"As Greek as It Gets", by Sue Roberts
Alice Clark is a simple artist that is engaged to Max, an ostentatious financial planner and they enjoy their routine life. But, is the routine life exactly what Alice envisioned? The relationships in this novel were intricately crafted to build Alice's character and her distinctive layers.
For Alice's "Hen (bachelorette) Party" we find Rita, Kerry, & Molly (Max's younger sister) heading to a Crete week-long getaway. As they experience the sun-drenched beaches and the perfect turquoise-hued water they find the astounding Greek food, nightlife, and the numerous cocktails Alice also finds her heart.
An evening terrace conversation opens Alice's eyes and her heart to what she has been missing. The adrenaline rush and excitement of love propels Alice to search for what she desires. Once the trip is over Alice heads home with the baggage of what happened and what did not happen.
The routine of Alice and Max is shaken, and the relationship is tested to the point of imploding. Friends and family are Alice's comfort and her art is what strengthens her core. Will Alice find the love that she has been missing? Or will Alice realize she has always had the love she craved?
This was my first novel by Sue Roberts, I found her writing engaging and the story kept pulling towards the next chapter. The characters were vivid, and each had the unique quirks that made them relatable.

Keep your eyes peeled for this one. Definitely a good read for the holidays or for when you just want some down time.
"Fun, feel-good romantic comedy " indeed. This book lived up to every expectation I had of it.

The writing style is simple and laid back. I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions that were woven throughout this book. They are so vivid you can momentarily drift off to Greece with these fun loving characters. The scenery writing is fantastic.

The dialogue could have been a little more developed but it does the job and there is a good use of humour which really makes up for it.
The characters are flawed and have their own quirks which I absolutely love. It makes them more relatable.

A lovely book to take your mind off things for a while and de-stress.

An easy, enjoyable read. Read it in a couple of sittings while sitting in the sun. Seems an ideal book to head to the beach with. Not too taxing to read and the plot is easy to follow

This was the perfect Sunday afternoon read. Nice and light, without any heavy deep plot dragging you down.

The story begins with Alice, who is engaged to Max, who proposed to her while they were vacationing on the island of Crete. Rather than letting her plan their wedding, he has steamrolled his way in and is and is making it a bigger and bigger production. Her girlfriends take her for her henparty back to the isle of Crete. As she begins to enjoy herself with her friends, immersing themselves in the Greek way of life, she starts to feel drawn to the small village way of living, and more importantly, to a very handsome Greek man. As the hen trip begins to wind down, Alice has big decisions she needs to make with respect to her future, her possible marriage and her fiance Max.

I loved the beautiful descriptions of Crete and how this book mixed romance and humor. This would be a perfect beach read or for someone looking for a little lighter reading, especially during this time. I recommend this book for lovers of travel romance.

I would like to thank Sue Roberts, Bookouture and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and exchange for a fair and honest review.

I have enjoyed immensely the plot and loved the characters. This is my first book that I have read written by this author and for sure it won't be the last. I recommend the book to anyone who likes to read and relax with a good book at the end of the day.

This is a very light, easy read.
I had some mixed feelings about this book as I was reading it. Alice and Max are planning their wedding, or more precisely Max and his sister are planning their wedding. Max has started a financial business and it is doing very well and he would like to go all out for the wedding. While Alice does not want all the fanfare, she doesn't speak up to him. It became a bit repetitive, Max would add guests or new attractions, like a fireworks display, and Alice would complain to herself and smile to Max.
When her friends take Alice away for her hen party, she sees a simpler life and way to embrace their wedding the way she always wanted.. The problem is will she ever have the nerve to tell Max what she really wants?
I enjoyed the book for the most part, but some of the sections just dragged on and I kept wishing for Alice to really speak up. Even when she tried it seemed a bit unreal.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

As a true lover of the Greek Islands, I’m automatically drawn to any book that features them. As Greek As It Gets by Sue Roberts is a fabulous novel allowing you to escape from the world for a couple of days as you totally immerse yourself into the book.

It features everything you could wish for: beautiful whitewashed buildings in the Greek sunshine, gorgeous food and the descriptions of the Cretan village and Santorini will feel as if you have been transported there. Great characterisation and a plot that flowed well make this book an absolute winner.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

Alice is engaged to her boyfriend Max, and planning her dream wedding. But as the plans get out of control, her best friend takes her away for a much needed break to Greece.
As she lets loose and enjoys the Greek way of life, she begins to feels drawn to a small local town, and a very handsome man. As the trip comes to a close, Alice has big decisions to make on her future.

This is a prefect beachy summer read. From the beautiful descriptions of Greece, to the
humorous story-line with Alice, I enjoyed this book. There isn't anything deep about the book, it's a very light easy read. But sometimes that is just what a reader might need.

I’ve loved other books by this author and this didn’t disappoint. I love Greece and I could almost imagine I was there. Great easy read and relatable characters.

As Greek as it Gets sounded really good in the synopsis but once I started reading I just couldn’t connect with these characters. Alice has found her “perfect” man but she is having some very anxious feeling about the upcoming wedding with Max. She doesn’t confront the wedding issues, then there’s issues with her and her relationship with her mother as well. She leaves for her hen's week (who gets a week long bachelorette party??) and here is where I stopped because to me this story wasn’t really going anywhere, I wasn’t enjoying it, and I have so many other promising books to read. I have learned that even though it pains me, as I know how much effort and love goes into writing books, this book is a DNF for me. I just was annoyed by Alice and have to move on to something that catches my eye. I do hope other people enjoy this story but it just wasn’t for me.

I was provided with an electronic ARC through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Contemporary Romance; Adult

First Person, female-POV

This is a standalone book with HEA.

MY THOUGHTS

I’ve had a lot of mixed feelings with this book. I’ve finished a few days ago, but I gave myself some distance from it, before I wrote my review.

I guess this wasn’t really my cup of tea. For some reason, it didn’t work for me.

Even though I liked the concept of the plot and its amazing setting, I had a hard time connecting with the characters and it all felt a bit flat for me.

21/35 STARS – 3 STARS (between 21 stars and 24 stars)

Addictiveness: 2 Character: 2 Cover: 5 Freshness: 3.5 Plot: 3.5 Romance: 2 Writing Style: 3

Action 0/5 Angst 2/5 Darkness 0/5 Humor 3/5 Romance 3.5/5 Suspense/Mystery 0/5

Would I recommend? I don’t think so.

Would I re-read this book/series? No.

Would I read more from the author? I don’t know.

WHAT HAS REALLY WORKED FOR ME

Cover: art 5/5, title 5/5, color-font 5/5, buy 5/5 I’m obsessed with book covers. I love to find snippets of the stories within the art. This one was perfect. It was what attracted me first to read this book. The art was fun, vibrant and unique. The colors used were spot on and the art told us a story. We can guess the setting and the atmosphere of the book. The title is catchy and the subtitle keeps the reader guessing. I would definitely buy this book by its cover without needing to read the blurb!!!

Freshness: 3.5/5 I really liked the concept of the story and the it felt new, different than most out there. As fresh as mint tea!!!

Plot: believable 4/5, conflict 3.5/5, dialogue 3/5, ending 4/5, enjoyment 2.5/5, opening 4/5, pace 3/5, setting 5/5, subplots 3/5, twists 4/5 Good opening and really good ending. Believable plot, with nice dialogues and ok pace. Superb setting, ok subplots with an interesting twist at the end. Ok level of enjoyment!

This book had an amazing setting, that was superbly described and very well detailed. It took me back to when I was visiting Greece and it felt real and believable.

I also have to mention that the twist at the end was cute and unexpected. It really made the story better!!!

Writing Style: 3/5 Ms. Roberts knows how to describe scenery and make the reader goes in a journey through it. I felt the lively, sunny greek atmosphere. The idea for the plot was good and felt fresh. The writing was clean of mistakes and felt cohesive. Ok writing!!!

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER

Addictiveness: 2/5 I think of myself as a character reader, and because I had a hard time connecting with the characters, the story never really grabbed me.

Character: hero 2/5, heroine 2.5/5, secondary characters 3/5, growth 3/5, real 4/5 I’m a character reader. I need to feel a connection with at least one character to really be invested in the story. I had a hard time connecting with them because there was not enough background on them. In fact, this book was all about Alice, and I still don’t really know who was Max. Max felt a lot like a secondary character and never like the hero of the story. Because this is a romance, I’m always expect a depth of profiling both the hero and heroine.

Alice was an ok heroine. She was having a hard time with the next step of her relationship. At the same time that it was easy for me to see her struggles, I never really saw a maturity of Alice understanding them and evolving from them during the story.

She was going to be married in a couple of months, she was going on a trip with her best friends, like a “bachelorette party/trip”, and she was the least excited about it. She was overwhelmed with not only her wedding, but also with her boyfriend’s extravaganza.

Then, she came back from her trip, had a bit of rough path, but nothing major, or at least, we readers don’t really learn much about these hard times.

After a few chapters, the story jumped at the sweet and very cute and perfect ending for her. I only wanted to have seen and felt her pain and angst. I wanted to have gone into that self journey with her. I’ve missed feeling and understanding her emotions.

Max was a mild hero. He felt more like a secondary character than an integral part of this romance. His story arch never really evolved and I don’t know what to say about him.

Secondary characters I’ve liked Ria, Molly and Kerry. They seemed like good friends. I don’t know if I wouldn’t have reacted exactly like Molly, so I would rather not judge her actions.

Antagonists/villains I believe the biggest problem of the conflict was communication. Max and Alice were not talking to each other and when they talked if felt like the other wasn’t listening. But I guess Vangelis was sort of an antagonist. I have to say, I really liked him and I was rooting for him. I believe I learned more about him than some other major characters of the story.

Characters and their development were my biggest problem of the book for me. They were hard to like, connect or understand!!!

Romance: believable 3/5, chemistry 2/5, description 3/5, development 2/5, steam 1/5 I don’t think it really worked for me. Because I didn’t really learn much about Max, I never felt their chemistry. I read a lot how he was Alice’s perfect man and how much they loved each other, and because of I guess I could say this was a cute, sweet love!!!

You MAY read this because you enjoy the author; you SHOULD read this because you like sweet romance; you MUST read this because it portrays Greece and greek culture beautifully!!!

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.
This book was just ok for me.
It was a little annoying because almost every page Alice talks about her unhappiness with the wedding, like literally almost every page. Alice is somewhat whiny and doesn't speak up for herself and Max is definitely unwise with money. Alice also has an unhealthy relationship with her mother and won't speak up for herself there either.
The last few chapters were the best in the book because Alice and Max get married and she stops whining about it.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

This is a fun summer read following the life of Alice as her wedding nears. Alice is engaged to an up and coming financial guy who is loving his new found wealth. Alice and her friends go away for a bachelorette weekend to Greece. During her time in Greece, she realizes that the wedding that she once planned was being changed and enlarged by her soon to be husband. Follow the progression of Alice during her last few days as a single girl.

I was excited to read a book set in Greece but something about the writing just didn't do it for me.

This is a story about an artist named Alice, who is soon to be married to her lovely fiancé Max. Before she gets hitched, Alice takes a Hen trip with her two best girlfriends and her soon to be sister in law. Alice hopes for a relaxing getaway, but instead takes the stress. of wedding planning (or lack thereof) with her to the Greek island of Crete. Alice is stressed about her wedding-she hasn't had much say in the plans. Being quite shy, and eternally grateful for Max, she is hesitant to vocalize her wishes. On the island of Crete, Alice feels more like herself, she finds the simple life very appealing, and is more willing to come out of her shell. Along the way she meets Vangelis, the tour guide from the hotel. They develop a quick connection and share special moments. Those that make Alice begin to question her entire future.

I did not enjoy reading this book, for many reasons. To start positive, the book was well written and I did want to finish it, primarily for reviewing purposes. I was happy with how Alice's character ended right at the very end. I enjoyed Gail, her boss and her friendship with Ria. Now, I started this book and 75 pages in I went and re-read the synopsis because I had no idea what it was about. There was no problem, nothing was arising. After, all of the drama happens in about 50 pages and then it's right back to pages and pages of really nothing. Non of the side stories were explored very well. I did not like the other characters. I found Max so cringey, he was written to be overly perfect but wasn't. He didn't realize anything that was going on with Alice. Although Alice can also be blamed. For the entire story she constantly goes on about how perfect Max is and how grateful she should be to be with him, and everyone around her reinforces that! Meanwhile, she also spends the entire book questioning everything, not being able to be honest with him and so on. Additionally, the problem in this book is so minor and so blown out of proportion. If this book didn't revolve around a wedding, it could've been written about middle schoolers. I did not like the comments Alice's friends made to her, or comments she made. Alice came off as very awkward. Her lack of self-esteem and confidence came off as silly and as someone who needs to get it together. Then, she randomly had outbursts of confidence! Her "relationship" with Vangelis was very normal and random, nothing surrounding it made sense. She didn't want to see him but then went and got a drink with him, and so on. I hated how she commented about needing to fit into her wedding dress and how Max made a comment about her getting fit as well. Nothing about this book meshed with me-I was super disappointed.

The story of Alice and Max.
When Max proposes to Alice on holiday in Koutouloufari, Crete, Alice is sooo happy.
Two years later and they’re preparing for the wedding.
Max seems to be inviting people he knows and has known for ages and even those who’ve been on TV, and Alice wonders if it’s getting too much.
Her relationship with her mother is a bit strained.
When Alice goes on her hen party in Crete, she gets talking to a gorgeous man who work at the hotel one evening and they kiss.
Back home, and she can’t forget what happened and one night tells Max as she doesn’t want to keep secrets, who doesn’t take it well. Things get strained between them and Alice worries that maybe the wedding won’t happen.
Even her moms angry with her.
But, Max surprises her with a holiday before the wedding, again, once there she gets another surprise- they’re getting married. A few of their close friends and family are there too.
A lovely summer read. Loved the settings.

Planning a wedding is an exciting time for a couple in love. Alice Clark has her mind set on a quiet, romantic wedding: intimate, joyous, with loved ones around you all celebrating your unity and the new life of your lives as man and wife. But unfortunately her handsome fiancé Max doesn’t share the same idea for his wedding. He wants a lavish do, lots of guests; the more the merrier, music, fireworks, the whole shebang. What’s more his sister is a wedding event manager and offers her services to Alice and Max. The nearer to the wedding it gets, the more input Max gives, his whole heart and soul set on making it a spectacle to be admired and remembered as a wonderful day.
Of course they are deeply in love. When Max proposed to Alice she was wild with joy. They are total opposites: she on the shy side and hated drawing attention to herself, and he diametrically opposite; sociable, flamboyant and loving being in the limelight. They say opposites are attracted to each other and this was certainly true of Max and Alice. They couldn’t get enough of each other.
For her Hen Night she and her friends are going to Crete for a short break and are staying in a lovely hotel not far from the quiet little village where Max surprised her with his proposal. Now that was so romantic and while she is in Crete she plans to pay a solo visit to the very same lovely Taverna and drink in the memories from that special evening. She and the girls envisage lounging by the pool, visiting the beach with a good book to read and going on some days out to enjoy the beauty of the island together and make memories they can share in the future. But that holiday is destined to change Alice in so many ways as she laps up the sunshine, frolics on the beach and enjoys the glorious cocktails, relaxed and enlivened by the serenity and friendliness of the locals. She almost dreads her wedding day as Max gets more and more ideas about making their day a day to remember. Is that what she really wants?
This story of a couple on the threshold of marriage is beautifully written and full of lovely memories for me as well. We too have visited Hersonissos, the Lassithi Plateau and the amazing Diktaeon Andron caves of Zeus, atop a rugged mountain. Sue Roberts has vividly described the picturesque scenery in the locality so well; I could see the views in my mind so easily. I loved her character development which made me feel an affinity with each of the characters. I cared about what happened to them and hoped Max and Alice would have their happy ever after. I loved the ending – it made me feel warm, happy and fuzzy.
I received this book through my membership of NetGalley and from publisher Bookouture in return for an honest review. Thank you for my copy. These are my own thoughts and I have read no other reviews before writing my own. I thought this novel was a short and easy read with lots of fun times but also with dilemmas and issues that these two main characters needed to overcome. It is a perfect summer romantic read, lovely for the beach, swimming pool or curling up and dedicating yourself to hours of pleasure. I enjoyed it and recommend it as a good read. It’s a 3.5* review from me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book.

If you're fed up of being stuck indoors and can’t get away on holiday because of the Coronavirus lockdown (and you love chicklit) then this is the perfect book to whisk you away to sunny, beautiful Greece.

The story is about the run up to Alice’s wedding and her hen weekend in Greece. I must admit I did find Max, her fiancé, a little annoying but my opinion of him did change.

A great easy to read story and definitely recommend if you enjoy a good chicklit.

This is the second book I've read by Sue Roberts; I also read her book "You, Me and Italy." I enjoyed both books. Roberts does a wonderful job of describing her venues -- in this case, Greece (specifically Crete and Santorini). It makes me feel like I'm there, and I yearn to experience the Aegean blue waters, white-washed villas and the cuisine and people of Greece. (Okay, I admit, I've wanted to visit Greece since high school, but this book just confirms it!)

Both of the two Roberts' books that I've read are gentle reads. If you're looking for deep, gut-wrenching angst, you won't find it. If you're looking for your characters to be plunged into terrible trouble, that probably won't happen either. From what I can tell, that's not really her style.

But, this book will take you along on Alice's lightly turbulent journey. Alice is engaged to the man of her dreams -- Max -- and heads to Crete for her 'hen week' before her marriage in a few weeks. She's increasingly troubled about her upcoming nuptials. Mainly, because it is morphing from the small, intimate affair that she and Max discussed, into a large gathering at a posh country club complete with fireworks and entertainment. Max is doing all the planning, and she's worried about the money and extravagance. But she's afraid to tell him how she feels.

So she heads to Crete and while on a safari-type excursion to the smaller towns and natural areas on the island, she meets Vangelis, a very attractive Greek man who is leading the excursion. She meets him later in the evening, and they begin talking. He is such a good listener that she pours out her heart about her rough childhood and her doubts about the wedding. He invites her to come to his room, which has a gorgeous balcony view of the bay, and she goes. He's the perfect gentleman and they spend all night talking. When she leaves his room at 4 a.m., Max's sister is just coming in from the nightclub and sees her. Of course, she doesn't believe Alice. And although nothing happened, Alice feels guilty about it, because what happily engaged woman would spend the whole night alone with another man, and pour her heart out to that man?

She avoids Vangelis for a while, but eventually runs into him again and something else happens with him. (Which I won't reveal--don't want to spoil the story.)

Because of this, she returns back home to England with a lot of guilt, and that guilt propels her to tell Max, which hurts him and he says he's not sure he can trust her. Now she worries that he won't ever be able to forgive her, and that she's lost her true love.

I don't want to reveal more of the story, because it has a bit of a turnaround and a nice surprise at the end! (Think: grand gesture!)

As I mentioned, the story won't take you on a roller coaster ride of angst, but sometimes that's okay, right? Because not all trials and tribulations in a relationship need to be that exhausting.

Through the process, we see Alice grow and become more confident in expressing her opinions. And the reward is an unexpected turn near the end of the book.

Max, her fiance, is wonderful. He really cares about her, trying to plan the perfect wedding, or what he thinks is the perfect wedding. But he grows too, and learns to listen to what she's saying, rather than just assuming she will like expensive and elaborate meals, gifts and celebrations.

If you're tired to being stuck in your home (because of social distancing and 'stay in place' orders due to COVID-19), this book will take you to a warm, sunny and beautiful location--Greece!

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is not my usual genre, I’m more of a crime/thriller reader however this story intrigued me. I absolutely loved it, truly one of the best books I have read. I am extremely pleased and grateful to both for opening up my mind to something totally different.