The Bed and Breakfast on the Beach by Kat French

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Another perfect summer read from Kat French.

I’ve been a big fan of Kat (and alter ego Kitty) French for a while and always look forward to a new book from her. This time we’re off to a B&B on a little known Greek Island with three thirty something women who are at a bit of a cross roads in their lives. Stella has lost her job, Frankie has split from her husband now that their children are grown up and Winnie has found out her husband has been unfaithful.

When they take a short break to Villa Valentina on the sun soaked Greek Island of Skelidos and are plied with numerous G&T’s by the B&B’s charming owner they somehow find themselves the new owners of the B&B and a few other things. They decide to make a go of it but can the B&B offer a new start or is it one adventure too far.

I liked this story a lot. It’s light and fluffy with a little bit of romance, a few touching moments and more than a few laughs. I loved the setting of the shabby chic villa on Skelidos and I think French’s descriptions of the island and the locals were the real highlight of the story. I could almost imagine myself relaxing on the beach or beside the pool with one of the Island’s special Gin and tonics in one hand and a book in the other.

The relationship between the three friends Stella, Frankie and Winnie was also wonderfully portrayed. They had been friends since childhood and despite being very different you got a real sense of closeness and camaraderie between them. I loved how they teased each other but were always there to support each other, even when there was the odd disagreement.

With three main characters and at times three different storylines going on it did feel a bit much to me. The pov switched between characters quite a lot, particularly in the beginning, and for this reason I didn’t think enough time was spent on certain characters or plot lines. I would have preferred if the story had focused on one of the three women and their relationship, allowing a little more depth and emotion. This is however a personal preference as I’m not generally a fan of romances with more than one couple. It may have been for this reason that I didn’t feel any particular spark between any of the couples.

Snarky Australian next door neighbor Jessie did bring the phwoar factor but he just wasn’t there enough for me and the other guys were a little bit meh. French can write some really great steamy scenes and has proven before that she can bring real emotion into a rom com so I’m not entirely sure why I didn’t get it from this book. It’s very possible I was just not in the right frame of mind when I was reading it.

Overall, it is a great read and perfect for lying on the beach by the pool (or if you’re in Scotland like me, hiding from the rain). There are a lot of funny moments and a few really sweet ones so I did enjoy it, I just didn’t quite love it as much as some of her others.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Avon for providing me with an ARC. As always all views are my own.

The Bed and Breakfast on the Beach was released on 22nd June and you can find it here on Amazon UK, here on Amazon US and here on Book Depository 🙂