Second chance romance always hit!! This book is so sweet and such a good time. The only tong really holding it back for me was Piper’s personality at times was a little difficult to find relatable. She was giving poor me vibes and did not love that.

Thank you for the arc and chance to read this early!

I was really excited for this romance, seeing as it differed from the usual meet ups and run ins with their exes, but I was really let down. I can sum up most of this book in one word: cringe. The potential was there, but it just felt like a a work in progress and not a completed, edited, rewritten novel. I could not stand that Piper was in med school when she couldn’t stand the sight of blood whatsoever. And the whole trope of the best thing for each other was to break up and not talk about was frustratingly obvious. It was really cheesy and predictable, but I managed to read through it, so for that it gets 2 stars.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the author for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

First, I want to say, with this being a debut romance novel from Annie McQuaid, I was thoroughly impressed. I will definitely be looking forward to more romance stories written by Annie because I ate this one up! It was such a great story line and she really kept you engaged with the back and forth from present day and past flashbacks.

Crash Landing follows 2 ex's who are both on their way to a wedding of their best friend and cousin, Allie. Allie is the best friend of the FMC, Piper and the cousin of the MMC, Wyatt. They run into each other at the airport on the way to the destination wedding, where they find out their flight has been canceled. The only wrench in the situation is they haven't spoken in years and Wyatt completely broke Pipers heart in high school when she thought he was the love of her life. However, Piper does not know the true reason that he broke her heart.

They end up getting a private plane from a friend of Wyatt's to use to try and get to the wedding celebrations on time. Wyatt will be flying the plane with Piper as his passenger (yes, he has flying experience) however, this does not stop them from experiencing a plane crash and ending up on a tropical island together for days.

I absolutely loved the premise of this book and felt like I had never read anything like it before. It kept me wanting to read more and I adored Wyatt and Piper, separately and together. Please pick this up and give it a read! You won't regret it.

This was such a lovely debut romance! This book has to do so much, establish the past relationship between the main characters, introduce the side characters, crash them on an island in the middle of the ocean and then have the two of them try to just...survive in addition to fall in love all over again and get past what broke them up in the past. Even just typing that all out was tiring! I think the book does such a good job of balancing all of these different things and one of the strengths was how weirdly believable it was that these two could crash a plane, survive and care for one another.

The book is told in two timelines with Piper telling us how she and Wyatt fell in love in high school and then in the present with the two of them trying to survive on a deserted island. Piper has a lot to discover about herself and what she wants and I also loved how being on the island not only gave her the strength to go after what she wants romantically but also to decide whether she can disappoint her parents and drop out of med school.

Wyatt is a great character and the moments with him and Piper clicking are really great. I wish there was more of them really trying to get past what happened in the past because I really feel like that deserved more time but overall I really loved their love story.

Thank you so much to Avon and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Piper is on her way to her best friend's wedding in the Bahamas when she runs into Wyatt, the former love of her life who broke her heart 8 years ago. Wyatt is on the way to the same wedding when their flight is canceled. As a last resort, Wyatt, who may be the most capable man in the world, manages to secure a small plane that he plans to pilot to the wedding. He offers Piper a ride, and she reluctantly accepts.

As you can probably guess, the plane crashes on an island in the Caribbean, and Piper and Wyatt are stranded...together.

I am a sucker for second chance romance + forced proximity, and I appreciated the alternating timelines. I thought the storyline was unique too - not something you'd expect in a romance, but it really worked. I think Piper's character was very relatable too. She feels a lot of pressure from her parents to follow their rules and to live her life a certain way, and she's scared to make significant changes, even though she knows she'd be happier if she took the leap. I found her mother's antics VERY frustrating, which I attribute to good writing!

On the other hand, I did find the writing and description repetitive at times, particularly in the present day storyline. This is reflected in my rating. Regardless, I enjoyed this debut from Annie McQuaid! I will keep my eyes out for more from this author.

“So am I your girlfriend again?”
“No.”
“You’re my everything”

Thank you to @avonbooks and @netgalley for gifting me an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

If you enjoy forced proximity and the idea of being stranded on an island with your one true love then this might be the book for you!

Former sweethearts, Piper and Wyatt, find themselves stranded after their plane crashes on a deserted island. They must work together to overcome obstacles as well as past hurts all while learning to trust each other once again.

I love second chance romance because of the history the couple brings to the story. These are characters that truly know one another and have a deep and strong connection. While there were parts of this one that felt pretty far-fetched and super cliche to me, I was still rooting for Piper and Wyatt the whole time.

Read if you like:

Forced proximity
Second chance
Dual Timelines
Survival romance
Adventure rom-com

Second chance romance via a crash landing on a deserted island in the Caribbean… Yes, it works!

But for real, this is a story of second chance, romance of best friends who let miscommunication and class disparities keep them apart the first time. I really enjoyed this story. Once you engage your suspension of disbelief, I found it very enjoyable. I’m a sucker for romance on a deserted island ever since my childhood watches of Blue Lagoon (which are super problematic now lol). I was rooting for Piper and Wyatt from the get go. Plus, I love a dual timeline romance.

Thank you #Netgalley for the ARC and exchange for an honest review.

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is perfection in every aspect! To begin my review, I must mention how much I admire the cover; it instantly caught my eye, and I appreciated the entire design, from the title's presentation to the color palette and character illustrations. As for the story, I was captivated by the author's skill in seamlessly blending the past and present into a unified narrative that remained engaging and clear throughout. The characters were wonderfully crafted, and I found myself wishing I could be friends with them. Their depth and the way they reacted to various events allowed readers to connect with them on a personal level. Overall, I believe this book serves as a masterclass in writing a unique and refreshing second chance romance that avoids clichés and maintains interest. In summary, I am grateful for the opportunity to read this work and will certainly seek out more from this author if they continue to write in the future!

Crash Landing takes the forced proximity trope to the next level! A debut romance about two exes forced to reunite when a plane crash leaves them stranded on a deserted island.

The flow of this book was good - it bounced back and forth between present time and the past but not in a jarring way which I enjoyed. I liked the build up of story-telling where we learn what went wrong when the two main characters first fell in love to now.

I'll be showing my age but I remember watching 'The Blue Lagoon' when I was young and imagining being trapped on an island - so I definitely referenced these vibes when envisioning these characters stuck on a tropical island.

The meddling mom really struck a nerve (but I suppose we needed some sort of antagonist right?) - the crappy parent trope gets old though.

All in all, this one held my interest and kept me invested. Good debut book!
Rounding up to 4 stars.

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

I get very excited to read debut authors and I was very excited, as a LOST lover, for this concept. Unfortunately, this book didn’t work for me. Overall, it felt underwritten and overwritten at the same time. Some of the writing didn’t feel natural and it made it difficult for me to get lost in the story. It’s a relatively easy read so hopefully it finds the right audience!

Synopsis:

“Piper Adams is completely, totally, one hundred percent over Wyatt, the former love of her life. At least, that’s what she tells herself. After he broke her heart, she stopped taking risks and focused instead on building a perfect—and perfectly safe—life. But bumping into Wyatt at the airport on the way to her best friend’s destination wedding wasn’t part of the plan. Neither was a canceled flight nor Wyatt’s offer of a ride on the tiny plane he’s flying to attend the same event. Desperate to make it on time, she accepts his offer, but things go from awkward to full-blown nightmare when their plane crashes in the Caribbean, stranding Piper on a deserted island with the last person she ever wanted to see again.

At first, rule-following Piper clashes with adventure-driven Wyatt, but as the days tick by, she can see the boy she once loved has grown into a man. A man who makes her laugh, knows his way around a fire, and is annoyingly hot shirtless. A man she could love again. As the chemistry still simmering between them boils over, Piper begins wishing Wyatt was more than just a survival partner. But for their love to survive a second chance, she’ll have to not only trust Wyatt again, but also learn to trust herself and find the courage to let go of her carefully curated life for the chance at something far greater—if they can survive the island long enough for rescue.” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Trope—I love second chance romance so much and I haven’t read one in quite some time.

The Dual TImeline—Second chance romance with a dual timeline is one of my weaknesses! I really liked how the author used the device in this novel.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

The Writing—It just felt clunky and unnatural.

Character’s Dialogue—It felt like they just kept having the same conversation over and over again without there being miscommunication, just a refusal to hear each other. I also found the execution of their initial break up kind of cruel, making it hard to redeem the characters.

Character Authenticity: 3/5 Spice Rating: 2/5 Overall Rating: 2.5/5

Content Warnings:

blood, plane crash, injury, hospitals

I've never read a second chance romance quite like this one! Crash Landing had a couple of high school exes reuniting on a plane ride to a wedding both are attending and are stranded on an island when the plane crashes. There's a bit of angst due to their shared past and breakup, but it's not too much angst. We get flashback scenes showing their relationship when in HS and what happened between them. It's quite an adventure and a really fun debut romance from Annie McQuaid. Thanks Avon for the ARC!

A former high school couple has an unfriendly reunion on their way to a wedding and end up stranded on an island in the middle of the ocean. 🏝️

3.5 ⭐️ Took a chance on this one in spite of its awful cover because it gave me Six Days, Seven Nights vibes and I like that movie. I didn’t have high expectations but ended up thinking it was really cute! The book had a couple of things that don’t usually work for me (high school flashbacks and a bit of angst with both MCs), but I found myself not minding either - the angst was minimal and the flashbacks were well done and a nice way to get to know the characters and their history. This is a debut contemporary romance and an author I’ll be reading again as she writes more in the future.

My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for a complimentary advance copy of this eBook, out 4/1/2025.

⭐️ 4 | 🌶️ 2

Piper’s flight to the Bahamas for her bestfriend, Allie’s, wedding gets cancelled. She runs into her ex & Allie’s cousin, Wyatt, at the airport and he offers her a ride in a private jet. They crash land on an island and awaiting rescue, they sort out their heartbreaking past.

This was a heartwarming, second chance romance. I enjoyed the flashbacks and seeing Wyatt and Piper’s relationship grow throughout the years. Even though Wyatt broke Piper’s heart, they never forgot each other. I thought the characters were totally relatable and Wyatt’s reason for breaking up with her was understandable. I unfortunately understand those circumstances. If you’re looking for a cute feel good read, Crash Landing is totally for you!

Second chance
Friends to lovers to “enemies” back to lovers

Annie McQuaid tugged on my heartstrings with this one.

When a flights get cancelled, Pipers only option is to fly with the ex who broke her heart, Wyatt. Little do they know that their flight is about to leave them stranded on an island, where they are forced to face the past and figure out how to move forward along with trying to survive.

Piper character growth is perfect, she’s a shell of self doubt and just people pleasing and their time on the island forces her to grow and stand up for herself like she needs too. The best part about the book is the ending when you find out about Badger’s toy, it truly shows how Piper is truly it for Wyatt.

Thanks to Annie McQuaid, Harper Collins Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC and the opportunity to give my review on this book.

3.25/5

if my ex boyfriend crashed the plane i was in, i would suffocate him

this book kinda felt like if the ex vows but instead of a wedding bringing the exes together it was a plane crash, oh and it wasn't as good. for some reason i requested this arc even though i am terrified of planes. this didn't help at all but the romance was kinda cutesy. we're following two exes who are trying to get to a friends wedding but a canceled flight causes them to go together instead and disaster strikes. at first i really liked the timeline switches and getting to know wyatt and piper but it kinda got annoying because i didn't vibe with the dialogue.

these two were wayyyyy to calm for having been in a plane crash. maybe its because i read swept away by beth o'leary recently but they were not stressing enough for the situation they were in. if i was trapped on an island and couldn't get home and SURVIVED A PLANE CRASH... i would be dead probably or in a constant panic attack. both of these characters felt pretty bland and i wasn't in love with wyatt. this is cute and fun, great if you're looking for a unique romance, but it wasn't my overall fave.

*thank you netgalley and avon for the arc!*

I thought the premise of Crash Landing was interesting, but unfortunately the story didn’t live up to my expectations. I couldn’t connect with either of the MCs. Both Piper, who capitulated to her overbearing mother over everything, and Wyatt, who turned from hot to cold at the drop of a hat, seemed to have never matured past high school graduation. There was also quite a bit of unnecessary brand name dropping that does nothing for the story and will only serve to date the book.

I know that there’s an audience out there for Crash Landing. It just isn’t me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC. Opinions are my own.

A quick and cute read with a satisfying conclusion. A little different than your typical romcom which made it a fun read.

It was cute but just wasn't for me.

I've been a huge reading lull so maybe that has something to do with it too.

This book was definitely be a lot of people's cup of tea, and will probably be mine at a later date.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager and Annie McQuaid for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5⭐️
This dual timeline covers when Piper and Wyatt first meet, become friends and fall in love to current day - when they are trying to get to their best friends destination wedding and end up stranded on a deserted island together. In order to survive they need to clear the air after 8 years of no contact.

Forced proximity, caretaking, second chance romance. I did wish this was told in first person.

You’re immediately drawn into the story with their friendship and the obvious pain Piper is still experiencing. It’s clear that Wyatt is a good guy despite not knowing why he broke Pipers heart and disappeared for years.

Overall, enjoyed and look forward to seeing what else she writes!

This was a second chance romance that really made you work for the happy ending. There was a lot of miscommunication throughout the book. I liked the use of flashbacks to show Wyatt and Piper’s childhood friendship. I didn't like that you learned what led to them not talking for years through the present first and then saw the flashback of how the situation played out. Personally, it would take a lot of work for me to forgive Wyatt. That plane crash really did a number on Piper's life perspective, though. So it was believable that they ended up together in the end. Overall, it was a quick read that would be a good vacation book. Maybe not to somewhere you're taking a plane, though.