelia's surprise, the hotel is quite deserted and the only guests there are Amelia and James - a fellow Swedish-American who is also traveling, and they decide to spend some time together to enjoy the last days in a nice company.

Their lives take a 180° degree turn after they are invited by hotel's owner to attend his niece's wedding, where they get crazy drunk, and end up not only married, but also inheriting the Ria Hotel. Yup, this is it. Very unexpected. A teeny-tiny bit insane. But it is what it is, and both Amelia and James embrace their new role and decide to work together with the small community. Not that they have much of a choice, to be honest.

The idea of inheriting the hotel with a complete stranger on a beautiful island and having to somehow work through all the challenges together was so lighthearted and entertaining. Amelia and James shared both tough situations and cute moments together - and being a romantic at heart, in those cute moments of theirs it was so easy to feel smitten.

The side characters in this book were hilarious! They truly gave life to this story and made this book such enjoyable, hilarious and delightful ride! 🥳

Despite all this, I unfortunately couldn't connect with any of them. I wasn't particularly fond of Amelia either, and the whole relationship with James was rather confusing. The fact that Amelia made a major life-changing decision in a matter of a blink of an eye didn't help either.

Still, The Second Chance Hotel is an amusing read with Summer vibes and beautiful Greek island which kind of makes you want to visit it yourself and have the best time ever.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Sierra Godfrey for the ARC of this book!

Really enjoyed A very typical family by this author so was delighted when I was given an ARC of her new novel and it did not disappoint!!

Such a heart warming, slow burn romance that is set in beautiful Greece!! Scenery is described adequately but not overdone. Amelia prefers to run from her problems and ends up on the last of her backpacking journey at the hotel Ria after it is recommended to her by her mother. There she meets the owner Takis and a guest by the name of James.

Characters are developed well, each have their flaws which makes them more relatable. Writing flows well. Enjoyed the story, slightly wordy for me but overall enjoyed.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for my advanced electronic reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book was all around cute! This is a romance about a woman who finds herself in Greece when her life falls apart. I liked that the second chance wasn't just in the romance department but also about her life.

If you love the vibes of Mamma Mia, this cute rom com is for you! Thanks @netgalley for a copy of this book! Happy publication day!!

I'm not typically a romance reader, but this one is a fun exception! The whole premise is a little ridiculous, but it's easy to let go of the realistic part of your brain and just lean into the silliness of it all. I really enjoyed the character development, as I did not like the MC at all at the beginning, but ultimately ended up relating to and rooting for her by the end! I wish there was more to show the connection between Amelia and James besides the physical attraction, as that was the one part I was still unconvinced on by the end.

This book was such a delight! I throughly enjoyed it! Amelia’s wandering soul was relatable. The writing style of this book was great. It was a fast paced quick read for me. Sweet little romcom with a dash or traveling thrown in!

I received this free book from NetGalley. This review is honest, unbiased, and completely my own.

To sum up this book, it was Amelia's trip turned into an accidental marriage after she meets James and gets drunk at the altar. To top it off, they gifted the very hotel they’re staying in.

Amelia & James must work together to determine how to get out of their situation–the hotel management + the strong spark of attraction between both of them. But Amelia still desires her normal life in San Fransico, despite her easy life in Asteria & quirky but comfortable neighbors. Is it time for Amelia to return home or could this be the second chance at a new life she didn’t know she wanted?

Sierra’s second book has enticed me to read it all in such a short time. For me, the heartwarming bond between the neighborhood & witty couple banter made me put this book on my favorite rom-com bookshelf! Not to mention the perfect portrayal of the beautiful island in Greece–in which I can imagine the view, scent, & taste of Greece in each scene (particularly fond of Birgitte’s Potato Moussaka) ❤️‍🔥

The story is fun and light but bears a meaningful value–the beauty of life in which you can be happy then sad, but still appreciate it as part of your life. Also, it made me realize that your life is a choice, and you can choose whichever that made you happy!

The vibe that somehow reminds me of the movie “Cars”–which I totally am a fan of. The pace is pretty enjoyable, although I did get frustrated by the slow pace in the middle. But the ending was worth it! If you enjoy an accidental marriage + stranger-to-lover vibe with a funny and holiday vibe, this book is for you!

Thank you for giving me a chance to read ARC of this beautiful book!

Great story, loved the imagery of a Greek island, but didn’t really enjoy the characters. 3.25 ⭐️

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Bσσƙ Rҽʋιҽɯ 🇬🇷💙🫒

ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ʜᴏᴛᴇʟ
ʙʏ ꜱɪᴇʀʀᴀ ɢᴏᴅꜰʀᴇʏ
ᴘᴜʙʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴅᴀᴛᴇ: ꜱᴇᴘᴛᴇᴍʙᴇʀ 12, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

If you need an escape, The Second Chance Hotel is the book for you!
:
In The Second Chance Hotel, we follow Amelia and James who both need an escape from the reality of their lives for different reasons. The two end up on a little island in Greece and one drunken night leads them to getting married and taking over the Ria Hotel! Godfrey’s details about the island were so vivid that I really could just imagine being there. Amelia was very relatable. James was super swoon-worthy and their slow-burn romance builds up at the perfect pace. This book had all the parts of being of a good rom-com.. laughter, quirky personalities of the characters, and delightful charm.

𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 @netgalley & @sourcebooks 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘

Amelia's life is imploding. Her solution? Head off to Europe in order to find herself. Months later, she finds herself at the same Greece hotel her parents spent time at. It's a place of dreams and it turns out...unwanted marriages? After a celebration with locals, Amelia finds herself married to fellow American, James, and the new owner of the hotel.

This was a cute romcom. The setting was perfect. Godfrey does a nice job describing the scenery and you really get a sense that you are there in this exotic local. The side characters are also extremely amusing. They help build out the setting and move the story along.

James I liked a lot. He's charming and easygoing. I liked how eager he is to run the hotel with Amelia. The book also did the surprise wedding really well. The only thing that put me off was Amelia. She was really unlikable for most of this. And it was a shame because I really did want to like her.

All in all, this was a cute romcom perfect for those that love exotic locales.

-surprise wedding
-Greece setting
-Quirky side characters

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the gifted copy. My reviews are always honest.

This book was a lovely easy read. I couldn’t put it down once the story got going and as a result I read it in one afternoon. Loved the secondary characters in the town and reading about the local cats. Very good writing and a perfect book to curl up with.

Cute story. Amelia and James are suddenly left a hotel in Greece and accidentally get married. It was a cute love story, but moved a little too slow for my liking. Overall this was an enjoyable book.