Summer at the Santorini Bookshop is a lovely summer read. Evie has just lost her job with a publishing company, and is at loose ends when she finds out that her grandmother is now the owner of a bookshop in Santorini. Evie jumps at the chance to visit her grandmother and work with her, but tells her mother that she will go and see what she is up to, so her mother doesn't go. Gran has had several husbands, and spent a lot of money lately, so everyone is worried about her. Evie arrives to find Gran in a feud with her landlord, her new husband off working out of the country, and Gran very much in debt. In order to keep her landlord at bay, Gran asks Evie to fake interest in her landlord's grandson, Georgios. It isn't what she wants to do, but Georgios is gorgeous so it makes it easier. They do hit it off and share confidences with one another, gradually turning the fake relationship into a real one, at least that is what it appears to be. Will Evie help save the bookshop? Will Georgios and Evie find love with one another?

This was a wonderful story. I liked all the characters, even Evie's mom, although she is a meddling, cautious and at times obnoxious mother/daughter. Georgios has secrets that make love not something he is looking for, but it will please his family, so goes along with it, but doesn't tell Evie, it is for them. There is a lot going on with Gran that we find out in this story and it brings to light how seniors are often scammed. The setting is wonderful, and I was happy to learn more about Santorini as I will be visiting there next fall on my cruise. This is a rom com with some serious issues as well. The characters are an eclectic bunch. There is a gentleman that visits the bookshop daily that obviously has feelings for Gran, but she just wants to be friends. They do go places together and I loved the dancing they did. This was a clean, fun, story that had me suspending belief at times, but I really enjoyed it. I loved the ending. All I will say is Karma is a b#*$%. I do recommend this one for a beach, pool or garden read. I listened to this book narrated by the wonderful Georgia Maguire. I enjoy her narration, with great voices, tone and expression.

Fantastic, a delightful romance and just a thoroughly enjoyable summer read. What I really loved was the cast of characters, and a special shoutout goes to the infamous grandma of course. I’d definitely read this author again and would recommend this read for anyone looking for an uplifting romance read, with rounded characters and the dreamiest bookshop ever. Excellent narration. Huge thanks to the author and publisher for this advance review copy. Views my own. 5*

Kicking myself that it took me so long to listen to this fantastic book!
The granny is amazing and needs her own series, as it is! All the characters are likable, and I just didn't want to stop listening to it!

Evie's going through a bit of a rough patch. She just lost her job and is generally feeling a bit lost in life. So when an opportunity arises for her to spend the summer in Santorini helping her grandma she takes it (well...actually she's more like pushed to do it by her mom). Upon arriving in Santorini Evie discovers that her Gran is in financial trouble and her newly opened bookshop is at risk of being shut down because Gran hasn't been able to pay rent. On the brink of the bookshop being shut down, Gran comes up with an amazing idea - Evie should fake date her landlord's grandson. And do the summer in Santorini starts with Evie fake-dating the grandson Georgios, who by the way is gorgeous. Will Evie be able to save the bookshop and find her way?

I generally liked the book. It was a fast-paced and easy read, a bit predictable but overall a nice summer romance. The characters were funny and Gran's history of having 9 husbands was a bit questionable since apparently all the husbands died of mysterious causes... But in the end, something was missing for me and I'd give it an overall rating of 3 stars.

I'd like to thank Netgalley, the publisher and the author for giving me a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF after 2 hours of the audiobook: I picked up “Summer at the Santorini Bookshop” because I was looking for an easy romance set in Greece to get in the mood for my upcoming vacation. Instead, this novel reminded me of how annoying American tourists can be. I also think the narrator of the audiobook does not fit at all. I googled her and was surprised to see that she is rather young since the voice she gave Evie sounded like she was at least in her mid-fifties. Maybe this was also due to the writing, but either way, this did not work for me.

Summer at the Santorini Bookshop by Rebecca Raisin is an excellent book to listen to during my commute. It is written in a relatable voice that makes the characters seem like close friends. I enjoyed the book and look forward to another good book from this author.

Romcom set on Santorini

Evie has the most amazing job in LA. She is a book scout, searching out romance novels that will translate well into celluloid. However, her boss isn’t into mushy feelings and wants to focus more on rambo-style action thrillers, so she finds herself out of a job.

She is a retiring young woman, not keen on too much human company – essentially she is wedded to her books. Her grandmother refers to her as the ‘bookworm sprite’.

Evie doesn’t have long to sit and reflect upon her jobless situation because her mother and sister discuss with her the plight of their grandmother, who is on marriage no.9 and, who has seemingly run into financial difficulties whilst renovating her new pet project: the bookshop on Santorini called Bibliotherapy. Evie is tasked with flying over there to check up on her grandmother and really suss out what is going on.

Her grandmother has been caught up in the thrill of the bookshop renovation. She has been on the move all her life and finally she thinks she has found ‘the’ place for her golden years. If it is indeed her last hurrah, she wants to leave a literary legacy, “..a wonderland for fiction fanatics, book sniffers, those who judge a book by its cover, plot twist aficionados….”

Yes, her grandmother might not be totally solvent at the moment, her latest husband is working off-shore to bring in cash. She does unfortunately owe money to quite a few people. Not to mention the cost of care of her six rescue dogs. Ah, a kind and colourful woman who does things her way, her family should know this by now.

The landlord is owed money and so, her grandmother devises a fiendish plan, which involves Evie fake dating the bronzed and gorgeous Georgios, the son of the landlord, to keep everyone on-side whilst the finances get sorted. As the two chat, they both discover they have a background in books. How could this story possibly unfold 😉?

The bookshop is beautifully set against a lush Santorini backdrop, it’s truly “.. a sun-drenched literary paradise...” with its books all colour coded (tricky to find what you want!), positioned against the white washed houses and blue sky and sea. If you are a booklover and have been to Santorini, you may well have come across the most beautiful bookshop in the world in Oia, Atlantis Books (there is some debate whether the bookstore is still open). Add in a few Greek donuts – Loukoumades – and you have a fully rounded virtual trip to Santorini. It’s been a pleasure to visit.

Now there is a place for escapism and a bit of romance thrown in but this book by Rebecca (and I've read her others), is just a step to far in being unrealistic and frankly annoying. Sorry but having tried to listen to the audio, I thought I might be better reading it. No! Not a winner for me this time.

Listened to this as an audio book- really enjoyed it. "Summer at the Santorini Bookshop" invites readers on a literary getaway to the enchanting Greek island.
The characters are as warm as the Mediterranean sun, and the bookshop itself becomes a character, brimming with stories waiting to be discovered. It's a perfect summer read for anyone longing for romance, and the magic of books against a backdrop of breathtaking scenery.

Listen to this mostly on my journey to and from work however once I started this book, I found myself listening to it every minute that I could. Loved the characters and the whole story plot. It was so cleverly written that not only do you feel in the story but feel the ups and downs of each of the characters. I would love a Grandma like this, she was one of the best characters in the story!
Really hope there is a sequel.

When you are made redundant from your job with no notice and your mother strong arms you into going to Santorini to “rescue” your grandmother, what can you do but hop on a plane? And when it turns out said grandmother has married for the 9th time, spent all of her life savings on a bookshop and needs you to fake romance the landlord’s grandson then that’s what you’ll do. At least that’s what Evie finds herself caught up in when she jets to the Greek island of Santorini to help her grandmother Floretta.

So can she persuade, tall, dark and handsome Georgios, who looks like he’s stepped from the pages of one of the books Evie read as a book scout for a film production company, that she’s his happily ever after? At least long enough for Floretta to make the rent money. It’s not like she’s going to fall for him in real life…

Evie is bamboozled into helping Floretta but soon becomes caught up in the romance of running the bookshop and book night club and making it a success. She also starts to enjoy her time with Georgios, breaking her dating rules but finding she enjoys spending time with a fellow book lover. A city girl, she’s highly strung, introverted but is won over by island life.

Floretta is a character. Whirlwind, never still for a moment and always scheming, she’s seen her way through eight previous husbands who have all died in extreme accidents, including one with a drop bear.

Through her not so gentle machinations, Evie finds friendship, a place she feels comfortable, courage to try new things and love. Or and six dogs, one of whom likes to steal wallets.

I listened to this on audio and having been to Santorini before, made me want to return to the island filled with blue roofed white buildings and glittering sea and to visit a small bookshop in a little village in the hills.

A lovely, fun read.

I was fascinated by the job Evie had (or rather lost) at the start of the book, a book scout. I hadn’t heard of that before, reading books with a view to seeing if they might be commissioned for a film. I’ve been doing a bit investigating and apparently book scouts often read books with a view to them being translated too. When she lost that job, going to help her grandmother in her bookshop on a Greek island didn’t sound like too bad an idea. How gorgeous is that cover? I’ve never been to Santorini before but I’m certainly tempted now!

Her Gran, Floretta, was hilarious. A lady in her eighties, she lived life to the full and had no intention of growing old gracefully. Evie’s family were concerned about her on hearing she had taken on the bookshop and got married yet again. I almost lost count of how many husbands she had had and it was quite amusing hearing about what had happened to all the relationships. Floretta was an incurable romantic though and hoped that husband number nine (or was it ten?) would prove to be the one. She was my favourite character in the book.

Evie realised that her grandmother was experiencing money problems and found that the new husband was allegedly working on the oilrigs to earn more money. With the landlord threatening to sell the bookshop out from under her, Floretta persuaded Evie to fake date the landlord’s grandson Georgios. Fake dating is a common enough theme in novels but this one was a bit different as only one half of the couple knew about it! Of course in the fake dating trope you absolutely expect real love to develop and the couple to get together – you’d feel cheated if they didn’t – but the fun is in watching it develop.

I really enjoyed reading about the bookshop and meeting the customers who visited. There were some exasperating customers and some who were so lovely. I also enjoyed reading about the creation of the book club and the literary café Epeolatry which mean ‘the worship of words’. Isn’t that just perfect?

Summer at the Santorini Bookshop is a light, escapist read, funny and romantic, perfect for enjoying in the sunshine. Or to whisk you away from a rainy day at home!

An absolutely delightful story. I loved the very sensible granddaughter being despatched to try and bring her lovely grandmother into line, it made me laugh out loud at times.
The fake dating and love story was great too, mixed with a book shop and beautiful surroundings, What's not to like?
I loved all of the characters, and it was a great story too, with great twists at the end.

A cute feelgood book perfect to listen to on holiday while lying by the pool.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to listen to an advanced copy of this audiobook in return for a fair and honest review.

A light fluffy read which is exactly what ot says on the tin. With some added interest in the form of grandma's wild lies

When Evie is made redundant at her job and her grandmother gets married for the 8th time and in so doing taken over a bookshop in Santorini, Evie’s mother and sister decide it's the perfect time for Evie to go over and see if she can help out and make sure her grandmother is ok. When she gets there, Evie’s grandmother asks her to pretend to date the landlord’s son to keep him from closing the bookshop because they’re behind on the rent, but there is much more to the story!
This was a fun, fluffy and entertaining listen ans I love the idea of a bookshop with a club in the back that has a rent-a-dog service where patrons can come and rent dogs that are at the shelter and pet them while they’re reading books at the bookstore! Who wouldn’t love that? The characters were lots of fun-especially Gran-she gave Evie a run for her money! Then there was the “fake” romance between Georgios and Evie that turned into something real and sweet. The whole thing was just a fun way to escape for the day and I will be looking forward to more by this author.
Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for this ALC in exchange for my review.

Loved this audiobook, took me to a beautiful hot country I could easily imagine. The narrator was great, enjoyed the characters, especially gran, there were times when I giggled out loud. Would highly recommend, so easy to listen to.

A refreshing summer story full of love, mystery and lots of fun wit and charm sprinkled throughout. With the added bonus of lots of dogs and their antics.
The author brings to life the Island of Santorini in the words, showcasing the beautiful village and culture.
This was a new author to me, but I will for sure be picking up some of her other books to read/listen to.

This is a cosy, light, easy read.
Set in santorini in a bookshop. We have two people fake dating both from the book industry.
We have a secretive granma, nosey interefering mum.
Theres family drama, sun, books, dogs lost of rescus dogs all with their own characteristics.
Including a dog who loves stealing wallets.

If you looking for a summer read, or something to take on holiday pick up this. Or even any rebecca raisin books.

BOOK REVIEW: Summer at the Santorini Bookshop
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I knew I would like this book just from the title! I mean what’s not to love about a story based around a book shop in Greece?!

After being made redundant, bookworm Evie goes to stay with her Gran who has just opened a bookshop in Santorini. Evie sets out at helping her mischievous Gran and ends up getting involved in all kinds of capers to help make a success of the bookshop, including fake-dating the landlord’s godson!

If you love books and romance this one’s for you! It’s a perfect summer holiday read - pure escapism in book form!

Georgia Maguire did a fabulous job of narrator and really brought it to life.

Thank you to HQ Audiobook and HarperCollins UK Audio for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.