Two holidays, same destination, ten years between them.

Synopsis

Three friends, a Balearic promise and a summer that could change their lives forever…

For twenty-one-year-old Belle Madden her first holiday to Ibiza with best friends Gem and Laurie was memorable for all the right reasons: partying the night away, planning a future filled with big dreams and making a promise to return in ten years to celebrate living their best lives – hopefully…

Fast forward a decade and Belle is desperate for a change. Eager to escape her relationship troubles, she jumps at a job opportunity that takes her back to the White Isle.

Despite loving island life and her new job, Belle realises something is missing. With their busy lives the three friends have drifted apart, their friendship fractured. Remembering their promise to return, Belle seizes the opportunity to organise a reunion holiday.

After the initial excitement of being back together in Ibiza, cracks start to appear. A lot can change in ten years. Dreams can be shattered, love lost and hope destroyed. And when secrets are revealed, long suppressed emotions begin to unravel…

Will Belle repeat her past mistakes or can a second chance summer be the beginning of a happy-ever-after for friendship as well as love?

My review

Ten years ago, twenty – one – years old young women Belle, Gem and Laurie have the holiday of a lifetime on Ibiza. As their holiday was filled with partying, dreaming big and even flirting around, the three ladies agree to return to Ibiza ten years from now, to celebrate their friendship and their best lives. But a lot can happen in ten years, and while Belle, Gem and Laurie are still friends, it isn’t the same as it was before. And for sure they haven’t achieved their best lives as they thought they would. As Belle is ready for a change, and get some distance after the end of her relationship, she accept a job offer that will bring her back to Ibiza. And her new job couldn’t be a better opportunity to reunite with her friends, and fulfil their promise of ten years ago. However, this will turn out to be a challenging holiday, in more than just one way…

I have read several books of this amazing author, and she for sure had taken me to amazing places. For sure her books have made my bucket list of places to visit longer! But while for sure the settings are always captivating, it’s the story itself that is just terrific!

The main focus in this book is on Belle, as ten years ago she had a fling with Diego during her stay on Ibiza. And that one fling in a way set her off any other man, as no one could compare to Diego.

We see through flashbacks how Belle is enjoying her stay there, and how she was enthralled by him.

But while she is acting like the typical twenty – one – years old young woman – as she should – she also shows the kind of person she is. Because no matter how much she longs to spend the last night with Diego, when her friend Laurie needs her, she doesn’t hesitate and choses her friend above Diego.

But the way she has been clinging for too long to the thoughts of Diego, somehow irritated me. Because let’s be honest, all that have had a summer fling, throughout years we have all been able to see what that fling has been, just a lovely time for that moment.

With the help of the flashbacks in this book, as a reader I already had a good inkling how the storyline of Belle and Diego would evolve. And thus I wasn’t at all that surprised by Diego’s reaction when he reencounters Belle…

While in a way it was a bit sad for Belle, it was also what Belle needs to truly understand what happened ten years ago.

It gives her the chance to put everything in the right perspective and move forward with her life.

I have to admit, I am always a bit jealous when I read about friendships that have lasted and are still lasting for decades. While I have close friends, those friendships formed during my school – career haven’t lasted the test of time.

And perhaps the friendship between Belle, Laurie and Gem is a more realistic one. Because with years the friendship changed, also with the “help” of their holiday ten years ago.

But it’s also a fact that life can take different directions, that life pulls you in different directions. We see clearly how these three friends are still holding on to their relationship, but as they all are in a different stage at life, and with different characters, it isn’t always that easy. And then there are of course secrets that have been kept for too long too.

The three women reuniting, reliving their memorable holiday, the writing’s on the wall that there will be some minor explosions. But the only question is, what will the reaction be when the word is out of what happened in the past, and how none of the women were able to talk about the struggles in their lives?

Of course there is plenty of room for romance in this book. And it for sure warmed my heart seeing how even the most closed – off of hearts was able to open up in this book and believe in love, and a chance at happiness again. Even if it isn’t an easy journey to get to this insight.

But the more I was reading this book, the more I realized that this book is about love. But not only in the romantic kind of love. Because we see how three friends at loss (because that is what they are, in their own way), trying to find their ways back to each other.

And that is what made this book so beautiful, as we see how fragile friendship can be, but at the same time also how strong and resilient it can be.