Review: Retreat to the Spanish Sun

Title: Retreat to the Spanish Sun

Author: Jo Thomas

Publisher: 23rd June 2022 by Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Penguin

Pages: 352 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: women’s fiction, romance

My Rating:  3 cups

Synopsis:

Eliza has a full house! When her three children grew up and moved out, she downsized to a smaller property... but now they're all back. Every room in the house is taken and Eliza finds herself sharing her bed with her eldest daughter and her daughter's pug. Combined with the online course she's trying to finish, plus her job to fit in, there just isn't the peace and quiet that Eliza needs.

So when an ad pops up on her laptop saying 'house-sitters wanted', Eliza can't resist the chance to escape. She ends up moving to a rural finca in southern Spain, looking after the owner's Iberico pigs, learning about secret gastronomic societies... and finding a new zest for life and love along the way.

My Thoughts

‘It’s like, now, with the family grown-up, I’ve realized I don’t know who I am. Who is Eliza Bytheway if she isn’t a mum, juggling a family and a part-time job?’

Having read and enjoyed other Jo Thomas books, I anticipated an armchair trip to Spain with Eliza who was trying essentially to rediscover herself. The appeal of a book from Jo is always one of great scenery with delectable food and a slower approach to life.

Eliza escapes to house sit in Spain in an attempt to finish writing her essay.  This is away from her adult children who had returned home to her tiny flat in England and were crowding her life - literally and figuratively. At times this book tended to simplify things in addition to many convenient occurrences. Readers will also be up for a lesson on pig farming as well. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Of course nothing goes to plan, situations become implausible to comedic at times - somewhat over the top. I did not really warm to the cast of characters - except perhaps Juan's attempts to win the Tapas competition. Eliza often did herself no favours which I found frustrating and encounters failed to genuinely gel.

With a mission to retrieve the stolen prized hams from feisty locals (not just the pigs!) many will find this a fun and enjoyable escape if somewhat predictable and repetitive at times. Sadly, this was just not the midlife journey I was seeking but it had potential. 

‘I’m Eliza Bytheway, living the dream, in a beautiful Spanish cortijo, feeling content with who I am: a forty five year old woman, who has brought up three children, has the scars to prove it, the streak of grey in her thick dark hair that, out here, seems to look so much better than it does in the morning mirror back home. Maybe it’s the sun, the food, or just being able to accept who I am while I’m here, not constantly feeling I need a degree to validate myself. I’m just me.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.