What a fun, debut with a trope that can be very difficult to pull off, second chance romance!

Many times, the reasons for forcing 2 exes back together doesn’t always make sense, but the forced proximity of being on an abandoned island after a plane crash creates a new perspective on this trope!

In this dual timeline, single POV story, we get to see Piper and Wyatt’s story through her eyes of puppy love in high school and where they are as adults, having not spoken for 8 years. At times, it felt like the exposition of what happened in the past was displayed a little too early in current time dialogue, but overall we truly see breaking through past hurt and traumas to get to the heart of the story, which is the growth of these 2 characters as they find their strength in one another.

Can’t wait to see what comes next from Annie McQuaid!

Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper & Avon for the eARC!
This was pretty good, for a debut novel. Second chance love, with pretty decent chemistry between the two characters, though I do feel it sizzled out at times. It was really straight to the point, not really a slow burn, and I really liked Wyatt. The end was so emotional, and written well, and it didn’t feel rushed. The plane crash concept is fantastic, and I loved it. Wish there would’ve been some descriptive spicy scenes instead of the fade to black, kinda closed door scenes like there was but oh well. I liked the length of the book, it wasn’t too short where things got cut off, and it wasn’t too long where things were dragging out. The backstory between Piper and Wyatt was great, and a nice addition to the story. Barbara can go away though. Second chance, fated, reunited love is one of my favorite tropes.
Overall, a fantastic read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

I mean no disrespect to the genre, but this sure read like a YA novel. Loved the cover and premise. There seemed to be no chemistry between Piper and Wyatt. In the "now" chapters on the island, I had too many questions about things that made no sense: He was in the army for years and can somehow pilot (or not!) a plane but can't use a radio to signal for help? And she can, because she liked fooling around with old radios when she was a kid and knows how to put them together? She's halfway through medical school but seems flustered about simple first aid? She doesn't recognize his symptoms as being more serious when he hurts his leg? The first time they reach the coast guard on the radio, they don't give basic information, like how long they were in the air before they crashed, so the rescuers can somehow coordinate their position? The radio doesn't seem to work unless they're at a higher elevation, yet the first time they hear a rescue plane, they stay on the beach and surprisingly can't get it to work? And don't get me started with her mother. Geez. What an awful person. Obviously this one was not for me.

The book had a lot of potential. It was pretty good. I can see this debut author coming out with great stuff in the future. I just felt like I struggled connecting with the feelings and characters and story but the writing was great for her first book.

Piper and Wyatt are childhood friends to lovers to strangers who on the way to their friends wedding have a tragic plane accident. This story was very interesting with the anticipation of waiting for them to be rescued. I do feel like so much could have been avoided if Piper and Wyatt had communicated those eight years ago but I still enjoyed the story.
Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the arc of this book!

“Life is short, and you only get one, so you might as well live it on your terms.”

sometimes all it takes for you to reconnect with the person who broke your heart is a plane crash and a week stranded on a deserted island while trying to survive until someone rescues you.

Crash Landing is a book about second chances and following your heart, even when it’s scary!
—

this and that:
♡ childhood friends-to-lovers-to-strangers-to-lovers
♡ dual timeline
♡ ex-military
♡ fade-to-black
♡ forced proximity
♡ opposites attract
♡ second chance
♡ single pov
♡ survival on a deserted island

triggers:
☞ absentee parenting
☞ blood and injuries
☞ plane crash
☞ ptsd (as a result of military service)

I’m very grateful to have received an arc of this one! I definitely was in the mood for something light and bantery, and right off the bat, this book delivered. I definitely was hooked by the opening and found Piper to be easy to relate too, even though our lives were very different. I also loved the creativity of the setting/circumstances, and adore second chance romance!

Unfortunately this is only a 3.25 star read for me for the following reason: Believability. This seems odd to say when the whole premise is two people surviving a plane crash, which asks us to suspend our disbelief a little bit. But if I am willing to be able to suspend it to set up the whole novel, I needed the rest to be believable. I actually think they had too easy of a time on the island AND I don’t believe their reasons for breaking up and not talking to each FOR EIGHT YEARS!!! That seemed a little too neat and tidy and frankly kind of annoying. Plus the miscommunication at the end— from someone who doesn’t mind the 3rd act miscommunication/break up— felt too convenient too. That went beyond normal human lack of communication/nerves/etc. I also feel like Piper's career resolution was too easy and kind of came out of left field-- I wish she had maybe mentioned the beloved librarian a few times earlier in the book to set this up a bit better.

But I did really like premise. I found the authors voice and writing to be very enjoyable and I feel like she is a really promising new face on the romance scene. None of my complaints will prevent me from reading her work in the future.

This was such a fun and unique premise! I loved the idea of getting stranded with your ex like that!! I didn’t love the reason they broke up and Piper was a little bit of a brat haha. But I really enjoyed the scenes of Piper and Wyatt together and reconnecting. It was such a sweet one!

This was such a cozy and cute romance read.

The author provided us many flashbacks of Piper and Wyatt's relationship in high school. It was sweet to see them connect and become friends, then eventually lovers. In the present, they had not spoken or seen each other for eight years due to Wyatt breaking Piper's heart. The premise of their reunion was not anything new, but the reason for their forced proximity was something exciting I had not read before. Adding having to survive on a deserted island to the story really upped the stakes. I do wish there had been a lot more angst. There was a little bit here and there, but, with this being a second chance romance, I feel there could have been more.

I did find Piper and Wyatt together adorable, but, apart, they were not that memorable. Piper was a goody-two shoes who came off as a doormat to her parents. She did eventually grow a back bone, which I applaud. With this book being only from Piper's perspective, it was difficult to understand Wyatt on a deeper level. He did open up to Piper in some scenes, but I still wish we would have been able to see inside his head for better understanding.

Overall, this was a nice and simple read with very low spice and clean language.

crash landing review- Thank you sm to the publisher and author for the arc <3
This book was a really cute and fun read! I did read it like 4 months ago so my review might not be totally accurate lol.
❀ Pros ❀
☆ The two main characters had a really cute relationship! I loved reading about how they first got together.
☆ This book was really entertaining like I was never bored.

❀ Cons ❀
☆ I feel like this book could've done a better job actually exploring the fear and panic of being stranded on the island, cause like the mc was literally stuck on this deserted island and her main focus was being trapped with her ex 😭 it was very unserious but that did make it really fun to read, so it was still really good!

I had really high hopes for Crash Landing, the synopsis sounded right up my alley. Unfortunately I could not get past the third person narration. I think if someone enjoys reading in third person pov this book has a lot of promise! Especially if you love forced proximity and second chance romance. DNF 35%

This book was a great second chance romance of high school sweethearts with a blue lagoon vibe. I absolutely loved Piper and Wyatt.

This story was unexpected. While I knew the premise of the story, I wasn't expecting the pure passion and tension. This rom-com was a fun, fast read with very real moments of survival and long last love. The back and forth of the past and present gave a full picture journey.

Would definitely recommend this one for the spring or summer!


Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC!

First off thanks to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the eArc.

This was a fun little first debut. I loved the idea of a plane crash/stranded island setting and enjoyed that part in the book and how Piper and Wyatt reconnected while trying to stay alive until a rescue. I am not a huge fan of miscommunication. I was okay with it for when the two characters are teenagers but not so much when it happens again later in the book. I think that and not being able to get a good connection with the two characters is what kept me from giving it a 4 star. But overall it was a fun read and I'll probably pick up the next book by this author.

Unfortunately I DNF’d this lovely advanced reader copy at 15% and I want to tell you why!

I fear this was right book wrong time for me. The concept is everything I like (and some I don’t) and despite it all, I was forcing myself to turn the page and hold some semblance of focus. It’s not to say that the lovely Annie McQuaid doesn’t have a fantastic voice for contemporary romance, because she does! I would love to pick this book back up in a few months when I’m back to my normal reading habits and then maybe I’ll be able to enjoy the complicated and fun dynamic I saw her creating just 15% in. For now, a soft DNF with intention to return back for another go!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy and be sure to look it up when it hits shelves in April <3

This was the best rom-com I've read in a while. The adventure in it was so fun while perfectly blending a second chance romance. It's a perfect escape for summer, or a book you bring on your beach vacation. I will be recommending to everyone.

First, I would like to thank NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager Publishing for an ARC of Annie McQuaid’s debut novel, Crash Landing. The following is my honest review of the book.

This book is about Piper and Wyatt. Two people who have known each other since they were kids and dated in high school until one day, Wyatt unexpectedly broke Piper's heart and disappeared from her and their friends’ lives. Many years later, they reconnect when going to a friend/family member’s wedding, where, due to unforeseen circumstances, Wyatt ends up flying them in a private plane. The plane crashes on a deserted island. The problem is that Piper despises Wyatt for what he did to her but realizes they must work together to survive and try to get off the island.

This book sucked me right in. I liked it so much I read it in 2 days, which I used to do all the time but haven’t done in a while. I was so curious about how they would get rescued (I mean, I figured they would get their happily ever after) and how Piper would be able to forgive Wyatt for leaving her all those years ago. I loved to see Piper grow in her ability to stand up to her overpowering mother. This was a quick, mindless read, and I recommend it.

fun, entertaining, adorable. what else would you want from a romance book. it has a very interesting setting that i have never read before and a well written second chance romance arc. highly recommend!

High school sweethearts Piper and Wyatt were deeply in love and seemed destined to stay together forever--at least until Wyatt abruptly broke up with Piper just weeks before he headed off to bootcamp and she went to college. Brokenhearted, Piper vowed not to talk to Wyatt again, although she never stopped missing him. She runs into him eight years later at the airport as both plan to head to the Bahamas for their friend's destination wedding. Stranded by a flight cancellation, Piper reluctantly agrees to let Wyatt pilot them down to the wedding. They don't make it, crashing on a small island during a storm. Now, they will have to see if they can get over their past to survive their present predicament and possibly find a future together. You can guess where this leads.

The story and characters had a lot going for them. Piper and Wyatt weren't bitter caricatures of exes who would focus more on fighting than survival. I liked them both, and the flashback chapters really laid the foundations for their enduring--if temporarily interrupted--bond. Time and again, it was clear that the stakes of their circumstances were dire, from hunger to severe injuries. In other words, the author didn't treat this serious situation like a rom-com, yet still managed to infuse warmth and playfulness between the characters.

That said, there were a lot of unbelievable or predictable elements here that detracted from the story. I did not believe for one minute that Wyatt was someone who'd had survival training. While I appreciate safe sex in a romance, I could have overlooked lack of protection on a deserted island after a plane crash--yet strangely enough, I didn't have to. (Still laughing about this.) The original obstacle to their romance was obvious well before it was revealed, and Piper was right back in love with Wyatt way too quickly. (Let the boy earn you!)

All in all, a likable if somewhat underdeveloped romance with appealing, earnest characters.

Crash Landing by Annie McQuaid was an unfortunate let down for me. This kind of romantic adventure plot sounded super fun and right up my alley but I think McQuaid struggled in keeping it together.

As is common in second chance romances, this story flip flops between Piper and Wyatt's friendship back in high school and their current predicament on an island following a small plane crash. These kinds of formats tend to be common so the reader can see how the couple worked well previously and understand the original hangups and the quick actions in the current time setting. I don't think either of those were really achieved here. The past chapters were not in chronological order so it was harder to follow the progression of Piper and Wyatt's original friends to lovers story. There's a lot of jumping around between their first meeting, when they're friends with their friend group, and then when they've decided to switch to a romantic relationship. In addition to the timeline of the past, I struggled with how some of the side characters were portrayed, specifically Piper's parents. Piper starts the book off describing the pressures she feels from them to be 'perfect' but also saying how she loves them and they're like second parents to her friend group. We see bits and pieces of a strained relationship but no actual development of this relationship to forgiveness or separation (and there should be some development with how this story ends), instead we see a very flat description of the struggles Piper faces with her parents.

I think that this could have been a lot more fun. It was an easy read, McQuaid's writing was very good so although I don't think some things were fleshed out enough it wasn't a pain to read. I might try something from McQuaid again in the future.