I liked this book, it's a cute rom-com with interesting characters and a beautiful sounding setting. It's well written and the author makes you care about the characters and what happens to them. Key West sounds lovely and it's an interesting place to set a romance novel because of the nature of life on an island. 4 1/2 stars.

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A great sense of place, sweet fake-to-real romance, immersive Latin culture, and strong (and complicated) family relationships. If you like to travel through books, Island Affair is for you.

Readers might find the descriptions, turn-by-turn directions, and the use of the word familia a tad excessive. Also the characters’ refusal to properly communicate for a major portion of the story could be a concern.

Content advisory: FMC had an eating disorder and MMC has flashbacks of a death scene.

Who is ready for a “vacation” to Key West?! This book definitely takes you there and provides the perfect beach read to seal the deal!

Sara shows us the true meaning of family dynamic and what it takes to overcome some troubling hoops while laidback Luis brings all that Cuban heat, with a fire fighter side, that can’t be missed. You’re going to be craving more of the Navarro family and counting the days till book 2. This funny but realistic romcom deserves a permanent spot on the shelf!

Do you find yourself wishing for a nice beach vacation, but you're still stuck in your house because of the dreaded Rona? If so, Island Affair would be a perfect book for you to escape into.

What I loved about this book:

1. Island Affair's protagonists are fun and relatable that have undeniable chemistry. Luis is a workaholic fireman that is using his career to stay busy and avoid his past trauma and Sara is a social media influencer that doesn't want to ruin her family's first vacation together after her Mom's battle with cancer. Their brief meeting in the airport parking lot leads to a sweet fake dating romance that I couldn't put down.

2. The heavy emphasis on family dynamics (and drama) was a great part of this book that proved to be highly entertaining. The Navarro family was my absolute favorite and I can't wait for the next book that features a new member of the family. ❤

3. I love when a romance proves to be more than I was expecting and this one pleasantly surprised me. It has themes of forgiveness, accepting yourself, and the importance of positive family relationships.

This fake dating romance was full of witty banter and the Keys were the perfect setting. I definitely recommend you pick this entertaining romcom that's the perfect summer read.

Absolutely loved the setting of Key West, but I felt like it was a bit too cheesy for me. It seemed to drag on in the middle. But as far as easy, beach/summer reads this one is perfect for it and looking forward to the rest of the series!

This book has your typical "fake dating" trope that we see in many books and movies. Itbisbset in the beautiful background of Key West. The cover is what really drew me in. It is absolutely stunning and full of life. Sara, a social media influencer, gets stood up on her way to a family vacation so she recruits Luis, a sexy fireman, to stand in as her boyfriend. The thing that is funny about this to me is that I do not think I know anyone who would actually do such a thing. This book was filled with light hearted moments as well a somewhat more serious issues. Although I did enjoy the story it all just felt average and like I'd heard the story before several times. I would be interested to see what else this author can bring to the table.

Key West is one of my favorite places to visit, so I was so excited to read this book since that is where it takes place! I enjoyed reading about places I have been on the island, so that added to the enjoyment.

I didn’t enjoy how negative the story started out and how the two main characters met. It seemed a little too much of a stretch, even for a romance novel. I wish the story wasn’t so predictable.

With everything going on in the world right now I wanted to read this book as way to escape. I tried really hard when it came to this book but i just couldn't get into this story at all. This was my first time reading this author and I have heard great things about their previous books but I felt the story was so slow. I had a hard time connecting to and caring about the characters. Maybe it was the whole fake romance trope. I just didn't feel the connection between Luis and Sara. I've also noticed a new trend is that all 20 something women are now social media influencers and this is starting to get old already. The author did a wonderful job describing Key West and the foods which makes me want to visit one day.

Island Affair by Priscilla Oliveras - 3.5 Stars I have read the fake dating trope a few times and I have to say that I am just not a fan, I don't like all the lying that always comes with it. With that being said Island Affair was still a fun one to pick up and read. It follows Sara Vance who is supposed to be introducing her boyfriend to her family on a vacation in the Florida Keys, once she gets there she finds out he is not coming. Luis Navarro a Key West firefighter just got the news he has to take a week off after being involved in a call that left him a little rattled. Over hearing the conversation Luis offers to help which Sara took to mean fake boyfriend. What follows is the two trying to pretend for her family while trying to avoid his who all live on the island. Eventually the two mix and the truth comes out. This book is not just about Sara and Luis but also Sara and her family learning to find a new normal after years of family tension. Luis also has a journey with learning to forgive his brother for a betrayal that leaves Luis a little broken. (Trigger Warning for Eating Disorders). I absolutely loved the setting of this book, I have been reading a few books that take place in the Keys and it sounds amazing! And the food!! The author made me want to eat everything she talked about. While the trope is not one of my favorites, I really liked the author's writing and will definitely be picking up the next in this series! Thank you Netgalley and Kensington books for my advance copy in return for my honest review.

Island Affair is a perfect summer beach read! This book definitely has that summer vibe.
What I loved about this book: The setting! I loved the Key West setting, it's a perfect backdrop for a summer read. I liked Luis and his family dynamics. I liked that both Luis and Sara had their struggles.
To be honest, this fake dating trope was a little unbelieved to me, and I thought the book could use a bit more steam. Overall, an enjoyable read.
Thanks netgalley for this arc!

Overall, I thought this one was okay. It definitely brings lots of beach/summer vibes as it’s set in the Key West. I thoroughly enjoyed the setting, the family dynamics, and even the unrealistic romance was cute. However, the writing was repetitive and the fade-to-black scenes were disappointing. I gave it 3 stars and would recommend if you are looking for a quick summer read.

2 did not love it start
I could not get into this book. I tried and tried.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Kensington publishing for providing me with an ARC.

I loved this cheesy romance. Sometimes you just want to read a feel good story to escape the everyday world. This fake relationship trope was just what I needed. The gorgeous setting of Keys West and a vacation in the sun with the right mix of family and main character flaws to make this a easy enjoyable read.

I am setting this one aside for now. Something in the narrative was just not working for me. The long internal monologues were distracting and the flow of the story just did not work for me. I may pick this one up in the future but for right now I am going to step away from it.

It was a nice book to read. I wasn’t overly impressed by the eating disorder and the whole story surrounding that. It wasted a good part of the story for me. Lost points on that basis which was a shame

DNF at 15% I think? I erased from my device before I double checked. The first 10% of the book is you basically trying to figure out what things mean in Spanish, and seeing that a fire fighter loves his family and hates not working. Plus a VERY overly cryptic tragedy is brought up. But only to.. bring it up. Not to lead you anywhere or connect to anything. It could have been brought up later.... when it connected to the story, not just used as some tactic to keep people invested. Because, they aren’t. And then suddenly this man who likes life to be in order and stick his schedule just decides to drop everything and help a rando... and she just magically thinks of it on the drop of a hat. It was unrealistic and made no sense. I’m all for insta-love (which it wasn’t a instant romance thing) but still.. this was, lacking any sort of finesse.

A romance reader I am not, so getting a 4 star rating from me is high praise. Loved the characters and energy and the families involved. Thanks!

This was exactly what I needed right now. A perfect summer-y read to escape to Key West at a time when that's not in the cards for a while. The whirlwind romance was so much fun. The characters connected and their chemistry sizzled from the minute they met and grew stronger and richer as they used the pretense of their romance as a rationale for total honesty in all else. I really loved the way the idea they wouldn't remain in a relationship after the week allowed them to bring less baggage and fear to their communication and they were able to bond that much faster as a result. It's a true tribute to open and honest communication. This book is for anyone who's ever had or dreamed of having a vacation romance in a beautiful locale. The setting of this book was absolutely delicious, as were the mentions of all the food. Can't wait to be able to travel again, but until then, thanks to Priscilla Oliveras for the fictional adventure!

I thought I would have liked the book more than I did. I was all in for a Chicano love story, but this was not it for me. I was unable to let some things go just for the sake of the story being told.
Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing me with a copy.

Perfect summer read! Loved the two main characters Sara and Luis. Their fake relationship was adorable and while the ending was predictable, I enjoyed the journey to get there. Looking forward to part 2 in the series.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.