Publication Date: July 23, 2026
Dropping my suitcase at my feet, I stare up at the Greek guesthouse with its faded blue shutters, clambering purple bougainvillea and wrought-iron balconies spilling pink and red geraniums. I haven’t felt truly at home anywhere since I lost my sister. But maybe Eleni’s is different. I have a feeling that anything is possible here…
Annie always has a plan, always knows where her life is headed. But this summer, heartbroken after her sister’s death, she just feels untethered and alone. An invitation to stay at her old friend Kassia’s family guesthouse on the island of Crete comes at the perfect time – an excuse to get on a plane and leave her crumbling life behind for a few weeks.
Before she even finishes unpacking, Annie is wrapped up in the noisy warmth of Kassia’s chaotic, loving family. She soon finds herself cooking with Kassia’s mother, playing with the children under the orange trees… and meeting Kassia’s handsome brother-in-law Alexandros over dinner. Romance is the last thing on her mind, but the night she spends with him, swimming by moonlight and gazing at the stars in the lavender-scented air, heals something in her that she didn’t know was broken.
This was only supposed to be a temporary stay, but the longer Annie spends on Crete, the more she feels that this magical place might hold the key to her future. And as this life-changing summer draws to a close, can she leave her old plans behind her and find the courage to let her life make a map all of its own?
Fans of Kate Frost, Jenny Colgan and My Mamma Mia Summer will love this gorgeous novel about love, friendship and fresh starts in the Greek sunshine.
Previously published as Staying at Eleni’s.
A young woman walks away from a broken engagement and heads to Greece, where she discovers a new beginning.
Author Michelle Vernal delivers a feel-good story full of friendship and love set against a gorgeous coastal countryside in The Greek Guesthouse.
Inspired by her late sister’s childhood pen pal, Annie walks away from what would certainly be an unfulfilling life in New Zealand and finds healing amongst the boisterous family.
The author demonstrates the value a reset can have, especially in resolving old wounds such as the death of Annie’s sister. Having a good friend like Carl along for the journey also helped add depth to the story.
The Greek Guesthouse offers a place of refuge and endless possibilities while emphasizing the true meaning of hospitality.
Michelle Vernal is a New Zealand author who writes stories that will take you onto the page with her characters and make you feel part of their lives. She writes with humour and warmth, and her readers describe her books as unputdownable, feel good and funny. Her writing has been likened to Maeve Binchy but with a modern-day vernacular. In 2015 she was shortlisted for the Love Stories Award. In 2020 she won the Reader’s Favorite Gold Medal Award for Chick lit, and in 2021 was shortlisted for the Page Turner Book Awards.
