Island Time

A woman’s plan to have her extended family meet her almost-fiancé on a tiny, secluded island off the coast of Queensland, Australia, goes spectacularly wrong in this fun, steamy rom-com about finding love in unexpected places from Clark (It Had to Be You). Amelia’s boyfriend, James, never makes it, and after a volcano erupts, Amelia; her parents; her older sister, Matty; Matty’s wife, Parker; and Parker’s parents all wind up stranded together on the beautiful but remote Mun’dai. With them are Liss Chambers, the island’s caretaker, and Jarrah, a local ranger. These nine individuals—all with distinct (and big) personalities—must live in close proximity for six weeks with a diminishing food supply, sparking new romances between Amelia and Liss, and Amelia’s mother, Jules, and Jarrah, and leading Matty and Parker to ponder their future. Clark’s vibrant descriptions of the fictional island create a great sense of place, and Amelia and Matty’s reckonings with family secrets and the challenges of career and maternity add some gravitas to the breezy proceedings. The result is a feel-good sapphic love story ideal for armchair travelers. Agent: Allison Hunter, Trellis Literary. (June)