Gina is ready for something more.

She has been living with her husband Colin for a long time and, though she has tried to jumpstart their marriage again, it seems like a moot point. She’s hoping that the long-awaited trip to Kalosiros in Greece will bring the much-needed spark back into their relationship.

Gina has fond memories of Kalosiros and the trips that she took there with her mother when she was still alive. She also remembers her first love Nico that she met on the island and she remembers the love that bloomed between them while they strolled under sunlit skies along the shores.

Part of her still remains on that island along with the memories of her mother before she got sick. Gina wonders if the last time she was happy was when she in Greece with her mother and Nico. She has been working as a cleaner, trying desperately to save money for the trip back to the island and the memories that it still holds for her.

When Colin unexpectedly decides not to go with her, this is the final straw in their crumbling marriage. The trip away from Colin is a trial separation and as she boards the plane, she feels free for the first time in years. She knows that the two weeks in Greece will be life changing, but she is unaware of how much of herself she will find there.

Still, a small piece of her remembers her first ever love. She wonders if Nico is still on the island and if he will remember her all these years later. What she doesn’t count on is remembering the parts of herself that she had forgotten and that love really begins within.

I loved everything about this novel. Alex Brown has a way of really helping the reader to visualize the world that she’s created. Diving into Bring Me Sunshine, the Greek islands came alive for me and I could feel the sea breeze on my skin and feel the heat of the sun. She truly made Greece come to life for me.

I love the characters that she creates. Gina ends up meeting two women in the resort, Rosie and Deedee. The women become fast friends and they are happy to help Gina on her search for Nico and the love she left behind. What I love about the friendship of these three women is that they became my friends too as I continued to read. The relationship is so real and true and so heartfelt. I love how Alex Brown creates these characters that are so well written I feel like I’ve known them for years.

Alex Brown is so skilled at layering Gina’s story, revealing a piece of Gina a little bit at a time as she discovers Greece all over again and begins to heal. Brown always tells stories in a different way, and she is in top form with Bring Me Sunshine. Part of this novel deals with controlling marriage and mental abuse.

I’ve lived through several relationships where there was mental abuse at play. Though the abuse was never physical, they made sure to bring me down to the lowest form of myself. Reading along with Gina as she began to discover herself again and embraced what she loved, and not what someone else was telling her to love, was sheer joy. I celebrated right along with her as she was able to find herself again. I cheered when Rosie and Deedee told Gina that she deserved joy, happiness and love in her life and I loved Rosie and Deedee all the more for it.

Alex Brown’s books always come along when I’m in need of a little bit of healing myself. Though it’s been over a decade since I was in a mentally abusive relationship, part of them still remained within me and I would hear their voices whenever I doubted myself. After reading Bring Me Sunshine, I will let their voices go with the breeze so that they can no longer hurt me. That’s how powerful Alex Brown’s writing is.

I can’t wait to read this book again and go back to Kalosiros where the air is sweet with the promise of love.