This romcom was not what I was expecting at all! I loved the premise of this book but I felt like it was a bit too serious/stressful for a romcom. The MCs are stuck at sea with a powerless boat. They are tested multiple times in order to survive while falling in love with one another. The chemistry between the two is truly what kept me engaged in the story. The writing is phenomenal as well! I would definitely recommend this book to others!

I have GOT to start paying attention to plot summaries for my ARCs, because I definitely didn't realize I was getting into a rom com in which the two main characters were LOST AT SEA (though it is very clear from the plot summary!). I honestly wasn't sure I could handle it, because that is an extremely stressful setup, but Beth O'Leary just has some kind of magic touch, and I was able to make it through on the strength of her writing and excellent character development. Lexi and Zeke have a one night stand and wake up the next morning in a houseboat... that each of them thinks is theirs. But that confusion and stress is nothing compared to what happens when they step outside to leave and realize that they are literally in the middle of the ocean. Somehow this survival story/romcom setup works (again, magic), and the two of them develop a strong bond while things get more and more dire for them. Thankfully, this conforms to romance novel standards, though the final act conflict is a bit of curveball and wasn't my favorite Beth O'Leary twist. Still, I loved both Lexi and Zeke and how they brought out the best in each other. Content warning for CHARACTERS BEING LOST AT SEA FOR MANY DAYS ON END!!

An unexpected journey...

A twist of fate (and a lack of communication) brings two strangers together for one night--only to end up stranded at sea on a houseboat. I enjoyed their chemistry and how they tackled challenges, staying positive for each other as time passed.

Their bond grows into a strong friendship, making the journey feel natural and heartfelt. The audiobook flew by, but if I had been reading a physical copy, I probably would've put it in the freezer during the last quarter. The miscommunication-driven tension had me stressed, but thankfully, everything worked out in the end.

Ever since I read The Flatshare, I’ve been a Beth O’Leary fan. Her books are usually lighthearted, warm, and cozy reads. That was very much not the case here. I was more stressed out than usual while reading this one. Everything about the premise made for a great rom-com, except for the part about the powerless houseboat adrift in the North Sea. Some readers may welcome the tension Swept Away brings to the table, but I felt like I constantly needed a Xanax. Thank goodness for the rescued seagull!

O’Leary’s creativity, likeable characters, and gifted banter saved the day for me. By the end, what I thought would be 2 stars for the stress level, easily became 4 just for the sheer pleasure of reading about her real characters with their real-life, believable baggage. Zeke is zesty and adventurous; Lexi, careful and loyal to a fault. It was sweet to see them eventually begin to balance each other out as they dealt with the increasing fragility of their situation.

And - spoiler alert - thank goodness for rescue boats, even if they do come when all logical hope is indeed lost.

Thank you to Berkeley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC.

Okay so here’s the thing. Swept Away is not a bad book. It’s well paced and the dialogue is fun and the characters are engaging. HOWEVER. THIS BOOK IS VERY STRESSFUL FOR A ROM COM. Like yes there are comedic elements BUT ALSO THEY ARE ALMOST DYING MOST OF THE TIME. IT IS VERY TENSE. AND SOMETIMES WTF-Y. I just want to prepare you for that so you can factor it into your reading decision. If you are trying to be calm and relaxed and stay that way, this book will not do that for you. Every time you think you can relax because surely things cannot get worse now, surprise, they absolutely can and no, you cannot relax. If you want Survivor with a side of age gap romance, jump on this stat.

As a certified FLATSHARE stan, I have been following and supporting Beth O'Leary from the very start and I am never any less excited to hear she has a new book coming. She is, in my opinion, so underrated in the rom-com/general fiction space. I think Swept Away might just be my favorite since her debut! I love a truly unique plot in a rom-com, which is so hard to come by these days with the genre being quite oversaturated...and being stranded at sea in a houseboat with your one-night stand is definitely that! There are also so many other elements that make this book stand out, from the age-gap romance wherein the man is younger (I am still on fence about the width of that age gap to be honest, but it is really easy not to focus on it too much and everyone is an adult here and that's what truly matters); Lexi's relationship with her friend's child, Mae, and how non-traditional parenting are explored; a certain plot twist that I truly did not see coming until RIGHT when it was revealed which is very fun for someone who often predicts plots (the twist was also something I felt a little iffy about at first, but I think it pans out really well in the end.) The plot is surprisingly propulsive for the fact that it's basically a bottle episode in book form for about 80% of it, and the character development is so strong. If you're a fan of rom-coms at all (especially forced proximity!) I think you'll really enjoy this one.

This author is a first-time read for me and what a story to start our introduction. Not only is the title perfect for the story, but it also explains how it made me feel as well.

Crazy plot but it worked so well. The author nailed it with the off-and-on feelings, the awkwardness, and the way they end up working together. I fell in love with this story as the characters fell in love with each other.

The amazing descriptions sweep you along and the balance between the characters is perfect. The age gap and the push-pull add the needed elements to the story. Plus, O’Leary adds the bit of angst at the end that rachets up the intensity even more.

Swept Away is romantic, sweet, adventurous, thrilling, and a totally addictive story. It is inventive and rich with detail – so worth the read!

I have loved many of Beth O'Leary's books and this was a very unique set up for a romance. It was more perilous than I was expecting though, with the majority of the novel an angst filled ride of danger and hoping to be rescued. Both main characters had lot of baggage to unpack and I don't doubt their initial attraction and the bond they formed through their shared trauma. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that's what a lasting relationship is built on, so the romance didn't fully work for me. I also had concerns about the cleanliness of things and the actual timing of all the sexy times (ie: not sure having one more go while the boat is sinking would be a priority for me, but that's just me lol) I was still overall enjoying where things were going with the story until the dreaded third act drama. Zeke and Lexi faced so many life and death experiences at sea that the final twist/reveal felt completely unnecessary. It was shocking for them I'm sure, but it could have been easily resolved with a simple conversation. That lack of maturity and consideration after what they experienced, really showed me that these two needed a ton of therapy versus professing their love for each other and pursuing a romantic relationship. The epilogue was very sweet though and will leave readers happy and with a smile on their faces.

The audiobook narration by Connor Swindells and Rebekah Hinds was well done, but I did personally struggle a bit with Hinds accent. This is my own issue however, and is not a matter of poor narration. Both Swindells and Hinds conveyed so much emotional depth in their performances and kept me engaged with the story.

Audiobook Review
Overall 4 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 3 stars

CW: lost at sea and threat of sinking, death of parent (past), grief, cut/knife wound, parental abandonment (past), head trauma from fall, fear of heights, multiple near death experiences, PTSD, threats to safety, food and water insecurity, parental infidelity (past)

*I voluntarily read and listened to an advance review copy of this book*

Swept Away by Beth O’Leary, in this book Lexi meets much younger Zeke and decides to spend the night with him on a houseboat named The Door Mouse, that they both believed to be the owner of. ownership quickly becomes a moot point when they realize they’re floating an open water and the boat one has no gas, two has no one on board that knows how to drive it and three they have no way of calling for help.! this is a romance comedy that totally lives up to the hype. It’s funny so so heartwarming and it definitely has one of the best confessions of love scenes ever. Lexi definitely had no plans of seeing Zeke again. He’s much younger than her. She wasn’t looking for love per se and all she wants to do is get back to her five year-old niece Mae. Zeke was just down and Gillmyth, to buy his dad‘s houseboat back, but after 12 days of being lost at sea through the good, the bad, the ugly and Lexi’s seasickness he can’t imagine life without her! there is so much I am skipping and not putting in this review. Just know if you love romances that are funny heartfelt swoon worthy within authentic plot then you will definitely love the story. There is absolutely no Insta love here.#NetGalley,#BerkeleyPublishing,, #TheBlindReviewer, #BethO’Leary,#SweptAway, #HonestReview,

What a delightful story of closeness and knowing. I was swept away (ha) by this romance, and enjoyed every moment watching Lexi and Zeke learn each other and support one another against greater odds. With a story like this, there's bound to be that third act issue that disrupts the flow of the relationship building, and Beth O'Leary really blew me out of the water with an unexpected twist. I loved Lexi's ability to love her people well enough to forgive them. Thank you for the eARC!

This was so cute and so gripping?? I thought it would be a cute book to read and it was so emotional!! I was honestly so worried about how they were gonna survive!

This is very Survivor meets rom-com and I loved the ending.

Thank you Beth O'Leary, NetGalley and Berkley for this early copy!!!

Beth you did it for me on this one!! Zeke + Lexi were so swoon worthy and I enjoyed the twist on this plot and uniqueness of it. This was a good romance escape and I read through it quickly because I was enjoying the slow burn and tension so much! I did not feel it was too slow or too rushed in terms of their romantic build and that’s hard to do sometimes. This book was a great read for me!

I’m sure there will be people who adore this story, and I’m very happy for them. But for me, it just wasn’t a tale that I fell in love with.

Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for providing my review copy!

Swept Away is great survival/love story that takes place on open waters when a houseboat Zeke and Lexi visit drifts out to sea. With no power, little food and even less drinking water, the couple face disaster head on while love and desire grow between them. There’s only one thing- a big twist you probably won’t see coming. Pick it up if you need an escape and are a romance fan!

⚓️ C A S T A W A Y R O M A N C E review ⚓️ featuring “Swept Away” by Beth O’Leary!

MY RATING: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

Zeke is in town for one weekend only to buy back a houseboat that was once his father’s. At a bar he meets Lexi and they decide to get drunk and let loose for ONE night together and then never see each other again. Or so they think …

Imagine waking up from your one night stand only to find out that you are stranded in the middle of the ocean on a houseboat!! At some point in their drunken states, someone forgot to tie the boat to the dock! Now the pair is stuck together to brave the open water and live off limited provisions until they get rescued. They decide to keep things strictly friendly (hands off) in order to not get distracted from being lost at sea!

“This place has been spooky and hellish and awful. But it’s also been so very beautiful. And for all its horrors, it is the place where I fell in love”.

Beth O’Leary, you’ve done it again! I was literally SWEPT AWAY by this cutie book and loved every moment of it! Read this if you enjoy:
🌊 forced proximity
🌊 uplifting stories
🌊 reverse age gap
🌊 lost at sea
🌊 grumpy vs sunshine
🌊 romance + adventure

Thank you kindly to @betholearyauthor @berkleypub @netgalley for my #gifted advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on April 1, 2025!

While this was cute, it didn't necessarily deliver quite like other Beth O'Leary books did.

Lexi wakes up the morning after a one night stand to find out the worst: They didn't tie up the boat properly, and they're lost at sea. Because yes, this takes place on a houseboat.

I'm not sure what I expected from this one, and I'm not sure if it delivered in the way I wanted. It dragged for quite a while, in my opinion, until it suddenly resolved. I didn't quite follow that part, though it might be because I was reading it at like 1AM. I also didn't see the plot twist in the end coming. Overall it was fine, but definitely no Flatshare or No-Show.

Thanks, NetGalley!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½

After meeting at a bar, Lexi and Zeke have a memorable night together that they both intend to leave as a one-night stand. Fate has something else in store for them - as they try to leave the house boat that they spent the night on, they discover that the boat has drifted off to sea. Zeke and Lexi must figure out how to survive at sea while navigating the situation with a practical stranger who they spent one passionate night with.

I really enjoyed this story! Stories where people are stuck on a boat or island away from civilization always capture my attention. It's a situation that I think brings out people's true selves. The journey of self-discovery and connection that Zeke and Lexi went on in this book added to their story of survival.

With the forced proximity and very fiery chemistry they had on the first night, it's inevitable that Zeke and Lexi would fall for one another. They had the time to get to know one another at a very deep level with nearly none of the distractions from normal life.

I LOVE reverse age gap romances. It takes a special male hero who has the maturity and emotional intelligence to connect with a woman eight years older than him. Zeke was wiser than his years in many senses, much of that due to his family situation and his occupation. He was kind of out floating in space and he needed someone to anchor him. He found that in Lexi.

Pick this one up for an entertaining story of two people who find love while fighting to survive! If you're an audiobook person like me, this is a great one to listen to!

Steam level: 🔥🔥½
⚠️: grief, mention of death of a loved one

While I enjoyed the book overall, I did feel that it was missing that high-stakes, life-or-death element that could have taken the story to the next level. Instead, the focus is on the characters and their emotional journeys, and I appreciated how the story stripped everything back to reveal who they really are at their core. This is a great book for anyone who loves lighthearted, character-driven romance with a bit of emotional depth. It’s a charming and fun read with great chemistry between the leads and a lot of heart.

I rated this novel four stars. I enjoyed it but I did think it really dragged on a bit longer than I would have liked. I found myself surprised on how much I had left in the book at times. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the ending or how Lexi reacted to the events near the conclusion but this didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the book.

2.5 rounded up. Let me just say, I am huge Beth O’Leary fan and have read all of her books. I think this would fall at or near the bottom of my rankings of her books though. Was this entreating? Absolutely. Is it impossible not to find her books charming? No doubt about it. But this was so wild and not necessarily in a good way. Both of these characters need therapy once you get into the heart of why they like each other. There’s some weird age gap stuff, and I also think it’s just hard to sustain a story about two characters lost at sea without it dragging at times. Not to mention the twist kind of jumped the shark for me. I still had fun with this at times, but at what cost?

This book wasn't my all time favorite, but it still gives me that cozy feeling whenever I read this author.