This book was a page turner for me from start to finish! I found myself routing for Sara and Luis and laughing along with the story. It is the perfect Romcom that everyone needs this summer as they are relaxing on the beach. I have never read a book from this author before but now she is definitely on my radar. I thoroughly enjoyed this plot line and found myself devouring this book in a day. I highly recommend to everyone who needs a good feel good story. I would give this book 5 out of 5 stars. Thank you to Net galley and publishers for the advanced copy of this book! I will definitely be recommending this book to friends.

Sara is working to turn her life around and make something of herself. She is devastated when her boyfriend backs out of her family trip leaving her to face her "perfect" siblings and their spouses alone. They make her feel worthless, and without any future.

Luis is always willing to help anyone in distress and although he has sworn off relationships he is still willing to help out. Can Luis and Sara really deny what has bloomed between them?

A beautiful book of finding love in the most unlikely places and making changes for the best.

I did not enjoy this book. I’m not a huge fan of chick lit or rom-coms, but I’ve enjoyed some good ones in the past. This was too unrealistic and a bit cheesy.

I was not sure what to expect with this book, but what an excellent story that allowed me to armchair travel to a delightful Key West setting during the quarantine of the cornovirus. I am not often a reader of chick-lit, I love when they are well done and not too cliched. This one was a fun page-turner. The sensual tension between social media influencer Sara Vance and hunky firefighter Luis Navarro added a bit of steamy spice, but there is much more to this story than that. Both characters have faced adversity in their lives, so they both come with their baggage. The Vance family and the Navarro family are the perfect backdrop to this couple's tale. I am so glad this is the first in a series. I want to see what happens next. As I was reading, I could really imagine this translating well to the screen. Thank you to Kensington Publishing for the ARC.

This book could not have fallen in my lap at a better time. It's the perfect escape for those who want to take a trip without leaving the house. With its charming setting in the Keys and its lovable characters, I got hooked and couldn't put it down until I got to the last page.

This book follows one of my favorite love tropes: fake-dating. Sara arrives to Key West to spend a week with her family and boyfriend, only for the latter to stand her up at the last minute. Luis, a firefighter who listened to the whole argument, is asked to help her pretend being her boyfriend and go through her dreaded family reunion. Sara has had trouble with an Eating Disorder, while Luis has trouble letting go of a tragedy that struck some months before this, and together they'll help overcome each of their problems.

It was an entertaining read, with great chemistry between our characters, albeit a bit rushed. We get multicultural representation with Sara having Mexican roots, and Luis having Cuban ones. I really like the way thing get solved, no spoilers here just saying I appreciate the lack of unnecessary drama that can come with these kind of stories.

The fact that they had barely met when they concocted their mischievous plan lacked credibility and I would have appreciated if the cheating part was skipped by simply setting things in order with the current official boyfriend.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I'm giving Island Affair 4/5 stars - it was exactly what I wanted to read whilst bemoaning the cancellation of my own vacation to a beach resort. Sara is stood up at the airport by her sleazy boyfriend on her way to family vacation - tired of feeling like she's always letting her down, when local Key West firefighter Luis stops to see if she's okay, she hatches a plan - he can pretend to be the boyfriend she was supposed to bring. This works out well for Luis, since he was just mandated a week off of work after responding to a call out that brought up personal issues he hasn't been able to put behind him.

Both Sara & Luis are multifaceted characters, with complex relationships, fully formed interests, and realistic, humorous conversations. This book was funny, real, at times raw and really delved into the family dynamics. I liked that we learned about Luis' Cuban culture through his interactions with his familia. Of course, the effect of dramatic irony is never lost on me, I ALWAYS think it's hilarious, so with a couple of those moments in this book as well, it really wrapped everything up into a page turning package.

My only complaint is the lack of epilogue - I wish that we got to see how Sara's future panned out beyond the family vacation.

I normally like books like this. Lots of escapism, beautiful people in beautiful places, etc. But there was no chemistry or tension between the two main characters. They like each other right away and hijinks ensue. But there's a lot of telling the reader that they like each other rather than showing the reader they do. Also, the characters themselves didn't seem very interesting or fun. The influencer character just seemed spoiled, and the firefighter seemed to have the personality trait of "hot".

Really enjoyed this. I haven't been able to enjoy reading lately due to everything going on. This book was out of my usual mystery genre, but I decided to take a chance on it based on the cover and the blurb. Fun story! Couldn't put it down, read it in one evening. Hot romance! Great story with flawed, believable characters. Just what I needed to read right now!

I could see this being the perfect beach read this summer. It's a fun new version of the fake fiance trope, because it recognizes what a ridiculous set up that is nowadays. It took a cheeky, light tone right from the start.

I really enjoyed the two, very different, families in this story. They were both big and kind of messy, but in a great way. And the MCs had awesome chemistry. And there was a wonderful mix of sweet and spicy scenes between them.

I think the author did a great job handling the topic of eating disorders. It was discusseded with seriousness, but not shock or judgement. I also appreciated that it was never treated with disgust.

I really loved the use of Spanglish/ Spanish in the writing as well. It didn't feel forced or over the top. However, since I studied Spanish from Spain, I was initially a bit shocked to see how often everyone used the word "coño" until I realized it wasn't used quite as literally in Cuban dialects. So, also a learning experience here!

Overall, a really quick and enjoyable read. I think this would be a great summer reading book.

**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.**

Title Island Affair

Author Priscilla Oliveras

Description from Amazon

Sought-after social media influencer Sara Vance, in recovery from an eating disorder, is coming into her own, with a potential career expansion on the horizon. Despite the good news, her successful siblings (and their perfect spouses) have a way of making her feel like the odd one out. So, when her unreliable boyfriend is a no-show for a Florida family vacation, Sara recruits Luis Navarro—a firefighter paramedic and dive captain willing to play the part of her smitten fiancé . . .

Luis’s big Cuban familia has been in Key West for generations, and his quiet strength feeds off the island’s laidback style. Though guarded after a deep betrayal, he’ll always help someone in need—especially a spunky beauty with a surprising knowledge of Spanish curse words. Soon, he and Sara have memorized their “how we met” story and are immersed in family dinners, bike tours, private snorkeling trips . . . sharing secrets, and slow, melting kisses. But when it’s time for Sara to return home, will their fake relationship fade like the stunning sunset . . . or blossom into something beautiful?

Release Date April 28, 2020

Initial Thoughts

I was excited to read this one on NetGalley. The fake dating trope is always fun and I liked the beachy setting. Social distancing is making me really miss the beach and really just being outside in general.

Some Things I Liked

Banter. I loved the banter between Sara and Luis. I thought their characters were fun and I enjoyed their dialogue.
Luis’s family. I thought they had a ton of sequel potential. I loved his extended family and I hope to see more of them.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About

The timeline. Everything felt a little rushed. This wasn’t exactly insta-love, but it was pretty close and I just thought it felt like everything happened too fast. I think I would have liked it better if the vacation was longer or maybe they had some time apart. I’m not totally sure what I would have done differently, but, this version felt like it went by too quickly for the outcome we ended up with.

Series Value

I could easily see this developing into more stories with Luis’s family. His brother and sister both seem like they would be interesting characters and I can see Sara and Luis being involved as side characters. I would keep reading if this becomes a series.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed this book. It was a fast, fun, beachy read and I would continue to read if it developed into a series. I had some small issues with the pace of the timeline but in general, this was a cute romance story with a nice ending.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

Fake It Till You Make It by Anne Harper – if you like the fake dating trope, try this April release out.
Not That Kind of Guy by Andie J. Christopher – again, if you like fake dating mixed with family vacactions and family drama, try this April release.
Ghosting by Tash Skilton – this one isn’t quite fake dating, but it’s definitely got a lot of the same feelings.

3.5 stars rounded to 4

Island Affair would make a fantastic beach/vacation read and it helped pull me out of the whole self-isolation problem we're all facing while I was reading it. The story was cute and romantic while still touching topics like eating disorders, cheating, and death in a tasteful way that brought some depth to it. I really liked Luis's personality and getting to know his family, but let me tell ya I would never be able to date a guy who had to go visit his mum's house TWICE a day without her being worried about him.

I liked Sara's family too - their intelligence, their competitive nature, their parents' strong bond... I wasn't the biggest fan of Sara, though. Well, it's not even that I didn't like her character, I just found that she was strangely written. Her thoughts in respect to stressing about her arrangement with Luis were annoyingly repetitive and whenever the book jumped to describing her social media career it came off more like a step-by-step guide on how to become an influencer.

There were those couple of things that brought me out of the book but overall I was rooting for Sara and Luis through the whole story and was so happy with the ending!

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for providing me an advance e-copy in exchange for this review!

Island Affair is a fake finace to lovers book about Sara, a NY influencer who stumbles upon a Key West firefighter who just can't help himself tend to a damsel in distress. Sara's boyfriend bailed on her upon arrival to Key West for a fun-family-filled-week celebrating her mother's clean bill of health. Although, she can't show up without her "finace" so she asks, the quick to help anyone in need, Luis to play the role for the week. Little do they know they'd end up falling for each other...hard.

This was a very cute book. I clung onto the spontaneousness of Sara and Luis' relationship. I enjoyed their playfulness turned fondness turned love affair. The big family present for both parties was a nice touch. It brought some depth and relatability to the story. Big families are always complicated and both Sara and Luis had some type of grudge with a family member that they helped each other work out.

It was a fast moving book although the beginning was a big strained. I was confused for the first few pages of what was happening and where the story was going, but when we were introduced to Sara I knew it would pick up. However, the proposition by Sara to Luis seemed so totally random and desperate that I found it kind of hard to believe. But they made it work and it ended cute. Can't wait to read more about the family affairs to come!

Fake dating. Island romance. Body issues triggers. Family drama. This book packs a lot into it, but does it well. I loved this book, once I picked it up I barely put it down and read it all in a day. I cannot wait for the next book in the series as I will definitely be picking it up. Highly recommend!

I was given an arc of this book from netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

Sara and her family have planned a trip to Key West to celebrate her mother's successful battle with breast cancer. Sara has always been the odd one out of the family, choosing to pursue a self made business in social media influencing rather than becoming a doctor like the rest of her family. Sara simply wants to impress her family, but when her boyfriend that everyone is expecting to meet, bails on the family trip the second Sara lands in Key West, she panics.

Luis Navarro happened to be at the right pace at the right time to meet Sara. Luis, a firefighter that has been mandated to take a week off of work, struggles with his own insecurities. In a spur if the moment decision, Sara asks Luis to be her stand in boyfriend for the week, and Luis naturally agrees. As the story continues, Sara and Luis inevitably develop real feelings for each other.

I really enjoyed this book. While it was rather predictable (although it did have a slight twist at the end), the growing love story between Luis and Sara is too sweet not to love. I enjoyed discovering the backstory of each character and seeing why the characters interacted with each other the way they did.

I also enjoyed the slight mix of family drama thrown in there and how they became cohesive.

When his captain orders him to take a week off, Key West firefighter Luis Navarro's plans for spending that time include complaining to his family about the mandatory time off, binge-eating his Mami's Cuban cooking, and sulking on his boat. Fate has other plans...

Social media influencer Sara Vance arrives in Key West in a panic and angry when her lousy long-distance boyfriend stands her up. In Key West to celebrate her mother's remission from cancer, Sara doesn't want to cause any stress for her family--especially when they already hover over her because of her eating disorder, and she has spent years being the black sheep.

When Luis happens to come across a distressed Sara in the parking lot of the airport, his desire to help her leads to them putting together a plan: Luis will stand in for Sara's no-good ex, they'll spend the week together in a fake relationship, and Luis will show the Vance's around his island home. What could possibly go wrong?

This amazing first book in the 'Keys to Love' series is rich, atmospheric, and full of everything you love in a fake dating trope. Sara and Luis are both fantastic characters, with tantalizing chemistry. Both have room for growth, and take those long over-due steps in that direction--as do members of the supporting cast. Speaking of supporting cast, Luis' family is the best. You want them to be your familia.

Very eager to see what will come next in this series (and fingers crossed that the next book will prominently feature Luis' sister, Annamaria).

This light romantic comedy was a fun escape and quick and easy read. The characters were fun and enjoyable. The book called out the similarities to romantic comedy movies with similar plots. As an added bonus the book had a great setting, Key West, and it was fun to revisit locales I'd been to before. Sara comes to Key West to take a vacation and help her mother who recently was declared cancer free relax and enjoy herself. Sara's boyfriend had promised to come and canceled after she had already arrived. Luis is a fireman who has been struggling with letting go with some past trauma and it's impacting his job as a fireman at a local Key West firehouse. Together they agree to spend the week together and Luis will pretend to be Sara's boyfriend so Sara's family will not know he ditched her. Hilarity ensures.

This was a great book that explored both a new romance and fitting the romance into two loud and crazy families. It was also a great vacation read (where my vacation was reading this to try and forget what's currently happening in the world). The characters were fresh and fun - I loved how the author added in Florida/Cuban culture - and the chemistry between Sara and Luis was 100% believable!

My only qualms with it were, obviously, it was kind of insta-lovey (though it wasn't so apparent since the pacing was on point) and that some of the smaller side plots (i.e. her past eating disorder, his job as a firefighter, her mother's remission, etc.) weren't as fleshed out as I expected. Though these didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the story.

Quick read. Characters were well drawn. Plot was a bit over the top. Background on both Luis and Sara’s past ‘skeletons’ was a tad confusing until about 2/3 through the book.

This was actually a really cute romance. It’s not your typical obsessive, steamy, lust filled rom com that we are used to. This one is lighthearted, but it also has some depth and dealings with person issues. It has a great classic “fake dating turned real” plot. It brings together the importance of self, family, love, confidence. Sara and Luis felt relatable. Felt real. Felt raw. This is the first book in a new series so I can’t wait to see where it goes from here. I did feel like the details were a little too forced and drawn out at parts, giving me a desire to skip instead of investing my energy into every word. It was very real to The Keys and at points you felt like you were on vacation with them. The ending seemed very abrupt and, which was okay. In a matter of like 6 pages you had the climax/drama, and then the resolution/ending. But it was cute and romantic and honestly a realistic love. The feelings were realistic and honest. I loved that.