Queerly Beloved is a great beach read for the summer! Georgia Clark provided a witty, sensual, ensemble cast that left me thorough enjoyment.

The multi POV provided an inclusive cast of characters that varied between, race, sexual orientation and age. The diversity added to the richly created story, also the lush descriptions of the Australian landscape greatly added to the tale.

Highly recommended for a medium paced story that you won’t be able to put down until you’ve reached the conclusion.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars for this atmospheric, steamy, LGBTQ-inclusive, worlds-colliding summer beach romance!

This was the absolute perfect read for the vacation I just took - the atmosphere really gave me "Outer Banks" vibes in the best way!

There was romance, there were laughs, and there was a lot of drama and suspense as well. I loved the hilarity, chaos and happy accidents throughout. It read kind of like a suspense novel at first, then more into a drama-filled rom-com. A great beach read!

Thanks again to NetGalley and Atria Books for the digital ARC! :)

Two families converge in paradise for a tropical vacation. Shortly after their arrival, mother nature unleashes a volcano that destroys their luxurious accommodations and makes travel off the island impossible. For six weeks, the families are forced to live in close quarters, mostly cut off from the outside world, with no one to engage with but each other and a couple of island natives. Removed from outside distraction, we witness Georgia Clark's characters wrestle with their relationships with each other, and the hard decisions they are each confronting in their own lives.

Island Time is a multiple POV story containing a diverse cast of characters that vary in age, race, and sexual orientation. I appreciated this diversity and found myself relating to some of the characters that were similar in age to me. The issues they were struggling with such as balancing work and family life were topics I could relate to, and I enjoyed reading their perspectives. Because of the diversity in this book, I imagine most people can find at least one character they can relate to in some way.

In addition to the large ensemble cast and their unique stories, there were moments where Georgia Clark spent a lot of time describing the rich history of the island. While these descriptions were beautifully written, there was so much happening in the book that there were times I simply just wanted the plot to advance. For this reason, the middle felt slow and was hard to get through. However, readers do get a great ending that ties up all loose ends in a way that is satisfying and does justice to the long journey we go on with these families. Georgia Clark's writing was thoughtful, and I would definitely read more of her books.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this digital ARC.

Georgia Clark is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors! She consistently produces novels with detailed storylines, wit, romance and satisfaction. Island Time is Clark’s latest hit. Set in a tropical paradise on a remote island, two families find themselves stranded after a nearby volcano erupts. There are the newlyweds Matty and Parker and their respective families. Matty’s parents have recently split, but haven’t revealed their secret yet. And Matty’s sister, Amelia, plans the vacation with the intention of introducing the family to her new beau, who doesn’t quite make it in time. Parker’s parents are both there, desperate to keep their businesses afloat from the island and avoid the other family as long as possible. Add in one island native and one island employee and suddenly there’s a lot more drama happening on a small speck of land. Admittedly, I occasionally got a little lost in all the characters and their complicated stories. Amelia stuck out to me and I enjoyed her parts that most. However, I think the issues and growing pains that all the various couples were forced to examine and navigate are realistic and handled appropriately and accurately. Clark has mastered witty banter for a rom-com and I thoroughly enjoy reading her work!

A sincere thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Instead of being stuck in your apartment in a pandemic, why not be stuck on a tropical island due to volcanic activity close by? This was a different "twist" to the quarantine and being isolated with others. Georgia Clark's previous book It Had To Be You was a very enjoyable read for me last year. Island Time is written in a very similar style, and for me it didn't quite work. I think there were too many voices here and I wish the story had maybe focused more on Liss and Amelia, maybe with a smidge more on Parker and Matty. I think it would have been more enjoyable to really get to know those 2 or even 4 on a deeper level. This book was surprisingly spicy, which I have no problems with at all. I think Amelia and Liss are good for each other and I loved the IVF/IUI talk with Parker and Matty. Again I just wish I knew them better because some decision seemed so rash and out of character for what I did know. I think the parents stories weaved in just didn't do it for me. It also made the book quite long with all the POVs and all the imagery of the island. I think some of the description was just a little long and I found myself skimming it.

I don’t think I have read an ensemble romance before but I really loved it! This was the perfect entertaining beach read! Two families come together for vacation on a tropical island when a volcano erupts forcing them to stay together due to a 6 week travel ban. The story was told in multiple POVs which was a bit confusing at first but I ultimately loved. I also loved all of the descriptions of the wildlife and Australian scenery. Many of the characters really evaluate their life choices and discover parts of themselves they forgot and I really enjoyed that!

A fun summer read–3.5 Stars!

I think this book has a lot of potential, and there were elements I enjoyed. However for me, there was a bit too much going on. It’s very much ensemble-led, with the cast of characters quite large and intertwined. There are a lot of little plots happening within each character, and then weaving with the others. For this reason it felt like the book could have easily been…2-4 books. There were glimpses of what I would have wanted more exploration (Matty and Parker specifically I think) but because there was so much crammed into the story it ended up feeling like a bit of a slog. Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to Iike this book, especially because I liked Georgia Clark’s previous book so much. But the characters in this book were just so hard to keep straight. There were too many and they were all mostly kind of similar. Not to mention a couple of them were just straight up unlikeable.

The setting was also a little too confusing. I appreciated the history to the island and I liked the descriptions, but overall the book was a little overwhelming and I had a hard time getting invested in both the plot and the characters.

I tried to love this book, but I just couldn't. I ended up adding it to my very short "DNF" list on Goodreads, as I only made it about 50% of the way through before giving up. I think that the story has potential, but there are too many character perspectives and just too much going on.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I really wanted to love this one because it had a lot going for it plot and character-wise, but I just found it too slow and it didn't keep me interested even with all the different POVs.

I think others will enjoy this and I always will give a book a shot that has LGBTQ+ rep because it's so important. But this wasn't for me.

Sadly a DNF. This had a lot of potential, but it's an overstuffed story that's trying to accomplish too much. The characters give me a headache. I'm not a fan of the writing style. Perhaps this is a case of "not in the mood now but might like it later", but I kind of doubt it.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

I tried so hard to like this book, I really did but it wasn’t for me. I liked the fact it was really lgbtq+ positive but there’s so many cons. For something that’s supposed to be a summer romance type book there was a lot and I mean A LOT of drama, and not even light drama but really depressing drama, so I recommend looking at trigger warning if you plan on reading this book. Also another thing that really bothered me is how much the book jumps around from pov to pov. I personally didn’t like any of the characters or find anything special about them.

I also felt like this book was extremely dragged out and could have been shorted significantly. If I would have picked this book up without reviving an arc I would have dnfed this, there’s just SOOOO much going on to keep up with for a book marketed as a romance.

DNF. Couldn't get into this one and there where way too many characters that were all introduced right off the bat. I also wasn't a fan of the writing style. The cover is gorgeous but this one just wasn't for me.

While I enjoyed this book to start off the plot of the book was good then went down hill… to boring to left side agenda, and unrealistic. Didn’t finished didn’t care to.

Thanks NetGalley for the advance copy for my honest review

- very slow pace

- story of self discovery for each of the characters

- enjoyed the idea of (grown) children finding out that their parents are just people too, who are still growing and changing and figuring things out

- I would like to get stuck on a beautiful island with an interesting backstory and dependable facilities for 6 weeks, too!

- parts of it were a little intense for me - the interactions of the characters were kind of extreme for a 6 week relationship

First thank you to the publisher for an early copy of this book!

This was my first Georgia Clark novel and I adored it. The cover is what had ultimately drawn me in, It looked like a great summer/beach read.

The setting was amazing. I loved the small island vibes and all of the imagery that the author depicted throughout.

The characters were so diverse and interesting in their own ways. It felt as though there was a character that anybody and everybody could relate to. I enjoyed getting to read from all the different perspectives while at times getting that third person point of view.

I think my favorite part of this whole book was all the relationships that were formed not only between all the characters and each other but with the characters and themselves. The journeys of self discovery were beautiful.

The reason this was not a 5 star for me is that it was very slow at points and seemed to go on forever. I also think that the genre classification was slightly off. I would consider this book to be more of a family rom/com/drama.

Trigger warnings with this book: mention of miscarriage, addiction, pregnancy.

I felt like the book overall was well-thought out. I had never read an ensemble romance before this, so it was a new experience for me. While I appreciated that each of the couples was struggling with their own issues that extended beyond traditional miscommunication in romances, I felt like because there were so many stories I did not get as much development as I wanted for the others. I also felt like I did not get full closure on Parker's story as it pertained to her job, and at times I felt like her mother was sort of a waste of space? There were moments I saw her value but more often than not she just seemed like another person to keep track of. Additionally, I felt like that descriptions of the island and the various species that lived there was a bit much. I adored Liss and Amelia and their off the charts chemistry--and would not have minded a bit for some more steamy details. Glen and Randall's friendship was also darling and I thought explored relationships by marriages well. Parker and Matty were also amazing as individuals, I would have loved to see them engage more with one another. Jules drove me insane even with her reconciliation--I just did not like her for pretty much the entire story. Overall, I'd recommend it to a friend because I thought the experience was unique, but there were moments of frustration that I wanted more closure on to experience more of.

I was drawn into this book as the cover makes it feel as if it was a cute rom-com. What we got was This book was a good mix of romance, drama and domestic fiction. This book had a lot of POV's - almost too many and I wish there was more character development. I loved the beach itself though and the Australian island setting. I loved the vivid descriptions and learning about the island’s inhabitants. Clark brings Australia to life in these pages! A good romance but not one that I will probably remember.

DNF…. There was so much going on and I never wanted to pick it up and read. It wasn’t my vibe. I’m glad more authors are writing LGBTQ romances, but there was wayyyy too many different plots and I didn’t really care about most of them? I don’t think it’s a bad book, I would recommend for someone who loves a slow burn and multiple POVs.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC!

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I really struggled getting through it and wanted to DNF but kept holding out hoping that it would get exciting. It didn’t. It was really hard to connect with any of the characters because there were so many POV’s. We didn’t really get a chance to learn about any of them and because we didn’t get to know them they all seemed super entitled, whiney, and I hate to say it but they were all a little crazy. I get they’re all stuck on an island together and time really isn’t a concept when life is just blurring together, but whoa, these guys were a lot and I cringed way too many times to count.

This book also drags on. Forever. It felt like I was reading a really good chunk and when I looked at my percentage read, it barely moved. I really don’t like when a book makes me feel like it’s never-ending.

I will say I loved the descriptions of the island and the wildlife that inhabits this particular island off the coast of Australia. I really felt like I was there and even though it’s a made-up island, I want to visit!