Ismie's life is boring with a job which doesn't fill her with delight and a mother who wants her married.
She gets the chance to go to Greece and she jumps at it. Fun ensues.
This was fun and a quick read although in the usual rom com it was enjoyable and worth a read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

It's All Greek to Me by Andrea Christodoulou follows Ismeena Eliades over the course of one rather turbulent year. Isme, as she prefers to be called, is feeling very stuck, everything in her life is stagnating, from her career to her (almost nonexistent) dating life. The one area where she thought everything was okay was with her family, but even there the cracks are starting to show. Her mother seems increasingly desperate to marry her off to any availble Greek man, though preferably a rich one, her father is acting furtively, her sister is frustrated by her husband and his lack of help with their twins and it just seems like everyone is hiding secrets rom each other. When a work rivalry goes too far and Isme is suspended she decides to join her family on a Summer trip to Greece where she learns just why her mother has been so pushy in her matchmaking attempts but also happens to meet a man that might turn out to be the man of her, and her mother's, dreams.
This book is a pleasing blend of family drama and romance but perhaps in trying to balance both it did neither particularly well, though the family drama is both funnier and more fun than the romance. I also think it is at least 50 pages too long, there is too much time spent exploring the love triangle and then the ending feels rushed and a little underwhelming. What the author did well was create a family that feels real , their interactions and dynamics were spot on , unfortunately the relationship between Isme and the man she supposedly liked enough to marry just did not feel as believable and I think the love traingle and the repeated miscommunication just did appeal to me. All that being said this would be an entertaining and escapist poolside or beach read.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

I really liked this book. The characters felt distinctive, the voices were clear and the setting was so vivid (I used to live in Liverpool and it was so clear where everything was). It was a culture that I was unfamiliar with but it was so clear that the author was, and I loved it. It's hard to write something that is so compelling and easy to read, and yet she manages it.

3.5 star for me,it was good debiut book.Isme’s life is complicated,job she don't like,some friends that are not friends,and meddling family who wants to marry her off to good Greek Boy.

It was bag of laugh,family dynamics chaotic and funny,but I would like to have more scenes with romantic interest she chose at the end.Getting to resolve her relationship with the wrong guy was taking too long.Still I like and recommend this book.Good summer read.


Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

i loved this book and was totally captivated by both the plot and the main character. the story had lots of layers to it besides being romance. there was emotional tales and pulls throughout. you are fully involved pretty quickly and want to see it right through to how it will play out and whats to come for our characters right until the final pages.
we are brought to the world of Isme in this book. Isme is stuck. stuck in a life, job, love you name it she feels it. stuck. why isn't life happening for her. and why does she keep spiralling around certain lifestyle and behaviours that are taking her nowhere she wants to be?
right from the start i was rooting for Isme. she was full of heart and flaws but so determined and honest in herself too. we are taken right into the workings of her Greek family and what that involves. and these parts had me both gasping though laughter and cringing too. i felt the heart in this family and the culture. the wit and interactions in these parts had me smiling those big big smiles. there is more to this family though, way more going on. and when its all unpicked and unravelled it could lead to unexpected consequences and goings on. What does duty to ones family mean? what does love mean both romantically and between complex family dynamics. and when it comes down to it, when crisis hits what does it all really matter? or what infact does really matter?the portrayal of family in this book shows so much of the truth and bonds to family. its not always easy and from the outside we often wouldn't get it. but when you are there amongst those you do truly love it works, its real, its love. and then its the strongest most wonderful thing of all.
what Isme needs might not be what she thinks. or certainly not in the way she thinks or with whom?
this was charming and heartfelt and it truly took my own heart and squeezed it and hugged it in equal measure.
i enjoyed every moment of my read and by the end i was NEEDING it to be a happy ever after because i cared for Isme that much. that is the sign for me of a good book, when i care.

The story follows Isme over the course of a year—from New Year’s Day to New Year’s Eve. At the start, she’s feeling stuck in life, but when her family is hit with a few unexpected curveballs, it opens the door for change. Isme is a refreshingly relatable main character: flawed, thoughtful, and resilient. She doesn’t always make the best choices, but she owns them, and you can’t help but root for her.

The narrative offers a vivid glimpse into Greek culture, weaving together emotional depth with moments of laugh-out-loud comedy and rich dynamics between family and friends. Miscommunication plays a major role throughout the story. It’s not typically my favourite theme, but when layered with buried secrets that inevitably surface, it creates an engaging plot full of surprising twists and turns.

I found the writing style strong overall, though it did take some time to adjust to the quick transitions between scenes. A pronunciation guide for the Greek language would have been a lovely addition—I’m fairly certain I mangled more than a few phrases!

In the end, this was a cozy, relatable, heartfelt read with charm and emotional insight. A great choice if you’re in the mood for something warm and layered.

This is a fun summer rom-com where the FMC is in her 30’s and feels her life is going pear shaped. Enter the Vegan, Gym -going hottie MMC who she believes could be the answer to all her problems, but is he?

It’s a fun light-hearted read that follows the standard rom-come formula. You have the interfering mother, romantic interest, best friends (including the best male friend) and the twin nephews that just bring the chaos whirlwind, all bringing a lot of laughs and romantic dilemmas.

However, I felt the author tried to make it fast paced which them meant a lot was glossed over including parts that would have been good to explore a bit further. For this reason, I gave it 3 stars.

I really enjoyed this book. There was an element of mystery to it, but the overall theme was a love triangle and duty to family. The ending wasn’t surprising, though I wish it had been either longer or containing an epilogue, as I was left with lingering questions around her career, but overall a good beach read

A lovely light hearted read that had me rooting for Anthony and isme from the start! Perfect for loosing a few hours in the sun to.

Isme's life seems to be stuck in a rut—caught in a mundane job, her romantic life nonexistent, and her mother's persistent matchmaking attempts looming over her. When she seizes an opportunity to escape to Greece for a much-needed break, she expects a relaxing retreat but finds herself swept into unexpected cooking classes, adventurous climbs, and a sudden family crisis that turns her plans upside down. And just when she thinks chaos couldn't escalate further, a surprising proposal emerges, complicating everything.

I breezed through this book! Isme's struggles with her job and family dynamics really resonated with me. Despite the occasional overwhelming moments with her family, there was a genuine bond evident, especially with George, her brother-in-law.

As for the proposal, it did frustrate me a bit—I won't spoil it, but it was clear where her heart truly lay. Yet, I understood her dilemma, torn between personal desires and familial expectations. Her interactions with her nephews were incredibly heartwarming, and her best friend provided invaluable support throughout.

The ending, while somewhat predictable, left me feeling satisfied. It wrapped up the story in a heartwarming way that I found quite enjoyable. Overall, it was a delightful and uplifting read.

Isme’s life is going nowhere fast—stuck in a boring job, no love life to speak of, and constantly dodging her mum’s relentless attempts to marry her off to a “Good Greek Boy.” So when work gives her a chance to take a break, she heads to Greece for what’s meant to be a chilled-out reset. Instead, she ends up in random cooking classes, scaling rocks, and dealing with a family emergency that throws everything off track. And just when you think things can’t get more chaotic, a surprise proposal shows up… and it’s complicated.

I flew through this one! I really felt for Isme—between her mum’s matchmaking and her dead-end job, she needed that escape. Her family could be a bit much at times, but you could tell there was real love there (even George, her brother-in-law!).

The proposal kind of annoyed me—no spoilers, but it was pretty obvious who she should be with. Still, I get why she felt torn, trying to do the right thing for her family. Her moments with her nephews were super sweet, and her best friend was a great support too.

The ending was satisfying, even if a little predictable—but honestly, I didn’t mind that at all. It was a fun, heartwarming read overall.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Isme is the second daughter in a Greek-Liverpudlian household. Her mother is full on My Big Fat Greek Wedding whereas her father was adopted and raised as English. Her elder sister is married to George and has twin sons. Isme's mother's mission in life is to get Isme married to a 'Good Greek Boy' with lots of money and she has set her sights on Carlos the son of the local fish and chip shop entrepreneurs, never mind that Carlos takes his fashion sense from the seventies and can't alk about anything but fish and chips!

What Isme really wanted to do in life was bake cakes, but everyone (her mother) said she should get a real job, so she tried to train as a solicitor but failed and now has a job as an admin assistant at the same law firm. A colleague, Zara, is also someone Isme has known since childhood, her parents once owned the business and she is a solicitor there. Although Zara treats Isme as a friend, she isn't averse to poking fun at Isme, and Isme suspects that Zara only pretends to be friendly because she fancies Anthony.

Since they were four years old, Isme and Anthony have been friends, everyone thinks they should get together but as Isme says, when you've wet your pants in front of a boy (even if you were only five) it does tend to preclude romance. Nevertheless, the two of them spend lots of time together drinking, watching Netflix, attending the same Greek church etc.

After a few home truths are spoken, Isme is put on leave and decides to go on holiday with her sister Maria, which morphs into the entire family spending the summer in Corfu at Uncle Stavros' villa, where Isme discovers that there is an ulterior motive for her mother's obsession with her getting married. Now Isme has to decide what she is willing to do for her family.

This was pleasant enough, it felt like a mash-up of multiple books/films I have seen before and what brought it down for me was that frankly there were only two characters I liked (a clue, Isme wasn't one of them). Maybe I'm too old but Isme struck me as very immature.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

I really enjoyed reading this one! Ismeena what a gorgeous name BTW was a great character and really grew over the course of the novel. I highly enjoyed reading her journey and learning to make her own decisions and stand on her own too feet. The setting was gorgeous as well and it was a beautiful relatable escapist novel.