Based on the cover alone, one might think this is a comedic tale of two strangers who expected a one night stand ending up floating away to open sea for a bit before getting rescued. It started out great, but the vibes took a turn from what I expected to be more of a romcom to more of a survival story. I did enjoy it, but I found myself more anxious about certain parts of Zeke and Lexi's experience which made it difficult for me to bask in what should have been swoony moments between the two. I felt the ending was very sweet though.

I love O’Leary’s previous books and jumped at the chance for this ARC. This one is a little different from her other books. It’s a little slow moving, a little serious and some adventure. I had a hard time warming up to Lexi the FMC but instaloved Zeke! There is a lot of chaos going on within the book and it strays from the typical romcom cozy vibes. I genuinely was left wondering how they would end up getting rescued. It’s not as witty as her other books either which was a disappointment. There’s a heartwarming ending though that stole my heart. Overall a pretty good read!

What to love:
•forced proximity
•one night stand
•age gap
•boating
•found family

Do I have a problem with age gap romances as long as they are consenting adults? No. Do I care if the MMC is older? No. Do I care if the FMC is older? Also no. But I do draw the line when things like “he’s just a kid, I have to be the adult”, “he looks so young”, and “she thinks I’m too young to show her a good time”. This because a perverted fetish and it’s an absolute no for me. Write an age gap romance if you want but please do not make it extremely creepy. After this, I’m not sure I want to read any more of this author’s work.

Swept Away is the story of a one night stand on a house boat that becomes unmoored and lost at sea. Limited food, limited water, no way to contact anyone, leaks in the boat, injuries, weather. This situation had it all - high stress mixed with a sweet romance. I was so into this story. So attached to these characters. Both the man and woman had chapters so we could see both points of view. My heart pounded and melted so many times. What a unique way to tell a love story.

3 stars.

"Swept Away" by Beth O'Leary was a mixed bag for me. I have loved O'Leary's past works and will continue to read her books in the future, but this one wasn't my favorite. The book takes quite a while to get going, leaving me wanting more from time to time. The best part of the story is the chemistry Zeke and Lexi gain as they get to know one another while stuck out at sea on a houseboat. They have a lot of great banter with one another, even when they are in dire straits and in a perilous situation. O'Leary's humor shines through in this story, even when I was on the fence about what I was reading. I also liked that this was an age-gap romance where the FMC is the older person in the pairing. Even though Zeke is in his early 20s, he is written as a more mature character, and he felt a lot older than his years would suggest... maybe it's all of the trauma. I feel like I liked Zeke more than I did Lexi. We get to know a lot about them individually because they are stuck on a boat with nothing else to do, so we learn about their innermost struggles, turmoils, and tribulations. I don't think I really believed in their love story because it felt more like trauma bonding than a full-fledged romance. I did enjoy the mix of romance and at-sea tension, but I found the premise unique but a bit outlandish at the outset. Despite having a premise where the characters are literally fighting for their lives on multiple occasions, the tension never felt quite as palpable as it could have or as I hope it would be. Still, this is a quick read that doesn't really overstay its welcome.

Thank you to NetGalley, Beth O'Leary, and Berkley Publishing Group for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Although Swept Away is labeled a romance, it is so much more than that. Zeke is in town to buy back his father's boat. Lexi is busy in life helping her best friend take care of her daughter. When she meets a handsome stranger in town, she is up for a one night stand on her sister's houseboat. After their night together, they get up the next morning afloat on the ocean with no working motor, and very few provisions. For twelve days, they are adrift. They spend a lot of time sharing secrets and getting to know one another. They also have to survive a couple of accidents, all while trying to find another boat or someone to rescue them. Once back on land, can the relationship they began drifting at sea, become something real? This is a story of dealing with life's issues. There is some grief, secrets, personal growth, romance and survival. This was a tense adventure, with situations that could have turned out very differently. I liked both Zeke and Lexi, and I wanted them both to find their place and a happily ever after. They were smart and resourceful, having to survive and deal with things that happen on the open water. I don't want to give the story away, so all I will say is if you enjoy a story with great characters, lots of tension, adventure, friendship, developing romance, with that third act break up, then Swept Away is the book for you.

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

If you loved this book, I love that for you. But I did not. I have read one other book by this author and also didn’t love it, but I definitely got swept away (har dee har har) by the cover and the synopsis. I just didn’t vibe with it and the sequence of events really stressed me out. It felt so realistic and completely unrealistic. It just wasn’t the book for me. I think i’ve learned that I just don’t mesh with this author and that’s okay! I hope it finds the right reader.

Synopsis:

“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.” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Concept—Forced proximity on a boat! How interesting and high stakes.

The Emotional Depth—I liked my romance to contain a layer of emotional depth amidst the fun tropes and swoony moments. This definitely delivered.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

The Execution—I’m having a hard time articulating why exactly, but it felt like the structure just didn’t work and some of the things that happened gave me whiplash.

The Characters—I didn’t like them 🙈

The Twist Ending—I mean, I will say my jaw dropped. But it didn’t work for me!!! Kind of gave me the ick.

Character Authenticity: 3/5 Spice Rating: 2/5 Overall Rating: 2/5

Content Warnings:

blood, injury and injury detail, death of a parent, pregnancy, fire and fire injury

I've loved quite a few of O'Leary's books but actually DNFed her last release - for whatever reason the story just wasn't clicking for me and I haven't felt pulled to start it again. I was really hoping to get back on track with her for this novel and I'm happy to report that happened!

The story follows Zeke and Lexi as they deal with the aftermath of a one-night stand. They realize when they wake up in the morning that the houseboat they were using has somehow gotten untied and was swept out to see. They don't have power, they're running out of food, and - to top it all off - they literally don't know each other at all.

Obviously the premise alludes to a bit of a survival story but for some reason I didn't realize how intense it would be! I kind of just assumed they'd get rescued in a few days but there was actually a lot of peril and accidents to deal with. Some early reviews had folks unprepared for this and it affected their enjoyment, but I still really enjoyed it. It's just not a straightforward fluffy romance.

The ending had some twists that I didn’t see coming (which makes me feel like an idiot because maybe they were obvious?). It took a little while to get on board with those reveals but I was pretty pleased by the end of the book with how everything turned out. This was a super emotional kind of read with a heavy focus on family.

Overall, the plot was super unique and interesting to read. I kind of thought I’d get bored with the two of them being trapped on the boat, only able to talk to each other, but it was easy to keep reading.

Review will be posted on 4/11/25

Lexi and Zeke had an incredible one-night stand, but it was more than they bargained for. While on Zeke's father's houseboat, they don't pay attention and when they wake up, they are miles from land. The boat left the dock in the fog without them knowing it and now they are stranded at sea. At first, this sounds romantic. However, as time goes on, they realize that this is a perilous situation. Not to mention, Lexi's best friend and her daughter will be desperate to know what happened to her. Without cell service, and the water reserves dwindling, panic ensues. In the midst of all this, Zeke and Lexi come to realize that they share feelings for one another; it's more than just a one-night stand. If they can make it out of this, will they be able to make it in the real world? Beth O'Leary's Swept Away is an engaging romance, but one that doesn't feel balanced enough as the stressful situations abound.

Many readers have issues with the age gap between Lexi and Zeke, but it didn't bother me as much. I did enjoy their relationship; however, I felt it fell flat at times. It lacked that spark I was expecting based on O'Leary's previous novels. On the other hand, I did think the setting of a houseboat was very original and I liked that aspect of the story until things started to go badly. There were too many stressful situations (lacking water, a festering wound, etc) that took a day in the sun, to much more serious concerns. I also felt like there was a coincidence in the story revealed later on that didn't entirely work for me. I had a hard time suspending my disbelief. So, all in all, Swept Away was just an ok read for me.

This book is a unique blend of survival and romance that had me completely hooked. Despite it being a romance and I knew that a happy ending was imminent, I was still on the edge of my seat!

What starts as a one-night stand turns into a gripping fight for survival at sea. Lexi and Zeke, seemingly total opposites, form a deep bond as they face one life-threatening challenge after another.

This isn’t your typical forced-proximity romance. While there are lighter moments, the story leans into emotional growth and raw honesty of the characters, which, for me, felt even more realistic given the high-stakes situation.

The twist near the end was completely unexpected and added another layer of intensity, however I thought the journey to get there was well-crafted and satisfying.

The dual POV added depth, giving insight into how both Lexi and Zeke were evolving through their experience. Some readers might view their connection as more bonding as a result of shared trauma than romance, but the emotional weight and stakes still made this a thought-provoking and memorable read for me.

I found the story to be a complex mix of tension, tenderness, and reflection—it will make you think (and maybe never want to go on a boat again).

Many thanks to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for the eARC.

This book. Wowsa. We have now been gifted with the most dangerous bang that has ever danger banged. Other than two people going at it in the middle of a hostage shoot out, I can’t think of a more specific way of “fornicating in the face of death” than what this book delivered to us. I feel like I have been blessed by the book gods, bc Smutty loves a good danger bang.

Zeke is a reformed man-slut from London who is at the coast buying back his dad’s houseboat that he sold years prior after his dad’s death. Lexi is a townie who’s mom had purchased said houseboat and now she is crashing at it not knowing it was recently sold. The two meet at a bar, get the hots for each other, return to said houseboat and make some waves if you catch my drift. The following day they wake up to find that, oopsie daisies, the houseboat has come untied and now they are adrift at sea…and that’s when the book really becomes enthralling as these two one-night-stand strangers have to work together to stay alive. While they vow to not bone anymore, as each day passes they get hornier and hornier for each other…which is saying A LOT bc they are unbathed and injured and hairy and they must both smell like a giant decaying fish decked out in old hockey gear. True love doesn’t have olfactory nerves, guys. Anyway- there are so many hazards and threats sandwiched between Zeke and Lexi actually getting it on that your dopamine receptors will be happily engaged for the entirety of the book.

I loved this. Please sail on over to your local bookstore and get yourself a copy!!! It’s so so good.

Smut- 2.1 stars (add a star for ‘mayday mating’)
Romance- 4.3 stars
Story- 4.7 stars
Imperiled intercourse- 18.2 stars

This doesn’t make me happy to share that I didn’t like this one. I love the author, always seek to enjoy her romance novels but the couple drove me bonkers in this. Immature and annoying (sorry!!! I feel so bad being honest) … if it’s your first with the author, go to her backlist, she’s got some gems.

Or maybe it’s a me thing.
Probably a me thing.

Sorry to the author! And so appreciative to the publisher for trusting me with an e-arc. This is the first by the author that I didn’t love. I’m not going to post it on my Bookstagram because I don’t want people to not try for themselves.

I so enjoy Beth O'Leary's books. Her books are always warm, unique, and like a big, cozy hug. Swept Away was no different. It's fast-paced and, well, not to use a bad pun, but you get swept up in the storyline.

The idea of being swept out to sea with your one-night stand seems like a nightmare, and I think it is for Lexi and Zeke. But, as they spend more time on open water, they start to open up to each other in ways most people take years to do. I liked the premise and found this surprisingly emotional.

Highly recommend if you're a Beth O'Leary fan!

Utterly delightful, filled with humor and hurt. I was enthralled from the first page to the last. Another new favorite from Beth!

The cover for Swept Away immediately grabbed my attention it’s so pretty and romantic and I was excited to read it!

For the most part I enjoyed both characters and the instalove here surprisingly worked for me because of the forced proximity high-stress situation the characters were in.

Unfortunately a few things gave me the ick and one thing in particular was a dealbreaker for me. I’m sure the twist would have also bothered me if I wasn’t already bothered.

While I loved the concept for Swept Away, it didn’t hit the way I hoped it would.

**Thank you to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.**

What was supposed to be a one night stand turns out to be an exercise in trust and survival when the houseboat Zeke and Lexi were on drifts out to sea overnight.

Having read most of Beth O'Leary's previous books, I should know by now that she is well versed in how to navigate an emotionally intriguing story with wonderful characters. Still, I was a little weary of how this story was going to be pulled off. I'm over here thinking how improbable it is in today's technology enabled world to get lost at sea. Well, turns out, it's completely plausible and obviously possible. And I admit to my very short-sightedness where this story was originally concerned.

The mounting tension as each day passes and more and more unaccounted for issues arise was done so methodically well. It really makes you realize how many things we have (like clean drinking water) that we don't even think about but make a huge impact and when that's taken away can have big consequences.

I also liked the setup of Lexi and Zeke. Two people who are looking for nothing from the other person besides one night and then having to completely rely on this person for survival. Putting your trust and faith in someone you don't know and in the process getting to know and understand them. The rest of the world just kind of melts away and it's only Lexi and Zeke. I liked the pinpoint focus of everything revolving around Lexi and Zeke. I was completely caught up in their growing relationship and it's maybe because of this that I missed a gently laid out twist. I appreciate the dimension that this twist added to the story but it's difficult because it brings in that outside world which doesn't happen until close to the end and therefore might not get the full deserving attention.

Regardless, for me, I found this the most surprising of Beth O'Leary's books. Probably due to the fact that I was a bit skeptical of it. I do love to be proven wrong. Especially when it gets me a good read!

This was a cute and easy to digest read, with quite the quirky concept! After a one night stand, Zeke offers to walk Lexi home, only that option is obsolete, as they're stranded in the house boat they hooked up in! It accidently stranded them in the middle of the ocean. The premise of this makes for an incredible forced proximity, and quite a refreshing take on one of my favorite tropes. I struggled slightly with the insta love aspect of their relationship, but that's a personal thing for me, as it was still an obvious chemistry match between the two characters. If you're up for an adventurous love story with a surprise twist at the end, you'll really enjoy this.

4.5 rounded up

This was a ride!

That was the first line I found from the last review I had started writing for a the latest in a cozy mysteries series. If that was a ride, however, then this was, well, I shouldn’t say the Titanic, even though that’s the first thing that came to mind.

First of all, this is not a romcom. I’ve begun to think of a lot of modern romances as romcoms—especially when they all feature cute characters on the cover—but they tend to have a lot more turmoil than Nora Efron movies ever had. This is a lot. Sure, not everything is 100% plausible, and though some of those things were later satisfied by explanation, I wasted time thinking they weren’t plausible. If you aren’t a Brit, I recommend looking up pictures of what a houseboat or lifeboat look like. These houseboats are always in canals, not the open sea. Even though I should have remembered, I started out thinking of the mobile-home-raft hybrids in Seattle and blown up evacuation dinghies.

I loved most of this. It is about honesty, loving yourself, strength, and the fragility of life. I could only think when their health was threatened in various ways how that shouldn’t be happening in 2025 because of all our advancement in modern medicine. Then I thought about how many people are throwing away modern medicine every day because they think they know better than the brilliant people who have committed their lives to improving everyone else’s and, more importantly, they are building upon the research and successes and failures both they and all of the scientists who came before them had.

My feelings aside, these were too healthy, stable adults from a wealthy country, who, just outside the reach adequate fresh water, proper sanitation, and access to emergency medicine, had to forge ahead seeking a rescue, rather than recuperating. It is like being in a place where most of the people are starving. Except that those people have no hope of a rescue, whatever that would mean.

This is a fascinating and eye-opening story and quite unique in the modern day of very predictable romance tropes. You could not help but like both characters and I’m glad we could get into the heads of both of them rather than from just one of their perspectives. Just be prepared for some emotional turmoil.


Thank you to Beth O’Leary, NetGalley, and Berkeley Publishing Group for providing me with a free advanced copy of this ebook for my unbiased review.

#SweptAway #NetGalley

Loved. Did not disappoint.

Zeke and Lexi decide to have one night of fun. They head back to Zeke’s houseboat for a one night stand but the boat floats out to sea and they end up stuck on the houseboat in the middle of the ocean waiting to be rescued.

One of my favorite things about O’Leary’s stories is that there is always more to them than what you originally see. This books comes off like a silly forced proximity romance, but the characters have such depth and grow throughout their survival. There is also the expected O’Leary twist that hits you in the heart. I was a little disappointed in myself for not calling it sooner.

Zeke is like this perfect man. Well, not in your stereotypical pulled together suave man, but in an emotionally self-aware and willing to change kind of way. He definitely has his flaws but he is so willing to look at them head on and make changes. It was extremely attractive. Lexi is a little rougher around the edges. She’s a bit more damaged and struggles to make growth as easily as Zeke does. I guess my only issue with this book is that I wish there had been a little more exploration into Lexi’s background and issues. Zeke’s were more fleshed out which maybe is why it made his growth feel a little more genuine.

I was so surprised that I enjoyed a book stuck on a houseboat for almost its entirety. I kept expecting to get bored but O’Leary kept it exciting without making it feel unrealistic. It also had an element of a slow burn, even though it takes place over about two weeks. I just truly cannot think of what I’d want more out of this book.

This was a knock out of the park for me. I loved Zeke and Lexi, which is important since the whole book is just the two of them. This might be one of my favorite of her books. It was so unique from many romance centered books I’ve read and I devoured it in 2 days. I still think The Flatshare is the place to start with her novels, but if that one doesn’t strike your fancy you should definitely pick this one up.

I love basically everything Beth O'Leary writes (except for one or two exceptions, which we don't need to discuss lol), and so it was for this book. This is a pretty ridiculous premise, which is sort of O'Leary's calling card, and as in her other books she somehow makes it work. Lexi and Zeke have a one-night stand on a docked boat, but when they wake up they realize the boat has come loose and they are adrift at sea with no land in sight. They have to come together and figure out how to survive, all while getting to know each other and - of course :) - falling in love.

This book was definitely more serious and stressful - and certainly darker - than I expected. I deeply loved it, but just be warned it is not a frivolous lost at sea story, but instead a harrowing journey really getting into how you would survive if you were in the middle of the ocean for days on end on a houseboat that had not sailed in years. Lexi and Zeke are both incredibly lovable, and we see them just white-knuckling it and figuring out each problem that comes their way, all the while also trying to get rescued. This book has O'Leary's signature banter and soft relationship growth, and getting both Lexi's and Zeke's perspectives really helped me feel invested in both of them. I also appreciated that we got to know both of them as they got to know each other, and that O'Leary didn't rush the connection between them (of course the actual time that passes is not very long, but the challenges they face and the conversations they have made it all seem earned real). I always like when a romance takes the time to help the characters grow in all aspects of their lives, not just romantic, and so I loved that aspect of this book too. Overall, one I really enjoyed!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!