Island Time - A Diverse Reads Annotation

Author: Georgia Clark

Title: Island Time

Genre: LGBTQ+ Romance

Publication Date: June 14, 2022

Number of Pages: 402

Geographical Setting: A remote island off the coast of Queensland

Time Period: Present Day

Plot Summary: 

Two families - the loud, messy, loving Australian Kelly's and the aloof, sophisticated American Lee's - find themselves on vacation together on a tropical island off the coast of Queensland. The two families have nothing in common outside of the fact that their daughters are married. However, when a nearby volcano erupts during their stay, they find themselves stranded with only two island employees for six weeks, completely cut off from outside life and loved ones. 

Forced to stick together, everyone must face the music and admit who and what they really want. Relationships and marriages are tested, relationships strengthen or fall apart as family secrets are brought to light. As young Amelia Kelly grows closer to the sweet, sarcastic bartender with spikey blue hair and sparkling eyes, she realizes her overbearing, aloof boyfriend might not be the person she's meant to be with. 

As the end of their stay draws near, everyone is going home a changed person, and Amelia must decide whether to return to her old life or stay in the sun-soaked paradise with a woman she just met. Island time is a sun-drenched, steamy LGBTQ romance perfect for fans of Ashley Herring Blake and Casey McQuiston.

Subject Headings: 

- Families - Fiction

- Lesbians - Fiction

- LGBTQIA - Fiction

- Romance Fiction

Appeals: 

- Characterization: This story is very character driven. There are a lot of characters being thrown together that have clashing personalities and then they are forced to stick together in order to keep sane and survive. This means that each character has to have their own very distinct personalities, ways of speaking, and quirks in order to keep them autonomous and fully distinct from other characters. Creating the families as polar opposites helped achieve that. On one hand, you have a very uptight, American family and on the other hand there is a more fun-loving, free-spirited Australian family. In addition to this, there is a couple struggling with their individual identities in and out of the marriage and a woman questioning her relationships and sexuality. It creates for a lot quirks, drama, and tension, but that is necessary when the characters are forced to stay in one location the entirety of the story. 

- Frame/Setting: The setting of this story is a remote, tropical island off the coast of Queensland. Very early on in the story, the island is impacted by a volcanic eruption, which cuts the families and island workers off from the rest of the world for six weeks. This setting lends to the character-driven storyline. 

- Language/Style: The language of the story aids to the character-driven storyline as well. Since we have two families from two different parts of the world, it is important to use the proper language to help convey that as well. There are various idioms and turns of phrase that are unique to both American and Australian ways of speaking. In addition to that, there is a plot point in the book where two characters bond over an enthusiasm for bird-watching, which requires a third language skill-set in order to provide readers with accurate information regarding bird names, markings, calls, and habitats. 

Three Terms that Best Describe this Book: Steamy, Character-Driven, Sizzling

Fiction Read-Alikes: 

Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

Non-Fiction Read-Alikes: 

Queer Up by Alexis Caught

This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson

The Little Book of Pride by Lewis Laney