Sent away to a convent school in Dublin at the age of five, Irini McGuire has always had a strained and distant relationship with her mother, Bridget, a celebrated archaeologist who lives on the paradise island of Santorini. So, when Irini receives news that Bridget has been injured at a dig and is in a coma, she knows it is finally time to return to the island of her birth. Reading through her mother's notes at her bedside, Irini starts to realise how little she knows about Bridget's life. Now, driven by rumours that her mother's injury was no accident, Irini must uncover the dark secrets behind her family's separation.

First and foremost this read provided pure escapism and I loved travelling to Greece and exploring the places with Irini. From this point of view the book is excellent. However, there is a lot I did not like about this.

Wilson tells this in the present day and flashback chapters as we begin to understand Bridget and her reasons for keeping Irini at bay. This was fine but there are sections which are Bridget's dreams and I am sorry but this was just ridiculous and I lost all sense of reality and felt the read bordered into fantasy. I also feel Irini goes on quite the journey and whilst I enjoyed reading about what happens to her, some of it is again not realistic and she suddenly finds herself living this ideal life. I enjoy these type of books for their base in reality and the possibility it could happen, sadly with this read it lost all sense of reality. However, I did enjoy the latter half a lot more and having finished the read I think it is too long and would be improved for being shorter.

Wilson's characters in this read are not my favourite either. They are okay but nothing particularly special and I did not really warm to any in particular which was a shame. Wilson starts the read with so much negativity between the characters and I think it set the tone for the rest of the book, the characters may forget events but readers do not.

'Secrets of Santorini' was a big disappointment for me. The best thing about it was being set in stunning Greece and even then I did not think Wilson did a spectacular job of capturing the landscape. This read was such a let down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Zaffre for an advance copy.

Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will enjoy.

A fantastic read and full of history. It is obvious that a lot of research has gone into this book.
The writing style was excellent
Can’t wait to read more by this author
A must read for any fans of Greece

Thank you for NetGalley and publishers for an advanced copy of this book
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I was so excited to be able to get an advanced copy but was left disappointed as I didn’t find this book as easy to read and as enjoyable as the author’s previous books.

However, this is my own personal opinion and I really believe that other readers will have a totally different opinion and love the book as the characterisations and descriptions are still as great as her previous books.

I think the thing that let it down for me, and sadly is a big part of the storyline, is the Greek mythology aspect, as this really didn’t hold my interest and I found it too repetitive. Unfortunately, it took me until the second half of the book to start to get into the story.

A beautifully written, magical story which was a pleasure to read. I was totally caught up in this story from the start. I liked the characters and the scenery and their stories.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Santorini is one of my favourite places in the world so I simply couldn't resist a story set predominantly on this gorgeous island.....and what a bittersweet and beautiful book to complement the geographical location. I was pulled into the story in the opening pages and drawn into a narrative that blended time and mythology to perfection. I was mesmerised by the odes to Grecian myth that weaved its way between the narratives to create a stunning piece of work.

The time frames effortlessly glided between the present day and a date twenty nine years in the past. This time difference was crafted with ease to create a story that ebbed and flowed to blend two narratives to perfection. I don't want to dive into the descriptions of the plot in any detail as I feel that the story works best when it is revealed exactly how the author intends. So I shall leave you to unearth the truth in your own time and I know you will not be disappointed in the slightest.

Secrets of Santorini is a beautiful and poignant piece of writing that moved me greatly....I simply didn't want it to end. If you haven't downloaded your copy yet then what are you waiting for? This is one story you do not want to miss.

thank you for allowing me to read this book. it was very easy to read. i enjoyed the story line and the characters. look forward to reading more from this author.

I loved Patricia Wilson's first two novels so I was so looking forward to reading this one.
I found it a difficult story to get into mainly because of the Greek Mythology,it's just not something that interests me. I preferred the present day story to the one from the past. The second half of the book was a lot better and I did start to enjoy the story.
I found the part with Irini modelling a bit out of context with her grieving for her mother although I know she need money. It just didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the story.
There was a good ending and a decent enough read but not a patch on the author's other two books.