OK book but not what I expected. There were so many points of view that I felt bounced every which way and had a hard time following the story. I also did not care for some of the humor in the book.

An absolute rollercoaster of family ties, unexpected circumstances, and queer love. I’m not sure which story I loved the most out of all of the characters - a perfect vacation read (as long as you’re not vacationing on a remote island in Australia…)

I'm always excited to read what Georgia Clark has to offer. Her books have always been interesting with a blend of fun, engaging story and serious conversations. You get a little bit of both worlds with Georgia Clark's books and I'm excited to say that Island Time is no exception. Thanks to Atria Books for the gifted read.

I went into this book thinking it would be a departure from Georgia Clark's normal repartee of stories. It's supposed to be a rom-com about two families who are literally stranded on an island together. The Lees and the Kellys were two imperfect families come together through their daughters' marriage and hoping to celebrate the next phase of their life. But it was obvious after the freak tsunami/earthquake/volcano eruption that there was much more going on beneath the surface of both of these families.

The driving force of this novel were its characters and there were a ton of them. Not only did you have Matty and Parker making their final decisions on moving to Sydney from New York, but you also had Matty's younger sister, Amelia, and her parents, Glen and Jules. Then you had Parker's mother and father, Ludmila and Randall, who also had their fair share of secrets and character development to run into throughout the story. Plus, the island's caretaker, Liss, who wanted to escape her life (and her ex, Sofia) in Montreal and Jarrah, a local man who loved to immerse himself in the Aboriginal culture and world that he was born into. Yep, it's a lot of folks and I think the only person who really didn't have any change or development was Randall, Parker's father.

Everyone else, well, they had their own thing going on. From both Matty and Parker's careers on the brink of a huge change to their decision to have a child to Jules and Glen's separation they haven't told their daughters. Then there was Ludmila who's change I personally didn't see coming and was pleasantly surprised by. And Glen trying to find himself while Jules trying to get laid by Jarrah. And then Amelia and her recent run-in with Liss. There was a lot of ground to cover, which definitely added to the bulk of this novel.

On top of what's happening in everyone's lives, there was also a deep examination on Australian nature and ecosystem. I loved this part because I know little to nothing about Australia and learning more about the culture (both naturally and the history of the Aboriginals) through a digestible package like a contemporary story made me want to visit. I don't want to encounter any spiders the size of a dinner plate, but the way the author incorporated the pieces of her homeland into the story made it feel like such a love letter.

I think one of the benefits of Georgia Clark's writing is that she covers everything. She will get into making the decision to have a baby with every single emotion and thought that goes into it. She will tell you the background of how Aboriginals were cast out by the English settlers. She will go through every nuanced emotion a young person may feel when they're falling in love. She does not quit. But I felt like in this particular book, there was just too much. With each character having a unique experience and development to the island itself, there was a lot of information to juggle and a lot of loose ends that needed to be tied up. I think Georgia does a great job pacing herself to wrangle all of these bits of information together, but I also feel like if she stuck to a few topics rather than each character having some sort of identity crisis then it wouldn't have felt like an undertaking of a story to complete.

Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the heck out of this novel. I loved the characters (especially Glen for some random reason), I loved rooting for them and following them through this very strange season of life, and I loved how they all made the best of their time stuck on a stranded island together. If you're a fan of literary fiction with a slow burn, then I highly recommend this book to you.

Overall, this is the beach read for those who don't like beach reads. The romance is very light with a couple of open-door scenes, but the main focus was this family, their identities, and who they will become after they get off this silly island.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really fun book. It would be perfect to read by the pool or at the beach!

Rating: 3/5

Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for access to this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ahhhh I first want to say I adore this cover, it’s so beautiful! I was so ready for a sapphic island romance with a side of some family drama. Also, the name Amelia is so rare so yay for finding a character with my name.

All this said…I was so so bored and also confused at times at the story. This was very much more family drama, that dragged and you’re stuck on the island with them throughout it. And there are 7+ POV’s which didn’t always work for me in this dynamic.

The queer representation was fantastic! I did enjoy the characters, seeing people in different stages of theirs lives and overall the setting. But maybe cut about 100 pages.

The Kelly and Lee families couldn't be more different. But their daughters are married, so they are vacationing together on a remote tropical island off the coast of Queensland for a few days. Then a volcano eruption completely derails everyone's plans, stranding the families on the island for six weeks with two employees. While there, everyone is forced to do some intense reckoning about their lives, loves, and futures.

Oh I wanted to like this book--I always try to champion LGBTQIA books--but I just couldn't get into this one. It felt so LONG. Like, so long you guys. I kept thinking I'd read most of it, and then I'd see I wasn't even 25% done. It felt like so much of this book could have been shortened or benefited from a deep edit.

There are a lot of people in ISLAND TIME and truly, none of them seem that nice or interesting. The Kelly family consists of Julia and Gene (parents) and their daughters Amelia and Matty. The daughters come across as spoiled brats. We rehash their problems over and over. As for the Lees, we have parents Randall and Ludmilla and their daughter Parker (married to Matty). There are also two island employees, including Liss (also queer). I wanted to feel an affinity for more people with so many queer characters (I didn't mind Liss too much), but everyone came across as self-centered or annoying. There's a large natural disaster, people elsewhere have died, the natural life and vegetation of this island is in peril, but wow, these folks seem to care less. Also, somehow there is power and enough food for six weeks (copious, fancy food), which just didn't make things seem realistic at all.

Everyone has issues in ISLAND--so many issues. Personal issues. Work issues. Romantic issues. So many issues. They rehash these issues over and over. And then again. Often you might want characters to fix their issues because you care for them, but in this book, I often felt like I didn't care if they resolved them or not, because they just irritated me.

ISLAND does discuss the indigenous people of Australia in depth. I feel like I learned a lot there, as well as about some of the animals and plant life of the country. That, I appreciated.

Overall, this book just didn't work for me. I'm glad there were queer characters, but their relationships felt stilted or full of insta-love, and mostly, everything was just long and drawn out.

There are many mixed reviews for Island Time by Georgia Clark. I can see why people would love it and why people would dislike it. For me, I am honestly middle-of-the-road. The author did a fantastic job of describing a remote Australian Island with a nearly untouched ecosystem that will tempt any nature-loving reader to look up the island in the book. Though the island is not real, apparently it is based on a real island or islands. (Side note: I just read The Island by Adrian McKinty recently, where the island was a remote Aussie island, however it was a TOTALLY different type of book.)

The book's cover makes me think of beach reads and the blurb makes me think romcom. It definitely had elements of both of those, though it was a lot of other things. I give the author high marks for her effort to write about 9 different people on the island as well as the gorgeous descriptions of the island, wildlife, flora and fauna, weather, etc. She created a world I wanted to visit.

What dropped this book's rating for me were the characters. There was very little of any of them to root for. Each character was completely self-focused or simpering and lacking a backbone. I felt there was no one to root for, but possibly Glenn. I started out rooting for Amelia, but by the end of the book and one epic clingy meltdown, I was completely over her. So, while I don't mind a bit of family dysfunction, this book went way overboard in describing one-dimensional characters that were dishonest and self-centered to a fault. I wouldn't want any of them in my family. Disliking 7-8 of the 9 characters, made it difficult to enjoy Island Time as much as I otherwise might have.

I just couldn’t get in to this one. Adding it to the DNF pile. The premise sounds interesting but it took FOREVER to get going. And the dialog was too wooden. Thank you netgalley for the sneak peak, really wanted to love it.

Island Time by Georgia Clark was a different read for me. This one started off a bit slow for me and as a result, I kept stopping and starting again whenever I was back in the mood. Overall, the premise of being stranded on an island with your family was a fun take on an ensemble tale, which I think is why I still had fun with this one despite it not being a full-on favorite.

This is a family saga story. The setting is beautiful and there is some great info and history about the Indigenous people of Australia. This book also has positive LGBTQ representation. There are quite a few characters all undergoing their own soul searching. I did find the book a bit long but overall an interesting read.

Island Time is the story of 2 families, quite different, only bound by their wedded daughters. They all escape to an island off the coast of Australia for a long weekend together only to be stranded after a volcano erupts. Their 5 day trip is suddenly extended to 6 weeks as they remain isolated on the island with only 2 employees.

With this unexpected time bestowed upon the group, they’re each forced to examine what they actually want in life — Do they love their jobs? Are they in love? What will truly make each one of them happy?

Island Time is a lighter story with a great premise. I didn’t like the execution as much as I hoped to though — This isn’t a bad book, it just felt long at times and there was a bit of instalove which isn’t my favorite.

If you haven’t read Georgia Clark’s last book, It Had to Be You, I highly recommend it, it was fun and very cute!

Reviews for this book seem fairly divided, and I think I fall somewhere in-between. This one started off a bit slow for me &, as a result, I kept stopping & starting again whenever I was back in the mood.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t necessarily a love story, but is still a story ABOUT love all the same. I wouldn’t label it a “drama” per se either, bc the overarching tone felt a bit lighter than that. There are MANY different POVs to follow here, all written in 3rd person, and one of my main gripes is that while enough development happened across the board for a book that’s 400+ pages, there were some storylines that obviously could have still used a bit more screen-time to wrap things up.

Overall, the premise of being stranded on an island with your family & then some is great + a fun take on an ensemble tale, which I think is why I still had fun w this one despite it not being a full-on favorite.

When Amelia Kelly plans a weekend getaway on idyllic Mun'dai (Lady Lushington Island) for her extended family she gets more than she bargains for! The family is vacationing on an isolated eco-aboriginal island in Queensland together celebrating Matty & her wife Parker's move back home to Australia. The couple is looking forward to being closer to the Kellys as they start their family together. When a nearby volcano erupts, the family is left stranded together with their island host Liss & Jarrah, their island guide for six weeks.

This is when the dynamics between the family members get interesting! Relationships break apart, secrets are unveiled and new relationships are formed. Pretty much what you would expect with a small group of 9 people stranded together for an extended period of time. We also get a lot of steam & romance!

I loved the descriptions of the natural world, the birds, plants native to Australia. I loved the traditional stories and ceremonies we learn from Jarrah. Most of all I really enjoyed the underlying & unconditional love in this story between the characters.

I really enjoyed this story and how it wrapped up in the end.

Thank you Netgalley, Atria/Emily Bestier Books for the advanced copy & Georgia Clark for an entertaining read.

This is my second read by Georgia Clark. My first was It Had to Be You which I found enjoyable. Launching into Island Time, I was prepared for it to be a change and it was. That said, change is good. With this book, Georgia Clark flexes her writing muscles and shows her ability to balance multiple story lines and POV's.

I think it was interesting that the author wrote this novel during the Covid shutdown and decided to strand these characters on an island together. Initially I was resistant to the idea because after coming out of the shutdown, I don't like to think of being stranded or locked down anywhere ever again. I simply can't find entertainment value in it. However, as I continued reading, I eventually understood why the author chose to use this as her setting.

Even though the storyline centers around Matty and her new relationship with Parker, there are many other POV's in the story. As a reader, I found it challenging and would have preferred fewer. Despite all the different viewpoints, I still never felt a strong connection to the other characters. In addition, I feel like we got some of the same information multiple times.

I will say there were things I thought were done quite well. I enjoyed learning about the area and the people of the island. That part was fascinating. In addition, it was refreshing to see LGBTQ representation in multiple relationships. It's evident that Georgia Clark is a talented author with the ability to write creative and descriptive stories.

Overall, I think there were some wins and losses in this book, just like in life. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

This one didn't do it for me the way I wanted it to. I can't quite put my finger onto why. May be more of a me issue.

The Kelly’s and the Lee’s are two very different families, the only thing uniting them is the marriage between their daughters Matty and Parker. The families come together on what is meant to be a relaxing and fun vacation on a remote island off the Australian coast planned by Matty’s sister Amelia who is in hopes that her boyfriend will propose while there. When a nearby volcano erupts casing a massive flooding of the island, everyone is forced to remain on the island for six weeks until they can be rescued. The two families along with the two island employees, begin to spend time with each other in a way they never imagined, finding revelations, secrets, friendships and even romance.

This was a fun LGBTQIA+ romance read for the summer. There are a handful of characters all dealing with their own challenges and throughout the story you get to see their stories unfold. In the beginning I thought Matty and Parker were going to be the focus but really it changes back and forth between all characters and their own personal story lines. I was mainly invested in Amelia and Liss and OBSESSED with the little bromance between Glen and Randall (heart eyes) it was so adorable and pure! I do wish we got a little more of Ludmilla, I feel like she was mainly in the background of the story, would have been nice to see more of her relationship with her daughter Parker. I really enjoyed the background and history explained the story of the history of Aboriginal people of Australia and the descriptions of the island and its plant and wildlife. The one character that really rubbed me the wrong way was Jules, everything with how she treated/handled things with Glen left a sour taste in my mouth. At times the story seemed a little chaotic with everything going on, but it was easy to follow, I do wish the epilogue contained more updates on the other characters as well and not just Amelia and Liss. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the Publisher for an eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This title is available now for purchase!

I really wanted to enjoy this book but it was not for me. While I love the setting and LGBQ rep there was so many characters for me to follow and it became confusing to keep them straight. Hoping this book finds its way into hands that can handle all the POVs because while confusing the book was still a good read!

This book was a DNF for me. I tried to read it a few times, once on digital and on audio and I couldn’t get past 15%. I’m not sure what I didn’t love about it, but I couldn’t get into it. I know others loved it, so I recommend checking out their thoughts on it!

First off, thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for this E-ARC!
I unfortunately did not like this book very much. All of the characters made unhinged choices that they never really had to be accountable for, and so many horrible situations were too easily resolved. I do not think any of the characters went through the growth necessary for the end points at which they arrived, despite the frequent near-death situations that were meant to encourage their growth. There were too many perspectives and characters which left some stories feeling really drawn out, and some stories fully underdeveloped. This book just didn't really work for me.

I have to say this book started mild-mannered enough and then wham, shocking development and I wondered if I was reading a rom-com or not. I liked most of the characters, but some of them had some major growth that needed to take place. Some were not likeable at all. Case in point - Jules . I found her horrible as a mother putting ridiculous pressure on her daughters and then the lie toward the end, wow. But, she is the catalyst for the daughters and their growth. Even some of the characters I liked, had some nasty faults. Matty - I'm looking at you. The author did a good job at portraying why the characters were the way they were, mostly and they all grew, some more than others. I adored the friendship that bloomed between Glen and Randall while looking for the Boobook. I truly appreciated the Aboriginal ceremonies and viewpoints from Jarrah, who I thought was a great character, one I'd like to meet. Liss was another great character, I mean Buffy reruns, who needed to make changes, but yet was not off-putting in the process. Amelia was a sweet mess, but I refer you back to the mother. I loved how Ludmilla was written as well.

Besides some of the horrible thoughts and things said, my only other problem was all of the POV's, while I liked checking in with all the characters, this was way too many and frankly became annoying. Now, with that you see I only dropped one star on the rating and that is because of the redeeming qualities of most of the characters that as long as you are prepared for what I've noted, I think most people would enjoy the ending and the growth of characters and some happy endings.

I have to mention the setting as a character because it was a living breathing thing that made me want to visit to see the beauty and smell the fragrances and check out the wildlife, minus the croc.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the opportunity to read this book for an unbiased review.