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Beach #4
Mediterranean Holiday: Or, How I Moved to a Tiny Island and Found the Love of My Life
Hi Abby,
Bet I'm the last person you expected to get a card from. The island is hot and beautiful and brilliant, but you were 80% right about Davinia. No—90% right. She's totally self-centered and she's trying to force me to date this creep! I'd sooner slit my wrists because I'm in love with someone else. He's gorgeous but he hates me. Aren't holidays supposed to be relaxing?! Abby, I wish we hadn't fallen out. Maybe see you when I get back?
Lots of love (honest!),
Chloe xxx
Bet I'm the last person you expected to get a card from. The island is hot and beautiful and brilliant, but you were 80% right about Davinia. No—90% right. She's totally self-centered and she's trying to force me to date this creep! I'd sooner slit my wrists because I'm in love with someone else. He's gorgeous but he hates me. Aren't holidays supposed to be relaxing?! Abby, I wish we hadn't fallen out. Maybe see you when I get back?
Lots of love (honest!),
Chloe xxx
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
8 people are currently reading
472 people want to read
About the author
Kate Cann
45 books239 followersWhen I was a child, I wanted to be a witch. My first foray into writing was a series of nasty spells full of rats’ tails and bats’ wings. Then, when I turned thirteen, I began keeping a lurid diary, full of adoration or loathing, depending on who I was writing about. I used my later diaries for the Diving In trilogy.
I never thought ‘I want to be a writer’, but I loved books and writing. At school, I was rubbish at just about everything but English, so I went on to Kent University where I did two degrees in English and American Literature. At Kent, I fell dramatically in love with the man I'm still married to. We had loads of fights and adventures, but we kept coming back together. He's still the person I most want to spend time with. Awww!
My first proper job was in a publishing house, Time Life Books, as a copy-editor. I felt very glamorous. I used to go to the huge YMCA on Tottenham Court Road at lunchtime and do aerobics classes (very big in the 1980s and yes - I wore legwarmers). Then I'd fall asleep over my desk in the afternoon.
When my two kids came along, I set up as a freelance copy-editor and worked from home. By chance I got given some teenage books to edit, and I hated the way they treated sexual relationships: they were either full of gloom and doom, or were gushy, unrealistic candyfloss. So I got bitten by the ‘I can do better than this’ bug, and started writing. I remember the first day I started to write - it took me over. I forgot to eat (unthinkable for me) and I nearly forgot to collect the kids from school. About a year after that, Diving In was accepted for publication.
When I ran out of material from my diaries and memories, I realized my daughter and son were teenagers, and started eavesdropping on them. They were extremely tolerant about this although they did sometimes demand money from me.
Big changes have been afoot recently. My kids have left home - really left home, not just gap-year-travelling/university left home, and my old man is doing the sort of work that means he can work from home a lot of the time. So we've sold up and moved into the wilds of Wiltshire and so far I am absolutely loving it. The space, the silence, seeing the stars at night in the pitch black, the owls, the trees, the walks, the great food in the local pubs - everything! I'd started to bring nature into my books - it all started with Crow Girl - and now I'm working on two books about a city girl who gets plunged into the wilds. So the move is very much linked to and helping my writing. I think the sheer beauty and power of nature and how it can get right inside you is something a lot of kids are cut off from today.
I still love London though - the plan is to come up every couple of weeks, catch up with all my old mates, possibly do something seriously cultured like go to the theatre. And I want to travel a bit more, too - offsetting my increased carbon footprint with an enormous compost heap.
I love long conversations, running, reading, gardening, walking and white wine (in moderation of course) and I’m the first to admit I have the life of Reilly (who apparently had a pretty cushy life). I start the day with a run or walk with my dog, when I think about what’s going to happen next in the book I’m writing. Then I have a huge breakfast, and get down to work. I write on (or if it’s cold, in) the spare bed with a laptop, my dog at the bottom of the bed. If it’s sunny, I write in the garden, on a sun-lounger. Tough, ay? I also have this theory that you can’t be truly creative for more than about three or four hours a day, so in the mid afternoon, I knock off, and do my emails and stuff. Told you it was cushy.
I never thought ‘I want to be a writer’, but I loved books and writing. At school, I was rubbish at just about everything but English, so I went on to Kent University where I did two degrees in English and American Literature. At Kent, I fell dramatically in love with the man I'm still married to. We had loads of fights and adventures, but we kept coming back together. He's still the person I most want to spend time with. Awww!
My first proper job was in a publishing house, Time Life Books, as a copy-editor. I felt very glamorous. I used to go to the huge YMCA on Tottenham Court Road at lunchtime and do aerobics classes (very big in the 1980s and yes - I wore legwarmers). Then I'd fall asleep over my desk in the afternoon.
When my two kids came along, I set up as a freelance copy-editor and worked from home. By chance I got given some teenage books to edit, and I hated the way they treated sexual relationships: they were either full of gloom and doom, or were gushy, unrealistic candyfloss. So I got bitten by the ‘I can do better than this’ bug, and started writing. I remember the first day I started to write - it took me over. I forgot to eat (unthinkable for me) and I nearly forgot to collect the kids from school. About a year after that, Diving In was accepted for publication.
When I ran out of material from my diaries and memories, I realized my daughter and son were teenagers, and started eavesdropping on them. They were extremely tolerant about this although they did sometimes demand money from me.
Big changes have been afoot recently. My kids have left home - really left home, not just gap-year-travelling/university left home, and my old man is doing the sort of work that means he can work from home a lot of the time. So we've sold up and moved into the wilds of Wiltshire and so far I am absolutely loving it. The space, the silence, seeing the stars at night in the pitch black, the owls, the trees, the walks, the great food in the local pubs - everything! I'd started to bring nature into my books - it all started with Crow Girl - and now I'm working on two books about a city girl who gets plunged into the wilds. So the move is very much linked to and helping my writing. I think the sheer beauty and power of nature and how it can get right inside you is something a lot of kids are cut off from today.
I still love London though - the plan is to come up every couple of weeks, catch up with all my old mates, possibly do something seriously cultured like go to the theatre. And I want to travel a bit more, too - offsetting my increased carbon footprint with an enormous compost heap.
I love long conversations, running, reading, gardening, walking and white wine (in moderation of course) and I’m the first to admit I have the life of Reilly (who apparently had a pretty cushy life). I start the day with a run or walk with my dog, when I think about what’s going to happen next in the book I’m writing. Then I have a huge breakfast, and get down to work. I write on (or if it’s cold, in) the spare bed with a laptop, my dog at the bottom of the bed. If it’s sunny, I write in the garden, on a sun-lounger. Tough, ay? I also have this theory that you can’t be truly creative for more than about three or four hours a day, so in the mid afternoon, I knock off, and do my emails and stuff. Told you it was cushy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
April 12, 2021
Read this when I was about 15. My first taste of a saucy novel. Just as good as I remember...
November 7, 2012
Reviewed by Amber Gibson for TeensReadToo.com
Kate Cann writes a scrumptious tale of a dream vacation that features more twists and turns than a roller-coaster in MEDITERRANEAN HOLIDAY, a coming-of-age story that never fails to entertain.
Chloe, a British teen, is trying to regroup and adjust to living with just her dad, after her mom leaves the family for her lover. She decides to refrain from all contact with her mother and does her best to avoid even thinking about her. When stunningly beautiful and spoiled Davinia arrives at Chloe's private school, her presence is a welcome distraction for Chloe. She finds Davinia utterly fascinating and will do anything it takes to befriend her. Throwing away her old friends without a second thought, Chloe spends more and more time with the dangerously daring Davinia in and out of school.
The two become fast friends and before she knows it, Chloe is invited to vacation with Davinia's wealthy family on the luxurious island of Caminos, a small island in the Mediterranean. Chloe jumps at the opportunity and daydreams about all of the exciting adventures that she and Davinia will have over the course of their summer. As soon as school's out, the two girls leave behind everything drab in Britain for the sunshine and swimming in Caminos.
Right away--well, as soon as they board the plane--Chloe meets a boy that leaves her breathless, and over the course of the summer, Chloe finds herself trying to balance her friendship with Davinia, her pursuit of romance, her family situation, and her newfound independence.
But Davinia doesn't turn out to be the girl Chloe thought she was and somebody Chloe thought she never wanted to see again suddenly shows up on the island. Suddenly, Chloe's Mediterranean vacation is nothing like she thought it would be. Will Chloe be able to straighten out her holiday mess and enjoy her last few weeks on Caminos?
MEDITERRANEAN HOLIDAY is a sweet and spicy look at the real life challenges behind a seemingly perfect vacation. I can only hope that someday I'll have a summer vacation as action-packed as Chloe's!
Kate Cann writes a scrumptious tale of a dream vacation that features more twists and turns than a roller-coaster in MEDITERRANEAN HOLIDAY, a coming-of-age story that never fails to entertain.
Chloe, a British teen, is trying to regroup and adjust to living with just her dad, after her mom leaves the family for her lover. She decides to refrain from all contact with her mother and does her best to avoid even thinking about her. When stunningly beautiful and spoiled Davinia arrives at Chloe's private school, her presence is a welcome distraction for Chloe. She finds Davinia utterly fascinating and will do anything it takes to befriend her. Throwing away her old friends without a second thought, Chloe spends more and more time with the dangerously daring Davinia in and out of school.
The two become fast friends and before she knows it, Chloe is invited to vacation with Davinia's wealthy family on the luxurious island of Caminos, a small island in the Mediterranean. Chloe jumps at the opportunity and daydreams about all of the exciting adventures that she and Davinia will have over the course of their summer. As soon as school's out, the two girls leave behind everything drab in Britain for the sunshine and swimming in Caminos.
Right away--well, as soon as they board the plane--Chloe meets a boy that leaves her breathless, and over the course of the summer, Chloe finds herself trying to balance her friendship with Davinia, her pursuit of romance, her family situation, and her newfound independence.
But Davinia doesn't turn out to be the girl Chloe thought she was and somebody Chloe thought she never wanted to see again suddenly shows up on the island. Suddenly, Chloe's Mediterranean vacation is nothing like she thought it would be. Will Chloe be able to straighten out her holiday mess and enjoy her last few weeks on Caminos?
MEDITERRANEAN HOLIDAY is a sweet and spicy look at the real life challenges behind a seemingly perfect vacation. I can only hope that someday I'll have a summer vacation as action-packed as Chloe's!
August 14, 2010
I wanted to like this book, but it was like all the characters wanted to do was have sex. I mean they were sorta on vacation in this totally awesome place, but they kept looking for places to hook up in. And the romance wasn't even that great, I hated how much they cussed and how rough they were. But I guess that is how they are in Europe?? I don't honestly know but I didn't really enjoy this book as much as I had hoped to.
May 9, 2012
According to my mother I seem to say that about each one every summer! But its always true. Each summer they just seem to get better and better. I couldnt put this book down at all! Kate Cann's writing totally took me over and I just fell in love with Chole! And now all I want is just to go out on my own holiday and find freedom and love. If you loved the other 3 books then of course you'll love this one.
-Chole is a 17 year old girl who is dealing with her mother moving in with her 'lover' and her dad having breakdown after the divorce. When a new girl, Davinia, shows up at school Chole becomes completely obessed with her. Davinia is rich, self center and seems to be very confindent, Chole admires her for it. Once ditching her best friend, Davinia invites Chole on her Holiday with her and her parents. But Chole soon realizes that Davinia isnt at all what she thought and the holiday takes a complete turn.
-Chole is a 17 year old girl who is dealing with her mother moving in with her 'lover' and her dad having breakdown after the divorce. When a new girl, Davinia, shows up at school Chole becomes completely obessed with her. Davinia is rich, self center and seems to be very confindent, Chole admires her for it. Once ditching her best friend, Davinia invites Chole on her Holiday with her and her parents. But Chole soon realizes that Davinia isnt at all what she thought and the holiday takes a complete turn.
February 3, 2012
This book is about a girl Chloe, who becomes a little obsessed with the new girl at school - Davina, and ends up going on holiday with her, to find that she is not as perfect as she thinks. However, a short way into this book, Chloe meets a girl who is basically Davina's doppleganger, that is to say, Chloe actually mistakes this other girl for Davina because she basically looks and behaves exactly like her, and Chloe says that she should have taken this as a sign that there was something wrong about Davina. Unfortunatley though, the book ends without another mention of this mystery girl, and I'm just wondering who she was, and what relevance she really had? The story also seems to be a bit lacking at times, as if there could have been more substance which is a shame. Bit disappointed, but overall probably deserves a 5 out of 10.
March 21, 2008
cute, i love all of these books but they're kind of predictible.
March 9, 2010
Really boring and had no plot
October 25, 2013
Was a little weirded out when I started reading it... I thought it was a lesbian relationship. Turned out to be not so bad and I kind of liked it!
May 31, 2015
Really good book! (Y)
April 19, 2021
Something just magic about this author and her teen, holiday crisis, find-your-independence stories. Never fails to capture the wonder of being that age and how the whole world stretches before you and the person you're falling for.
April 1, 2023
A nice little dose of nostalgia, but also -- what in the lesbian erasure??
February 6, 2025
love summer reads!
August 31, 2025
Nightmare vacation, honestly. She made the best of it
December 5, 2017
La storia dell’amica “alternativa” che rende più frizzante la vita della protagonista è superficiale e inconsistente. Credevo fosse un romanzo sugli amori estivi e invece è un elogio alla stupidità. Infantile.
January 4, 2013
This is a tough one to review, especially having previously read just what Cann is capable of (seriously, Leaving Poppy was AMAZING...but I digress). I started off thinking that I wasn't going to like it because it was your typical girl-is-a-social-outcast, girl-meets-perfect-blonde (seriously, said blonde was so perfect that said girl was calling her own sexuality into question), girl-becomes-friends-with-perfect-blonde, girl-realises-that-perfect-blonde-isn't-so-perfect-after-all scenario. I ended up not liking it because it turned into a holiday-from-hell story of ridiculous proportions. Psychological abuse, poverty, loneliness, frantic falling-in-lust with some moron whom she started off hating... all were present. Cann even threw in the whole long-lost-Mum angle, just for the fun of it.
Don't get me wrong, it was a gripping enough story that I JUST managed to get through without wanting to smash in the faces of every single character...JUST...but this author can - and does - write a hell of a lot better.
Don't get me wrong, it was a gripping enough story that I JUST managed to get through without wanting to smash in the faces of every single character...JUST...but this author can - and does - write a hell of a lot better.
July 29, 2011
It was better than I expected... Worth a light-hearted read.
It is way better than Cann's other girly books cos this one didn't keep me depressed, like the protagonist, till the very end.
It is worth the read. It's a good book to break up the tone between other genre books, i.e. I like horror, and this breaks my horror book routine, making the next even scarier/fresher...
Read it, one of the best of Cann, if you like her or romances...
(not a comedy though)
It is way better than Cann's other girly books cos this one didn't keep me depressed, like the protagonist, till the very end.
It is worth the read. It's a good book to break up the tone between other genre books, i.e. I like horror, and this breaks my horror book routine, making the next even scarier/fresher...
Read it, one of the best of Cann, if you like her or romances...
(not a comedy though)
January 31, 2012
Så dålig bok!
Verkligen en av de segaste och mest meninglösa böcker jag någonsin läst. Egentligen hände det ingenting och det som hände var bara tråkigt. Karaktärerna var riktigt dåliga, de ända jag gillade lite var tjejerna som drev restaurangen (minns inte vad de hette) och kanske Alex, men bara liiite. Om ni inte måste läsa boken så tycker jag inte ni bör göra det, ni lär bli besvikna och uttråkade.
Verkligen en av de segaste och mest meninglösa böcker jag någonsin läst. Egentligen hände det ingenting och det som hände var bara tråkigt. Karaktärerna var riktigt dåliga, de ända jag gillade lite var tjejerna som drev restaurangen (minns inte vad de hette) och kanske Alex, men bara liiite. Om ni inte måste läsa boken så tycker jag inte ni bör göra det, ni lär bli besvikna och uttråkade.
December 4, 2022
Another escapism holiday novel, and like Footloose I can't help but love it. I'm a huge fan of Kate Caan anyway, but I just love reading all the description she does and the romance is great. It actually has a pretty complex plot too for what it is, so it's not complete fluff. An enjoyable story with interesting characters, and absolutely perfect for any holiday
July 20, 2016
Se non hai mai avuto un'amica come Davinia non potrai mai capire questo libro. Se non ti ha avuto un'amicizia malata, squilibrata e completamente sbagliata, allora non si può capire questo libro. Io purtroppo ne ho avuta più di una e mi ci sono ritrovata in pieno in questo libro - che parte come una lettura estiva stupida e leggera e che invece è più profondo di quanto si pensi.
February 10, 2009
This had some similar plot details to Fiesta (Spanish Holiday) and I didn't like Alex as much as Juan (too angry!), but it was good.
I don't know why Cora and Zara had to turn out to not be lesbians, surely their sexuality was entirely irrelevant though...
I don't know why Cora and Zara had to turn out to not be lesbians, surely their sexuality was entirely irrelevant though...
April 24, 2016
Kate Cann manages to get the summer feeling over to the reader in all of her books. I have read three but this is without a doubt my favourite. The books all seem to follow a similar story line but still very entertaining and romantic.
January 28, 2008
Didn't get exciting til the ending.
September 27, 2008
I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
December 4, 2008
I loved it, even though it's too old for me and has some.. Choice words. It's awesome!
Hailzee~
Hailzee~
February 17, 2011
I love this series ! Really good book to read if you like to read books about young people in love and such.
June 6, 2010
Found this for 50 cents at a book sale and enjoyed the quick, cheesy summer read while commuting to work.
January 27, 2014
loved it
August 1, 2011
Nothing special
June 18, 2014
Definitely one of my favorite books, I find myself reading it again and again.
September 16, 2012
It was ok, not bad not great. A simple and easy read
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews