Book Club - Karina May’s That Island Feeling

The days are about to get shorter and the cold is already creeping in. So for today’s book club I’m taking us back to warmer times with Karina May’s That Island Feeling. Karina is the author of Duck a l’Orange for Breakfast (April 2023), which was longlisted in the Indie Book Awards for Best Debut Fiction, and Never Ever Forever. Karina, alongside her friend and author Clare Fletcher, is the founder and co-host of the successful That Rom Com Pod. Karina’s new novel That Island Feeling takes us to the secluded beaches of Pearl Island where Andie is determined to help her best friend Taylor through her divorce. A week on Pearl Island is just the beginning. Andie has an itinerary designed to help them forget men and melt away all their dramas. Except that Andie certainly hasn’t prepared for double booked bucks parties to crash their house. She’s underwhelmed by her friend's immediate gravitation towards these overbearing men. This week is meant to be about the girls and so she definitely hasn’t planned for any handsome, barefoot boat captains to come paddleboarding her way. Pearl Island is paradise for tourists and locals alike but that doesn’t happen without a little effort. Jack has been working any job he can ever since the Island’s oyster industry was decimated. The environmental catastrophe could quickly become a personal catastrophe if he can’t wrangle all the locals and support whatever industry the island has left, even if that means supporting the local resort. Jack’s been looking out for everyone else for so long he’s not sure he can trust his instincts when it comes to other people caring for him. There’s so much at stake and everyone else to look put for. Can Andie and Jack get out of their own way long enough to see what the other has to offer. So let’s do this a little differently today… I need all the fellas to lean in here. Because I know a bit about how books are marketed and I know that the powers that be are exactly expecting males to be picking up copies of That Island Feeling.  People think straight men don’t go for meet cutes and we shy away from romance. But even if that were true let’s just look at the breakdown here; we’ve got a guy shouldering responsibilities and feeling overwhelmed but having difficulty asking for help. He loves to get out on the water and is handy but not too showy about it. He’s trying his best to be a gentleman and he looks out for his mum. I’m thinking we’d all like to identify with this bloke (except for the asking for help - why can’t we get better at that guys?!) I’m also thinking there’s more than a little to aspire to here, including the shirtless paddleboarding. It’s also time we shuck off the stereotype of not liking romance. Let’s all embrace our inner sweetheart and agree to surprise our significant others with a sweet gesture tonight.  We love a little love and just need to overcome all the manosphere garbage and tap into our emotional selves with a delightful beach read. Now there is also Andie’s story and she’s great, but I think a lot of you already knew that. I bet you also know there’s going to be rough waters for the Andie and Jack, and will they or won’t they make it? The joy of these stories is in how we can constantly rediscover things we think we know and embrace the full spectrum of human emotion from the safety of our armchairs. Karina May’s That Island Feeling. Read it if you have a heart that you’re still regularly using…