Reminders of Greece

by Francesca Catlow

Let Francesca Catlow sweep you away to the blue skies and warm waters of Kos—the ideal romantic getaway for fans of Karen Swan, Kate Frost and Paige Toon.

Sara and Mia are more than just mother and daughter—they’re best friends, confidantes and partners in adventure. Mia’s dad’s identity may still be a mystery, but Mia’s independent, adventurous mum has more than made up for it over the years. So when Sara suggests a sun-soaked escape to Kos, the stunning Greek island shaped by volcanic forces, Mia jumps at the chance for their perfect summer getaway.

When Mia meets Leonidas, a handsome local musician, the white-washed villages and crystal-clear waters become the backdrop for revelations neither woman is prepared for. As family mysteries begin to unravel and long-buried truths rise to the surface, mother and daughter must is protecting the past worth sacrificing their future?

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Travel, Greece

375 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 15, 2026

About the author

Francesca Catlow writes bestselling fiction filled with passionate love stories that feature flawed, and sometimes broken, characters as they face a crossroads in their life. She often explores heartbreaking themes while also whisking readers off to beautiful locations.

Francesca loves to travel. Born and raised in the heart of Suffolk, England, she has travelled extensively in Europe with her French husband and, more recently, their two children. In 2024 she relocated to France where she spends her days dreaming up stories and her evenings sitting in her garden relaxing with her family.

In 2023 Francesca was a finalist for the prestigious Kindle Storyteller Award, and was nominated for an Innovation Award for her work with libraries in Suffolk.

Francesca loves to hear from her readers – if you would like to contact her, you can do so on her social pages, or subscribe to her newsletter.

To stay up to date, and for free content, please visit francescacatlow.co.uk/subscribe

Facebook: @francescacatlowofficial

Instagram: @francescacatlowofficial

X: @francescacatlow

TikTok: @francescacatlow

For trigger warnings visit: francescacatlow.co.uk/trigger-warnings/

Reviews

[aina]

cute!! it read like mamma mia x gilmore girls, a combination i never knew i needed but absolutely loved

it felt like i was in greece right there with the characters,, & with the end of semester cramming i 100% needed those summer vacation delusions LOL

however!! certain topics felt very out of place, mentions of ai and andrew tate, unappreciated topics in my silly summer romance books. the ending also felt rushed and out of place

[Ellie]

Giving Donna and Sophie vibes. Cute ending, cute summer read☀️

[Vikki Davidge]

3.5⭐️

[Elaine]

I can't even begin to tell you all that this book brought out in me.
I laughed. I cried. I wondered. I felt regret. I felt overwhelmed. I felt the warmth of the love only very few people can find…. And, overall... this was wonderful!!!

Sara and Demitri met in 1998 in Greece. She was running away from a very controlling family. He was getting by, basically in his own backyard... when he met the girl of his dreams. BUT... she was not Greek. And, this was a problem...

We learn about Sara and her friends and all that she encountered during her time in Greece... and oh, how she loved Demitri!

Fast forward to 2025. Mia is Sarah's daughter. They are getting away for a short vacation to Greece. Mia has no idea WHY they are going there, but her Mom is her best friend... and, a trip to Greece. What's there to lose???

Well, I am stopping right here!

I will tell you that Mia met a wonderful young man one day, out on her own, on a small Greek Island. And I will tell you that things are not always as they seem...
Especially since I kept feeling a little niggle tugging at me during the entire book...

But wow! What a beautiful, romantic, charming, sweet, sad, heart-breaking story of love, life, family, friendship... and so much more!

ALLL THE STARSSSS IN THE WORLD FOR ME! This one was just ripping out my heartstrings... but then also... gluing them back together on every page... ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫💫💫💫💫🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟✨✨✨✨✨

#RemindersOfGreece by @FrancescaCatlow and narrated beautifully by @ErifyiGigante and @DaphneKouma.

THIS ONE HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED YET, BUT IT IS COMING OUT TOMORROW! 5/15/26!! So, please look for it then!!

Thanks so much to #NetGalley, @BrilliancePublishing and @BrillianceAudio for an ALC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

You can also find my reviews on: Goodreads,
Instagram: @BookReviews_with_emsr and/or
My Facebook Book Club: Book Reviews With Elaine

Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, & click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!!

And as always, thanks for reading along with me! 📚⭐️📖🩷

[Mackenzie Maczko]

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5/5 stars)

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Francesca Catlow for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Reminders of Greece delivers exactly what its title promises—a beautiful escape to the sun-soaked island of Kos, complete with sparkling coastlines, charming villages, and a heartfelt story centered on family, self-discovery, and second chances. The vivid setting was easily my favorite part of the novel and made me want to book a trip to Greece immediately.

The mother-daughter relationship adds emotional depth, and I appreciated the themes of healing, forgiveness, and uncovering long-buried truths. While the premise held a lot of promise, I found the pacing a little uneven. Some sections moved more slowly than I would have liked, and I never felt as emotionally invested in the characters as I had hoped. Certain revelations also felt more predictable than surprising, which lessened their impact for me.

That said, readers who enjoy atmospheric travel fiction with romance, family secrets, and picturesque destinations will likely find plenty to love here. It’s a comforting, easy read that captures the spirit of a Mediterranean escape, even if it didn’t completely win me over emotionally.

Overall, Reminders of Greece is a pleasant, feel-good read with a gorgeous setting and meaningful themes, though I was hoping for stronger character connections and a bit more narrative momentum. If you’re looking for an armchair vacation with a touch of romance and family drama, this is worth adding to your summer reading list.

[Tammy]

https://pinkstinx.blogspot.com/2026/0...

Reminders of Greece by Francesca Catlow has such a beautiful, wistful setup: sun-drenched islands, buried family secrets, old love, new love, and a mother-daughter relationship at the heart of it all. There’s real warmth in the story, and the Greek setting is easily its strongest feature — it feels nostalgic, dreamy, and full of longing.

There’s something genuinely moving about two women carrying unspoken truths while trying to protect each other, and I liked the themes of love, loss, identity, and belonging. At times, it really did feel tender and heartfelt.

I kept waiting for it to land with more force. A lot of the emotions were explained again and again instead of just being allowed to speak for themselves, which made some of the bigger moments feel less powerful than they should have. I also found the pacing quite slow, and some of the reveals felt obvious long before they happened. So while I liked the story and connected with parts of it, it never fully swept me away.

I wanted this to hit harder emotionally than it did. However, In the end, this was a warm, atmospheric read with a strong sense of place and a touching emotional core — I just wish it had trusted its readers more and delivered its emotional punches with a little more subtlety.

★★★

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Adina Corasaniti]

Review of advanced copy received from NetGalley

The book is beautifully written and descriptions of Kos make me even more excited to visit Greece when I get the chance. This story covers so many themes from mother/daughter relationships to buried love, to old and new love, and, the most important in my opinion, forgiveness.

Mia and her mom, Sara, are on vacation in Kos where Sara once worked back in 1998. The book starts off as dual timeline then ends with the current day. The dual timeline follows Sara’s time working on Kos and the mother-daughter vacation. The present day is also seen from Sara and Mia’s point of view. Sara meets Dimitri while working on Kos and feels an immediate connection. While Mia is out exploring the island on her own, she comes across the guy, Leonidas, who she saw playing guitar the night before. She feels an instant pull towards him but is hesitant to repeat the mistakes her mom made.

I enjoyed this story and it’s a great summer read. I was able to pick up what the twists would be and felt like it took just a little too long to get there. This disappointed me a bit but I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a story set in another country, a love story, and a buried family secrets.

[Mar]

Nunca había leído un libro ambientado en Grecia y es realmente increíble porque me enamoré de la ciudad, de sus cráteres, sus saunas y su volcán curativo. Estaba tan bien narrado que literal estaba viendo una película en mi cabeza. La historia me llegó de forma muy personal, ese anhelo Sara por la libertad, el querer vivir y disfrutar, así como esas ganas de vivir conociendo el mundo entero como Mía Zoí. Este libro es sentir el mar, la brisa y la montaña rusa de emociones. Me enamoré desde el primer instante de Dimitri y de Leónidas, experimentar ese amor de verano demasiado maduro y demasiado real más que en apps de citas, y sin embargo, ese miedo de repetir patrones es tan latente y tan real, tan humano que en verdad está historia la sentí muy personal. Y aunque los miedos existen cuando te enamoras, este libro logra transmitir la química, ese clic y esa sensación de que lo estás viviendo en carne propia. Estoy tan maravillada de cómo entrelaza la historia de Sara y Dimitri que ocurre en los 90's y la historia de la hija de Sara y Leónidas que ocurre en el 2025-2026. Logra conectar de forma tan coherente, que realmente amé tanto la pluma de la escritora que sin lugar a dudas leeré otros libros más de ella.
Gracias Netgalley por semejante joya

[Rosie]

I really enjoyed the descriptions of Kos, the people and the food. The book has a dual time line, Sara in 1998 and then 2025 for Sara and her daughter Mia.

I picked up quickly what the twists would be, relationships and health but it's took forever for them to be revealed. There is a lot of repetition of thoughts and feelings which was over the top and unnecessary. We are repeatedly told that both of them have a secret they're are hiding and that their mother daughter relationship is super strong and intuitive. Apparently Sara knows what her 26 year old daughter is thinking almost before she does. Sara also repeatedly mentions that she was unloved as a child and her rich parents provided her with everything but love. I don't think this needed to be said anywhere near as often.

The love stories were saccharine sweet even though there were misunderstandings.

The book was very good at reminding me of my love of the Greek islands and I am looking forward to returning soon. The narration was good..

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the DRC.

[sara]

Thank you NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Francesca Catlow for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Reminders of Greece is about a genuine mother and daughter relationship that toes the line of friendship, while Mia might not be Sara's first love it is shown throughout the story that her daughter is her forever, true, and longest love. The story does a good job of not making the relationship perfect, they both have their quirks and times where forgiveness and space is needed.

While I guessed most of the plot as the story went on, it was written well and kept me entertained and interested. The countering POV's and timelines are really needed to see into Sara's head and why she made the decisions she did because without that context you wanted to shake her and ask her why. The details were well written you felt like you were experiencing Greece.

The story is about growth, healing, forgiveness, and finding your own footing. It made me tear up at some points and excited at others for the characters. A quick read that leaves you satisfied at the end.

[Angela]

An overall okay story of lost family and lost love. Took a bit to get into the full plot.

Sara and Mia are more than just mother and daughter—they’re best friends, confidantes and partners in adventure. Mia’s dad’s identity may still be a mystery, but Mia’s independent, adventurous mum has more than made up for it over the years. So when Sara suggests a sun-soaked escape to Kos, the stunning Greek island shaped by volcanic forces, Mia jumps at the chance for their perfect summer getaway.

When Mia meets Leonidas, a handsome local musician, the white-washed villages and crystal-clear waters become the backdrop for revelations neither woman is prepared for. As family mysteries begin to unravel and long-buried truths rise to the surface, mother and daughter must is protecting the past worth sacrificing their future?

[Velocilectora]

Hola :) Tengo cuenta literaria en tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@velocilectora_

Drama romántico ambientado en las islas griegas donde seguimos a una madre y a su hija, en dos tiempos pero en la misma isla, cada una viviendo su historia de amor. En 1998 vivimos la historia de Sara, la madre y que se marchó de allí embarazada para vivir los siguientes 26 años en Inglaterra, su tierra natal. Y en 2025 conocemos la historia de Mía, que ha viajado allí con su madre y que poco a poco descubre cuál fue su verdadera historia.
Ha sido bastante bonita de leer, mostrando las cosas con realismo pero a la vez siendo cercano y agradable.
Creo que la historia tiene un ritmo muy bueno y que podemos conocer a las protagonistas en profundidad, definitivamente llegamos a empatizar con las dos aun estando en puntos muy diferentes.

[Elena Zinonos]

Time to travel in sun-soaked beaches, white-whased villages, and crystal-clear waters in the volcanic island of Kos. This book balances a picturesque summer holiday vibe and a high-stakes family secrets. It explores the bond between a mother and a daughter while unravelling a mystery from the past and a hidden parental identity.

In the heart of the novel we are following Mia and her mother Sara, who are like best friends. Both on an adventure trip in Greece. Mia is our FMC and during her trip meets Leonidas, our MMC, a handsome local musician. He is passionate, artistic and the perfect companion for Mia. When they meet, a well hidden secret is unravelled.

The gorgeous descriptive setting, the touching exploration of maternal love, and the satisfying way the family mysteries were resolved made it an absolute joy to read.

[LeAnn Robine]

I chose this for the obvious Mamma Mia vibes it was promoting, but I left feeling disappointed.

The characters were not super endearing, and at times it felt like the author wrote as though she thinks everyone in Greece is these mystical people who fall in love with everyone they meet, and it felt a little icky to me, honestly. I'm also not sure if this was the narrator's choice for the audiobook, but the character of Mia came across as SUPER passive-aggressive and overly obnoxious.

I'm not sure why I didn't just DNF it...I guess I was hoping that the fun campy Mamma Mia vibe that I signed up for would show up, but it never did.

[Angela]

Good story. A little slow at times. Liked the flashbacks and multiple "main" characters

This is the first time I have read a book by this author. Overall, it was good. Some parts dragged on a bit (i.e. hidden secret stuff), but you can figure out what the secret is. So, there really wasn't a need to drag it out quite so much. However, I liked the main characters and their different personalities. Chemistry was there - could have had s bit more depth. The book was clean in that there are no explicit scenes, which I appreciated. And, there were some touching moments. I liked the narrators various voices - they did a good job.

I would read another book by this author.

[Hanji Targaryen]

thank you, NetGalley and the author for allowing me to Arc read this book. This is a book that takes place between two timelines between a mother and a daughter and how their lives are so parallel to each other yet so different. This book is about love and loss, what should’ve been what could’ve been, and such a realistic aspect on our lives. Mothers will be able to relate to the story, uncertain aspects involving fears and whether we are doing enough. There’s so many positive things I can actually say about this book, but I don’t want to spoil, but I will say this is not only a perfect summary read but definitely has philosophical moments.

[Lyn Mueller]

I struggled with this book initially with the way it was written to portray the early years of the mother life and at the same time telling the story of her daughter when she was supposedly around the same age as her mother, both set in Greece which got me a bit confused to begin with. I nearly gave it away a couple of times but persevered. I felt that a lot of the sentiment in the story line was repeated many times which was quite unnecessary and dragged the story out a bit. When I got two thirds way through the book the rest of it was very predictable. Not a must read in my opinion.

[cynthia Anderson]

The characters are like the Gilmore girls, mom and daughter argue, and you don’t know who’s the mom who is the daughter. But it’s the same storyline different country. The mom gets pregnant. The mom doesn’t tell the father because the mother of the father doesn’t like the girl that’s pregnant so she goes off and as she gets older, she decides to tell her daughter that maybe they should meet up same storyline different country. The only difference was (mom) is sick. It was OK. I did push through it. It took me forever to read it.

[Molly Klaybor]

This was such a sweet read. I listened to it on audio and thoroughly enjoyed. The Greek setting was beautiful and added so much charm to the story. I especially loved the mother daughter relationship at the heart of the book.

With themes of love, loss, family, and self discovery, the story gave me Mamma Mia meets The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants vibes.

Everything wrapped up nicely. A cute read for anyone looking for an emotional story set in a fun location.

Bonus points because it’s KU with audio.

[Beverley]

I’ve read most of this authors books and this was by far the best one! I was hooked from the first chapter which is rare for me. The story is just so beautiful. The characters are so likeable and relatable. I really cannot wait for her next book. The last few chapters had me in tears as everything came together. A truly wonderful book that I did not want to end. I’d love a catch up short story Francesca Catlow especially featuring Sara parents

[Cynthia]

Since I've haven't been to Greece (yet!) I'd name this "Introduction to Real Greece"-- the story, which switches between 1998 and 2025, takes place on a small Greek island. In the present, a mother and daughter are visiting the part of Greece the mother once lived in. It's really two love stories in one, & it was lovely and I enjoyed the details of small-town Greece. A good summer read!
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy!

[Kathy]

A cute story that had me feeling like I was in Greece. The story centers on Mia and her Mom Sara who both love to travel. Sara worked in Kos years ago and returns with her adult daughter. Both are avoiding talking about the real truth behind this trip. Together, they reveal their deepest secrets and have the help of some cute Greek men. A light, heart story.

[All Things Liz]

Such a good book! I loved the dynamic of the two main female characters and the dual timelines. This was so well written and emotional for me. I enjoyed every bit of it. This book touched on my heart strings on a few different levels. I highly recommend it.

[Denise Duncan]

Sweet story that spans time

What a sweet story. It took me a while to get into it since the dialogue was limited in the beginning. I’m glad I stuck with it. It was a beautiful story.

[Beverly Duckworth]

Review of Reminders of Greece

I won this book from Goodreads after reading I am to review. This book is about a mother Sara and daughter Mia relationship. About surgery Sara takes Mia on vacation to Greece.

[SCHEILA]

SO GOOD!

So many emotions through this, the relationships, sacrifices and bonds! Cried happy tears and heartbreak tears. Thank you Francesca for this beautiful reminder to LIVE! Xoxo

[Helen Buxton]

What a pleasant story. It took me back to my wonderful holidays in my teens and early twenties travelling the Greek islands.
I loved the characters and their personalities, and a happy ending - who doesn’t love a happy ending ❤️

[sherry pacini]

Great book

I loved this book its set in one of my favourite countries and it made me cry in parts I know if a book can make me cry it's a good book

[Joana D'Arc]

Não era para mim.

[Bridget Francis]

5 chapters of absolutely nothing - couldn't be bothered to find out what happened - I just don't care!