A perfect summer read, steamy and smart romantic comedy set in paradise. What's not to love? Well written and and evenly paced, great characters with good chemistry and tension. A quick read that's a page turning swoony good time.

Island Time by Georgia Clark
Pub Date: June 14, 2022
ATria
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Love is in the salty sea air in this smart and steamy ensemble romantic comedy set in a tropical paradise, from the author of the “sparkly and entertaining” (Oprah Daily) It Had to Be You. This is one island you won’t want to be rescued from.
* Romance *Fiction *LGBT
416 pages that went on forever
Very Slow Start—This is long for a contemporary fiction/romance. The second half of the book flew for me but it took a bit to get into it.
Good setting and Good times, but this book did not get my attention. Possibly with better editing, it will be shorter when published and better characterization. It jumped from one character to the next, in my opinion.
2 stars

Such a fun take on family vacation! I loved how real this felt, with each family having their own quirks and issues that make you love them and cringe at the same time. Great beach read!

What a fun and perfect summer novel. This was my first by Georgia Clark and I'd love to read more of her work now. This made me ready for summer!

I wanted to love this one. But it just missed the mark a bit. I still enjoyed it, though.

The story finds two families stuck in a small island after a natural disaster. Everyone is dealing with their own things, and exploring the island.

I liked the concept, but I felt frustrated by the characters. There were moments when they were very selfish. (Jules with her disappointment I’m not getting grandkids, and Matty completely changing her mind about her future).

They were all together but barely discussed the big things until the very end. They all seemed to be in their own little bubbles.

I liked Amelia and Liss’ romance. It was lovely. I also felt like it was so quick, and I’m not sure I could completely buy into them falling in love so quick. Then there was that argument where Amelia went all in about marriage and kids. It just was so much.

I think I would have liked to see either more interactions between everyone, or more even focus on all the characters. Just something didn’t work.

And finally, this was a long one. There were sections I felt were a bit unnecessary and could have been cut/condense.

I feel like this review was so negative. Though this one didn’t completely work for me, I was still entertained. It was a good read & I’d still recommend.

This was such a fun story! The descriptions of the island and its wildlife were wonderful and it was the kind of book that feels more like watching a movie than reading. I also enjoyed how all the characters interacted with each other. However, there were a lot of flowy, repetitive details that were unnecessary, the beginning started off strong but in the middle it dragged a bit.

Huge thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free copy to read and review

Unfortunately this one wasn’t for me. I had higher hopes.

Thank you to NetGalley & publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review

Thank you Atria Books for my early copy! All thoughts are my own.

This was my second Georgia Clark novel and I’ve learned she’s really good at created a diverse cast of characters that the reader can relate to in one way or another. I was swept away by the setting of Island Time, which really was the star of the book, but also loved a central sapphic love story in this contemporary family drama.

Synopsis:

“The Kellys are messy, loud, loving Australians. The Lees are sophisticated, aloof, buttoned-up Americans. They have nothing in common…except for the fact that their daughters are married. When a nearby volcano erupts during their short vacation to a remote tropical island off the coast of Queensland, the two families find themselves stranded together for six weeks.

With only two island employees making up the rest of their party, everyone is forced to question what—or who—they really want. Island Time is a sumptuous summer read that dives deep into queer romance, family secrets, ambition, parenthood, and a bird-chasing bromance. This sexy, sun-soaked paradise of white sandy beaches, crystal-clear waters, and lush rainforest will show you it’s never too late to change your destiny.” —StoryGraph

What I Liked:

The Setting—The setting is a character in itself and it’s absolutely magical. As a white American, I’ve been learning a lot about colonialism and the atrocities Indigenous peoples faced. Though this book was set in Australia, I appreciated how the colonization of Australia was brought to the reader. You can tell the author wrote this when she was homesick because the beauty and respect for the land jumps off the page.

The Bird’s Eye View Tone—There was something also Liane Moriarty-ish in the tone. It’s written in third person but for some of the book I felt like I was looking down and observing this group on the island.

The Commentary on Passions—As someone who has always had big goals, I liked seeing flawed characters struggle with how to move forward with family planning and leaving the careers and lives they’ve built in service of that. There were so many elements of Matty’s story that I could relate to. I also thought the different journeys to motherhood that were highlighted served this as well.

What Didn’t Work:

Very Slow Start—This is long for a contemporary fiction/romance. The second half of the book flew for me but it took a bit to get into it.

Classified Incorrectly Genre Wise—I really wouldn’t call this a Romance or a RomCom. It has elements, but there are so many different characters and not really a central love story. This is nitpicky, but I think avid Romance readers would be confused picking this up. Which is a bummer because I want more sapphic love stories being published! I do this it would make a remarkable film though. It’s more of a family Rom/Com/Dram, which is so important to see represented.

Character Authenticity: 3.5/5 Steam Rating: 0/5 Overall Rating: 3.75/5

Content Warnings:

(All are pretty minor and just mentioned) miscarriage, addiction, alcoholism, pregnancy, infidelity

This is a Romance/Family Drama. I found that this book followed to many characters. It would jump from one character point of view to another then another. I also think the moving from character to character made to storyline feel jumpy, and I could not get into the storyline. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

This is the second book I've read by Georgia Clark, and like 2021's "It Had To Be You," this novel features a large cast and chapters told from many different perspectives. The main focus is on Amelia Kelly, who is spending a few days on beautiful Mun'dai Island with her extended family: mum Jules, dad Glen, sister Matty and her wife Parker, and Parker's parents Ludmila and Glen. Amelia's boyfriend James was supposed to be joining them, but a work emergency means he'll be taking the ferry from Hervey Bay on the Australian mainland to Mun'dai a day later than everyone else. Amelia is convinced that James is going to propose, and eagerly awaits his arrival--but before he can make it to Mun'dai, a natural disaster strikes, leaving the clan stranded on the isle for several weeks. (Mun'dai only allows a few visitors at a time, so the Kellys are the only tourists there at the time.)

Amelia can't bear the thought of being without James for so long, but she soon becomes enamored with the island's caretaker, Liss. After a bad break-up and an ill-advised fling with her best friend, Liss left her home country of Canada for Mun'dai in order to recover from the heartbreak. She is attracted to the blonde and brash Australian, but isn't Amelia... straight? And practically engaged?

We get to know everyone and their various travails, romantic and otherwise. Jules and Glen have recently separated, but they haven't told their daughters yet. Ambitious Matty has left New York, where she's been living for the past few years, and is about to settle in Sydney with Parker and start a family, but the chance to make a career dream come true makes her wonder if she made the right decision. We also meet Jarrah, an Indigenous man who works as a ranger on a nearby island and happened to be camping on Mun'dai; damage to his boat means he's stranded too.

This is a 400+ page book, and while I enjoyed the set-up and the dramatic conclusion, I though it sagged a bit in the middle; I started thinking too much about the fact that everyone seemed surprisingly prepared to spend six weeks instead of four days on Mun'dai (for instance, one character uses a vape pen to smoke weed, and I had to wonder why he brought such a large supply of marijuana with him). In addition, despite major infrastructure damage due to a tsunami, the wifi still works well enough for everyone to make frequent Zoom calls. I live in a major metropolitan area, and despite my broadband connection I still occasionally get those "unstable connection" errors on Zoom.

The most interesting part of the book was the insights into Australia's Indigenous history, including the horrible treatment of Aboriginal children. Jarrah is a really interesting and well-rounded character and I wish more of the book had been about him, since Amelia can sometimes be a bit much. I also liked the two dads' growing friendship and bonding over birdwatching. The unique setting and character development tips this to 4 stars from me (though it's more like a 3.5).

Thanks to Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the review copy via NetGalley.

Couldn't get in to this book.

I hate to leave a book unfinished - but I just get getting confused and lost. Perhaps I'll try to pick it up again later.

What would you do if you were stuck on an island with your family and your in-laws for 6 weeks? are you already breaking out hives thinking about it? just kidding my in-laws are good people:)

and I would not say no to a 6 week vacation on an island on the Australian coast!

"Love was an act of imagination and will. As easily as it could be made, it could be unmade"

This book is not really what I expected to read. I should have read the synopsis, right? I though it would be a rom-com. But it was not. Not in the traditional sense, at least. Romance adjacent women's fiction might be a better descriptor.

It is hard to write a brief review really. Because it is not really a plot driven story. There are two families Kellys and Lees. Their daughters Matty and Parker are married. Matty's sister Amelia is also vacationing with them. I don't think the focus was on Amelia and Liss's budding romance as the cover design implies. There were all these couples with their own relationship issues. Jules and Glen are separated but hide it from their daughters, Matty and Parker are on the verge of a big, life-changing decision and they look like they are on the same page but they are not, not fully. Randall and Ludmilla's relationship seems to be the only solid one.

We get to witness all these relationship struggles: starting a family, putting one's career on hold (for Matty and Parker); insecurities and past relationship traumas (Liss and Amelia); ending of a marriage and finding one's own interests and desire (Jules and Glen) All the couples and their issues were portrayed realistically.

It had a great setting. This tiny fictional island sounds dreamy. I loved the Bromance between Glen and Randall. I loved Jarrah's character. His presence enriched the story both emotionally and culturally. I loved how passionate he was about his Indigenous ancestoral land.

In acknowledgements Georgia Clark says the pandemic gave her the clarity to want to tell queer love stories. So as a result we have a good beach read with two queer love stories that is also filled with self-discovery and family drama.

3.75stars

This book overwhelmed me. Too many characters & their back stories. I also had a hard time believing the romantic evolution of the main characters in such a short time.

"Island Time" by Georgia Clark
Tsunami
A good story, well written … This truly is a story full of stories. There are nine adults stranded on an island for 6-weeks. And, each character has its story to share. … BUT… I guess I got bored with the gathering of back stories, and the evolving of new interests. Or, maybe, I just got a bit overwhelmed with too much information about too many people. So I started skimming… and just skipped to the end. YET.. I might not have gotten bored or antsy if I had not been fighting with my bout of allergy season symptoms. Happy Reading ! !
NOTE: I received an ARC of this story from the publisher via NetGalley.
This review expresses my honest opinion.

A quick week long family vacation and get to know your in-laws turns into a six week adventure due to unforeseen circumstances. Family, romance, and natural disasters hold this book together. It may a LGBTQ book and there is same sex relationships in the book but it is not over powering and the ups and downs that both couples go through are normal in any relationship. Fun beach read.

Island Time! This was my first time reading Georgia Clark's work and it did not disappoint! The Kelly's and The Lee's are off to a tropical island in Australia. The two families personalities are like night and day, sharing just one thing in common, their daughter's are married. What should have been a short fun holiday turns into a 6 week one when a nearby volcano erupts leaving them all stranded on the island.  Oh and for added fun they are sharing one house due to the damage caused on the island. Let the awkward, but hilarious, family drama begin! Also on the island, a steamy romance develops! With all their new found time, each of our characters start to really question some internal struggles. "What is your true desire versus what have you been told so often is your desire that you mistake it for truth."

I really enjoyed this one! It was so funny and I loved getting to know each of the very different characters.  Some big topics are also addressed and I liked the care put into each of these delicate situations. There are 5 main POV's plus a little from our side characters. It was a little confusing at first but hang with it! Once you get the characters down it will be smooth sailing. I'll also mention this is quite the open door steamy rom-com-ish story which I know some readers like to be aware of up front. And lastly, my favorite part, two of the characters majorly bond over watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer together. Buffy was my favorite show growing up so major brownie points there!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Atria Books for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. Looking forward to adding Georgia Clark's backlist to my tbr!

The premise of Island Time by Georgia Clark is so damn cute. I do think the branding of this book is a little off. It looks like a fun, lighthearted beach read when it really deals with self-discovery, boundary setting, and family drama.

Island Time

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This looked like the perfect beach read while on vacation this week. Yes, I judge books by there cover quite frequently, and I didn’t read the back blurb. This was much different than I pictured once I got into it.

A family is visiting an island when a volcano and tsunami strand them there for six weeks with the caretakers of the island. The book has many of the characters leading their portion of the story as they each work through something in their own lives.

I liked the multiple points of view and the various characters. I thought Georgia Clark did a good job of creating a unique group all with their own personalities. I didn’t love the whole story and plot, there wasn’t quite enough in it for me. I also totally didn’t buy the depth of the romance that developed on the island. Six weeks is pretty short!

Unfortunately, this didn’t work for me. I didn’t like how we were following so many POVs. I would’ve much rather been following the MC and her love interest. I think the multiple POVs made it a bit confusing. I did enjoy the family dynamics and having them in the story! The nicknames were a bit much, but I did like the quirky characters. Thank you to the publisher and author for this gifted copy!

Okay, I love this cover. Like absolutely adore it. And I thought I was getting a tropical, romance. Which it kinda was, but it wasn’t what I was expecting at all!

Amelia and her family (and her sister’s in-laws) go on vacation to a secluded island. A volcano hits and they get stuck there for weeks on end. But they still have Wi-Fi…?

The premise was interesting. And I’m generally a fan of family dramas. The queer representation was great. But this book dragged….it’s about 150 pages too long. But if family dramas on an island are your thing, pick it up this summer.