The Island

by Briar Prescott

My heart is in his hands, and he doesn’t even know it.
Adrian Elias Olsen crashed into my world like a wrecking ball—adventurous, carefree, and impossible to resist. He gave me a home, a family, and a place to belong.
Somewhere along the way, I gave him my heart... And now it’s too late to take it back.
I crave, and I yearn, and I ache, and I want.
Always.
All the time.
And he doesn’t have a clue.
I promised myself I’d get over him. The trip we take together is supposed to be the end—the last time he’s mine before I finally let him go.
But when paradise unexpectedly turns into purgatory, we’re forced to only rely on each other.
Suddenly, every glance lingers. Every touch burns. And the pull between us only grows stronger—dangerously so.
Because no matter how much I want him, I can’t have him.
In the real world, Adrian’s heart isn’t mine to keep.
In the real world, it already belongs to someone else.

Genres: M M Romance, Friends To Lovers, Romance, Slow Burn, Contemporary, Forced Proximity, LGBT

554 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 2025

About the author

Briar Prescott is a work in progress. She swears too much, doesn’t eat enough leafy greens and binge watches too much television. It’s okay, though. One of these days she'll get a hang of that adulting thing.
Probably.
Maybe.
She hopes.

Want to check in occasionally to hear what's up? You can stalk her here:
Newsletter: https://www.briarprescott.com/contact
Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/briar...
Email: prescottbriar@gmail.com.
Webpage: www.briarprescott.com.

Reviews

[Pauline · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fucking CHOKEHOLD this book had on me is UNREAL.

I wanted to hurt and yearn and pine and cry and laugh and love - and I DID ALL THAT AND THEN SOME 😭. I could not stop thinking about this book. I don’t remember the last time I was THIS distraught, THIS invested, THIS destroyed, and THIS healed by anything.

This is Dylan and Adrian’s story - a childhood-friends-to-soulmates epic that spans decades and takes them from suburban backyards to a deserted island to the painful reality of coming home again.

I’m sorry, this is gonna be long (and has minor plot spoilers, so if you want to go in completely blind, stop here!).

PART ONE: Craving, yearning, aching, wanting 💔
This first part of the book gave me strong ‘Romeo Falling’ (Jesse Reign) and ‘rock’ (Anyta Sunday) vibes and if you’ve read those, you know what you’re in for 🥺

We start with Dylan at 10 years old, finding refuge with the warm, chaotic, affectionate family next door - especially their son Adrian - while escaping the coldness of his aunt and stepdad. Dylan is a lonely, touch-starved child, marked by loss and bullied by his stepbrother, and Adrian becomes his only light.

Reading from Dylan’s POV hurt. First because of his loneliness as a child, and then, at 15, because of how desperately he craves and yearns and aches and wants once he realises he’s in love with Adrian. Watching silently as Adrian has his first kisses, first girlfriends, and eventually a fiancée? Pure agony. I wanted to scream at Dylan to stop watching, to protect himself, to not feed his masochistic side - but of course he doesn’t.

And then the worst happens: Adrian falls in love, gets engaged, and on one last trip before the wedding their plane crashes. Suddenly, it’s just the two of them on a dangerous, deserted island.



PART TWO: The island
This was hands down my favorite part of the book. If you think “stranded on a deserted island” means instant romance like in ‘Just a bit Wrecked’ or even ‘Beyond the Sea’ - nope. This felt raw and real. They’re there for a long time, and it’s brutal. The hunger, the exhaustion, the injuries, the ever present fear - it all takes its toll, and survival is the first and only priority for a while.

But in that bleakness, eventually something beautiful takes root. The banter, the ridiculous jokes when things are at their worst, the way they cling to each other, depend on the other just to keep going - it really lets them and their bond shine and I LOVED that.

And when the eye contact lingered? The touches stayed? And something more started to unfurl? I WAS UNWELL. 😩



PART THREE: Coming… Home?
This part hurt in a quieter, more insidious way. Survival mode is over, but now the harder questions set in: what does this mean in the real world? Where do I belong? Was all that just trauma bonding, or something deeper? Briar Prescott doesn’t shy away from that uncertainty, and it makes the aftermath feel raw and believable.

Okay, so here comes your safety warning (SPOILERS!!): if you’re prone to jealousy while reading, be careful with this book. Dylan loves Adrian unrequitedly for years, watching him go through girlfriends, meeting his future fiancée, getting engaged, being genuinely happy with her. And even after they’re back from the island, she still plays a big role! There are hugs, even kisses, and it hurts. But it also feels right that Adrian does what he does - it fits who he is. At times I worried there might be an imbalance in how strongly Adrian and Dylan felt about each other, but by the end there wasn’t a shred of doubt in my mind: they’re it. They’ll be happy forever. There never could be anyone else, not for Dylan (duh) but also NOT for Adrian. You just have to trust the author to take you there and let her heal you after she hurt you (and she gives us an Adrian jealousy scene for a change that made me whoop at my kindle, damn was that satisfying heheh)

So yeah, this was an epic, all-consuming, devastating and healing journey. Briar Prescott’s writing here is intense, immersive, and lyrical. I loved every sentence, every page (iykyk) and I can feel the book hangover already looming. This book is UP THERE as one of my favorite Briar Prescotts and that’s saying something because my love for the ‘Until’-series already knows no bounds. I’m still a bit stunned, wow.

It’s desperate and ridiculous and rushed, and its trust and happiness and home. Most of all, it’s love. Pure, simple, complicated love. He tastes like love. He feels like love. The kind I never expected we’d have between us.

🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️

“I sometimes think the only reason I was put on this earth is to love you.”
He closes his eyes and exhales. He laughs.
“Then let me love you right back. For the rest of our days.”

Many thanks to the author for the chance to read this beautiful ARC!

[Snjez · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I loved almost all of this author's books that came out in the last two or three years, so I had high expectations of this one, too.

I loved the first part so much. It was my favourite part of the story. The friendship between Dylan and Adrian and the pining on Dylan's part were done so well. It was told only from Dylan's POV and I could really feel his yearning and longing and hurt when Freya entered the picture. That's one situation I wasn't happy about. I don't like female love interests in my MM romance, but I trusted the author and went with the angst.

The second part brought another thing I don't like and usually avoid in my romance reads – survival / stranded on an island stories. I did struggle at first, but again, I trusted the author and after a while I got used to the situation enough to enjoy some development between Dylan and Adrian. There are a couple things that bothered me here, aside from the unfortunate setting. The reason why childhood-friends-to-lovers stories often miss the mark for me is the lack of actual communication. They never talked about what was going on between them and I don't find it believable. Also, I wasn't convinced of Adrian developing romantic feelings for Dylan. It didn't feel that way to me.

The third part is my least favourite part of the story. As much as I feel sorry for Freya, it's Dylan who my heart went out to. I was fed up with hearing how Adrian loves Freya and always will. This prolonged angst felt very forced to me and it gave the impression that Adrian didn't know what or who he wanted. It takes the last 30 pages or so for them to finally have an open conversation and for Adrian to say that it's Dylan he wants. A little too late for me.

One of the reasons I love pining in romance books is the satisfaction I feel when the one who aches gets his feelings returned. I didn't feel it here. I didn't feel Adrian loved Dylan as much as Dylan loved him. I don't think they would have ended up together if not for the island. So no, I'm not convinced. This was 500 pages of Dylan and me feeling miserable. At least Dylan got his HEA. I'm still feeling kind of miserable and drained.

Part 1 – 5 stars
Part 2 – 4 stars
Part 3 – 2 stars

[Evelyn Bella (there WILL be spoilers) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is, bar none, the WORST love declaration I've ever had the misfortune to read. It's my fault, really. For having eyes.

So bad that I couldn't even stand to read the sex scene afterwards, and the sex scene following the love declaration is usually the best one.

Like —this book took cheating, and RUINED IT. How do you ruin cheating?

Okay. Taking it from the top.

Is the greed and selfishness in the room with us? Probably unpopular opinion but my problem in this book is Dylan. Back in my day, MCs were real homewreckers. Dylan is just playing.

Do you want that man or not? All this whining and wringing of hands is not how you get the man.

Had his cheeks spread wide AF on the island but now he doesn't have the bandwidth to fight. 'I want you to choose me but not now, later' head ass.

Started this mess and now he can't stand on it.

And this isn't to say I don't have smoke for Adrian.

I have PLENTY of smoke for Adrian.

Wanted to bang his head with a skillet for the number of times he said 'I knew the moment I saw Freya that she was the one.'

The one that what? The one you'd have waiting for you stateside like a goddamn widow while you creampied your best friend to kingdom cum?

Lube-less, no less. Self sufficient cheaters, them. Spit start and raring to go. Fucked like bunnies to the point I was surprised Dylan DIDN'T lay eggs.

And now they care about Freya? About well thought out choices? Lol.

But even then, it felt like Adrian was ready to make the choice, but Dylan felt there was a minimum think-on-it period applicable before Adrian's choice could be valid.

So, in a way, it was Dylan making them miserable. You can't BE a martyr while STILL lying to yourself (and us, by extension) that you're selfish and greedy when it comes to Adrian.

Where's the greed? I would have loved to get acquainted with it. Would have loved a scenario where they're back home and Freya's trying to win her man back and failing because Dylan is just bloody there all the time, a silent reminder of how warm it is inside him and how it drives Adrian crazy.

A little oops, sorry Freya, I know he's home now but I can't help it that he can't sleep when he's not with me. Unbreakable bond, what can you do🤷🏾‍♀️

But nooooo. Instead we got whatever this was.

Why couldn't we have a little toxicity to match what Dylan was claiming?

Like, that's your man. Take him. Fuck you mean, go home to your fiancée? This is not why we're here.

'If I could go back…
I’m not sure I’d ever leave the island.'

Okay, but we're here and he's here and he's saying it's you he wants and you're saying........go see if you'd rather have her?

And HE said he loved you too but he kisses her and thinks, yeah, it's possible to go back to how it once was?

'We kiss, and I remember her.'

'It feels right.
It feels like it used to.'

Well, excuse TF out of me. No wonder Dylan kept pushing him away. This man is a WHORE with no object permanence.

AND THIS IS A ROMANCE NOVEL?

Not some sort of sad reality experiment?

Ew, David.

Also, I'm sorry, but WHY were there so many instances of how I feel Rupi Kaur would do prose if she ever stopped terrorizing the poetry people?

'IT CAN’T GO on like this forever.
I know it can’t.
It’s an intermission.
A pause.
A hiatus.
An interim.
An interlude.
Before real life kicks back in.
Possibly kicks me in the teeth.
Or in the heart.'

😂😂😂😂😂😂Sorry but WHAT?!

Was there a minimum word count?

Anyway. This man is basically dating his best friend while he lives with his fiancée and tries to recapture their magic?

Things are happening here that have never happened before in romance novels.

None of these words are in the Bible.

Dylan doesn't have that dog in him for real because how do you let that man's fiancée come to you as a woman 💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀

Come on, man. Fight back?

Anyway. I had a lot of issues with this one, but I still enjoyed the clusterfuck. Was going to 3* it.

Until the love declaration.

I don't think there's any saving a romance where the major love declaration includes one of them reaffirming his love for someone else.

That's just batshit crazy and I REFUSE to be an understanding reader. I don't care about the attempts to spin it.

''... I loved her, I love her, and I will love her for the rest of my life.”

Diabolical.

'Freya will still be a part of the family—as long as that’s what she wants, and I do hope it is.'

This is some unhinged kumbayah thought process 💀because damn, what?!

'There was a time I hoped Freya and I could eventually become friends.
We haven’t.'

Probably the best thing to come out of this because the earlier hope was bonkers.

Criminally lacking in self awareness.

Hate when a cheating ass mf can't commit. Shit or get off the pot. I like my cheaters GODDAMN SURE.

Argh.

[kaye taz · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 ⭐️
spice: 🌶️🌶️.5/5
format: ebook

”’i have loved you from afar. desperately. quietly. i have craved and yearned and ached and wanted. for years. for the better part of my life.’”

what do you do when the man you’ve loved since you were fifteen is engaged to someone else? how can you give him up at the end of his bachelor trip? what do you do when the unthinkable happens and you’re stuck on an island together indefinitely?

the island is a coming-of-age, childhood friends-to-lovers book with such delicious pining and unrequited love that will have your heart breaking apart and aching for these characters to finally get together.

dylan is in love with adrian, has been for most of his life, and now he has to watch him build a life with someone else. meanwhile, adrian doesn’t know why his best friend is pulling away.
↳”i want dylan to be happy and have friends and fall in love and do anything he wants to do, even if it’s living a whole world away from me. i just want to know that i still have a place with him, too. that i’m still a part of him.”

when a bachelor trip goes horribly wrong, dylan and adrian lean on each other in ways their years of friendship never prepared them for. they become each other’s everything. touches linger, feelings shift, and having nothing but time starts them down a completely new path. a path they can’t ever un-walk, even if they somehow find their way home.
↳“a terrifying thought flashes through my brain. i don’t want to go home. i want to stay here. on this island. forever.”

this book very much gives jesse h reign’s romeo falling meets marley valentine’s ache meets keira andrews’s beyond the sea. which sounds insane but totally worked for me.

i am actually so unwell from this book. briar prescott never fails to put my emotions through the wringer with her stories and characters, and dylan and adrian were no exception. this book was a rollercoaster and i’m honestly not sure i even survived it.

”’i’m not freya’s adrian anymore. i’m yours. i’m dylan’s adrian, and the idea of being without you… when i think about my life, all i see is you. i love you.’”

*i received a free, advanced copy of this book from the author and this is my voluntary, honest review.

[Mimi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is not a romance and that's the hill I'm willing to die on 💀


very spoilery rant incoming, be warned:

- let's get this out of the way first: any indie romance book over 400 pages is usually a huge red flag for me because it suggests that editing was not in the room with us BUT this is Briar who literally wrote one of my top 5 books of all time so I said to myself you can do this you can read a fucking 570 page book there's gonna be so much good stuff it's Briar trust the process it will be fiiiinnnnee

- and the first 24% of this book? Absolute perfection. Some of the best pining best-friends-to-lovers set up you could think of, Dylan is precious and the found family? Immaculate. I want Dylan to have everything in life served on a silver fucking platter he deserves it and Adrian seemed like he would deliver the bi awakening of a lifetime all in good time. I can wait. It's fine. 

- AND THEN YOU RUIN IT WITH THE BIGGEST BULLSHIT OF A "ROMANCE ARC" KNOWN TO MAN??? WHY!!!

- call me crazy but I just don't think having to chop off two fingers of your best friend and the love of your life's hand on your birthday after you already lived through a plane crash and two years on a shitty island that tried to kill you multiple times is necessary in a romance book?? Might just be me??

Like what in the Grey's Anatomy drama fuckery was this supposed to be HUH 

- why not give me "hey at least I'm stranded on a forgotten island with my best friend and oh hey wow maybe this isn't the worst" instead? Or at least something more than a few moments of banter here and there? I mean you had time for that, could have even spaced it out a bit. How much time you ask?

- they were on the island FOR ALMOST FUCKING THREE YEARS ARE YOU SHITTING ME 

- like yes the writing was amazing I felt actually physically ill because Briar knows how to create tension and anxiety and dread at their dire circumstances and I was so scared and felt so bad for Dylan and Adrian stranded on that island and just wanted them to be safe so yes still great writing talent but why did it have to be so long?? It was repetitive as fuck, no development of emotions nada??

- WHERE WAS THE ROMANCE IN ALL THIS WE'RE 63% IN AT THIS POINT

- and the worst part?

- it felt so CHEAP when they did get together

- like Dylan constantly having to downplay his feelings and their sex not only in front of Adrian but in his own mind to not get too attached, feeling like a thief for stealing these moments with Adrian and saying it's just because no one else is there KILL ME NOW

- like him begging Adrian and that just being SHOVED AWAY AND NEVER MENTIONED AGAIN 

 - and to put the fucking cherry on top of this shit ice cream sundae I thought "okay. This was brutal and so maybe this wasn't how I imagined them getting together but Adrian was about to say he's in love with Dylan right so now they get home he breaks up with Freya and then we get at least 25 percent of the book of them living their happily ever after where they acclimate back to normal life but like TOGETHER RIGHT 

NO SIR THIS IS NOT WHAT HAPPENED WE GET LESS THAN 6% PERCENT OF THEM ACTUALLY BEING TOGETHER AFTER ALL IS SAID AND DONE

- happy moments are either in their youth with Dylan pining or 6 percent after the ordeal they went through AND I'M LIKE IS THIS THE I HOPE YOU'RE HUNGRY...FOR NOTHING!! MEME COME TO LIFE?!

- listen if I wanted a romance where there's so much back and forth and an unnecessary third act break up/time spent apart and only three scenes of characters being happy and together I'D READ FUCKING TRADITIONAL PUBLISHED ROMANCES WOULDN'T I 

- I'm not bitter nooooo especially not while Dylan is confused and kissing Freya and Dylan is just over here losing everything WHEN HE ALREADY DIDN'T REALLY HAVE A LOT TO GET BACK HOME TO 

- and then in the fucking confession Dylan still feels like a second choice, still feels like he will only have Adrian "for now" until Adrian realizes he doesn't want Dylan and Adrian goes "I will love Freya forever I can't lie" WHAT DO YOU FUCKING MEAN

- Dylan goes "I sometimes think the only reason I was put on this earth is to love you" and what does he get in return? Adrian saying that he doesn't have to choose between Freya and him because THE ISLAND chose for him because it CHANGED him and like where is the fucking agency tell my baby you choose him!!

- like. My boy Dylan has to live with the uncertainty of never being chosen, never having Adrian if it wasn't for the island and that just..no. my baby deserves a love confession that isn't 90% about another woman OKAY

- and FINE Adrian follows up with some more affirming talk the next morning but READ THE ROOM THIS WAS NEEDED BEFORE THE SEX

- honestly? Dylan deserved so much better. After all the shit he went through after all he lost after all the pining and even having to lose his found family for years while he went off to study to get over Adrian this is what he gets at the end? His love confession just kinda brushed away by some sex and following that with Adrian's mom ALSO being worried about Freya when they tell her instead of??? Hugging Dylan and saying he was part of the family already but now it's official with like their last name in his future or something? HE DESERVED A SCENE LIKE THAT

- And then we get the epilogue and Adrian finally grew balls?! We get a few throwaway sentences how happy they are and how Adrian no longer loves Freya and how Dylan is everything to him and is dedicated to him and their lives together and is making plans and I'm sorry, where was this man for all of part three huh? Where was this energy when they finally got together?!?!

- I feel like after all the pain and pining we deserved more than 5% and a 1% epilogue of happiness and things turning out for the better. But maybe I'm just too demanding of romance in a ...romance book?!

- honestly just read up to 24% and then start up again at 94% and there's your "romance" 


Ugh the worst part is that this book still had amazing writing and drew me in because this author knows her stuff but honest to God, I just wish I could unread this.

This took years off my life.

[Imme [trying to crawl out of hiatus] van Gorp · Rating 2 out of 5]

|| 2.0 stars ||

Well, yikes. I honestly don’t think Adrian and Dylan should have ended up together.
Adrian was clearly in love with Freya and she was perfect for him. She was the light of his life and he fell for her so deeply. Dylan was never more than a best friend to him; he never even remotely saw him in a romantic light before the plane crash. Thus, it’s clear that the love he feels for Dylan is nothing but a trauma response. I’m sorry, but it is. Adrian even says so himself.

So yea, since I was never sold on the romantic love between them the whole story just felt awkward and sad to me.
Adrian and Freya deserved a good and happy life together. And Dylan deserved a man who actually fell in love with him for him and not because he was stuck on a deserted island with him.

Also, I’m sorry, but this book bored me to tears. It dragged like crazy and it stopped being cute the second they were no longer kids and Adrian met Freya. It just became weird and sad after that.

Not to mention, I honestly just feel really freaking bad for Freya in all of this. That girl was an angel and she waited three years for Adrian, not even knowing if he was alive, only for her to get dumped when he gets back. Jesus. Poor girl. I can’t see this as a happy ending.


Briar Prescott books:
Project Hero - 4.0 stars
The Happy List - 3.5
The Island - 2.0 stars

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

"For a moment, I let myself imagine that I opened my mouth earlier and told him. That I love him. That he’s not just the boy next door. Not just my best friend. That he’s so much more. That to me, he’s everything. Everything. [...] I’d give anything—anything—if he just felt the same."

Falling in love with your best friend is a dream, but Dylan finds himself in a nightmare when the only man he’s ever loved falls in love with Dylan's step-cousin. He tries everything to find a healthy way to cope with his broken heart, but losing Adrian means also losing the only family he has left. When a bachelor party/boy's trip goes horribly wrong, will he finally take the chance to speak up and tell Adrian how he feels?

"I have the feeling that I’m missing something. That there’s a side of him he’s not showing me, or one I simply can’t see. Dylan’s dark side of the moon."

Dylan is a watcher and a thinker. As an orphan, he's cautious to do anything that might affect his relationship with Adrian and Adrian's family. Until the day Adrian proposes to his girlfriend and the watching and thinking and yearning hurts too much. Dylan decides to get some space from Adrian and try to move on. Adrian is a feeler and a doer, and he can't understand why Dylan needs space. For Adrian, Dylan's nothing more than a best friend, almost a brother. He's never seen him as anything else, until all of a sudden he does. But is it love, or co-dependency and trauma-bonding?

"While we’re on this island, he’s mine."

This book would make an incredible movie about finding family, surviving against all odds and finding epic love along the way. I genuinely don’t know how Briar manages to write such beautiful, romantic love stories. Normally epic romance makes me cringe a little because it can veer into corny and overwrought. Briar always finds that perfect balance between romance, humour and realistic love where the characters love each other's flaws. I spent the whole time on absolute anxiety tenterhooks because I was afraid of how much damage she might have Adrian inflict on Dylan’s heart. What an experience to read- one of my favourite books this year!

I have to make it clear. I have to show him. I have to make him need me as much as I need him in my life. Because I do. It’s not just that I want him with me. Wanting implies some agency. I don’t have any. I need him.

Rating: 4.75
Angst: 4/5
Steam: 3.75/5

I received an advance copy of this book from the author and this is my honest review

It’s the kind of happiness that is a part of you. That you can feel in your gut and coursing through your bloodstream. The kind of quiet, contented happiness that’s just always there, without fail, even on bad days or when it feels like life is letting you down.

[Sandy Kay]

Dammit, Me! I love Briar Prescott's writing and style, but, I can already tell this one isn't for me. I so appreciate all the info I got to prepare from friends (thank you thank you @Elizabeth and @Pauline!!!), but alas, my brain is just...wonky.

Starting with the years of childhood in which Dylan develops strong and hopeless romantic feelings for Adrian, but Adrian loves Dylan dearly but very obviously only platonically isn't going to make me believe in their love. My brain will believe it's due only to the extreme circumstances, and if that hadn't happened, Adrian would have had a very happy loving marriage with his fiancee and never given Dylan a romantic/sexual thought. That's just not #endgame for me. I want meant-to-be, not fell-in-love-due-to-happenstance. Plus seeing an on-page fully described first-times BJ for sweet hurting Dylan with another boy early on was too much for me. And there'll be years of Others for both of them. Not my type of romance. Alas.

Still beautiful storytelling and language, and those without my hangups are LOVING it, so, hope it keeps delivering for everyone else! Hope the author writes something else soon.

[Renae Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Island is a slow-burning romance between best friends Dylan and Adrian, who have been in each other's lives since they were eleven. Their friendship has been the foundation for both of them for years, but due to unrequited feelings, Dylan leaves his best friend for years. They are finally reunited on a bachelor vacation that leaves them stranded on an island, and those hidden feelings are finally being revealed in raw, honest, and unforgettable ways.

This story takes you on an intense journey of longing, patience, hope, and fate as they try to find their way to each other. At times, I doubted they would have a happily ever after because of the years of unrequited feelings Dylan had suffered. But watching Adrian discover his feelings for his best friend—whether from conscious or unconscious awareness—was wonderfully done. It had me reading with tears of joy and relief.

I love Adrian and Dylan's bond, their friendship, and their love for each other—in the most innocent and endearing ways. These two are intertwined. They share a connection that their families can hardly put into words—they just click and understand each other in ways others cannot.

Overall, their story is epic in length and takes its time for these two to finally find their happy ending. I highly recommend this story. The writing is stunningly beautiful and takes you on an unforgettable journey of heartbreak and longing that I couldn’t get enough of.

*** I reviewed a complimentary copy of this story.***

[Marci · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS WAS EVERYTHING! THANK YOU, BRIAR! It feels so good to be home (reading MM romance again). I’ve been on a mystery thriller streak since early August but I’m back….I’M SO BACK!

Briar is known for typically writing books with plenty of comedy and funny banter so this was a very welcome surprise for me to see something more angsty. I knew she had it in her to do this type of style I mean I read the excellent Inevitable but wow she just really nailed it. I think there’s a great balance here too. There’s levity and banter within the angst. I think that’s why I took a break from Briar for a while, to be honest. I felt like I was drowning in the constant comedy. If everything is a joke, nothing is funny. I couldn’t take it seriously and I was tired! This book remedies that without completely taking away a key element of her work. The writing here was so easy to get lost in and unfortunately I have the eye bags to prove it! Just gorgeous stuff.

The yearning and tension is one of my favorite parts of reading romance. It’s also one of the key reasons I detest insta-love. And boy was the tension THICK! Slow buildup and a strong friendship full of GLANCES and THINGS LEFT UNSAID….thank you. Anger and quiet resentment building and building and building. What will happen when the facade of strictly platonic feelings crumbles? I couldn’t wait to find out.

The characters. I loved them. Full of life and heart. VIBRANT. Falling off the page. Their hurts were my hurts. And even better, their joy was mine too. The found family element warmed my heart. When Adrian and Dylan arrive to the titular island, I was giddy for a few reasons. Things are going to happen, BIG THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!! But also, hello as if this couldn’t be more up my alley; it was like they were on Survivor. I just found that to be so fun. I’m over here (lovingly) rolling my eyes because they don’t know how to start fire (like I’m any sort of pro). Cheering when they find coconuts and figure out how to fish. Plus the angst that came with the island…TOP TIER!!! It was brutal and realistic. Painful. But with hope ever present. And banter. Jokes. It might be the end of the world but we might as well laugh while we’re here. Everybody start watching Survivor ASAP in case you randomly end up stranded on a deserted tropical island with your best friend you have secret feelings for. Okay let me actually talk about the main characters and not go on a Survivor tangent. I do that enough in real life.

Adrian is like if the sun was a person and Dylan can’t stop looking at him even though it burns. Because the sun also feels good, right? I loved their banter and their friendship. The care shown for each other in each stage of their life. Adrian beating up a kid who won’t stop bullying Dylan, when they’re young. Adrian protecting Dylan from the island and its hazards when they’re older. Because if Dylan isn’t okay, he’s not either. A bond started with a blood pact to always be there for each other. I enjoyed the intensity of it. How Dylan seeing Adrian with other people was like being ran over with a truck. And I liked their soft moments too. A bond built on care. On these moments big and small. I’ll beat up your school bully and I’m also going to sit with you on the couch when you’re sad. I’ll drop everything in my life to help you and your family when something bad happens, because they’re mine too. I’d do anything for you but love you back…Or so you thought.

”I’m making plans.”
”Am I in them?”
”In every sentence on every page.”

[Papie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried and cried and cried and cried.


“I have loved you from afar. Desperately. Quietly. I have craved and yearned and ached and wanted. For years. For the better part of my life.” My eyes are burning, and I want to squeeze them shut. I want to hide. I don’t. “For you us started on that island. For me we started long before that.” I dash the back of my hand over my eyes and take a big breath. “For me, it’s always been you. Just you. Always you.”

And then I cried again. It was wonderful.

I love Dylan so much. And I love Adrian because Dylan loves him. My poor heart.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did I read a 500+ page book in two days because I was stressed nearly the entire time? Yes.

THE PREMISE: Dylan has loved his best friend Adrian for nearly his entire life, then had to watch him propose to someone else … but after their plane crashes on a remote island, everything changes.

TROPES & VIBES:
- The unrequited yearning made me physically ill in a way I haven’t been since Fool Hearts
- Classic gold class Briar banter
- Accidental Survivor: Fiji
- Co-dependency
- Cheating (didn’t love that; not between mcs)
- Hurt and nightmare comfort
- “Baby”
- Slowburn
- Love declarations in the rain (it was really good)
- The graveyard scene made me cry. AS FUCKING PER.

4⭐️ 2.5🌶️

[reverie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐ that I can't in good conscious round up. This is the first time I’ve walked away from a Briar Prescott book unsure of my feelings, yet all too aware that most of them lean toward dissatisfaction

The Island is good. Genuinely, whole heartedly, it's a good book. The plot is great, the writing is engaging as ever. Both the main and side characters are well done and loveable. Before the island? Great. Heartbreaking but great. On the island? Fantastic. I'd been so sucked into the story that my 1 AM bedtime ended with me crashing out around 5 AM instead.

It's after the island that I have a problem with. The romance in this book is just... not good. I don't believe it. Adrian spends a third of this book saying "I love Freya, I'll always love Freya, I would have been happy with Freya, if the island never happened I would have lived a good life with Freya". Dylan agrees. Dylan even suggests that if they were still on the island, and he just hadn't kissed Adrian, that he would still be with Freya. Adrian agrees. Then we get 100+ pages of Adrian trying to carry out two relationships at once, being confused over who or what we wants, and fails to ever convince me of his decision. Even Dylan seems doubtful. By the time we get to the epilogue four years later, our boys now living in wedded bliss, I still doubted Adrian.

And I just can't wrap my head around how much they talked about cheating. I really can't. These boys weren't stranded on that island for a week, or even a month. It was three fucking years. The world thought they were dead. Life has moved on without them. They didn't think they'd ever make it off that fucking island. Cheating? Maybe if they started banging a month or two in, but they didn't start building anything together until two years in. I just can't see that as cheating. I can't. Life changed, time passed, people moved on. And every time any of them brought up cheating I just wanted to rip my fucking hair out. It's certainly a bizarre, unpleasant situation for everyone involved, but I just can't see that as cheating.

The book was good. Honestly. It just doesn't work as a romance for me. Maybe if the romance had been a subplot, things would roll along more smoothly, but a failing love story sits at the forefront of everything else that shines. Oh well. 💔

[patrícia · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I’m full-on crying now. Crying like a fucking baby. Bawling. A snotty mess”

But I’m soooo happy, infinite ⭐️

This is not the kind of book I could ever write a detailed review of, I don’t have anything left in me after this. I’m just happy I read this. Happy I cried, laughed, swooned, suffered—happy I lived this.

It’s a story about found family, unrequited love, longing, letting go versus holding on, and the way isolation forces closeness until every glance and touch feels like everything. But more than that, it’s a story about finding a home in someone—a story already saved in my favorite files.

So here are some thoughts I just took note while reading. If you want a beautiful, well-written and eloquent review, please see Pauline’s review—what she felt I felt, the same, no notes!

The Olsen’s
The friendship
Dylan & Adrian
The found family
The tears
The love
Promises in blood
Dad jokes
The pining…. THE.PINING.
The suffering
The accident
Plans change
The acceptance
The distance
The.GODDAM.PINING.
The emptiness
The island
The survival
The friendship
The.GODDAM.MOTHERFUCKER.PINING.
The cuddling
The hair massages
The kiss, but not simply a kiss, it was an earthquake!
The volcano of emotions
The questioning
The.GODDAM.OMFG.PINING.
The “right it’s an experiment “, cute!
The want
The desire
The need
The “ in here he is mine”
The braiding
The fingers
The stupid life saving thing
The burgers and coke
Home, but not home?
More suffering, probably worst than the pining... Worth it!
Choices
Never a choice
Plans
My Dylan
My Adrian
Forever

We lie in silence for a bit. I bury my nose in his neck and inhale the scent of shower gel and grass and us that clings to his skin.
I smile against his neck. “I love you.”
I’m free to say it now. As many times as I want. I can rebuild my whole vocabulary from the ways I love him.
He kisses me then, his arms tightening around me. There’s a mix of everything whirling inside me. Love, happiness, relief, hope. Fear. It’s still there, but it’s just a sprinkling now, instead of an overwhelming wave.
And it’s home.
He tastes like home.
The home he’s always been for me.
“Say it again,” he murmurs against my lips.
“I love you.”
“I love you, too. And I will tell you every day for the next eighty years or so. Until you’re sick of hearing it.”
I laugh, my chest vibrating against his. “Please do.”
He repeats it over and over between kisses, underneath miles and miles of stars.

You know what else I’ve been thinking about?” I ask.
“Enlighten me,” he whispers.
“You,” I say. “Us.”
He smiles.
“You’re being mushy,” he says softly.
“No. Just happy.”[…]
What about us?” he says.
I smile and rest my chin on his shoulder.
“I’m making plans.”
His smile widens. “Am I in them?”
I kiss him.
“In every sentence on every page,” I say.
Like he’s always been.
Will always be.
In my book of life, every chapter is named Dylan.
It’s the best book I’ve ever read

I received a free copy of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[lakshmi]

RELEASE DAY BABY!!! I literally woke up sick and nauseous but this book is going to be my medicine 💊💕


I WAS PUT ON THIS EARTH TO LOVE YOU?????? 😭😭😭

[Cyndy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I almost gave 2.5 stars and rounded up simply because they both told themselves “if I could to back…I’m not sure I’d ever leave” the island. But I can’t. I really wish there would have been a lot more of this feeling. There were moments. I even teared up a couple times because of Dylan’s heart breaking. But this is a long book and it just didn’t feel like a romance. Adrian was “with” Freya for so much of the story and while there technically was cheating, which I love when done well, it didn’t work. It felt messy…I can’t think of a better word. I love some angst, the pining gave me hope, but the messy became tedious and I started losing interest. I’m so bummed about this because I’ve loved a lot of this author’s books.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of "different" angstier mm romances are coming out now, and I think that is generally a good thing, authors taking risks, maybe writing things they actually want to read. One of those books really clicked for me (The Fall) but this just did not stick the landing for me.

It basically felt like emotional edging, like some sadist showing off again and again how much Dylan loved hopelessly Adrian to the point where the third part of the book feels unnecessarily dragged - and unsatisfactorily wrapped up (nice speech about wanting to be chosen and then, what, it was taking too long?) and yeah unromantic at least to me.

Also a bit manipulative, there was a kind of inconsistency, lack of continuity to the action and perspectives particularly regarding the amputation and PTSD and co-dependency on part 3, though not only that which was then waved off through dialogue I totally thought the author had forgotten about the amputation till it is mentioned in one dialogue but it is never seen altering Adrian's life. I mean seriously driving manual transmission with a few fingers less has to be hard, particularly if it is an older car! Or we do not see it from his point of view, or see him feel any pain. But there is more the feeling of being overcrowded, but it does not bother them at all when meeting in public places or driving or whatever. It is all just in dialogue.

And then there is the writing. Which is supposed to be very impactful and strong and lyrical, things like this

I KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM.

Little things.

Weird things.

Quirks.

Habits.

I know him.

I try to list all his flaws.

There are a lot.

He’s too pretty.

His eyes are too blue.

His jokes are terrible.

He sees me.

He makes my mouth go too dry.

His bare skin is too soft.

His mind is too fascinating.

When he’s gone, I miss him too much.


THERE ARE the evenings when he doesn’t show up.

I never ask.

Because I know.

I know he’s with Freya.

And then I feel guilty.

And messy.


and sorry, sorry, it's probably me, but I just can't take it seriously or be moved, it just feels so try-hard.

Incidentally as constructive criticism, there were some grammar/syntax issues even I could spot and some things felt "off" for a book set in the USA (not american, I can not tell for sure).

Interesting book, and I am glad it's finding its public, but not my cup of tea.

[Lily Loves 📚 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good! It was definitely long but it’s broken into 3 parts.

The first part is when Dylan meets Adrian as a kid. I’m not a big fan of the stories where they go through the characters childhoods but this worked for me. The chapters aren’t long and the years go by quickly. And Dylan just longs for Adrian. Oh Dylan!!! My heart! This guy has gone through so much in his life and he deserves true love!

The second part we start getting Adrian’s POV, which I was happy about. This part is them on the island. I really was happy that feelings weren’t rushed and nothing happened immediately. This part had me on edge for sure!!!!

The third part had me in tears! I really felt for Dylan and how hard his adjustment was and how he felt he had so much to lose. I understood why Adrian was confused but these two are it for each other. This relationship was beyond friendship since their teens. I think Adrian always needed Dylan more than anyone but he didn’t understand why.

I’d love a book about Indy! He’s not in this much but he made quite the impression! I lived Adrian’s family and I was happy with Nina in the end. Freya, don’t get me started.

I loved this emotional roller coaster!!!!!

ARC received for review
All thoughts and opinions are my own

[Paige Orr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite sure how to feel about this one. I really enjoyed the first 2 parts but part 3 really kinda put me off. I just feel like Dylan deserves better honestly, he had to wait to be picked and was constantly reminded that Adrien still loved freya 24/7. Basically if the island didn’t happen he never would have had a chance and I hate that for him. :(

[Mandy Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you for the arc is exchange for an honest review. I love Briar’s books and was so excited to read The Island.

Let’s preface this by saying I enjoy the cheating trope in books-when they cheat to be together. If you don’t, I still think you’d enjoy this. It did not qualify as cheating in my eyes—but it did to the characters.

I LOVED the first 75% of this book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I couldn’t put this down. I enjoyed getting to know Dylan and Adrian. Seeing them grow up together and how close they were. Dylan needed a family and they all embraced him. I think the crash and the island was handled really well. They truly were just trying to keep each other alive.

Here come the spoilers!!!

I struggled with the last 25% of this book. 🙈😬 There was entirely too much emphasis on Freya. So much so that it almost convinced me that Dylan and Adrian would not be together had they not been stranded on the island. Adrian made it very clear he LOVES Freya and always will. His family LOVES Freya and always will. Every confession of love and commitment between them circles back to Freya. It took away from their moments. I wanted more emphasis on their relationship after the island and not how it would impact Freya or how Adrian still loved Freya.

I really loved the majority of this book. I highly recommend it! Really! My hang ups on the last part of the book are my preferences with this type of storyline. I think a lot of readers would appreciate the emphasis on Freya’s feelings. Overall, if you’re looking for an emotional friends to lovers mm romance check this out!

[Ann ☕️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a fan of Briar's books, I really wanted to like this one more. But it couldn't seem to figure out what it wanted to be. Next door neighbor unrequited love? Best friends to lovers? Stuck on a desert island? Baby bi awareness? Too many tropes. And the two MCs - Dylan and Adrian - were terrible communicators for supposedly being the best of friends. I mean, you two are stranded on an island for over two years, and you don't talk about the fiancée once? At all? And admittedly a little thing, but what about all of a sudden discovering there's a cave and waterfall on an island that is microscopic, and during a brutal storm no less? It didn't jive for me. Plus the Freya character (fiancée) - while portrayed as a lovely person, I guess, wasn't really developed and was annoying at the end. And the ending felt a little... lame. It was an HEA, yes, but how Adrian came around to his all-encompassing love for Dylan felt a bit off. Maybe I am just in a book slump, but will just say not one of her favorite books for me. If you want a better deserted island read, try Keira Andrews's Beyond the Sea.

[Tare · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Briar Prescott and The Island was different from anything else I’ve ever read by her and I ate it up.

This is long and the pining and angst basically lasts the entire thing 🙏. Dylan and Adrien are childhood best friends (my fav). Dylan has been in love with Adrien since he was 15 and has had to watch helplessly while Adrien dates and then eventually falls in love hard with the girl next door.

As a pre-wedding bachelor type trip, these two friends are planning to go to Fiji together and have some adventure before Adrien settles down. And yeah, the plan goes down and they get stuck on a tiny strip of island in the middle of nowhere. I honestly love survival type of stories like this - the forced codependency and extreme bonding that happens.

After quite some time (yes it is a slow burn) Adrien and Dylan start a sexual relationship while on the island. There are a lot of complicated feelings for both of them but it is still very clear that they both are In Love™

Once they are finally rescued is where I was bracing myself for the pain because Adrien left a fiance behind and how was this going to go? And Briar doesn’t hold back. But these two do finally get their HEA. It’s a long, painful journey for them both.

This is an epic love story that felt so real and raw.

[Em Jay]

DNF @ 12%

I was loving this but I came across spoilers for what happens later and yeah…hard pass 🙂

Love Briar and will be back for Jordan’s book 🙂‍↕️

(We’re still getting Jordan’s book right???)

[Mal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pining… let me say that again PINING… omg what an awesomely sweet beginning- Dylan little Dylan is the sweetest child and then a woefully love struck, swimming in deep Unrequited feelings for his very best friend… the friend who have him a family.

Briar Prescott’s writing is poetry on a page and I loved wallowing in all these sweet feelings. The intense longing, craving that appears on page, Dylan almost trapped, stuck drawn to the flame that is Adrian. Their friendship doesn’t falter he learns to love with the longing until he can’t anymore but even distance doesn’t blunt the ache. Prescott is a master at immersing you into the characters POV and Dylan’s is almost painful to take.

Then comes the Island, I wasn’t expecting it to be .. how it was… and yet o loved the fresh take on best friends to lovers - it’s a slowwwww burn, every facet is stripped, nothing is convenient , the unrequited feelings don’t disappear and erstwhile friendship doesn’t just take a next step - there is rebirth, evolution growth not desperation but hope - it’s quite beautiful honestly. The place is hell and heaven in a nutshell and neither emerges as they went in. I would love to say more, I’m sure there are spoilers out there, but do yourself a favour and avoid them, let the story unfold the way the author tries to tell it.

Then suddenly after the high highs and the devastating lows and near loss they are back, in a world that doesn’t fit at all, with people they love and yet it feels like something is missing. The bond they’ve developed that love and rhe heat and fire and chemistry and they clutch to hold on. Yet suddenly the old is new and they have to figure that out too. This part is perfectly navigated by the author, the surrender, the fear of rejection, Dylan finding his voice from an unexpected corner. That ending is swoon and sublime and I have underlined all of it 😅.. I will be revisiting

This story is a beautiful beacon of love, resilience, found family, survival and soulmates. Do yourself a favour and read it.

Also a shout out for Indy, I need to see more if this character I absolutely adored and also Freya - I have mixed feelings - not much to say here. I will miss the Olsen family. Nina thank you for stepping up finally.

[Jane (whatjanereads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boy next door, childhood best friends to lovers, introvert x extrovert…sounds like the perfect book for me!
But the yearrrring and pain in this ugh! The angst was 15/10!
Dylan realises he’s in love with his best friend when he’s 15, the problem is he’s straight. Years and years of yearning and hurting, only for Adrian to tell him he’s getting married.
Even fleeing to the other side of the country for university doesn’t make his feelings go away.

I didn’t read the blurb for this so the big twist came as a total surprise for me, even though the title really should have given it away.
This story was absolutely captivating and gripping, I read this in two days and couldn’t stop reading it thinking about it.
I can’t say how realistic this was, I actually didn’t expect for them to stay so long though.

But when part 2 came I really didn’t think this was realistic at all, at least not for me.
Adrian and his fiancée are in their early 20s, they’ve been together just as long as they’ve been apart. People change in 3 years, especially when they’re this young. Adrian spend years alone, he looks very different too I bet. I don’t think it was realistic that Freya and him just immediately acted like nothing changed.
For me it also was too much hot and cold, it took wayyy too long for Adrian to decide anything and I feel like it wasn’t fair at all to Dylan, who he’s known for over a decade. It’s okay to kiss Freya (and whatever else they did, we weren’t told a thing), but not do the same with Dylan who he spend by that point over a year with?
I would have loved for Adrian to make a decision on his own instead of how it all came to an end kind of because of Dylan.

All in all I flew through this, the story didn’t let me go, but the ending was a little too much hot and cold for me and the story just came to a kind of too abrupt ending for me.

[Valen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t make the rules, this made me cry so it gets 4 stars.

This was not perfect but it was so very Briar (I love Briar). The first part, the growing up and pining, was perfect. It was guttural angst and despair.

The second part, the Island, was incredibly stressful. The danger was real, and they’re stranded for a long time. Years. I was at the edge of my (airplane) seat the whole time. (PSA do not read about planes crashing whilst on a plane FFS)

The third part was difficult. Choices were made that I didn’t fully vibe with, I kept wanting to shake them both.

Regardless, I read romance to feel, and boy did I feel.

[Christina Sturgill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5/5 🌟
Spice: 2.5/5 🌶️
Characters: Dylan and Adrian

I started this and couldn’t stop reading until I finished it. It’s a stunning story of longing, patience, and a soulmate level love. It made my stomach hurt.
Dylan has loved his best friend for most of his life. Watching him fall in love with other people is too much for him so he leaves for a while. They are reunited for a bachelors trip. Only, that trip doesn’t go well and they end up being stranded. The isolated time together gives them a lot of time to open up to each other.

The banter is phenomenal, the characters are extremely lovable, and the love is deep and intense. It’s incredibly emotional and has me tearing up a few times.

[haletostilinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️ 4.5 stars rounded up ⭐️

This is the kind of book I felt like I couldn't give 4 stars but I couldn't quite give 5 stars.

And the reason for that is only when it comes to Adrian, because fairly early on we got Dylan's feelings and they never let up. He's head over heels in love with Adrian. Adrian....well???

He falls in love with someone else.

He thought he was straight - and he probably is like 99% attracted to women. But then there's Dylan...and an island...and several years stranded together, and it all changes for him.

For Dylan his love for Adrian has been there since he was 15, a steady, thrumming part of his entire being. Dylan is in love with Adrian and that's a fact. But Adrian, while he's always been maybe perhaps a bit more attached to a best friend than one would be if they just loved them platonically, has never seemed to look at Dylan that way.

Then he meets Freya when they're 19, and it seems that's it. Dylan is done for. But he's never said anything to Adrian, he's never let his feelings be known, and even Adrian's big family seem not to know? So Dylan does a damn good job of hiding his feelings.

But when they're 24, Adrian and Freya get engaged, and Adrian and Dylan plan to go on a "guy's trip" to Fiji before Adrian gets married - but on the way there, their small plane with just one pilot gets in a wreck, and they survive near a very small, deserted island and are stranded.

At first nothing changes on Adrian's end, but months into their "stay" he sees Dylan pleasuring himself, and...perhaps something shifts...but it's not until 1 year of them on the island that something is done, by either of them.

But also Adrian is with Freya, right? And they'll get off the island someday, surely, and they can't give up that hope that they will.

While it's technically cheating - hence I tagged that - it's also kind of a strange situation. Because like...Freya would believe he's dead (although she's almost too perfect because of course she never believed he was) at some point, and they could live on that tiny island for the rest of their lives, stranded from all civilization, surviving on coconuts, assorted fruits and seafood, just the two of them and their makeshift tent of a floatation, survival raft thing.

It's a strange situation, to be sure. Because Freya is...sweet and kind and understanding and good, so in normal circumstances these two truly would be the scum of the earth for having an affair. But it's not normal, it's so beyond normal it's not even funny, and they're in a survival situation, and there is the fact that they were going through it all alone.

It's hard not to understand and to feel bad about these two technically cheating together as in a normal situation. Freya even understands to an extent when they get back, even. But she also still wants Adrian...she waited just over 2 years for him.

When they eventually do get rescued and come back to civilization, everything has changed.

The fact of the matter is, Dylan and Adrian were fundamentally changed by their experience - who wouldn't be? - and honestly even though Freya waited, and not as long a time passed as is the movie Castaway with Tom Hanks, the situation was a bit similar but...reversed? It's like Adrian had moved on without entirely realizing it and it was too late for him and Freya now. Too late for them to go back to the way they were.

Ultimately, Adrian and Freya had to let each other go, after some back and forth and months of Adrian and Dylan trying to become acclimated to society again and their lives again.

While it ultimately was the right thing and Dylan and Adrian just felt right together, I do wish there'd been more inklings of feelings on Adrian's end in part one, before they get in the plane crash. While I get that minds can change and love can change, part of me doesn't like that Adrian seemed so oblivious in their 14 years of friendship and was so in love with someone else. That he says before the plane crash he could have been happy with Freya for the rest of their lives.

Like oh okay, so if the plane crash hadn't happened, would he and Dylan have even been together? I dunno if I quite like that...so Adrian's falling in love, or realizing of feelings after doesn't entirely rub me the right way, hence the .5 stars off.

I almost gave 1 star off for that whole part of it, of really struggling to find feelings from Adrian from about the first half of this book, but...I ultimately couldn't, because the second half really worked on building up those feelings on Adrian's side.

I guess, in a way, the first half was Dylan's feelings and dealing with that unrequited love for so long, and the second half was Adrian's awakening. I would have rather Dylan have confessed his feelings beforehand or it didn't quite feel like trauma bonding, co-dependency like the book says, but...Adrian's feelings really started to come through and I started to really feel his love for Dylan and I was so happy about that.

Like, what ifs are just that, what ifs, and the reality is that the plane crash happened, the island happened, and Adrian fell in love with Dylan - or realized he was in love with him, however you look at it - on that island, and he's...well, he's not in love with Freya anymore.

And you can really sense how checked out Adrian is with her and their relationship. He still has love for her, but it's different, and there's kind of no going back from that.

However it came to be, at the end of the day, Adrian loves Dylan and that's that.

It takes some struggle, of course, for them to get there, but when they do...oh it's beautiful. I was so damn happy. This book really puts you through a rollercoaster of emotions, and it's angst city for so much of it.

And also a bit of me was kinda totally happy at the end in the epilogue when Adrian thinks about how he was hoping to be friends with Freya as the years went on, but they just kinda....didn't? They see each other on occasion and are friendly, but not friends, and that's about it. He thinks about he loved her but that's in the past. Oh that was SO needed to make his and Dylan's love story feel complete, to make it feel perfectly right in the end.

So yeah, overall this was an amazing book that really takes you on a journey with these two best friends turned lovers.

And overall, this was another win for this author, who honestly just gets better and better the more she writes.

I can't wait to for whatever comes next from this author, and will be eagerly picking up whatever she gifts us with next.

Until then! 😍

[Vanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars!! ❤️❤️

I enjoyed this book overall, especially the first part. The yearning, one-sided love Dylan carried for Adrian was beautifully done, and I really liked Adrian as the cool, protective—borderline overprotective—best friend who seemed oblivious to the depth of Dylan’s feelings. That emotional tension and slow burn pulled me in right away.
The second part took a shocking turn. I’m not usually a fan of plane-crash or survival-on-a-desert-island storylines, and those elements definitely added a heavy dose of angst. Still, I appreciated how their bond deepened during this time and how their relationship became intense, almost codependent. The emotions felt raw and believable, even if the scenario itself wasn’t entirely my thing.
Part three was where the story lost me a bit. I understood the challenges of readjusting to normal life and the psychological aftermath of everything they went through, but I’m not fully convinced by the HEA. Was it truly the best outcome for both of them? I’m not sure. In almost any other scenario, I feel like Adrian would have ended up with Freya rather than Dylan, which made the ending feel a little uncertain to me.
That said, this was still a riveting and emotionally engaging read, and I was deeply invested in both characters throughout. Highly recommended to fans of GFY tropes in M/M romances who like a little angst in their stories ❤️❤️

[♡ cal ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love cheating in books but I draw the line in unhygienic sex.