The Summer of Secrets: Escape into a Gripping Story of Family, Secrets and War

📚 A very good reminder to never judge a book by its cover. The Summer of Secrets is a very refreshing change to the genres I typically choose to read and I'm so, so glad I gave this book a go!

📚 The story follows Olivia in the present day travelling to Castellorizo, Greece, to uncover the devastating events of her family's history during the second World War. Each chapter alternates between past and present with very smooth transitions.

📚 I couldn't put this book down; it's beautifully written and captures so much emotion.

📚 This is the first Patricia Wilson book I've read, but it won't be the last! The only thing that would make it better, would be if I was actually in Greece whilst reading it! 💫

I only gave 2 stars because I didn’t particularly enjoy the book overall. It has a reasonably good plot and it was interesting to know that it was based on actual historical events on this little Greek island. However, I came across several typos and I didn’t think (imo) it was at all well-written, with plausible characters but wooden and unrealistic dialogue.

The Summer of Secrets follows Olivia as she travels to the island of her ancestors and learns about their history. It is well written and enjoyable to read with an exciting, if somewhat sad, conclusion.

This is a novel based on the real history of the Greek island of Castellorizo. It is set in two time frames and follows the fortunes and misfortunes of three generations of a large island family. During the war years in the early 1940s, Maria is married to a handsome Turk and is producing children at the rate of knots. Her sister Sofia helps out where she can, while also trying to pursue her education and keep the family business going whilst George, their brother, is a very inquisitive and impish child. As the war rages around them they must cope with deprivation, fear, separation and death. Move forward to the present day, Olivia lives in the UK and is mourning the loss of her mother, Sofia’s daughter. She knows very little about her family history apart from the fact that Sofia fled Greece during the 1940s. Her great uncle George also lives in the UK, Olivia’s only link to the past and the two of them embark on a journey of discovery to educate Olivia about her roots.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a good story very well told and a gripping read. The plot is well thought out and the characters well developed, plausible and mostly likeable - always a bonus as you need a character that you are invested in and rooting for, although a good villain never goes amiss. The book is also extremely well researched and I learnt a lot, not only about the island itself but also about the struggles they faced during WW2. It was both fascinating and distressing. It is also a very easy read with an engaging writing style. There are also amusing moments, largely to do with mischievous children and equally mischievous uncles.
I suppose it comes into the category of a romance or holiday-read. The problem with categorising a book as chick-lit or a holiday read is that it conjures up an image of a book with no intellectual content and very little to recommend it in the way of literary prose. Whilst the storyline in this book puts it firmly in the chick-lit (or possibly romance) genre and the writing style is definitely designed to be an easy read, it would be unfair to dismiss it as trite. A lot of work has been done by the author to ensure that the historical and geographical settings for this book are depicted accurately.
The Greek island itself sounded idyllic and the descriptions in the book evoked such a strong sense of place that I am determined to go and visit it.

The only slight niggle is that the number of characters is extensive and I had to keep looking back to find out who was related to who. This was a little irritating and a family tree of some sort would have saved me a lot of time and made my life a lot easier.

I have not come across Patricia Wilson before but will certainly be looking out for more of her books. I would recommend this book to anyone.

As seems to be the current fashion, this was a family story with parallel plot llines jumping back and forth between generations to tell their history and secrets. What made it interesting was the factual recounting of what occurred on and to a tiny Greek island during WWII using our characters and their story as the vehicle to tell the story. It would make a good beach read as long as some of the treachly romantic wording doen't bother you. I would recommend this for to someone not wanting much of a challenge but a little bit of mystery.

I started this book with high hopes, and looked forward to losing myself in this historical novel. Although it has a strong storyline, I just couldn't get on with the writing style. I found it overly sentimental and romanticised. After several attempts to see beyond this, I finally had to give up. Not for me I'm afraid.

Spanning 3 generations of one family set on a idyllic Greek island and how with the looming outbreak of world war 2 the family's hidden secrets start to tumble out.
Lots of emotion, history and twists.
I did find the novel a little hard to get going, a rather slow beginning that you have to keep going at to get into the book.
Overall a pleasent read.

This is a easy to read pleasant holiday reading book about a family living on the Greek island of Castellorizo during world war 2 and a little of their lives following it.
I loved the characters and their history in this book. I had to make a note which I kept in the book to trace the family tree as found it confusing at the beginning.
It was interesting to read how the people were effected by the war and occupation of the islands. I had no idea this had occurred. Also that the tragedy of HMS Empire Patrol was a fact.
The build up of what was the family secret was not too stretched and some hints were given but I was surprised and saddened at the reveal.

After finishing the book I want to book a holiday to Castellorizo. If I didn't already live by the sea I'd want to move to the island. So location has to be the standout success of Patricia Wilson's novel.

I knew little about Greece's history in WWII, even less about the Dodecanese and the culture of those islands, so it was an educational experience as well as page-turning read.

The structure, with multiple character perspectives and jumps back & forwards in time, is complicated and it took a while to sort out Who's who and When- a family tree would have been useful here.

Undoubtedly an immersive and satisfying book, with interesting and sympathetic characters. I enjoyed the drip, drip effect of the Slow Reveal, though I admit to serious temptation to skip ahead to satisfy my need to know sooner! What I wasn't so keen on is the syrupy coating of the novel's romantic and sentimental approach to its characters, their stories and the island setting.

A perfect beach read, it makes me want to read more about modern Greek history and contemporary literature. This novel was just a bit Shirley Valentine, escapist and readable, but ultimately didn't quite live up to expectations.

Based on historical events surrounding mostly WWII, this a romantic novel about an English woman who returns to a little Greek island in search of the truth about her family’s history.

The story is well paced and has a reasonable story one. I wanted to find out more as I read it. However the writing is awkward in places and often skips over time. I thought it was a little cliched in the romance department, but it’s a book that describes a beautiful Greek island. What more does one need?

A family tree reference at the beginning would have been invaluable as there are a lot of different characters in the book.

If you are looking for a beach book to enjoy with a glass of wine, this is a good choice. 

DNF at 100 pages.
I had really high hopes for this book having read another tale on Greek history earlier in the year however I found really struggling to enjoy the writing style.

The book has an interesting premise, exploring a multi-generational tale of a Greek/British family through the war and present day. Personally, I found the writing and particularly the dialogue incredibly awkward to read and over-padded. There was a lot of unnecessary text.
I tried on several occasions to get into this book but found myself unable to read more than a chapter or two at a time and, after 100 pages, eventually gave up.

I may pick this book up again in the future, if I decide to finish it and I’m sure many would enjoy it, it just wasn’t for me.