REVIEW: Crash Landing by Annie McQuaid

In Crash Landing by Annie McQuaid, Piper Adams has spent the last eight years angry at her former best friend and high school boyfriend, Wyatt Brooks. Although, even busy with med school, lackluster dates, and shenanigans with her long-time bestie, Wyatt’s cousin Allie, hasn’t pushed him from her thoughts completely. So, of course when Piper is running late and having a bad day already is when she sees him for the first time since the day he broke things off. Both of them are headed to Allie’s wedding in the Bahamas. But unfortunately, the flights are cancelled. As a last-ditch effort to get to the island on time, Piper agrees to fly in a teeny plane with Wyatt as the pilot, not knowing that they’d be flying straight into a storm that would cause them to crash.

‘She’d been hoping when she became coherent, she’d discover they were not, in fact, crashed on a desolate beach. That she wasn’t stranded with her ex. No such luck.’

When Piper finally comes to on the island, she’s relieved they made it out alive. But why did the universe have to pair her up with Wyatt? She’s not sure she’s ready to hear him out or forgive him for breaking her heart years ago. Although once they have a few tentative conversations, Piper realizes just how much she’s truly missed Wyatt being in her life. And it hurts. Just think of all the years they lost out on the incredible friendship they once had. As they try to keep their hopes up, day after day, praying for a plane to spot them, they slowly rebuild what they once shared. And it leaves Piper ready for a new start. Not only to get back home and change some things in her life she’s not so happy with, but to also possibly start over with Wyatt.

‘She’d spent so many years furious at him, constructing iron-clad walls around her heart, but this whole time he’d been building a bridge. Brick by brick, finding his way back to her.’

A second chance romance with a very, very hard-earned happy ending, CRASH LANDING was a thoughtful, highly emotional first novel by Annie McQuaid that ended on a lovely joyous note.

“So, am I your girlfriend again?”
“No.” Wyatt laughed at the frown on Piper’s face. He tilted her chin up for another kiss. “You’re my everything.”

CW: View Spoiler »Plane crash with injuries (detailed), PTSD, alcoholism (secondary cast, historical) « Hide Spoiler

Debut author Annie McQuaid took the hypothetical question so many of us have pondered: ‘Who would you spend time with on a deserted island?’ and threw two former high school sweethearts into that exact situation. It was messy. It was scary at times. But the harrowing plane crash and subsequent days Piper and Wyatt spent together proved to be one of the best things to ever happen to them. Because they finally got to parse out their complicated past–even if it was eight years after Wyatt broke things off. And the truths that came out? Well, they changed absolutely everything.

I have to hand it to McQuaid for how she found such a pleasing balance not only between Piper and Wyatt but also with the highs and lows of their being stranded somewhere in the Bahamas with no rescue in sight. You would think it would be a story filled with anxiety and panic and even arguments–which there was plenty of–but there was also such a wonderful sense of hope and love. Hope for Wyatt and Piper to be saved. Hope for them to find their way back together for good. And so much love still between them that only grew stronger as their days on the island meandered on.

I will briefly say that Piper’s relationship with her well-meaning but controlling mother, while not exactly toxic, certainly wasn’t healthy by any means. I didn’t note it in the content warning, but it might be a bit much for some readers. At the very least, Piper’s mom was the closest the book had to an antagonist.

QOTD: If you could choose anyone to spend time with on a deserted island, who would it be?

Book Info:

Publication: Published: April 1st, 2025 | Avon |

A funny and heartwarming debut romance about two exes forced to reunite when a plane crash leaves them stranded on a deserted island.

Piper Adams is completely, totally, one hundred percent over Wyatt, the former love of her life. At least, that’s what she tells herself. After he broke her heart, she stopped taking risks and focused instead on building a perfect—and perfectly safe—life. But bumping into Wyatt at the airport on the way to her best friend’s destination wedding wasn’t part of the plan. Neither was a canceled flight nor Wyatt’s offer of a ride on the tiny plane he’s flying to attend the same event. Desperate to make it on time, she accepts his offer, but things go from awkward to full-blown nightmare when their plane crashes in the Caribbean, stranding Piper on a deserted island with the last person she ever wanted to see again.

At first, rule-following Piper clashes with adventure-driven Wyatt, but as the days tick by, she can see the boy she once loved has grown into a man. A man who makes her laugh, knows his way around a fire, and is annoyingly hot shirtless. A man she could love again. As the chemistry still simmering between them boils over, Piper begins wishing Wyatt was more than just a survival partner. But for their love to survive a second chance, she’ll have to not only trust Wyatt again, but also learn to trust herself and find the courage to let go of her carefully curated life for the chance at something far greater—if they can survive the island long enough for rescue.