3.5 stars — This was definitely a cute romance, but in the end I was bummed with the hero’s refusal to look at his own issues until he really had no choice.

Luis has the nickname of “Saint Navarro”, and he’s definitely the kind of guy always trying to help others, which is admirable.  I did appreciate his easygoing nature, and his passion for his hometown.  But wow…the guy is stubborn.  And has a bit of that toxic nature where he’s too proud to seek help or listen to the many people who love him who want to see him actually figure his shiznit out.  Watching him ice out anyone who tried to address his issues was…NOT admirable.  Honestly, even when Sara was talking to him about her OSFED, and asking him to trust her, he just wouldn’t say anything and I was disappointed in him.

Sara was a much more interesting heroine.  She’s driven, but it comes from a different place than just ambition.  My heart ached for the scars she had from childhood…I thought they were really interesting, because the hurts she suffered were not intentional, and I think so many of us can relate.  I appreciated seeing her struggle to accept how her family had changed, and let down some of her walls — I think I would have been bummed if that had been easy, because it becomes habit after awhile.  Basically her growth was very believable.

They were pretty cute together.  I wasn’t blown away, but I did enjoy their teasing and banter.  I was surprised that it was fade to black, but it worked okay for me.

I will say that I honestly don’t understand how they’ll make it work in the future.  I would have liked an epilogue or something, because they didn’t address any of that long lasting stuff.  Ah well, it is what it is.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

Thank you so much to the publisher for this review copy. I unfortunately think I am not the audience for this romance novel. I was a bit confused in the beginning and really didn't care for the story at all. I wasn't interested in the characters but I did like the island vibe. I made it halfway through but DNF'd because it was just a bit slow for me. I'm not sure what was missing for me but I just think it's not for me.

2.5 stars.
It was supposed to be adorable and cute rom-com. But it felt sort of random and boring...
The main characters had no chemistry.

DNF
At this time, I'm no longer interested in this title. Thank you for the opportunity to read the book and I apologize for the inconvenience.

DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style or plot and will not be finishing this title. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

I really enjoyed this one! Fake relationships is one of my favorite romance tropes, and I feel like Priscilla Oliveras did a fantastic job with this love story. It wasn't just fluff -- it tackles some deep subjects (like Sara's eating disorder). Oliveras wrote two well rounded characters and gave them wonderful chemistry! 

I will definitely be checking out the next book in this series!

Perfect beach read! I loved reading this during the winter because it felt like I was escaping away on vacation with the characters. Highly recommend for fans of Emily Henry.

I tried really hard to get into this book and it's completely possible it was just my mindset at the time. I can see myself enjoying Island Affair at a later date but right now, it just wasn't for me.

I say yes please to all the fake dating stories! I really enjoyed this book from the romance to the Key West atmosphere. I enjoyed the family dynamics and will definitely read the companion books.

Priscilla Oliveras writes such heartfelt and sentimental romances. She really captures big families with lots of love in them. Island Affair is a fake dating romance that's perfect to read by the pool. Oliveras writes such easy-to-consume romances with believable tension and attraction. Oliveras also delicately tackles a character in recovery for an eating disorder within this book.

this book got me. Fake dating during a family vacation, um yes please! Sara Vance is in recovery from an eating disorder and I think that was a little hard to read, having been in "recovery" from one myself. I felt like the characters were relatable and had fantastic chemestry!

I have mixed feelings about this book. I genuinely liked their interactions, some of the dialogue was a little bit cheesy, but I didn’t mind. They’re cute! And I enjoyed their time together. But the relationship is so unbalanced.

Luis is a firefighter and Sara a social influencer that meets by chance when Sara is dumped by her boyfriend in Key West airport. Luis has nothing to do and agrees to pretend to be her boyfriend while she vacations in the town with her family. What starts as an entertaining week between two strangers and their whole scheme, quickly turns into so much more.

Closed door, fake relationship in a beautiful place.
Good book to read on a sunny beach or snuggled under a blanket in the winter when you want an escape to a sunny locale.

Family dynamics, forgiveness of others, learning to move on after life’s obstacles.

CW - cancer, car accidents, off page deaths and eating disorders.

Read via audiobook.

I wanted to like this book - a romance in an island setting? Sounds perfect for the summer. However, the writing in this one... wasn't great. Phrases we used and re-used. If I have to read "the sensitive spot behind her ear" once more I may just quit reading. There were plenty of breaths characters didn't know they were holding (another pet peeve of mine) and constant references to her blue-green eyes. There was so much of the same description, it took away from the story.

Other issues I had: the whole set-up. Sara arrives in Florida, realizes her boyfriend isn't joining her for a family vacation and instead of just telling her parents that he was a loser and she can do better, decides to proposition a random guy? Seriously? And then the random guy just says yes? Honestly, this would have been better had it turned out to be a murder mystery because who does that? And not only does the random guy say yes, but then they are attracted to each other? But of course. This is so unbelievable, it's almost funny.

This is supposed to be a family vacation but the grandkids weren't invited? Odd. Minor, but odd.

And last, Sara's eating disorder. This was mentioned as her "big issue" and then discarded for most of the book. The family of someone with an eating disorder should not be pressuring her to eat all the time. Also, this isn't something that comes and goes when it is convenient for the storyline. If the author wanted to include an eating disorder to try to make this more than a fluffy storyline, it should have been present throughout. Talk of random "triggers" and vague references to a therapist is just minimalizing what people with eating disorders truly have to go through. If Sara, as she claims, attended inpatient therapy, this was serious, and her family should know better.

Sara is a social media influencer who is recovering from an eating disorder on vacation in Key West with her perfect, overachieving, doctor family. When her boyfriend no-shows for the trip, she talks local firefighter Luis into being her fake fiance. His one condition? HIs Cuban family is not to find out. When their fake relationship becomes more real, they each have to confront some issues in order to make their fake vacation thing into a full-time thing. 

Sara literally picks up Luis at the airport fire station and talks him into a faking a relationship, and this felt so unrealistic. I understand you have to suspend reality to an extent to enjoy a romance, but like you don’t get into trucks with strange men you’ve just met! I think the book lost me from the first chapter, but I kept hoping it would get better and I would love it. I just didn’t. Sorry! I did listen to the audiobook - I recommend it. I loved the use of Spanish words to highlight the culture of Luis’ Cuban family, and my high school Spanish skills are rusty.

When Sara Vance, a rising social media megastar, steps off the plane at Key West International, the last thing she expected was to be stood up in the airport parking lot. Her fiancé texted regrets that he could not join her for the vacation that was about to begin. Minutes before the rest of her judgmental, opinionated family arrives, Sara meets Luis Navarro. Her knight in shining armor turns out to be an off duty (and super hot!) firefighter, his white horse - a hunky pick up truck. Instant chemistry and not much time to debate the merits of this crazy idea, the two strike a deal. Luis has the week off and will pretend to be Sara’s companion. Luis, a native Conch from a large Cuban family completely understands the messy dynamics that Sara is experiencing. Going out on a limb for this pretty blonde seems a small price to pay to hide his own forced “time off" from his gossiping familia. As Sara and Luis get to know each other and navigate the ups and downs of their plan, the temperature continues to rise. This steamy island romance is filled with sunshine, delicious latin flavor and all the sizzle of a PERFECT beach read! Highly recommend this quick southern getaway - a must before Anchored Hearts, next in the Keys to Love series, releases at the end of April!

I was able to read this book thanks to NetGalley. I really enjoyed the story and the characters. It was a very cute and entertaining. It’s a must read for romance fans. I will be recommending it to family and friends snd will be looking for more from this author in the future. Thanks again for the opportunity to read this book.

Name of the book : Island Affair
Author : Priscilla Oliveras
Publisher : Zebra
Number of pages : 304
Trigger warnings : eating disorder, car accident, death

Luis, a Cuban fire fighter paramedic, is forced to take a leave from his work. After having a quarrel with his brother, he bumps into Sara, a social media influencer, who is having her own melt down, since her boyfriend stood her up in a planned family vacation. Sara's mother is recovering from Cancer and DEFINITELY doesn't need any additional drama in her life. 

Sara cooks up a plan and urges Luis to pretend to be her boyfriend, whom her family has never seen before. After a string of no starter romances & holding down a job that doesn't qualify as a real job for her super successful & well established siblings ; Sara NEEDS this new plan to work out! 

I enjoyed reading this beach romance with the fake dating trope. The tropical island setting gave major summer vibes. The light banter between the protagonists is well juxtaposed with the complex family dynamics.

Island Affair was. romantic getaway wrapped in an easy to read package. A sweet and fun to read love story set in paradise. The writing was not my style but I liked it nonetheless.