I’m a pretty big fan of Priscilla Oliveras. Her books are like a warm hug to me, full of fundamentally good-but-flawed characters with loving families who may clash but always come back together stronger. So while I was sad that we had to say goodbye to the Fernandez sisters from her last series, I was looking forward to meeting the Navarro familia, and I was not disappointed!

“Familia was familia. Good, bad, or indifferent.”


I loved Sara. I loved how driven she was to succeed at her job, even if the roots of that drive were to prove herself to her family. She was an oops baby, and her siblings were much older than her, something that I can empathize strongly with. Since her parents worked long hours at their medical jobs, Sara was basically raised by her nanny, Mamá Alicia, and she speaks Spanish because of her. Sara grew up being envious of Mamá Alicia’s boisterous, loving Mexican family, so she’s not completely out of her depth with Luis’ similar Cuban family. She feels like she’s not fully a part of her own family, separated by age and profession (they’re doctors, she’s a social media influencer). And while on the surface the Navarros are a complete 180 from the Vances, there’s unresolved issues between Luis and his youngest brother that put a strain on their family as well. Luis’s solution to dealing with his problem is throwing himself into his work as a firefighter, or barring that, helping someone else out. So jumping in to help Sara by pretending to be her boyfriend is right in character for him. The instant chemistry between the two of them definitely helps, as well!

“Maybe she couldn’t allow herself to fall for him, but she could damn well do her best to make sure her firefighter in shining armor found a little bit of peace in his part of this beautiful paradise he called home.”


But despite their growing friendship, Sara and Luis are reluctant to share their secrets with each other. Sara doesn’t want to tell Luis about her eating disorder, even after he’s put in an uncomfortable position when it’s clear everyone else in the family is expecting him to know about it. Perhaps some of it is because she’s the baby of the family, but they treat her as someone who’s unable to take care of herself, and she’s afraid to tell Luis for fear that he’d treat her differently, constantly second guess whether she’s eating enough, try to shove food at her, question all her decisions. Luis, for his part, doesn’t want to talk about what caused the rift between him and his younger brother, and while he urges Sara to embrace the chance to repair her relationships with her family, he doesn’t want to take his own advice.

“It all seemed so cozy. A little surreal. An average family snapshot she’d always dreamed of. Her entire family together with her not feeling like an outsider, either too young or too different or too emotionally weak to be an equal.
Time had eroded the age gap once she’d reached adulthood. Regular therapy had helped with the other two.
But somehow, having Luis here with her, partnered with someone she respected and cared for like her parents and siblings were, gave her a sense of belonging she had always craved.”


Their relationship, though it starts out as fake, is very sweet and exactly what I expected from Ms. Oliveras. One of my favorite examples is how much Sara melts when she hears Luis earnestly telling his mom he loves her over the phone. His Vin Diesel exterior hides a soft gooey center, and nothing shows that more than his commitment to showing her family around his hometown, taking them dancing, or teaching them to play dominoes. They bring out the best in each other, and each gradually encourages the other to resolve the rifts in their families.

While I ended the book with the warm fuzzies, I wasn’t completely satisfied with the HEA. While the main driver behind the dark moment is addressed, [and while there was some talk about Sara moving to Miami to work on her clothing line, I was left puzzled by how they were going to work it out. Would they trade commutes every weekend? Would Sara move to Key West and then commute to Miami? I would’ve appreciated an epilogue a few months down the line showing how things worked out. I was also a little wary of the way the eating disorder was portrayed. I may just be overly sensitive, but there were a few times where I didn’t feel like Sara was making healthy eating choices (eating an appetizer instead of an entree for dinner, skipping breakfast).

Overall, though, this book was like a mini-vacation that filled up my heart. I will very much be looking forward to the next book in the series!

I received this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A cute holiday romance story set in the subtropical paradise of Florida's Key West. I am so glad that I read this book as it helped me escape for a few hours from this strange moment in time that we live in (written in April 2020). I found really interesting the book's backstory and the author described it with the sensitivity it deserves. The two families give you "all the cozy feelings" and I really enjoyed reading them.

This was a fun and heartwarming read, a perfect book for the summer. I'd enjoy this book even more if I read it on a beach with a cocktail in my hand. But it was still a cute read.
I really connected with the characters and I loved the family dynamics. The writing was beautiful and the story was welll balanced. It had enough romance, lots of humor that made me laugh often and all that with a touch of family drama which I always welcome.
This would be a great read for all romcom lovers and I'd definitely read the other books in the series.

I received this Advance Review Copy by Netgalley and Kensington Books in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books!!

Review

Island Affair is the first book in Key to love series, it is the perfect escapade one needs take from the insane reality. The storyline was unbelievably adorable. Something straight outta Rom-Coms. The character description and development was fantastic. How both the lead characters Sara Vance and Luis Navarro evolves emotionally over the 7 days of their vacation is something worth the read. The backstories of these two characters was strong, believable, relatable and deep. The family background of both Sara and Luis was similar and different in its own way. The career choice Sara Vance was something anew which matches the contemporary lifestyle perfectly, no author has dared to give their leads a career option as Social media influencer so far and that was bold and really amazing. And it was actually nice to read about Social media influencers and look into their mode working and life in detail. On the other hand Luis and his fire fighter family made sure the readers get to experience the Key west life at the best. The parts where both Vance family and Navarro family was involved was extremely wonderful and enjoyable. The Navarro sibling though they played only small roles in this book, they left their footprints in the hearts of the readers. Since this book is a series, we can all hope to see more of Navarro siblings in spot light. The supporting characters were highly supportive and help constructing the plot efficiently. They were all one hell of a supporting characters.

The writing style was long and elaborate, which could have been avoided because at times it felt really long and unendurable. If this book had been small and crispy it would’ve been even more good to read. There were lot of Spanish dialogues here and there, and there wasn’t any translation available in the book so it kind of felt alien to Non-Spanish speakers. And the narration of the story was done from the perspective of both Luis and Sara, so there was practically no suspense in this book because both Sara and Luis’s feelings and thoughts were out there in the open for the readers. If the author had blindfolded one side of the story, it would’ve been intriguing. These are few shortcomings of the book other than that, it was really a nice read.

On the whole it was simple, happy and funny read, filled with lots of honeymoon phase romances. The bonds shared between the members of the family was beautifully portrayed. The emotional turmoil one faces when they yearn for being loved and accepted by their loved ones was the core point the author has intended to bring about in the story and had succeeded in doing so.

Island Affair is one cherish-able vacation everyone longs for.

My views

I really like the places where the family bonding was involved. There were lot funny instances which brought a smile to my smug face. The author had simply took me on a vacation to Key West with this one book, and I completely loved the experience. I loved all the supporting characters, I think this is the first book which made me like all the characters in it. I particularly liked all the siblings and among them my favorites are Enrique and Anamaria, I really hope to read about them in the upcoming books in the Key to Love series.

I would recommend this book to humor and Rom-Com lovers. And also to people who loves to travel because this book clearly takes you around Key West like a tour guide along with sprinkles of family drama, romance, humor and emotions. Which is of course an added advantage. Do read this book and tell me how you feel about it.
My rating for this book would be 3 / 5 stars 🌟🌟🌟
Happy Reading Folks!!

~Meenu

4 - 4.5 Stars

When Luis agrees to step into the pretend role of Sara's long distance boyfriend it seems like a fun way to shake things up during his week long forced vacation from the fire department. The last thing either Sara or Luis expect is for their fake relationship to have more sparks than the 4th of July and New Years Eve rolled into one. While navigating the land mines of Sara's family dynamic and the ever present potential of running into Luis' family or friends at every turn, the two develop a very real, very deep connection.

Now her family thinks he's someone else - with a different job and zip code, and his family's ignorant to the deception surrounding their affair. But what both families can see is the deep connection the two share.

The premise of Island Affair is full of whimsy - travel to a beautiful island and meet the man of your dreams, but the reality is so much deeper in this tender story about two damaged souls that connect in a way that helps both of them heal old wounds. I absolutely adored Sara, Luis, and their families full of colorful characters that give the story so much depth. Oliveras has been added to my one click list!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Island Affair is an absolute treat of a romance! It takes a classic romance trope- fake relationship!- infuses it with depth, heart and humor, and nests it in the lush, steamy setting of Key West, Florida.

The Good

-The main characters! Both leads felt three dimensional, with nuanced backstories that deepened the story without distracting from the romance and fun.

Sarah is a social media influencer, who is trying to connect with her historically distant family, during their first family vacation after her mother's remission from cancer. Sarah is also in recovery from an eating disorder, and the author does a fantastic job of showing the ways that complicated family dynamics can be entwined with mental health struggles. Luis is a Cuban-American firefighter, with a big loving family, whose has unresolved trauma and betrayal in his past. Watching the two navigate the ways that old wounds and habits show up in the present was a breathe of fresh air in a genre that doesn't always have room for nuance. And the romance itself was *chefs kiss* delicious! Luis and Sarah's chemistry is palpable from the from the beginning, and watching them dance around their growing attraction was a delight!

- The supporting characters. I am in love with Luis' entire family (and have serious hope that the next book in the series will be about one family member in particular). His close knit relationships with most of his family, and in particular his highly involved mother, were some of the highlights of the story for me. And Sarah's family had some of the best moments of character growth in the whole book; one scene actually had me happy crying!

- The setting. The author writes descriptions so beautifully that I felt like Key West was a third main character! From sunsets, to lush beaches, to churchyards filled with frolicking children, Oliveras's visions of Key West stole my heart.

The Less Good

-Mostly, how long I'm going to have to wait to read the sequel! Sigh.

-I thought Sarah's job was going to end up in this section of the list. I am Judgey McJudgerson, and "social media influencer" made me raise an eyebrow- it seemed like the most rom-com-y job of all. But the author seemed to anticipate my response (by having Sarah's family agree with me) and as they learned to suspend their judgement and celebrate Sarah's successes, I mostly did too!

While this book might be fine for some, I wasn’t a big fan of it so I chose to put it down at 17%. The main characters meet very quickly & instantly decide to have a fake relationship, but it just didn’t seem probable with the timeline the story was working with. I wasn’t drawn to either of the characters either, even though it seemed like they both had secrets (which was alluded to).

I've seen this author around on Twitter and when I saw the cover, it looked appealing, so I requested it on NetGalley. That cover is just so cheerful; how could I resist?

Mostly, I'm glad I didn't resist, and I'll probably request the next book. One downside to this book - I didn't realize there's a character recovering from cancer. Cancer in my books is a no-no. The blurb mentions Sara has a serious health condition; she is not the one with cancer. That is someone else. I was able to deal with Sara's health issues; the person with the breast cancer was harder since breast cancer is rampant in my family. I almost put the book down on several occasions but pushed through. It wasn't a major part of the story and I was enjoying the book, so I kept going.

Sara's (non-cancerous) health issues are a part of the story. Her family worries about her, her health, her career (they deem it unimportant and not real work), her single state, and is always hovering. Combine that with being an oops child, significantly older siblings, and career-focused parents, and it was easy to understand why she felt like an outsider in her family. This family trip is important for several reasons, one being it's the first ever trip they have taken with the whole family. Everyone except Sara is a doctor and they have taken medical work trips together. This is the first 'family' trip to include Sara. Sara, who knows her family considers her intellectually inferior, is desperate to please them on this trip and to not rock the boat. She doesn't want to cause stress or unhappiness.

"Her ability to form words failed her as her old nemesis self-doubt poked its head out of the dark hole where she doggedly tried to keep it buried. Its beady eyes bore into her psyche like a mangy prairie dog refusing to stay underground."


"She was so tired of chasing her mother's approval. Angry at the unhealthy decisions that chase hd led her to make. And yet, the longing for that approval remained. Needing that validation was what had first driven her to start-

No!

Shaking her head, Sara halted thoughts of her disorder.."


Then there's Luis. He's a firefighter who's been told to take a week's vacation. This part was never made clear. He's in some sort of trouble at work, it apparently has to do with a reaction he had to an accident he responded to, but Oliveras leaves the details vague which was incredibly frustrating. That made it harder for me to care what happened with his firefighting career. All of this is connected to the car accident death years ago of his fiance, and his ongoing problems with his younger brother. Thanks to his 'vacation' he's available when Sara needs a temporary boyfriend for her family's vacation, after her fiance bails on her at the last minute. She's afraid that if she shows up solo, her family will worry and stress about her, more than they already do, and she doesn't want to be responsible for ruining the trip. Yeah, she takes a lot onto her shoulders.

Luis, unlike Sara, has a very loving and engaged family. Whereas Sara wants more involvement and engagement with her family, Luis wants a little breather. I gotta say, his family was so involved and so demanding, I'd probably take a long breather and move out of state. His mother actually expects her unmarried sons to visit at least once a day, better if they do it twice. When Luis's mother realizes he and Sara are dating, she demands that Luis bring her to family dinner then has them practically married off before dessert. Yeah, no. I need more space than that. Luis is mostly happy with it, though there is the trouble with his younger brother. That trouble stresses the family. Frankly, younger brother came off as a jerk most of the time. If he gets his own book, he will need some rehabilitation to be a decent love interest. To be fair, he wasn't completely responsible for the issues between them. There's more than one guilty party.

So, Luis and Sara hook up and pretend to be lovers. Things move quickly as the vacation is only a week long. This is a fast moving romance, going from fake to genuine in a hurry; it was a little too fast for me, but they do get each other to open up emotionally. They are good for each other. Luis sees all of Sara's strengths and positives and pushes her to see them also. Sara sees the pain in Luis and helps him to deal with it and reach out to his brother. Of course, along the way they have a misunderstanding and then Luis pulls a public gesture; I'm not a fan of either of those conventions. Luis's gesture actually worked in the context of the story and it wasn't some big, grand look-at-me gesture, which helped. I do wish he'd groveled more. Actually, they both screwed up, they both could have groveled more.

Luis and Sara were hot and sweet together. They had fun together and got past each others barriers. There were a few minor unlikely coincidences, and I didn't completely buy how quickly their romance happened. I loved seeing Sara handle her insecurities and that she sought out professional help. I ached for her and he family's treatment of her. It was wonderful to see her open up and accept their efforts to change and to allow her thinking to change. Luis went through a similar change re his relationship issues and his fraternal issues. There was definitely more angst in the story than I like but the overall story was pleasant and the Keys made for a colorful and lively location.

"Island Affair" was romantic, emotional, a little uneven in pacing, but ultimately a good read.

This book is familiar with it's hallmark channel plot and I did love the setting. Unfortunately the story moved a little slow for me and the characters had some depth, but it felt a little forced. I enjoyed it, but didn't love it

Island Affair features Sara Vance, a social media influencer, who is in Key West for a family vacation meant to give her a chance to prove to her family that they (a) don't need to worry about her and (b) should be proud of her. It's also meant to be extremely relaxing because they're celebrating her mother's recovery from cancer. So when her boyfriend flakes on her at the last minute, she's anxious but really happy to accept a stand in boyfriend in the form of Luis Navarro. For his part, Luis has an unexpected week off and he's got a thing for saving people, not only in his profession as a firefighter, but also just in every day life. Both characters have some things in their past that have left some emotional scars for them to address as we move through the novel.

My favorite part of this was definitely the familial aspect, both with the Navarros and the Vances. I think Priscilla Oliveras is very good at crafting close families and showing families doing work trying to improve their relationship. I'm also looking forward to getting Luis' sister's story and I am hoping that's next in the series, though I know other people are more excited about Emanuel. I also liked seeing parts of Key West and pretending I too could go on a nice bike ride. (I don't even like riding a bike and haven't done that in years, but desperate times, you know?)

The things I didn't love so much were a few comments Sara made that were related to her eating disorder, from which she's in recovery, and the end. Specifically, I spent the book feeling like Sara and Luis fit together well, though I can't say I specifically understood why, and the reason they come apart is reasonable but also miscommunication related. And then the second they come back together the book is over. I don't want to spoil you for anything, but just know that I didn't find the ending satisfying and therefore it was difficult for me to really love this book. That said, I'm looking forward to continuing in the series and I hope if you pick this up, you'll enjoy it more than I did!

Well, I’m in the minority, but Island Affair was not a winner for me. First off I found the set up to be awkward and unbelievable. I know it’s a rom com, and I need to suspend my disbelief, and usually I can, but not for this one. Next I just didn’t feel the chemistry or connection between Sara and Luis. It was an even keel the whole time. Finally I found chunks that I skimmed. There was a lot of telling and not enough showing and what felt like superfluous details and descriptions. Just not for me.

I enjoyed this book so much! The author was very descriptive in describing the setting. Made me feel as though I was sitting in Key West. I love how each character also had challenges that they each needed to work through and by doing that brought them together. I look forward to the next chapter in the lives of Luis and Sara.

This book was a fun, sweet romance anchored with some more serious issues. It follows the “fake boyfriend” trope and the main characters have great chemistry. I appreciated the sensitive handling of the long-term impacts of disordered eating and cancer recovery. There were also elements of how grief and guilt can effect relationships with others. I enjoyed the exploration of family dynamics because most families are more complicated than they seem. This will make a perfect beach read this summer.

Thank you to Priscilla Oliveras, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a cute book!

I really enjoyed the setting in Key West, I actually planned a trip (that I can't take) while reading this book. I also really enjoyed Sara and Luis' relationship and how it grew, though I would have liked to see more. I could have used another chapter about how they are doing now that she's home. I also felt like the characters were not that deep, but had issues forced upon them. They each only seemed to struggle with one thing and that one thing affected their relationships with their families. Those aspects didn't seem necessary to the story. I would have loved to have seen more time spent on them developing their own relationships.

Overall I liked this book but didn't love it.

I love a good holiday romance! Toss in a fake relationship and I'm sold!

Sara is visiting her family, and feels very much that she needs to impress them as she deems everyone else in her family to be perfect. This was the most frustrating part for me. She was so wrapped up in "not meeting expectations" that at times it was hard to see her true personality. Sara is also in recovery from an eating disorder. I thought this was handled very well.

Luis was adorable and regular stand up guy. Nothing too flashy. He had his own issues for sure, but really wanted what was best for Sara.

As to be expected Sara and Luis' fake relationship turns real, and has the requisite blow up. This was all very much needed as it brought everything for Sara out in the open so that she could have a better relationship with her family.

This author is so good! I love the diversity of her characters and the steam level. Very readable and with wide appeal

I wish I was on the beach when I read this book! Island Affair is a fun and flirty romance novel. Both Luis and Sara had well-developed back-stories, and I thought Priscilla did a great job incorporating those back-stories into their budding relationship. I enjoyed watching the two of them fall in love, but I also enjoyed reading about how they navigated relationships with their individual families.

Although the book was fun and I really enjoyed the relationship between the main characters, I struggled to really dig in to the book because the premise of it is so unbelievable. What are the odds that they'd run into each other at the same part of the airport at the perfect time, and both agree to a week-long pretend relationship? Then again, romance novels aren't usually meant to be realistic.

I also found slight issue with the way Sara was described. When we were reading from Luis' POV, Sara was often referred to as "slim", but anyone who has knowledge of eating disorders knows that not everyone with an ED is slim––some EDs are characterized by weight gain.

Island Affair is a flirty, cute read with two charming and developed characters. A fun book if you're looking for an escape to the beach.

This was such a fun read! It was like reading a Rom-Com movie. The characters even talk about how they know this sounds like a girly movie. Filled with characters you root for the whole time and an ending that makes your heart happy. It has twists and turns along the way to keep things interesting. A great vacation read.

So this book reminded of The Wedding Date. I actually like this book a little better then that book simply because I feel like the plot is a little more developed in this book. This book is very detail oriented. The first six chapters take place on the same
Day. My ELA teacher would be ecstatic. With that being said, both main characters have some issues and I enjoyed the way the relationship developed and hit some bumps in the road. It is a cute story where you are cheering them on till the end.

What sets this apart from the usual fake-fiance novel? The characters and the terrific setting! Sara has a sort of rat of a boss and a real rat of a boyfriend, who doesn't show up just when she really needs him because she's about to spend time with her boisterous (and somewhat obnoxious) family. Luis, a firefighter who lost his fiancé in an accident, is there when she finds out. They make an immediate and unlikely agreement that he'll step in and represent himself as her love. Haa. You know how this is going to go, don't you? Oliveras has added in some very real issues and made then part of the story, which deepens it. The characters are good, the writing zippy, and the story fun. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A perfect escapist read.