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A review by travelbooksandmovies
Summer on a Sunny Island by Sue Moorcroft
3.0
Summer on a Sunny Island is one of those books I would call light and easy--it’s ideal for a vacation read when you just want to escape. For those books, my enjoyment is usually based on the characters, the plot, and the location.
The characters are the strongpoint here--Rosa, a young British woman is at a bit of a crossroads in her life (she just broke up with her boyfriend and isn’t quite sure she wants to stay in her teaching job), so she heads to Malta to help her mother, Dory, with her cooking career. There she meets the good-looking single Zach (of course), a young British man also at a bit of a crossroads. Both Rosa and Zach are written well for a beach read--they’re realistic and you care about them. And I enjoy the supporting characters--especially Rosa’s Mom, Dory--they provide just enough relief from the main characters and are all relevant to the story.
The plot is fairly standard--boy and girl meet, problems get in the way, boy and girl solve problems. I did think the problems got a little over-the-top in this one (not so much what happened, but that they just kept piling on), but it wasn’t too cumbersome.
And, of course, Malta is an ideal location for this--it’s a sunny island with a very interesting history and a unique combination of cultures. This is probably where I struggled the most with the book, though--I wish there had been more about Malta! There are a few descriptions and a few location “name drops,” but there is just so much history there and so many beautiful sights, I wish the book had offered more of an insight into this especially unique island. (I do realize I might be a little demanding in that area.)
Summer on a Sunny Island is just fine if you’re looking for a light and easy read to take with you on vacation (I listened to it as an audiobook while on a road trip--it’s great for that, too). If you’re really looking for something on Malta, though, we’ll find you something that offers a little more.
The characters are the strongpoint here--Rosa, a young British woman is at a bit of a crossroads in her life (she just broke up with her boyfriend and isn’t quite sure she wants to stay in her teaching job), so she heads to Malta to help her mother, Dory, with her cooking career. There she meets the good-looking single Zach (of course), a young British man also at a bit of a crossroads. Both Rosa and Zach are written well for a beach read--they’re realistic and you care about them. And I enjoy the supporting characters--especially Rosa’s Mom, Dory--they provide just enough relief from the main characters and are all relevant to the story.
The plot is fairly standard--boy and girl meet, problems get in the way, boy and girl solve problems. I did think the problems got a little over-the-top in this one (not so much what happened, but that they just kept piling on), but it wasn’t too cumbersome.
And, of course, Malta is an ideal location for this--it’s a sunny island with a very interesting history and a unique combination of cultures. This is probably where I struggled the most with the book, though--I wish there had been more about Malta! There are a few descriptions and a few location “name drops,” but there is just so much history there and so many beautiful sights, I wish the book had offered more of an insight into this especially unique island. (I do realize I might be a little demanding in that area.)
Summer on a Sunny Island is just fine if you’re looking for a light and easy read to take with you on vacation (I listened to it as an audiobook while on a road trip--it’s great for that, too). If you’re really looking for something on Malta, though, we’ll find you something that offers a little more.