Island Time

Thank you, Atria Books, for the gifted copy of Island Time {partner}

Genre: Romance
Trope: Forced Proximity
Format: 📖
Pub Date: 6.14.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆

“What is good for the land comes first; if you have plenty, you must share, and if it’s not yours, you shall not take.”

The run-down on this book is that two families are on vacation together, and on their first night on the island, there is a volcanic eruption that causes them to be stranded on the island for six weeks. I thought this sounded like an excellent plot idea and was looking forward to getting lost on the island with the characters.

It would’ve made sense for them to be effectively shut off from the outside world for those six weeks. But instead, they still had all of their amenities. The characters had access to their laptops and cellphones and continued to communicate with the outside world (including working from the island). It didn’t make sense to me, and that’s where the book started to lose me.

I didn’t find the characters that lovable; they had their moments, but they seemed overly entitled. At one point, Amelia is trying to save a stranded turtle and needs to call for help, and then the next, she is thinking about the party she is throwing later that night and who she has invited. It just left a sour taste in my mouth.

However, one of the first things that drew me in was the vivid descriptions of the island, the trees, and the wildlife. The author has a deep appreciation for the environment and caring for our world. I felt like the undertone of the book was to show respect for the land and animals as they were here before us. I learned a lot about the wildlife in that area and the Indigenous clans of Australia.

🕳 Plot holes
🥸 Strange relationships between the characters
🏝 Beautiful descriptions of the island
🫣 Unlikeable characters
✂️ Too long

Okay, now, please know that this review is my opinion. Every book is not meant for every person, so I sincerely hope you still read this and that you love it!