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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It's an age gap romance story -- WHERE OUR FEMALE LEAD IS OLDER.
This is all I ever really need in a romance for it to absolutely make me feral for the story.
From the start, "Swept Away" was a wild story. Between knowing each other for ONE NIGHT and attempting to survive being stranded at sea, Lexi and Zeke have such wild circumstances and yet, the more I read, the more they went through, the more I absolutely loved everything about O'Leary's newest book.
Obviously, we get a huge dose of forced proximity with these characters yet the way they respected each other, cared for one another, and worked together to survive provided such a unique story for the couple. As someone who is constantly reading, I found the plot of this book to be interesting and kept me wanting to read, responsibilities be damned.
I didn't love something that pops up during the last, say 20% of the book, and for me, that cost this book a star. I won't say much because it's a huge spoiler. But if you are looking for a novel full of adventure, this book is it.
This is all I ever really need in a romance for it to absolutely make me feral for the story.
From the start, "Swept Away" was a wild story. Between knowing each other for ONE NIGHT and attempting to survive being stranded at sea, Lexi and Zeke have such wild circumstances and yet, the more I read, the more they went through, the more I absolutely loved everything about O'Leary's newest book.
Obviously, we get a huge dose of forced proximity with these characters yet the way they respected each other, cared for one another, and worked together to survive provided such a unique story for the couple. As someone who is constantly reading, I found the plot of this book to be interesting and kept me wanting to read, responsibilities be damned.
I didn't love something that pops up during the last, say 20% of the book, and for me, that cost this book a star. I won't say much because it's a huge spoiler. But if you are looking for a novel full of adventure, this book is it.
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This review is for Swept Away by Beth O’Leary which releases in the UK on the 8th April! Thanks so much to Netgalley and Quercus for giving me an eArc copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Beth is definitely a must read author for me at this point, as I really love her take on the romance genre. There’s always a nice quirky little twist to her stories which keep them interesting and stand out from the other romance novels I read.
This one is about Zeke and Lexi who have a one night stand on a houseboat, and end up dragged out to sea while they sleep. The entire process was very well researched and written, it was a bit dramatic but actually felt super realistic at the same time.
Zeke and Lexi are very much lust at first sight, but over the days stuck on the houseboat they do make a genuine connection and you can see through the story. Their romance was quite sweet, and was genuinely excited when they began to fall in love with each other (even when one won’t admit it 😂). The twist near the ending actually surprised me, and I loved how the hints throughout the novel all linked together to make it all make sense. I also LOVED seeing a MMC talk about therapy, and their therapy experience. It’s refreshing to see men talk about their issues and how they’ve looked to help work on themselves.
Would definitely recommend this to any survival romance lovers out there, although any who are afraid of deep and endless water… maybe not 😂😂
"Lost at sea . . . with your one-night stand"
After a one night stand, Lexi and Zeke wake to find the houseboat has become unmoored and they're lost at sea, with no power and minimal supplies. Can they find their way back home?
I enjoyed this one! Zeke and Lexi were super fun, and even though the premise was a bit far fetched, it still kept my attention! I liked that there were a lot of tense, emotional parts instead of being a full romcom all the time. I like that they always work together to find a solution to their lost at sea problems, and are genuinely kind to each other.
I totally didn't guess the little twist at the end (maybe it was easy to guess and I read with my eyes shut!).
[Minor spoilers] Zeke is about 8 years younger than Lexi (from memory), which for the most part is not an issue - until one part where Lexi thinks about him as "just a kid". And then later they're discussing a bad relationship Zeke had, when he was 16 and the woman was well into her twenties. Which may well happen in real life, but they kind of brushed past it instead of taking a moment to consider how bad that is.
Thank you Hachette ANZ for an earc, all opinions are my own!
After a one night stand, Lexi and Zeke wake to find the houseboat has become unmoored and they're lost at sea, with no power and minimal supplies. Can they find their way back home?
I enjoyed this one! Zeke and Lexi were super fun, and even though the premise was a bit far fetched, it still kept my attention! I liked that there were a lot of tense, emotional parts instead of being a full romcom all the time. I like that they always work together to find a solution to their lost at sea problems, and are genuinely kind to each other.
I totally didn't guess the little twist at the end (maybe it was easy to guess and I read with my eyes shut!).
[Minor spoilers] Zeke is about 8 years younger than Lexi (from memory), which for the most part is not an issue - until one part where Lexi thinks about him as "just a kid". And then later they're discussing a bad relationship Zeke had, when he was 16 and the woman was well into her twenties. Which may well happen in real life, but they kind of brushed past it instead of taking a moment to consider how bad that is.
Thank you Hachette ANZ for an earc, all opinions are my own!
The premise of this book is wildly unrealistic and then we get 80% of the way through and a twist (that I admittedly did not see coming) gets thrown in that just takes things over the top. I liked the survival elements of the book more than the romance. I was surprised that so little attention was given to Zeke and Lexi’s mental states with everything that happened to them? I don’t know how they can discount the effect this traumatic event has had on their relationship. The term “trauma bonding” exists for a reason!
The book was so focused on Zeke and Lexi—which I get—but it would have been nice to have gotten scenes from the outside world instead of catching up on everything that happened after they get back. I think that would have helped the overall story flow a little better.
Overall, I found this book to be disappointing. O’Leary continues to be hit or miss for me though I’ll continue to look forward to her books.
Note: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The book was so focused on Zeke and Lexi—which I get—but it would have been nice to have gotten scenes from the outside world instead of catching up on everything that happened after they get back. I think that would have helped the overall story flow a little better.
Overall, I found this book to be disappointing. O’Leary continues to be hit or miss for me though I’ll continue to look forward to her books.
Note: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Medical content, Abandonment
I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ARC provided by Berkley Publishing Group.
What if you were lost at sea with your one-night stand?
Zeke and Lexi thought it would just be a night of fun. They had no intentions of seeing each other again. Zeke is only in town for the weekend to buy back his late father’s houseboat. Lexi has no time for dating when she needs to help take care of her best friend's daughter.
Going back home with a stranger seems like a perfect escape from their problems. But a miscommunication in the dark, foggy night means no one tied the houseboat to the dock. The next morning, Zeke and Lexi realize all they can see is miles and miles of water.
With just a few provisions on the idle boat, Zeke and Lexi must figure out how to get back home. But aside from their survival, they are facing another challenge. Because when you are stuck together for days on end, it gives you a lot of time to get to know someone and to fall in love with them.
This was very different from O'Leary's other books but I loved it. I expected a rom com but I ended up loving the action, raw emotion, and intense chemistry between Zeke and Lexi. I can not imagine this book was easy to write, but O'Leary did an incredible job. Zeke and Lexi are both imperfectly perfect, especially when they are thrown into survival mode because they are at sea together for days. The stressful situation that Zeke and Lexi were in made you root for them straight away. The only reason for me that I could not rate this higher is because there were too many events that happened in such a short span of days when they were at sea. It feel a bit dragged out for me at times. I did find it eventful, but I also felt it was too much at times. This book is now going to be one of O'Leary's book that I will not stop raving about. Highly recommend checking this one out.
What if you were lost at sea with your one-night stand?
Zeke and Lexi thought it would just be a night of fun. They had no intentions of seeing each other again. Zeke is only in town for the weekend to buy back his late father’s houseboat. Lexi has no time for dating when she needs to help take care of her best friend's daughter.
Going back home with a stranger seems like a perfect escape from their problems. But a miscommunication in the dark, foggy night means no one tied the houseboat to the dock. The next morning, Zeke and Lexi realize all they can see is miles and miles of water.
With just a few provisions on the idle boat, Zeke and Lexi must figure out how to get back home. But aside from their survival, they are facing another challenge. Because when you are stuck together for days on end, it gives you a lot of time to get to know someone and to fall in love with them.
This was very different from O'Leary's other books but I loved it. I expected a rom com but I ended up loving the action, raw emotion, and intense chemistry between Zeke and Lexi. I can not imagine this book was easy to write, but O'Leary did an incredible job. Zeke and Lexi are both imperfectly perfect, especially when they are thrown into survival mode because they are at sea together for days. The stressful situation that Zeke and Lexi were in made you root for them straight away. The only reason for me that I could not rate this higher is because there were too many events that happened in such a short span of days when they were at sea. It feel a bit dragged out for me at times. I did find it eventful, but I also felt it was too much at times. This book is now going to be one of O'Leary's book that I will not stop raving about. Highly recommend checking this one out.
adventurous
emotional
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes