What a treat of a story this is!

Eliza is a middleaged divorcee, working as a receptionist for an estate agency. Things are cramped at home as her three grown children have returned home to her small flat.

Wanting some time and space to study for college, she takes on a job housesitting in beautiful Spanish villa.

Whilst she’s in Spain she makes friends and discovers it’s never too late to fall in love.

This book is a perfect escapist summer read with beautiful food and scenery, humour, likeable characters, a mystery to solve and a happy ending.

Thanks must go to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me an electronic ARC of this book.

Jo Thomas is brilliant at transporting me to magical sunnier climes when I read her books. Her writing has a way of making you feel the sunshine and enjoy the beautiful scenery and Retreat To The Summer Sun had me back in Andalucia with the good food and fine wines.
I loved the character of Eliza - she’s a real breath of fresh air and brings life into the town, whilst readjusting her own personal thoughts about her future. The pig farm sounded the perfect place to get her head in the right place and the friends she made in the village were great fun. The perfect summer read.

I loved this book. I could feel the Spanish sun on my face and smell the cooking. It was such an easy summer read. Perfect for lying on a beach somewhere and spending the day reading. My ideal day. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Eliza Bytheway is a single Mum of three adult children, who have all returned to her small flat after their lives have changed & they now need their Mum. She's working as a receptionist at the local estate agency, but she wants to do a degree in a Sport & Health Science. Eliza has to finish her final essay in the foundation course she is doing. She finds herself house sitting in Spain for two weeks & her life changes for the better.
This was such a great idea for a story. From pigs, food, friends, detective work to love. I loved Eliza & want to be her friend. Such a good book. Jo Thomas has excelled herself again!

I love Jo's characters in her books. Eliza thought about everybody else and put them all first.

She needed to escape to Spain to concentrate on her college work as life was so hectic at home.

Things take a definite change of direction and she finds new friends abd experiences along the way.

I just loved it and will look for another of Jo's books

The protagonist of this book is Eliza, a 45 year old Woman who struggles to find time for herself. I could relate to her a lot. I am the same age, with a young adult Son who also still lives at home.
I also did a college degree part time in my 40s and it was a struggle to write essays around work and family. I really emphasised with Eliza struggling to write her essay.
I liked reading about the Spanish Town, it makes a nice change to read about Spain, especially a less touristy area. Jo Thomas described it perfectly and I could picture it when I was reading.
I loved reading about the different types of food and Juan's attempts at tapas. The ham especially sounded appealing, I don't normally like this type of ham, but maybe I've only eaten inferior ones so far.
This is a well written and enjoyable read.
There is a good range of characters and some drama, humour and romance. I am looking forward to reading the next book by Jo Thomas.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.

Jo Thomas has the ability to create characters who become the reader's best friend by the end of the book. From the start, I could relate to Eliza and although I loved her busy, chaotic life, I could totally understand her need for peace and quiet.
The descriptions of Spain and the finca are just as delicious as the Spansih food. The addition of a secret gastronomic society and the threat of underhand means to fulfil their aims means the element of suspense runs through the book. When the owner of the finca goes incommunicado the mystery deepens.
I loved the ex-pat characters at the local tapas bar too. The story is cleverly brought to a satisfying conclusion for all concerned.
I really enjoyed reading this book and the opportunity to escape to Spain for a while.It also got my gastronomic tastebuds tingling for tapas.

A warm book full of sunshine and tapas
Eliza lives in a small flat after her three children move out and leave home. Suddenly they’re all back and Eliza is feeling very suffocated.
When she reads an app advertising for a house sitter in Andalusia she decides it’s just the peace she needs to finish her course she’s doing.
She couldn’t be more wrong! Eliza makes lots of new friends and even ends up involved in pig farming and bar work.
Meet all her friends and her boss/landlord Josep and take a trip with Eliza to Andalusia.
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of Jo’s beautiful book.

Beautiful read. I read this book in one day, I couldn’t put it down. Being a mother to older teenage children there was many things I could relate to with Eliza. Seeing her find herself and her true passion for life was amazing. Sometimes we all need a bit of a reality check to see who we are and find our happiness. Seeing her bring the whole community together was lovely as was all the happy friendships she made. Josep was an interesting character, I needed to warm to him a bit, but his passion and love for her pigs was honest and true. That moment when Eliza is rolling on the roadside and he’s there, my heart soars just as much as Eliza’s.
All the delicious food described made me very hungry. Great from start to finish.

Eliza has had enough, her 3 grown up children have all moved back in to her flat with her, she needs to finish her essay for her college course, but there’s no space or time. She decides to house sit for a man in Spain and finish her essay too. She’s gets distracted by the sights, sounds and people. She learns about pigs, hams and meets a lovely group of woman at the local Spanish conversation class.

Beautifully written book, perfect for sitting by the pool or on the beach this summer.

Highly recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy for an honest review.

Sunny Spain and happy pigs. Eliza accepts a house-sitting job at a pig farm in Andalucia, thinking it will give her plenty of time away from her demanding family to write an important essay for a foundation course. Instead she finds many pleasurable distractions. Then there's the mystery of the missing hams. A great story as always from Jo Thomas, told with humour and fun.

Retreat To The Spanish Sun
Eliza Blytheway is a Mum of 3 grown up children. She’s single & has been ever since her husband left when their children were small. She’s a receptionist for an estate agent & is studying to go to university. Then Eliza’s children all move back home, and her small flat is overflowing with people & their pets. So Eliza takes a job as a house sitter in the hopes of getting some peace and quiet…she’s off to house sit a farm house in rural Spain. However the man Eliza is house sitting for is elusive…as are the other people on the pig farm. Before long Eliza has abandoned her final essay and has thrown herself into life on a Spanish pig farm.
I loved this story. I loved Eliza. As always Jo Thomas nails the description of the setting, the food (particularly the food) and you practically feel you are there, in Spain eating tapas. A great read - perfect to take on your holidays.

A beautiful story about family, friendship and love. Set in a glorious Spanish village. An absolute joy to read.

Eliza's children have all left home so she had to sell the house after the divorce so bought a small flat for herself. One by one the children all had problems and moved back with mum until the flat is bursting at the seams
Eliza is an estate agent who is also trying to study to get some further qualifications but is finding it hard to get any peace and quiet now. When an advert for a house sitter in Spain catches her eye she decides it could be just what she needs
Thinking this is going to be a nice quiet time looking after 2 dogs and the house and catching up with her coursework in the Spanish sun she couldn't be more wrong as mysterious things start happening
A good read

An entertaining, light hearted, feel good Summer read. Reminded me somewhat of Shirley Valentine, although the main character Eliza wasn't looking to escape her life of drudgery and start afresh in another country, she was just trying to temporarily escape a home full of adult children so she could finish a college essay.
Lovely supporting characters in the Spanish Conversation Club, although their back stories got muddled up at times, which was a bit confusing. The plot for 'The Great Ham Heist' was rather weak, but nonetheless fun.
This is a book not to be taken too seriously, instead just enjoy being transported to the beautiful Andalusian countryside and taste the simple pleasures of excellent food and sherry.

From pups, pigs to new friendships and not so secret societies, this book as it all!

If there is a book written by Jo Thomas then I am going to read it without a second thought. Eliza leaves her house full of grown-up children to go to rural Spain to house sit and find peace and quiet to focus on her studies. The last thing she was expecting was to be a minder to a depressed pig and his offspring, friends with the quirky Spanish conversation class and falling in love.

This book is a wonderful breath of fresh air, the humour and, at times outlandish antics make this such an adorable read.

As always, many thanks to the author, #Netgalley and @OneMOreChapter for allowing me to read and review. It’s 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 from me!


Purchase Links:
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09PFJXRCW/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_RSXGAAGAGXRQGW2DG786
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09CKGPMHD/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_FGEPDXJ3NWGRWPMR05C5
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/retreat-to-the-spanish-sun-jo-thomas/1140452844?ean=9781473596849
Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/retreat-to-the-spanish-sun/jo-thomas/9780552178662

Jo, what a lovely book with an original storyline. It was a delightful account of friendship, kindness and the importance of community set in Spain. Eliza goes to house sit to have some time away from her adult children who have returned to live at home. There is also humour as I could just imagine Eliza running around to look after the pigs.

Jp Thomas draws you into her books with characters who become your friends, settings that you want to visit and storylines that you never want to end.
Eliza Bytheway is 45, divorced and a mother to three grown up children who had left home but have now returned to a Eliza's cramped flat. Desperate to better herself Eliza enrols in a foundation degree course but with her final essay due and no space or peace and quiet to finish it, she takes on a house sitting job in Spain.
Loved this book, the characters, the setting and the storyline. I needed an upbeat novel to get me into summer and this fitted perfectly.
Thankyou.

I am a big fan of Jo Thomas books and look forward to finding out where her latest release will be taking me. There is always an interesting setting, some delicious fare and at least one romance on the go. The title of this book gives away the general location for the action, but I didn’t suspect that I was going to be given a lesson in production of a very specific food item in sunny Spain.



The main female character in this story is Eliza, divorced mother of three who finds herself once again sharing her accommodation with her grown-up children who have returned home for various reasons having previously fled the nest. Having downsized after they all left the first time, Eliza is finding conditions difficult when she is also working from home and trying to study for a qualification. An agency advertising for house sitters seems an ideal solution to her problem. Before she knows it, she finds herself in southern Spain looking after not just a house, but also a herd of Iberico pigs and two large dogs on a finca while the owner is away for two weeks. However, her plan to use the time to do some work for her course is interrupted by a series of events as she also gets involved with the local village and the people there. There is also the fact that the owner of the finca, Josep, arrives home unexpectedly and the pair gradually develop a friendship.



I found this book truly compelling reading from start to finish and can certainly recommend it. I really felt for Eliza as she tried to cope with the crowded conditions at home; it was definitely not what she was expecting when she moved to a smaller place after her divorce. A 2-week stay in a warm climate with time and peace to finish her course seemed like a dream, but she hadn’t counted on the need to learn all the ins and outs of Iberico pig rearing and the guarding of the valuable hams, never mind being drawn into the problems of a local village being smothered by its secret and exclusive gastronomic society. I was absolutely fascinated to learn all about these special pigs which Eliza took to her heart. As well as the animals, the book contains an interesting cast of human characters, including a group of ex-patriots supposedly trying to learn Spanish and some locals trying to make ends meet. The finca owner Josep was initially a rather unfriendly individual, but mellowed with time and I came to like him also. I think it is the sign of a good story that I missed all the characters once I had finished and would love to go back to the village and find out what happened next.

Jo Thomas's novels always assail the senses with the tantalising promise of the taste and smell of gorgeous food and she excels herself with this story of divorcee Eliza who escapes the chaos of living with her grown-up kids for two weeks in Spain house-sitting for Josep, a producer of fine Iberica ham. She's supposed to be writing an essay for a foundation course that will lead to a university degree, but instead she makes friends with a lively bunch of ex-pats, encourages barkeeper Juan in his pursuit of the perfect tapas and finds herself looking after Josep's pigs when Pedro the pigman goes AWOL.
But it;s not all fun in the sun when Josep returns to discover Eliza has let him down and that his precious joints of Iberica ham are missing. Could the local snobby, all-male gastonomica society be responsible? Eliza vows to make amends - but will Josep give her the time or opportunity to redeem herself?
Lively, funny and romantic, this is a super story with a strong underlying theme of self-discovery and fresh beginnings. I really enjoyed it.