I kept waiting and waiting for the "reveal" as to why her broke up with her just to be extremely let down. There is nothing that really happens on the island to rekindle/repair themselves. They had the one little moment with his PTSD and that was it. This story had so much potential. If they would have had real conversations and self awareness, it would have made the book so much better. This was surface. 2.75 stars.

I was hooked the second I started this book and have to let you know it’s 1:15 AM as I’m typing this review because I couldn’t sleep until I finished it 🤣 I actually LOVE both Piper and Wyatt and I love them together. I LOVE how we got the past and present chapters to see them in high school and then now on the island. I haven’t read a book like this and I can honestly say I loved it so much. It was such a good time reading about their prior relationship and figuring out where things went wrong while also reading their current situation being stranded together figuring out how to survive while rekindling with each other. Definitely would recommend.

eARC Review: Crash Landing by Annie McQuaid
Pub Date: April 1, 2025

Thank you to Avon for the eARC and to @bookswithnopictures and @justtalkingtomyshelf for arranging this traveling ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Piper is just trying to make it to her best friend's wedding when her flight is unexpectedly canceled. Even more unexpected is that she runs into her ex-boyfriend Wyatt who is trying to make it to the same wedding and has access to a private plan...and a pilot's license. When their plane runs into trouble, they crash land (ha!) on a remote island with little in way of supplies. While they wait for rescue, Piper and Wyatt come to terms with their past and see if they have a future together.

I liked this! It's definitely not realistic and is one of those books where you just need to turn your brain off to read. If you're able to do that, I think this read can be pretty enjoyable. I usually don't love flashbacks but did love them here and thought they were super vital to the story. Wyatt as a character really worked for me and I liked seeing him only through Piper's eyes instead of through dual POV.

I was lowkey stressed about how they were going to get rescued and spent probably a little too much time worrying about that, lol! Most of my struggles with this book is related to how realistic this all is but once I was able to turn off my brain, I did end up enjoying the book more! I also got stressed out about Wyatt's infection - obviously I knew he wasn't going to die but it still kept occupying my brain! I was pretty frustrated by the reason Wyatt broke up with Piper when they were kids - I just don't love when that conflict is essentially "I'm going to break up to save you because I'm not good enough for you". I'm not sure either character showed quite as much growth from the flashbacks to the present as the author intended.

Also: BEACH SEX IS NOT SEXY. THE SAND. THE SANDDDDDDDDD

3.5 ✨

I really like the premise of this book because of how original it was... Ex-lovers get stranded on an island together yes please. I loved how emotional this book was because of their history and learning why the characters are the way they are. I could feel Piper's and Wyatt love through the pages which I always love. There where times where I felt a tiny bit frustrated just because I wanted them to talk it out a little deeper and communicate their feelings for each other. The couple would get close and then something would happened and there would be a gap. I also wish we got more time with couple actually together, and being in a relationship, instead of just chasing each other. I loved the dual -time line, so we could see them fall in love as high schoolers.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the eARC!

This book was so cute and just what I needed for a cozy, sweet and fun read! The plot was enjoyable and entertaining and characters were lovable. An overall great story with an adorable HEA!

Now, I know what you may be thinking... A book with a plane crash may not peak your curiosity but I'm here to tell you, read it bestie. You won't regret it. Annie wrote a truly incredible second chance, forced proximity survival/adventure romcom that will warm your heart and feed your book loving soul. I will be reading anything she writes after this!

Loved this romance from the very first page! Annie McQuaid is such a talent. I can't wait for Crash Landing to come out to gift it to my BFF, so she can read it, too. LOVED.

Thank you for the ARC copy.

This was such a sweet easy to read romance. I loved the characters as well as the settlings. I really liked how the story got so much depth from the flashbacks. It was the perfect romance and length. I will check this author out again for sure.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! A promising debut from this author. Perfect for those who enjoy second chance romances with lots of fun pop culture references and a little spice sprinkled in. Rounded up from 3.75 stars ✨

This was such a fun second chance romance! It had elements of suspense, exes to lovers, and dual proximity. Piper and Wyatt were together when they were back in high school, but they broke up shortly before college. Piper's best friend is getting married in the Bahamas, and Wyatt is invited to the wedding as well. When Piper tries to fly to the Bahamas for the wedding, her flight got cancelled. Wyatt invited her to ride on his small plane to the wedding; however, it crashed. Piper and Wyatt are both stuck on a desert island waiting for help and trying to survive. During that time period, the relationship sparks that were dimmed due to the breakup start to fly again.

This book was such an easy read! The author had a great writing style, that I could follow easily. I liked both characters as people. The author also used elements of suspense because you did not know if they were getting off the island or not. I thought the dual timeline was a little confusing at first. The author titled the difference as now and then, which is not clear. Overall, I did enjoy this book and would give it four stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for a free review.

Annie McQuaid's Crash Landing was both romantic and thrilling. It is a pleasant read. Former sweethearts with a painful break up, suddenly need to depend on each other. As they struggle, their back story unfolds. It is cleverly written by an author who's talent is also unfolding. Most enjoyable.

Piper has no interest in seeing Wyatt again. 😠 They were highschool sweethearts, and he thoroughly broke her heart. So when they run into each other at the airport on the way to Piper's best friend's wedding, she's not thrilled. Wyatt is her friend's cousin, she should've expected this, but still. This isn't good.

Then her flight is cancelled. Wyatt can fly them there in a small plane and reluctantly!!! Piper accepts a ride.

And that ride promptly crashes onto a deserted island. Like, why did it have to be her attractive ex Piper got stuck with? But maybe, just maybe, this is what second chances are made of. 🫶🏼

🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️

This book is the perfect summery rom com, and probably wonderful to read on a white-sands beach with a drink in hand. ☀️🌴🍹

Thank you to the lovely @annie_m_writes and @netgalley for the ARC!! 🫶🏼☺️

Annie McQuaid is a wonderful new romance writer on the block! I will definitely be rooting for her and would pick up her next book.

A survival romance filled with second chances and forced proximity between two childhood sweethearts with difficult family relationships.
Piper Adams is a med student who is afraid of blood, rubbing elbows with the “elite” crowd and thinking about her childhood sweetheart- Wyatt who came into her life quickly and left just as fast.

When a mutual friends wedding brings them together a plane crash may be the best and the worse thing to happen.

Unfortunately the toxic mother - daughter relationship felt overwhelming and just unrealizable to me. I also couldn’t understand how an intelligent young woman pursues medicine despite her hating it.

On an island together can Wyatt and Piper figure out their story including the past and preparing for their potential future?
Read to find out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sharing this upcoming Romance Novel!

3.5 ⭐️

It’s easy to follow the mass wave of “tropification” a lot of books published nowadays, but this played into second chance romance very tastefully! I’m not the biggest fan of dual timeline stories; mainly because sometimes it feels like going into the past is a detour when the story is starting to unfold. This book also does dual timelines well because they were evenly paced. When there was a tense moment in the present, the plot went back to a tense moment in the MMC’s childhood, romantic moment in the present, romantic moment in the past, so on and so forth. The biggest gripe I have is the connection between Wyatt and Piper. It seems like they have 3 conversations where they agree they want to give themselves another chance but then they’re not on the same and don’t trust each other. It didn’t make a lot of sense when they both made it clear they loved each other. Despite this, I found this enjoyable and would recommend!

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

The Vibes:

—stranded on an island

—second chance (a la high school sweethearts)

—survival but make it lite

Heat Index: 5/10

The Basics:

On the way to a mutual friend's wedding, exes Wyatt and Piper end up on the same tiny plane (piloted by Wyatt) which unfortunately ends up crashing on a remote island. Forced to work together, the pair end up realizing that even off the island, they can only truly be vulnerable with each other.

The Review:

This is, to put it honestly, a nice romance. If you are down for a nice time, you will have a nice time. The writing is solid, you get a great beginning, there are parallel past and present storylines that spin nicely together. Nice.

I say all of this to be honest and say that I wanted more than nice. The angst and meat of the book is really more in the flashback storyline, taking place when Piper and Wyatt were first together as teenagers. The island stuff... well. You'd think there would be a bit more urgency, seeing as they're trapped on an island together. Following a plane crash.

Something happens fairly early into the island storyline that drains the tension from it. Which I found rather frustrating. And while Piper and Wyatt have their issues, they're both ultimately decent people (the "enemies to lovers" label I found rather misleading). So while I was hooked on the teenage drama, I was much less so with the island stuff. Which was not really what I expected, at all.

I also found Piper's conflict a bit baffling. She's halfway through med school, and sure, she doesn't really want to be a doctor, but she can't even really handle blood? How has this not become a major, noticeable issue?

Again, it's nice. If you want a relatively low-conflict romance with a high-conflict setup, this will probably work more for you than it did for me. But it didn't... not work? It was a breeze to get through. I just wanted more.

The Sex:

You do get a few sex scenes, but they're very light and not super explicit. I wanted more.

This is a pretty good debut that could have been great had the drama been punched up a good bit. But hey—not everyone loves drama the way I do.

Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 stars - this was a great debut! I liked Piper and Wyatt and the unusual setting was really fun (if a bit stressful)! There were times that I felt like the story needed more development and lacked depth at parts, but the fact that it left me wanting more rather than dismissing it is a testament to Annie McQuaid's charming writing. I would absolutely read another book by her!

Trigger Warnings: Military-related PTSD, Child Neglect, Substance Abuse

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! Overall, this was a good book. The characters were likable and compelling, especially Piper. As an overachiever with high-expectation parents, I could relate to her struggles. The romance was cute and fun to read about. I liked the teenage plotline a lot more than the adult one. It felt like they had a lot more chemistry. The writing itself was extremely well done, especially for a debut novel! The switching back and forth between the past and present helped to provide context and set the stage for future plot points. While the pacing was slightly off in some places, it didn't take away from the overall story. I would recommend this book to those who want the familiarity of a Hallmark story that doesn't shy away from serious topics.

I love the premise of this book - after a cancelled flight, two exes are trying to take a private plane to a mutual friend's wedding when a storm interrupts them and crashes them onto a remote island. I always enjoy forced proximity and what better way to force proximity than to be stranded with only the other person to rely on for survival? Piper and Wyatt work through the issues of their past and face the challenges of a remote location while they wait to be rescued. By the time they make it off the island, they have absolutely made it back into each other's hearts, and I love that for them!!

Thank you to Annie McQuaid, Avon, and NetGalley for a copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Okay so only a really great book can make me think wow I wish this happened to me. Beautiful plot and characters

Absolutely loved! I had a strong feeling I was going to like this though because they survive a plane crash! What?!? This book was filled with drama, angst, and a great second chance romance. I am astonished this is a debut, it was so good!

Piper and Wyatt were great characters. I really liked both of them. There's a lot of hurt between them that I believe gets resolved by the end. I liked that they actually talked about the past and their issues (plus we see flashbacks which I always find helpful in a second chance romance). Each character got an opportunity to work on their own journeys too. Piper and Wyatt are well developed characters. The romance is filled with angst but also hope. I swooned over these two!

I thought the author did a great job balancing the dual timelines. The writing flows nicely and made this a quick and unputdownable read!

If you love survival romances with tons of drama, angst and swoon worthy tension, give this book a try!