When a change of scene is needed, and turns into something much more important

Synopsis

Martha is the youngest of three sisters and, in her mid-thirties, has the dubious honour of being the only one to call off a wedding at the last moment.

Now, feeling as if she’ll be single forever, and trying to keep her low opinion of her sister Iris’s fiancé to herself for risk of looking bitter, Martha needs a change of scene.

When she is given the opportunity of a holiday to Paxos it seems too good to turn down, though the idea of travelling alone is daunting. And when the trip to the Greek island gets complicated, Martha wonders if this has all been a mistake.

But soon the island and its residents start to work their magic on Martha, and when she meets single father Harry and his adorable son Milo, a new way of living is revealed in contrast with the drab routine of her life back home. How can Martha leave behind the warmth of the people, the freedomand the fun, not to mention Harry and Milo when it’s time for her to go home…

Let Helen McGinn magic you away to a world of sunshine and serenity, romance and relaxation. Perfect for fans of Erica James, Carol Kirkwood and Karen Swan.

My review

Martha isn’t really looking forward returning home for several reasons. First of all there is the fact that she doesn’t like her sister Iris’s fiancé. And mostly important, she feels as a failure compared to the rest of the family. Not only because she is the youngest, but mainly because she called off her own wedding at the last moment.
And when things go very awry, she decides she needs a change of scenery. That brings her to the Greek island of Paxos, where things don’t start smoothly, but Martha quickly understands that the island itself and its inhabitants are perhaps exactly what she needs and she sees a different kind of life compared to her life back home.
And Harry and his son Milo have also something to do with her feeling the freedom, the fun and the ease on this wonderful island. But what when the time has arrived to return home?

I haven’t ever been to Paxos, or anywhere in Greece, but it has always been on my bucket list. And the next best thing is perhaps reading a book taking place in Greece. But maybe not in the same circumstances that Martha finds herself on this wonderful island.

There are several moments, especially those first chapters, that I felt sorry for Martha, and I even pitied her.
It was clear that she feels like the black sheep of the family, the one that didn’t get married, the one that isn’t that successful and the one that is still single at her age. (why that is so bad, no idea, as I am even older and happily single 😊).
But while she was somehow wallowing herself in self-pity, I admired the courage she showed when making difficult decisions. Not getting married while everyone was encouraging her, was not easy, yet she decided to follow her heart. And that was the only right thing to do.

And when Toby, her sister’s fiancé, does something despicable, and tries to put the blame on her, it angered me how it would appear to be that everyone indeed blamed her. And I completely understood her need to escape that (temporarily) toxic environment.

Yet it also warmed me to see how her family, especially her sisters seem to understand her better that Martha thinks. And before Martha realizes it herself, the siblings know that Martha just needs to get away from everything and everyone, to put her own mind at ease. And so Martha finds herself on the island of Paxos.

Of course Paxos feels like paradise, even while just reading, even if Martha’s arrival is a bit a bit messed up. But we see that Martha is a kind and gentle person. And in a way, we can see that she is a teacher, the way she cares about the little boy that will turn out to be Milo.

Once settles in Paxos, we see a clear change in Martha. She starts to relax, learns to take things easy and is losing a lot of the stress she was carrying around. It also was sweet to see how the people on Paxos (or at least the bigger part of them) were ready to help Martha around, show her the island and just show her the way of life on Paxos.

The pair of Harry and Milo stole my heart, especially Milo. Things haven’t been easy for father and son, and still aren’t 100%. But you can see how much they love each other, and how much Harry would do for his son (as he should…).

Obviously Harry is Martha’s love interest. And while perhaps for me things went a little too bit physical between them, it was more than just that. Because even if Harry is still having his own issues, it just clicks with Martha. And he understands her better than anyone else.

There was one thing that annoyed me. It didn’t have to do anything with the story itself, but it concerns more the behaviour of people. And unfortunately, that is something very recognizable even now. Because whenever Martha is having some kind of doubts about Harry, it doesn’t have to do anything with Harry’s behaviour itself, but rather with the gossiping of a few characters on the island.
But like I said, that is something still very true in real life…

I truly enjoyed reading this book, as we can see that sometimes getting away is perhaps what we need. It can show us new perspectives, new ways of life and put the right people on our paths. It was great to discover Paxos together with Martha, seeing her becoming the person that perhaps she has been hiding or escaping from. And also see her face her fears, overcoming them, because again, with the right person by your side, even the biggest fears can be overcome, and with the right person, a way can be found to be together, no matter what!