Island Time was a super refreshing read! I love books set during vacations and in summery locations during the summer, and this definitely delivered. I liked the dynamics of the two families, and how they interacted.

I absolutely loved how complex this story was, within a seemingly breezy rom-com! Even though there was quite a large set of characters, each one had a distinct voice and personality. I loved how the story unfolded from each of their perspectives. I wanted more from the epilogue (how far out was that set, about a week? too short), like how each member was faring in their new lives, but I really enjoyed how messy the author made these characters- as a family, and as individuals, and the pliability and realism in their relationships. I also liked how the author described everything; the island- I could actually feel the cool breeze off the beach(!), the terror during certain storm scenes, and resilience of each in the face of devastating and drastic changes. She also seemed to have a strong grasp of the ecology of the island and explained so without shoving climate change down the reader's throat and without standing on an environmentalist soap box, which I appreciated.

I was excited for this since the premise sounded interesting! I enjoy stories about families set in the summer/on a vacation.

A few thoughts:
💖🏳️‍🌈 I see this as an escapist story full of love! Family love and queer love! The different relationships show different dynamics.

🏝 the descriptions of the island feels vivid and it helped me imagine the story better.

⭐️ author consulted members of the Butchulla tribe to ensure it was written respectfully.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 it follows a lot of characters — 9 in this book! I cared more about certain characters and less for the rest 🥲

💬 most of the story felt like an introspection type per character depending on whose pov it is in the chapter. It was nice to know them on a deeper level but sometimes the story felt like it dragged on.

With no beach vacation on the horizon this year, I figured Island Time would be the perfect way to kickstart my summer reading. It’a a cute, diverse rom com with a unique premise, but in the end it was just an OK read for me.

WHAT I LOVED
🏝This book has an ensemble cast with each character undergoing their own journey throughout the novel. The large cast of characters makes it easy for any reader to find someone to connect with. And if you’re looking for a queer romance, this would be a great fit for you.
🏝Within all of the romantic plot elements, there are some really interesting thematic conversations. I especially appreciated the one about ambition and motherhood that was the crux of Matty and Parker’s story. Clark has much to say about the topic and I thought she did a great job of working it into the plot without overdoing it.
🏝The premise of being trapped on an island due to a volcanic eruption is super unique. It was a great way to start the story and really set the tone and pace. Clark really did her research into what that situation would entail and how that would impact the ecology of an island, and that really shines in the details.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
🏝No spoilers but one of the romantic pairings falls very much into the instalove trope, a trope that I’m not a fan of.
🏝Because of the large cast of characters, I felt like some of them — namely Parker’s family — didn’t have a ton of depth. This made some more poignant moments with them feel a little rushed.
🏝As I was reading, I started to struggle with the book about 25% of the way in. I couldn’t put my finger on what, but something about the book felt off. Then I realized that the writing style really reminded me of Liane Moriarty’s. I’m not a huge fan of Moriarty’s work, so when I made the connection it became clear why I was struggling. That being said, if you like Liane Moriarty, I definitely recommend picking up Island Time.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Part family saga, part literary fiction, part romance... I think ISLAND TIME is contemporary fiction? I found the cover eye-catching, and was sold on "smart and steamy ensemble romantic comedy," but I don't think either are a good fit for this book.

Seven people go on vacation and find themselves stuck on a remote tropical island: sisters Amelia and Matty, their parents Jules and Glen, Matty's wife Parker, and Parker's parents Ludmila and Randall. They're joined by caretaker Liss and ranger Jarrah.

At its heart, ISLAND TIME is an exploration of desire -- what is it that each character wants? Most characters get chapters focused on them, as they mull over their past and future choices. This results in a 400+ page novel. It also meant that each time I got interested in a character's arc, the narrative switched to someone else. While I'm excited to hear Clark wants to write queer love stories, I'm afraid this one was a bit bogged down by all the different family members and their concerns.

I can't help but wonder if I'd have enjoyed it more had the cover and blurb led me to expect more of a family saga. Alas, I was not charmed as I was with IT HAD TO BE YOU (Clark's last), but ISLAND TIME may be a good fit for you if you're in the mood for flawed characters in an ensemble drama.

I was excited to receive this ARC since it is an LGBTQIA+ friendly book, however that was really the only pro for me. I didn't find the humor to be funny. There were many characters in the book and all of them were pretty unlikeable. Just overall this book was not for me.

When you go to a tropical paradise you never expect a volcano to erupt and to get stuck there for six weeks instead of the short trip you were expecting. Island Time follows The Kellys and the Lees that are all together, because their daughters are married. We all know being stuck together won’t always go smoothly, but it can also lead to unexpected adventures.

I loved that we followed multiple POVs while following these families while stuck on vacation for six weeks. This was also something that didn’t work for me at the same time. Island Time follows just a few too many people. Because of the amount of POVs it took me longer to connect to the characters and I think it made the story drag at times.

Island Time isn’t just a romance, but it also teaches us quite a bit about Aboriginal Australians. I learned quite a bit while reading this story. This also isn’t the lightest romance I’ve read. While there are plenty of lighter moments and some steamy times it’s a lot more. There are quite a few heavier subjects, figuring out what you really want in life and so much more. It’s hard to really give more details, because there are so many people, so in this case it’s easier if you experience it yourself.

ISLAND TIME by Georgia Clark

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY:
An extended family vacation has all the possibility of going wrong within the drama of their own family, but the Kelly family vacation is rocked when an unexpected tsunami strands them "on vacation" for six weeks.

MY THOUGHTS:
First off - I LOVE the cover of this book! I'm a sucker for these trending cartoon covers.

I loved the inclusivity of the book! The queer representation was really present and it was amazing to see.

Georgia Clark's first book, IT HAD TO BE YOU, was a Love Actually type-feel with lots of POV and story lines. This book had a similar number of POVs, but it didn't have the same feel.

There was what I'm going to call light family drama, meaning there wasn't much depth to the problems, which I liked, because I don't love the drawn out build up that a typical family drama needs.

Again with the nicknames. It was weird that Amelia went by Animal. Uncomfy.

Overall, it was pretty slow, not a lot happened plot-wise, but in the end, each character figured out what they needed and came out of the island better than before.

This book and cover are an example of expecting one thing and getting another. The cover is sweet and beachy, I thought I was getting a summer romance novel. Instead, I got an extremely detailed analysis of way too many characters and a poor attempt by the author to come across as politically correct and socially aware. Same sex relationships are the norm these days but it came across forced and insincere here. The same with the aboriginal information, none of it felt necessary beyond an attempt to present oneself as informed. This book was way too long and unfortunately the humor and sweet parts were overshadowed by too many details.

This book has a darling cover, but the writing was not good. I had high hopes with thr queer representation, but disappointed. DNF at 30%

“This is one island you won’t want to be rescued from,”

Synopsis: The Kellys are messy, loud, loving Australians. The Lees are sophisticated, aloof, buttoned-up Americans. They have nothing in common…except for the fact that their daughters are married. When a nearby volcano erupts during their short vacation to a remote tropical island off the coast of Queensland, the two families find themselves stranded together for six weeks.

With only two island employees making up the rest of their party, everyone is forced to question what—or who—they really want. Island Time is a sumptuous summer read that dives deep into queer romance, family secrets, ambition, parenthood, and a bird-chasing bromance. This sexy, sun-soaked paradise of white sandy beaches, crystal-clear waters, and lush rainforest will show you it’s never too late to change your destiny.

Personal Review : 3.75 stars

A beautiful summer romantic comedy with humor, love, family dynamic, and adventure! This novel made me want to buy a one way ticket to Australia! The character development was exactly what I wanted and left me wanting to read more in my downtime. A tropical island in the Coral Sea on a family vacation was just what I needed!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

Lots of interesting characters and storylines! Less of a rom com and more about family dynamics. I always enjoy reading books, but would go for something more light-hearted usually.

Thank you NetGalley and Georgia Clark!

This was such a fun book for the summer! We follow one very large family on their trip to an Australian island where they are stuck for 6 weeks after a volcano erupts. We follow lots of different people and lots of different points of view, but once I got them down they were easy to tell apart. I really enjoyed the characters and found this book to be very funny and entertaining.

This was the third book by this author that I've read, and I have to say it was my least favorite. It wasn't bad, I just enjoyed It Had To Be You and The Bucket List much more.

There were a lot of things going on in this story and I didn't really care for most of the plot lines. Honestly, the friendship between the two dads was my favorite. This is a great beach book and will be an ideal vacation read if that's what you're looking for.

This was my first Georgia Clark book and I really enjoyed her writing style. But this particular book fell a bit flat for me. I loved the premise of them being stranded on an island after volcano erupted, however, it seemed like at any given time there was too much going on and not much of anything all at the same time. It’s hard to explain but it felt like the six weeks the characters were stuck flew by, but also like it dragged on forever. I do want to read more from Georgia Clark as I loved the style in which she wrote, this book in particular just wasn’t my cup of tea.

ISLAND TIME is a story that is midline with queer romance and family drama. I liked the concept. Two families - The Australian Kellys and The American Lees, unite for their daughters’ wedding at a tropical coast. Two categories seem to go well with each other creating a delicious tropical cocktail that is perfect to read on a beach vacay or by the pool!!

Thank you Atria books via Netgalley for the reader’s copy.

After reading and loving Georgia Clark's last book, It Had to Be You, I was so excited to get the opportunity to read Island Time. I was hoping that it would be the same type of feel, interwoven stories that combined into one great story by the end.

While this book definitely has interwoven stories that come together, it just did not work for me this time around. I had a hard time with a few of the characters and a bit of instalove.

One thing I do enjoy about Clark's books are the multiple POV, and with the help of the audiobook it was a really fun way to put together a novel. But if you are not paying close enough attention, it can get a bit confusing.

Overall, I still enjoy the writing style. This book just wasn't quite for me. I look forward to what Georgia Clark writes next!

After a few weeks of crazy news and busy days at work, I was desperate for something cute, light, and fun. The kind of book to let your brain rest.

This book is perfect for that. The setting is heavenly and the family drama is entertaining without being too heavy. We have LGBTQ+ couples, we have family secrets, all wrapped up in a vacation that goes very wrong.

This is a great summer read!

It’s cute without being overly cheesy - which is hard to find in my opinion. I didn't roll my eyes while reading it, which is great lol

I was excited to read this because I enjoyed "it had to be you". I know its her thing but im not a fan of 8+ characters/POVs. This book had NINE Povs. Its extremely hard to keep track. It was also extremely long, over 400 pages. Just wasnt for me.

The author has made it clear she is committed to telling queer love stories. And while it was a perfect read for Pride Month, this novel told SO many love stories.

I was all set for a tropical island romance, but the beginning startled me. Due to a volcanic eruption and its devastating effect on the coastline our travelers are stuck in paradise longer than their intended few days holiday. The author's descriptions of this were truly terrifying- I thought I had been thoroughly mislead with that beautiful beach cover.

Quickly the travelers along with their hosts re-group and plan for their extended stay and the stress shows cracks in these romantic and family relationships. The author explores: the story of middle marriage and finding what makes that marriage sustainable; the dissolution of a 36 year marriage and the myriad reasons for its demise; young marriage with the challenges of careers, ambition and bringing children into their lives; new, white-hot love between tow non-binary people; and the love of parents and adult children.

That sounds like a LOT, but the author gives every character full development, with histories and motivations to help understand their actions. I don't have to like characters in my novels, but I do need to see some growth and development. Fortunately, in this novel I got both. In their forced 6 weeks of exile all of the characters grown in their self-reflection. The author beautifully illustrates LOVE is LOVE.

Thanks to the author, Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for the complimentary digital copy in exchange for my honest review.