I thought I would love Island Time a bit more than I did. It was a fun meet/cute story but with family drama and relationships gone bad. It just felt like something was missing.

I was eager to read given the representation of the LGBTQIA+ community but this missed the mark for me. While it definitely delivered drama, it was not the light fun summer read I expected. There were so many POV to follow and details about the plot and setting at times did not seem realistic.

Island Time by Georgia Clark

Q.O.T.D: What is your ideal vacation destination?

A.O.T.D: My ideal vacation is Ireland but any vacation will do right now! 😂

Book description:
“A delicious escape.” —People

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.

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.

My Rating:
⭐️⭐️
I’m indifferent to this book. Tad busy, maybe to many characters?! Drawn out but it was humorous ( I’d say the humor in this book may fall flat to some).

I found the nine character POV a unique different way to tell the story of this trapped on an island story. While I went in interested, it took a lot to hold my interest. The story was a bit slow, Espinoza the middle. The saving bits was the many topics of themes…. Forgiveness, family, love, acceptance, and so forth. I’m not sure whom I would recommend this book to though. Glad I read it.

This book is a good read and I feel can be classified as multiple different genres. It felt regular fiction at times, but there was family drama as well. A solid premise but I did struggle with some of the writing and jokes. i do like her book It Had To Be You better.

This was another fun read from Georgia Clark. Her novels transport me and provide a much needed break from reality.

ISLAND TIME follows two very different families, the Kelly’s (laid back, Australian) and the Lee’s (uptight, American), bound by their married daughters. They all escape to an island off the coast of Australia only to find themselves stranded for five additional weeks after a volcano erupts. Stuck on the island with just two employees, the family members use their forced break from the real world to examine their lives and ask themselves whether they’re truly happy.

There were many aspects of this book that I loved. The romances are nuanced and fun, with one in particular that felt so unique and well-told, I didn’t even mind that it was too “insta love” for my usual taste. I also appreciated the storyline around deciding whether or not to have kids, and how career, societal and familial expectations play a role in that decision.

But the thing that most sets this one apart is the island setting came to life. The author’s research on the birds and plants of the was woven into the novel in a beautiful, atmospheric way. I especially appreciated how in depth she went with Indigenous culture and customs; it’s clear she has a lot of respect for the area’s history.

TLDR; This book didn’t work for me and I’m so bummed about it.

Marketed as a romance with a brightly colored cover? Yes please! But what you see isn’t what you always get.

I had a really hard time getting into ISLAND TIME. There were SO many POVs (pretty sure it’s nine) and I’m a reader who loves multiple POVs. Because of the amount of shifts, I couldn’t get invested into the characters as well as their thoughts and feelings. With all the back and forth, it left me thinking all these characters are unlikeable which ultimately didn’t help.

Despite me not liking the story, I did laugh quite a bit and did really like the setting of the story. Clark was able to paint a vivid picture to where I felt like a distant family member who likes to spend quality time alone. Lots of family drama, a pretty light romcom, mixed with a tad bit of suspense.

Content warnings: death, infidelity, panic attacks/disorders, miscarriage, addiction, drug use

Big thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

This was….weird! I can’t say I’m a fan of the writing or the story. It just felt incohesive to me in a lot of ways. I don’t think this is the author for me

Unfortunately this one did not do it for me... within the first 14% I was having whiplash. Started the audio and with nine POVs and no warning of when they’re switching or who was actually talking, I couldn’t do it. DNFs are very rare for me and sadly this one is added to that list.

Island Time by Georgia Clark

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Adult, contemporary, romance, LGBT

𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭: Kobo and Audio

𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 ❤️❤️❤️

Australian family the Kellys, are loud, messy, but full of love, and maybe a bit much to be stuck on an Island with? That’s just what the Lees family is thinking. Sophisticated, American, and quite the opposite of the Kelly’s. The only thing they have in common is there daughters are married. Now stuck on an island after a nearby volcano erupts, with only two other bystanders, romance in the air, tears will be shed, and secrets will be spilled.

🏠 I absolutely loved these two families!! I think this was my favourite part of the book, the messy, raw emotions that they each had. How they learned to love themselves and each other.

🐨 Another favourite was the indigenous culture and customs that we learn about Australia in the book.

👯‍♂️ The Bromance between Glen and Randall was so heartwarming 🥹

🔥 If your looking for steam and LGBT rep, this book has it! I loved the authors note at the end about her wife!!

😀 I smiled all throughout this book, there were so many moments that you couldn’t go but smile!

Pick this book up before summer ends, you won’t regret it and I’d love to know your thoughts!!

Thank you @atriabooks and @netgalley for my advanced copy.

I couldn't get into this one; the premise was great and I really appreciated the author's commitment to accuracy and respect of the environment and indigenous culture, but the characters and familial relationships were unrealistic and annoying. I think this is probably great for a certain audience, but the suspension of belief required to get invested in a scenario in which a family survives a tsunami in paradise while also hating each other and their partners was something I struggled with.

This book will most definitely leave you wanting to visit the beach. Such wonderful descriptive writing. Great characters and a fun read.

This was unfortunately a huge miss for me. Really disappointing and such a boring story. I could not care less about anyone in the family and all their complaining. Thanks for the copy!

I throughly enjoyed this novel. In fact, it’s one of the few lately that has held my attention throughout the entire story. While I could see a few things coming, I never felt like rushing though it. I would definitely recommend it to friends.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
I absolutely adored It Had to Be You and The Bucket List and was eager to read their latest work. While I didn’t love it *as* much as her other two (mainly because the characters made dumb selfish decisions), there was still a lot to love about Island Time. My personal favorite aspect of the book was how much I learned about the island where the book takes place! I truly felt transported to a beautiful tropical place, and while this book was more family drama than rom com, I’d recommend it as a summer read or a book to read when you feel like escaping somewhere else for awhile.

I want to thank the publisher so much for approving me of this eARC! I am always so happy to be granted the chance to read and review an LGBTQIA+ book. Unfortunately this story was not for me. I couldn't get attached to the story or the characters. The humor fell very flat and some of the jokes made me uncomfortable. I overall couldn't fully process what genre this story was attending to be and as much as I enjoy a a genre bending story it did not work here. The cover was also very misleading to me.

I had a hard time with this one. The concept is quite unique - 2 families stranded on a deserted island; 5 day trip turned 6 weeks; they basically become natives. It seems to set the appropriate setting and opportunity for the families to explore misgivings and embrace lgbtq understandings, there are too many characters and not enough time spent on developing them. Instead, everything was repeated and turned dull.

This one was just okay for me. Too many povs & it just fell flat. I didn’t like the characters, it wasn’t really a rom com in my eyes. The family was nuts. That’s about all I’ve got.

This one was such a light and easy read, I loved the characters and how everything worked out in the end. Definitely recommend this book if you're looking for something that will warm your heart and make you smile.