3.5 stars for me. This book was good for the most part. I loved the premise and the setting. The writing was solid. I loved the idea of two ex lovers ending up on a deserted island together, and they are forced to depend on each other to survive. That's a unique story line. The storyline was good. The plot was a bit predictable and it was just a bit too long. There was barely enough conflict to keep me reading. I'm not sure what it was about this book. The characters were developed with good back story. I enjoyed the flashbacks although sometimes I wasn't sure some of them added anything to the story. The characters as adults still might have been a bit too juvenile for me. All and all, not a decent read. I would definitely try the author again. Huge thanks to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for allowing me to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.

just finished reading Crash Landing which came out this week! Huge thanks to Avon Books for sending me a copy!

This was such a cute and fun debut! I was so glad the weather was decent enough to sit on the deck. I needed it today, even if it was overcast and a little chilly.

What would you do if you survived a plane crash with your ex and were stranded on an island?

I enjoyed this second-chance romance stranded on an island with your high school sweetheart ex who broke your heart. The flashbacks to when they were younger helped paint the picture and share more about Piper and Wyatt.

While maybe not the most realistic the stranded on the island was fun to read. I like forced proximity romances and this helped the two of them discuss their past while talking about the now. I was so glad to see Piper stand up for what she wanted with her mom too!

If you're looking for a fun quick romance check it out! Crash Landing came out on April 1st!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️ (0-5)
Steam: 🔥🔥 ((0-5) fade-to-black and closed-door scenes

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 Look at this cover—I’m sure it’s why I wanted to love it!
🤩 The narrator, Emma Love, is a great story-teller, and one narrator works fine with 3rd person POV. I think I might have DNFed if I hadn’t purchased the audiobook with one of my libro.fm credits—audiobook for the save!
🤩 I like the then and now timelines.

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 Second chance romance—I’m really hard on them and not many win my heart.
💫 I was curious about their past, but I didn’t actually feel the chemistry between them until about 50% which might have been too long for me.
💫 I’m not sure I loved either of the MCs. I didn’t like many of their actions and reactions. They seem very wounded and would probably need lots of therapy to have any sort of HEA.
💫 The feels just weren’t feelin’ for me.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Avon books for the gifted ebook & paperback reviewer copy.

If you want a book that gives you Blue Lagoon vibes, THIS IS IT! And as someone who loved that movie, this romance book filled the void that I needed. Them crashing on a desert island is probably not the way they thought they were going to spend their friend's wedding, but the way it gave them the change to reconnect after not talking in 8 years was great! I loved seeing how they had to rely on each other for their survival. This book also features a dual timeline which goes back and forth between past and present so you really get the full scope of their relationship.

Piper is a 2nd year med school student who is ambivalent at best about becoming a doctor….it’s more her parent’s dream than hers and she’s always allowed them to control her life…even as a 24 year old woman. Her only real push back came when she graduated from high school and fell in love with Wyatt…someone who her parent thought was a bad influence on Piper and the life path that they had laid out for her. Wyatt has had a tough life with his single, alcoholic Mom. He spent his senior year of high school living with his Aunt Molly and cousin Allie…Piper’s long time best friend. Never a great student, Wyatt is going into the Navy the summer after high school. Wyatt loves Piper but doesn’t feel he’s good enough for her, especially after overhearing Piper’s parent say so. He decides that he needs to break off their relationship and does it in a way that breaks Piper’s heart. Then, on the way to Allie’s destination wedding, Piper and Wyatt meet at the airport when their flight to the Bahamas is cancelled. Wyatt has his pilot’s license so he borrow a plane from a friend and offers Piper to accompany him. She’s very wary of him but doesn’t have any options. As the book title suggests, they crash on a remote island and they need to work together to survive. Can they move beyond the hurt and anger that built up over the years? Is this their second chance at happy ever after? This book has a lot of emotion and heart.

This was a very cute escapist read! I am usually not into second chance trope stories, especially those about high school sweethearts, but the plane crash added just the right element to keep this story fresh and exciting! It was sweet throughout and I couldn't help but root for the MCs to figure it out and find love!

Thanks, Avon, for the arc!

Oh, this book... Even after reading the premise of CRASH LANDING by Annie McQuaid, I knew I would have to suspend disbelief with this romance novel like I do when I read fantasy books. But I did not think it would require so much effort!

Annie McQuaid came up with a cute idea along with likable characters and with a good friend group. I'm not sure they are good survival trips, but I liked seeing how they survived on the island. (Maybe we should all pack a bra with underwire just in case?) I even liked how the chapters went back and forth in time to show Piper and Wyatt's relationship before when they were younger and their current state after the plane crash. But...

(It's never good when there's a but.)

But I felt like I couldn't connect with the characters. This might have been a romcom, but they were going through it. And not just because they survived a plane crash on a deserted island; I mean, life-altering stuff they were figuring out. I had no feels, dry eyes, and just kept reading along.

I'm bummed as this book wasn't what I hoped it would be. I enjoyed the premise, characters, and pacing, but couldn't get emotionally attached. Given that it's a debut, I would try another book by Annie McQuaid.

For a debut, Crash Landing delivered. The story starts with two exes getting stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash, talking about a wild setup, and from there, it’s this perfect mix of adventure, banter, and all the second-chance romance tension I love. If you're into enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and emotional slow burns, this one is definitely for you. The chemistry, the backstory, the survival stakes, it all just worked. Annie McQuaid really nailed the whole “what if life throws you back together with the one who got away” vibe. I couldn’t stop reading.

4⭐️
2🔥

Quick Breakdown

Second Chance
Stranded Together
Past / Present Timelines
Childhood Friends to Lovers
Single POV
Open Door - Mild

Things are not going Piper’s way. First her flight to her best friends wedding in the Bahamas is canceled. Then, while scrambling for another flight, she runs into Wyatt - the boy who broke her heart years ago. Wyatt, now a pilot, has a tempting offer. He’s chartered a plane and can get Piper to the wedding on time as planned - if only she can stand to be momentarily stuck in close quarters with him. En route, though, their plane crashes on a tiny tropical island in the middle of nowhere. Now these two ex’s are stuck with only each other fighting for survival.

If you can allow yourself to suspend disbelief and enjoy the escape, Crash Landing is a fun & uniquely adventurous romance you’re sure to enjoy. Not always one for the second chance trope & past x present timelines, I loved how the time jumps broke up the MC’s quest for island survival. The gradual slow burn from childhood friends to lovers in the past really worked for me & only added to the overall HEA. I also loved how Wyatt made it very clear that he regretted his past actions and wanted a fresh start with Piper. And Piper finally sticking it to her parents was the cherry on top!

Today, I put my earbuds away, pulled out the ol Kindle, and savored every second of this book! Crash Landing is a second chance romance that is equally sweet, swoony, and adventurous - an incredible debut novel by Annie McQuaid! I love a well-written dual timeline that lets me experience characters falling in love twice, and Piper and Wyatt's story took me back to all the feelings I remember from my first love and heartbreak. It was magical!

Rating⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Spice🌶️
Tropes
✈️ Childhood friends to lovers
🥭 Second Chance
✈️ Best friends cousin
🥭 Forced proximity
✈️ Traumatic events
🥭 Groveling MMC

“I feel like I haven’t been able to breathe until right now. Now that you’re here.”

“The shock of his hot lips on hers jolted every fiber of her being. Brought her back to life.”

“I’ve spent the last eight years doing everything I can to become someone worthy of you. To prove I’m good enough to call you my girl. All I ever wanted was to be the kind of man that you’re proud to be with.”

What a fantastic debut!!! I loved this storyline! I have t read a book with this trope yet and I really enjoyed it! I was engaged the whole time and wanted to keep turning the pages. The growth of our FMC was great! I love that she fought for what she wanted. I was routing for Wyatt the entire time and he is just a sweetheart!! Total book boyfriend material! Second chance and childhood friends to lovers is such a favorite of mine and this just felt so original! I can’t wait to see what else comes from this author!

This was such a cute read! I love second chance romance & this was done so well. There was tension, there was angst, funny moments & some really darn cute moments as well. I thought Piper & Wyatt had great chemistry & they were easy to love characters! I liked the “we’re stuck on this island so now we have no choice but to talk everything out & resolve our issues” scenario of the story. I also liked that we got a dual timeline to help us understand their history. Overall, I enjoyed this and would definitely recommend!

4⭐️

This was so cute! I wasn’t initially sure I’d like this after reading the premise but I’m a sucker for a second chance romance. The dual timeline really helped flush out the story!

Thank you to the author and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I loved this second chance enemies to lovers romance and listening to the audiobook made it an amazing experience. Piper and Wyatt are exes that wind up as survivors on a deserted island and have to rely on each other for support and sustenance. The way they gradually learned to trust again on the island made for a very entertaining read, and the conflicts that coming home brought their fragile relationship was frustrating. Fortunately they find their way and it's a beautiful thing.

I picked up "Crash Landing" because I thought the premise was really fun. I adore rom-coms that have some suspenseful elements or elements of danger, like this one. In "Crash Landing" two exes literally crash land onto a deserted island on their way to a friend's wedding. However, I'm generally not a huge fan of second chance romance (which I knew going in). Overall, I thought "Crash Landing" was ok, but my issues with it could have been matters of preference.

I thought that the survival aspects of the book were really fun, and I absolutely want to give some points to the author for creativity. Sometimes I feel like I see the same romance premises over and over and I loved that this was unique. I also loved how the author wove some of the characters' conflicts relating to their personal lives into the survival moments. I thought that was done really well.

I don't know if the romance really worked for me. I'm not a fan of second chance, but sometimes I enjoy it if the characters dated when they were young and have done some major maturing before the events of the book, as was the case here. However, I didn't super feel the chemistry between these two and I would have liked to see some more of their relationship in the real world. Are they really in love or are they just trauma bonded now?

Some of the elements of this romance felt a little cliche and predictable. I feel like I've seen this same exact miscommunication over a past breakup time and time again. <spoiler> Also their final miscommunication/third act breakup was solved when Piper realized she accidentally had Wyatt blocked on her phone. This felt a little silly to me. </spoiler> I'm also just not a fan of alternating timelines, it takes me out of the story.

I recognize that a lot of my issues here are personal issues, and other people may totally adore the things I didn't love. I'm definitely going to recommend this to people, but I'm not sure it was for me.

3 stars

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

Crash Landing by Annie McQuaid
Annie McQuaid had me hooked from the very first page of Crash Landing. This was an incredibly wonderful read.
The writing, superb. The characters, unforgettable. The storyline, addictive.

Tell me it’s a second chance romance and I will read it, especially if it’s a second chance with a first love. CRASH LANDING has all the elements to suck me in - second chance, forced proximity, childhood friends, first love, with a little bit of survivalist tension. What it lacked, for me, was a connection with the characters. I love books that don’t take themselves too seriously, but this one felt a bit cheesy.

Let’s focus on the positives. What I liked:
🏝️ Dual POV/Dual timeline
🏝️ Tropical setting
🏝️ Wyatt. I would mind being stranded on a tropical island with him. He’s smart, attractive, attentive, and patient.
🏝️ I laughed despite the corniness of some of the dialogue.

I found myself occasionally frustrated with Piper. She couldn’t seem to get out of her own way. It was a challenge to get through the first half of this book, but I’m glad I stuck with it and think this author has lots of potential.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

3.25 stars.

"Crash Landing" by Annie McQuaid is a second-chance, friends-to-lovers-to-strangers-to-lovers forced proximity adventure romance with an interesting premise. It requires a little (read: *massive*) suspension of disbelief, but if people can enjoy romances between humans and big blue aliens, then surely they can get behind two former high school sweethearts reuniting because their plane crashed on a deserted island on the way to a mutual friend's wedding..... RIGHT!?!?! Right off the bat, let me get my negatives out of the way. My biggest gripe is that it feels a little too young adult at times. At one point, I even had to go online and make sure this wasn't billed as a YA novel because the prose is pretty juvenile. I think it's because the timeline jumps back and forth between Piper and Wyatt's high school years and their present-day adulthood, but the tonality of the characters remains mostly the same and not super matured over time. I also *loathe* that everything in and about this book stems from and because of, ultimately, one small miscommunication. I am really sick of romance novels that do this, but this book seems like an egregious offender! I did find this novel to be fast-paced and relatively engaging despite all of this. I really liked Wyatt as a character, though Piper was a bit insufferable from time to time. Could she name-drop brand names any harder? Cringe. It felt like some character development was missing for both characters. Despite Piper and Wyatt supposedly being in love with one another since they were teenagers, I found their connection to be surface-level at best. Their connection felt much more physical than it did emotional. Even when they are stuck on a deserted island together, I never got the sense that they were an end-game-worthy couple. Still, I had a decent time reading this, but I won't buy it, and likely won't think about it again.

Thank you to NetGalley, Annie McQuaid, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

This was a fun debut! I am a sucker for a disaster romance, and a plane crash with your ex leading to being stuck on a desert island definitely worked for me.

It wasn’t a perfect book for me - the romance felt pretty unoriginal (they dated BRIEFLY in high school, he dumped her before leaving for the army since she can do better as a college student, etc etc) and only some of the flashbacks felt like they added anything to the story.

That being said, I found it compulsively readable even if the romance was underdeveloped. I really enjoyed the plane crash and survival portions and pretty much read the whole book in one sitting because I just had to know how they’d survive.

Overall, I’d recommend it if you’re looking for a survival story with a light romance, but not if you’re looking for a really great second chance romance.

I absolutely devoured this book in one day. What a cute second chance romance. I also loved the military/veteran representation of the MMC.
This was the absolute perfect rom-com with cute, angsty moments that I loved. Second chance romance with forced proximity on a deserted island? Yes please!!
**
Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for the early copy of this book.