Just finished "Crash Landing" by Annie McQuaid, and wow, what a ride! This book is like "Cast Away" meets a rom-com, and it’s equal parts funny, heartfelt, and steamy. Piper and Wyatt, two exes who haven’t seen each other in years, end up stranded on a deserted island after their plane crashes. Awkward, right? As they work together to survive, old feelings start to resurface.

The chemistry between them is *chef’s kiss*, and the dual timeline—flashing back to their high school relationship—adds so much depth to their story. I loved watching Piper grow and take risks, and Wyatt’s softer side had me swooning. I didn't love Piper's controlling and judgmental parents, and while I've definitely seen toxic family members handled worse in romance novels, the outcome with them didn't feel authentic either. But that's a side note--Piper and Wyatt and their friend crew are far more central to the story.

If you’re into second-chance romances with forced proximity and a dash of adventure, this is a must-read. It’s fun, emotional, and perfect for a beach day (or a cozy night in). 4.5 stars from me—Annie McQuaid is one to watch!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Overall, a very good read. I wasn't as hooked as I thought I would be with the idea of a 'crash' landing. But I think the development of the characters makes up for any lost anticipation in the story.

This was a sweet, fun, and heartfelt romance! It had all the swoons and I loved the high stakes. The author seamlessly wove in so many fun romance tropes. It’s the perfect beach read!

I am a sucker for a second chance romance and this one pulled through! While I don’t love miscommunication as a trope in general, I do think it worked here, and I found the romance swoony and the deserted island to be a fun way to make the rekindling relationship happen. This was a super short read (and thus not overly complex), but I had a ton of fun with the FMC’s journey to figuring out what she really wants in life and MMC’s breakthrough to having confidence in himself and what he has to offer.

4 stars

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable and quick read! I like that it was a second chance romance and really appreciated the back and forth timeline to learn more about Piper and Wyatt’s not just previous relationship but really their whole friendship from the start. While I do wish we got a little more time on page for when they were together at the end of high school, there was still enough there to know how deep their history was and how impactful the break up would be in both of them because of it.

Piper’s character might not have grown much in the years they were apart (at least based on the bits and pieces given about those years), but she definitely grew and changed a lot in the short time span the “now” timeline in the story takes place during, which I appreciated. I have not been in something like a plane crash, but I think we can all identify moments in our life that have really forced us to reflect on our lives.

In terms of the writing-style, I tend to prefer shorter chapters and loved the length of the chapters, they were perfect for me! I am also excited for any future projects by Annie and think this is a very promising debut! Finally, being from NC myself, I also enjoyed a few of the references like shoutouts to UNC 🙂

Thank you to HarperCollins publishers, NetGalley, and Annie McQuaid for a gifted eARC of this book. All thoughts expressed in the review are my true opinion.

Thank you to Avon for the ARC of this book! What a spectacular debut novel perfect for anyone who enjoys an Adventure romance with second chance/enemies to lovers. I was hooked from the very first page of this book and I just know that Annie McQuaid will be an author I keep reading!
Piper and Wyatt are high school sweethearts whose relationship met a very sudden and devasting end on the precipice of adulthood. Their love for each other was so strong, though, that they still haven't forgotten about each other, even if Piper mostly has feelings of hatred and disgust. On the way to her best friend's wedding, who is also Wyatt's cousin, Piper's flight gets cancelled and her only choice is to accept a ride from Wyatt in a private plane. When their plane crashes somewhere in the Caribbean on a remote island, they are forced to work together to survive. Along the way, they realize that their love isn't as lost as they thought. They are also both forced to evaluate the lives they've built for themselves. This book is a beautiful story of second chances, survival and making the live you want for yourself. Five Stars from me, no notes! Loved it so much!

Crash Landing has a very intriguing premise, but ultimately lacks in execution. It's a second chance romance with a couple forced to survive following a plane crash while on the way to a wedding, and while I found the early chapters to be fast-paced and engaging, I quickly faded into boredom with the dual timelines. I wasn't as interested in reading about their previous relationship, and it lost me.

Crash Landing is a delightful debut romance that perfectly balances humor, heart, and sizzling chemistry. Annie McQuaid masterfully weaves dual timelines, showing Piper and Wyatt’s past as childhood sweethearts alongside their present-day fight for survival on a deserted island. This second chance romance beautifully explores character growth, with both Piper and Wyatt confronting their past mistakes and evolving into better versions of themselves.

The found family dynamic adds a heartwarming layer, and the playful banter between Piper and Wyatt keeps the story light, even amidst the tension of their predicament. The island setting is vividly described, making this book the perfect vacation or poolside read.

While some moments felt a bit predictable, the emotional depth and undeniable chemistry between the leads more than made up for it. Crash Landing is a fun, heartfelt story of rediscovering love and trusting yourself again.

This debut hits shelves on April 1, so add it to your TBR now! Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC!

I love the concept of this book-former high school sweethearts reconnect after a terrible break up. They don’t speak for years & then are on a private plane to go to a mutual friend’s wedding and have a plane crash on a private island. Forced proximity makes them reevaluate their entire relationship. It was a cute concept Just to my opinion-poorly executed. I really struggled with the relationship between the two main characters. It was hard to root for them to come back together to be a couple. I found the banter Painful to read, and the plot line not very realistic.

This is a second chance romance that occurs in the midst of a plane crash in which they are stranded and are waiting for help to arrive.

This personally just wasn't my cup of tea, with the plane crash setting and lack luster chemistry this was bland. I wasn't wow or invested in any of the events occurring in the book.

This book is written in 2 storylines (The present and Past), both timelines had me more bored if anything. Despite its cliche writing, there are some trigger warnings that readers should be aware of such as

TW's
- Plane Crash
- PTSD (Military/war based)
- Alcohol abuse
and Parental neglect

Crash Landing didn't crash it for me.

Thank you to Avon & Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

I love a good story with a ‘crash landed on a deserted island’, so this was right up my alley. I loved to see the growth between Piper and Wyatt! It was also really, really fun to see the two different timelines - past and present. It really added a fun layer to everything!

I look forward to recommending this one!

Thank you so much for allowing me to read the ARC.

Five shining stars for this sparkling, adventure-filled debut novel! There was so much to love about this book. High school sweethearts estranged for 8 years after a heartbreaking break-up, second chance romance, the ultimate forced proximity and survival on a deserted island.

Piper and Wyatt were high school sweethearts until he broke her heart and left for the army, never speaking to her again. They run into each other at the airport after their flight to a wedding was canceled. Wyatt charters a plane for the two of them, but it crashes on a deserted island, where they spend seven days struggling to survive and face their feelings for each other, both old and new.

Second chance romances can be hit or miss for me, depending on the reason for the breakup, and this one was 100% a hit. I wanted to reach through the book and give Wyatt a hug. He loved Piper so fiercely, and the way he took care of her on the island brought tears to my eyes. There were heart-pounding moments, and so many emotions that were written perfectly. I loved the dual timelines, with flashback chapters of them falling in love and breaking up as teenagers. It really helped to develop the characters and show who they were and the depth of their feelings for each other. Both of them had so much growth, both in the time between high school and the present, but also their time stranded on the island. Piper especially recognized so much that was wrong in her life, and her experience taught her how strong she is and gave her the courage to change things for the better.

The banter and sizzling chemistry in this book were top-notch, and I can't wait for everyone to read it! I will be eagerly looking forward to reading more from Annie in the future. Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for the e-arc of this book.

Not great. Wyatt and Piper were in love as teenagers and had a bad breakup. They crash land on a deserted island when flying to the Bahamas for a friends' wedding. Each chapter switches between their current predicament and then to their teenage relationship. This has some sweet parts but mostly this is two cry babies running hot then cold in their feelings for each other. The ending redeems this meh story a bit but mostly because librarians are awesome. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC

This book was so much fun (or as much as you can have in a book about a plane crash 😂).

Pros: this book took what could easily be an over the top situation and made it feel somewhat realistic. The crash allowed for not only connection between the two MCs, but also conflict. Anyone who has been in a stressful situation with a significant other knows you aren’t always your best self (eat a snickers and all that).

Cons: the story is broken into two timelines and I really wanted more from before. I was interested in the relationship in both, but seeing that initial connection was so fun, and broke up some of the heaviness of being stranded.
I felt like the past timeline lost a bit of its impact by having the reason Wyatt broke up with her spoiled in the present. I think it would have been more impactful to see the decision and fallout, and then get the background and context in the present

This is an absolutely beautiful debut and I’m really excited for what Annie has planned for the future!

Absolutely loved this book! Such a good second chance romance and it’ was so refreshing to read. Wonderful job to Annie McQuaid.

At first I could suspend my disbelief and enjoy the story. But sadly the dual timeline lost my focus. Knowing they were trapped on an island left me feeling very uninvested in their flashback high school timeline.

Paired with no emotional depth and some cringey dialogue, this wasn’t for me.

This was a cute debut and enjoyable read overall! I loved the relatability of their first break-up and the raw emotion to protecting themselves. I did feel the timeline portion got me a bit confused and didn’t always feel linear/easy to follow. I wanted to love Piper + Wyatt more than I did. I just wasn’t feeling their chemistry a ton and that led me to get distracted often when reading it. However, I do see much potential in this author and am excited to see her future books! It was a cute second chance debut.

This was much more fun than I expected! Wyatt and Piper are stuck trying to get to their bestie's wedding. He can fly planes and takes them both on a small jet to the island. Until they crash. Stranded together for a week, they have to come to terms with their situation and with each other. Their high school romance ended badly and being forced to communicate about the past leads them back to each other.

I thought this would be way more over the top than it was. But it was well done, light enough to binge and a really good time.

3.25⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, Avon, and Annie McQuaid for allowing me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited to read this book as the premise of ex's being stranded together on a remote island sounded very interesting. While I enjoyed the premise, the plot, and the dual timeline of the book I do feel like there was some areas that were lacking for me. There were a few parts that took me out of the book while reading it.

I didn't feel connected to the characters in a meaningful way that made me particularly root for them. It still felt like they were still teenagers in regards to their romantic relationship and hadn't really grown out of that although they are supposed to be roughly 26. With that, their reconnection felt a little rushed and it felt more like YA romance just with a spice scene. I wish we got more character development before the crash happened/possibly a dual POV to understand Wyatt's thoughts more.

Overall, this book is a 3.25 as it was enjoyable and pretty solid as a debut novel

a lovely cover and an even lovelier book. Wonderful pacing, great characters. I cannot wait to read more by this author.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy!