When things don’t go as expected…

Synopsis

One week. Two couples. A holiday they’ll never forget…

Indi Drewe is turning thirty and is exactly where she wants to be: she’s on the cusp of a promotion, lives in her gorgeous London flat and is sure her perfect-on-paper boyfriend, Will, is about to propose…

Only, on the night she’d hoped Will would present her with a sparkling diamond ring, she finds out that her younger sister Jade is getting married to a man she’s known only for a few weeks!

Worried her sister is about to make a terrible mistake, she immediately flies out to visit her sister in Greece – and is shocked to discover she’s sharing her villa with a far-too-handsome (and perpetually shirtless) stranger, Mikhos.

Indi and Mikhos might be each other’s worst nightmare, but together, they only have days to stop the wedding before it’s too late! Yet with so much love in the air on this paradise island, will they be able to resist falling for each other, too?

My review

Indi Drewe is the kind of person that plans everything. She is prepared against anything and has taken every possible mishap in account.
Now that she is almost thirty, and one her plans were of getting married at that age, she is expecting that her boyfriend Will is going to propose.
But things don’t go as expected, and to make things even worse, her little sister Jade informs her she is getting married to a man she only knows for a few weeks.
Not only needing a holiday, but wanting to prevent Jade of making a terrible mistake, Indi flies over to Greece. And there she finds an ally in Mikhos, owner of the villa she is staying in, and cousin of the groom – to – be.
Will they succeed in making the young couple see that they are moving too fast? And what about Indi and Mikhos themselves? Can they keep ignoring the attraction?

When I started to read this book, I wasn’t expecting to read both Indi’s as Jade’s journey. Yet this was a pleasant surprise, as it gave me more perspective of each side of the story.

From the start it’s clear that Indi is not only a planner, but also a worrier. Not only does she has a back – up plan for almost everything, but she also manages to turn awkward situations in the best ones ( all I will say in advance is: SPICE GIRLS! J).
The worrier side shows especially whenever her sister Jade is concerned. And with reason of course, learning about how Indi was the one looking after Jade after losing their father.
So learning about their traumatic past, I could understand why Indi didn’t hesitate to fly over to Greece.

But with having also Jade’s side, it made it also clear that, despite Indi’s good intentions, it can be something condescending. Indi is prepared to do everything for Jade, but that also prevents Jade from growing up herself, even if that means that she is making mistakes.
Jade has already missed so much in the past, and now that she has the chance of flying free, she deserves it.

When Indi arrives at the island, I expected there to be more about how Indi and Mikhos would try to break up the loved – up couple. But I was glad it didn’t, as it shows that even if they don’t agree, they don’t want to sabotage them.

The more the story evolves, and even if Indi and Mikhos are feeling more and more attracted to each other, the more I felt that this is a love story yes, but a more a story about self-love.
Because both Jade and Indi have demons that are haunting them and have also shaped them. Yet it’s on the beautiful island that with the help of the Greek cousins they accept the way they are and are able to put their past behind them.

Of course that doesn’t take away that I enjoyed reading about Indi and Mikhos! Because beside the physical attraction, they level also emotionally.
They understand each other better than they expected and realize that despite their many differences they also have so much common!

There was one little thing that bothered me, and that was Indi’s and Jade’s mother. Yes, I understand her artistic way of living. Yet it bothered me that when the tragedy struck, all the responsibility fell onto Indi’s shoulders. I missed those motherly feelings from her, while Indi had them all towards Jade.

Overall, this was a delightful, light and warm story, about siblings (by blood or cousins who are more sibling-like) that love each other deeply. But that sometimes that love can be overbearing. Yet it’s also about finding love, making you step outside your comfort zone, and accept that you are perfect, with all your internal and external scars!