Thank you to @Netgalley for the ARC of Crash Landing by Annie McQuaid and thank you to @AvonBooks for letting the #TalkingToMyBooks crew, including me, enjoy this book as a traveling ARC. All opinions are my own.

Wyatt and Piper have a past. In the present they find themselves having survived a plane crash on the way to a wedding in the Bahamas. This book is a quick, easy read with short chapters, and you will find yourself flying through it. If you want an escape and a heavy dose of fiction with your fiction, this is the book for you! It is pretty much the best-case scenario of a plane crash, and as I recall there wasn’t a bug, rat, snake or animal to be seen or heard, which frankly is just how I like it. We have past and present, with questions answered and feelings revealed.

Reading this book reminded me that when I heard JFK Jr had crashed in the ocean and they were searching for him, I was positive he was living off the land with a palm frond hut already erected on a deserted island. We are also reminded of this helpful reminder: humans can live for 3 weeks without food, 3 days without water, 3 minutes without air. May none of us need that information!

3.5/5 stars
Off page love scenes, no play-by-plays (don’t quote me on that though, I may be wrong)
Locations: Georgia I think? Cedar Falls and Mason, North Carolina and a deserted island!

Annie McQuaid’s debut novel is a 21st-century twist on The Notebook, featuring high-school sweethearts who reconnect eight years later. The big twist is that their reunion comes courtesy of a plane crash, leaving Piper and Wyatt stranded on a deserted island. The dual-timeline structure helps fill in their backstory and gives the characters more depth. Overall, this was a fun and fast read!

I love a good second chance romance. And this one? This was it. I loved the meshing of past and present and the palpable longing Piper felt. Add in a crash landing and you’ve got something really unique.

3.5 stars
Overall, I liked Piper and Wyatt's story. I liked their trapped on an island forced proximity, second chance romance. Second chance romance is not one of my favorite tropes but it worked with this couple. I enjoyed the low angst and the past and present timelines.

4.25⭐

I have to preface this review by saying that I am not typically a fan of second-chance romance. There's usually a pretty good reason for the breakup that I normally can’t get past when the couple gets back together. HOWEVER, Crash Landing was done so well!

Crash Landing follows Piper, who is totally over Wyatt (no, she isn’t), and Wyatt, who really wants Piper back and is prepared to do anything he can to accomplish that. The pair reunites after years of no contact while traveling to a destination wedding. But when both of their flights are canceled, Wyatt offers to fly the two of them over on a tiny plane, and Piper is just desperate enough to take him up on his offer. Queue the worst thing to happen on a flight… their plane crashes on a deserted island in the middle of the Caribbean.

Stuck on this island for a week pushes the pair to confront their issues and what caused their fallout during their senior year of high school. I enjoyed the before chapters that showed the start of their friendship as middle schoolers, and how they became best friends to lovers throughout their childhood and early adulthood. Annie McQuaid did a great job of adding emotional depth to her characters, especially Wyatt.

Annie McQuaid really knocked it out of the park with this debut novel, and I can’t wait to pick up whatever she releases next!

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with a copy!

I hate to say it, but this one would have been better as a movie. Heck the plot and premise has been done as a move before.

I really enjoyed this. The switching from "Then" to "Now" really helped paint the picture of the love between Piper and Wyatt and how even after 8 years with no contact, that love never faded. Sure they were kind of dumb when they broke up the summer before college for Piper and bootcamp for Wyatt, but the plane crashing while VERY TRAUMATIC kind of was a blessing in disguise. It brought them back together and gave them an opportunity to talk through some of the hurt from their initial break up.

I sadly dnfed this book, I found Piper a bit cringy sadly, thank you for the arc either way & hopefully I’ll be able to read it some day

I’m such a sucker for a second chance romance and forced proximity so Crash Landing is right up my alley. Annie McQuaid is such a shining star and I can’t wait to read more of her books!

First thank you net galley and publishers for approval of this arc.

The beginning of this story started off pretty interesting. I used this as a quick cute palette cleanser but as I got more into the story I just couldn't believe the romance and on top of that the characters weren't standing out for me. sometimes a dual story line are hits but not in this case. I was just expecting something different.

Forced proximity meets plane crash seems to be one of the most extreme situations. Not only that, but your ex and childhood crush! Crash Landing shows that careful plans and a curated life can always be disrupted. With now and then chapters, Crash Landing examines how deep a relationship can go. How our young love is a strong force that sometimes never lets us go. We are treated to two love stories as we witness Wyatt and Piper falling in love as teens and wondering if lightning can strike twice. If the embers can be brought back to life.

Crash Landing by Annie McQuaid

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

🔥 A hot NEW bombshell (debut author) has entered the villa! 🥵

This book made me feel things 😭 Like so many things!!! I am not typically one to read second chance romance. It is not my favorite trope by any means. I always end up thinking about my exes like hmmm 🤔, then inevitably remember that they’re exes for a reason 🤣 But this was so cuteeee!!!

After their flights to a mutual friend’s wedding get canceled, Piper runs into her ex at the airport. Lucky for her, he’s a pilot and just so happens to have a plane handy. What could go wrong? A plane crash, that’s what. Stranded on a deserted island, Piper and Wyatt will have to put aside their differences and learn to survive. But will they survive each other?

Piper and Wyatt’s story had me absolutely feeling things! Told in a dual timeline, we get to see them fall in love all over again while learning why they fell apart in the first place. My heart broke for poor high school Wyatt. He was just doing the best he could 🥺 They really were just babies. Prom had me sobbing. It was the cutest thing I’ve ever read.

On another note, let me catch Piper’s parents outside. Post up. They had absolutely no business doing their daughter that way. Or Wyatt! Neither of them deserved to be treated like that AT ALL. I’m so glad Piper found her voice and was finally able to stand up for herself and for Wyatt.

I loved seeing them get to know each other again on the island! My man Wyatt was a survivalist. He really was just down bad for Piper and trying to show it. I’ll admit, I had some anger toward him in the beginning (we’ve been there, we’ve done that), but by the end, he had my whole heart right in his big, muscular hands.

I am so excited to see what else this author has in store for us! This is the perfect book to take to the pool or beach … just not if you have to get on a plane to get there 👀✈️

Thank you to NetGalley, Annie McQuaid, and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions stated are my own.

Sweet and tender and wholesome- I really enjoyed this and I'm eager to see what Annie McQuaid comes up with next!

Side note: As a military spouse of many years I really appreciated the idea for Wyatt's app as it's something I've long campaigned for!

Two ex’s stranded on an island together, I was INSTANTLY intrigued! This was such a cute book. I loved the storyline of this second chance romance. Piper did tend to annoy me just a smidge, but she pulled it all together in the end which made for great character development. I thoroughly enjoyed this read & think it’s perfect for summer.

Having so much fun with this one so far. The only thing i would change is the Harry Potter references. Cause, gross.

Im loving the back and forth between the time periods to see how these two, really likeable, characters got to where they are today. As long as the reason they broke up the first time doesn't enrage me then we should be good to go. Love a good second chance romance.


Also, who puts extra cherries in an oreo milkshake lol

Lovely group of friends and family also. Really brings the book together. Overall enjoyed and will purchase for physical collection.

High school sweethearts, now long time exes, find themselves stranded on an island after a plane crash. Can they work together to survive and rekindle their love

This was the second chance adventure romance I never knew I needed! The stakes are high, but there are plenty of swoony moments too, balancing heart-pounding and heartwarming for the whole package. CRASH LANDING combines all of my favorite things: forced proximity, an immersive setting, a touch of danger, second chances, and characters I'd immediately welcome into my friends group. McQuaid perfectly matches up sweet and swoony moments with scenes that perfectly deliver danger and adventure.

This book was a mixed bag for me. I really enjoyed the concept: two childhood friends who broke up for mysterious reasons are stranded on a desert island together after a plane crash. They learn all the reasons that they have been apart are bullshit and have to figure out how to survive at the same time. I really enjoyed both of these characters but the times they got in their own ways were super frustrating! Also I feel like the family drama was somehow not angsty enough? I think amping up that part of it would have given this book the depth I craved. Drink this book: Grab a super tropical and floral Gewurtztraminer for ultimate beachy effect.

Piper hasn't spoken to Wyatt since he broke her heart. That all changed when their flight to her best friend's wedding was cancelled. She was desperate to make it to the wedding on time, which is why she agreed to Wyatt’s offer of a ride on the small private plane he’s flying to attend the same event. Things take a turn when their plane crashes in the Caribbean.

This was a cute friends-to-lovers second-chance romance. I loved the dual timeline. We were provided insight into their relationship. I was entertained from the very beginning. There was a subplot of a second guy that I could have done without. It felt that it was attempting to add unnecessary conflict. Besides that, the development of the story and characters was great. I would highly recommend it as a spring/summer read.

I really enjoyed this book. The premise of the book -,the plane crash was done very well. You got a sense for how desperate the situation was getting but also saw them heal their hurt that had happened between them. The way they came to truly care for each other after this ordeal was very special.