@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

My first by this author and I adored it. This second chance romance had me swooning and eagerly awaiting the moment these two gave in to each other. I loved all the flashbacks to their past, watching them bond over their love of reading, grow through the awkwardness of the teen years. This gave me the pitter-patter, heart warming feeling I love in a romance.

This book was so fun and unique! The main characters and exes, Piper and Wyatt, are trying to make it to a wedding when their plane crashes on a deserted island. Stranded, they have no choice but to face the events that ruined their relationship (and maybe fall in love in the process).

There was tension, close proximity, second chance romance, and I loved every second of it. Can't wait for this book to come out in April!

Crash Landing by Annie McQuaid

My sincere thanks to Avon and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read Crash Landing by Annie McQuaid. I give my unbiased opinion of this book in the following review.

The title, Crash Landing, tells it all. Yes, the two main characters, Wyatt and Piper, do indeed crash in a plane on a deserted island in the Carribean while on their way to a wedding. Wyatt and Piper were friends from a young age and became romantic in their senior year of high school. Due to some parental manipulation and Wyatt's lack of self-esteem, they break up right before he leaves for boot camp and she to college. Fast forward 8 years and a mutual friend is getting married and they see each other again at the airport on their way to the wedding. Their flight gets cancelled, and Wyatt borrows a friend's plane to get them to the wedding on time. Piper is not wild about flying with him, but she wants to be there for her friend. After the crash, they are faced with surviving on the island and confronting their past. Will they survive and get a second chance at love?

I have to say that this is a solid debut. Annie McQuaid's writing style flows and is easy to read. The story flips back and forth between their growing up years and the present. These flips were easy to follow and were labeled "then" and "now".
There wasn't nearly as much conflict and peril as I was expecting with the whole stranded on a deserted island theme. While I wasn't expecting thriller level conflict, I could have taken a little more trial and tribulation to the storyline. All in all this was a nice second chance romance that I truly enjoyed reading.

Crash Landing releases April 1, 2025 - If you love second chance, forced proximity, and survival stories I urge you to give this one a read.

Thanks @netgalley @avonbooks and @annie_m_writes for the chance to read and review Annie’s heart pounding debut, Crash Landing. It releases on April 1, 2025.

Medical student Piper is on her way to her best friend’s destination wedding when her flight is canceled. When her ex-love Wyatt (who inconveniently is also the bride’s beloved cousin) offers to give her a ride on a borrowed seaplane, she reluctantly agrees. They haven’t spoken in the years since he broke her heart, and to say the flight is awkward is the understatement of the century. But when a freak storm causes them to crash on a deserted island, they must depend on each other to survive. As the days go by, Piper starts to realize crash landing might be the best thing that’s ever happened to her.

This book has tons of adventure and a swoony love story between these best friends to lovers to enemies to lovers. 🌴☀️🏝️✈️

Steam: 🔥🔥
Tropes: second chance romance, dual timeline, beach setting, care taking, it’s always been you

This book took the tropes second chance romance and close-proximity, and just ran with them. I must say, I'm impressed. The story takes on two timelines, one in the present where they meet after years of radio silence, are stuck together on an island, and forced to relive past emotions, while the past timeline looks into their time as high school sweethearts, leading up to their breakup. I didn't really enjoy the past timeline because I didn't think it was doing anything substantial for the plot, instead breaking the flow of the story in the present.

I didn't feel much chemistry between the characters; it was more of a feeling of tender affection for the relationship they once had, and maybe hurt from lack of closure. I think that could've been a very probable storyline too, of two exes sorting out their past and rebuilding their friendship, but of course it had to be a romance. I know there's a bunch of readers who appreciated this exact chemistry, but I don't see it. I still think the characters were decently fleshed out and had good development over the course of the book. I think the background about PTSD was well done and delved into, that scene in particular was written with attention to detail.

Post rescue, I felt the pace and storytelling shift greatly, with completely different settings and the MCs independently figuring out their lives. I think this shift could have been smoother. The family dynamics gave off mixed vibes and I felt that some things were made to be resolution for the sake of closure, sort of to wind up the story quickly. I think this is an issue that could've been resolved in editing and I trust the author to work upon it in the future. I'm super excited for future books from the author and will probably be reading them.

Annie McQuaid’s Crash Landing has a compelling premise and moments of genuine charm, but it ultimately struggles to stick the landing. While it offers flashes of humor and heart, uneven pacing and underdeveloped character arcs hold it back from becoming a standout read.

The story follows Piper, who finds themselves stranded in a small town after an unexpected accident derails their carefully planned life. As they rebuild and rediscover themselves, they forge unlikely connections with the quirky locals and face a romantic entanglement that forces them to confront their fears about vulnerability and change.

McQuaid shines in her depiction of the small-town setting, crafting a community that feels lived-in and colorful. The supporting cast of eccentric townsfolk adds levity and warmth, providing some of the novel’s most enjoyable moments. The humor is well-timed, and there’s an earnestness to the storytelling that makes it easy to root for the protagonist.

However, the pacing feels inconsistent, with certain sections dragging while others rush through pivotal emotional beats. The romance subplot, while sweet, feels underdeveloped, with the chemistry between the leads lacking the spark necessary to make it truly memorable. Additionally, the protagonist’s personal growth feels uneven, leaving some of their struggles unresolved by the story’s conclusion.

Despite its flaws, Crash Landing does offer an enjoyable escape for readers who appreciate lighthearted, small-town stories with a touch of romance. McQuaid’s humor and setting are strong points, even if the overall execution falls short of its full potential.

Rating: 3/5

Crash Landing has its moments of charm and humor but doesn’t fully deliver on its promise. It’s an easy, pleasant read for fans of small-town tales, but it may leave others wishing for a bit more depth and polish.

DNF @ 45%

This was a cute second-chance romance concept but I was having a hard time connecting with the characters and the less-than-realistic nature of them being stranded on the island

Childhood friends Piper and Wyatt unexpectedly cross paths at the airport while en route to their high school friend’s wedding. When a flight cancellation threatens their plans, Wyatt steps in with an offer: he’ll fly Piper to the Bahamas himself. But what starts as a quick fix turns into a survival story when their plane crashes, leaving them stranded on a deserted island. As they navigate the challenges of staying alive, old history resurfaces. Turns out, Wyatt broke Piper’s heart in high school. Trapped on the island together, they soon realize that they have an undeniable spark that never fully faded.

This story was absolutely precious! Piper and Wyatt’s journey is packed with swoonworthy moments and all the sweet feels of a good second-chance romance. I loved the “then and now” timelines; it added depth to the characters and made their reunion feel so much more meaningful. Seeing glimpses of their high school past alongside their present gave the story a rich emotional arc. The survival element added an adventurous twist, with suspense and action keeping me turning those pages. Heartwarming, fun, and full of sweet moments, this book is the perfect choice for a spring break or summer read. I sped right through it and loved every second!

This was a cute and different romance then I have ever seen! It was a very cute idea and it helped that they were never really in any danger (except the crash) because they had food, water, shelter and help coming, but there was still somewhat of a survival aspect! They took care of each other and their relationship grew through that which I really liked seeing!!

Crash Landing by Annie McQuaid is a second chance romance. Piper Adams has just finished her second year of medical school and is not a risk taker. She is trying to get to her best friend’s wedding when she is forced to fly with Wyatt Brooks who she has not spoken to since right after high school. When the small plane crashes abandoning them on an island they reconnect.

The story is a single point of view going back forth between now and high school. I enjoyed this character driven story as I watched Piper individuate and figure out who she was. Wyatt is an overcomer and I appreciated knowing his backstory. This second chance romance story was interesting as the characters were forced to be together as they tried to survive a plane crash. Being stranded was the great leveling where they were truly able to look at their lives and figure out what they wanted. I enjoyed watching their friendship rekindle as they pulled away the layers of issues.

This has sweet romance, characters that grew and changed and a happily ever after. I recommend Crash Landing by Annie McQuaid.
I was given a copy by the publisher and not required to write a positive review.

This was a fun adventure romance! I love love love childhood friends to lovers, and Return to Blue Lagoon was one of my favorite movies as a kid (never saw the first one, weirdly enough...) so this was a knockout for me. The romance is sweet and I loved how they took care off each other on the island. I also appreciated how there was suspense but I was never REALLY in doubt that they were going to die. They had food and shelter and were in contact with the rescue squad, so that was nice. Suspense without the anxiety!

Despite there being a plane crash in this book, this was a great time. Second chance romance is not a trope I tend to love, but when done right, I adore it and I think this one was done right. What better way to fall in love all over again when stuck on an island with the one who broke your heart. There is romance, a bit of action, a bit of fear and survival and a whole lot of sweetness.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a cute second chance romance! The jumping between past and present allows for a deeper look at their relationship. This was a well written, mild romance with the right amount of drama and tension. Thank you for the ARC!