Two families who couldn't BE more different end up on an island together to celebrate the marriage of their daughters. The Kellys can navigate around the sophisticated (read: uptight) Lees for a few days, and the Lees can deal with the messy and loud Kellys in the name of playing nice. However, when a volcano erupts nearby, the two families are trapped on the remote Queensland island for six weeks and are forced to confront their issues — a failed marriage, a nefarious boyfriend, and hesitation on procreation — with no way to escape.

I just love every character that comes out of the mind palace of Georgia Clark. Just like her book from last year, It Had To Be You, the novel has an ensemble narrative, bouncing perspectives around the island. I just loved the self discovery happening all around, from the two dads bonding over birds to an unexpected yet STEAMY romance (and I do mean steamy). Also like major kudos to Georgia for writing such an inclusive, representative cast. Know this book isn't *only* a romance, but boy oh boy does it celebrate queer love in such a special way. And messy families. And major life decisions. All in such a fun setting!

What did I read? I was so close to DNFing, but my brain wouldn't let me! This was a rom com? Was there romance? Sure. Was there comedy? Meh, I guess? But overall this was a family drama about a family who gets stuck on an island in Australia after a tsunami hits and how they survive the 6 weeks together and with the islanders. If you go into it with that in mind, I think you will enjoy this, but as it is being marketed as a rom-com, I would say you won't get what you are looking for.

For me this book had way too many characters and points of view. I was constantly trying to remember who everyone was in relation to each other. It also didn't help that nicknames were involved as well. I also found a lot of it to be not believable. Off the bat a tsunami hits, and everything is somewhat fine. They still have wifi and all the luxuries of their villa. It just seemed unrealistic. And they keep talking about food shortages, but yet are always cooking and baking big fabulous meals for each other. Not to mention the romance in this book was so insta-love and not in the believable way. Also all the characters were somewhat cringey. Matty and Parker and their "boo-boo" was unbearable! Amelia asking Liss to marry her after what, a 10 day relationship, after she was convinced she was going to marry James before he dropped a bombshell on her. Ummmm what? The only relationship I found cute was Mr Kelly and Mr Lee and their quest to find the mysterious bird.

I really wish I had nicer things to say about this. Maybe re-market it as a LGBT+ Family Drama and it would be much more successful.

I was excited to read this book because the cover is so fun and the idea of being stuck on a tropical island paradise with family seemed like a really interesting concept. It didn't quite land for me though. There were too many points of view and I felt like while I wanted to get to know some of the secondary characters, it seemed like we were given just enough of their perspective to create rambling side stories but not enough to really care about.

I chose to read Island Time, by Georgia Clark, based on the quirky cover and brief description, thinking it was going to be a light romantic comedy. This was not the case. I got bogged down in trying to keep up with all of the characters presented in the story and found myself checking to see how much further until I finished. For me, it was just an ok read. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for an ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This book surprised me. Looking at the cover, you might think it’s a lighthearted romcom set on a beautiful island. You’d be wrong. The story is about a family/extended family of 7 who go to a remote island off of Australia to meet the boyfriend of one of the daughters. That’s fine, until…..

A volcano erupts on a nearby island, causing a tsunami and trapping the 7 family members and 2 island caretakers for 6 weeks. It’s a great forced proximity premise, but 9 POVs is a lot to keep track of. Plus, 8 of them are having some sort of personal life-altering crisis.
The book has several LGBTQ+ characters. One couple is struggling with the decision to have a baby, and the other one is in the initial stages of their relationship when all they want is to be together.

The descriptions of the island are lovely, and I especially enjoyed the stories and rituals of the native aborigines. The book is fairly long, and along with the multiple POVs, it’s not a quick read. It’s very well written and I did want to see how the characters ended up.
By the way, I was amazed that they never lose power or internet after a significant natural disaster and they always have plenty of food! 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

Synopsis:
Love is in the salty sea air in this smart and steamy ensemble romantic comedy set in a tropical paradise, from the author of the “sparkly and entertaining” (Oprah Daily) It Had to Be You. This is one island you won’t want to be rescued from.

The Kellys are messy, loud, loving Australians. The Lees are sophisticated, aloof, buttoned-up Americans. They have nothing in common…except for the fact that their daughters are married. When a nearby volcano erupts during their short vacation to a remote tropical island off the coast of Queensland, the two families find themselves stranded together for six weeks.

With only two island employees making up the rest of their party, everyone is forced to question what—or who—they really want. Island Time is a sumptuous summer read that dives deep into queer romance, family secrets, ambition, parenthood, and a bird-chasing bromance. This sexy, sun-soaked paradise of white sandy beaches, crystal-clear waters, and lush rainforest will show you it’s never too late to change your destiny.

The writing style in this one was interesting and took me some getting used to. I’m having a hard describing it beyond saying that the writing was very … in depth? Descriptive and articulate.

Upon starting this book I was worried about how so many distinct personalities were going to fit together. The book is told in third person from the point of view of pretty much every character. While definitely an interesting way to give the reader glimpses into the different characters’ motivations, I found that the jumping around didn’t necessarily allow for extensive development for all of the individuals — almost like there wasn’t really room for them to do so. All of the characters l seemed to experience a lot, but it didn’t really feel as if they developed.

What was interesting about this book is that while I didn’t necessarily like any of the characters very much (except maybe Liss), I still felt a lot of sympathy for them.

Rather than a romance novel, I would classify this as a book about navigating relationships while trying to find a sense of self.

{2.5 ☆} Island Time, a novel written by Georgia Clark is a book with diverse characters, tons of drama, chaos.

I found the book to be a little too much for me given the fact that there were just so many different perspectives, characters and NICKAMES. SO MANY NICKNAMES.

So many things were happening and being talked about at once and that made it really hard to understand what was going on at that very moment.

I would’ve preferred it if the povs were limited to the mc and her love interest but unfortunately, that was not the case. And now, if you were to ask me about a character in this book it would probably take me a good minute before I provided you with a concrete answer since things were just all over the place.

I feel that the beginning of the book was extremely confusing. More and more characters kept getting introduced to the story which made it very hard to keep track of who is who. The nicknames, which I will never get over, made everything worse since they were thrown in there without any context and you had to connect the dots to figure out who that person was addressing.

Thankfully, things started to pick up after the volcano erupted (around chapter 7 or 8 I think). If it were for that I would have most likely dnf’ed the book.

On a happier note, I actually really loved the LGBTQIA+ and Indigenous aspect of this novel. It’s a combination that I’ve only seen in one book prior to this one (I would love to see something like this again).

If you’re thinking of reading this book all I have to say is: be patient and don’t give up. The chapters may feel a little long and unnecessary (pretty sure one of the chapters was about a toilet. Like the entire chapter…) but bare with it, it gets better (kind of).

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this arc!

Overall I enjoyed this book. Fantastic setting with wonderful descriptions so it felt like you were there, aboriginal history, lots of family drama, romance and multiple journeys of self discovery. It was a little hard to keep track of all the point of views and it dragged some.

This book follows two families and island inhabitants as they are stranded while they are vacationing in Australia. There are 9 different point of views and over 70 chapters.

What I liked: This was my first Georgia Clark book and I liked her writing style. She did a fantastic job describing Australia, the landscape, animals, and indigenous clans that live there. I also liked some of the character development and the romance between a few of the characters.

What I didn't like: The book was long winded and also a bit confusing as to which POV the book was on since there are no chapter indicators as to who is talking. Some of the characters were a bit unlikeable as well.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for an advanced e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Georgia Clark writes ensemble casts with so much heart and drama. I really liked IT HAD TO BE YOU, so I was excited for ISLAND TIME. This book takes place in Australia, where a volcano erupts during two families— the Kellys’ and Lees’—vacation. The families are forced together for six weeks, and the only reason they are even together is because their daughters are married. Clark is great at weaving together multiple POVs and storylines to create a compelling novel.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my complimentary ARC. All opinions are my own.

I really love Georgia Clark's characters and stories! Island Time has a large but intimate cast that we know so well by the end of the story. 9 characters on the island and the reader learns all their motivations and faults. You find that Boobook, Glen!! Full character arcs for all! Well, maybe not Jarrah but he was pretty awesome from the start. Part family story and part coming into your own with a whhhoooolllle lot of steam! If you aren't sure what an open door romance is, you'll understand when reading Island Time! It's more steamy scenes than I tend to want, but I am still all in on a Georgia Clark story. I can always skip a page or two if needed. The characters getting stuck on the island give a unique look at quarantining, the author's love for her home, and even indigenous people of the area. A couple things that surprised me about this romance was the rich and easy to visualize setting and the subtle nature writing scattered in it. Bravo to another great book by Georgia Clark!

Island Time releases Tuesday, June 14th!! Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for my e-arc!

I wasn’t expecting how much growth this book would show with not just one character but many. It was a great representation of queer stories, although I did struggle at times when it felt like let’s make all of the characters super human and three dimensional landed more as let’s make everyone self centered and frustrating. I did feel this book was a little too long but I get that there was a lot of story to tell.

I found this book to be OK. A little slow to get into, and then it rounded out with some good family drama. Interesting characters with interesting dynamics. I wasn’t expecting any queer representation so that was a nice addition. I haven’t read many books based out of Australia so it was nice to get to explore a different part of the world and to be on an island.

I think if you are a fan of Georgia Clarks writing (lots of characters, and changing povs) you should check this one out.

Island time comes out on June 14th! Thank you Netgalley and Atria for e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Two families with almost nothing in common vacation together on a remote island paradise, only to end up stuck together for six weeks after a devastating nearby volcano erupts. The loud, emotional, Australian Kelly family and the pragmatic, quiet, American Lee family have only met once, at their daughters’ wedding, but now the two families and two island employees have over a month to live and know each other while they wait for rescue. This summer read dives into topics of parenthood, friendship, ambition, and love, all with a backdrop of a lush island paradise.

Georgia Clark creates another exceptional ensemble cast! I appreciate how Clark doesn’t shy away from addressing race, sexuality, and gender identity, in a loving but messy family dynamic. The author takes great care to describe the colonization of Australia, and while the themes resonated with my own understanding of American colonization, it was not a topic I was familiar with. Storylines of queer romance, identity, family secrets, and unfulfilled ambition spill into each corner of this beautiful novel, reminding us that small living quarters and a nearly deserted island can bring out the best and worst in all of us!

Island Time is a multiple POV story about a family stranded on a remote Australian Island for 6 weeks after a volcano eruption. The family is messy, with not only drama with each other, but each person going through their own challenges.

First off, this book made me want to go on a vacation to Australia ASAP. I loved the setting and I really appreciated all the history woven in about Aboringinal Australians. I appreciated the diversity of the characters, and the family drama! There are a few queer romance story lines, but this felt more like general fiction than a romance book. It could have been a bit shorter, but overall, it was an enjoyable read.

Thanks to Atria Books for the advance copy.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story follows the Kelly family who is on vacation and a volcano explodes causing them to be stuck in the island trying to survive. They have to individually get through each of their problems and secrets to make the most out of their vacation.

The book has multiple POVs, it keep jumping between different family members to tell the story. It is a fun read, just wasn't grabbing my attention as quickly as I wanted it to.

This is a family drama as well as a love story. The characters are diverse and offer interesting points of view. When they plan a family vacation that gets disrupted by a natural disaster, it shines a spotlight on all the fissures in their relationship. Some of the couples grow closer together while others split apart. One thing that arises is that the family bonds are strong and true. The relationships may have changed but they will always have each other.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance reader's copy of this book.

There was a lot to like about this book -- the island setting, the descriptions of nature, the queer representation -- but unfortunately it ultimately left me disappointed. Most importantly, the book is far too long and could easily have been shortened by at least 100 pages. I found myself wanting to skim many passages. I felt like I was supposed to see Amelia and Liss as the main storyline, but I found their romance less interesting than some of the other characters' stories. I would have preferred to know more about Ludmila, for example, who had made sacrifices in her life that were barely touched on. I would have liked more of a love story between Matty and Parker and more about seeing how they would make their lives together work with different life goals. I especially would have enjoyed more about Jules and Jarrah. Amelia was probably my least favorite character, because it felt as though her beauty and her desire for a soul mate were the only things that defined her, and by the end of the book it honestly didn't seem like her character had grown. I might recommend this book for someone looking for a queer romance, but I would temper that recommendation with a warning that this all feels pretty shallow.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for sending me an ARC of the novel, Island Time, written by Georgia Clark!

This book tells the story of a family spending time on an Australian island. When a tsunami hits and the area is deemed as a natural disaster zone, the inhabitants are stranded for 6 weeks with limited supplies and rations. Everyone in the family is going through some pretty intense situations of their own individual accord. There was a lot going on in this book, but it was highly entertaining.

Overall, I rate this book as a 3-star read. I have some mixed feelings about this book. While I enjoyed reading the majority of it, I also feel like it's not one that I would particularly pick up and read a second time.

Some parts of it were amazing - the spice between Amelia and Liss, the tsunami and crocodile scenes were extremely powerful, and I enjoyed learning a little bit more about the Australian outback as a whole. However, other parts were a bit too cheesy or unsettling for me - such as Randall and Glen's bromance bird-watching obsession and Amelia's tendency towards insta-love with any of her romantic interests that were mentioned in the book.

A cute read. What I liked best was the cover. I also loved the descriptive settings of the island life, ocean waves, and the beaches. This is a great advertisement for a make believe island, but others that are real are sure to be found similar to this one. I didn’t really connect with any of the characters and found some were hard to like.
It’s a Beachy read with serious undertones which can offer an escape to readers.