Wow! Absolutely amazing! Beth O'Leary continues to delight and surprise readers with unique and heart-warming love stories. This one is my new favorite. It appears a bit unbelievable, but the characters are so life-like, with real issues, fears, hopes, and emotions that I was immediately drawn in and couldn't put it down. Beth took strangers-to-forced-proximity to an entirely new level and did it with care and sensitivity. Add a young mmc, a 30ish fmc at a crossroads, and a survival plot and this is a story I will not soon forget. Get ready for tears and an absolutely surprising twist that I did not see coming. Love! Love! Love! All the stars!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the earc to read and review. All opinions are my own.

I don't think one can actually pass on this cover...
"Swept Away" is like The Blue Lagoon, but they never make it to the island and survive on a houseboat.

Lexi and Zehe wake up on his houseboat the morning after a one-night stand... to find themselves out in the open sea, no land in sight. You have to know: I so love a good forced proximity, but this is a survival situationSHIP. (Tell me you get it, -ship!)

Honestly, I thought it would be a fun light rom-com-vibes read, but even tho it's witty and funny, it's also deep, with relatable characters and... action, like really, my anxiety took off a little there.

Oh, there's also a reversed age gap, which I secretly enjoy too much these days?

A big fat thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for providing me with an ARC/DRC, I really appreciate this!

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book despite the fact that there was an 8 year age gap between the two main characters. This book is about a one night stand that turns into twelve nights stranded in the ocean. There is a lot of reflection on their lives, their issues and eventually the feelings they develop for one another. It is not a super fast paced book in my opinion. I didn't feel a lot of burning need to see if they survived to the next day or if they got rescued. I kind of just assumed all would be well and lessons would be learned from it. I was correct. This book was not one I would typically go for and I do not expect to re-read it but it was well written and enjoyable for what it was.

While I did enjoy this one, it's not my favorite O'Leary title. It felt a bit slower than I'm used to with her writing. Either way, I have already purchased copies for the library and have been recommending it to our romance readers.

I haven't always been the biggest Beth O'Leary fan, but Swept Away won me over! The premise hooked me right away - two strangers wake up adrift on a houseboat after a one-night-stand, with nothing but miles of open sea water and a whole lot of tension between them.

Zeke and Lexi's dynamic was fun to watch unfold, from their initial panic to their slow-burn connection. The forced proximity, survival elements, and undeniable chemistry kept me going.

That said, it did feel a little long-winded at times - there were moments where it dragged, and I found myself wishing for a little more action or feeling of fear while they were out at sea. But, overall, this was a unique and heartfelt read. The character development was spot on for all of the characters. I gave the book a big hug after that final chapter. ;)

Imagine being lost at sea with your one-night stand...What's the worst that could happen?

Swept Away is a reverse age-gap romance that surrounds two characters looking for a bit of fun when the unexpected happens. Let me start off by saying that I really liked the plot of this story. It's really unique and to be honest, I haven't read many stories like this. So bonus points for the plot.

Normally, I am a huge fan of age-gap romances. They are my guilty pleasure and because of that, I've been trying to read a few more reverse age-gap romances. Unfortunately, this is one reverse age-gap romance that didn't work for me. The FMC was too wishy-washy for me. I mean, one minute she adores the MMC, yet in the next breath she's completely hung up on his age/immaturity.

Another issue I ran into was that I felt like the ending was completely rushed. There was so much setup up and then boom, they were rescued. Then readers are thrown a last-minute plot twist that left me with the ick. Not only was that plot twist unnecessary, but it didn't seem plausible at all and it just ruined the story for me.

In the end, I thought this book was an okay read. It's definitely going to be one of those books that will work for some, but not for others. Despite not loving this book, I'm still glad to have given it a try.

When Lexi decides to have a one-night stand, she has no idea that it will change the course of her life. More specifically, it will leave her stranded at sea with Zeke, when the houseboat they are on drifts away while they are, ahem, doing other things. Swept Away chronicles the 12 days they spend getting to know each other, falling in love, and, of course, trying to survive.

SWOON over this cover!!!!

This was my first novel by Beth O'Leary. A house boat with two strangers out to sea.... what a perfect set up for a romance.

Swept Away was an easy read that you can gobble up at the pool or the beach.

I wanted to love this one but it lacked a lot of depth for me.I also wasn't feeling the chemistry between them and the age gap felt off to me. It was super weird having Lexi drool over him as she was saying "he's basically a child though." I don't know how to describe it but it just turned me off.

There was a lot of laugh out loud moments in this one but I pretty much wasn't laughing at all. I have read other rom coms that have me dying throughout the entire book. It definitely fell flat here.

It also felt extremely long. This is one of my biggest pet peeves..... extra fluff that isn't needed ahh!

Overall, not a big fan of this one.

2.5/5 stars

Thanks to berkley and netgalley for my arc

I wasn’t expecting this book from Beth O’Leary. I thought I sat down for a lovely English romp of a romance, and instead, I sat down to two days of anxiety!! Whew! Great story with lovable characters. So much heart!

Beth O Leary writes a story with endearing characters. While this wasn't my favorite of her books, it did provide a sweet escape.

First off, thank you so so much for the arc it was so exciting to receive! I enjoyed the concept of this book a lot and the cover is absolutely gorgeous!

This was an emotional forced proximity, dual POV, survival romance that has two almost strangers stranded on a houseboat stuck out at sea after a first date. Lexi and Zeke find themselves bonding quickly as they try to survive, get rescued and resist the growing attraction and feelings towards one another. I liked this and thought the audiobook narration by Connor Swindells and Rebekah Hinds was well done but it was just an okay book overall for me. I think I probably loved the cover slightly more than the story. Not bad, by any means, but I don't think it will be a standout for me this year. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

This was a really fun concept but seemed to drag on a bit for me. Lexi was hard for me to relate to. She lived her life completely for others. Her mom left her a bar, so she took that over even though it wasn't exactly what made her happy. Lexi moved in with her best friend/sister (Penny) when she got pregnant to help raise the little girl. Lexi never did anything for herself. She lost herself. She didn't know what made her happy anymore besides taking care of Mae.

Zeke was a very thoughtful person in this story, don't get me wrong. He was a great guy. He just isn't the type of guy to attract me. A guy who wears velvet pants and a suit jacket with no shirt underneath does not excite me. The cover of the book also doesn't portray that type of guy. The cover is beautiful, but it doesn't give the right impression on what is going to happen in this story.

The age gap between Zeke and Lexi wouldn't have bothered me so much if Lexi didn't CONSTANTLY bring it up. Lexi is 31 years old and Zeke is 23 years old. The age difference doesn't bother Zeke at all, but it constantly bothers Lexi.

I will say Beth O'Leary did a great job surprising me with the twist towards the end of the book. Was it a little unrealistic, yes. But this story is also about someone who ties the boat to itself instead of the dock which makes it float out to sea. Zeke and Lexi both thought they brought each other to their own homes. They didn't realize that each of them thought the other needed to leave on the morning of the one night stand. The boat they both believe is theirs is called The Merry Dormouse. So overall, you have to have some leniency in realism in this story.

I love the backbone that Lexi grew during this book. She actually needed a little more of it in my opinion, but she did grow overall as a character.

SPOILER:
I just didn't like how Lexi and Zeke got rescued. They seriously get rescued seconds before the boathouse sinks? I would have liked it better if they would have been rescued on the oil rig. It just seemed like it was getting too dragged out by that point. And seriously, what are the chances that Mae was Zeke's child?! I can't believe that Zeke's dad's journals sunk to the bottom of the ocean before he could read them all.

I love Beth OLeary, I thought I’d love this one more but I just liked it. It was a little bit more dramatic and unlikely. But the characters were cute and it kept me interested.

Swept Away by Beth O'Leary, published by Sourcebooks, Bloom Books is a full length, stand alone romance novel.
Zeke and Lexi meet casual, decide to spend one night together and then to say sayonara.
But things don't always plkay out like they should.
Trapped ob a houseboat there is time for a nabelschau, develop feelings for each other.
A well written , sweet romance that gives all the feels.

There were not enough swoon worthy moments to balance out the intense stuck on a boat plot, which at times felt more like a full on thriller than a romance. The insta love felt cringey and the reverse age gap did not quite work for me. What 23 year old constantly thinks about becoming a dad? The knife scene made me queasy and was definitely a hard pass. On the bright side, it did make me reflect on what I would need to do to survive if I were ever stranded at sea, though I hope that never happens. There were some sweet moments and Mae was an absolute ray of sunshine, but overall I have to admit I expected more.

📚 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
☝🏼One night stand
👩🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻Forced proximity
❤️Insta love
⏪Reverse age gap
⛵️Survival romance
🛌Only one bed
💡Self discovery
🗣️Dual POV

⛵️𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾⛵️
⭐️⭐️

💕Q U O T E: “𝒮𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝒾𝑔 𝓂𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝒾𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝒹𝒾𝓈𝑔𝓊𝒾𝓈𝑒𝒹 𝒶𝓈 𝓃𝑜𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈.”

🙏 Thank you NetGalley, Berkley Romance, and Beth O’Leary for this free ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. 💕 #BerkleyPartner #Berkley #BerkleyInstagram

I’m a huge fan of Beth O’Leary’s books and I read Swept Away in 24 hours. From the first chapter I was hooked and couldn’t put it down. It simultaneously stressed me out and made me swoon, even when I found myself questioning the reality of their situation or yelling at them for being a little stupid. Both characters were flawed and real and we see them both evolve over the story. I didn’t love the third act conflict, but I rounded my rating up to five stars for how hooked I was on the story (and for having possibly one of the loveliest covers I’ve ever seen.)

I voluntarily read a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

What starts as a one-night stand quickly turns into a lost-at-sea adventure. Lexi and Zeke hook up at a bar. He's a lot younger than her, twenty-three. She's thirty-one, but that doesn't bother Zeke.

<b><blockquote>I'm thirty-one. 'Ok, he says, unperturbed. I'm a Pisces.'</b></blockquote>

They go back to his houseboat, 'The Merry Dormouse,' caught up in a night of passion. Lexi thinks Zeke stole the boat from her best friend. Penny, because it's the exact boat she had. It's the least of their problems. When they wake up, the boat is already lost at sea. Both argue with the other, believing they tied the boat.

Thus begins the eight days lost at sea. When I first started reading <b>Swept Away</b>, I wondered how author Beth O'Leary would make it enjoyable. I wasn't sold on what I knew was inevitable: two attractive people, already physically connected, lost to the mammoth sea. But I kept the faith. I'm a big fan of O'Leary's writing. Having loved <b>The Flatshare</b> and enjoyed <b>The Switch</b>.. Not only is O'Leary a great writer, but you learn something from the story without feeling like it's preachy.

The mundane with good writing becomes enchanting. I locked in, cheering on the protagonists as they ventured into murky waters (no pun intended), focused on survival.

<b><blockquote> You can lose hours to the sea. It shimmers and fractures--I can't find the names for all its shades of blue. Sometimes it seems closer to purple, or gold, or green...</b></blockquote>

As the story continues, we deeply understand the character's personal lives, struggles, goals, and aspirations. Lexi wants more out of life than her current job; she wants to continue to be in her best friend' Penny's life. After all, her mother and she became the only family she had--and Penny's daughter feels like Lexi's own. Lexi feels insecure, always taking care of others. Never herself.
<b><blockquote>What's it about? Why can't you take a compliment...
It just feels wrong like it shouldn't be about me.
What shouldn't
Anything
I think it's great that you're there for other people...but being there for other people doesn't mean erasing yourself</b></blockquote>

Zeke is struggling with the journals left behind by his dad. A family secret could destroy everything he knew to be true, but the actual reveal in the book left me gapping. When I say I was floored, it's an understatement.

Overall, I enjoyed <b>Swept Away</b>. My only caveat is that the first few days at sea were a bit mundane, but the story picks up quickly.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

4/5 stars

It was an interesting premise. The extended one-night stand. The reverse age-gap. The intense focus of the characters on each other since they were stripped down to their essence while trying to survive. This was a bit of a departure from the typical Beth O’Leary read. It was good and I appreciated the plot twist near the end. But it somehow lacked the brightness I usually find in her work.

This was not your standard meet-cute romance novel. It started with a one-night stand and quickly progressed into a forced-proximity survival story; however, it also included several interactions that led to a greater emotional connection and personal growth for the protagonists. I truly enjoyed the unique circumstances of their ‘adventure’ and some of the twists & turns in the plot (with only one caveat, but I won’t spoil it for anyone else).

Cynical 31-year-old bartender, Lexi, is drawn to the enigmatic stranger checking her out from across the pub. Meanwhile, 23-year-old Zeke is captivated by the beautiful yet standoffish woman behind the bar. With a push from her coworker, they connect over drinks and ultimately end up back at Zeke’s houseboat for an amazing night together.

But when they wake up the next morning, they quickly realize they are no longer moored at the dock. Instead, all around them is a wide expanse of sea. No cell phone signal, no power, limited food and beverage options, and no way to get back to land (or to know for sure in which direction to travel). Together, they deal with adverse weather, false hope of rescue, injuries and dehydration. They also rescue an injured baby seagull just as lost as they are.

Throughout their 11 days lost at sea, they come to appreciate each other in ways that help them each see themselves in a different light. When they are finally rescued (because it is, at heart, a romance novel with a positive ending), their love feels like a bond that will never break. However, even though they are back on dry land, the struggle is not over, and they must push through one final challenge in order to achieve their much-deserved happily ever after.