Book Review: The House in the Olive Grove by Emma Cowell

Will one week in Greece change their lives for ever?

Chef Maria is running a successful cookery school in her home village of Petalidi, Greece – but she is also running from the secrets of her past.

Food journalist Kayla thought this was going to be just another work trip. But right before she leaves for Greece, she discovers that her whole life is built on a lie.

Jewellery-maker Alessandra has always lived according to her own rules – despite what it has cost her to do so. But she has just had some devastating news.

As these three very different women come together at the house in the olive grove, unlikely friendships blossom and a season of self-discovery begins. Will the sumptuous flavours, sapphire waters and golden sands of Greece give each of them the answers they so desperately seek?

*****

Three women, all facing their own demons. 

Maria has been running her cooking school in Greece for ten years, having come back from New York with both physical and emotional scars. However, the village she grew up in is not very keen to have her back. 

Kayla is a celebrity chef who has come to Greece to interview Maria. However, secrets and past trauma threatens to bring her perfect life down around her. 

Alessandra is bold and doesn’t hold back but behind the bravado lies heartbreak. 

Can these three women hold each other up when outside forces want to see them fall? 

This was my introduction to Emma Cowell and I was very keen to get reading. 

It took a couple of chapters to settle in as the characters are all introduced. As I got further into the novel, I became completely engrossed in the lives of these three women. The plot got richer as I progressed through and by the end, I was smiling, laughing and crying with these characters. I also wanted to push Maria and Leonidas together and tell them to stop being daft. Whether they do stop getting in their own way is something I’ll leave you to discover yourselves. 

Maria has the kind of courage I wish I had. She faces adversity head on and I loved that. 

Kayla is trying to hold her life together – she wants to show the world she’s strong and, as a celebrity, she believes she needs to keep that facade going at all times. She has an idea of what her life should look like and is too hard on herself. 

Alessandra is also not one to shy away from life. She doesn’t apologise for who she is but even she is eventually scared when having to face things from her past and inevitable events in her future. 

What these women have in common is that they don’t realise how amazing they truly are and how they all have the potential to inspire each other. It’s like they all hold a mirror up to each other and between the three of them, there is a lot for the reader to relate to. 

The setting is just stunning. I could feel the sun, see the village and smell the incredible food made. Tip…. don’t read this when you’re hungry. LOL! 

The inclusion of the bees with the occasional paragraph from their point of view was a great touch. The feeling of magic is threaded through the whole book and I loved that. It gave me that ‘anything is possible’ feeling. 

It deals with themes such as loss, illness, friendship, trust, faith and love and does so with care. 

I really hope this isn’t the last we hear of these characters. I hope we get to check in with them again. 

This book was lovely and would make a perfect holiday companion or if you’re looking for a book to read in garden, lounge, whatever. I throughly recommend this one. 

I look forward to seeing what Emma Cowell does next. 

(Thanks to Avon and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.) 

About Emma Cowell – 

Emma lives in Cornwall with her husband, Tony, and their fur baby, a Russian Blue called Papoushka Gerald Cowell.

A former actress and BBC presenter Emma has worked in the fundraising division of children’s palliative care for the last decade and is currently Head of Philanthropy for national charity Together for Short Lives.

Segueing from being paid to talk for a living into writing was a natural progression, since story telling has been at the heart of her career to date.

Outside of work, Emma is a keen angler and is attempting to learn Greek to maintain her love affair with the country where she has set her novels. She is yet to achieve a level of proficiency outside of tavernas and bakeries.

Say hi to Emma via her website, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

The House in the Olive Grove was released by today (25th May 2023,) by Avon Books UK. Click here to buy on Amazon UK and Waterstones. 

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.