This is the third novel by Emma Cowell which I have read, all set in Greece. "The Island Love Song" is set on the island of Hydra, south of Athens. At the heart of the story are two very different sisters who travel to the island to scatter their mother's ashes. Georgia is married with a daughter called Phoenix and is very much the stay at home wife and mother, as well as being a bit of a control freak. Ella, five years younger, is a free spirit who travels the world as a professional photographer. Through the course of the story we gradually get to understand the family dynamics, and fall in love with Hydra.

This is a complex and thoughtful book which will keep you engrossed.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book which offered a mix of a slightly predictable outcome as well as a shocker to keep you on your toes! A great read set in a location that sounded beautiful!

sisters Georgia and Ella go to Hydra to spread their mother's ashes.. both sisters are hiding a secret. it was hard to put down. read in one afternoon.

What an emotional page turner, that just had to be devoured in an afternoon, must admit once started I couldn't put it down! Such a beautiful setting and in some places quite sad with so many family secrets coming to the surface, very moving.

Loved it! It’s a very emotional story that will rip your heart.
I was so engrossed in the book where I was not aware until the story end.

Ella and Georgia go back to Hydra to scatter their mothers ashes. Ella hasn't been back since she had her heart broken and is finding it really hard to deal with

I very much enjoyed this novel. It is a story about secrets and how they can destroy relationships. By the story’s end I felt empathy for all three women, Ella , Georgia and Phoenix. They all grow through the experience of a summer fortnight when they come to Greece to scatter their mother’s ashes on the sea off the island of Hydra. It is also a novel about discovery. The sisters Ella and Georgia rediscover Hydra, and they put their fractured relationship to rights. They discover how to relate to Phoenix who in turns discovers her father and Zina is a superb character who also has an important secret to reveal. . I liked the novel’s structure, how the island of Hydra has its own say, a delightful voice, with a nod to the eternal nature of Greek myth. I live half of the year in the Greek Mani and know Hydra well. It is a magical island. It’s very special. And , of course, it is a glorious setting for this beautifully written novel. This is a book for book groups because there are very important themes within its narrative well worth discussing. The atmosphere of this wonderful wise and heart-tugging story will stay with a reader long after the last page is turned.

A beautiful setting for a very deep book at times. So many family secrets . It is a very deep love story. Two sisters go back to a Greek island to scatter their mothers ashes with one of their daughters and you follow their lives unravel and come back together .A very moving read and I loved it. An author to follow and read

I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s previous novel, “The House in the Olive Grove” (5 Stars), so I was looking forward to this next offering. It turned out to be a good, not great, read for me.

Two sisters return to the beautiful Greek island of Hydra to scatter their mother’s ashes. Georgia, the older of the two, is the driving force behind the trip, making all the arrangements and compulsively creating an itinerary that accounts for every hour. Ella, the younger sister, is a photographer, who was born on Hydra and based on a heartbreaking experience has no desire to return. The conflicting personalities and lifestyles of these siblings is reflected in their (at times) tumultuous relationship. A third “voice” in the narration is the island itself, which adds a touch of magical realism to the storyline.

Overall, the story was interesting, but I deducted one star because it felt too melodramatic – just too many convoluted relationships and “events” leading up to the conclusion.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

An absolutely fabulous read with beautiful atmospheric descriptions of an island in Greece. Slightly slow to start but builds nicely with loads of secrets amongst the characters. Told through two voices, free spirit Ella and her somewhat obsessive controlling sister, Georgia, set mainly in 2015 but an odd dip back to 1997. The sisters are on the island of Hydra to scatter their mother's ashes and whilst the reader could probably second guess some of the secrets and how the story will pan out, it is how the sisters unravel their pasts that keeps the reader's attention. Lots of soul searching with bursts of anger amidst love and affection as the past catches up with them. A thoroughly enjoyable holiday read which will transport the reader to a sunny Greek island even if it's tipping down outside

I have never been to Greece but this book is so descriptive I feel as if I have.
The Island Love Song by Emma Cowell is an absolutely beautifully written book. It was gripping from the very beginning. I loved how the story unfolded which kept me hooked to the story from beginning to end.
This book was very descriptive, you could picture everything so perfectly.
The author deftly explores love, friendship and second chances in showing readers the journey towards self-love and moving forward.
A wonderful novel about sisterhood, determination and new beginnings

Thank You NetGalley and Avon Books UK for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

What a delightful setting, on a Greek island Hydra. Although I have visited various parts of Greece, this was a new area for me, and made me long to escape! Ella and Georgia, two very dissimilar sisters go together to Hydra. the story is gentle, exploring their characters and personalities, but giving a wonderful flavour of a Greek island,
Thanks to NetGalley for a chance to read this book.

“Maybe on Hydra, I will find a way back to me and the island will release me from my secrets.”

Feel like escaping to the Greek islands? Some of us are in desperate need of a slice of sunshine right about now!

Emma Cowell writes beautiful novels set in Greece. This time she invites readers to return to the Grecian shores of Hydra, and while it may seem beautiful to us and a sanctuary, it’s where sisters Ella and Georgia’s secrets reside. Returning to scatter their mom’s ashes brings the past crashing into their present.

Two sisters.
Decades of secrets.
And a love song that changed everything.

Ella, 37, just wants peace to mend her broken heart so that she can move on with her life. Hydra was her happy place and Harrison had ruined it for her. She avoids her birthplace to keep the unhappiness at bay and when she finally agrees to return with Georgia, it’s as if fate arranged it.

Georgia, 43, pretends all is well, but she’s hiding a secret. Wrong. Secrets. Plural. It’s an “ever-growing pile of destructive deceit.” She’s hoping a return to the island will give her closure, even without the support of her husband. Georgia and Ella are like vinegar and water. Can they put aside their differences for two weeks and scatter their mom’s ashes? Or is being trapped on the island more than they can handle? Will Georgia finally break the cycle of fixing her sister’s mistakes?

What you’re going to get:

✔️Romance, forgiveness, legacy, fate, sacrifice, confronting the past
✔️A haunting love song
✔️Sibling secrets and family drama
✔️Infrequent dual timeline; London and Hydra in both 1997 and 2015

This book about a secret legacy, the damage we can do in the name of protecting someone, and the warning about not letting love from someone else define us, has a spectacular double-meaning title! I was swept up in this emotional story and couldn’t set the book down. Just when I thought there were no more secrets, BOOM. Another one. I love how Emma Cowell writes and can’t wait for another story.

I was gifted this copy by Avon Books UK and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

This is a lovely book, the setting in beautiful Greece makes you want to be there and the story unfolded gently with warmth and poignancy. I was engaged with it until the end and really enjoyed.

Who doesn’t love a love story? And also one set on the beautiful Greek Isles? I’m so excited to share my thoughts and review on this gorgeous novel I apologize I’m a bit behind due to some unexpected health issues, but am slowly catching up very soon. I cannot wait to share my thoughts on these two women’s adventures and the mystery of the “love song” as well.

The Island Love Song was a slow burn read but I enjoyed the way it gradually developed to its conclusion. It describes the joys and trials of family relationships and love in a genuine way. A lovely summer read

What a wonderful story. Heartwarming with lovely characters. This was one book that I just could not put down and spent a happy weekend reading it. The setting is idyllic and the plot has twists and turns, many of which I could not have guessed. All in all a perfect page turner, thoroughly recommended.