Another quick romance novel by Jo Thomas. Eliza children have all grown up and left home she divorced her husband the main trouble is that all.three children, Luke, Ruby.and Edie have all come back to stay with their mother. They are quite literally filling all over one another and the two bedroom house is "bursting at the seams" .

then the mother, Eliza, spots an advertisement online looking for house sitters, this one is in South West Spain for two weeks. Just enough time to let Eliza finish her work for her foundation course, find out what she wants to do next in life all alone in the peace and quiet sitting by the pool. Or so she though, until she bumps into a so called Spanish convention group in a bar, where she ends up working. Also she gets involved in a mystery and a hijacking! Oh and course there is a particular interest that is easy trot spot from the beginning

A very quick easy summer read spread across only two weeks so very fast paced. If you want a book with more depth look elsewhere.

Thanks to Net and the publishers for giving me a free digital copy of he book in exchange for a full, crank and honest review.but

A gem of a book,
Great descriptions of Spain and Spanish food ! Jo Thomas is a fantastic cook .
Likeable characters, pure escapism, and a flowing storyline
Loved Banderos, read it to find out who or what he is ?
A great holiday read which I would highly recommend
Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Uk and Jo Thomas for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

I don't normally like books set abroad but Jo Thomas as such a way of writing about the characters, the setting and culture of places that I love her books. This one did take me a little longer to get into than others but still an enjoyable read. The story concentrates on Eliza a divorcee, with 3 adult children that need to learn to stand on their own 2 feet. Looking for a new career, Eliza has returned to education and needs to get her dissertation finished, she just needs some space. She signs up to house sit in a beautiful traditional area of Spain. No-one to look after just some sand, peace and writing. What can go wrong! Finding herself joining a Spanish conversation class, helping out in a restaurant and looking after prize pigs, and chasing criminals leaves very little time for her essay. Lovely book and loved learning about Spanish ham and tapas.

I liked this book a lot! It’s sweet and funny with really memorable characters. The descriptions of the small town in Spain and it’s inhabitants are great, there are some very quirky personalities! This is the perfect book to read if you need to get away for a bit. I recommend this one, 4.5 stars.

Synopsis:
Eliza has a full house! When her three children grew up and moved out, she downsized to a smaller property... but now they're all back. Every room in the house is taken and Eliza finds herself sharing her bed with her eldest daughter and her daughter's pug. Combined with the online course she's trying to finish, plus her job to fit in, there just isn't the peace and quiet that Eliza needs.

So when an ad pops up on her laptop saying 'house-sitters wanted', Eliza can't resist the chance to escape. She ends up moving to a rural finca in southern Spain, looking after the owner's Iberico pigs, learning about secret gastronomic societies... and finding a new zest for life and love along the way.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/<id type="integer">4902110140</id>

This was such a beautifully written book! Eliza's story took me by surprise and transported me to magnificent Spain. This is the 2nd book that I have read by Jo Thomas and I am SO IN LOVE with her books!!!

I loved how Eliza discovered new things about herself throughout the story. Her growth was so apparent - WE LOVE TO SEE THAT. The characters, especially from Eliza's Spanish class were really fascinating. I loved the eye-opening conversations the group had with each other. I was smiling and empathizing with their life through and through.

I will mention this though - I have a short attention span and the description about how pigs are bred and some other stuff bored me out at times. I do love Jo Thomas' descriptive style of writing, but there were just some parts that did not feel interesting to me, that's all. So I had to skim through a few chapters, but that did not bother me much because I was really excited to see how Eliza's story would turn out.

I can't wait to read more from Jo! So impressed. 4/5 stars overall.

A lovely feel good holiday read. Plenty to keep you interested with some interesting characters. I also learned about Iberico ham!

Retreat to the Spanish Sun is everything you want in a summer read. Romance, friendship. Written so well I could almost taste the tapas and breathe in the rich, dry landscape. A great story of how sometimes we find true happiness when we least expect it

An enjoyable book with the usual Spanish haunts you would expect – sunshine, Sangria, tapas, and tonnes of fun and romance.

Yet another brilliant book from Jo Thomas, they just get better and better. The main character Eliza is someon you really take to and would love as a friend. The book is total escapism and you really don’t want it to end. Great story set in Spain, the characters are really well written and it was a joy to read.

When Eliza’s children grew up and flew the nest she downsized to a smaller house. Little did she know that eventually they would all come back to live with her! With an online college deadline looming, Eliza needs to get her final essay written but there just isn’t the room or the headspace to do it at home. When she sees an advert for a house sitter, Eliza regards this as a chance to escape her noise, hectic life and find peace and quiet in rural Spain. However, things don’t quite go to plan, and she finds herself looking after the owners’ pigs as well as his finca and his dogs – but it’s given Eliza a new zest for life.

Jo Thomas has done it again! She never disappoints when it comes to story telling – she reels you in from the first page and together you go on a wonderful journey with your new found friends within the pages of the book. If you are a fan of Jo’s you will know that she has an absolute passion of food and cooking, and her love for it is infectious – this books centres around tapas – I am proud to say that I now have a better knowledge of Spanish ham and how the pigs are bred to produce it!
Brilliant book!

Eliza spends her time looking after her grown up kids, and is trying to study to improve herself. But she gets no time to herself at home so goes to Spain to house sit for two weeks, for the peace and quiet. Life in Spain is anything but quiet with new friends, a mystery involving stolen hams, and a handsome pig farmer. Not to forget Banderos, the depressed boar. Some interesting characters and a fun plot

I love Spain so I was looking forward to reading this story. Summer in the sunshine at a beautiful house, what more could you want, the animals keep you busy but Eliza had to learn how to look after them when she realised she was on her own. Making friends at the local tapas restaurant was a distraction that turned into love, in fact, love was blossoming in the Spanish sunshine. Great story for your summer holiday read.

I just loved this gorgeous story and immediately fell into step with Eliza and her need for personal space. I can completely understand that feeling and often disappear into my own little corner of the house for the same reasons.
The idea of taking a house-sitting gig in southern Spain is romantic in itself, but when that is coupled with a journey of self-discovery, it’s a very special combination. Of course, Eliza wasn’t aware that she needed to learn more about herself, she’d done a pretty good job so far and her main focus was on enjoying the peace and quiet that the 2-week trip was offering.
There was plenty of fun and excitement on the cards for Eliza, from a scary encounter with a large white pig to discovering that a learning Spanish class had nothing to do with extending her limited vocabulary. Her Spanish home, or Finca, was in an idyllic setting. Surrounded by woods and with uninterrupted views, it was easy to imagine a little piece of paradise. Jo is skilled at painting gorgeous locations with wonderful descriptions of the sights, smells, and sounds.
I loved how easily Eliza took to her pig-raising task. From exercising the cute piglets to encouraging Banderas, the boar, to at least move and eat, she excelled at both. There was plenty of food to enjoy including Iberico Ham and local cheeses. I would avoid the fusion tapas, that sounded dodgy!
At the heart of the story, were two main threads: the development of Eliza’s friendships with the members of the Spanish conversation class, and the mystery surrounding the suspicious goings-on at the Gastronomique Society.
As I have come to expect from this author, the characterisations were detailed with fully developed storylines that left me feeling satisfied with no loose ends. Of course, there is romance, but I hate to include spoilers, so you’ll need to grab a copy and learn more.
This was an easy 5-star story, and it has left me excited for my next escape.

Eliza goes to a Spanish retreat to find peace and quiet to finish her college work and get away from her 3 children, all adults but with child-like behaviour. It turns out very differently. Jo Thomas never fails to provide a good enthralling story, a perfect summer holiday read.

Jo Thomas’ books are a breath of fresh air and a slice of pure escapism for when you want to get away from your normal humdrum life and be transported to a different world entirely. I always eagerly await each new publication from this talented author and even more so now that we are treated to two books a year - a summer and Christmas book. As soon as this new book, Retreat to the Spanish Sun, arrived on my Kindle I dove straight in and didn’t leave it waiting as I tend to do with books I know are months away from publication. The fact that I read this well in advance of publication day is testament to how much I love Jo’s writing.

Each book always has such a fabulous setting, which you can tell has been very well researched prior to commencing writing the story. Chances are you may never have visited the setting of Jo’s books but thanks to such wonderful visual writing and of course mouth-watering descriptions of food – which Jo is synonymous for with each book - you feel as if you are whisked away for a few hours to indulge in stories filled with characters that capture a piece of your heart as they learn a few life lessons and experiences many changes over the course of the brilliant stories that unfold.

The Spanish countryside and a rural farmhouse in Andalucía are the setting for Retreat to the Spanish Sun and once again the author nails every aspect of the setting and the conundrums that face our main character Eliza. What this book really reminded me of was the channel four programme, A New Life in the Sun, which I am sure is many people’s guilty pleasure of an afternoon. I mean this comparison in a good way as the group of ex-pats that feature and become friends with Eliza just reminded me of the set up and people featured in that show. Overall, there was just a general feeling of friendships developing and a quest for Eliza to get to the bottom of mysterious things going on in the little village and I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent reading this book. Yes, it’s a quick read with perhaps one or two small lulls where to me it appeared as if not much was happening before things picked up pace and the reader was provided with plenty of laughs and also some tender moments when realisations start to happen and Eliza does her best to reconcile with the fact as to why she came away in the first place.

Eliza lives in a two bedroom flat, having separated from her husband Rob. Her children Luke, Ruby and Edie, had all fled the nest but one by one they have all returned and to say conditions are now cramped would be an understatement. Eliza works from home as a receptionist for an estate agents whilst trying to finish her college course. All she longs for is some peace and quiet. She loves her children but feels like her home as been invaded and with a two-week deadline to complete her final assignment, writing an essay on health, happiness and wellbeing, she certainly feels the pressure mounting and the inspiration is not flowing. She makes a rash and what she feels may turn out to be an idiotic decision when an ad for a housesitting job whilst also minding two sheepdogs pops up on her computer.

Josep Santiago has a farmhouse in the Spanish countryside and also rears Iberian pigs who produce that delectable treat that is Iberico ham. What could be better for Eliza, than to get away from it all? She can get her assignment finished whilst enjoying the sunshine, the stunning vistas and inhaling the scent of jasmine, beeswax, wood and indulging in the sumptuous olive oil. But things won’t go that smoothly for Eliza and the promise of peace and tranquillity isn’t one that is easily fulfilled.

Eliza deserved nothing but admiration for embracing new experiences and I really hoped that her time in Spain would help to fill the empty shell that she believed existed within her. She’s not looking for a relationship but wants to throw herself into work and make a positive and new life for herself. One where she is not always at the beck and call of her children. When she arrives in Spain, there is no doubt that the setting is idyllic but Josep seems a bit stand offish. Almost as if he is hiding something but there isn’t time to get to the bottom of things and soon he is away as planned and Eliza is left in charge of the farmhouse when the man left in charge of the pigs seems to abandon the farm. Eliza although very much clueless has to step in and take charge and it was funny to see her grabble with the pigs and their daily routines and care management especially as she thought her days would be spent brining the dogs for a walk and lounging by the pool as she completes her work. It soon transpires there is a lot more going in with regard to the farmhouse and the nearby village and Eliza can’t but fail to be caught up in the goings on. She is definitely outside of her comfort zone but after all she did want to throw herself into a new life and this was her certainly being thrown in at the deep end.

As I have already mentioned, when Eliza goes to the village for supplies there was real A New Life in the Sun vibes being given off and I was all for it. She stumbles across a group of expats at a local bar run by John/Juan who feels like his food is never accepted in the village. This group of women gather regularly on the pretext of learning some Spanish but really it’s for a gossip and catch up and I suppose it gives them a sense that they are on familiar territory as the villagers with their Gastronomica Society led by Senior Blanco give off an air of superiority and that their club is very much an exclusive one which means the women and John are very much left out. Eliza feels as if she has found her tribe with the group of women and I loved the bond they formed with one another. Jodie, Eileen and Sally are all a scream when they get together and when we get to the crux of the story I loved how they all banded together in a madcap and crazy way to try and save the day when the true goings on of the society are finally revealed.

Things are hush hush in the village and there are lots of strange goings on particularly around the farmhouse and the woods where the pigs roam freely. Eliza’s senses are alerted and you’d almost love to be able to say to her, hey you are here as a holiday with some housesitting thrown in. Focus on your assignment and don’t get involved in things that could turn everything on their head. But when Josep’s livelihood is threatened in a big way, I tossed that sentiment out the window and was all for the actions Eliza and her new found friends were taking. At times, it was like something from a comedy series but then there were a few dark undertones thrown in and I genuinely felt that things were not going to turn out in the way I desperately hoped they would.

Retreat to the Spanish Sun was a fabulous read that will leave you craving some of that Iberico ham not to mention all the other tantalising food described throughout the book. It’s a real feast for the senses which will make you savour the brilliant descriptions and have you wish you could just magically appear at the door of John’s café and he would welcome you with open arms. It’s a story of Eliza finding her way and surprising herself with what she can do. She really doesn’t give herself enough credit for her capabilities but the further the story progress you can see a change in her. Yes, many things go wrong, several of which were her fault, but she does her utmost to right those wrongs and her new found friends do their best to help her find the happiness, health and well being that has prevented her from completing her essay thus far. The development of the plot regarding Josep was excellent and really fitted in well with the themes explored throughout the story and without him placing the advertisement Eliza would have remained stuck in the rut she was in in England. Eliza was a woman scared to find out if the woman she used to be was still there deep inside her and the time she spent in Spain was certainly going to tell her one way or the other and I loved journeying alongside her.

This is definitely another winner from Jo Thomas. If you haven’t read anything by this author make sure you do. I envy those who have her back catalogue to read, what wonderful characters and brilliant locations await you. I meanwhile already have Keeping A Christmas Promise on my wishlist and can’t wait for its publication in October.

Eliza's overcrowded flat turns her to despair that she will be able to finish her college work. She needs time and space to get her thoughts together, to plan her future now her children have grown up. They are happy to return home with all their problems and to rely on Eliza to solve all their domestic issues. Seeing the chance to house sit in Spain, Eliza grabs the opportunity and heads for the sun. Whether she finds the calm she is looking for is debatable. What she finds lead her to make friendships with a lively group of people and also a local mystery to sort out.

Eliza is a likeable and relatable character, with plenty of common sense and kind regard for the people she meets. There is humour to be found and a touch of slow burn romance in the background but the most dominant feature for me is the celebration of its setting. All the sights and sounds of the area are vividly described and throughout, we are treated to a feast of local food and recipes. It is a gorgeous read for the Summer.

In short: a feast for the eyes

When all her children moved back home, Eliza took a chance as a house sitter in Spain to get some space for herself.
She soon settles in to life with some expat friends, and a mystery with the pigs and her landlord Josep, so what will happen when it is time for her to return home?
A great holiday read - makes me want to take up house sitting!

Eliza is suffering fr empty nest syndrome after her husband left her for a newer model and her children all left to overdue their own lives. Eliza decides to do something for herself for once and starts studying a foundation degree preparing to start a new career. Before long however she finds her children have all returned home for various reasons and she soon finds she's nowhere to study in peace.

The solution - a job opportunity house sitting in Spain for 2 weeks. What better way to get a change of scene and the time and peace to complete her final dissertation.

However,before long Eliza finds herself with a whole new set of problems to deal with under the Spanish sun. I loved this book and its their perfect read for a summers day. I felt as though I was actually in the Spanish sun enjoying tapas and fino.

Looking for a slower pace of life and some much needed peace and quiet, Eliza escapes to Spain. A lovely setting with a foodie theme, you can't help but enjoy this book. A tale of adventure, new friendships and a few headaches along the way.

‘It’s like, now, with the family grown-up, I’ve realized I don’t know who I am. Who is Eliza Bytheway if she isn’t a mum, juggling a family and a part-time job?’

Having read and enjoyed other Jo Thomas books, I anticipated an armchair trip to Spain with Eliza who was trying essentially to rediscover herself. The appeal of a book from Jo is always one of great scenery with delectable food and a slower approach to life.

Eliza escapes to house sit in Spain in an attempt to finish writing her essay. This is away from her adult children who had returned home to her tiny flat in England and were crowding her life - literally and figuratively. At times this book tended to simplify things in addition to many convenient occurrences. Readers will also be up for a lesson on pig farming as well. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Of course nothing goes to plan, situations become implausible to comedic at times - somewhat over the top. I did not really warm to the cast of characters - except perhaps Juan's attempts to win the Tapas competition. Eliza often did herself no favours which I found frustrating and encounters failed to genuinely gel.

With a mission to retrieve the stolen prized hams from feisty locals (not just the pigs!) many will find this a fun and enjoyable escape if somewhat predictable and repetitive at times. Sadly, this was just not the midlife journey I was seeking but it had potential.

‘I’m Eliza Bytheway, living the dream, in a beautiful Spanish cortijo, feeling content with who I am: a forty five year old woman, who has brought up three children, has the scars to prove it, the streak of grey in her thick dark hair that, out here, seems to look so much better than it does in the morning mirror back home. Maybe it’s the sun, the food, or just being able to accept who I am while I’m here, not constantly feeling I need a degree to validate myself. I’m just me.’





This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.