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!

Such a fun book! I loved the "adventure" parts (is it really an adventure though, if everything is going wrong?) and the romance was so enjoyable. The switching between the present and the past was really well done.

What a fun debut! I liked how it was a different premise with them getting stuck on an island together and the survival aspect, I hadn’t read one like it before, and it felt like I was right there with them.

Since this one is second chance, I really enjoyed the dual timeline and getting to learn about their pasts, friendship growing up, and their connection that started then while watching them reconnect now. I got invested in both parts of the story, and it made me root for them even more. I also loved them reading together.

This was a fun read that I enjoyed from the start!

✨Second Chance
✨Forced Proximity
✨Dual Timeline
✨Survival

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this author's writing. I haven't read anything by them before, but I really got into the story and the pacing of it. The characters were well developed and lovable.

I was so excited to get my hands on this second-chance, survival, forced proximity debut by Annie McQuaid, and it did not disappoint! When Piper Adams ends up stranded on a deserted island with her first love and high school boyfriend Wyatt, missing her best friend's wedding in the process, she is convinced things cannot get worse. Forced with nothing but downtime, Piper is forced to confront the ghosts of her past with Wyatt, along with the reality that she might not love the path she is currently on for her future.

This is my first survival romance, and I really enjoyed it! It was such a unique way to create the forced proximity tension I love in books. Wyatt was an entirely lovable MMC, and I definitely would not be upset being stuck on an island with him. You could tell Annie did tons of research into survival methods to create a realistic scenario (although the premise itself requires at least mild suspension of disbelief).

I was happy the story didn't end when they got off the island, and we got to see Piper confront her relationship with her parents. The miscommunication with the phones was a little frustrating toward the end, and it could have been almost skipped entirely, with the parents being the main potential divider between the couple at the end of the book. That was my main gripe with the story, but all around, I loved it, and I cannot wait to see what Annie writes next!

Good reads review “I absolutely loved this second chance romance. It had the perfect amount of romance and a little bit of action in it. You really got to see the character progression in this book because of the duel timeline.This was so fun and different than the other romance books I’ve read.
If you like second chance romance with forced proximity this book is for you! “

Thank you so much for this ARC. It was the perfect vacation read!

This author has a talent for crafting romantic stories, while keeping the reader engaged in the external plot! I was glued to the pages as I tried to figure out how our main characters were going to escape the island. I loved the third act in particular I am excited to read more from this author.!

Theatrics! Fear! Stress! Being stuck on a deserted island! what more could you want? Finding out how the past was influencing the future was crucial to the plot, and I thought the dual timelines were really well done. Overall, I enjoyed reading this and would suggest it to anyone who enjoys forced proximity, second-chance romance, or rom-coms with a life-or-death plot that adds stake to the story.

such a cute second-chance close proximity romance with an interesting twist of getting stranded on a deserted island. i loved that it intertwined the past and the present throughout the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review ♡