The place seemed utterly still, the only sound was the wind rustling high in the pines above. Standing there, realizing she didn’t even know which house had belonged to her grandmother, Ava wondered just how crazy and desperate she’d been to come all this way with no hope or plan.

When Ava arrives in Greece, it’s with a heart that’s shattered into a thousand pieces. But as she pulls up in a tiny village nestled on a cliff above the glittering Ionian Sea, and steps out in front of a tumbledown house that once belonged to her grandmother Sophia, everything changes.

At first Ava almost wants to laugh at this bizarre inheritance—a home that has been uninhabited since the Second World War—that appears as close to collapse as she herself feels. But with nowhere left to run to, her only choice is to start putting the house together again.

What Ava doesn’t expect is for pieces of her grandmother’s story to emerge, as a local survivor from the war begins to share her secrets. Ava can’t help but be drawn to Sophia’s hidden past… even though the truth could change her own life forever.

Because Sophia’s story is one of devastating choices she had to make during the Nazi invasion of her beloved country. It’s a story of bravery, betrayal and tragedy. But most of all, it is a story about love…

An utterly unforgettable story of two remarkable women who find the strength to persevere against all odds and find hope, courage and light in the darkness. Perfect for fans of The Nightingale, The Lilac Girls and Victoria Hislop’s The Island.

No. of pages:- 232 pages

Date published:- will be published on August 13th 2021

Publisher:- Bookouture

Genre:- Historical Fiction

Rating:- 4.5/5

This is the second book of Kate Hewitt I have read and when I got fascinated with The Edelweiss Sisters, I decided I will read all her books!

Beyond the Olive Grove sets during the turmoil time of WWII and talks a story between two women–Present Day Ava who comes to a small town in Greece when she inherited a house from her Greek grandmother and 1940’s WWII era, Sophia, who is Present Day Ava’s grandmother. Ava settles down in the small village, getting acquainted with the villagers and making new friends and at the same time learning more about her grandmother’s life during WWII. Sophia is a shy girl working in a coffee house who was asked to join a resistance movement during WWII. The writing was engaging and I was so hooked into the story, I particularly like reading about Sophia’s part! Those parts seemed intense and I was so worried about Sophia getting caught, though in the end, it was a bit emotional and tear-jerking. for Sophia losing her family members in the war. The author did a good job and she has done tremendous research about the Greek history and the story felt realistic to me. I also like the scene of the Greek village, Ava’s growing friendship with Helena and Eleni as they tried to help her to find more about her grandmother. Overall, the ending was so good and I actually enjoyed this book so much!

Overall, this book is quiet unputdownable, will keep you awake all night and will give you an emotional ride! Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion.

Kate Hewitt is the bestselling author of many novels of both historical and contemporary fiction. She particularly enjoys writing contemporary issue-driven women’s fiction, and her novels have been called ‘unputdownable’ and ‘the most emotional book I have ever read’ by readers.

An American ex-pat, she lives in a small market town in Wales with her husband and five young(ish) children, along with their two Golden Retrievers. Join her newsletter for monthly updates and giveaways at http://www.kate-hewitt.com, or be part of her Facebook groups Kate’s Reads, to discuss all manner of books, movies, music and cooking.