I don't typically love second chance romances but this was better than most. I liked the two timelines that this story gave us for context as well as the super unique plot and survival aspect. It gave this story such an interesting overarching story that you won't find in other contemporaries. Unfortunately, I didn't love all the cliches and the reasoning behind the couple's initial breakup . Still, a fun escapist romantic read. 3.5/5⭐

This was a super cute easy read! I loved a good enemies to lovers and the fact that it’s a second chance romance as well made it even better. I honestly didn’t even mind that this situation was so completely far fetched.

I really enjoyed the fact that it was dual pov and that there were flashbacks to their previous relationship. Piper and Wyatt are just so right for each other and you can tell from the beginning. The spice was plenty spicy with a great simmering tension.

I didn’t expect it to be an emotional as it was either! The trauma the Wyatt experienced and the fact that he lets Piper in right away was very telling as to the level of trust he had for her.

I definitely recommend this one and also the fact that this is Annie’s debut is amazing! Definitely a good one!

I usually have a hard time with second chance romances, but throw in forced proximity and I’ll give it a go haha. This book did not disappoint! The characters are lovable and even though they sometimes did dumb things, I could understand their thinking at the time. There were scenes and dialogue that every once in awhile reminded me of The Notebook,
Great second chance romance!

Plane crash, second chance, forced proximity, alternating timeline romance. Lots of potential but it fell flat for me.

Thank You NetGalley, Publisher Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon and [author:Annie McQuaid|50926805] Author for the e-book ARC [book:Crash Landing|216269037]

I was drawn to the cover and the 'stranded on an island' concept. I really liked the overall story itself. I enjoyed the 'then' and 'now', second chance romance and friends to lovers tropes. The remote island content gave the story an environment I haven't read in any other contemporary romance, and was a fun twist.
Overall, I enjoyed it. The storyline was interesting, I enjoyed the characters (except I hated the Mom), the second chance romance, a plane crash and stranded on an island, all made it a fun read.
There was a lot of descriptive language that was smart and clever, but annoyed me in some spots where I thought 'get on with it already' and I wanted the story to move a little quicker, but overall it was great.

This was an extremely cute stranded on an island, second chance romance! Characters were believeable, just the right about of trope and the writing was good. I read this on a plane, which was the only thing I disliked and completely my fault.

Reccommend for romance readers who enjoy second chance romance.

A lot about Crash Landing feels like my vibe: island survivor setting plus second chance romance sounds like a great combo to me. I really enjoyed the front half of the book, but then I found a lot of it to be kind of sloppy after that. The timeline jumping was fun and i enjoyed the characters, but I don’t think the book paid off for me.

I love a "stranded on an island together" trope and this scratched that itch. This is a cute, low spice, very quick read. I'd say it's the perfect airplane read but I think it's better to stay on the ground for this one.

3.75 stars
This was a really fun and unique time. I normally hate second chance romances, but after experiencing some similar personal stuff I decided to give it a shot. This book had me tearing up a few times, and it also helped me feel like maybe I wasn't making a terrible mistake. (Don't get me wrong it's fiction I totally get that, but it was nice to see something positive).

I don't really love flashback chapters, but I get why we needed some to show the progression of their love. I think I would have preferred a few less, and then really explored their coming together again. I get trauma bonding can happen fast, but I feel like Piper got over things really quickly (I guess priorities are different on deserted islands anyway). I also wish, as I do with every third act breakup that the characters could just communicate, even for their first breakup. It's a trope for a reason, but I wish we could have authors come up with something new.

Other than that, this was a cute (fun?) time with a unique setting that I really enjoyed.

once again, this rating might just be a me problem. i am just bored and this book is not holding my interest. and i don’t have the time for books that don’t interest me. i also hate dual timelines and unnecessary franchise or brand name dropping. though, someone who is not me may enjoy this book.

DNF at 50%

I was enjoying the storyline, but the excessive descriptive language got to me! The last straw was this description “Tears glittered in his eyelashes like diamonds caught in cobwebs.” Huh? Diamonds in cobwebs?

I’ll still give this three stars because the storyline was interesting - a second chance romance, coupled with a plane crash in being stranded on a tropical island. Kind of a different premise.

Thankful to Harper Collins and neck galley for the digital ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager, NetGalley, and Annie McQuaid for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Piper and Wyatt start off as friends, eventually date their senior year, but then Wyatt breaks up with her right before he leaves for the army. Piper is so heartbroken she says she never wants to see him again.

Fast forward to Allie having her wedding in the Bahamas, Piper and Wyatt see each other for the first time since their breakup in the airport when they find out their plane gets cancelled. One of Wyatt’s friends is letting him fly his plane and Wyatt offers Piper a ride and she agrees to fly with him. But an unexpected storm happens and their plane crashes on a deserted island. This is where some of the book just didn’t seem realistic to me. The book says that Wyatt was in the army but it never mentioned him being a pilot so why would his friend let him fly his plane??

I did enjoy the dual timelines switching between past and present. It added depth to the characters and helped me understand them better. I liked Wyatt and his protective nature toward Piper, always wanting the best for her. But seeing how he grew up and him knowing Piper’s parents didn’t like him and that Piper’s parents wouldn’t pay for her tuition if he stayed with her, made the reason he broke up with her understandable.

I thought the book was a bit too descriptive at times. Almost a whole page was dedicated to when Piper used a radio in Girl Scouts. I understand her knowing how to use a radio was important, but that much detail felt unnecessary. And how come she knows how to use a radio but Wyatt who served in the army doesn’t?

I didn’t rate it as high because I felt like Piper and Wyatt lacked chemistry in the present timeline. I enjoyed their younger relationship more.

Read this if you like best friends to lovers, second chance romance, forced proximity, dual timelines!

I loved the concept of this unique contemporary romance in which exes are en route to a mutual friend's wedding when they are forced to take a private aircraft to the event after a flight cancellation. After the plane crashes & they are stranded together on a remote island, Piper & Wyatt are forced to confront their pasts & wonder if they may be each others' missing piece after all these years.

I was really impressed by the uniqueness of this story! The remote island content gave the story an environment I haven't found in any other contemporary romance & being stranded was an interesting plot twist that gave our characters no other choice but to get along in order to survive. Annie McQuaid's writing was engaging, easy to understand, & was full of witty banter. This book features a "then & now" chapter structure that I enjoyed as the reader gets to see not only what is currently happening, but also the background story that got Piper & Wyatt to where their relationship currently stands.

If I had any criticism it would be that the book felt a bit longer than necessary. There were parts of the story that slightly dragged, but given that this is a debut novel, it was a wonderful surprise! Well done!

This was perfect
*Crash Landing* is a charming and heartwarming debut romance that combines humor, adventure, and second-chance love in the most unexpected of places. Piper Adams has moved on from her past with Wyatt, her ex, or so she tells herself. After he broke her heart, she embraced a life of safety and routine, far from the emotional risks of love. But when she unexpectedly bumps into Wyatt at the airport on her way to a wedding, she never imagined that the reunion would be the beginning of an unforgettable adventure.

When a flight she takes with Wyatt crashes on a deserted island, Piper is forced to confront her past and her feelings for the last person she ever thought she’d be stranded with. Initially, the two clash as their personalities are at odds—Piper, the rule-follower, and Wyatt, the free-spirited adventurer. But as the days pass, Piper starts to see Wyatt in a new light: the boy she once loved has become a man she can’t help but admire, even as she struggles with her resurfacing feelings for him.

The chemistry between Piper and Wyatt is palpable, and their banter and the awkward yet tender moments that arise in their survival situation will have you laughing and swooning. As they work together to survive on the island, Piper realizes that maybe the life she’s built is too safe, and that love—real love—requires trust, risk, and vulnerability. But with the stakes high and the island’s rescue uncertain, Piper must decide whether she’s ready to let go of her carefully controlled life and give her heart a second chance.

*Stranded with the Ex* is a delightful mix of humor, heart, and heat, with a well-paced romance that grows in the most unlikely of circumstances. For fans of second-chance romances, adventure, and self-discovery, this book is an absolute must-read. The humor will keep you laughing, while the emotional journey will have you rooting for Piper and Wyatt to find love again, not just with each other, but with themselves.

Hmm, no, this gets a big NO from me.

I chose it because the stranded on the island was not a setting I have read before and I was curious how/if the author can pull of some kind of survival romance. Well, the book was a fail for me but not because of the setting. I actually like the survival aspect, the MCs working together to survive, helping and caring for each other, the suspense element was OK was well.
The book has way bigger issues - clichéd writing, poor characterization of the MCs and side characters, brand name dropping from the start (I hate this with a fiery passion)
There is a now/then second chance romance and I really didn't care about the then - a high school romance, friends to lovers, goody two shoes girl falls for the boy from the wrong side of town. Basically, it was just one cliché after another after another.
I was OK with the present romance but the reason for the break-up and not speaking to each other was just another cliché.
Just when I thought something new, exciting might happen and story would take a turn for the better, it only got worse.
Overall, I was left frustrated at the end, despite everything working out (of course) and I felt it was just a big waste of time.

CW: airplane crash, serious injuries, war trauma leading to PTSD episode, parental neglect due to alcohol abuse

Annie McQuaid’s debut will live in my mind rent free for a long, LONG time. This second chance romance hits all the right marks and evokes all the emotions. I rooted for Piper and Wyatt from page one, and the payoff is so, so sweet and well deserved. This is for sure an author to watch!

The writing style unfortunately didn't work for me but I appreciated the story of second chance romance amidst the backdrop of a rather unrealistic situation. I'm excited to see more of Annie McQuaid's works in the future.

McQuaid's debut romance is a cute, quick read. Crash Landing alternates between "then" and "now" with Wyatt and Piper. Unfortunately, the "then" chapters were not in chronological order and jumped all over the place. Let go of your disbelief as this novel crashes you on a remote island as two former lovers fall back in love.

A promising debut for summer '25!

Thank you, Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon

For anyone who always wondered what "might have been" with an old high school crush, this story is full of second-chance angst, discovery, and healing.

When Piper is unexpectedly thrown together with her high school ex on a private plane to her best friend's island wedding, the last thing she needed was for the plane to go down, stranding her with the one person she swore she'd never forgive. But fighting for their lives together may just soften her heart--if they don't kill each other before help arrives... If help ever arrives.

The story is told in two timelines: one reads like a sweet YA story and the other a spicy adventure romance.

I adore second-chance romances and really wanted to enjoy this because I was intrigued with the “stranded island” concept. I really liked the overall story itself and this had a lot of potential for a debut. But the book wasn’t what I expected because the writing style didn’t work for me. I could not connect with Piper or Wyatt long enough to stay hooked. Even though they were adults, they didn’t quite grow out of the teenage phase especially when the miscommunication trope came in.

I also didn’t feel the chemistry or angst (which is essential to the second-chance trope for me). But the dual timeline helped me understand their relationship and there were alot of tender moments. I would still be willing to give this author another try because her writing has a lot of potential. I’m also usually not picky with POVs but this is the one instance where I felt the book would’ve been more enjoyable in first-person rather than third-person.