Definitely a book where I let the cover make me think it would be lighter and different than it was. I definitely picked the wrong time and place for this book. It’s not a beach read (for me), so I feel because of that, I was disappointed.

I loved Georgia Clark’s 𝐈𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 last year, so I was excited when @atriabooks offered me the ebook of 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞.

This story takes you to a gorgeous tropical island (fictional but fashioned after an island off the coast of Australia). Here the Kelly family and the Lees from America (in-laws) are vacationing together. What could possibly go wrong in this tropical paradise?

When a volcano erupts, its sets off a tsunami, which wreaks havoc on this small island. With only two employees on this remote getaway, the families now find themselves stranded for weeks until a rescue can be made. Now trapped together, people’s desires and lies begin to be revealed, just the sand beneath the ebbing tide.


I think the cover has been throwing a lot of readers off. They go in thinking this is a light, breezy rom-com. But instead, it deals with two families bound by their daughters in marriage. It talks about survival, not just from a violent storm but also from the changes in life. I enjoyed how the environment was very much a character, begging for respect, just as each family member did as they forged their own path.

Thank you again to @atriabooks and @netgalley for the gifted ebook.

I cannot seem to get into this book. I'm DNF'ing and sad to do so. The cover is beautiful and the lgbtqia+ positive storyline really made me want to like it, but honestly its just not catching me. There is a lot of characters, and it's never clear who's point of view it's from. I almost wish each chapter was titled as a character and it stuck to one person. I also just can't seem to find any happy vibes and I'm over a 1/4 of the way in. For something that seemed a romcom it's very depressing.

While I don’t mind multiple POVs, I didn’t like it in this case. They switched so often and it was never clear whose POV it switched to.

I didn’t like any of the characters and the constant POV switching made the whole story feel choppy.

Sadly this one wasn’t for me.

I adored this book. It might be my favorite 2022 read so far. It’s multi POV, 7 in all I think, and it works brilliantly. It’s the perfect Covid/but not Covid book. 9 people stuck on island with each other and Wifi. Each with their own history, misconceptions and desires. Everyone just figuring out this thing called life. And underneath it all, romance, in all its messy and glorious forms. There were a couple lines that raised my eyebrows, a couple places that were slower than others, and it sometimes felt like she was explaining things for an American audience, but on the whole I found Clark’s writing to be poignant and the fictional island layered with a rich history and creative brushstrokes. I loved this book. It’s a spotlight on the human condition in the shape of a (serious) rom-com.

Short summary: Two families travel to a remote island for a weekend getaway their married daughters have arranged. What they get instead is 6 weeks of forced paradise and soul searching.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to get this ARC (just look at this cover!) but I have to admit that it ended up being a mixed bag for me. I think a huge part of that the book is being promoted as a rom com. I was getting those vibes from this cover as well and as a mood reader I think I was a bit let down that this was more of a romantic/family drama rather than a rom com.

Two families, Australian Kellys and American Lees are joined by the marriage of their daughters Matty and Parker and vacationing together on a tropical island in Australia. When circumstances leave them unexpectedly stranded on the island for 6 weeks with only each other and 2 island staff, dynamics within each family and between families start to shift in ways none of them could have anticipated.

Lets start with things I really enjoyed:
- beautiful exotic setting (though was disappointed to read that the island is not real)
- diverse, interesting group of characters
- thoughtful and insightful exploration of sexual and gender identities
- Indigenous history and culture (it really resonated with me how much it seems to mirror the way settlers treated Indigenous peoples of Canada)
- random, fascinating tidbits about Australia

Things I think could've used a bit more work:
- shifts between various points of view were not always smooth, I almost wish that the chapters were named after character they were focused on because it was not always clear
- I'm a reader who easily suspends belief for the pure joy of reading but some of the events seemed so unnecessarily dramatic and over the top. Made me think of Shonda Rhimes shows
- I'm also aware that I was reading an advanced copy so am hoping that a bit more editing helped tighten things a bit more

The scales definitely tip in favor of things I enjoyed over the few I didn't. If you are interested in family dramas set on tropical islands, LGBTQ2S+ romance & Indigenous issues, you might want to give Island Time a try!

Grateful to NetGalley and Atria Books for my copy of Island Time!

What a fabulous summer read! I loved the setting of it along with the fun cast of characters. I enjoyed all the different POV we get in this. I enjoyed getting different perspectives on all the situations occurring on the island. I also liked all the relationships in this and of course the wonderful LGBT representation too.

The Kelly family are on vacation with their American in-laws. The Kelly's are loud and real, and boisterous, while the Lees are the complete opposite, and frankly can't wait for this 'vacation' to end. Almost as soon as they all arrive on the remote island of Mun'dai off the coast of Australia there is a volcanic eruption on one of the islands that make up New Caledonia. This causes a tsunami to hit the coast of Australia, leaving a devastation of both ecological and man-made resources in its wake. The Kellys and Lees are stranded, along with the other occupants of the island.

All this forced time together, and also alone with their thoughts, makes them all examine what they really want, and causes secrets to bubble up to the surface.

By the third chapter I was completely homesick and longing for the smell of wattle and the distinct chatter of Australian birds. I'm not sure if Georgia Clark actually has the ability to write with an Australian accent, but that's certainly how I was reading this book in my head...which was bittersweet because we haven't been able to get home for a visit since 2018. If I'm not mistaken I think Mun'dai might have been loosely based on Lord Howe Island.

Her description of family and sisterhood was so relatable, and there is so much to this story that I struggle to fit it neatly into one genre. There is mystery, drama, family relationships, natural disasters, and of course love. Not to compare Aussie authors, but there was something about this book that also gave me Liane Moriarty vibes.

I didn't always love all of the characters, but they felt real and nuanced and I appreciated how they were all written. I enjoyed them all for different reasons, but I think the outgoing island caretaker Liss, might have been my favorite.

Amelia Kelly and her sister Matty have booked a holiday on an island off the coast of Australia. On the first night, a volcano causes a tidal wave that leaves them stranded on the island for six weeks. During that time, secrets are unraveled and truth is revealed, leaving everyone off-kilter. Amelia, fresh off heartbreak from learning her boyfriend is already married, she finds herself falling for the temporary service staffperson Lizz, who's returning to Canada as soon as she can get off the island again. Lizz doesn't believe it's anything more than a rebound, despite the fact that she's already emotionally invested herself. Will everything end up ruined or will speaking the truth bring freedom and healing?

A twisty, crazy story.

This is the second book I've read by Georgia Clark, and what I've loved most about both books is the full ensemble cast approach to a rom-com, although this one leaned a bit more in the family drama aspect for me. For much of the story, I found most of the characters (except for Liss) to be pretty unlikable. I spent most of the book feeling like not much was happening until all of a sudden *everything* was happening, so for me the pacing was a bit off.

I enjoyed the setting and this is a great drama-filled summer beach read for those looking for that.

Thanks to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 stars

ISLAND TIME review

⭐️⭐️.5/5

🌴I went into this one expecting a summery rom com, but was surprised to find this book is mostly about a natural disaster. I was intrigued by the plot, but it quickly fell apart for me. There were 9 different POVs and they were hard to keep straight. I wish the chapters had been labeled with whose POV it was instead of just chapter numbers. I also felt like none of the POVs really meshed. They all followed their own side plots that had basically nothing in common except for what island they were stuck on.

🌴Here’s a summary of the plot:👇
The Kelleys and the Lees decide to take a vacation to a remote island in Australia. The two families have seemingly nothing in common, but are there together to celebrate the marriage of their daughters. Their trip to paradise goes south quickly when a natural disaster strikes, and they find out they’re trapped on the island for at least 6 weeks.

🌴I did like that this book had good LGBTQ+ representation. I think the book could have been shortened significantly and only focused on two or three POVs. I think it was just too clunky and loooooong for me to really enjoy it.

DNF
I skimmed this but wasn’t interested in the first 10%. I loved the authors last book, It Had To Be You, but this was such a letdown. Too much going on, too many POVs but mostly just boring, unlikeable characters and storylines. How is there a major disaster but they still have internet and everything? Also, this was so slow and long, way too long. I was uninterested in everything and the characters nicknames were so cringey. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free preview in exchange for an honest review.

After devouring It Had To Be You last year, I could not wait to pick up this new one by Georgia Clark. Like It Had To Be You it features an ensemble of characters looking for love while stranded on a tropical island. In-laws, the Kelleys and the Lees get stuck while on their family vacation and have to learn how to get along. Some find new love while the others find new friendships or hobbies. This one fell a bit short of my high expectations but I did enjoy it overall. Thank you Netgalley and Atria - Emily Bestler Books for the egalley in exchange for my honest review.

DNF. Because I received this book as an ARC, I really wanted to finish it, but I just couldn't. I made it 47% and had to call it quits. Simply put....Gilligan's Island meets modern day. Way too many characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ark of Island Time in exchange for my honest review. This was my first novel I read by this author and I really enjoyed her writing style. The island theme of the story made it the perfect beach read. The story was cute however there was a lot of POVs which isn’t a huge issue for me since I am a huge SJM fan and she always uses a lot of POVs. I felt like the book did drag a bit in the middle Of the story but it did pick up again about 80% in

This was a cute story, just like the authors previous novel.

I really loved the island vibes, it’s a cute summer read!

The beginning started with a bang and then it was a bit of a slow burn, that did pick up at the end.

I really wanted to know what happened with the family and enjoyed the multiple romances throughout. Overall it was a cute summer read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Thank you for the gifted copy!

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. I was drawn to this book because of the cover art. I will say the story was a bit drawn out for me and if you easily get confused with multiple POVs then you may want to skip this one. I will say that I did appreciate the LGBTQIA+ rep.

Short synopsis: The Lee’s and the Kelly’s head out to a remote island vacation, when a tsunami hits they are stranded for 6 weeks.

My thoughts: I had high expectations going into this, but it wasn’t at all what I was expecting. I expected a tropical romance based on the cover, I but this was definitely not a romance.

It was a very character driven book which I love when done a certain way, this was not for me. It felt like this was just a little too long and I would have enjoyed it more if it were shorter.

I did really appreciate the LGBTQ+ representation in this book!

Just like her previous novel, Island Time had a full ensemble of characters with multiple POVs. Many times I steer away from books with many main characters, but Georgia is somehow able to so clearly write each of her characters, that it makes it easy to keep up with everyone. This was a fantastic setting and cast of characters. I did love It Had to Be You more than Island Time, but fans of Georgia Clark will love its charm just as much. I loved learning more about Australian history! Readers with a travel bug will not want to miss this one!

This was a bit of a slow start for me but once I got invested in the characters I was hooked and didn't want the story to end. Set on an island off the coast of Queensland, Australia, this is a tropical summer vacation trip gone wrong featuring a cast of characters as two families and two resort employees get stranded after a storm. I love how well the author writes ensemble stories!! Told in multiple POVs from different couples and generations, we get to know two queer sisters, one happily married and the other not yet out to her family. Their parents are secretly separated and exploring their own new relationships. There's a great blend of romance, family drama and actual drama (tropical storms, saving a giant tortoise and a scary run in with a crocodile!). The book gave me a lot of Liane Moriarty's Apples never fall vibes. If you enjoy a messy, multi-generational family drama with great queer rep, this one is for you. Much thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advance review copy!