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A review by tamsterdam_reads
One Summer in Santorini by Sandy Barker
3.0
When former travel-guide-turned-schoolteacher, Sarah decides she needs a long overdue change of scenery - especially after breaking up with her cheating ex-boyfriend months earlier, she books a week and a half long cruise around the Greek islands. After swearing off men and focusing on the present, she is suddenly faced with the dilemma of having two suitors: a sweet but sexy, younger American guy named Josh, and an older, handsome (and wealthy) man named James.
As she gets to know Josh and spend more time with him since he is one of her travel mates on the boat, she is torn in an inner conflict to see if she wants to pursue something more with him, or not spoil the growing and deepening friendship that is developing between them. However, Josh doesn't help the situation with his ever flip-flopping life views. One moment his actions say he wants to have Sarah to be with him, the next moment he is telling her how he wants to be a permanent bachelor who constantly travels the world. However, I think there were a lot of unnecessary mixed messages from Josh right up to the very end. I was left feeling with unresolved feelings and the end made it seem a little rushed to tie details up.
However. this story made me travel envy and Sandy Barker brought me back to my solo travel days where the beginning of a trip provided vast prospects of things to come and of freedom. One quote that struck me about how traveling put things into perspective is:
"'What I've realized - and only recently - is that I want my life to be bigger.'
It was such an elegant thought. So simple. Succinct, yet all-encompassing. He didn't need to explain it beyond those few words, because I completely understood. Bigger than routine. Bigger than normal. Bigger than constraints of expectation."
And Sandy hit the nail right on the head with this quote:
"I was at once excited for what the next few days would hold and deeply saddened it was all coming to an end."
That perfectly describes how I have felt when my trip was approaching its end.
Overall, this is a good summer read if you want something light and it made me want to go back to Greece and check out all islands have yet to discover!
As she gets to know Josh and spend more time with him since he is one of her travel mates on the boat, she is torn in an inner conflict to see if she wants to pursue something more with him, or not spoil the growing and deepening friendship that is developing between them. However, Josh doesn't help the situation with his ever flip-flopping life views. One moment his actions say he wants to have Sarah to be with him, the next moment he is telling her how he wants to be a permanent bachelor who constantly travels the world. However, I think there were a lot of unnecessary mixed messages from Josh right up to the very end. I was left feeling with unresolved feelings and the end made it seem a little rushed to tie details up.
However. this story made me travel envy and Sandy Barker brought me back to my solo travel days where the beginning of a trip provided vast prospects of things to come and of freedom. One quote that struck me about how traveling put things into perspective is:
"'What I've realized - and only recently - is that I want my life to be bigger.'
It was such an elegant thought. So simple. Succinct, yet all-encompassing. He didn't need to explain it beyond those few words, because I completely understood. Bigger than routine. Bigger than normal. Bigger than constraints of expectation."
And Sandy hit the nail right on the head with this quote:
"I was at once excited for what the next few days would hold and deeply saddened it was all coming to an end."
That perfectly describes how I have felt when my trip was approaching its end.
Overall, this is a good summer read if you want something light and it made me want to go back to Greece and check out all islands have yet to discover!