Swept Away Book Review
Check out my review of Swept Away by Beth O'Leary, an action-adventure romance featuring a couple fighting to survive after being swept out to sea.
The stunning cover for Beth O'Leary's new book, Swept Away, immediately caught my eye this spring but the tagline is what sold me: "Lost at sea . . . with your one-night stand?" What?! I had to know what this romance was about.
The heart pounding I felt while reading this story had just as much to do with the adventure as it did with the romance that builds over the course of the novel.
If you miss the glory days of rom-com action adventure movies like I do, this book will be a huge hit.
Curious if this book is for you? Check out my full review below.
If this is your first time reading one of my reviews, you may want to check out how I score my reads with this scale guide here.
Summary of Swept Away
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’re facing another challenge. Because when you’re 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.
What I Liked
Here's what I would tell my best friend about the book:
- Thrilling Storyline: What would happen if you were swept out to sea and had to survive for days?? I was captivated by the plot premise right off the bat.
- Living Your Best Life: Both main characters explore their past choices and when presented with possible death, find deeper meaning in and gratitude for life.
- Deeply Passionate and Moving Moments: The romance felt real and believable despite the crazy situation the characters face, I truly was "swept away" by the love story.
- Action and Adventure: If this were a movie, I know I could convince my husband to watch it with me.
What I Didn't Like
Every reader needs something different from a book. What I may not have preferred may be your favorite part.
There are some family dynamics for both characters that I found especially obnoxious and annoying--but I believe they were meant to be.
There's a frustrating turn of events at the end of the story that made me mad. I found it to be the least realistic part of this fairly fantastical plot premise. However, the final ending made up for it.
How Spicy Is It?
🌶️🌶️🌶️: Swept Away rates a Level 3 on my spicy books rating scale. Open door romance and several references to relationship history but these scenes are not the purpose of the book.
Tropes and Content Warnings
The romantic tropes used in Swept Away include Forced Proximity and Age Gap.
Content Warnings:
The main characters are both dealing with death of a loved one and the impact of grief.
Also, this book has an action-adventure element to the storyline and life-threatening situations, including physical injury, are explored.
Please note, this is still definitely a Romance genre book, so it lives up to the guaranteed Happy Ever After ending.
Overall Score
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I give Swept Away five solid stars. This unique plot had me turning pages late into the night and by the end I couldn't put it down.
I'd love to see more romance novels include action-adventure plots, I'd love to see this book made into a movie!
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