The Greek Holiday by Maeve Haran

Four woman Penny, Nell, Dora and Moira who went to university together and then spent the summer on a small Greek island. Decades later they decide to have a reunion and go back to the original Greek island but during their stay one of the takes Ill and has to be taken from the ship to a different Greek island and a whole new unexpected adventure begins .

A really well written book with friendship, humour, adventure intrigue and no one is quite what they seem the story had it all.

Beautifully described places and characters you can envisage being there.

A great story from the first page to the last. A fabulous anytime read.

I really enjoyed The Greek Holiday.It was light hearted but also very true to life.It also painted a picture of the Greek Islands

First time reading a book by Maeve Harlan and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Four friends, from different walks of life, have arranged a reunion holiday to Greece, revisiting where they went when they were younger, each leaving their problems behind.

They discover the beautiful, unpopulated Kyri, help the locals to make their island more popular at the same time as having fun, solving a mystery and a bit of romance. Discovering a valuable lesson of understanding the true importance of friendship.

Loved the description of the island and people and really enjoyed the mysterious twist too.

I really enjoyed this book; it was the perfect escapism for me. I also lived in Greece for 3 months years ago, so this took be back.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

It was a lovely book to read. Well written and flowed well. It had a perfect location . Gorgeous setting.. reading and imaging you were there too . Feel good book .

Explore the idyllic Greek island of Kyri with all of its romance and mystery in this fantastic new summer read

With travel plans on the back burner for summer 2020, we’ll all be spending more time at home. But luckily there’s still plenty of opportunity to travel between the pages of a good book!

And this new novel from Maeve Haran will whisk you off to a sun-kissed Greek island, as you follow four friends trying to recreate the adventures of their youth.

The Greek Holiday* is full of sunshine, good food and romance, but that’s not all. There’s also intrigue, drama and just a little bit of danger along the way. Not all of the island’s inhabitants are friendly and welcoming, and the four friends find themselves caught up in the murky world of international antique smuggling!

I really enjoyed reading The Greek Holiday, and flew through the pages on a chilly May weekend. Despite the grey weather outside, Maeve Haran’s vivid writing meant I could easily picture the perfect Greek island that the women find themselves on.

The island of Kyri may be fictitious, but reading this book left me longing for blue skies and even bluer doors, and craving the delicious Greek food that the women indulge in during their break. And I loved following the development of the four main characters, as they discover new strengths during their Greek holiday.

It’s the perfect distraction for a long summer at home!

Loved this story. Perfect escapism in a summer read. Lovely to sit and visualise wonderful Greece. Nearest I’ll get to leaving here this summer.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I was hooked by the blurb and publicity descriptions about this new Maeve Haran novel and I enjoyed reading it even more. It is the first time I have read any of her novels and I must say I am impressed by her story weaving and telling. This novel centres around four university friends who decide to revisit Zanthos, in the Greek islands where they had enjoyed holidaying together in their Uni years. Many years have passed by since those heady days and now they are ladies in their golden years.
The holiday idea is embraced by all four of them and soon, Dora, Moira, Nell and Penny, are there, back in the place they had loved so much. Only the island has changed and modernised so much that they find themselves looking for somewhere that is more peaceful and laid back. Totally by accident when one of them is taken ill, they find themselves disembarking in a small island paradise, beautiful beyond their wildest imagination. It is the small island of Kyri. With their relationships renewed and their creative juices nourished they all become engrossed in island life in their own different ways, determined to help the local inhabitants enhance tourist facilities and publicise their island paradise. They are living their dreams and they do not want to leave the enchanting island. The locals have embraced their creative ideas and are 100% behind them.
This is the story of their involvement and encouragement of locals to modernise their properties and create news that will stagger tourist guides, therefore enticing the holidaymakers to their small island. And what a story it is. Running parallel to this main thread are four other threads, each describing the lives of one of the ladies; their histories, triumphs and secrets. There is comedy, reinvention, skulduggery, drama, emergencies, hovering helicopters, celebrity appearances, thefts, angry relatives, family who offer their remote support and skills to publicise events that are occurring in Kyri, now a hub of activity, respect and hope for the future of the picturesque island. There are tender also fledgling romances that will melt your heart and certainly keep you turning the pages. It is a rollercoaster of activity, thrills and spills, adventures beyond the range of your imagination and a wonderful testimony to true friendship and love for friendship fully embraced.
I would like to thank NetGalley and publisher Pan for my copy of this novel, sent to me in return for an honest review. This novel is a good read, perfect for the times we are living through, unable to take holidays ourselves. It’s perfect escapism, upbeat and an uplifting read. It is about friendship, integrity, loyalty and love. I have no hesitation at all in awarding it my 4* recommendation.

Really enjoyed this book. Steady paced, great characters, I was absorbed throughout. Will be reading more books by the author in the future!

I loved this book so much. The story of 4 friends who try to re-create the holiday of their youth even though they are middle-aged. They all come with baggage and the story covers their journey to exploring new horizons for themselves against the backdrop of a beautiful Greek island. If you are longing for your summer holiday then this might be the book for you.

Loved this book. 4 university friends decide to meet up on the Greek. island where they had their first holiday together.. Everything starts to go horribly wrong right from the beginning of the trip. They find out things about each that they didn't know

The Greek Holiday by Maeve Haran was so much fun to read, I sped through this book and I just couldn't put it down. It made me feel so warm inside.

Thank you NetGalley for providing an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Greek holiday is a perfect tonic in these times of lockdown when we can only dream of a holiday! The descriptions of the Greek countryside, beaches and food and drinks instantly transports you to your holiday destination!
Four old friends at retirement age decide to relive their youth and go back to Greece where they all holidayed many years previously, each had their own reason for going and a certain amount of emotional baggage but during the extended holiday they all change and come to new realisations regarding their love lives, relationships and self worth, helped in no small part by their attempts at helping the local economy of kyri and locating and rescuing a certain very special statue! The importance and power of female friendship is at the forefront of this lovely holiday read.
Thank you net galley for this early read.

This is a true holiday read. I was a little confused by the actual ages of the ladies, not sure if I missed this, and this bugged me as i read it...

However, a very easy read, with engaging characters and a happy resolution.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest review.

The Greek Holiday is a perfect book to sit back relax and enjoy and remember your own wonderful holidays in the sun.
The premise of the story is four 60 year old women who holidayed together on the same Greek island when they were at university who want to recapture that spirit by revisiting the island. Unfortunately, when they arrive they find the island they once loved, has changed beyond recognition. However, fate leads them to the beautiful unspoiled neighbouring island of Kyri, which is so like Zanthos when they visited many years ago.
Together the four unlikely friends battle their personal demons to help the community and enjoy their time on the beautiful island of Kyri.
What I would give right now to be able to visit Kyri!
A beautiful and easy read which makes it so easy to picture being on the fictional island of Kyri.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the perfect book to take on holiday. It is light and easy to read but fairly predictable. Four university friends, Dora, Penny, Moira and Nell decide to try and relive their past by going on holiday to one of the Greek Islands. This turns out to be a big mistake as the island is nothing like it was when they visited when they were young and had become quite commercialised. They decide to leave and by chance find themselves on the remote island of Kyri which is the other extreme and badly needs some tourism for their local economy. The four women set about transforming and promoting certain aspects of the island. Along the way there is the mystery of a lost Greek statue to solve, along with the women’s personal and romantic problems.
Although the plot sounds interesting enough I found it a bit predictable and it took me ages to work out who was who among the four women. To me they all sounded quite similar and I didn’t get a real feel for the characters. Having said that it did transport me to sunnier shores which is something that everyone is in need of at the moment. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

What a wonderful book to lose yourself in. I was instantly transported to a stunning unspoilt Greek island among women who could easily be friends. With a smattering of romance and a little bit of intrigue thrown in for good measure, it was such a positive, sunny book to read at a time when I really need a bit of a lift.

I'm moving to Kyri as soon as air travel recommences! This gorgeous book by Maeve Haran has made me fall in love with all things Greek. This book is a glorious voyage of discovery literally and figuratively. Four friends from university days, reunite to embark on a nostalgic holiday to Greece in a bid to recapture some of the joyous memories of their youth and perhaps reconnect on the people they were before life got in the way. They each have their different reasons for wanting to escape their present lives but none of them could have dreamt of the transformative impact this trip would have not just on each of them but also on the island and islanders of Kyri. A dodgy fish dish which leaves one of the friends, Moira, incapacitated, leads toa change of venue and plans and leads them to the hidden jewel which is Kyri, a land seeped in culture, myths and magic. .a land where anything is possible and their very own goddess appears to be directing their fate. I absolutely loved this joyous romp of a book and felt quite bereft when I came to the end of my levantine adventure! More, please!

Four friends go on holiday and they take more baggage than any one of them could have realised. For when they are there, things and secets get unpacked... They had all been at university and know each other well but those friendships get explore and put to the test with this time away.
What they find in Greek on the island of Kyri is something very special. They spend time together, they think about the past and their wishes for the future. Their time is now however and a chance to look in the present and to see what and who they are.
I think we all could do with some time to stop and think, reset and realise what's important. I'd prefer to go to Greece than to be in lockdown in a house, but then that's why we read, right?

Love Greece, loved this book! Haven't not been able to concentrate on reading for a while this really got me back into reading. Could picture the scenes with the goats, and it just made me want to be in Greece. Highly recommend and it's a great book to lose yourself in.