This was a cute little second chance romance with a fun adventure and heart. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. It was a good break from the predictable romances. While this did have some moments that were easy to see coming, I enjoyed that it had a fun twist in parts.

Crash Landing by Annie McQuaid is a powerful, emotional ride that really tugs at your heartstrings. The way the author portrays the developing friendship between Wyatt and Piper in the past timeline is absolutely beautiful—there's such an organic, raw growth between the two characters that makes you feel like you're right there with them. You can feel the weight of their connection and the bond they’re building, even as they both struggle with their own personal demons. In the present timeline, the slow healing of their fractured relationship is just as gripping. It’s messy, it’s honest, and it’s the kind of healing that feels real—nothing too rushed, just the delicate rebuilding of trust and understanding.

What really impressed me was how McQuaid balanced the physical survival aspect of their situation with the emotional healing the characters were going through. As Wyatt and Piper wait for rescue, every moment is filled with tension, not just from their immediate survival but from the emotional baggage they're still carrying. It’s not just about fighting the elements; it’s about fighting to overcome their past and reconnect with each other. McQuaid does an incredible job showing how survival isn’t just about the body, but about mending your heart too. It’s a story about hope, healing, and finding strength in unexpected places.

TLDR; a second chance romance between highschool sweethearts with a dual timeline and a plane crash.

Cute read but another like, not love read. I'm not a big fan of the miscommunication trope and man this one had a ton of it and I think that was a lot of the reason why I didn't like this more. I quite enjoyed seeing their relationship grow in both the past and the present and liked the climax. There was something that was just missing on pulling me in completely.

<b>Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the chance to read and review ahead of the time!</b>

Thank you so much to the publisher and author for my eARC!

Do you need a book where you can turn off your brain and suspend all logic and reasoning? If so, this is your book!

Wyatt and Piper were BFFs in high school, fell in love for a brief time, and then suddenly broke up. Not having spoken in years, they are both in route to the wedding of their HS bestie with Wyatt flying the small private plane to the destination wedding in the Bahamas. But something goes wrong and the plane crashes on a remote island. Miraculously, both Piper and Wyatt survive with only minor injuries and have to work together to get off the island and face their past.

This book was told in 2 different timelines-present on the island and in HS. The look at their slow path to love was good but also at times I felt I was too old to be reading about teens. I was much more concerned with their survival on the island. I wanted a little more to their emotional development since HS and I kept waiting for a BIG reason for their breakup, which didn't happen. I also didn't buy into their second chance romance on the island- sand, BO, injuries, hunger, etc (all realities of being stranded on an island) kept me from fully buying into the believability that they were able to toss that to the side and hook up. I do think this is a creative idea for a book and I think the author was able to write something entertaining where I wanted to find out what happened by the end.

This ARC was given to me by NetGalley

Wowwwww. I didn't really know what to expect, but it was honestly like a modern Blue Lagoon. That's the best way to describe it and it was pretty good. Piper and Wyatt's second chance will-they-won't-they was very enticing and the past/present POVs killed me! These two had a wonderous past that led into a silent future until they crashed into an island and learning to survive with each other. It felt really long at a lot of times but it was such a great read and who doesn't love a cute best friends to lovers /second chance romance! I would definitely recommend this book because it's cute, has a LOT of drama, and two characters that reminded me that destiny is real.

This was such a fun and fresh debut novel! My only complaints are that it was not written in first person pov and the romance felt just a little forced at times. Annie absolutely killed it though with her debut novel and I'm excited to see what she has in store next!

I honesty wanted to love this story so much but it fell a little flat for me. It was very predictable. I was so excited about the characters being stranded on an island and expected a lot more tension between them. I also would’ve loved some banter considering their history. The dual timeline was very helpful in understanding their past and its impact on their current relationship. The root of their issue was not significant enough for me. Overall, it was still enjoyable and a cute love story. I’d still recommend it if you’re looking for a quick read that’s lightly sprinkled with spice. Give this one a chance, you might enjoy it.

Tropes include:
Second chance romance
Forced proximity
Stranded on an island
Life or death situation

Title releases: April 1, 2025

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

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!