We both have completely different lives in completely separate parts of the world. Our being together literally has an expiration date. We both know that.
By any definition, this is a vacation fling.
So, why does it bother me so much to think of it that way?
Twenty-nine-year-old Vancouverite Calla Barlowe has been dreaming about a romantic Greek vacation for years. Walks down flower-filled streets, romantic taverna dinners, and luxury hotels offering private pools with sunset views.
After getting stood up - and then dumped, Calla decides that she’s done waiting for Mr. Right to whisk her off on her perfect vacation. Instead, she books a flight to Greece.
Alone.
Despite her original apprehension, Calla soon discovers the joys of solo travel and the sense of independence that comes with it. But when a quiet, dark-eyed local man enters the picture, Calla has to figure out what she really wants.
Can she handle a casual vacation fling? Or will this unexpected island romance end in heartbreak?
I’ve combined my love for books & travel to write a travel-themed contemporary romance novel inspired by some of my favourite Greek islands and my own travel experiences.
Hopefully you like it :)
Come say hi! @hannahloganbooks or @hannahlogan21 (travel) on instagram
If It Makes You Happy is the perfect blend of adventure, friendship, and romance, set against the stunning backdrop of Greece. Hannah Logan takes readers on a journey through a beautifully written travel story that’s just as much about self-discovery as it is about the connections we make along the way.
The friendships in this book are full of warmth and authenticity, making the relationships feel real and meaningful. And, of course, the romance adds just the right amount of sweet and swoony moments. Whether you’re here for the travel, the friendships, or the love story, this book delivers.
If you’re looking for a feel-good read with heart, humor, and unforgettable characters, this one’s a must!
I received a complimentary copy of this book, and all opinions are my own.
I received a complimentary copy of this book and opinions expressed are my own.
It seems fitting that I read this lovely book during a cold, April snowstorm in Canada. If It Makes You Happy by Hannah Logan opens with Calla as she ends a situationship with an unworthy guy. Encouraged by her best friend, Calla decides to do something for herself by stepping out of her comfort zone and booking a solo trip to Greece. So begins a journey of friendship, self acceptance, adventure, and romance. Calla winds her way from Santorini to Rhodes to the small and magical island of Symi, where she meets Dimitri, who finds her just as intriguing as she does him � if not more. Can Calla risk her heart and have the experience of a lifetime or will her trip end in heartbreak?
This book is like a warm hug on a cold day and flows effortlessly through Calla’s experiences in Greece. The ups and downs of self-doubt and self-confidence are endlessly relatable and inspiring. The islands, beaches and tavernas are richly described in a way that makes you feel like you could be there too. Like Calla, I would also be looking up castles, ruins, and sunsets! The secondary characters are wonderful and provide the right amount of humour and council and encourage Calla’s growth. Dimitri is endlessly sweet, encouraging, romantic and the very embodiment of if he wanted to he would. I just loved it and will reread. I’m also already Googling how to get to Symi and her beautiful turquoise beaches!
If you’re looking for the perfect blend of travel inspiration, self discovery, human connection and romance, this is the book. Written with humor, warmth and a genuineness that can be truly hard to master, Hannah Logan manages to immerse you in the story while making you dream of your own adventure. I laughed, I cried, I booked a flight to Greece. Opa!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.
Calla has always wanted to go to Greece, but in her mind it was the perfect destination to go with a partner, not solo. After yet another situationship falls by the wayside, she decides to finally strike out on her own and take the vacation of a lifetime.
This one genuinely surprised me. I was so looking for this to being an escapist romance in Greece, and couldn't wait to get my hands on the novel. Unfortunately I think this has been incorrectly marketed. This isn't a romance first and foremost, it's an ode to the authors love of Greece. You can viscerally feel how much she has travelled the country and her joy for it, however in that, this reads more like a travel blog than a romance. Minute details that don't advance the story itself are constantly threaded throughout the entire novel, and dominate the first 3/4 of it. The differences between each island, the type of food you can eat, which ferries to take, which areas to visit and what they look like, which cities are more or less touristy, etc. If you're looking to vacation in Greece, this could absolutely be a resource. If you're looking for romance though? This isn't going to satisfy.
It takes over half of the book before the love interest himself becomes apparent, and almost 70% before they even kiss. Prior to that, the chemistry level is that of an acquaintance on his end, and an unrequited crush on hers. Due to the single POV, and no obvious intention from him, we don't have tension develop until his tongue is quite literally down her throat. It feels very one-sided, especially as we're under the impression that he has a partner when we do meet him, and he's very hands-off with her. Due to the romance not showing up until so late in the novel, and all of the additional details of eating, going to a beach, reading a book, taking a ferry, eating again, swimming, so on and so forth, the pace is extremely slow and meandering.
The intrigue into Calla striking out on her own after being romantically let down, and finding herself and love amongst it, sadly felt like an afterthought to the travel in general. The book then felt stagnant once her and the MMC decide to date, as their time together revolves around him and his schedule - just as her previous relationship did. Although he makes time for her, it just seems like she's mirroring her life in Vancouver with a man with better job hours. Him also deciding to make a massive change in his life for a woman he's barely known a few days felt weird, especially as he did the same thing with his last girlfriend. Then the book just ends there. It was odd and disjointed and truly highlighted that the real romance in this novel is between the author and Greece, and the relationship was an underdeveloped afterthought.
All in all, if you want a novel about Greece and good travel spots, grab this one. If you're looking for romance, maybe try something else this time around.
Thank you to the author, Hannah Logan for the digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I've been following Hannah Logan's travels via her blog and Instagram for a while and love her storytelling. So when I heard she'd written a novel I knew it would be good and couldn't wait to read it. So much so, I jumped the queue and requested an advance reader copy and Hannah kindly obliged.
'If It Makes You Happy' is set on the small Greek island of Symi (it's a real place, I checked). The book reads like a love letter to Symi and it's obvious it's a really magical place. The descriptions and details have me feeling I really know the island and almost believing I've been there myself. I haven't but it's now firmly on my list.
The protagonist is Calla, a graphic designer from Vancouver who, on ending a relationship where she seemed to be the one doing all of the giving, decides to do something for herself and books a flight to Greece. She's never been to Greece before and never travelled solo either, so it's a big step outside of her comfort zone.
Spending time in Santorini and Rhodes before catching the ferry to Symi, she starts off anxious and unsure of herself, but as you do when you travel solo, she soon meets people and makes friends. This by itself could be a good reason to read this book - if you've ever wondered about solo travel but been hesitant about making that first step, then reading 'If It Makes You Happy' will show you how easy it really is and hopefully give you that final nudge you need to book that flight.
The main part of the story however, is about Calla developing confidence in who she is and falling in love with a very sexy guy. Can they make it work? After all, they do live on separate continents and have a 10 hour time difference. I'm not giving any spoilers so you'll just have to read it yourself to find out!
I read this book so quickly it felt like the pages were turning themselves. Hannah's storytelling was every bit as good as I was expecting and now I can't wait for the sequel. Please tell me there's going to be one!
I received a complimentary copy of this book and opinions expressed are my own.
If you are looking for a strong female lead, a green flag MMC, and a fun heartwarming story to escape from the scary realities of today look no further…If It Makes You Happy by Hannah Logan, is all of this and more. This story follows Calla who ends a situationship and decides (with the help of her bestie) to take a Solo trip to Greece to truly start living.
This is a romance novel, but the first romance that is seen is the love that Calla finds for herself. This was my favourite aspect of this book. I related to Calla as a character. She is a curvy people pleasing girl, who puts others before herself. I’m always here for the curvy girl representation! It’s nice to read a book where you can truly visual yourself as the FMC. Calla steps outside of her comfort zone traveling alone to a place she always envisioned traveling to with a partner. During this journey she discovers her own self worth and what she deserves from herself and a romantic partner. It was such joy reading the self-love journey that Hannah describes in this book.
Hannah showcases the beauty of Greece and thoroughly paints the picture of the wonderful places Calla visits. The friendships that are developed along Calla’s journey to self-love genuinely seem like lifelong friendships! I enjoyed that Calla’s love interest was a friend first. Dimitri is a green flag hero. He sees Calla’s beauty inside and out, knows her worth and encourages her independence. The love that grows between them is wonderful to witness.
I couldn’t put this book down. It had me laughing and crying. I will be reading this again and hope Hannah will be writing another one soon! Overall this book was an enjoyable, self- love driven, feel-good read with layers of spice!
This debut was everything! “If It Makes You Happy� is a heartwarming, slow-burn romance that had me hooked from the first page and had me mentally booking a flight to Greece by the end!
We follow Calla, a curvy heroine from Vancouver who's been stuck in a situationship while clinging to the idea of a perfect fairytale. After a tough breakup, she throws caution to the wind and finally takes her dream vacation to Greece—solo. What starts as an escape quickly becomes a journey of self-love, confidence, and rediscovering who she is outside of a relationship.
The first half of the book is beautifully focused on Calla and her personal growth. I loved that the romance doesn’t rush in, giving her space to shine and evolve. And the descriptions of Greece? Breathtaking. I felt completely immersed in the sun-soaked islands, the vibrant towns, and the peaceful beaches.
Then enters Dimitri, our grumpy Greek hero who turns out to be a total cinnamon roll. He’s sweet, supportive, and absolutely worships Calla and all her curves. Their chemistry is off the charts, and their whirlwind vacation romance is equal parts swoony and steamy, with a satisfying HEA that had me grinning like an idiot.
This book was empowering, romantic, and full of joy. It’s not just a love story—it’s a love letter to self-discovery, confidence, and following your heart (and your travel bucket list!). Highly recommend to fans of slow burns, curvy heroines, grumpy/sweet heroes, and vivid, escape-worthy settings.
A very big thank you to Hannah Logan for the chance to read the ARC and provide my honest feedback!
Now excuse me while I go plan my own Greek vacation...
This is one of those books that feels like the first warm day of spring, does that make sense? This was so refreshing to read compared to what I usually would go for. It is the perfect mix of travel, self discovery, self acceptance, authentic friendships, and a sweet HEA romance.
The main character Calla is incredibly relatable. The way she thinks about herself is exactly how I spent my late teen years thinking of myself so I see a lot of myself in Calla.
The romance is sweet, and Dimitri (the MMC) is the biggest green flag you could imagine. He’s pretty darn perfect! The love story doesn’t take over the story though which I actually appreciate. Most romance novels focus heavily on the romance but this was based mainly on Calla learning to love herself first which I think is beautiful.
The best part was that there’s a sweet old man named Arthur who takes Calla under his wing when she gets to Symi and he reminds me of my grandfather in so many ways. His late wife’s name is Anne and my late grandmothers name is Ann so you can imagine the tears I shed when I realized that connection. Such a beautiful coincidence!
Well, now that I’ve finished this book, I guess it’s time to start looking up flights to Greece�..
I received a complimentary copy of this book, opinions expressed in this review are my own
New rule: any book that starts with a list of important Greek words that includes dolmades will be instantly added to my TBR.
Calla is newly single and alone in Greece. She is plus-sized - one of the wonderful things about the book is the acknowledgment of some of the everyday struggles this will bring without making it dominate the story. It’s just there, like it is for so many people.
The enthusiasm for Greece in this book is palpable. At times, it felt like I was reading Ms Logan’s private travel diary. It is most definitely a romance, however. I would argue this book is both a slow-burn and an insta-love. While it takes a little while for Calla to meet and fall in love with her man, she is swept off her feet by the Greek Islands.
This debut vacation fling romance is open door without laboring the point. It is a credit to the author’s work as a travel writer and I found myself looking up the locations to see them for myself. I highly recommend this book if you’ve ever dreamed of visiting the Mediterranean.
If It Makes You Happy is a relatable, endearing, entertaining and comforting story. Hannah's debut novel balances real life, travel, and love, and had me experiencing a range of emotions from start to finish. Calla is such an engaging lead female character and I found myself empathizing with her, laughing out loud and even tearing up during some particularly sweet moments.
Hannah's detailed descriptions of the Greek islands made it felt like such a familiar place that I can't wait to visit for myself!
Definitely a book to add to your reading list if you are looking for a hopeful, emotional escape!
I received a complimentary copy of this book and all opinions are my own.
I received a complimentary copy of this book, but this review is entirely of my own opinion.
I loved that the lead character is in her 30’s because love can happen at any age. It’s a cute romance novel that fills the heart, has a little bit of spice and an adventure in Greece. It’s the sort of story you dream about when you travel abroad!
I’ve personally been to Greece and Calla’s description of how she finds Santorini is exactly how I felt. But, I also got the community feeling on the smaller islands which is also portrayed so accurately!
I received a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
This is such a cute feel good romance that transports you to Greece. Calla is a relatable character and I love following her journey from her situationship ending (we’ve all been there) to taking her dream trip to Greece. Loved the messaging around doing something for yourself and how much confidence she gains solo travelling. The descriptions of the islands make me want to book a trip back to Greece asap! An easy read perfect if you’re looking for a beach/vacation book!
I was given a copy after a few others had already taken a crack at it to edit and check for mistakes. As this book isn't remotely in my regular wheelhouse of genres I expected I'd be in for a bit of a slog. I was wrong.
While It started a little slow for me (probably a large part because I was analyzing every word to make sure it belonged), I quickly found myself engrossed in the story wanting to see how Callas journey went and forgot my primary purpose of reading it was to edit.
It's a light, fun and easy read and I can't wait to see what she writes next.