When Lexi and Zeke meet in a pub and have one fabulous night together, they expect to never see each other again after the next morning. But when they awake to discover the houseboat they slept on wasn't properly tied up and has instead drifted out to sea, the two are forced to spend indefinite time together, working through their differences, trying to survive, and attempting to forget just how good they could be together.

I'm not normally into disaster romances, but I also love movies like Sully and Argo, so maybe I just need an assurance that everything is going to work out and I'm going to get that HEA. And there was something about the blurb for this one that made me read it as soon as it hit my kindle, despite its pub date being months away and me being notoriously behind on my ARCs. But man, this smashed, and got me through a long flight to London from the states. Lexi and Zeke's initial dispute about who rightfully owned the houseboat was a little odd, but this novel was otherwise perfection. Seeing them bond and face the elements and finally be rescued was so emotional and beautiful. Beth O'Leary is a master with words and I've loved everything she's written, this one being no exception.

Thanks to Berkley for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 10/10

I began this book expecting another lighthearted romcom from Beth O’Leary. Sure, her novels have deeper meanings and go beyond shallow flings and spice to really delve into the psyches of the characters, but at the end of the day, you know there’s a happy ever after and a dirty joke waiting for you by the end. Swept Away is different. Yes, it’s a romantic story, but even more than that, it’s a story of survival. Think Life of Pi meets a Jennifer Aniston movie. For the first 70% of the book I was whiteknuckling my Kindle, as desperate for Lexi and Zeke’s survival as they were. There are moments of gory suspense, of tear-jerking confessions, of helpless defeat, and I genuinely questioned if this was a romance or just a cruel joke from O’Leary to stress me out. But as always, O’Leary delivers an amazing story featuring well-rounded, emotionally complicated characters, a classically British setting, and an ending that will both satisfy and surprise the reader.

Fans of Emily Henry, Kara Gnodde, Jenny Bayliss, and weirdly enough, The Life of Pi will enjoy this thrilling, at times scary, epic romance.

I really enjoyed this book! The plot was very interesting, and it was written well. Zeke and Lexi had a lot of chemistry together, and even though there is an age gap between them, Zeke felt way more mature than his age which helped the age gap feel non existent. If I were to get stranded at sea, I hope I get stranded with someone like Zeke! Very resourceful, smart, and knows how to cook. :)

Potential spoiler: I wasn’t a big fan of the plot twist at the end that caused a third act breakup because it felt over the top/way too convenient, but I still really enjoyed the overall character growth through the book.

If you've ever seen those viral North Sea videos and thought "Yikes- what a nightmare of a place. I wasn't afraid of the ocean before but maybe I am now!" you thought the same thing I did. Now imagine waking up to find that your tiny, ancient houseboat has come unmoored, drifted out to open waters, and you're entirely at the mercy of those roiling waves. And your one-night-stand is trapped aboard with you. That's the situation in which we find our characters in Swept Away.

I've read all of Beth O'Leary's books and I've loved every single one of them so it's no surprise I loved this one too! I think it might even have stolen second place from The No Show because of all the ways it surprised me.

Mostly what surprised me was that there is a real sense of adventure to this book. I feel like the cover art is almost a bit misleading with the amount of peril the characters face compared to that serene sunset moment. The more danger-filled scenes played out like sequences in an action flick in my mind and it was so much fun to be worried about whether the food stores would last and if the boat would sink. And so interesting to wholly remove the detailed, highly realistic characters that Beth O'Leary creates from their worlds and put them in an absurd situation.

But alongside the adventure, the romance was excellent as usual. Zeke's total conviction about Lexi from the very start makes tears come to your eyes.

To conclude, I loved this book. I already haven't been able to stop telling people about it.

3.5/5stars

The cover and description made it seem more like a rom com, but it’s actually a lot deeper than it appeared to be. Zeke & Lexi have a one night stand on a houseboat and end up being washed out to sea. There was a lot of reflection and sadness throughout the book that I didn’t expect but loved. <spoiler>Around the 30% mark I started to loose interest with Lexi because I felt that her love/obsession over her best friends child was a little too much. I understood that she loves her “niece” but at that point I was starting to think that there might be some type of plot twist to this story involving the child….there definitely was, but not the one I was predicting.</spoiler> The book picked up for me around the 65% mark and I felt more invested.

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group for this Advance Readers Copy ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the premise of this book! An adventure romance with you one night stand on a houseboat that's adrift. I thought it was very original. Zeke and Lexi are likable characters. The plot has suspense and lots or romance. It's a feel good story with a good ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for this E-ARC!

What starts out as a one night stand between 2 strangers quickly turns into a story about survival when the houseboat they stayed in drifts out to sea.

The MMC Zeke returns to his hometown to buy back his late father’s boat and while in town he meets Lexi. She is going thru a rough patch with her best friend/ adoptive sister and is needing a night of carefree fun and goes to the houseboat with Zeke. Upon waking up and realizing they are stranded in the middle of the ocean they have to work together to keep themselves alive. Over the course of 12 days they overcome accidents on the boat, their own personal struggles and grow closer to each other.

Beth does such an amazing job of pulling you in and helping you to really feel the emotions of her characters. When it seemed like all hope was lost until at the last minute rescue comes, I was overcome with relief for them and cried with them!!

I can’t wait until her next book!!!

This was the first book I’ve read by Beth O’Leary. As soon as I read the hilarious concept, I knew I wanted to read it. Based on the description, I figured it would be a silly, quick read. I did not anticipate loving this book as much as I did.

I loved the author’s writing style. The story (although quite ridiculous) was well-written. I was very quickly on board (ha), and ready to go along on this absurd adventure. I loved the characters, the adventure story mixed with romance, and the humour throughout. Towards the end, there was a plot twist that almost had me ready to toss the book aside, but the author made it work! This was such a fun read. I will definitely be checking out any future books by this author.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

All the feels!!! I loved everything about this story, the plot, the characters, the cover!! Two strangers have a night of fun on a houseboat and wake up the next morning to see they have been swept out to sea. That one night stand turns into several days they are forced to be together on this houseboat. The best use of the forced proximity trope!! There was humor mixed in with some deeper topics as Lexie and Zeke try to get to know one another since they end up spending several days together. The more these two bonded and starting to fall in love the more addicted I was to the story. It’s just so good!! I loved this story full of heart, love and adventure

I LOVED this book! I adored The Flatshare, and Swept Away was somehow even better than I could have expected. Lexi and Zeke are not the usual romance main characters, and I loved them all the more for it. This was the survivalist romance I didn’t know I needed!

Swept Away had so much promise. I was interested in the premise and for a large part of the book I was on board. Then the last quarter happened. A reveal and twist that made me recoil and honestly was just a poor cop out. I just was so dejected by how the plot hole was filled.

Houseboats are so interesting to me and the survival aspect of the book was well executed. Being lost at sea and the anxiety, fear, and the sheer hope needed to sustain the two characters carried the narrative and made it soar. But there were times in the story that were cringeworthy for example: there’s understandably a fear that women live with everyday that men don’t even think twice about. It makes us cautious about our environment and with people. But how it was handled within the context of the story was done poorly.

However my favourites have to be Eugene the seagull, and dancing to A Whole New World. I love a good Disney soundtrack moment. Thank you so much NetGalley and Berkley for providing an ARC! Giving this 3 stars. The starting was strong, the middle was a bit shaky, and the end was flat.

I knew this was going to be amazing because it's by Beth O'Leary and involves being lost at sea, so HOW COULD IT NOT! But this had dimension I was NOT expecting, and went straight into my heart. I flew through and cried at the end, and was hooked on both the romance, action, and internal development of the characters the whole time.

Beth O'Leary is one of those authors who I will always read, but I definitely have favorites of hers. This is now my top pick. So, so much more than just a romcom! I laughed, I cried, I was stressed for these two people just trying to survive. (Also, lost at sea is a trope now? Not sure how we got there, but this is how it's done.) Letting two people get to know each other under insane and stressful circumstances is one way to test a new relationship, for sure.

I wanted just a little more from the "After," I won't lie. Everyone in their lives seemed so cavalier about this horrible trauma and life altering experience! No one suggested therapy? No one mentioned a survivor group? People were just like "It's great you're home. Anyway, here's my problems." But, that's just me being picky and not-English.

This book is wonderful. Read it.

This book is absolutely one of my favorite reads of the year! Beth O’Leary is one of my must read authors and this may be my favorite yet. She creates the most likable characters and unique and thoughtful storylines.

This story follows two main characters who after a one night stand on a houseboat end up untethered and at sea for nearly two weeks. The writing was so good I felt like I was on that boat with them!

This was a story that I read a little slower than I’d like as I didn’t want it to end. This is definitely one to add to your list and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next. Thank you to Berkley for my complimentary review copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4+ stars

Once again Beth O'Leary delivers. Zeke and Lexi have an enjoyable one night stand on a houseboat. However, the boat ends up going out to sea and they have to deal with their survival and get to know each other better. Great character development and sweet romcom.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing this book, with my honest review below.

Swept Away plays with the stranded at sea concept I enjoy in some rom coms (or stranded on island) and the idea of a one night stand extending far longer because a pair is stranded on a houseboat at sea was too good to pass up. Lexi and Zeke certainly had enough chemistry to justify their one night stand extending far longer, and I enjoyed reading about the two getting closer and figuring out how to best make it through their situation.

Both bring their own set of baggage, and their time on the houseboat is spent doing more than just surviving as they fall in love and reveal those pieces of themselves that would certainly have not come up in a one night stand. I thought the ‘action’ was highly enjoyable, with fun little twists to their survival. I enjoyed a bit less the age gap given where it would put them emotionally typically let alone in life experience felt a bit icky (so I chose to pretend this wasn't the case, which was relatively easy), and the ending twist was a little out there for me. Outside of that I thought this was sweet with a dash of personal growth which kept it from being a cookie cutter romance.

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for this eARC!

I finally read a book! Thank goodness!

Beth O'Leary can really land a tricky concept! She did such a great job with the <i>No-Show's</i> time shenanigans AND this lost-at-sea tale. How does she do it?!

Anyway I loved this, it was very swoony and sweet, but also had some real harrowing moments. Plus, very effective seagull propaganda. I'm just so glad that a book broke through and grabbed me. It had been too long!

This story is full of adventure! Two strangers wake up after a night of fun on a houseboat to find they’ve been swept out to sea! It started off a little slow, but it wasn't long before things got exciting and I didn't want to put it down.

Lexi first sees Zeke in the pub where she works. He’s sitting by a window, reading a book and when her boss notices her watching him, she encourages Lexi to talk to him. Lexi hasn’t been on a date in four years! Her best friend, Penny, just asked her to move out so Penny's boyfriend could move in with her and her four-year-old daughter, Mei, and Lexi is really missing Mei. Lexi practically helped raise her and now that they don’t need her, she’s trying to figure out what to do with herself.

Zeke is in town to buy back his father’s houseboat--he sold it five years ago after his father died. He has been seeing a therapist since his roommate, Brady, noticed he’s been sad since his dad passed away. He's been sleeping around and feels somewhat lost. He's been thinking a lot about his family and how he doesn’t seem to fit in, no matter how hard he tries. He is a chef and more of a creative and artistic soul than his brother and sister, and he has begun to wonder if he might have a different father. Their father used to write in journals that he kept hidden in the houseboat and Zeke thinks if he finds them, they might hold the secret to his real identity.

Zeke and Lexi end up flirting with each other in the pub and she tells him she wants ‘one night of stupid, reckless fun’. He tells her he can give her that, and he does! They head out to his houseboat and the fun begins. He thinks she’s beautiful and that this is the best night he’s ever had. And... the next morning when they look outside and realize the houseboat has floated out to sea! (It wasn’t tied up properly.)

The beginning part of the story was a little slow for me, but I hung in there, and am glad I did. Once Lexi and Zeke woke up from their steamy night together on the boat, and saw they had drifted out to sea, the story took off. The boat motor wouldn’t work, the battery was dead, their cell phones didn’t have signals and they couldn’t see land. To make things worse, there was an accident with one of Zeke’s sharp chef knives and he had a cut on his stomach. But Zeke was able to whip up delicious meals with the little food they had and there was witty banter even while they worried if they would be rescued. Lexi was also worried about being older than Zeke – she's thirty-one - eight years older than him). Zeke doesn’t feel young in the story to me and I enjoyed how unique he was – he wore velvet pants when they first met - plus he thinks Lexi is brave, strong and warm and he feels like he has been looking for her his whole life. She thinks he’s a beautiful, gentle and extraordinary man. Their love scenes are full of passion, especially when they think their boat is sinking!

My main quibble was the story got off to a slow start, but happily it got exciting as the story went on and I didn’t want to put it down. Plus, there’s an unexpected twist at the end I didn’t see coming. Gotta love that!

O’Leary has woven a romance full of adventure. She's created a story that had me laughing and crying and then she tied it all up with a satisfying and happy ending. While it wasn’t quite a DIK, I thought it was a sweet and romantic adventure.

📖 Book Review 📖 And the craziest one night stand award goes to Zeke and Lexi…she just wanted an escape for the night and he just wanted to buy back his father’s houseboat. There is no forced proximity quite like being swept out to sea together and there is nothing like the open sea and skies to really get to know someone. And while they are living out a worst nightmare, the level of trust and intimacy that has to be developed in a short amount of time in such a strange situation lends itself to an absolutely heartfelt and multifaceted story. Don’t be fooled by this beautiful cover (it is so amazing), this is an absolutely captivating, suspenseful, and emotional novel…a must read that resonates deep.

Why am I crying? 🥹

This was actually so f-ing beautiful, I genuinely have no idea how I'm supposed to exist after this. If this is how I'm going to feel after reading books from Beth O'Leary.. gimme 14 of em right now.

~Zeke and Lexi agree to one single night together.. Somehow it turns into more than that when they realize they've been swept out to sea. Now stuck together on a small boat with limited supplies, they're forced to work together in hopes of surviving until being rescued.~

I'm a bit speechless. I won't lie and say that plot twist at the end was my favorite but as time went on, the more I realized how necessary and utterly perfect it was. This is one book I'll be thinking about for a long while. ❤️

reverse age gap x forced proximity x one night stand

*I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review with my honest opinion.*