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.

This was a great summer beach read :) LGBTQ+ representation, family drama, adventure, love, and laughter. This is the type of book that you catch yourself reading chapter after chapter and it feels like no time had past. My only negative was I struggled a little with all the different characters POVs mixed into chapters. I would’ve loved chapters to have been split by POV. There were a lot of sub stories that I felt kind of missed their mark and I will say the two daughters were VERY immature for 30+ year olds. I did love how this wasn’t just a lighthearted vacation story but each character had a moment of growth and struggle within the bigger story.
There is a character in this story for everyone.

Island Time tells the story of 9 people trapped on a remote tropical island after a volcano erupted. Each individual trapped on the island is given a voice and a journey throughout the story. Each individual experienced a pivotal moment of self reflection and personal growth.

The story takes place over a 6 week period and while part of the story moves quickly majority of the story is slow particularly the middle section of the book. I liked that each character got their own POV and I enjoyed some of their stories more than other’s. So many topics were covered in this book from love, family, acceptance, forgiveness, and new adventures to name a few, that it truly had a little bit of everything for everyone.


Thank you @atriabooks and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

The subgenre of people on vacation when disaster strikes--this one with an upbeat, everyone's ok and there's still enough to eat, vibe. A lot of family drama and a little romance, it's a good beach read.

I was expecting to read something akin to a beach read based on the title. Instead this was a complex storyline with too many characters. While having an LGBTQ storyline within is not an issue, the descriptive intimacy is not appropriate for school material.

This book just was not for me. I thought it started strong but then I quickly lost interest with all the various POV’s. I really enjoyed reading about Amelia and Liss’s storyline and would have enjoyed more of that and less of the others.

I loved the premise of Island Time and the cover, but it didn’t work for me. First of all, don’t start this book and expect a rom-com. It’s not. I think the author tried to do too much (nine POV’s!) and bogged it down with some really unnecessary subplots that took away from the romance and fun aspect of the book. With too much going on, it made it hard to connect to any of the characters or root for anyone’s happy endings!

Thanks to #Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book for an honest review.

In another multiple-POV novel, Clark brings us the story of a family trapped on an island after a nearby volcano eruption destroys transportation between the island and the mainland. We have two sets of parents, tied together only by the recent marriage of their daughters, the newlyweds, the sister, and two island employees. Slowly, secrets each have been hiding begin to be unveiled, and unlikely romances begin to form.

Managing this many POVs (eight? nine?) is a difficult task, and one Clark handles well. With her experience writing an intertwined, Love, Actually-esque story from It Had to Be You, I had no doubt she could handle the challenge. Unfortunately, the novel suffers the fate of trying to fit too much into one book and is almost grotesquely long. It takes forever to read and isn't the quick beach read its cover lulls you into thinking it is. Setting aside the fact that it could have done with a good edit, the book is enjoyable, features LGBTQ relationship(s), and feels very original. No one can deny the plot is pretty darn unique.

Thanks to Atria for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4 stars - 8/10

When the Kelly family books an island vacation, they are looking forward to fun, family, and yes, some romance. Amelia is super excited to bring her boyfriend, James, to spend some time with the family. Matty and her wife, Parker, are on a babymoon of sorts, as they are planning on settling down in Sydney and starting a family soon after this vacation. Not only are Matty and Amelia’s parents, Jules and Glen, along for the trip, but Matty’s in-laws, Randall and Ludmila, have also joined in the fun.

They are just getting settled in when a volcano erupts, causing significant damage and forcing the family to extend their vacation by six weeks. What can change in six weeks? Well, maybe everything. Maybe the plans you thought were perfect just aren’t right for you. Maybe that image you’ve worked so hard to preserve just isn’t worth it. And maybe the person you’re sure is “the one” is just a hunk of crap. A big one. The largest possible crap. I mean, really, the sky's the limit on the crapness. You just don’t ever really know, do you?

Did I like the book? Oh heavens, yes. Absolutely adorable, light-hearted and fun to read, some thought-provoking passages, really great Australian history and nature information. I know I’m in the minority here, but it was a bit graphic for me. I’m not big into the smut - it makes me feel like I’m peeking in someone’s bedroom window. I’m just not that interested in other people’s private life, which I know, makes me the weird one. For those of you who find it awesome, well, pick this one up. I mean, pick it up anyway - it’s awesome. Overall, I really enjoyed it.

Thanks to Georgia Clark, Atria Books and Netgalley for this ARC in return for my honest review.

This story is LGBTQIA affirming. Perfect for pride month.

My only issue were the MANY povs. I couldn't really keep up!

Thank you so much Emily Bestler @atriabooks for the review copy!

I so badly wanted to love this one! The premise sounds like something that I would love- a family stranded on an island, queer romance, summer vibes... unfortunately, it didn't work for me at all. Because it was an arc, I really tried to push, but I ended up DNFing. Based on the cover, this gave off strong vibes that this was a cute, easy, fun-filled, rom-com. Perhaps, if this was marketed differently, my expectations would have shifted.

I tend to love multiple pov stories, but in this case, there were so many that it felt like putting the characters on shuffle. I struggled to feel an attachment to any of the characters because they were pretty unlikeable so therefore I never cared about their drama. I enjoyed the action that took place after the eruption and because of that I thought that I was going to get hooked, but for a plot that had this epic moment, I was really bored. I liked the LBGT rep and I think if this book was a more romance-centric story and less shifting family drama, I would have had a better time.

Thank you Atria and Netgalley for gifting me this copy in exchange for my review.

I don’t think i wasted my time, per say, on this book but I do wish I hadn’t picked it up in the first place. Maybe I was just expecting it to be more romance centric than it ended up being but thats on me.

I fell in love with Georgia Clark's writing style reading 'It Had to Be You'. This latest book did not disappoint me in the least!

This book is again told in an almost 'Love, Actually' kind of way, where all of the characters have a common thread (in this book, all the characters are stranded on the same island). If you are going into this book calling it a rom-com, you will be doing yourself a disservice. While there is an element of romance in this book, there is so much more as well! Each character is at a different point in their lives: a separated couple who hasn't told their adult daughters yet, a queer married couple who are in the midst of life altering changes, a single woman wondering how committed her partner is to their relationship. Each character has their own point of view, and their own story, and your understanding of each person grows as the novel goes on.

What is so masterful about her writing is that Georgia manages to blend each character's story into a deeper understanding of the group and how they function together as a whole. I never felt confused by all the different points of view, instead marveling at just how each person in the story affects the others.

I loved this book for so many reasons! I love how Georgia Clark's books normalize LGBTQ relationships. I love that she treats older characters as real people with real concerns rather than giving them the standard 'parent' role as simply the cheerleader for their children. I love that in this book we learn about the indiginous people of Queensland. I just loved it, period.

Thank you so much to Atria Books for providing me an ARC of this book.

I enjoyed this book. I would give it somewhere between 3.5 to 4 stars. I loved the lesbian romance aspects of this book (there are two), but felt like the other relationships fell flat for me. Even the married lesbian relationship was a bit boring. I wouldn't read this book if you are looking for a light and fun summer romance. This is a little more involved and has family drama. Overall I liked this book but the cover is a bit deceiving. It's not a light book.

Definitely less focused on romance and more of a family drama. Slow getting into it, lots of details to remember, but the more I read, the more it flowed. Loved the setting & adventures (tsunamis, whales, birds, crocs, turtles, oh my!) the inclusion of indigenous history, and the birdwatching dads. All the characters had pretty big glow ups, but I felt like there were too many perspectives to keep track of. Liss, Jarrah and Glen were the most interesting to me. Amelia and Jules drove me nuts. Matty and Parker were forgettable.

Thanks Netgalley for providing me an arc!

DNF @ 50% - I really tried to like this one! the LGBTQ+ aspects of it were amazing and I absolutely loved the family tension and realistic prospects of a relationship. however, the writing was too juvenile and drawn out for me. I felt like the plot was going absolutely no where. definitely works for those desiring a hallmark movie!!

I just finished up Island Time and it felt like I was on vacation the entire time!! I can't wait to read more by this author!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Kelly and Lee family are meeting in a small island off the coast of Australia for a week vacation away. After a nearby volcano erupts, the family becomes stuck on the island for 6 weeks. This is when the family really learns who they are together and individually. The families are full of secrets and these secrets could make or break relationships within the family.

What I liked:
* LGBTQ representation in this book was notable.
* The setting seemed like a dream land even through a tropical storm, volcano eruption, and typhoon.

What I didn't love:
* It was hard to keep up with the number of characters in the book, especially since some of them had nicknames associated with them.
* Because there were so many characters, I felt that there was so much going on. I felt like Clark could have focused on 2 story lines and had the other people be sub-characters. Everyone didn't need their own drama.
*I had a difficult time understanding that these people had internet well enough for multiple people to be on zoom calls at the same time, but there were so many natural disasters that prevented them from getting off the island.

While this wasn't my favorite, I will definitely read another book by Georgia Clark. I wanted to like this book. I have enjoyed Clark's other books and I was hoping that this would be one I liked as well. There was just a lot that I questioned as I was reading.