"There are some things that just don't happen every day — crashing with your ex on a deserted island, and reading a debut novel as fresh and exciting as Crash Landing by Annie McQuaid. The forced proximity was delicious, and I'm going to need the Glen Powell big-screen adaptation as soon as possible, please. This book is so fun!" — Alicia Thompson, USA Today bestselling author of The Art of Catching Feelings
"Annie McQuaid tugged at my heartstrings in this delightful second-chance romance. Coupled with her vivid storytelling and lush backdrop, Crash Landing is the perfect escape."
— Jo Segura, USA Today Bestselling Author of Raiders of the Lost Heart
"This book had me booking a tropical vacation and hoping for engine trouble. Hot, sexy and sandy in all the right places. The perfect beach read! I could not put it down." — Kate Robb, Author of This Spells Love
"If you're stranded on a deserted island and can only bring one book, you want it to be Crash Landing! Annie McQuaid's debut is full of high stakes and even higher swooning. Readers will be rooting for both Piper and Wyatt's love story and survival from page one. This dual-timeline adventure romance is tender, suspenseful, and sensual, all at once." — Mallory Marlowe, USA Today Bestselling Author of Love and Other Conspiracies
"Fans of enemies-to-lovers, second-chance romance, and extreme forced-proximity will love McQuaid’s debut." — Library Journal
"In Annie McQuaid's debut romance, estranged high school sweethearts Wyatt and Piper's chemistry burns hotter than the sun and sand on the beach they crash land on. I was utterly captivated by their determination to stay alive...and away from each other. CRASH LANDING proves that the second-chance romance trope is the best trope of all." — Meredith Schorr, Author of As Seen on TV
"A perfect blend of gripping adventure, laugh-out-loud banter, and swoon-worthy romance, CRASH LANDING captures the magic of second chances in the most unexpected places.” — Alexandra Kiley, author of KILT TRIP
"Annie McQuaid hoists the stakes of the forced proximity trope all the way up in this desert island romance that’ll leave your heart pounding in more ways than one. Told in a past-present timeline that's equal parts swoony and exhilarating, Crash Landing is meant to be devoured in one sitting as you breathlessly root for Piper and Wyatt’s love story to survive the second chance it deserves." — Lindsay Hameroff, author of Never Planned on You.
"Crash Landing is the action-packed second chance romance of my dreams. I laughed. I cried. I clutched my chest in anticipation! This is the escapist summer read everyone needs in their beach bag. Annie McQuaid is absolutely a writer to watch!"
— Ellie Palmer, author of Four Weekends and a Funeral
"Crash Landing is a propulsive, high-stakes, action-packed romance that begs the question, which hot guy would I want to be stranded on a desert island with? McQuaid nails the angst of second chance." — Neely Tubati Alexander, author of Love Buzz and In A Not So Perfect World
02/01/2025
DEBUT Piper had her heart broken once, and she's vowed never to let it happen again. Instead, she's in a casual, no-strings situation with a fellow medical student. Med school itself is draining Piper, and she's hoping to forget about all her stress at her best friend's destination wedding. Then her flight is cancelled, with no more flights out until the next day due to an impending storm. Stranded at the airport, Piper can't think of anything worse than missing Annie's wedding, until she bumps into Wyatt, the ex who broke her heart and is also attending the nuptials. Wyatt, who has borrowed a private plane, offers Piper a ride to the wedding. The forecasted storm rolls in while they're still in the air, and their tiny plane crashes onto a deserted tropical island. Piper isn't sure if she—or her heart—will survive this disaster with Wyatt. McQuaid's amusing debut is well-written, with interesting characters and a nicely paced story. Wyatt and Piper's chemistry sparkles even before they crash, and it heats up as they swelter under the tropical sun. VERDICT Fans of enemies-to-lovers, second-chance romance, and extreme forced-proximity will love McQuaid's debut.—Heather Miller Cover
2025-03-22
Two exes on the way to the same wedding find themselves stranded on a deserted island in this debut romance.
A cancelled flight has jeopardized Piper Adams’ maid of honor responsibilities. Instead of being on a plane to her best friend Allie’s bachelorette party and wedding at an all-inclusive resort in the Bahamas, she’s stuck at the Atlanta airport. Fortunately, a knight in shining armor comes to her rescue, but unfortunately, he’s Wyatt Brooks, the man who broke her heart. As luck would have it, he’s attending the same wedding, and a former Army connection has offered him the use of a small plane to get him there. What should have been a two-hour flight ends in disaster, though, as Piper and Wyatt barely survive a plane crash on an unknown island. When Piper finally comes to, after having been unconscious for almost a day, her first thought is that she’s missed her friend’s bachelorette and may very well miss the wedding. Strange priorities for someone recovering from a plane crash. The story jumps between “Now,” with Piper and Wyatt on the island, and “Then,” when they first met as teenagers, and those flashbacks to a standard romance aren’t as compelling as the current situation, with the pair having to navigate a harsh environment while fighting old feelings. Piper doesn’t make a great impression on the reader, coming across as immature when faced with difficult experiences. She whines to a gate attendant just trying to do her job to get an entire plane full of irate passengers rebooked. She gets angry with Allie for inviting Wyatt to her wedding even though he’s her cousin. Being stranded softens her a bit, but it’s hard to be on her side. The deserted island setting adds some tension to the story, but Piper’s self-centered behavior and decision to hold a grudge against Wyatt for his earlier relationship insecurities make it a challenge to reach a compelling happily-ever-after.
The survival element does the heavy lifting here, since the main characters are incompatible.
