⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫(no🌶️)
💭My thoughts: This is one of the sweetest second chance romances I’ve read recently. It jumps back and forth from present time and past time. Wyatt is the thoughtful sweet first love that Piper could never forget. Those flashbacks to the past were absolutely heart wrenching from the beginning of their friendship, to how they fell in love, and how it ended. Their time on the island felt so real I was exhausted thinking about being dehydrated and starving on an island with my ex. Luckily Piper ended up with someone like Wyatt. I don’t know if I could be as civil as she was, but since it was Wyatt, she was lucky. Then ending was satisfying and I wanted to clap for Piper and the way she stood up for herself. This was a great read and I definitely recommend this book!

For a debut novel it was a cute quick read!
However, even though it had its moments I still had some issues with the book

This book takes place in two timelines so to speak. The “Now” which of course is after the plane crash. And the “Then” which spans Wyatt & Piper’s past high school years. I’ll admit I was not a fan in the “Then” chapters and often found myself either being really bored by them or really confused. Mainly because they skipped all over the place. Like for example one chapter we were in senior year and then the next chapter it was junior year. And overall I think the “Then” could’ve been cut out of the story entirely I honestly don’t think the book needed them.

Now of course the parts I did enjoy all fall in the “Now” chapters. Watching two ex best friends/lovers working together to stay alive after a plane crash was a fresh and new take on that trope. I enjoyed watching Piper & Wyatt rediscover and rekindle their relationship. And in the end I love seeing that they got their HEA.

Overall, I liked the book and I’d definitely recommend if you’re looking for a quick summer read. Also big Thank you Avon and NetGalley for an advanced eARC for an honest review.

i loved this. i love a romance with a unique, intriguing premise— and the fact that the characters have actual chemistry? AN INCREDIBLE BONUS. this was just so fun, and such a good way to get the forced proximity trope in there. wyatt… 🧎‍♀️

Forced proximity AND second chances?! So good! I loved the flashback timeline with present day. It gave so much context and perspective to what Piper and Wyatt went through all those years ago. Their lack of communication or miscommunications was irritating at times, but definitely helped build their story to what it was.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced eARC for an honest review.

Overall, I liked the book. It was a quick read and I love the connection to North Carolina. Thought Wyatt and Piper’s story was engaging for the most part. I do wonder how this would have read if there was a dual point of view. I resonated with Wyatt, mostly because of his tough background, so I think I liked his character a little more than Piper. I found Piper to be a little annoying and at times, she lacked taking accountability for her actions and miscommunication when handling her relationship with Wyatt.

In the end, this was a cute HEA and If recommend to anyone wanting a cute romance to read.

Also, while reading, picture Liam Helmsworth as Wyatt. It helps!

I really enjoyed this book! I don't read a lot of second chance romance books and this one held my attention from start to finish. I liked the past and present timelines.

I was initially drawn to this book by the cover art and the synopsis, which was different from the typical second chance romance story. I really enjoyed the beginning and middle of the book, coming together and finding a way to work as a team while reigniting attraction, but the ending fell flat for me. I also enjoyed the dual timelines and seeing how the relationship had progressed from childhood.

Piper's flight to the Bahamas for her best friend's wedding gets canceled, so she reluctantly takes a private plane with her high school sweetheart, who broke her heart years ago. What will happen when the plane crashes on a deserted island? This book is a coming-of-age, second-chance survivalist romance and was so much fun to read. I am not a big romance reader and I do not love the 'pining over high school love' trope, but I could not put this one down.

There are two timelines, and I found myself invested equally in both. I also loved that the two main characters met and bonded over reading books. I did have to suspend disbelief on a few things, and the dialogue didn't always match their age, but overall, I think this was a good debut novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Loved it - cozy romance with a brilliant premise and a reminder why second chance romance is my favorite trope.

Did I get bored with this book? Yes... Did I still read it all and end up loving and kicking my butt over the happy ending? Also yes.
The book is about Piper & Wyatt, ex-lovers, who haven't talked in 8 years but run into each other at the airport on the way to their best friend's wedding. Their flight gets canceled and Wyatt offers to fly them, jump to the main part... the plane crashes and they get stuck together on the island, with minimal food or water. The time jump scenes seemed messy to me and were hard to follow but I enjoyed the scenes of Piper and Wyatt on the island together. Also - Piper's mom gave me major "the notebook" vibes like Allie's parents, IYKYK.
The book seemed to drag on for me, I couldn't get into it as much as I hoped but of course, I was happy everything worked out. I'm a sucker for multiple POV's and I think that's what this book needed. Overall, solid 3.5/5.
If second-chance romances are your thing, check it out when it comes out on April 1, 2025.
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Thank you, NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This romance was an adorable romantic getaway. I personally love books, especially romances that help readers escape the mutiny of everyday trials, and allow the reader a respite into the characters world, and romance. A standout romance that had me kicking my feet with glee and swooning. Piper and Wyatt were next tier couple goals. I loved the forced proximity meets second chance romance Tropes, they were chefs kiss. Perfect for lovers of the Film Six Days and Seven Nights.

Second chance romance books are one of my favorite and this book made it to the top of my favorite second hand romance.

The jump from timelines were easy to follow. The characters were enjoyable. You’re rooting for both of them and sometimes that’s hard to do.

My only con would be not having Wyatt’s POV

I enjoyed this book. It was a fun read. I really liked Wyatt. I wanted more from his point of view. I don't read a lot of second chance romance trope books and this one impressed me. The story was easy to follow even with the past and present timeline.

This book was so good! The second chance trope is one of my favorite and it was done so well! The book was so entertaining and funny. I would highly recommend!

I love love love the concept (am I the only one fascinated by plane crash survival books?). I also love second chance romances, so this is a match made in heaven.

What would have knocked it out of the park would have been Wyatt’s POV. I think if we had his perspective, it would’ve added more emotional depth and given us more of an understanding of his character. I would’ve traded in the flashback chapters for his POV, as I don’t particularly like flashback chapters.

I didn’t care for the references (designer brands, for example), which I feel date the book and don’t add anything. The dialogue can be a bit unnatural as well. I think this book would work best for readers who are fans of old-school rom-coms.

Second chance romance at its best. Loved Piper and Wyatt‘s characters from the start, even if you want to smack them for wasting years of being together. But that’s what makes this such a great book. I was hooked from the very beginning and never stopped. Jumping back-and-forth from high school to the present was fun and engaging.. Annie McQuaid is amazing author and I am definitely looking forward to more of her work.

I knew this book could go one of two ways: it could either be poorly developed, highly unrealistic, and borderline embarrassing to read, or it could be improbable but possible, featuring strong main characters who can make the most absurd situation feel a bit more realistic.

This book fell more toward the latter, though there were still a few issues I had with it. First of all, I'm not a huge fan of the miscommunication trope. So much heartache could have been avoided if the main characters were open and vulnerable with each other sooner in their relationship (rather than opening up only after a devastating plane crash left them stranded on an island). While I know that would've made for a short story, it could have also laid the groundwork for a stronger relationship between the two.

Second of all, while I think the author did as good as a job as anyone could, the premise of the book just felt... wrong. I was too thrown off by the idea of them surviving a plane crash to really enjoy the romance (which is a super dark thing to admit).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I don't know, y'all. This one just wasn't for me. It read like a YA even though the MCs were AT MINIMUM in their mid-20s. I didn't buy the conflict between them and the instantaneous lust after crashing on a deserted island didn't resonate with me. A plane crash was an interesting concept to force proximity, but it didn't impact the character development in a believable way, and the internal/external conflicts didn't ring true, even with the time hopping between their first teenaged romance and the "now." The FMC was a doormat, the MMC was the epitome of strong and silent and not in a good way.

This one wasn't for me. 2.5 stars.

This was a really cute debut book! I’m excited to see what Annie writes in the future. I’ve never read a plane crash romance before that’s for sure, and I really enjoyed it. I also love when books flash back and forth between past & present. I enjoyed this story!

Read if you love:
-Second Chance Romance
-Forced Proximity
-Dual timeline

I couldn’t put this book down, I finished it in one sitting. Adding the survival aspect to the book made the book have such a fun twist. I loved their love story and would pick up anything by this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.