I don’t read them often, but I love a novel told in the multiple point of views of a large ensemble cast. It makes things so dynamic as you jump from one voice to the next and see things from all sides.

For me, Island Time was the perfect way to kick off the summer, as we follow two families that gather on a small island down under for a wedding, and after a volvano explodes, finds themselves stranded on the island for a couple of weeks. There are struggles as they all come to terms with the fact that they will need to cohabitate, family secrets are exposed and a couple people come to terms with the fact that maybe the path they are following is not the one they want to continue on. I was hooked till the end, and never really wanted to leave that island.

So I normally love family dramas, but I really struggled with this one. I had troubles at first keeping the characters straight, some of whom weren't very flushed out. Then as I finally figured out who was who - I didn't like a good half of the characters. I will say that I appreciated the Aboriginal history and LGBTIA+ aspect of the book, those storylines kept me reading. As did the setting - the island sounds so cool and beautiful! But the book wasn't funny, there were way too many characters and switching between POVs, and not very much growth in any of the characters. The book didn't really end up saying much of anything, and I'm not sure if the problem is how it was marketed or that the author tried to do too much. I wish it had been more heavily edited - it was too long and some of the character POVs and plot lines could have been removed. Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this one.

Thank you so much @AtriaBooks & @NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 14 June 2022)

SYNOPSIS | Two families take a joint vacation together on a remote island off the coast of Australia, when a dormant volcano erupts leaving them isolated & unexpectedly stranded together for a lot longer than they initially planned.

WHAT I LIKED:
- the location was beautifully described (you can tell the author did her homework)
- the focus on queer relationships & some of the struggles

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- the cutesy cover does not match the vibe of this story at all (also wouldn't refer to this as a romance)
- even by the end of the book I was still getting characters mixed up (I think there was 9 POVs?)
- maybe it was just me, but I felt like I was reading this book FOREVER
- there was just too much for me to digest, learn & ultimately care about

I couldn’t get into this one and did not finish. I usually love multiple POVs but that and the location felt chaotic for me

𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖: the lee and kelly families end up stuck on an island off the coast of australia after a volcano erupts. the only thing they have in common is that their daughters are married.

𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒: eh. i received this book as an ARC because i wanted to give georgia clark a try knowing how much people have enjoyed her other books. this book was definitely not for me. everyone knows i love a book with multiple POVs. this book had EIGHT. it was chaotic and confusing and was constantly trying to figure out who’s POV it was since it wasn’t clearly labeled. it was also LONG. it could have been so much shorter in my opinion. there was tons of family drama and it wasn’t the kind of family drama that has you at the edge of your seat. it was like depressing family drama that didn’t sit well with me. ugh. i wanted to like it, i really did but it was SUCH a struggle to get to the end.

𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆: meh 😑

special thank you to netgalley & atria books for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
•••

Georgia Clark is a great author and I'm a fan of her writing style for sure! I did enjoy this book and I would highly recommend this book to my friends.

No, nope, not for me. I really disliked this book from start to finish. I should have DNF because it was painful to get through. The characters were static, and the only personality they showed was completely annoying. Everything about this book -- the situation, the treatment of characters, the lack of clear plot -- was boring and frustrating. I will not be reading another book by this author. I thought it would be a great beach read because of the cover and premise, but it just put me to sleep.

I enjoyed this even though it was a tad too long (for me). Very very in depth character and family study plus some neat Australian history and facts.

Loved: exploration of family dynamics (very realistic IMO), the setting, the full cast narration, the diversity, and the subtle humor

I wish: it had been a little shorter! There was a little less romance. A touch too icky sweet for me.

This book was good, and I loved the premise, but it moved a little slowly for me. The beginning dragged a bit. It certainly picked up, but you really need to grab me in those first couple of chapters.

I liked the book. It was not my favorite but I learned a lot about Australian wild life and nature, which only increased my desire to travel there. I was overwhelmed by the constant switching of POVs without warning. The bromance between Glen and Randall was my favorite relationship in the book. Jules was easily my least favorite character I have read in a while. But, it was an interesting read that was pretty breezy.

I was expecting more of a typical romance story, but I ended up really enjoying all of the different perspectives and stories! The romantic relationships are great, and I really enjoyed reading their stories, but the family relationships were also really well done and intriguing. I really liked how the nature on the island was described, and the acknowledgment of the place of Indigenous people in Australis was a good part of the book. I would recommend this to people who are looking for a contemporary family drama that has some good romantic relationships as well (and some steamy scenes)!

I didn't love this one, but I did not dislike it either.

What I loved:
LGBTQ themes
Immersive writing
Funny
Relatable characters

What I didn't like:
Too long, over 400 pages
Boring at times
Didn't feel like there was huge takeaway at the end

I would still recommend to a friend to form their own conclusions.

I really loved this one! The stranded on an island on what was supposed to be a weekend getaway was a fun premise, and I loved the tropical setting in Australia. The writing was solid, but I found there were too many alternating POVs/Storylines. I think I would've enjoyed it a bit more if one or two of them didn't have as much of a focus on them. I liked Liz & Amelias story and the Parker & Mattie figuring out their future parts. Great rep as well!

Thank you to Net Galley for this ARC! I was really interested in reading Island Time by Georgia Clark because the premise was different than what I've been reading recently and it was an LGBTQIA+ book. It was really interesting how many different PoVs there were and to see the two different family dynamics. Overall, I enjoyed it!

I was super excited about this book because I read Georgia Clark's last novel. There was a lot going on in this book with a ton of characters and conflicts to keep track of. It was a fun read but not my favorite

I want to live on this island!!! Georgia has the best descriptions of the island and really transported you there. I was rooting for them to make it. I also wanted to be apart of her friend group! Cute read!

Very quick summer beach read set in a beautiful location! I felt like the pacing of the book was a little choppy with all of the different points of view by I still enjoyed the story and inclusivity. The cover of the book definitely drew me in with all of the bright beautiful colors!

Two families end up stuck on a family vacation when a volcano cuts off access to and from the island. Each person explores their reality and what they want for their future (and what they need to do to get there). I really enjoyed this book!

I am thankful for the electronic copy of the book that I received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I purchased the audible version on my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, Georgia Clark and Atria Books for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly picked this up at the wrong time thinking it would be a slump buster, but it was a bit too long and complicated for that. I did like all the characters and all the angst involved in this one though. I loved that every person had something to work out and even if they didn’t end up perfect, they had a plan to better their lives. Who doesn’t love a book that takes place on a remote island anyway??

Should have learned from It Had to Be You... too many POVs to keep straight and too long of a book with side stories that could have been trimmed to alleviate the drag.