This is advertised as a romcom, but it is way more than that. It is a complicated book about family dynamics, variety of love stories and add a couple natural disasters. There are a lot of characters where you get everyone's perpectives at some point. At the beginning it was confusing, but it did come together. All the characters are very selfish, but I really enjoyed this book. It is long, but it comes together beautiful.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange. Unfortunately I had to DNF this book approximately 20% in. I feel as though this book was severely mismarketed. Spoilers ahead: I can appreciate books showing love in different lights but this author seemed to force her agenda on every single character in the book. I skipped ahead and read the last few chapters and was simply appalled at the way the author forced characters together after introducing them a certain way. It seems extremely disingenuous and cheap. If you are debating reading this book, I recommend you don’t, but do your own research on the plot because the description and way it’s being marketed is extremely misleading.

2.5 rounded up. This book just didn’t do it for me. Too many characters and a wildly unrealistic plot. How did they still have electricity/service despite this insane storm? They mention rationing food but somehow have 6 weeks worth of hearty meals? And the instalove was my least favorite part of the entire book. I would’ve rather focus on Matty and Parker or even the bird watching.

I’ll read Clark’s next book but this was a very long dud for me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had so much going for it, but it wasn’t for me.

What I liked:
The book was set in a unique location that was interesting to read about. I appreciated the LGBTQ representation in the book. There was also some interesting commentary on nature and the environment.

What didn’t work for me:
The book seemed like a heavy family saga/drama disguised as a light summer rom com.
It was much longer than it needed to be, possibly because there were way too many characters to keep track of through the present day and flashback scenes. It was difficult to find a likable character because we didn’t really get to know any of them very well. Lastly, the scenario that traps them on the island and the circumstances surrounding them while they are trapped are unbelievable and far-fetched.

I was SO EXCITED to read this book! The storyline sounded super fun and the cover is beautiful. Unfortunately, my own hype may have gotten the best of me. The author clearly wanted to address some very important topics and social issues but, while I might agree with them, they came off kind of judgmental and pushy. The being said I do feel like she kind of settled down and cozied into the story mid-way through and things got a little better for me. I did feel like it was kind of long but I mostly enjoyed it from mid-point long.

It was very interesting to see the characters develop. The Lees, who seemed rather cold, actually wound up being my favorite characters. Once they had a chance to warm up to the Kellys, they had a lot of really wonderful insights to share and helped the Kellys grow and change for the positive.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! The fact that this was gifted does not affect my opinion and all thoughts are my own.

Interesting take on multi complicated family drama, heavy on the Lesbian relationships. It was an interesting read, but there were so many sub plots going on it seemed too much.

This was such a sweet story but it wasn’t a slam dunk for me. I loved the setting and the writing around the setting. When the book started, I felt like I was settling into a perfect summer book set on an island I would transport to. But the quickly shifting POVs and never ending drama didn’t help with me.

I’ll definitely look out for Georgia aclark’s next book because her writing was great!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Georgia Clark for the advanced copy for an honest review!!

there were a lot of povs in this book which made it a little confusing and hard for me to get into which made me not finish it. i tried to get into it and kept reading but unfortunately i think this book just wasn’t for me.

Unfortunately, I am going to have to agree with the other reviewers on not being able to finish this book. I found the multiple points of view to be very disorienting and they really were disjointed. This really prevented me from thoroughly enjoying the book and did not allow me to become invested in any of the characters. Unfortunately, as a result, I did not finish or enjoy this book.

This one was hard for me to get into and really get invested in the story. There were quite a few POVs and it made it a little difficult to follow.

Ultimately, I just don’t think this one was for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Island Time, by Georgia Clark, is a highly unusual, rather unbelievable, multi-character story that was quite difficult to follow and connect with the characters in any meaningful way.

There was a lot happening in this story, and a romance I was not personally a fan of. Island Time was riddled with drama and rather heavy themes for such a light-hearted title and cover. It had its moments, but overall, I wasn’t really a fan.

Im so sorry but I had to DNF this. I love the idea behind the story and how two families are stranded on an island but it just wasn't for me. I found myself trying to understand who was who instead of actually enjoying the plot. On top of that there was way too many POVs and it was hard to keep up. I really wanted to love this book because the description was beautiful. Im so sorry :(

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

3/5 STARS!! I really enjoyed the storyline of this book and all of the viewpoints we get throughout the book! If you're looking for a book to help you escape and consume you, this is the perfect book for you!!
Tropes: forced proximity
Genre: literary fiction meets romance
Publication Date: June 14th, 2022

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an ARC copy of this novel!

Thank you, Atria Books, for the gifted copy of Island Time {partner}

Genre: Romance
Trope: Forced Proximity
Format: 📖
Pub Date: 6.14.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆

"What is good for the land comes first; if you have plenty, you must share, and if it's not yours, you shall not take."

The run-down on this book is that two families are on vacation together, and on their first night on the island, there is a volcanic eruption that causes them to be stranded on the island for six weeks. I thought this sounded like an excellent plot idea and was looking forward to getting lost on the island with the characters.

It would've made sense for them to be effectively shut off from the outside world for those six weeks. But instead, they still had all of their amenities. The characters had access to their laptops and cellphones and continued to communicate with the outside world (including working from the island). It didn't make sense to me, and that's where the book started to lose me.

I didn't find the characters that lovable; they had their moments, but they seemed overly entitled. At one point, Amelia is trying to save a stranded turtle and needs to call for help, and then the next, she is thinking about the party she is throwing later that night and who she has invited. It just left a sour taste in my mouth.

However, one of the first things that drew me in was the vivid descriptions of the island, the trees, and the wildlife. The author has a deep appreciation for the environment and caring for our world. I felt like the undertone of the book was to show respect for the land and animals as they were here before us. I learned a lot about the wildlife in that area and the Indigenous clans of Australia.

🕳 Plot holes
🥸 Strange relationships between the characters
🏝 Beautiful descriptions of the island
🫣 Unlikeable characters
✂️ Too long

Okay, now, please know that this review is my opinion. Every book is not meant for every person, so I sincerely hope you still read this and that you love it!

What recent book didn't live up to your expectations?

This was my first Georgia Clark book, and I wasn’t the biggest fan. Personally, I don’t enjoy a rom com with several POVs that make it difficult to follow along with the story. I think the story had a unique and compelling premise, but I didn’t find myself invested.

I did like the prose that flowed smoothly throughout the book and the setting that was described in great detail, but other than that, I wasn’t really interested in this book.

DNF at 30%

I really wanted to love this book, but a combination of mis-marketing, a slow pace, and too many characters just did not work for me. This is NOT a rom-com, and it is just so slow and I just couldn’t get into it :(

The Kelly's and Lees travel to a beautiful Australian island for a family vacation. What they don’t count on is being stranded on the island with the two employees for 6 weeks after a volcano erupts. Questions of love and life start to surface and causes our cast of characters to dive deep into answering those questions
There are so many characters flipping back and forth that it was so hard to keep track of each story line. I didn't find any of the characters very memorable.
They literally just lived through a volcanic eruption where half the island (and surrounding area) gets decimated but somehow, they still have internet and electricity on a remote island…. and they literally don’t care that they just survived and are shocked that it is going to take 3 weeks to leave. No stress right? but lots and lots of drama!
The main storyline that strings the characters together is that the two families daughters are married. Otherwise, the characters have nothing in common.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

I was so excited for this book. I loved It Had To Be You! Unfortunately this one just wasn't doing it for me. It has been a super stressful month so that could be it, but it took me a week to get to 40% and I just didn't really care about the characters. So I had to give this one up for now.

If you are looking for a cute read that represents all types of love, check out Island Time by Georgia Clark.

Georgia Clark does a great job of showing how everyone- no matter age, sexual orientation, or how they self identify struggle with love and the future. It is so refreshing to see that most people don’t have things all figured out. Societal pressures have and will continue to make us think that we must follow a timeline of finding a career, meeting the love of our life, and creating a family to call our own. But, as we all know, life is not so simple.

Clark’s use of the weather as an analogy for her characters was perfection!! She needs to write a master class on this for all writers!

Special thanks to NetGalley.com and Atria Books for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC
I almost DNF the Book but really want to give an honest review.
The Book didn't hit me. I think it is because of the multiple POV's. But I like how the describe the setting (the island) It makes me feel that I am part of the island.