I really enjoyed this book!

I really like Lexi, Zeke is adorable, i love forced proximity which this book has a lot of.
The whole thing is quite cozy and warm.
I even loved Eugene, and I don’t even like birds!

There was a lot to love, but there were also quite a few things I wasn’t a fan of.

Like when Zeke admitted to having a relationship with an adult when he was just 16 years old and Lexi ignored it like it’s normal and fine for a child to have that sort of relationship with an adult?
Or when she freaked out that he (a chef) had knives in his bag, after she snooped through his belongings.

And then the entire conflict gave me the ick…
The main characters honorary sister is actually the worst and I don’t feel like the confrontation there was adequate.
And the way Lexi so quickly abandoned Zeke after their time together felt so out of character.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a good book, and I think the good outweighs the bad. It just wasn’t my favourite.

Thank you Net Galley and Hachette AUS & NZ for supplying me this arc for review consideration.
All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Hachette and NetGalley for the arc!

Sorry, but this should be in the horror genre! Stuck on a boat in the middle of the sea with a stranger?? Nightmare. But Beth O'Leary pulls it off, like I knew she would, making it a heart-warming adventure. She somehow made a book that only has two characters featuring for a majority of the time not boring, slay!

Beth O’Leary became an auto-buy author for me after the No-Show with the big twist at the end which had me open mouthed shocked for days after finishing it.

I find her writing to be so completely immersive and engaging, it’s not just a romance novel but one where you can fall completely into the pages and get carried away in the world. And Swept Away is no exception to this.

I love the non-linear nature of the story for the beginning of the novel as it places you smack bang in the action and leaves unanswered questions to be answered as you continue on in the story later.

The plot was completely unpredictable to me and I love that I wasn’t able to guess what was coming next.

Now I will say, considering that being lost at sea is one of my biggest fears I was a bit hesitant to go into this story, but honestly you get so wrapped up in the characters and so hooked in the plot it didn’t even matter how scared I would be if this happened to me, I simply needed to know what was going to happen next. So much so I read this book in one night!

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lexi is looking for no-strings-attached fun with a stranger. She deserves one night for herself, doesn't she? Zeke is looking for love. But for one night with a woman like Lexi, he'll break his rules . . .

After the two meet at the local pub, they go home to a boat on the marina together, except the next morning when they wake up, there is no dry land. They have been swept out to sea.

So, from the beginning I must admit there were a few things where I thought 'no way', but given we are in a fictional novel, I was able to suspend disbelief and once you do, you will be in for a treat. The dynamic between Lexi, Zeke and the additional support characters when they become more present were fabulous.
The backstory of each character and way the author intertwined them was so clever and this will be one of my favourites by the author so far. 4.5*

I love to brag, but I hate to be a tease, so I’m in a real dilemma: I read an advance copy of #SweptAway by @betholearyauthor and it is simply superb (brag), but it won’t be released until 1 April (tease). Unfortunately for all of you, my raging desire to talk about how much I enjoyed this book has won out over decorum. The more romance I read, the more I understand that a genuinely good romance novel marries certainty with uncertainty. You know the main characters will end up together - that’s a given - but you still need to feel like something is at stake. The premise of Swept Away raises the stakes so far beyond the usual will-they won’t-they of a romance novel, with Zeke and Lexi stranded at sea together after a one night stand gone wrong. I raced through this book with my heart in my throat, desperate to see what happened next, and sobbed my little heart out twice (which is fairly unusual for this genre). If you liked #TheFlatShare, you will absolutely adore this - I’m just sorry you have to wait until April.

📚 Review copy kindly provided by @hachetteaus

What another amazing read from Beth O'Leary. She just has this way of creating characters and situations that feel incredibly real. As though you are in the friend group.

There is so much to learn from within these pages, we see our characters grow and learn and want to be better, for themselves. And that is empowering. Loving who you are, for yourself. It's something we all can learn from.

As always, Beth O'Leary has written something so easy to read, you blink and it's been 6 hours and you're on the last page. This is definitely a book you need to read... unless you have a fear of open water, probably avoid in that case...

Thankyou to NetGalley and Hachette for sending a review copy of this title. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Super grateful to Hachette for providing me with an advanced reading copy of this one, for those of you who are familiar with my reading patterns you'll know she's an auto-read for me

"It's giving - I lost my mind at sea" - (page idk I didn't write that down).. yeah same girl

I was ready for this book to be done around the 30% mark, while I didn't hate the characters and the lost at sea / forced proximity thing was fun, I just spent the whole time reading wanting them to just be rescued and get it over with (as I'm sure the characters also wanted).

I read somewhere that Beth said she wasn't sure if she could pull off the 'lost at sea' thing, and well girl you did, but it's also a topic that doesn't really have much going for it and maybe that's why people avoid it?? Just to put some words on the page every day they're lost or so there's a spanner thrown into the works and it was kinda boring? Crazy girl accuses dude of wanting to murder her because he has a set of chef knives.. because you guessed it.. he's a chef! injured teen seagull appears, crazy girl stabs dude with his kitchen knives, wound becomes infected, crazy girl reads hidden letters dude told her not to because they're personal?!?! Okay maybe I didn't love the characters? Zeke seemed a lil different than every other romcom love interest though and I did appreciate that. And I also enjoyed the lil plot twist at the end but it also felt like it was thrown in there as a plea.. "sorry this lost at sea thing was boring (because how much can really happen while stranded in the ocean?) here let's spice it up!"

Idk I didn't love this one and find myself forever chasing the high that the Flatshare and the Switch gave me.

I was really excited to read Swept Away—the concept instantly hooked me, and with tropes like forced proximity, reverse age gap, and grumpy x sunshine, it had all the makings of a book I’d love. While I enjoyed the story, I found my interest waning at times. The survival aspect, while unique, felt drawn out, and I think they were lost at sea a little too long for my taste.

That said, Beth O’Leary’s writing is as engaging as ever, and the suspense in the final stretch pulled me back in. The book carries a strong emotional message, and fans of her work will no doubt adore it. While it wasn’t a personal favourite for me, I still appreciated its originality and heart.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

Beth O’Leary is a master at writing what seems like a romance book on the surface but is really a book that hits you with twists and turns. The plot twist at the 80% mark literally had me gasping.

I loved Lexi and Zeke. They felt real and there’s nothing like some out of control forced proximity and a reverse age gap. I loved how they also helped each other work through the parts of themselves they didn’t love.

“‘That's not why I feel lucky’. 'It's you,' he says, 'by the way. It's less cute if I spell it out, but I feel like if I don't, you'll tell yourself I'm talking about something else.'

“I want to touch her all the time, but especially when she does this - when she looks at me in a way that makes me see myself differently.”

This book had me so engaged.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Australia for the ARC.

This book felt like a season of Survivor, it was action packed with anxiety inducing levels of thrill. In saying that, if I was stuck on a boat with a one night stand I’d have no idea what to do either.

As for the romance? I’m not a big fan of the instant love trope (I call a week pretty ‘instant’) so this was annoying, though I did like the characters. They connected well, it was a fun story with quite a bit of depth to it.

There was one pivotal scene towards the end which had me GASPING, I was like wait what did I just read — had to go back and make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. Without that plot twist the book definitely would’ve fallen flat for me.

Overall, I liked it, but I didn’t love it. A fun and entertaining read but nothing to run home about.

Thanks Hachette and NetGalley for my arc!

This was my first book by Beth O'Leary, and I will absolutely be reading more from her! Her writing style is so engaging and fun and I loved how down to earth her characters are.

If you’re a fan of the forced proximity trope, this book is for you! How much more forced proximity can you get than literally being stranded on a houseboat together in the middle of the ocean?

While I enjoyed the book overall, I did feel that it was missing that high-stakes, life-or-death element that could have taken the story to the next level. Instead, the focus is on the characters and their emotional journeys, and I appreciated how the story stripped everything back to reveal who they really are at their core. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the ending or how Lexi reacted to the events near the conclusion but this didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the book.

All in all, I’d absolutely recommend Swept Away to anyone who loves lighthearted, character-driven romance with a bit of emotional depth. It’s a charming and fun read with great chemistry between the leads and a lot of heart.

Tropes to look forward to:
🌊 Forced Proximity
🌊 Reverse Age Gap
🌊 He falls first
🌊 One night stand

3.5 stars rounded up 💜

Oh my gosh, I am so sad this book is finished! To be honest, I would love a sequel. This was a beautiful story of love, challenging stereotypes and leaning into the difficult cards life throws at you.
Our MFC was a selfless, caring woman who deserves the world and I’m so glad our MMC came along and became her landing place. He is the epitome of healthy masculinity. The development of their love for one another was beautiful and I felt part of it as a reader.
The twist towards the end completely threw me and I’m so glad the story ended the way it did. That epilogue? It made all my dreams for this couple come true and I’m sitting here crying as a result. What a beautiful book. Ps, I put Onyx Storm down just so I could come back to this story and I’m glad to say it was so worth it.