. It was such a wonderful little read. Perfect beach read I found the love story a perfect combination of sweet with a few problems and misunderstandings thrown in for good measure. It was a perfect little 4.5 star read for me. I really did enjoy it.

Some women will do anything to get close to a brooding look and broad shoulders. Sarah isn't one of them. It's bad enough that her sister booked the two of them on a eco volunteer break instead of a 5 star luxury hotel but with the project leader taking everything she says the wrong way it's going to be a very long 4 weeks. This is the perfect book to read on the beach while thanking God that you don't have to empty a compost toilet. There are some great characters here including a tiny blind monkey aptly named Chatty..Lighthearted and funny with a touch of romance thrown in this book is well worth a read.

As a summer read this one took me by complete surprise. I totally judged this book by the cover, and really expected a luxurious holiday escape! Having previously read another book by Samantha Tonge which gave me pause for thought about food poverty, this did exactly the same but regarding plastics, and the way in which we do not consider that what we do will impact not only the climate but also the lives of the animals who come into contact with thoughtless humans.

I loved the relationship that Sarah and Amy had. As Sarah had taken on a motherly role over Amy while she was still a child, she found it hard to step back when Amy was an adult but through their experiences on the island, they both learned a lot about themselves as well as about one another. This really resonated with me, because I’m seven years younger than my sister, and I felt like I was constantly treated like the baby, well into my adult life. Circumstances between my sister and I have changed dramatically over the last year, and although we’ve had significant losses, we’ve gained one another out of it. In many ways it made me really identify with Amy, although I have to say Sarah’s idea of the perfect holiday was a much closer match to my own, than what Amy chose for them!

The location sounded idyllic, but also very basic, and as an absolute mosquito-magnet, I found some of it uncomfortable reading, but honestly, in much the same way that Sarah fell in love with the location, I did too, and I found myself pondering how I’d love to be involved in a conservation initiative like the one Sarah and Amy were involved with, well, if I was maybe 20 years younger, and there were air-conditioned mosquito-free rooms!

I enjoyed the other characters so much in this story, they all played an important role, and I was a particular fan of Chatty! Who wouldn’t want a friendly, blind monkey who appreciated terrible whistling?

I really loved this insightful book, and I love the way Samantha Tonge writes novels that really make me think more deeply about my own interactions within the world. This was such a wonderful summer book.

Loved it. Big fan of Samantha Tonge and this book was just a delight. Always enjoy her uplifting and warm writing style.

The Blurb :
After a long and turbulent year, Sarah is dreaming of the five-star getaway her sister has booked them on. White sands, cocktails, massages, the Caribbean is calling to them.
But the sisters turn up to tatty beaches, basic wooden shacks, a compost toilet and outdoor cold water showers. It turns out that at the last minute Amy decided a conservation project would be much more fun than a luxury resort.
So now Sarah's battling mosquitos, trying to stomach fish soup and praying for a swift escape. Life on a desert island though isn't all doom and gloom. They're at one with nature, learning about each other and making new friends. And Sarah is distracted by the dishy, yet incredibly moody, island leader she's sure is hiding a secret.

My Thoughts :
This is such a beautiful cover, it screams read me and as I am a fan of Samantha Tonge, I couldnt wait to get stuck in.
Sarah and Amy are sisters. When Amy wins some money on the lottery she insists on taking her sister on holiday. Sarah starts getting all excited and dreaming of a luxury stay in a top hotel with room service, white sandy beaches and cocktails by the pool, little does she know that Amy swapped them onto a conservation project staying on Seagrass Island thinking it would be so much more fun than a luxury resort. Sarah knows nothing about this until they arrive on the island. Faced with tatty buildings, a compost toilet, cold showers, mozzies everywhere and not a cocktail in sight, Sarah refuses to stay and wants the first boat out of there.
Will Sarah really leave Seagrass Island and upset her sister or will she decide to stay and suck it up!?.
Although a bit of a slow start for me, I did really warm upto the charactors and loved exploring the Island and how the conservation project developed!. Samantha Tonge really did her homework. I loved the Sea Turtles and then there is Chatty the blind monkey, such a cute addition.
This was perfect escapism with some romance thrown in.

Sarah thinks her sister Amy has booked them a month long vacation at a fabulous resort. To her horror when she arrives she finds out that Amy switched vacations at the last minute and now they are spending a month working to rebuild an island that was devastated by a hurricane. I felt very bad for Sarah. This was something she should have been told beforehand to wrap her head around it. However, this trip shows her who she is and she learns valuable things.

Absolutely enjoyed this one. I fell in love with Sarah and Rick. It was a slow start for me and I thought this book was trying to push an ecological agenda at first. It almost read that way. But I was mistaken and it turned out to be a great book.

Sarah thinks her sister Amy has booked a five star luxury holiday after winning money from the lottery. However, when they arrive she realizes it’s actually a holiday roughing it in a conservation project on an island with wooden shacks, compost toilet, and lots of chores to be done. This is not the relaxing holiday she had in mind and honestly needed. Sarah is ready to head out when the charismatic island leader Rick starts to doubt Sarah. Well then it becomes a battle of wills that she must prove him wrong. She has all the wrong clothes, all the wrong ideas, and of course Rick doesn't know this. He just thinks Sarah is an idiot who thought she was going to just come and help out a little. As Sarah continues to battle with the simple lifestyle she comes up with some ideas to develop some of the island into a luxury relaxing hotel to help the island actually make some money, so he can continue his conservation work. Will Rick the island leader go for the ideas or will Sarah decide to leave the island early.

I was just overall super happy with this book. It was such a wonderful little read. Perfect for those on vacation. I found the love story a perfect combination of sweet with a few problems and misunderstandings thrown in for good measure. It was a perfect little 4.5 star read for me. I really did enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for allowing me to read and review.

This is only the second book I have read by Samantha Tonge and again I was completely hooked with her witty and heart-warming story of friendship and family. I really love Samantha’s writing, you are not only swept away on a fun and enjoyable adventure but with some serious subjects that make you stop and really think about the world we live in.
Sarah hasn’t been on holiday in an age, after a pretty turbulent year she is ready to relax and allow her mind and body to chill and wind down. But as things stand losing her job and not having anything else in the pipeline plus not money, the long-wished-for dream of a holiday is just that; a dream. That is until her sister; Amy wins some money and decides to take them both on a dream holiday, she is going to whisked them both away to a sunny and relaxing island.
I really like Sarah, her story really spoke to me, I related to her far more then I did Amy. She is a very relatable and likable woman, she has always done her best, worked hard and always looked after her little sister. She is the sort of woman that anyone can instantly like, she is a little down on her luck and deserves a little happiness and fun.
Sarah thinks that Amy has booked them a glorious Caribbean holiday, four weeks of nothing but luxury and pampering. Oh, how wrong she is! It turn’s out that the holiday is in fact, a paid voluntary conservation scheme, instead of a month of sunning herself and being waited on hand and foot, it in fact means a month of hard graft.
What I really liked about this book is that even thought there is a hint of a romance, it doesn’t overshadow the main plot, this is all about building confidence, binding those family ties and finding ones feet again, it’s all about friendship and the strength of family and self discovery.
The romance aspect is really sweet, and to be perfectly honest this book would be just as delightful whether there was romance or not.
There is such a important message hidden within, not only to that doing things for you is important to moving forward and coping with past issues. But there is a serious aspect in the conservation side which does make you stop and think.
Overall, a hugely enjoyable, inspirational and perfect escapist story, at times a little predictable but I was completely hooked!

Sarah has been working really hard at her job and at life bringing up her younger sister Amy. One day Amy wants to say thanks to her and books them a holiday together so they can escape London for awhile.

Sarah thinks she knows the type of holiday Amy has booked: relaxing by the pool sipping Cosmopolitans (just my kind of getaway).

As the plane lands in the British Virgin Islands, Sarah is awed by the lush landscape. Soon, her awe turns to dread when she finally finds out the truth of what outdoorsy Amy has in mind......

The landscape is wild but exotic and the accommodation... well, it's so far from the 5 star hotel Sarah had pictured. The sisters love each other yet the reality of where they have ended up sparks conflict.

Will Sarah stay or go? And is a certain guy enough to keep her there?

Fun, atmospheric and welcomingly escapist.....even more so in lockdown. The Summer Island Swap has relaxing but engaging pacing and a realistic sisterly relationship. The cover is gorgeous!


I just love Samantha Tonge's novels! Thanks to Samantha Tonge and Aria for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

5 stars.

A gorgeous read from an author who never fails to entertain!

Sarah and her sister Amy live together; it's nine years since Sara had a holiday as she was too busy working to keep a roof over their heads. Now, Amy's lotto numbers come good and she wants to treat them both to a holiday. Spotting a luxury resort with all the trappings on her sister's laptop, Sarah begins to dream of relaxing by the pool sipping cocktails, enjoying spa treatments and sinking into a sumptuous bed at the end of the day .. so it's a shock to find out that Amy swapped islands at the last moment . . .

With both romance and adventure, Samantha Tonge has excelled herself with this one; she must have done extensive research into the habitat and conservation issues facing the Virgin Islands and other places like them - but this is a very amusing tale as well! With a great cast of varied personalities there is plenty going on in this one. Lots of laugh out loud moments as well as the 'aaww' ones, especially every time Chatty makes an appearance! It's a fun read whilst being very in keeping with the current eco-climate issues. There is an abundance of information on the damage caused by environmental issues in the world as well as a wonderful insight into the wild life and all cleverly incorporated into the story. It's a superb read and earns every one of the five sparkling stars I'm happy to give it.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley and to Vicky Joss for my spot on this tour; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

Sun, sea, sand and cocktails. A great story that lifted you up and took you away from it all. Lovely story and great characters

I'm not sure I would have been as forgiving as Sarah, not even with the way things turned out. There 's roughing it and then there's emptying compost toilets! 

But it does go to show how new experiences can widen your horizons and suggest new opportunities - but I think I'd prefer to widen mine without the benefit of huge spiders!

This was a fun, on trend read, and aside from the romance (which was satisfyingly dramatic) the book carried a serious message.

Chatty was the star of the show for me, though.

I'm not sure about anybody else but I am reading more during lockdown - but I cannot read anything too demanding or heavy - and this book fitted the bill perfectly.

A slight misunderstanding over her holiday arrangements find Sarah not on her luxurious no expense spared holiday destination complete with unlimited cocktails and sunshine but instead on a conservation project on the stunning British Virgin Islands. To say she is not happy about this is an understatement and she is determined not to enjoy it. But as time passes and her friendship with the project leader develops her attitude changes. The setting sounds wonderful and the project itself is quite topical. Love the interaction between the sisters and how their relationship changes. But best of all is the little monkey - if he doesn't capture your heart then nothing will.

This is a perfect piece of escapism which I am sure many of us need right now.

I write this review whilst hoping it will bring back the beautiful lockdown weather...fingers crossed!

Sarah is a young woman with a career plan. Working in hospitality, she is keen to make her mark on the hotel business, wanting to work her way up to a luxury resort where she can really have an impact on customers hotel experiences. She is hard working and driven, and she pushes to provide her sister Amy with a roof over her head and the support she needs to succeed in the veterinary world.

When Amy has a small windfall, she is keen to repay Sarah with an all expenses paid trip to the British Virgin Islands. A four week trip, spending her time experiencing luxury whilst researching a top-end hotel is just what Sarah needs. What Sarah actually gets though is really rather different...

Concerned that Sarah will spend their trip with her work head on, Amy instead books a four week trip to a conservation project in the British Virgin Islands. Hard work, compost toilets and wooden shacks for accommodation were not exactly what Sarah had in mind, although hunky Island leader Rick could certainly change her view of the place!

This is a modern twist on the classic 'fish out of water' story. Upon arriving at their beautiful destination, Sarah is immediately out of her comfort zone. She is forced into a situation that she ultimately hates, all whilst trying to maintain a facade of happiness to her sister who she refuses to disappoint. As we all know though, it is only when we are uncomfortable or put into new situations that we get to learn about ourselves, and what we really want from life.

I really liked Sarah as a character. I could relate to how protective of her sister she was, even if it did stifle Amy at times. Her drive to succeed comes from a lifetime of put downs, and again, it's completely relatable. Her entire persona makes sense, and so watching her struggle with her new surroundings sometimes makes difficult reading. Don't get me wrong, this is a light-hearted novel with some romance thrown in for good measure, but that doesn't make the characters any less relatable or interesting to follow.

This is really nice, easy to read novel, set in a luscious location (if we can't go on holiday in real life then we may as well visit far flung places within the pages of novels!). This is a great novel for readers interested in conservation, desert islands and characters who need to work out what they really want from life - if only I could do that from a desert island! Grab yourself a cocktail and settle down with this novel!

Humour, originality and romance are all integral to this motivational story. There are good intentions, misunderstandings and an idyllic if not expected setting. Deeper issues of controlling behaviour and conservation add depth and engagement.

Forced out of her comfort level, Sarah confronts issues caused by her difficult childhood. She is conflicted but easy to empathise. Gentle romance is the catalyst for her emotional journey, which is positive and satisfying.

I received a copy of this book from Head of Zeus -Aria via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The Summer Island Swap is a gorgeous, fun loving read that will have you crossing out your holiday wishlist and adding a small island off the Caribbean coast. You’ll not only fall in love with the beautiful sunsets and the lush flora and myriad of fauna but your heart will be stolen by a little chap who loves freeze dried strawberries!

When you’ve worked in the hotel industry for a long time and your sister surprises you with a treat of a month long holiday you can’t help but fantasise about role reversal and being the recipient of pampering at a luxury hotel. However, Sarah was in for a surprise from sister Amy as when they got to their destination the staff at the resort were none existent, unless you counted the guests including yourself who have paid to volunteer at a conservation resort. Sarah was not impressed at all and was all set to return on the next flight home. She’d packed new holiday clothes including dresses, strappy sandals and bikinis which were totally unsuitable and not on the required inventory list on the resort website. Amy was going to be in trouble with her sister!

Sarah soon found a fellow confederate with another guest who was as equally unimpressed with the destination. However, Sarah is a very determined young lady, from a young age she’s had to prove she can cope under adversity and she’s not going to let a few creepy crawlies, basic accommodation and a bit of hard graft beat her. She decides to give the conservation project a go but it’s not all plain sailing for Sarah. She’s like a fish out of water and stumbles through many obstacles physically and mentally and a handsome owner of the project is one of the obstacles she has to contend with.

I really enjoyed this story by Samantha Tonge; it was filled with plenty of light hearted fun and frolics but it also held a serious side to the storyline with the sisters coping with a troubled and painful childhood. The conservation side of the story was very interesting and inspired me. It’s left me food for thought on what is most important in time away from home; is it luxury or is it a sense of achievement in helping good causes such as a conservation project like the one in Samantha Tonge’s book? A story with plenty of heart and warmth with an underlining feeling of inspiration.

I really really want to cuddle Chatty, he is just the best monkey ever, so adorable, blind and seems to like bad whistling.

I'm not quite as keen on all the creepy crawlies, and the compost toilet etc.. that are also part of this unexpected island holiday for Sarah. For she has been promised ultimate luxury, and then her sister Amy swapped the holiday as a surprise at the last min, and instead they are in an animal lovers dream holiday, at a conservation project, in the British Virgin Islands rainforest.

To say this isn't Sarah's dream holiday would be understatement, but her love for her sister and determination makes her decide to stay for the full month and to take part. She also hadn't counted on the sexy Rick, whose island and project this is.

He is passionate about everything to do with the island, the wildlife, the way of life etc.. and yet struggles to realise not everyone feels quite the same as him.

Amy is a vetinary nurse and has a massive amount of knowledge about the various species on the island, and as the book progresses, her confidence really does grow and develop.

I really enjoyed getting to know some of the other volunteers on this holiday. We are treated to detailed descriptions of all sorts of the activities on offer, and I really felt as though I was in this hot humid rainforest, being eaten alive by bug bites, while learning a whole lot about nature.

Other than Samantha Tonge's fabulous storytelling skills, I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book, especially given my ideal holiday would be what Sarah had been anticipating, and not something so physical, yet I was completely engrossed and couldn't get enough of all the details. It is just a fabulous way to escape the realities of life at the moment, and be immersed into an experience so different from my own that it was utterly gripping.

I loved every moment of this exhilarating story and wish it hadn't ended.

Thank you to Aria and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley & Aria for the opportunity to read & review Summer Island Swap. I'm not going to lie, I very nearly gave up, I started to get bored at the part they first arrived at Seagrass Island. The plot is interesting though really different to what would see in this category and different to what I have read before.

Whilst likeable the characters are also relatable and well developed and you could warm to them. The plot was too slow to develop and as I said I struggled to keep interested, it did pick up as Rick & Sarah's relationship evolved. Overall a good summery beach read.

Ever since their mother died Sarah has looked after her little sister Amy and so when Amy wins some money on the lottery she decides to take Sarah on a luxury Caribbean holiday. Full of excitement Sarah packs all her best clothes with dreams of white sandy beaches and cocktails by the pool so imagine her dismay when they arrive at a shabby little island with a wooden shack to live in because Amy at the last minute decided it would be much more fun to work on a conservation project! Will Sarah pack her bags and leave or stick it out and learn to empty the compost toilet........ and will the gorgeous owner of the island influence her decision!

A good fun book, I have to say I would have been with Sarah and been gutted at the switch, so you have to admire her for getting on with it although it is her worst nightmare! It was good to read something a bit different and makes a lovely summer book

This is a really good easy read. The plot is interesting, really different form the normal you would see in this category and I agree with the other reviewers, I was furious on behalf of Sarah and wouldn't have been surprised if she'd stormed off home - although... short book!
Whilst likeable the characters are also relatable and well developed.
The only down side was the plot was too slow to develop and I struggled to keep interested. The girls relationship with their father was alluded to time and again without progressing which I found frustrating.
But overall a good summery beach read.