Oh my god I can not begin to explain how much I love this book, it is every trope I love, forced proximity , second chance romance, enemies to lovers. This book basically had me salvating.

I adored the characters and the depth to them, they where well written and easy to connect to which honestly I am super happy to see, this book was impossible for me to put down.

The only thing I sort of didn’t like was the back and forth between the present and the past, I understand why it was necessary for the character building it’s just not a style I am a fan of.

All and all I adored this book and highly recommend it.

Thank you Netgalley Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for the arc

i requested this bc second chance/ childhood friends to lovers are some favorite tropes of mine and i was rly intrigued by the forced proximity element of this one (stuck on an island together hello)

things started off strong but after a while i rly had to rely on some suspension of disbelief probably more than i expected. this is a short book (304 pages) so a lot of details are skimmed over where i would have preferred more description. for having survived a plane crash together, these characters were very...calm lol

but it's still a quick & easy read if you're looking for something lighthearted & more wholesome!
if you like love & other words by christina lauren or every summer after by carley fortune you might like this!

4 stars for Annie McQuaid's debut romance, Crash Landing! This was such a cute read and is perfect for spring & summer. The author's writing is very descriptive so it is easy to see yourself lost on the island with Piper and Wyatt. This book has lots of tropes that work well together: survival, second chance, forced proximity are three that immediately come to mind.

I do wish we had gotten a little bit more of Piper and Wyatt's relationship after the miscommunication was resolved and they committed to one another. Maybe this just leaves the door open for Book 2, though?

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the advanced copy. Crash Landing hits shelves on April 1, 2025.

The back matter describing this book is maybe the most interesting part of the book. For a book where the 2 MCs end up in a plane crash and are then stranded on a deserted island, this book ended up being a bit of a snooze. It was a second chance romance + forced proximity and had dual timelines and honestly, the dual timeline really throws off the pacing of the book and I did not care about these characters in their high school iteration or their present day iteration. They read so young to me, even in current day and particularly Piper, who seemed unable to really go after what she wanted and then essentially forgives Wyatt 5 minutes after seeing him again after he ghosted her for an entire decade. The pace at which these two made up made zero sense, the reasoning behind why Wyatt did what he did was really annoying and cliched and given his propensity for shutting Piper out of his life at the drop of a hat, I didn’t really buy their HEA. Also Piper is a second year med student and gets squeamish at the sight of blood. Clearly she’s not happy with her life choices and only doing it to please her overbearing parents but honestly, she hates the sight of blood. And is a med student. And towards the end, she suddenly has an epiphany about her true calling in life and it’s so random and sudden. In short, this book was in parts boring and cliched and I just didn’t love either MC or feel all that invested in the outcome of their romance.

Content note: plane crash, injuries related to plane crash, hospitalization, alcoholic mom, dead parents

This high-stakes second-chance romance was exhilarating and hard to put down! When two exes end up in a plane crash, landing them on a remote island, years of tension and miscommunications come to a head in this swoony story of love and survival.

Piper is heading to her childhood best friend's wedding when her flight is cancelled. The only way to get there? To hitch a ride in a small two-passenger plane with her ex, Wyatt. Wyatt has become a pilot and served time in the military when he gets the invite to the wedding and sees this as the perfect opportunity to clear things up with Piper and maybe get a second chance. The problem: he truly shattered her heart years ago, and she wants nothing to do with him. Thank goodness he is her only flight out to the wedding...that is, until a freak accident occurs resulting in their crash landing on a remote island in the Caribbean.

Part survival story, part flashbacks, Crash Landing is an excellent second-chance romance trope that uses forced proximity and high-stakes survival to push our characters to truly open up and be vulnerable, letting their hearts take the lead for once.

Get ready for the most heartwarming, romantic book of 2025. The writing is gorgeous. The setting is beautiful (despite the plane crash, I promise). You have to read this book.

The two MCs took such deep, tender care for each other in the present and the past. The present adds an extra layer of swoon with the way they physically care for each other on the island. It’s a pretty dire situation, but the author brought such levity and toe-curling excitement to every scene. And did I mention it keeps you turning pages the whole way? I stayed up entirely too late reading the last third of the book.

Also, can I tell you how much I appreciate a novel that has attention to the practical details? Piper kept her toothbrush in the crash. Such a small thing with such big consequences for the important scenes :)

The book had a great pace that kept me interested. However, I felt that the overall book was super cheesy and not enjoyable for that. I also felt like it was very superficial and boring. I am sure that others will enjoy this but I just thought that there wasn’t enough character to the book.

This is a second chance romance.

Piper and Wyatt were each other's first loves, so they thought... flash forward after years of not seeing each other, plane crash, and becoming stranded on an island helps them to realize they are soul mates.

I really enjoyed this book and Piper and Wyatts story. Miscommunication is not my favorite, but was handled in a way that helped me to connect and feel with the characters.

Crash Landing takes estranged exes Piper and Wyatt, both en route to their friend’s wedding and puts them on a literal crash course towards each other. Surviving their plane crash was the easy part. Surviving being stranded on a deserted island together? That’s a bit more complicated. Lucky for us, forced proximity x second chance romance is a delicious combo.

DNF @32%

These characters have no depth. They also flew for like 20 minutes and crashed so… why is it taking days on days for them to be rescued? I didn’t buy why they broke up in the first place & I was bored being in the fmc’s head. She was so bland & I couldn’t empathize with her privileged problems.

I appreciated Piper and Wyatt’s story, which moves between their past and present to highlight their development. The portrayal of Piper’s dominant mother, the elements of survival, and their shared journey are depicted with raw authenticity. I found myself hoping they would set aside their pride and communicate openly. Would I recommend this love story? Definitely! It's a sincere, second-chance romance centered on survival, making it essential reading.

Nonetheless, while the pacing kept me engaged, the book felt somewhat cheesy. I couldn’t connect with the characters, and their chemistry seemed lackluster—particularly since I usually enjoy the tension present in second-chance romances. The development of their relationship and characters seemed a bit superficial, and I really hate miscommunication in stories. However, the author skillfully blends the flashback scenes with the current survival narrative on the island.

Thank you to Avon Books for the eARC.

Did Not Finish.

Your best friend and relative are in a plane crash two days before your wedding...and you still get married? That defies belief and I just can't.

Annie McQuaid has crafted a swoony, heartwarming romance that’s the best kind of friends-to-lovers turned enemies-to-lovers. I loved every moment of Piper and Wyatt's journey, from their childhood connection to the fiery tension as adults. The book kept me hooked with its (sort of) dueling timelines, revealing their past and present in such a way that made their reunion even more emotional and satisfying.

Piper, a med student in a stagnant relationship, is thrown for a loop when Wyatt—her ex, who vanished from her life years ago—appears at the airport. A canceled flight leads to a small plane ride that crashes them on a deserted island, forcing them to confront their unresolved issues while learning to survive together. As they navigate their growing feelings amidst the struggle, I found myself rooting for them the entire time.

McQuaid perfectly blends second-chance romance with survival adventure, creating a story that’s both swoon-worthy and thrilling. The way Piper and Wyatt’s relationship evolves kept me invested until the very end. This book is a must-read for anyone who loves emotional, action-packed romance with a twist!

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sharing the ARC with me!

Piper is on her way to her best friend's destination wedding in the Bahamas when her flight gets canceled. As luck (maybe good and bad) would have it, she bumps into her ex (and the man who broke her heart), Wyatt, who offers her a ride in a borrowed private plane. But when the plane crashes on a small deserted island, the two have a chance to rediscover who they are and what their love could be.

This was a super easy, fast read. McQuaid's writing style flowed easily and kept me coming back for more. The story jumps between the present and the past, when Piper and Wyatt were in high school, and I loved getting to understand their past relationship as they started to reengage with each other and develop a new relationship.

My biggest issue with this one was there were some aspects that didn't seem very believable or well thought out - how the plane crash actually happened, the conversations with the coast guard over the radio, Piper being halfway through med school but barely being able to stand the sight of blood. I also wished the chemistry between the MCs had been a bit stronger. One of the things I love about second chance romances is the lingering, unresolved feelings for each other, and while Piper and Wyatt were obviously attracted to each other, the feelings felt very surface level.

Despite this, I did find myself rooting for their happily ever after (and rescue)! If you're looking for a fun, quick romance read, add this one to your list.

Read if you like:
Contemporary romance
Second chance
Forced proximity
Veteran MMC

This was such a different and entertaining debut novel! I honestly enjoyed it very much.

This romance is a second chance, stuck an island and forced proximity kind of vibes! It was interesting to have it include a plane crash. Not going to lie, it gave me a bit of anxiety. 🤣

While miscommunication tropes are not my thing, I’m happy it was acknowledged that that’s the reason they didn’t speak for so long. Piper and Wyatt have been friends for so long until they tipped into a relationship but it made me so sad they missed out on so many years together.

I kind of like the going back and forth of timelines but at times, it really distracted the fluidity of the story.

I did really enjoy their time on the island and the shenanigans that occurred. Some favorite moments overall of the novel: ditching school for a taping, their celebratory dinner, the banter when Piper still hadn’t forgiven Wyatt, Piper standing up to her mom and finally doing things for herself.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange of an honest review!

I feel like I couldn't connect with the main character - lots of references to high end fashion and her personality wasn't relatable.

I thought this book was an entertaining read. I'm a sucker for second chance romances and this one had me hooked right away. I mean, two exes forced to come to terms with their past when a plane crash leaves them stranded on a deserted island...What could possibly go wrong?

Overall, I thought Crash Landing had a lot of great potential. The story was entertaining and kept you wanting to know more. The characters were likeable, yet frustrating at the same time. Piper and Wyatt had great chemistry and I enjoyed seeing their relationship evolve through past and present tense.

However, I did have some issues with our main characters. While I was able to relate to Piper at times, I felt like she was written more on a YA level versus an Adult level. There were moments where I really struggled believing that she was an adult in her mid to late 20s. She felt immature and I was frustrated with the way she let her family treat her. I mean, hello! She is an adult, not a child. While Wyatt was great, I wish his character was a little tougher. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED how sorry he was for messing things up with Piper in the past, but I would have really liked to see more of a fight to get back together vs an apology/foregone conclusion.

In the end, I must acknowledge that this book is a debut novel, and with that being said, I feel like this will be a hit-or-miss read. Crash Landing had lots of pros and good potential, but the cons were definitely hard to overlook. I do wish there was more character development and fight due to them being stuck on a deserted island together.

Despite my issues with Crash Landing, I'm really glad to have checked it out. I think Annie McQuaid has a lot of potential as a writer and I would definitely be willing to read more from her in the future.

This book was such an adventure!! You know I will love a book set on a tropical island. I was instantly hooked from the moment Piper and Wyatt reconnected in the airport I felt the connection between the two of them. The banter was perfection. I really loved the flashbacks to the days of high school childhood friends to lovers era. The forced proximity of them both stranded on an island trying to survive brought up tension and eventually the pining and mutual feelings between one another. This was just a fun swoon worthy, banter filled, action packed adventure of a rom-com- perfect summer beach read.

This one was good, but not great like I hoped.

📕 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Crash Landing by Annie McQuaid

📙 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: Standalone

📗 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀: E-book ARC courtesy of Netgalley.

📘 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: Contemporary romance

📔 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀: Survival, second chance, enemies-to-lovers.

📖 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: Piper and Wyatt's plane crashes in route to their best friend's wedding, leaving them stranded on an island to work out issues from their past.

🌟 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: I might have pumped this one up in my head a little bit. The cover was gorgeous. I loved the concept. I haven't read a lot of plane crash/wilderness survival books so I thought this would be a bit different.

It gave me exactly what it said it would, though, and nothing more. The depth of the pair's issues were high-school level, and it didn't feel like enough. I didn't love the FMC, especially her choice to switch professions at the end of the book. It just felt like it all wasn't developed enough - the characters, the story, etc. There were some bright spots, and emotions that showed through, for sure, it just wasn't something that moved me.

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 3/5 ⭐⭐⭐

𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹: 2/5 🌶🌶

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

Cute! I wish it would've focused more on the "now" timeline instead of bouncing to the past so often, but overall I enjoyed it!!