My Mamma Mia Summer | Book Review

I’m having one of those “bad days” that is so bad that it is laughable. Nothing serious or dangerous, of course, but one of those days when everything seems to go wrong. Even my shoe broke and I’ve been hobbling around the office at work all day. (Five minutes after writing that the strap on my other shoe also snapped.) I feel like I’ve been having a lot of those days lately, which is why I picked up a feel good book to read recently. I read constantly, but it isn’t often that I write a review of the books I’ve read and I thought it was about to time to change that. With my hard drive currently out of commission (another thing that happened), I can’t edit photos at the moment so this blog is a lovely distraction from my not-so-good day. If you’ve been having some of those too, keep reading for a book review with very few spoilers (I promise).

I picked up My Mamma Mia Summer by Annie Robertson the other week thinking it was a romance novel. I do love a good contemporary romance and one based on Mamma Mia sounded perfect for summer. Well, it wasn’t. But it was still a delight. And there was some romance. Just a little.

The book follows a young woman named Laurel to Skopelos, Greece, the island where Mamma Mia was filmed. I want to say that this book is light hearted, and it really is, but it does touch a lot on grief. Laurel is grieving the passing of her grandmother. They had always planned on going to the island together one day and one day simply never happened. Laurel’s parents had died when she was very young and she was raised by her beloved grandmother, Marnie. They loved the movie Mamma Mia because Laurel’s mother was an ABBA fan and her parents had fell in love on a Greek Island.

So Laurel embarks on this adventure alone, leaving her home in London behind for a couple weeks on the island. If you’re a fan of the Mamma Mia movies then you will love Laurel’s story. She meets an interesting cast of characters on the island and lives out her Mamma Mia dreams. This book was written about a year before the sequel came out and if you ever wished for more, then this story will fill some of the void. There is some romance, but the story is actually centered around Laurel’s personal journey and the romance is really just a side note. However, it does delve deeply into friendships and I love that about this book.

At the age of twenty-eight, Laurel isn’t exactly happy with her life back in London. She isn’t exactly unhappy either, but she feels like there is more to life. She reminds me a lot of the character Donna from the films. I think that many people can relate to the feelings of loss and wonder and “what if?” that Laurel experiences throughout the book.

I feel that the story could do without some of the flashbacks and the writing isn’t award worthy, but it is a book that will make you feel warm and giddy just like the Mamma Mia films. Who hasn’t wished to pack up their bags and go on an adventure like the characters in their favorite film?

Skopelos just so happens to be on my travel wish list too for this very same reason. We can’t really travel at the moment (for obvious reasons) so this book was the perfect antidote to my wanderlust. At least, temporarily. Now it makes me want to travel back to Greece even more.

I would rate this book four out of five stars. Even though the writing isn’t the best I have seen, it is a lovely read. It isn’t a book that I was glued to, but it was one that I thoroughly enjoyed. A part of me was wishing for more romance, but there was a spot in the middle that more than made up for it. (You’ll see what I mean.) It was a book that transported me to a little island in Greece and gave me hope for the next exciting adventure. It is also a reminder about how short life truly is and how we can embrace it by knowing and caring for ourselves. And I truly loved the ending. I think you will too.

You can find My Mamma Mia Summer here.