Such a charming second-chance romance!
Crash Landing is a page-turner from start to finish. Piper and Wyatt's chemistry is so swoony. I'm super impressed with the author's ability to structure the novel in a then-and-now format. And who doesn't love a stranded on a tropical island dilemma? Reading this book gave me 'Lost' vibes...minus the weird stuff. I laughed, swooned, and rooted for these two every step of the way. A fantastic debut—I can’t wait to read whatever this author writes next!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the complimentary copy. All opinions shared here are my own.

This book is a beautiful second chance, childhood friends to lovers romance that is picked full of adventure! It’s heartful, tender, and has just the right amount of excitment! The dual timeline in this really helped develop the relationship. And the survivalist elements were fun and added to the plot, without being too detailed! I loved this story, and was so impressed that this Is the author’s debut! I can’t wait to read more!

4.5 stars rounded up

I read Crash Landing by Annie McQuaid in one sitting! The book follows Piper as she is trying to reach her best friend's wedding when she gets stranded on a deserted island with her ex-boyfriend who was driving the small private plane. After eight years of not seeing each other, they have to work together to be able to survive but, she has so much animosity towards him for the way he left that it makes it quite hard. This close door, forced proximity, second chance romance is quite sweet and while it does hit some of the familiar beats manages to keep you engaged the whole way.

I hate second chance romances and dual timelines separately so I got nervous when I got this book because it was both. I was so pleasantly surprised at how great both the original breakup and the timelines worked in this book. I also really liked how well developed both of the characters were and while we can disagree with their motivations we understand where they are coming from. I do wish we would have seen more mother-daughter flushing out towards the end of the book because I feel like that part was missing (which is why I deducted a half a star). The book also did feel predictable but I think that has to do with how well we get to know the characters through the dual timeline.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes close door romances, forced proximity, second chance romances, and the show survivor. I would not recommend this book to anyone who feels like they need plot twists to enjoy a book or that everything needs to be super realistic. If you are like me and hate dual timelines you can skip them and the whole thing will be explained in the "now" portion.


Tropes: close door, forced proximity, second chance, high school sweethearts

Triggers: parental neglect, parental disapproval, plane crash

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon, and Annie McQuaid for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

My favorite trope, second chance!!! Ex's Piper and Wyatt find themselves on a stranded island after his tiny plane crashes. Red flag one, never get on the tiny plane!! Nevertheless, Piper has convinced herself that she is over Wyatt, but as they spend their days on the island, she sees a new him, a grown him. he slowly but surely wins her over with his charm and wit. I loved seeing how Wyatt was able to regain Piper's trust and show her how to live a life not planned to the second. Piper's character development was great, I love a FMC who thinks she has her life planned to a T, to realize that she needs to go with the flow. I would recommend this book and read more by this author!

Crash Landing by Annie McQuaid is a solid debut that blends second-chance romance with survival drama—think The Blue Lagoon meets The Summer I Turned Pretty, but with more adult stakes. The premise is super fun: Piper and her ex-boyfriend Wyatt are on their way to a wedding when their plane crashes, stranding them on a deserted island. Forced proximity + past heartbreak = tension and drama.

I really liked the dual timeline format. Watching Piper and Wyatt fall for each other as teens while also navigating the mess of their adult selves added emotional weight to their story. Piper's growth—from med school overachiever to someone willing to take real emotional risks—was compelling.

That said, the chemistry between the leads didn’t always click for me. I wanted to root for them more than I actually did, and some of their past miscommunications felt a bit tired. The pacing dragged a bit during the island scenes, though the survival setup was still a fun change from your usual beach read.

Overall, a promising start from a new author! If you're into second-chance romance with a bit of tropical chaos, this might be your next vacation read.

I love a dual timeline, but nothing is happening in this book. They were in love, then they weren’t, and now they are debating getting back together but only while they are stranded? But they are also trying to survive on an island? The “toughness” of surviving doesn’t seem to match the lightheartedness of this book. And the reasons for their previous break up feel flimsy. Cherry on top was that being back home felt so normal and its just not believable after something so traumatic.

I received an advance review copy for free from the publisher via Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 5⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: contemporary romance📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
It’s almost like Annie wrote this one just for me! As a girl who rereads Hatchet every year I ate this one up! A survival story meets second chance romance?! Yes! Please! If you haven’t read this one yet, drop everything you’re doing and read it now- you can thank me later!! Annie is such a talented writer and I couldn’t be more proud of our BTT friend! I can’t wait for her next book! (Ps. Annie if you’re reading this I need the dark version of this book where the pilot dies lol)

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Second chance romance
Emotional depth
Survival elements
Dual timeline
Forced proximity
Personal growth
Healing from past trauma
Adventurous yet heartwarming
Only one shelter
Great chemistry
Friends to lover
High school sweethearts

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Vivid descriptions
The survival aspect

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
Nothing, I absolutely adored this one! I’m just said I can’t read it again for the first time!

𝙵𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚀𝚞𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜:
★ “If it takes a plane crash to see you, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
★ “Piper suppressed her maniac smile. "That's very cute and a little stalkerish.”
★ “I never denied being obsessed with you. Still am.”

What a fantastic debut from Annie! I love a contemporary romance but throw in a plane crash and survivor vibes? Sold.

Piper just wants to get to her best friends wedding, and she’s willing to do almost anything, but get in a plane piloted by her ex might be one step to far. With no options left Piper joins Wyatt in the co-pilot seat, what could go wrong? As Piper and Wyatt try to survive they are have no choice but to confront their past. As a very different story from what Piper knows comes to light can they have a second chance at love?

Crash Landing has such a fun premise and I’m a sucker for a dual timeline. I wish there was a little more chemistry between Piper and Wyatt but it fell a bit flat for me. The pacing also felt a bit off but overall I enjoyed the story and some adventure added in to my romance!

While I liked the concept of this book, I didn’t love how it actually unfolded. I found myself skipping paragraphs of description and just wanting to read the dialogue. I also didn’t feel super connected to the characters. You know how you can picture the characters in your mind? I had a difficult time doing that with this one so I didn’t end of loving the love story as much as I should’ve.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon books for this advanced copy.

I loved the dual timelines, how it built upon the Wyatt and Piper’s chemistry and emotional wounds. This survival situation of being stranded on an island after a plane crash puts forced proximity on a whole new level. Piper doesn’t want to let Wyatt, the man who once broke her heart back in, but now they must depend on each other for survival.

I was expecting more spice, so go in this novel knowing that it is mostly closed door.

Overall for a debut novel, this was very good and I enjoyed it!

Fave Quotes:
“One minute they’d been planning a future. The next, he’d discarded her as easily as a used textbook and moved on to someone new even faster.”

“How did you properly thank someone for saving your life, especially when that someone was the guy who’d also broken your heart?”

“Piper could see the boy he’d been, the man he’d grown into, and the guy she wanted to spend the rest of her life with all at once. She loved every one of them.”

📖 Crash Landing – Annie McQuaid
I picked up Crash Landing with high expectations, and it did not disappoint! The gorgeous cover perfectly captures the adventurous, emotional, and romantic ride inside. ✨

Piper and Wyatt, two people with a complicated past, suddenly find themselves stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash. Surviving, confronting old fears, and sharing intimate moments – this book has all the right ingredients for an exciting and heartwarming story. 💕

Annie McQuaid’s writing is simply fantastic – light but full of depth, and she creates characters that are not only believable but so easy to connect with. I felt every moment, every twist in the plot.

If you're looking for a book that combines suspense, romance, and lots of heart, Crash Landing is exactly what you need. You won't regret it! 🌟

💬 Highly recommend this one!

Popular Tropes:
✈️ Stranded Together
❤️ Second Chance Romance
🔥 Slow Burn Romance
🌴 Island Escape
🧳 Forced Proximity

#CrashLanding #AnnieMcQuaid #BookRecommendation #RomanticAdventure #SurvivalStory #RomanceWithDepth #IslandRomance #BookReview #BookLove #MustRead #RomanceBooks #ReadingGoals #Bookstagram #SecondChanceRomance

This felt a little far fetched -- what plane crash survival doesn't?! But it was still fun. I love a good survival story, coupled with a second chance romance. Well paced but also a bit cheesy. All around a decent read.

Love a short and sweet rom-com with a sprinkle of survival thriller! Perfect if you enjoy forced proximity, second chance, and moderately high stakes in your rom-coms.

While this book did keep my attention and had solid pacing, it was fairly cheesy. I didn't feel connected to either of the characters, and their chemistry wasn't the best—which is normally what I love about second chance romance, the tension between two exes. And the relationship and character development felt a bit surface level. I also didn't love some of the clichés (i.e. the miscommunication especially). Though the author did do a great job integrating the flashback scenes with present-day, survival-on-the-island scenes.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was excited to find out Crash Landing is a debut novel by this author. This book has all my favorite things, forced proximity, second chance romance and survival. What did I love about this book? First off can we talk about the cover?! So beautiful I just keep looking at it. The spicy level in the book was perfect. Not too much and not too little. What a perfect setting for a romance! Beach romance is my favorite. Wyatt is her ex boyfriend. They are forced to be together when the plane they are in crashes. Soon her current boyfriend Tag becomes a distant memory. Wyatt pulls her from the burning plane and literally saves her life. Wyatt is always so reassuring whenever Piper needs it. Wyatt and Piper think about their past and their future. Wyatt encourages Piper to live the life she wants not the one that her parents have chosen for her that doesn’t make her happy. Where can I find a man like Wyatt?? Do they even exist?

3.5⭐️/5

Trapped on a remote island with your ex? You have to share a bed? And he keeps looking at you like you are the only thing keeping him alive? Sign. Me. UP.

This was a super cute second chance romance that I completely blew through when I finally had a chance to sit down and read it. This does bounce back and force between past and present to understand Piper and Wyatt’s story which I usually do not like, but the way the author wrote their story immediately pulled me in to keep reading.

This was closed door romance, but I really did enjoy reading this one. At times it felt like YA to me but then again it might just be because I usually can’t read a book without it being rating X🫣 This would be a great beach read and I would definitely recommend this to someone who obviously loves second chances, and they aren’t into spice too much!

*Thank you to to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voage for the ARC!*

There are a variety of romance tropes that are used to united or reunited lovers. Crash Landing by Annie McQuaid uses a trope I have never read before. The name of the book is literally the trope that positions Piper and Wyatt to work through their long ago break up. Piper lived next door to Wyatt's aunt and when he came to visit they became fast friends. That friendship grew into love but they were separated after high school graduation. This forced proximity romance is told through alternating time lines and viewpoints. Loved it!

🏝️Wyatt had the uncanny ability to extract the feelings swimming inside her and bring them into the light. 🏝️

3.5 stars ꨄ
⤿ this was so sweet <3 second chance has impressed me twice this month, am I a changed person? 👀

💌 plot 💌

this book follows main characters piper and wyatt, two exes that end up stranded at a desert island with nothing but eachother. with the forced proximity and no chance to escape, it gives them all the opportunity to connect.. and perhaps rekindle their previous romance?? 🤍

years ago, wyatt broke piper’s heart abruptly with no reason or explanation, and cut her off, leaving their romance and years of friendship and never even attempting to reach out to her. now that they are stuck together, she still holds a grudge (rightfully so) whilst wyatt attempts to receive her forgiveness. will she be able to forgive the man that broke her heart and vanished from her life? and will they get back together?

💐 my thoughts 💐

honestly I was skeptical at first. when I read this quote:

💔Five years of friendship and one magical summer of falling in love blew away like a wisp of smoke in a hurricane. 💔

my heart broke for piper. and I was beginning to wonder why I was even supposed to root for them to get back together when it was obvious to me she deserved better. but, alas, they proved me wrong. when everything actually got explained, in the second half of the book, I IMMEDIATELY got hooked. I was suddenly rooting for them so bad, waiting for their first kiss, and couldn’t put my kindle down for longer than 5 seconds because I had to witness them fall back in love all over again before I could even take my eyes off the book. it picked up so much and I found myself really enjoying it 🥹

my one issue was the flashbacks. this is more of a me problem because every other chapter was a flashback which was a bit frustrating. I would be so into their current journey and then they hit me with a flashback and I wanna cry 😭😭 that was my personal problem though i acknowledge that.

🧸 conclusion 🧸

overall I really had a fun time, despite the book only picking up at the second half, and I would really recommend if you’d like a unique fun storyline!! <3 I also loved that piper had a character growth after the whole experience at the island, and it taught her that she doesn’t have time to waste pursuing what she doesn’t love. that was beautiful 🥹

thank you to netgalley and avon and harper voyager for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

The only thing I liked about this book:
- the setting of being on a remote island after a plane crash.

The things I did not like:
- both main characters felt so juvenile for being in their late 20s or early 30s .
- leaned way too much on the past timeline and I had no interest in that
- why could the FMC not just stick up for herself????

content ratings:
spice - 🌶

I was excited to get the ARC from Net Galley, and my honest review is that it was cute and sweet and I read it in nearly one sitting. If only work hadn't gotten in the way. I wish the characters were a little more emotionally mature, but also, I probably would be a total psycho if I were stuck on a desert island after a plane crash so it's fair.

Adventure Romancr is so hard to do and Annie does it so well. My heart was pumping with excitement and welll… about of tension excited for all the 🌶️💕🌶️. It’s a fun romp that makes you, not want to be on a crashed plane, but maybe makes the fear of falling a little less scary.