The Island Love Song
by Emma Cowell
Wow! What can I say about The Island Love Song which would do it the justice it deserves!?
I could talk about it for hours to be honest with you, but I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone who hasn’t read it yet.
First, as I’ve said before, I’ve never been to Greece, but I honestly felt like I was in Greece whilst reading this novel. I felt the same when reading Emma Cowell’s previous novels. I would really, really love to go to Greece now and experience the beauty of the country Emma portrays so enticingly. The food sounds amazing also! I love that food plays its part throughout the story. I think I actually drooled at times. lol!
Anyway, this story is about sisters Ella and Georgia. They lost their Mum and are returning to Hydra to scatter her ashes in the sea. They have a rich history of happy memories with their mother there. As if that isn’t heart-wrenching enough, there has also been heartbreak for Ella and guilt for Georgia over secrets she’s carried for years.
The sisters are like chalk and cheese. Ella is very much a free spirit. Tied to nothing and no-one following an extremely traumatic experience. Georgia is the organised, dependable one, who’s life she has dedicated to her husband and bringing up their daughter, Phoenix. Neither of them is particularly happy though, nor have they had a close relationship, so coming together for two weeks on the Island of Hydra was never going to be straight forward.
I couldn’t wait to find out where their story would take me, and I was completely invested in the emotional journey I was taken on.
I liked Ella immediately and my heart broke for her as I learned what she had been through.
Georgia isn’t as easy to like, but I came to understand her more as the story progressed, and I did really feel for her in the end.
Phoenix is a beautiful character. Oh, to be so young and self-assured!
Harrison is a fascinating character and one I warmed to quickly despite his history with Ella.
There are other beautiful characters in this book too, all who add their own little something special.
This is a compelling tale about grieving sisters, the devastation secrets and lies can cause, the power of true love, and the true meaning of family.
I absolutely LOVED it! It’s just beautiful!
** A big thank you to the author and publisher for my review copy of The Island Love Song via NetGalley **
ICYMI….
https://chataboutbooks.blog/2023/05/30/the-house-in-the-olive-grove-by-emma-cowell-emmalloydcowell/
Escape to the beautiful Greek Island of Hydra with this moving novel, filled with family secrets and romance
Emma Cowell, author of THE HOUSE IN THE OLIVE GROVE, returns with her brand new, emotional and romantic novel set on an idyllic Greek Island.
Hydra, the picturesque Greek island, is a paradise for most, yet for sisters Ella and Georgia, it is a place where their darkest secrets dwell. And now the time has come for them to confront their past as they return to Greece to scatter their mother’s ashes.
Ella is haunted by a love song that was written for her by the man who broke her heart years earlier and she longs to find peace so she can move on with her life.
Georgia pretends everything in her life is perfect, but she is plagued with guilt. If what she’s kept hidden for decades was revealed, their family would never be the same again.
The island is urging the sisters to confront the truth, but can they build a future on the ruins of their past?
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