More survival story than romance—but still a unique and charming read

This was my first Beth O’Leary novel, and while I didn’t fall completely in love with it, I still found Swept Away to be an enjoyable and original read. The setup is definitely intriguing—being stranded in a remote place makes for a lot of tension and introspection—and I appreciated the emotional depth that came with it.

What surprised me was how much of the book focused on survival and self-reflection, rather than romance. While there is a romantic thread, it often takes a backseat to the main character’s personal journey. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting going in.

One of the most unique (and oddly lovable) parts of the story was the seagull—definitely not your typical side character, and it added a quirky charm that helped balance the heavier moments.

Overall, Swept Away wasn’t a perfect match for me, but I appreciated O’Leary’s writing style and emotional honesty. I’d be open to reading more of her books with a bit more of a romantic focus next time.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for my DRC!

This was just not for me but I know someone will really love it. For me it was a little too out landish.

Thanks @berkleyromance for the free book! #BerkleyPartner #Berkley #BerkleyBookstagram

I liked this book and adored the main characters. Zeke was adorable and such a teddy bear. Really enjoyed the “twist” and how it all came together in the end.

Parts of this book gave me so much anxiety. If you’re triggered by the ocean, maybe don’t read this one.

I've read all of this author's books and I've found something to love in all of them! I find her writing generally very propulsive and this new book in particular was very very hard to put down!

The basic premise of Swept Away involves two people who had a one-night stand on a houseboat that then dislodges from the dock so they're swept into open water overnight. It's a survival story with two great characters who are forced into very close proximity as they attempt to survive. Their stories intersect in ways that slowly unfold over the book. The survival element of their time at sea was intense but it was also sweet and meaningful and even funny (they may or may not adopt a "pet" lol). I read about 75% of this book in one sitting and then went to sleep, dreamed about a possible twist in the story, woke up the next morning and read that twist (this never happens to me), and loved the ending.

I am impressed with the unique way Beth O'Leary told this story and I loved the character growth, the banter and growing feelings, and like I said, the emotionally charged conclusion. I think this would make an absolutely perfect vacation or beach read for anyone this summer assuming they don't read it on a houseboat or expect to visit with the people they're travelling with (because they'll be immersed in this instead).

I definitely recommend it and couldn't resist matching it 😉

Have you ever been on a houseboat? We did a houseboat vacation when I was a teenager with my whole extended family and reminisce about it often 🩷💙

This book was so unexpectedly good. Unexpected because I want sure how the author was going to make the premise work but I loved her other books so I gave it a try and I’m glad I did. The writing was fantastic and the setting was a character in itself without being overbearing

My goodness, this book made me so nervous the whole time. Not sure why, as it’s clearly a romance and I didn’t think anything seriously bad would happen. It was an unconventional romance, for sure. I didn’t like how much time Lexi debated if she should trust him or if she should be scared of him. Homegirl, you got no choice as you are literally adrift with him and need him to survive.

2.5🌟

Thank you Berkley Romance, Netgalley and Beth O’Leary for this free eArc!! i went into this loving the cover and also the synopsis seem like it was going to be such an interesting read. but as i went on with reading this book i just didn’t love it. i didn’t love how in apparently 12 days you can be madly in love with someone and idk it just felt like to much of an insta love over trauma. i felt as tho the concept of the book would have been fun and interesting but as time went on i felt so disconnected with the characters. i felt the need to finish because i saw some reviews about a twist and i just had to get to it. but overall i wish i could have rated higher i do appreciate being able to get this copy and read it.

After a spontaneous one-night stand, Zeke and Lexi expect to go their separate ways. Instead, they wake up adrift in open water, stranded on Zeke’s newly inherited (and untethered) houseboat. With minimal supplies and no rescue in sight, they must figure out how to survive—and navigate the unexpected intimacy that comes from enforced proximity. As days pass and secrets surface, what began as an impulsive night might just lead to something deeper.

Tropes
* Forced proximity
* One-night stand turns into more
* Strangers to lovers
* Only one bed (or in this case, one boat!)
* Grumpy x sunshine (lightly)
* Found family (emotional growth through shared vulnerability)
* Slow-burn, character-driven romance
* Healing past grief and personal reinvention

Beth O’Leary once again proves she’s a master of the high-concept romance with emotional depth. Swept Away delivers both literal and emotional isolation, forcing its characters to slow down, face their grief, and reevaluate their lives. Lexi is relatable in her exhaustion and quiet resilience, while Zeke is an emotionally repressed but surprisingly tender counterpart. Their dynamic simmers with tension, but the real heart of the story lies in their unpeeling layers, what they learn about each other, and themselves, under pressure. It's a love story born out of stillness, isolation, and the kind of honesty only desperation can provoke.
Perfect for readers who love romance with depth and a dash of quirky circumstance.

Thank you to the publisher for the free eARC and to PRH Audio for the ALC!

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Lexi and Zeke have a one night stand that ends up extended when they are accidentally swept out to sea in a house boat.

I loved the concept of this one, and had such an enjoyable read overall! This was so close to being five stars for me, particularly as I truly didn’t want it to end, and I LOVED the characters (especially Zeke). The audio was also great, and the narrators did a great job.

My one gripe was definitely the third act, which contained some developments I didn’t love and overall felt a bit unnecessary to me. Still, the ending was perfect, and I loved the epilogue as well. Overall VERY enjoyable, and highly recommend for its originality and entertainment value!

CW: Injury/blood; mentions of abandonment; death of parent; infidelity (not by MCs)

I did not know what to expect with this one other than I have really enjoyed Beth O'Leary's other novels, so I was pleasantly surprised at a different take on a rom-com where the MCs are stranded on a boat in a body of water (sea, perhaps?). I initially wasn't sure if I was really sold at first because of the first few chapters, but then it really picked up and I really loved Zeke and Lexi together. Honestly wild to throw two people in this bizarre situation after a one-night stand.

DNF @ 33%

I was IN based on the cover and the premise. Unfortunately, this was overwhelmingly convoluted? When I sit down for a contemporary romance novel, I am here for the ride with minimal brain activity. And this one? I had so many questions regarding the plot and semantics of being on the ocean ... and I was confused half the time that it took me out of the story. It was too unrealistic to ignore.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy.

I have a new favorite book by Beth O'Leary! I got sucked in within the first few chapters and couldn't put this one down. I mean, a one night stand, turned into stranded on a houseboat at sea for days, plus a bunch of animosity over whose boat it actually is? It's a recipe for a forced proximity, high tension read!

After the first night, it turned into a slow burn, as Zeke and Lexi focus on trying to survive out at sea rather than revisiting the chemistry between them. There are several really tense moments, and I appreciated how it wasn't just smooth sailing (ha, see what I did there?) until they got rescued. I really wondered how they'd get rescued, and how much of the book would take place after that - would it just end with a rescue and a HEA or would we get a glimpse of what happens after they're back on land?

I think the author handled it all pretty well, although I wasn't too sure about the source of conflict after the rescue. It ended up working out okay though, and she did a good job of wrapping it all up.

I went into this book not sure if I was going to like it as I'm not a huge fan of an age gap romance, but I really loved this book and these characters. Both Lexi and Zeke were wonderful characters and watching them learn each other while being stranded on a boat was well done, really took forced proximity to the next level. This book reaffirmed the Beth O'Leary is fantastic and maybe gave me an irrational fear of houseboats.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

What would happen if you and your one night stand wound up swept out to(and stranded at) sea together? Probably not this book, to be honest, because I don’t think anyone could handle the situation this well (or get as simultaneously lucky and unlucky as Zeke and Lexi). This premise is almost beyond belief—and not something I would have picked up if not written by Beth O’Leary—but despite some pretty serious initial skepticism about the plot, I wound up genuinely loving this book and these characters and being on the edge of my seat following their story at sea and interpersonally. I recommend this book to anyone who loves rooting for characters who love deeply but are finding their way in the world (and who can handle the stress of being stranded at sea).

Beth O'Leary writes two kinds of books, and I find them to be radically different. If you're a fan of The Roadtrip or The No-Show, I feel like this will fit nicely into your TBR. If you're a fan of The Flatshare or The Wake-Up Call, I would proceed with caution. Was the ending satisfactory? Yes, totally. Was it very hard for me to get to the ending? Also, yes.

This may have been on me for not reading the description, but it turns out I am far too anxious to read a book about two people lost at sea. I didn't make it very far into this due to my aforementioned stress, but if you are in the mood for an adventure romance, this just might be the book for you!

This book destroyed me, but like, in a good way. The romance, the danger, the plot twists, the heartbreak, it all felt palpable in a way that I won't soon forget.

The premise of this book really had me intrigued and I was interested to see what the author would do with it. Overall, I really enjoyed the parts where they met, found themselves lost at sea needing to survive. What I didn’t love as much was the twist at the end with Zeke. I thought the book could stand without that added level of drama.

I reviewed O’Leary’s The Wake-Up Call as meh, didn’t love, didn’t hate, didn’t think about it much after I finished it. But I had a different reaction to Swept Away. What I can say is that O’Leary writes interesting twists to the genre. That being said, I’m not sure she’s interested in writing romance, not in any classic sense anyway. The trappings are present, Regis wouldn’t disagree, but what O’Leary’s doing skirts women’s fic maybe? O’Leary is in the same “grey” romance area I would put Clayborn’s latests in. As for my reaction to Swept Away, let’s go to the publisher’s blurb for the mundane details before I blather on:

What if you were lost at sea…with your one-night stand?

Zeke and Lexi thought it would just be a night of fun. They had no intentions of seeing each other again. Zeke is only in town for the weekend to buy back his late father’s houseboat. Lexi has no time for dating when she needs to help take care of her best friend’s daughter.

Going back home with a stranger seems like a perfect escape from their problems. But a miscommunication in the dark, foggy night means no one tied the houseboat to the dock. The next morning, Zeke and Lexi realize all they can see is miles and miles of water.

With just a few provisions on the idle boat, Zeke and Lexi must figure out how to get back home. But aside from their survival, they’re facing another challenge. Because when you’re stuck together for days on end, it gives you a lot of time to get to know someone—and to fall in love with them.

For Swept Away‘s first three-quarters, I was in awe. I thought Lexi and Zeke’s lost-at-sea journey was wildly original, nail-bitingly suspenseful, and emotionally rich. Then I entered the last quarter and thought the narrative went to hell in a basket. Not to worry the romance readers, our beloved HEA is there to fulfil all, BUT the narrative veer was not good. It might be good for some readers, but I thought it a let down. I can’t quite tell if I’m let down because of the magnificence I’d been reading till then, or because it’s truly disappointing. Not in a romance sense, but in a narrative-novel-sense…if I’m even making any sense at this point.

Let’s start with the magnificence. Whence? It’s a combination of the North-Sea-adrift setting, the fragile houseboat, and Lexi and Zeke caught on them. The setting is wild, dangerous, and their situation so precarious, I’ve never read any romance like it. And what’s quite impressive? Not much happens, not much needs to happen, because O’Leary captures the vast isolation, the mystery and the human vulnerability of drifting atop depths. She then does a clever thing and gives Lexi and Zeke another setting, still adrift, still vulnerable, still perilous. To sustain an engrossing, believable, bizarre-as-it-is, I can only call it a courtship in this setting is a feat.

Another feat: how witty-funny Lexie and Zeke are, not in a clever-banter-way, but with a deep humour. Being stuck together, having to survive, though their food supply is good and the sea is calm, these are finite things and the reader knows it; hence, suspense. O’Leary cleverly doesn’t make the narrative about Zeke and Lexi sharing about their lives, though there’s some of that, it’s the actual surviving, the actions they have to take and decisions they have to make that allow us to get to know them. Zeke and Lexi are vulnerable, funny, affectionate, and of a generous spirit: truly compatible and the setting, with its wild beauty and all-shades-of-orange-and-violent sunsets and -rises, their perfect backdrop. I’m not going to spoil, but Lexi and Zeke make it to another setting, and it isn’t a desert isle, because hey-North-Sea, it’s, well, let’s say creepy-industrial and this only adds to O’Leary’s originality and inventiveness.

Then, in the last quarter, badness sets in and the narrative turns trite. Because O’Leary didn’t quite know what to do, but pull Zeke and Lexi asunder before bringing them back together. I simply didn’t like it: it was contrived. Readers may be okay with it, but I wasn’t and it left me disappointed, even though Zeke and Lexi, wonderful, soft Zeke and Lexi, do get the HEA they deserve. It’s not perfect, but you shouldn’t miss reading it. It’s an original, O’Leary’s Swept Away. Miss Austen would get a kick out of Swept Away and she and I agree, it’s got “a mind lively and at ease,” Emma.

Beth O’Leary’s Swept Away is published by Berkley and released on April 1st. I received an e-galley, from Berkley, via Netgalley. The above is my honest, not-an-iota-of-AI-generated opinion.

2.5 Stars

While overall I enjoyed this book, I did struggle with it a little as well. I just didn’t connect to the story or characters like I have with other O’Leary books.