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.

I requested this book on NetGalley on a whim because it’s the “summer of cartoon cover books” and the plot sounded interesting. This is super different than most romcoms I’ve read lately because it’s much more a family drama than it is a romance but I really enjoyed it! The many many povs and so many characters who all are referred to as both their regular names plus nicknames made parts super confusing, especially at the beginning, but it ultimately became a non issue. I ended up liking all of the 47 different storylines and liked the journey that each character went on and felt the internal change within every one of them was pretty great and relatively for their 6 weeks on the island. And speaking of the island, I loved that setting. Plus, I really loved so much my to representation.
Def a great summer read, but pick it up when you want alllll the drama and not just an easy breezy romance.

Thank you to NetGalley, Georgia Clark, and the Publishers for an advanced copy of this novel.

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was an enjoyable book.

This book was not my favorite, I felt like there was no real meat to the story. Throughout the book, these crazy events would happen, i.e. getting chased by a crocodile & then they would just gloss over it, felt like that happened a couple of times. I thought it was a nice change of pace to read about couples who aren't represented in books often/ever. Loved the setting of this book & unique to be "stuck" on the island for an extended period of time. Thank you for the approval to read this book, will look for more books by Georgia Clark

This one screams summer and I love that! It’s not your typical romance book and more of a find yourself kind of read but still enjoyable! A bit on the long side though.

I received an ARC of Island Time in exchange for an honest review. I really tried to like this one, but ultimately I couldn’t get into it. I love multiple POVs, but I think this one just had too many for me. I felt like I kept confusing the characters and it was hard to keep up with whose POV it was. I decided to DNF. I do appreciate the queer rep in this book and I think many others will really enjoy it, but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me…

This book was a joy to read from the very beginning!

Island Time is about two families who get stuck on their vacation on a tropical island due to a volcano eruption. These families know each other, the two daughters Maddy and Parker are married, but at the same time don't know each other at all. As they are stranded for 6 weeks, with two members of the staff, the families are forced to finally get to know each other, deal with their issues, and maybe even learn something about themselves.

This book is so special because it doesn't follow a typical romance formula. Yes, there is definitely love and some pretty steamy scenes, but it feels like the crux of the story focuses on the characters as individuals and their own personal journeys. The multiple POVs also allows for you to get on an intimate level with the characters and discover and grow alongside them. And we also get a wonderful bromance with the dads, honestly that was my favorite part!

I loved the setting of the story! The descriptions of the lush tropical island and of all of the plants and animal species made me feel like I was there myself. I was also moved by the history of the island (even though its not real) and its connection to Australia and the Aborigine people. I also loved the fact that one of the moms was Russian. I felt like the author did a very good job with her character, but she did feel like a stereotype from time to time (not every Russian woman does ballet). I liked the fact that she used Russian language throughout the book that was applicable to the situation.

The main love story followed the insta-love trope which is not a particular favorite of mine, but I feel like it was done quite well. Overall I thought it was a fun read with multiple different forms of love stories forming out of a natural disaster on vacation.

This eARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

tw: alcoholism, animal death, infidelity, miscarriage, panic attacks, natural disasters

Dnfed this book :((

Really want to love this but the pace is not for me. This is the first book i've read with multiple POVs but i didn't really liked it, I felt like there's too much going on.

Anyone who loves multiple povs, family drama, lgbtq+ romance, this is the a summer read you might enjoy!

Loved it! Loved the characters and getting to explore each of the relationships (romantic, friendships, and family). The escape to the island and the powerful, yet light-hearted aspects of the story make this a great summer read.

After marinating with this story, it became a silent stealer of my mind. At first, I thought the plot line of having a family stranded on an island due to a tsunami was a bit far-fetched, which soured my outlook on the rest of the story. Yet, three weeks later, I can't stop thinking about these characters! Georgia Clark has done it again, and has invaded my mind with such likeable, lovable, and relatable characters. Each character had a strong sense of self only to be re-molded by the onset of a crisis and how a family reacts in times of high stress. The author wrote this during the the onset of COVID, so it is not a surprise that a family in crisis is the front-and-center plot line. We have all been hit with a pseudo-tsunami over the past two years, and our lives and relationships are forever changed. I think Georgia Clark did a wonderful job reflecting this while also providing a bit of entertainment (unicorn heads at a beach bar, anyone??). This book made me laugh, cry (a bit), and reflect. "Island Time" is definitely a summer read that everyone will be talking about this year!

Island time is a family drama that follows the Lees and Kellys who have nothing in common other than the fact that their two daughters are married. When the families unite on a remote Australian island and then find themselves stranded due to a volcano eruption, along with two island employees, everyone finds themselves questioning what they want as family secrets start to come out.

I think I (quite wrongly) assumed based on the cover of this book that this was a romance and while there is a romance within it, this is much more of a family drama. It started off pretty slow for me as well but after about 60% it got a bit more interesting. I ended up liking it in the end but wish I had done better research since family dramas are not really my favorite. I did love the queer representation and complexities within each relationship.

I do think this book could have done with fewer POVs - though it was always pretty obvious which POV was speaking I think there were...8? different POVs which felt a bit excessive.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the eARC in exchange for a review.