2.5 stars

A fun concept, but the story and relationship development felt a bit clunky. The characters were likeable, but I didn't connect with either of them.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for an honest review.

“Crash Landing” is absolutely unhinged in the best way, like if fate, bad decisions, and sexual tension got trapped in a malfunctioning airplane bathroom together. Annie McQuaid serves messy characters I want to yell at and make heart-eyes over simultaneously, plus a plot that had me gasping, laughing, and whisper-yelling “KISS ALREADY!” every few pages. Equal parts chaos, charm, and emotional sucker punch, this book made me believe destiny sometimes shows up wearing a neck pillow and poor judgment, and honestly.. I’m obsessed.

Oh, to be stranded on a deserted island with a hunky man and survival skills to spare… Piper Adams is en route to her best friend's wedding when a missed flight throws her plans into disarray. Enter her ex—conveniently headed to the same wedding—who offers her a seat on his tiny plane. What could possibly go wrong?

This story was a whirlwind of fun, flirty tension, and unexpected twists. Piper’s journey had me hooked from takeoff to landing, and I didn’t want it to end. A perfect escape read that left me smiling and wanting more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was a really enjoyable romance read! I loved the buildup of tension between our main characters and enjoyed the survival aspects more than I expected! I look forward to reading Annie McQuaid's next novel!

This was a fine romance book. I didn't think it was anything special, really, and I thought the characters were extremely surface-level. I don't think there was really much chemistry between the two main characters, and I didn't feel connected to them at all. While the concept was interesting, the characters were not compelling enough to carry the story. It was a very quick read, and the plot was interesting at times. I just didn't love it overall.

So so fun and such a fresh idea! I really enjoyed this read and every little bit about it. The tropes are executed really well and the book didn’t die out from the initial packed intro, the romance was fun and fresh, that’s literally all I can say is that it’s so… fresh! It’s not the same book you always read, I absolutely commend the author for this one!!

This is a very fun summery romance. I would definitely recommend this to anyone asking for something to read on the beach. It was extremely readable - I read it in a few sittings over the course of a day. The only thing that bugged me was that there was a scene a little before the middle where the two main characters were saying a series of Harry Potter references back and forth. I imagine this was included to make them feel relatable to readers in a nerdy, friendly way, but as JKR gets more and more transphobic, it didn't endear me to the characters. It felt like something that would have been in a contemporary romance about fifteen years ago to make the characters seem more relatable, but it didn't have the same effect in 2025. I also thought it was a little strange to have them reference another fantasy series they both knew well enough to riff on offhand when the book had already established a fake fantasy series for them to bond over.
Overall, it was super cute and compulsively readable. I would recommend this to people who've already read a lot of summery romances that take place at a resort as something similar, but more unique.

Oh this was a WONDERFUL debut. This is what romcoms are all about. You get fun banter and swoon worthy moments, but still some action to keep you on your toes.
I mean, this is FORCED proximity. They are literally stranded after a plane crash. Which was the perfect setting for this second chance romance.
I cannot wait to see what is to come for Annie.

Piper and Wyatt on the Island – the tension and resentment was so good. The snark was very well written and I loved the bickering and all the emotions that were flying around.

I truly love it when characters have to survive in the wild, it just adds another element to an already stressful interaction.

Overall, this was a cute, quick read that left me both wanting to be stranded on an island with a hot guy from my past, and knowing full well that I would literally hate to be stranded on an island in general lol.

✨✨ARC REVIEW✨✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️ spice in Chp 26 < we’re gonna talk about this

I read this book in one day I could not look away from it! The two MCs are childhood best friends who of course become lovers but then break up and lose contact when one goes to medical school and the other enlists in the army. When on a trip to their other childhood friend’s wedding in the Bahamas the two end up flying a small plane together and end up crashing and become stranded on an island.
We get some flashbacks of them growing up and their love blossoming and eventually being torn apart, I am a sucker for flashbacks so this was a real treat. Of course while trauma bonding the two start reigniting their romantic flame which I’m a total fan of. They do on day four or five of being stranded on an island together hook up which I totally get but also got the ick from. There’s just something about the sand and lack of hygiene that I really can’t get past 🤣 they did however use a condom so I wasn’t scared the FMC was going to get a raging UTI.
If you love a second chance romance or the forced proximity trope you’re going to love this book! I definitely enjoyed the heck outta this book or I wouldn’t have binge read it! Thank you to the publisher for sending me an early copy of this book!

Crash Landing was funny, tender, and just the right amount of messy. The characters felt real, the romance was swoony, and the emotional beats hit in all the right places. I adored it.

I went into this one very excited, two exes stranded on a deserted island… yes, please! However, it didn’t really live up to my expectations. It was a fun quick read, but if there’s a trope that I absolutely loathe it is the miscommunication trope. And the basis of this love story was exactly that, miscommunication. I also felt a bit disconnected from the characters and found their chemistry lacking. I felt they had much more chemistry in the flashbacks of their high school relationship than during their present rekindling in the island. The ending was satisfactory, but it was just as expected. The story did keep me entertained though, and if you don’t have an issue with the miscommunication trope then give this one a try.


*Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with an eARC for review via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.*

ɴᴇᴛɢᴀʟʟᴇʏ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ || CRASH LANDING [thank you to Avon Books and @netgalley for my #gifted copy!]

Title: Crash Landing
Author: Annie McQuaid
Genre: Romance
Format: Digital
Star Rating: ★★★★☆

ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
My favorite part of this book was definitely the survival aspect! It gave off like resort-Lost vibes, and I haven’t seen that show in probably over a decade, but I think it’s a solid comparison. I loved seeing Piper and Wyatt work together to overcome each new challenge that came their way on the island (all the way down to the “she takes care of him” moment).

My least favorite part was probably all of the flashbacks. I felt that we spent too much time in their adolescent past to see what went wrong, and not enough time in the present to see them come back together. I get pining and “the one that got away,” but this one gave a little bit of instalove. Which worked for me because they had a past, but I wish there had been more heart-to-hearts or some more time shown together after they’re saved (spoiler alert: unlike on Lost, no one dies on this island).

All that said, I did really enjoy this book and once I picked it up I couldn’t put it down! McQuaid’s writing hooked me and made me feel for the characters, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.

ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Childhood BFF-to-Lovers
Second Chance Romance
“I’m Doing This For You”
Dual Timeline
Survival Romance

ᴅᴇᴛᴀɪʟꜱ:
GR: 3.45
# of Pages: 304
Pub Date: April 1, 2025

I really love the writing style of Annie McQuaid. I really love a good second chance romance, and Annie def gave us a good one with Crash Landing. Plane crash, deserted island, stuck with your ex, it had all the components of a good rom com.

Second chance romance is a trope I’ll never get tired of, and The Love Haters nails it. The story feels like a calm, breezy beach day—simple, soothing, and sweet.

Told across past and present timelines, Annie McQuaid balances both beautifully. Piper and Wyatt’s friendship-first love story is tender and heartwarming, and every flashback moment made me swoon. I did wish for a little more angst or tension in their reconnection, but the overall vibe was still incredibly satisfying.

If you're looking for a cozy, feel-good read with lovable characters, this one delivers. Piper and Wyatt totally stole my heart.

Big thanks to Annie McQuaid, Avon & Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the ARC! 💕

Love this cover and this premise! Annie's writing is gorgeous, flirty and fun. I was eating up the story of a a second chance romance on while stranded on a desert island. What a fantastic debut!!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I took me awhile to get into this book, but I really enjoyed it after that.

Read this book with huge expectations because I loved the idea and concept for it and even though it didn’t deliver everything I was hoping, it was still a good read.

The story starts with Piper and Wyatt, ex-high school sweethearts who haven’t talked in 8 years, randomly bumped into at an airport before a wedding. Their only flight gets canceled, and Wyatt (who just happens to be a pilot) offers Piper a ride. Cue: romantic plane ride that ends in a crash on a deserted island. From that oh-no moment, they’re stuck together, forced to work things out between surviving and sparking!

I really loved the survival + second-chance premise—it’s intense and filled with those awkward “I broke up with you and now we’re stranded together” moments made me root for them.

But honestly, Piper was a bit hard to relate to sometimes. She felt kinda whiny, especially early on, and her grudge against Wyatt dragged the pace down. I also think the dual timelines (flashbacks to high school and present-day) interrupted the story flow a bit instead of deepening the emotion. It needed more “real talk” moments between them, not just survival forced proximity.

That said, there were bright moments: witty banter, small emotional breakthroughs, and that moment when Piper starts to see Wyatt as more than her ex—those were sweet and made me smile.

All in all, Crash Landing is a fun, breezy read with some heart—but I wanted a deeper emotional payoff and smoother pacing. Great for a cozy weekend escape. 3 stars.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I got sent this eARC of the debut novel, Crash Landing by Annie McQuaid, and was immediately drawn to read it based on the cover alone.

Piper never expected to not make it to her best friend’s wedding. But then again she also never expected to be stranded on a Caribbean Island after a plane crash with only the ex boyfriend that broke her heart. While stranded, Piper and Wyatt are forced to talk for the first time in over eight years. They begin to get to know each other again as adults now, and also finally get answers to what happened all those years before.

Crash Landing is about first loves, second chances, new beginnings, and speaking out to live the life you want - even if it isn’t what is expected of you. I really enjoyed this one, it was the perfect accompaniment to my pool day! I also loved learning Annie is from Raleigh NC right near my hometown and I cannot wait to see what she writes next.

Fun, quick, drama filled second chance romance.

Third person is really hit or miss, and for the first time in a while I’ve found a romance that it actually pairs well with!

I can relate to Piper in a lot of ways, which was comforting. It kept me going, for the most part. But Piper… was not the most likable in my opinion. She was very dense sometimes, and it was hard to read certain scenes without getting second hand embarrassment.

Wyatt has a heartbreaking background and a lot of complexities to him; it’s impossible not to admire his character for not only his strength but also his heart and the way he loves Piper.

I was getting Sweet Home Alabama vibes, which is one of my favorite romcoms, so safe to say I thoroughly enjoyed this. The second chance Piper and Wyatt were given was emotional and beautifully romantic.

3.3 ★

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙍𝘾!