Today I am starting something new here on the blog.....Mini Reviews. Sometimes a book doesn't lend itself to a full review, so quick reviews it is! This won't be a deep dive into a novel, but rather my quick thoughts on it. Let me know what you think and your thoughts on the books if you have read them.
Love & Olives by Jenna Evans Welch
Goodreads says, "Santorini felt like an island holding its breath. As if it were keeping in a secret... Liv Varanakis doesn’t like to think about her father much, which makes sense—he fled to Greece when she was only eight, leaving her with just a few painful memories of their shared love for the lost city of Atlantis. So when teenage Liv suddenly receives a postcard from her father, who explains that National Geographic is supporting a documentary about his theories on Atlantis—and asks if she will fly out to Greece and help—Liv is less than thrilled. When she arrives in gorgeous Santorini, things are just as awkward as she'd imagined. There are so many questions, so many emotions that flood to the surface after seeing her father for the first time in years. Liv doesn’t want to get sucked back into her father's world. She also definitely doesn’t want Theo, her father’s charismatic so-called protégé, to witness her struggle. Even so, she can't help but be charmed by everything Santorini has to offer—the beautiful sunsets, the turquoise water, the sun-drenched villages, and the delicious cuisine. But not everything on the Greek island is as perfect as it seems. Because as Liv slowly begins to discover, her father may not have invited her to Greece for Atlantis, but for something much more important. "
Liv is headed to Santorini her senior year of high school to meet up with her father, who is working on a documentary on the lost city of Atlantis. This should be the chance of a lifetime, right? Wrong. Liv's father left her when she was only eight years old, so their relationship is severely fractured. Once she arrives in Greece, things are pretty awkward and there's a lot of unspoken angst. While there on Santorini, she meets Theo, her father's employee, and she starts to have feelings for him. Fans of light romance will like this aspect of the novel.
Also, each chapter in Love & Olives starts with a different item that Liv's father left behind for her when he left many years ago and why that item is so important to him. This was a clever way to shape the story and to get to know her father. While on beautiful Santorini, Liv learns about why her father has always been obsessed with Atlantis and how there's much more to it than she first thought. Readers who enjoy Welch's YA novels that featuring traveling to stunning locales won't be disappointed. I mean who hasn't dreamed of spending extended time in Greece?
Flight Patterns by Karen White
Goodreads says, "Georgia Chambers has spent her life sifting through other people's pasts while trying to forget her own. But then her work as an expert on fine china--especially Limoges--requires her to return to the one place she swore she'd never revisit.... It has been ten years since Georgia left her family home on the coast of Florida, and nothing much has changed except that there are fewer oysters and more tourists. She finds solace in seeing her grandfather still toiling away in the apiary where she spent much of her childhood, but encountering her estranged mother and sister leaves her rattled. Seeing them after all this time makes Georgia realize that something has been missing--and unless she finds a way to heal these rifts, she will forever be living vicariously through other people's remnants. To embrace her own life--mistakes and all--she will have to find the courage to confront the ghosts of her past and the secrets she was forced to keep...."
Georgia is a successful antique dealer. She finds treasures amongst other people's discarded or forgotten items. A client she is currently working with requests she return back home to Florida to find a particular item. This shouldn't be a big deal, but it is. Georgia hasn't returned home for years nor faced the people she left behind. Once she returns home to coastal Florida, she is reunited with her grandfather, her mother, and her sister. She'd rather forget them for good, but being there has forced her to face her problems headlong instead of pretending they aren't there.
Flight Patterns is a slow Southern beach read that is a quiet one, but mostly definitely heartfelt. It's about family, forgiveness, and letting go of the past. I enjoyed the coastal setting of Florida and the details around antiques as well as beekeeping; however, I found the book to be a bit too slow at times.
I haven't read any of the Love and... books but they look so cute! I love that they travel to different locations.
ReplyDeleteThey are really cute and perfect for when you want some armchair traveling. They made the first book in the series a movie on Netflix! Thanks for visiting, Angela!
DeleteI haven't read either of these but mini reviews are a great idea!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Michele!
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