sweet_dee_reads's review
4.0
First I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Reminiscent of books like The Unhoneymooners, Island Affair tells the story of Sara and Luis. Sara has come to Key West to spend time with her family after her mother has successfully beaten chemo. Unfortunately for Sara, her long distance boyfriend, Ric, decides to stand her up. Luis comes to her rescue and offers to be her pretend boyfriend for the week.
Island Affair has comedy, romance, and some drama rolled in for good measure. I loved the setting of Key West and felt the author did a good job of helping the reader visual the setting. I do feel that the premise of the book was a bit far-fetched as far as believability goes but it was still a cute read. I’d give this one 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Reminiscent of books like The Unhoneymooners, Island Affair tells the story of Sara and Luis. Sara has come to Key West to spend time with her family after her mother has successfully beaten chemo. Unfortunately for Sara, her long distance boyfriend, Ric, decides to stand her up. Luis comes to her rescue and offers to be her pretend boyfriend for the week.
Island Affair has comedy, romance, and some drama rolled in for good measure. I loved the setting of Key West and felt the author did a good job of helping the reader visual the setting. I do feel that the premise of the book was a bit far-fetched as far as believability goes but it was still a cute read. I’d give this one 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
jenncamp's review
3.0
I really really liked parts of this book, but also struggled with others. I know I use romance to escape but I guess the week timeline kept taking me out of the read a bunch. The chemistry was great between Luis and Sara but again at the end I wasn't satisfied with the HEA.
librarypatronus's review
5.0
This was dang cute, with some serious heart-wrenching moments and serious heart-to-hearts when it comes to disordered eating behaviors, family, cheating, feeling good enough as you are, etc. Plenty of spice! I’m ready to start the next in the series right away!
fringebookreviews's review
3.0
✨Zany, shapely, duplicitous calves✨
I really wanted to like this one but I struggled to really care about anything below the surface. I think one of my biggest issues was simply the writing style. There were far too many adjectives and metaphors/similes all crammed together in chunky paragraphs and incredibly long sentences. Further, the words I put at the beginning—zany, shapely calves, and duplicitous—were used so many times throughout the book it got distracting. One can only tolerate one use of the word zany in a book. And I’m sorry but I only want to read about shapley calves in historicals where the men get horny starting at the ankle.
Here’s an example sentence that is literally a paragraph to illustrate the immense amount of detail given to just about anything—from setting, to character and actions, to food and random interactions.
“Although Key West had much to offer in the way of history, nature, arts, and entertainment, the soft splash of the rock waterfall cascading into the deep end of the rectangular saltwater pool, along with the thick palm trees, potted ferns, and splashes of vivid color in the birds-of-paradise, yellow and red hibiscus, and fuchsia geiger tree blossoms, created the perfect ambiance for relaxation.”
Maybe it doesn’t move me to read that sentence/paragraph because I don’t have a mind’s eye and can’t for the life of me picture what’s being described but still. I’m out of breath just typing all of that out. The entire book was pretty much in that same fashion and it overwhelmed me. There would be a piece of dialogue and then an entire page with an inner monologue and descriptions before the answering dialogue made its way into the world. For a different reader I suppose her writing style could be said to have lush descriptions, but for me it was just very wordy.
The romance was cute but closed-door, although I wasn’t expecting much in that department so it was a little saucier than I was expecting. I was still ultimately disappointed though, we were definitely told Luis had a magic unicorn penis but were never blessed with a demonstration. The break-up scene was a little ridiculous. He really got his knickers in a twist because she misspoke about “hiring” him, which she pretty much did. It wasn’t enough to get all razzed and jazzed about.
Then there was nothing at the end about how they were going to make the relationship work. I get Miami is only an hour away from the Keys but she never made it clear if she was going to relocate permanently. I bet there would be info in the sequel but I’m not sure I’m compelled to read it. Pretty covers though. Omg I just remembered he called her ass “buns” at one point lmao.
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
I really wanted to like this one but I struggled to really care about anything below the surface. I think one of my biggest issues was simply the writing style. There were far too many adjectives and metaphors/similes all crammed together in chunky paragraphs and incredibly long sentences. Further, the words I put at the beginning—zany, shapely calves, and duplicitous—were used so many times throughout the book it got distracting. One can only tolerate one use of the word zany in a book. And I’m sorry but I only want to read about shapley calves in historicals where the men get horny starting at the ankle.
Here’s an example sentence that is literally a paragraph to illustrate the immense amount of detail given to just about anything—from setting, to character and actions, to food and random interactions.
“Although Key West had much to offer in the way of history, nature, arts, and entertainment, the soft splash of the rock waterfall cascading into the deep end of the rectangular saltwater pool, along with the thick palm trees, potted ferns, and splashes of vivid color in the birds-of-paradise, yellow and red hibiscus, and fuchsia geiger tree blossoms, created the perfect ambiance for relaxation.”
Maybe it doesn’t move me to read that sentence/paragraph because I don’t have a mind’s eye and can’t for the life of me picture what’s being described but still. I’m out of breath just typing all of that out. The entire book was pretty much in that same fashion and it overwhelmed me. There would be a piece of dialogue and then an entire page with an inner monologue and descriptions before the answering dialogue made its way into the world. For a different reader I suppose her writing style could be said to have lush descriptions, but for me it was just very wordy.
The romance was cute but closed-door, although I wasn’t expecting much in that department so it was a little saucier than I was expecting. I was still ultimately disappointed though, we were definitely told Luis had a magic unicorn penis but were never blessed with a demonstration. The break-up scene was a little ridiculous. He really got his knickers in a twist because she misspoke about “hiring” him, which she pretty much did. It wasn’t enough to get all razzed and jazzed about.
Then there was nothing at the end about how they were going to make the relationship work. I get Miami is only an hour away from the Keys but she never made it clear if she was going to relocate permanently. I bet there would be info in the sequel but I’m not sure I’m compelled to read it. Pretty covers though. Omg I just remembered he called her ass “buns” at one point lmao.
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
meganclemons's review
4.0
Island Affair is a really fun romance set in the Florida Keys! When social media star Sara Vance realizes her boyfriend isn't joining her on her family vacation she starts to freak out! In comes her knight in shining armor in firefighter gear Luis! They have a natural spark but they can't let it go there as they hatch a plan to fool everyone and pretend to be in love so Sara can face her family!
This book was so fun! With all the virus situation we are mostly stuck at home and this took me right to the beach! I could feel the sun on my face and the sand on my toes!
I loved the chemistry between them and the book actually covered some deep issues in the plot. They were covered with humor but it really dug in. The characters were likable and I loved their development! Can't wait for book 2!
This book was so fun! With all the virus situation we are mostly stuck at home and this took me right to the beach! I could feel the sun on my face and the sand on my toes!
I loved the chemistry between them and the book actually covered some deep issues in the plot. They were covered with humor but it really dug in. The characters were likable and I loved their development! Can't wait for book 2!
catra121's review
3.0
This was an easy, mindless read. Super cheesy. Forgettable, but not a bad way to spend a morning, listened to this while running errands.
abeckreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
kcwreads's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
books_coffee_yoga's review
4.0
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Both a sweet and steamy book, this is perfect for summer reading. Admittedly, this took me awhile to get into. I had a hard time "getting into the lives" of the two main characters and the way the story started (because, let's face it, who would actually agree to be a fake fiance and join her on vacation for one week? Dude could be an ax murderer. ) I digress: once I got into it about 25% through, I very much enjoyed it (even if they did lie for the entire book).
As I said, it's a fake fiance situation. Our main character, Sara, was basically ditched by her boyfriend who was supposed to go on a week long family vacation with her to Key West. She bumps into Luis on the street, a stranger (a fireman) who she convinces to take the place of her ex-boyfriend and join her on this family vacation. Under the ex-boyfriends name and living his life. Realistic? Probably not. But, still made for a cute story.
Along with the cuteness, there were definitely some heavy topics in this book. Cancer, eating disorders, family issues, etc.
It was a cute read. I enjoyed the ending!
Thanks NetGalley and author for allowing me to read a copy of this book!
Both a sweet and steamy book, this is perfect for summer reading. Admittedly, this took me awhile to get into. I had a hard time "getting into the lives" of the two main characters and the way the story started (because, let's face it, who would actually agree to be a fake fiance and join her on vacation for one week? Dude could be an ax murderer. ) I digress: once I got into it about 25% through, I very much enjoyed it (even if they did lie for the entire book).
As I said, it's a fake fiance situation. Our main character, Sara, was basically ditched by her boyfriend who was supposed to go on a week long family vacation with her to Key West. She bumps into Luis on the street, a stranger (a fireman) who she convinces to take the place of her ex-boyfriend and join her on this family vacation. Under the ex-boyfriends name and living his life. Realistic? Probably not. But, still made for a cute story.
Along with the cuteness, there were definitely some heavy topics in this book. Cancer, eating disorders, family issues, etc.
It was a cute read. I enjoyed the ending!
Thanks NetGalley and author for allowing me to read a copy of this book!
juliegiese's review
4.0
This book was provided as an advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
I loved the dynamic between Sara and Luis. Even though they met by chance, the electricity between them was so evident from their first meeting. I also loved the family dynamics that the author delved into. Luis’ family being all nosy and in each other’s business, I loved how Luis’ mom was getting updates from people all over the island that he had been seen with a girl. His mom has eyes everywhere! Then Sara’s family, fractured but trying to come back together. This book had a lot of layers, and I enjoyed that. From Sara’s eating disorder, thinking she was the black sheep of the family since she didn’t go into medicine, to Luis’ savior complex always trying to save but also needing to save his relationship with his little brother. I liked the ending, and I could totally see this as a movie.
I loved the dynamic between Sara and Luis. Even though they met by chance, the electricity between them was so evident from their first meeting. I also loved the family dynamics that the author delved into. Luis’ family being all nosy and in each other’s business, I loved how Luis’ mom was getting updates from people all over the island that he had been seen with a girl. His mom has eyes everywhere! Then Sara’s family, fractured but trying to come back together. This book had a lot of layers, and I enjoyed that. From Sara’s eating disorder, thinking she was the black sheep of the family since she didn’t go into medicine, to Luis’ savior complex always trying to save but also needing to save his relationship with his little brother. I liked the ending, and I could totally see this as a movie.