I love Beth O'Leary and 3/4th of this book were a 4 star read. The last bit about him being her friend's baby daddy was so not it. I found it to be such a let down. Also let's normalize not every book ending with a pregnancy. Will I read the next Beth O'Leary book? Yes, but I probably won't recommend this one to library guests.

When a one night stand turns into a sparkling romance while lost at sea, Lexi and Zeke get a lot more than they bargained for. Part sizzling romance, part sea faring adventure, Beth O'Leary does it again with an epic romance that is sweet, tender, and extraordinary.

5 stars. i loved this. i have had mixed feelings with o'leary the past couple reads, but now i am in it. the cover, the banter, the romance, ALL top tier. i've always liked o'leary's writing and swept away is no different. this blew me away and i am so thankful to have received an arc. cant wait to buy the physical copy <3

I was really excited to get approved for this ARC because I have really enjoyed Beth O'Leary's books in the past. This one started out really good, but I found that I was too stressed the majority of the book to really enjoy this. I also have personal baggage with this because a friend of mine lost her dad out to sea. I'm sure if I didn't have the anxiety reading the book or spent time thinking about my friend, I would have enjoyed this more.

This was my first book by this author and definitely will not be my last! It was such a fun read and I really enjoyed the characters a lot.

In this adventurous rom com, a one night stand turns into high stakes survival when Zeke and Lexi are on a houseboat that becomes lost at sea. After their night of passion, they go to part ways only to discover that land is nowhere in sight. They quickly develop a friendship as they come to depend on one another for survival, but they decide that it shouldn’t go beyond a platonic level. After long nights at sea, they both begin to question that decision as rescue prospects seem further out of reach.

This was my first book from Beth O’Leary, but now I want to snatch up her entire backlist! Wow, I loved this book and devoured it so quickly. The combination of a one night stand with the survival element and forced proximity and caretaking was perfection. I loved the characters, the humor, the banter, and the balance of intense moments with lighthearted ones. This book was just what I was in the mood to read and would make an excellent choice to bring along on a vacation or even just a perfect weekend read.

Thank you to Beth O’Leary and Berkley Romance for the arc and opportunity to be an early reader and reviewer.

3.5 stars

I have so many conflicting feelings about this story.

The premise of two strangers being swept out to sea on a house boat after a one night stand is fantastic. The forced proximity, the hurt/care, the dangerous situation making all their feelings that much more intense.. all of that was gold. I loved the romantic tension between them, the will they won't they, it was great! The humour was great as well. Oh and this is an age gap romance and she's older!! loved that.

I did like the characters, but I felt like they could have been explored in more depth. I didn't really connect to either of them.

My true issue with this book, and why I can't give it more than a 3.5 star rating is the last maybe 25% (I didn't think to check where I was at while reading). I feel like where the author chose to go with the story was unnecessary, and unfortunately didn't work for me..

I would say overall the story is great, with funny and sweet moments between the two characters, and really great romantic tension. I would still recommend it, but I'm sure I won't be the only one who feels the way I do about the last quarter of the book.

Truthfully, Beth O’Leary could publish her grocery list and I’d rush to read it! I was so excited to be approved for an arc to read ahead of publication (thank you, NetGalley!) and, as usual, she didn’t disappoint. Lexi and Zeke meet at the bar that once belonged to Lexi which she recently sold. They agree to a one-night stand, on his nearby houseboat. Or is it her houseboat? They never sort that out, and it really doesn’t seem to matter, because, one night only, right? Except when the morning arrives, they are horrified to realize the boat has drifted from its mooring, and they are stranded at sea without power or cell signal.
Now Zeke and Lexi must work together to survive on a boat which holds strained memories for them both. Zeke just bought his dad’s boat again after selling it five years earlier, hoping to find answers to questions he’s wrestled with his entire life. Lexi has just moved out of the home she’s shared with her best friend, Penny, and the little girl, Mae, they raise together after Mae’s father abandoned them.
The daily struggle against the elements and their growing feelings for one another brings urgency to Zeke and Lexi’s tale. Can they maintain their boat long enough to be rescued, and will life ever be the same again? Do they even want that? I loved this story! My biggest issue was balancing the desire to savor the adventure slowly (how long until O’Leary’s next book??) and to devour it to learn the surprising outcome. Well done! Highly recommended.

Lord this book had me SWEATING from stress 😅

As someone who is terrified of the ocean, if I were in a situation like Lexi and Zeke, I can tell you I would’ve been of zero help. I would’ve been consistently scared and worried. So props to them for keeping their cool during high stress times lol.

But anyway! I loved this one. Even amidst all the chaos Zeke and Lexi got to know each other on such a level maybe nobody else has. Their conversations always felt natural, genuine, and they connected to each other on a soul level. This books took so many twists and turns but they were the BEST team! If I ever get stranded I need a Lexi or Zeke by my side. I love love love love them.

This is my fourth Beth O’Leary book, and it’s another win. Her concepts are always so unique and they keep you engaged the entire time. I’m always lined up to see what she does next!

I was late to work because I could not put this book down! There was more adventure than I was expecting-Lexi and Zeke had to work hard to stay alive. I liked both of them as characters and felt like they both matured during their ordeal. I've enjoyed all of Beth O'Leary's books and look forward to reading more of them.

When Lexi and Zeke meet in a pub and have one fabulous night together, they expect to never see each other again after the next morning. But when they awake to discover the houseboat they slept on wasn't properly tied up and has instead drifted out to sea, the two are forced to spend indefinite time together, working through their differences, trying to survive, and attempting to forget just how good they could be together.

I'm not normally into disaster romances, but I also love movies like Sully and Argo, so maybe I just need an assurance that everything is going to work out and I'm going to get that HEA. And there was something about the blurb for this one that made me read it as soon as it hit my kindle, despite its pub date being months away and me being notoriously behind on my ARCs. But man, this smashed, and got me through a long flight to London from the states. Lexi and Zeke's initial dispute about who rightfully owned the houseboat was a little odd, but this novel was otherwise perfection. Seeing them bond and face the elements and finally be rescued was so emotional and beautiful. Beth O'Leary is a master with words and I've loved everything she's written, this one being no exception.

Thanks to Berkley for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 10/10

I began this book expecting another lighthearted romcom from Beth O’Leary. Sure, her novels have deeper meanings and go beyond shallow flings and spice to really delve into the psyches of the characters, but at the end of the day, you know there’s a happy ever after and a dirty joke waiting for you by the end. Swept Away is different. Yes, it’s a romantic story, but even more than that, it’s a story of survival. Think Life of Pi meets a Jennifer Aniston movie. For the first 70% of the book I was whiteknuckling my Kindle, as desperate for Lexi and Zeke’s survival as they were. There are moments of gory suspense, of tear-jerking confessions, of helpless defeat, and I genuinely questioned if this was a romance or just a cruel joke from O’Leary to stress me out. But as always, O’Leary delivers an amazing story featuring well-rounded, emotionally complicated characters, a classically British setting, and an ending that will both satisfy and surprise the reader.

Fans of Emily Henry, Kara Gnodde, Jenny Bayliss, and weirdly enough, The Life of Pi will enjoy this thrilling, at times scary, epic romance.

I really enjoyed this book! The plot was very interesting, and it was written well. Zeke and Lexi had a lot of chemistry together, and even though there is an age gap between them, Zeke felt way more mature than his age which helped the age gap feel non existent. If I were to get stranded at sea, I hope I get stranded with someone like Zeke! Very resourceful, smart, and knows how to cook. :)

Potential spoiler: I wasn’t a big fan of the plot twist at the end that caused a third act breakup because it felt over the top/way too convenient, but I still really enjoyed the overall character growth through the book.

If you've ever seen those viral North Sea videos and thought "Yikes- what a nightmare of a place. I wasn't afraid of the ocean before but maybe I am now!" you thought the same thing I did. Now imagine waking up to find that your tiny, ancient houseboat has come unmoored, drifted out to open waters, and you're entirely at the mercy of those roiling waves. And your one-night-stand is trapped aboard with you. That's the situation in which we find our characters in Swept Away.

I've read all of Beth O'Leary's books and I've loved every single one of them so it's no surprise I loved this one too! I think it might even have stolen second place from The No Show because of all the ways it surprised me.

Mostly what surprised me was that there is a real sense of adventure to this book. I feel like the cover art is almost a bit misleading with the amount of peril the characters face compared to that serene sunset moment. The more danger-filled scenes played out like sequences in an action flick in my mind and it was so much fun to be worried about whether the food stores would last and if the boat would sink. And so interesting to wholly remove the detailed, highly realistic characters that Beth O'Leary creates from their worlds and put them in an absurd situation.

But alongside the adventure, the romance was excellent as usual. Zeke's total conviction about Lexi from the very start makes tears come to your eyes.

To conclude, I loved this book. I already haven't been able to stop telling people about it.

3.5/5stars

The cover and description made it seem more like a rom com, but it’s actually a lot deeper than it appeared to be. Zeke & Lexi have a one night stand on a houseboat and end up being washed out to sea. There was a lot of reflection and sadness throughout the book that I didn’t expect but loved. <spoiler>Around the 30% mark I started to loose interest with Lexi because I felt that her love/obsession over her best friends child was a little too much. I understood that she loves her “niece” but at that point I was starting to think that there might be some type of plot twist to this story involving the child….there definitely was, but not the one I was predicting.</spoiler> The book picked up for me around the 65% mark and I felt more invested.

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group for this Advance Readers Copy ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the premise of this book! An adventure romance with you one night stand on a houseboat that's adrift. I thought it was very original. Zeke and Lexi are likable characters. The plot has suspense and lots or romance. It's a feel good story with a good ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for this E-ARC!

What starts out as a one night stand between 2 strangers quickly turns into a story about survival when the houseboat they stayed in drifts out to sea.

The MMC Zeke returns to his hometown to buy back his late father’s boat and while in town he meets Lexi. She is going thru a rough patch with her best friend/ adoptive sister and is needing a night of carefree fun and goes to the houseboat with Zeke. Upon waking up and realizing they are stranded in the middle of the ocean they have to work together to keep themselves alive. Over the course of 12 days they overcome accidents on the boat, their own personal struggles and grow closer to each other.

Beth does such an amazing job of pulling you in and helping you to really feel the emotions of her characters. When it seemed like all hope was lost until at the last minute rescue comes, I was overcome with relief for them and cried with them!!

I can’t wait until her next book!!!

This was the first book I’ve read by Beth O’Leary. As soon as I read the hilarious concept, I knew I wanted to read it. Based on the description, I figured it would be a silly, quick read. I did not anticipate loving this book as much as I did.

I loved the author’s writing style. The story (although quite ridiculous) was well-written. I was very quickly on board (ha), and ready to go along on this absurd adventure. I loved the characters, the adventure story mixed with romance, and the humour throughout. Towards the end, there was a plot twist that almost had me ready to toss the book aside, but the author made it work! This was such a fun read. I will definitely be checking out any future books by this author.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

All the feels!!! I loved everything about this story, the plot, the characters, the cover!! Two strangers have a night of fun on a houseboat and wake up the next morning to see they have been swept out to sea. That one night stand turns into several days they are forced to be together on this houseboat. The best use of the forced proximity trope!! There was humor mixed in with some deeper topics as Lexie and Zeke try to get to know one another since they end up spending several days together. The more these two bonded and starting to fall in love the more addicted I was to the story. It’s just so good!! I loved this story full of heart, love and adventure

I LOVED this book! I adored The Flatshare, and Swept Away was somehow even better than I could have expected. Lexi and Zeke are not the usual romance main characters, and I loved them all the more for it. This was the survivalist romance I didn’t know I needed!