Author name: Effie Kammenou

Name of the book: Waiting For Aegina: Book Two in The Gift Saga

Genre of the book: Women’s Fiction, Family Saga

Book synopsis: Book Two in The Gift Saga: The continuation of Evanthia’s Gift…

In 1961, five little girls moved into a suburban neighborhood and became inseparable, lifelong friends. They called themselves the ‘Honey Hill Girls,’ named after the street on which they lived. As teenagers they shared one another’s ambitions and dreams, secrets and heartaches. Now, more than thirty years later, they remain devoted and loyal, supporting each other through triumphs and sorrows.

Evanthia’s Gift follows the life of Sophia Giannakos. In Waiting for Aegina the saga continues from the perspectives of Sophia and her friends as the story drifts back and forth in time, filling in the gaps as the women grow to adulthood.

Naive teenage ideals are later challenged by harsh realities, as each of their lives takes unexpected turns. Now nearing their fiftieth year, Sophia, Demi, Amy, Mindy and Donna stand together through life-altering obstacles while they try to regain the lighthearted optimism of their youth.

Book review:

Waiting for Aegina: Book Two in the Gift Saga by Effie Kammenou is a well-plotted, character-driven story that explores the thrills and challenges of friendship, a friendship that grows through space and time. Readers are introduced to the five women known as the “Honey Hill Girls,” a group of girls who became friends from childhood and have remained inseparable. After thirty years, they still share the bond of friendship, even though they live very separate lives. Told from the perspective of Sophia, one of the girls, the reader explores the power of friendship, following the lives of these women as they grow into adults, understanding what binds them together, and what loyalty really means.

The characters are well-developed — Sophia, Demi, Amy, Mindy and Donna — and readers will love to see each of them in their uniqueness, which comes across clearly in the narrative. Waiting for Aegina is a beautifully paced story that shows readers the role our childhood dreams and fantasies play in our lives. Apart from the beauty of friendship, wonderfully woven into the fabric of the story, readers follow characters who are real, who face challenges, experience heartaches, and keep secrets. Effie Kammenou’s writing is beautiful and it feels like music to the ears. The setting is powerful and I loved the colorful descriptions, the images that come across vividly in the writing, and the natural-sounding dialogues. Readers will enjoy the emotional and psychological depth of the story. This is a masterfully accomplished story that plunges readers into the world of women to explore what is precious in their hearts; it will arouse the finest of emotions in readers. A very entertaining read.

Check out Waiting For Aegina: Book Two in The Gift Saga here.

This guest review was contributed by Christian Sia for Readers’ Favorite.