I absolutely loved this book !! 🥰 Annie McQuaid is definitely an author you should add to your TBR ! This book was everything I wanted and more , I really enjoyed the depth of the characters and just the overall setting and storyline was great ! This book was hard to put down , it really reels you in and wanting to know what will occur next !

This was a cute book that was a quick and light read. The characters were enjoyable and the plot was good as a whole. The cast of characters were good, from the friends to the parents, they all had their moments and were a good group to read about. I did enjoy the then and now aspect of the book, it kept a good pace and kept you invested which made it fun. It's not my most memorable read, but finishing it and enjoying it for the most part made for a good read. Would recommend to anyone looking for a light fun read.
I gave it a 3.5 stars and rounded down because it wasn't a favorite and not something I would buy.

Thanks to NetGalley & Edelweiss for the ARCs!

Piper and Wyatt were high school senior sweethearts and he crushed her. When heading to her best friends destination wedding (who is Wyatt’s cousin), there are flight cancellations. Wyatt, a seasoned pilot, is at the airport and heading to the Bahamas offering her a ride which ends in a crash on a remote island. The time on the island is spent reconnecting and unpacking what happened in the past.

Overall, a really cute book I enjoyed! I think some of the past chapters weren’t necessarily needed / added to the story for me. But, I think it’s a great debut book and loved the premise!

Cute and fast-paced!

For you if you enjoy: dual timelines, second chances romances, forced proximity, and angsty adults

Not for you if: you’re currently on a plane, you don’t like YA POV (dual timeline / it reads young), fixate on realistic environments, setting, etc.

Enjoy yourself, it’s all made up!

My first five-star read of 2025. I loved this second-chance romance between Piper and Wyatt, the good girl and the bad boy who were longtime friends before they became a couple. Piper never understood why Wyatt broke up with her and why he dropped her as a friend as well as their mutual friend group but she’s spent years moving on from him. All is great until she runs into him in the airport, on the way to her best friend’s wedding (who happens to be Wyatt’s cousin), both of them victims of a canceled flight. Wyatt is planning to use a small plane loaned to him by a friend and invites Piper along but Piper is loath to be in close proximity to him even for a couple of hours. Desperate, she agrees and they end up crash landing on a small Caribbean island. Forced to work together to survive while waiting to be rescued, Piper remembers why she loved Wyatt but also how much he hurt her. Away from all the pressures of their day-to-day lives though, she’s able to think about what she really wants, both potentially with Wyatt but also in her life, one she’s spent mostly doing what her parents want her to do.

I absolutely loved this — it was fun, it was sexy, it was romantic, definitely recommend!

I loved this book - what a great debut! Both our MCs felt real and fleshed out, and I really enjoyed the then and now storyline. This is a very unique premise for a romance story, and I will most definitely read more from this author!! If you are looking for a unique second chance romance, definitely pick this one up!!

Piper Adams, a rule-following med student, never imagined she'd be stranded on a deserted island with her ex, Wyatt, after a flight detour to a mutual friend’s wedding. Forced to survive together, old feelings resurface.

The chemistry between Piper and Wyatt is undeniable, and McQuaid does a great job capturing the intensity of their past love. While the island survival was a bit easy for them (mostly papayas and downtime), it gave them a chance to address their past and reconnect.

The flashbacks were cute but didn’t add much depth.

Overall, if you enjoy second chance romance, forced proximity, and a romcom with a life-or-death twist, this one’s for you!

I really enjoyed this book! I liked the initial plot which I feel like has not been done possibly at all and if so by few. Teh chemistry between Wyatt and Piper was palpable the entire time and I am so happy with how this book ended with such a warm hug. However, there were times I felt I was being pulled out of the story by disclosing more of their past, but nevertheless this was a great read, maybe not on a plane or a beach though! ;)

I ended up DNFing the book at 15%. I was loving the storyline of the book. However I am not the biggest fan of third person writing. I was struggling to stay entertained with the book because of the third person. However, it is still a book I would recommend to someone.

Loved it so much! I can't wait to buy my own copy of it next time I do a book haul on audible! The characters were very raw and I went through all the emotions!

Being stranded on an island with my ex is the last thing I would ever want! However, we began to love the leads and wished for them to get back together. Well written!

A second chance romance - LOST style? Two high school sweethearts become stranded on a tropical island after their plane crashes, just the two of them. This book has forced proximity in the most intense way!

Piper and Wyatt were together in high school and after he pushes her away and breaks her heart, they go years without speaking. Their mutual friends destination wedding brings them together, stranded in an airport, when he offers to fly them to the wedding on a private plane. They hit some unexpected bad weather and crash on a deserted tropical island. They have to work together to survive and are forced to stay close for comfort for a whole week.

This novel is single POV from Piper's side and has a dual timeline. The chapters go back in time to when they first fell in love, then jump to present day of them stranded on the island together.

There is a really nice balance of funny situations and serious moments to get you through the story. The two main characters have plenty of time to hook you and are developed thoroughly throughout the book.

A fun, light-hearted read!

A second chance romance with a side of adventure! Definitely look out for this debut!

I am instantly drawn to stories where characters are marooned on a deserted island and have to work together to survive and escape, so as soon as I saw this book, it instantly became one of my most anticipated releases for 2025.

As expected, I loved the segments following Piper and Wyatt while they were stranded on the deserted island and how they were able to survive. I liked seeing their ingenuity as they struggled with life on the island. I also enjoyed seeing the segments following their relationship in the past. They were so cute together as kids and I liked seeing their relationship develop.

My main complaint was that I would have liked more urgency in the aspects of their being stranded. But honestly, I enjoyed every second of this read and will definitely look out for this author’s next book!

@annie_m_writes This book 😍 tropical vibes! Book lovers! Second chance romance! And the only one bed scenario taken to a whole new level! This book is a great lesson in stakes as well. From the very beginning the stakes are high and they just keep rising like the sun beating down on the little tropical island they’re stranded on. There were some very satisfying mirror moments as well. Loved it!

Comes out April 1st. 💕❤️

Thank you Avon, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for an advance copy of this e-book for my review!

I REALLY was stoked for this book based on the synopsis — crash landed on an island with only your ex? Yes, give me 14 of them.
Unfortunately the book as a whole fell flat for me, and I was disappointed overall.

First off, I liked the characters individually but felt like they had no chemistry together. Their flirting on the island and eventual getting together felt forced, especially considering how Piper seemed to get over her 8 year grudge/broken heart in 2 days.

Secondly, the miscommunication and third act breakup are my least favorite tropes. I know it’s a second chance romance, but Wyatt’s reason for breaking up with her in the first place being that didn’t feel “good enough” and subsequently setting them up for 8 years of heartache and loneliness is SO annoying. Then after all of that and them finally rekindling their flame on the island, he does the exact same thing and they STILL don’t talk about it? Wild behavior.

Lastly, I just felt like there was so much trying to happen by way of character development that it just became too busy. With the child neglect, deployment trauma and PTSD, mommy issues, etc, it was overwhelming. The serious themes mixed with some of the cliche writing left me with a little bit of whiplash.

I did enjoy the flashback scenes, and they were the only time I liked Piper and Wyatt as a couple. It was a quick and easy read despite my frustrations with the plot and adult Wyatt!

3.5 stars

This was a quick read and a pretty predictable storyline. I found the main characters likeable enough though I didn't form any strong attachments to them. I enjoyed the then and now format of the book. I liked reading about the characters backstory and why they broke up to begin with. I did think the book had a bit of a young adult/new adult feel to it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion which I have given.

I think the mix between them being stranded and them talking out their past and finding their way to each other was handled very well. Being stranded on an island is high stakes, yes, but, but for the majority of the book, it felt like they were going to be alright! McQuaid did a great job mixing the tension of them being stranded on the island and the tension of their past relationship, making it a really enjoyable romance

Piper did frustrate me at the beginning. Obviously, I could give her a day or two (or really the entire book lol) to get over the shock of being in a plane crash AND stuck on an island, but she was unhelpful at every turn, actively ignoring Wyatt's advice and suggestions, and really just being rude. Of course she isn't going to like this man that broke her heart, but ya'll just had something terrible happen. How about a little teamwork? But all of that is just to say the character development is great because I did start to enjoy Piper. Especially hers and Wyatt's chemistry.

Speaking on that, I loved how we got a look back into their high school friendship and subsequent relationship. I loved how they (in present time) realized what they needed to change in their lives to be happy, and worked on making that happen.

I appreciated the last few chapters, how they tried to get back to their day to day lives. But one thing I absolutely could not stand was the miscommunication! I didn't understand their choices and I thought it all was kind of unnecessary.

Otherwise, I really liked it. With the scenes at the end with their friend group reunited (I don't think this spoiler really spoils anything?), I started hoping for more books for the friends' relationships!

This was such a fun romance!! I am really impressed that it was a debut. I love second chance romances, survival stories and weddings, so this was pretty much a formula for success, but I enjoyed it so much.

The characters were done well and the writing was wonderfuL!

I definitely enjoyed this book (and holy crap that cover is gorgeous) but I felt like it was just so much longer than it needed to be. About halfway through I was ready for things to start wrapping up and it took quite a while. But still enjoyed it and will read more from this author in the future!

Loved this book so much! Loved the second chance trope and the author did such an amazing job on this book. Thank you NetGalley for this amazing arc