What a brilliant escapism read. I really enjoyed it. The story is brilliantly engaging and characters are well developed. I couldn’t put the book down. The story just draws you in.
It’s an emotional and heartwarming story about relationships, grief, love and so much more in between. It’s beautifully written and the scenery and atmosphere is so descriptive. The characters are warm, witty and engaging. Especially Evelyn and Miranda, I loved their growing friendship.
I liked that each chapter was dedicated to a different character. All with their own interesting backstories. It just flowed well and easy to follow. I really enjoy @lucydiamondwrites writing style and look forward to reading more.
A poignant beautiful read I definitely recommend this one.
With thanks to #NetGallery @quercusbooks for an arc of #TheIslandGetaway in exchange for a honest review.
Book publishes 30/January 2025.

It took a little while to get into this book due to the number of characters but once I worked out who they all where I started to enjoy it. The book is set in a hotel on the island of Kefalonia where a number of people have come to get away from things. Miranda is a star in a TV soap drama and has had a major fall out with another actor on the set and also with her sister, who she is very close to. Evelyn, an octogenarian, has come to scatter her late wife’s ashes and to remember happier times. Then there is Nelly who has come to the hotel with her husband, who is a well-known chef. Nelly worked on the island when she was young and has fond memories from the past, but her husband, Frank, has become notorious for all the wrong reasons and needed to escape bad publicity. Lastly Claudia and Dimitris, the owner of the hotel find love when they finally realise they should be together. All these characters intertwine and friendships and new memories are made. This is a lovely book for a cold winters evening with descriptions of a beautiful Greek island. Lucy Diamond writes happy ever after books and this is no exception. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me an ARC of this book.

Its the marigold hotel, but on an idyllic island in Greece, and with the most glorious cast of characters!

The stunning backdrop is just the start of this witty, engaging and sunny, perfect for the depths of winter! I smiled, I giggled, and I shed a few tears.

The book is well paced, with multiple characters sharing their viewpoints as the colourful story weaves in and out of the hotel and their lives. You will find yourself feeling wistful and longing for your own adventure on a sun drenched island by the time you turn that last page.

The Island Getaway by Lucy Diamond is a wonderful multi-plot story centering on a luxury hotel in Kefalonia. Its a book of beginnings and endings and we meet several guests whose storylines intertwine and resolve with reassuringly satisfying endings. I loved the detail of the way some of the supporting characters were introduced, and the importance of their place in the bigger picture. A great summer read, or if like me, a touch of sunshine in early January. Definitely one I'll recommend.
With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really loved this story by Lucy Diamond. Friendship across the ages, rediscovering who you are, and a beautiful island setting. Recommended.

I'm always attracted to a destination book. Whether it be a thriller or just ordinary general fiction. This one didn't disappoint. I cared about the characters. The way the author describes the setting was making me want to go there!

I've been enchanted by the idea of visiting Kefalonia ever since I first saw it on a travel programme on TV and although I've made it to other Greek Islands this one has still escaped me, so I was utterly delighted to be transported to to this enchanting island through the pages of this book.

And this is a story that is all about the staff and guests at the Ionian Escape hotel, whose lives interlink far more than you may initially imagine.

Each chapter focuses on a different character, with Miranda and Evelyn being two of the main ones in addition to Nelly (and I loved how we were introduced to her), and Claudia who is one of the hotel managers.

But we also get chapters from the barman, receptionist, Dmiri the big boss and more, and it all puts together a picture of an idyllic place that I was sad to learn was a fictional hotel. Sounds like it would have been somewhere I would have liked to stay myself.

There is excellent character development and the book grabbed me from the opening chapters and wouldn't let me go. I whizzed through it in two evenings pretty much, and it was an excellent reminder to me as to how much I love this author and why I'm puzzled as to why I haven't' read a few of her most recent novels.

I was enchanted by everything and thoroughly enjoyed this lovely sunny book, despite it snowing outside (at time of reading). Definitely a book I would expect to see poolside on my next holidays as its so good!

Thank you to Quercus and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I love a Lucy Diamond novel and this one is no different. This book is based at the Ionian Escape hotel on Kefalonia and is the story of its guests and employees. It's a story of unusual friendships and second chances and I adored it - 5 stars for sure.

Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC.

What a lovely feel-good read. If, like me, you need a break from heavy, hard hitting books then this is the perfect antidote.

On the Greek Island you have a gorgeous hotel. Here you will find disgraced actress Miranda who has come to ride out the media storm after her disgraceful behaviour. What has she actually done? Will the guests ever stop taking photos of her and let her relax?

Another guest is on a mission to honour a promise she made to her late wife.

There’s also Nelly, the wife of another famous person. But she’s trying to work out if her husband is as bad as the claims that have been made against him. She’s going to try and enjoy the island. After all, her first love was here many years ago.

You also have a very gentle hotel manager and a whole host of employees that have their own reasons for being here.

This is a great book. I couldn’t put it down. The details of their lives played out bit by bit, reeling you in. I enjoyed the different aspects of each of them. Even the very sad moment didn’t detract from a beautiful story.

There is an island with many different people on it
Miranda is running from something, Evelyn is trying to find something and Leonora needs to change something.
They meet, they talk and they help each other, absolutely delightful.

A wonderful book to be reading at this time of year with the setting in sunny hot Kefalonia. I was hooked from page one with a great storyline being told from different perspectives along with wonderful characters. This book really is a fully escapist read not to be missed.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. It was a pleasure.

Set in a hotel on a Greek island this book reminds me of similar holiday locations. I can imagine being back there while reading the evocative descriptions.

The book tells the story of women who work and stay there with descriptions of what brought them to where they are now. Romance did play a part but it was mainly a book about strong independent women even if they didn't think they were.

A very enjoyable read as I expected having read most of the books previously written by Lucy Diamond. She always writes believable characters who could be any one of us with our flaws and foibles as well as situations that could and do happen.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC, it was much appreciated and enjoyed.

A fabulous read. I found this story so inviting and immersive, plenty of Greek sunshine on a British winters day! The multi stranded storyline is easy to follow even with the jump in time. The characters are warm and engaging, all with their own issues but the setting draws them all together. Loved this book!

Thank you Netgalley

This is a beautifully written book that took me as a reader to a fabulous holiday island alongside the characters to enjoy the stories of their lives and holiday getaways.

Lovely characters with separate and intertwining stories all set in a beautiful Greek island setting. I particularly enjoyed the friendships that emerged, unexpected, much needed and ultimately life changing for all involved.

The story is so well crafted that I started and finished in one day of reading, I couldn’t put the book down. I wish the hotel was real as I would love to stay there.


Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Cute and cosy! A fun read that had me excited for summer already! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

What an absolutely lovely book. It has been a pleasure to read The Island Getaway. The characters were built up gradually and existed individually in their own chapters as well as mixing beautifully with other characters in their chapters. It was really easy to find things to like about the characters and to identify with their situations. I was already a fan of Lucy Diamond's work but I think this book is her best yet. A definite recommendation for anyone who likes a book they can get into quickly and get totally lost in.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

This book was the perfect escape from a dreary British winter and I loved my time spent via its pages in the beautiful Greek islands. The scenery and atmosphere was so well described that I really felt that I was there in the warm sunshine and with the aroma of delightful Greek food tempting my taste buds! There was a very large cast of interesting people which I did find a bit daunting at first as I struggle with multiple characters but this got easier as the book progressed. There was laughter, sadness and romance in the story and I liked that each chapter related to a different character my favourite being Evelyn. A lovely book to read by the pool in summer or, (like I did), in the depths of winter whilst dreaming I was there. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC. This review is voluntarily given.

This book is a solid five stars plus from me! An unexpected full joy that swept me away in the sunshine to the gorgeous and beautiful Greek island of Kefalonia.
The story centres around actress Miranda who has had to escape the tv soap she is involved with, alongside her family and friends after a social media storm and newspaper scandal breaks out in England. The Ionian Escape complex that caters to all the needs of its 5 star guests, attracts all sorts of different people with their own very different sets of agendas and ideas for their holidays. Paths cross and stories are shared that changes the course of their lives unintentionally and unknowingly they all get what they are looking for. Is this fate or destiny?
The characters were an unexpected pleasure to understand and connect with. The story is beautifully crafted and told, entwining the lives of strangers. Fantastic dynamics, scenery and vistas, (can’t wait to go sailing again, and feel the Mediterranean sun).
The story is interesting sensitive and wise, whilst the writing is intelligent and meaningful. For me the perfect book to begin 2025 what an absolute winner! I was engrossed in this book from the first words through to end, there were a few tears and a few smiles, all in all this is a thoroughly wonderful and enjoyable read, hugely and totally recommended this and if you have never read any Lucy Diamond books this one is a great start and truly one of her best yet.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus books for the early read so much appreciated.

For me, this veered slighly away from what I usually relate to Diamond's novels but it was still a very enjoyable read,

Lucy Diamond always creates a realistic and beautiful setting of a holiday getaway in all the books she writes, and this book was no exception. This is a story of the people who work and the people that come to stay in the Iconian Escape hotel.
At first, I found it slightly different to her normal read and trouble to connect with the story. But as I went into deeper into this, I found it to be an emotional and heartwarming story, about relationships, grief, and finding loving again. The characters so endearing, especially Evelyn who was trying to complete the last wishes of her late wife. This is a great read 4 stars from me.