One Last Letter from Greece by Emma Cowell

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Devastated by her mother’s death, Sophie longs to get away from an empty house full of memories and a life that hasn’t quite turned out as she had imagined.

So when a chance discovery among her mother’s belongings hints at a past Sophie knows nothing of, she jumps at the opportunity for escape and a chance to heal. The magical, idyllic Greek town of Methoni awaits…

But Sophie – determined to uncover her mother’s secrets – is about to discover so much more. Among the tranquil waters and cozy tavernas, Methoni’s locals offer Sophie the answers she craves, along with unexpected romance and, if she’ll take it, a chance at her own happiness…

This book should appeal to all of the romantics out there but be warned there are a lot of triggers in this book (domestic violence, loss of a parent and miscarriage). Personally I felt that the plot was a little bit weak and I felt like the connections between the characters needed more work. The story is set in a great place with some good descriptions but my mind was able to drift away from the book very easily.

Rating 3/5

Perfect to read in our recent heatwave. It makes me want to go to a Greek village immediately and immerse myself in the local culture. The sun, sea, food, flirty fishermen. I did find it slightly too long and did start to lose interest at some of the storylines. But overall a good summer/holiday read.

As a hardcore fan of Greece (that has been going on vacation to this beautiful country every year for the past 15 years) this book was definitely up my alley.

The long descriptions of the scenery and local cuisine were very satisfying, to be honest. I've never been to Methoni or that part of Greece before, but now I definitely want to visit. I said this before and I genuinely feel this book is a love letter to Greece.

I enjoyed the plotline, Sophie's journey of healing and overcoming her mother's loss was quite emotional. I liked how the emotional abuse she's endured in her previous relationship was handled.

For a debut novel, this book isn't bad at all, but I do feel that it could have been a little less complicated, writing wise. The author's style is very lyrical and enjoyable, but at some point I just wanted things to happen already.

Anyway, it was a really beautiful book. I'm rounding up 3.5 stars.

This was a great book that had a wonderful storyline. The characters were very relatable and it would be a great book for a book club.

One Last Letter from Greece is a romantic women's fiction written by author Emma Cowell and this is her debut novel. The book tells Sophie's story as she copes with the recent loss of her mother and tries her to find herself again after breaking away from a toxic relationship.

Sophie discovers something intriguing when she stumbles upon a box in her mother's closet. She discovers that her mother, who is a famous painter, may have kept one of her most sought paintings in a Greek seaside town called Methoni. She decides to visit the town and make an effort to give the painting, hoping that it will help her get the parts of herself she has lost in the past several years. She also hopes to get some perspective on life and get back her lost passion for living.

Little does she know that her life will be completely turned on its axis the moment she meets Theo, a fisherman. Her quest of finding her mother's painting also keeps stumbling on one rock or the other. Does she manage to find the painting? What is it's significance? Why should her mother leave Sophie clues that lead her to it? What does having Theo in her life mean to Sophie? You must read the book to get all these questions answered.

Emma Cowell is a promising writer. She has a descriptive style of writing that takes the reader right into the place the story is set up in. She also paints quite an encompassing picture of the characters that helps us look deep into each of their motivations.

The story starts in an evocative manner with the reader taken completely into the grief and turmoil that Sophie's mind currently is in. Then we are immersed in the beautiful locality that Methoni is and can gradually feel the healing which begins to happen to Sophie's soul. For all these positive points, I found it very difficult to connect with the story. The author's complicated style of writing broke the flow of the story for me many times. I also felt the story was long and winding n many places. It could have been more crisper and more to the point in many places.

However, the story's slightly intriguing nature makes up for it to a greater extent. Overall, it's a fairly good story about finding oneself and one's place in the world.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

I found this book, not to be to my taste. I found it was very long when the whole story probably could’ve been told in 100 pages less. The locale was beautiful, but I’m not sure I would read a book by this author again. It was a good try for a first book but a little too descriptive and too long. The mystery of the story was where the painting was well that was resolved 2/3 of the way through the book but then the book just wouldn’t stop.

Sadly, for some reason this book didn’t capture my heart and I found it a real slog reading it.

I couldn’t get my head around the friendship between Sophie and Tasha, at times I felt that Sophie was suffocating – if she were my friend I’d be telling her to back off!!

However, on a positive note I love Greece and so reading about the country, the people and their hospitality was so lovely and felt very true to life.

Sophie is slowly getting over the loss of her mother, Lyndsey, and decides to go to Greece as this is probably where her mother's lost painting is. Along the way, she meets Theo, and he changes her life.

Now, there were parts of this book that I found frightening as it dealt with DV, but all in all, this was a lovely, romantic book set in Greece and I found myself wanting to go over there and visit! Just the descriptions of the sunshine, the colours of the sky and sea.....ah yes, it sounded great. And, of course, the food. I think Greek food is incredibly yummy :) It isn't just the food though, it is the joy behind the making of the food which makes it so special.

4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK.

ONE LAST LETTER FROM GREECE
BY
Emma COWELL.

This is a lovely read following Sophie, who after her mother’s death, finds herself heading to Greece on a journey to discover her mother’s secrets. While there, she meets Theo, who is carrying his own baggage, but something special sparks between the pair.

This is a well written, charming read. With some fabulous characters, a beautiful setting and some touching romance.

Quite simply gorgeous.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Out now on all formats.

With thanks to Netgalley and Avon books for a digital arc of this title.

I knew going into this book that this would be different from my regular reads. This book began with a journey based on loss and I usually tend to keep my books lighter, but I was intrigued by the blurb that mentioned that Sophie found some never before seen items of her mother's who had just passed and decided to embark on a journey to Greece.

I felt this book took us upon a healing journey right alongside Sophie.

Sophie and Theo who've both experienced pain in the past found a way to each other. I'm so happy this couple was able to be exactly who they needed each other to be after all they had previously experienced. Sometimes your soul finds it's match in another person and that is what happened for Sophie and Theo.

Although there were some heavier topics discussed in this book, I still enjoyed it.

One Last Letter From Greece by @emmalloydcowell, a NetGalley read. Devastated by the death of her mother, Sophie comes across a picture of a missing painting that her mother, who was an artist, painted. The painting is shrouded in mystery, to the extent that nobody is sure it even exists. On the search for this painting Sophie gets more than she ever thought possible. I won’t tell you to much about this book because the beauty is in reading it and unravelling all it has to offer. It took me a long time to connect with this book and to really start to enjoy it. It definitely wasn’t the instant hit that I thought it would be and I say that because I couldn’t seem to get into the flow of it and when making general notes I put that it was a pleasant enough read, there were some surprises and shocks but nothing that wowed me at the point and I was a good way into the boo and then WOW all of a sudden things changed and I couldn’t put it down but at the same time didn’t want it to end! So it’s definitely safe to say that this book for me was a grower but worth keeping with for so so many reasons. One of those reasons is the way in which the author brings Greece alive and off of the pages, you can picture it as clearly as if you are sat in Greece reading this book, the little Greece village, surrounded by white building and the amazing blue of the sea. The author descriptions are one of the many things that make this book special, it’s a book that’s a treat to the senses, with also amazing descriptions of the food. Like I’ve said I couldn’t put the book down, yes it’s predictable, after all it’s a summer love story but the surprises along the way, are things you couldn’t predict. Sophie is this strong character who is so much stronger than she knows and what the the death of her mother, the secrets that reveals and stuff that has happened to her before then, make Sophie feel relatable. This is an emotional read and for me there was some especially tough subjects to read about, such as miscarriage. I felt personally it was shame this book took so long to get going, however having said that you can see why this book is such a hit and it’s a perfect summer read. Will be recommending this to family and friends.

This is a delightful summer read. The book follows Sophie who decides to head to mainland Greece following her mother's death and breaking up her engagement.
The descriptions make it easy to visualise the setting and the author takes you on a journey that covers grief, loss, love, friendship and second chances.
This is a great debut novel.
Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for this read.

Sophie's mum was an artist who has sadly has just passed away. While she is sorting out some of her things Sophie finds a copy of a 5th painting which her mum had done but no one knew where it was
To try and sort her feelings out Sophie heads off to Methoni in Greece to see if she can find out more about the painting and who owns it but discovers a whole lot more about her mum's past.

This was amazing! And has really made me want to visit Greece. I adored Sophie and Theo, especially how Sophie’s character developed throughout the book. The descriptions of the settings and the food were just so detailed. This was such a perfect read that I couldn’t put down and finished in one sitting

There was a lot to like about this book, but it was really obvious where the painting was going to be and what would happen. I could have done without the mystic stuff too.
Nevertheless am enjoyable summer holiday read.

Another DNF from me, I will try again in the future.
Received as an ARC and couldn't get into it.
Heard good reviews so could have been myself personally or my frame of mind.

Sophie travels to Greece after her mother dies, to track down her past. really good read. this was a new author for me but look forward to more by her.

Emma Cowell is a new author for me. Set in a beautiful location with relatable characters, a lovely heart-warming read.

I was in tears at how beautiful this story is written. After her mother passed she discovers her mothers past where she found that she had loved Greece and so she decides to take a trip. A change of scenery to honor her mother and to begin her healing.

One Last Letter From Greece by Emma Cowell is a romance as well as a woman coming to terms with the death of her mother. We join Sophie at her mother's funeral. It all happened so fast. She wasn't ready. Her ex, Robert, shows up simply to make everything worse. Her mother had been an artist, and she showed it in the way she lived, and how she dressed. Sophie wasn't ready to clear up yet, but she did open a box of pictures and in it she found a photo of a painting she had never seen. She took it to her mother's agent who never seen it either. She determined to find it and so she made plans to go to Greece, where it had been painted. Her friend, Tasha, was going through IVF and she wanted to be here, but she couldn't move on until she found this painting so off she went. She quickly fell in love with the place and with a man there, Theo. It all happened so fast. Then, she found the painting.

Sophie was a complicated character who had some growing to do. She had to get past being her mother's daughter and become the person she was meant to be. There were so many complications, which she took on one at a time. All she knew was that she loved Theo, the rest could be sorted. Or could they? She learned so much about her mother and about herself. The plot was a little convoluted, but readable, and told so much of a story that it was worth it. Theo was a good character, as well, with a back-story that had colored his view on life, making this whole scenario unlikely. It was a good read.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of One Last Letter from Greece by Harper Collins UK, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #harpercollinsuk #emmacowell #onelastletterfromgreece