In her sixth novel, Swept Away, Beth O’Leary delivers a refreshingly original romance that quite literally takes readers into uncharted waters. The premise is both simple and extraordinary: what if you had a one-night stand, only to wake up the next morning adrift at sea with no way home? This high-concept setup provides the perfect backdrop for O’Leary to explore themes of survival, connection, and how adversity can strip people down to their truest selves.
Unlike traditional romance novels that rely on the well-worn “trapped in a snowstorm” or “stuck in an elevator” tropes to force proximity between characters, O’Leary takes the forced proximity concept to an extreme. Lexi and Zeke aren’t just stuck in a room together for a few hours—they’re facing potential death on the open water for days on end. This heightened scenario creates an emotional intensity that powers the narrative and gives their developing relationship both urgency and depth.
Two Lost Souls on a Lost Boat
At the heart of Swept Away by Beth O’Leary are Lexi and Zeke, two characters who are as distinct as they are compelling.
Lexi Taylor is thirty-one, tough as nails, and fiercely loyal to her best friend Penny and Penny’s four-year-old daughter Mae. Having helped raise Mae since birth while working at her late mother’s pub, Lexi represents stability, responsibility, and self-sacrifice. She’s a woman who has put her own dreams on hold to care for others, and who has built walls around herself after a string of disappointing relationships. O’Leary writes Lexi with wonderful complexity—she’s prickly and defensive, but also warm, brave, and surprisingly vulnerable.
Zeke Ravenhill is twenty-three, creative, dreamy, and searching for answers about his place in the world. As a junior chef with a complicated family history, he’s in Gilmouth to buy back his late father’s houseboat, hoping to find clues about whether his dad was actually his biological father. Zeke is immediately endearing with his velvet trousers, collection of chef’s knives, and thoughtful nature. His insecurities about his intelligence compared to his siblings add layers to his character that make him more than just a handsome love interest.
The dynamic between these two is electric from the start, but what makes their relationship work is how O’Leary develops it. Their attraction might be immediate, but their understanding of each other unfolds gradually through shared adversity. Every challenge they face—from dwindling supplies to storms to injuries—reveals new aspects of their characters.
The Rhythm of Survival
O’Leary structures the novel around the passing days of Lexi and Zeke’s ordeal, building a rhythm that mirrors the ebb and flow of life at sea. The narrative alternates between their perspectives, allowing readers to experience both characters’ growth and changing feelings.
The pacing is masterful, with each new day bringing fresh challenges that test the characters in different ways. When Lexi discovers a set of chef’s knives in Zeke’s bag and fears the worst, O’Leary explores how isolation breeds paranoia. When Zeke is injured and Lexi must stitch his wound, we see how crisis can forge trust. And when they face a potential storm that could sink their boat, we witness how shared fear can crystallize love.
What’s particularly impressive is how O’Leary keeps the stakes high without losing the authentic emotional journey of her characters. The survival elements never feel contrived, and the romance develops naturally alongside their fight to stay alive.
The Weight of Secrets
A hallmark of Beth O’Leary’s writing is her ability to weave secrets throughout her narratives that eventually unravel in satisfying ways. In Swept Away by Beth O’Leary, secrets form the backbone of the plot—from Zeke’s questions about his parentage to the shocking revelation that connects him to Lexi’s life in unexpected ways.
The secret that ultimately threatens to separate them is handled with nuance and care. When Lexi discovers Zeke might be Mae’s absent father—the man she believed abandoned Penny during her pregnancy—O’Leary creates a tension that feels insurmountable. The eventual revelation that Penny never actually told Zeke about the pregnancy adds another layer of complexity to an already tangled situation.
These secrets serve not just as plot devices but as explorations of how misunderstandings and assumptions can shape our lives and relationships. The resolution is neither easy nor perfect, which makes it all the more believable.
Strengths and Weaknesses
What Works Brilliantly
- Character Development: Both main characters undergo significant growth that feels earned rather than forced. Lexi learns to consider her own needs and dreams, while Zeke finds confidence in his capabilities beyond his insecurities.
- Setting as Character: The houseboat and the sea itself become characters in the story. O’Leary describes the changing moods of the water and the confines of the boat with vivid detail that immerses readers in the experience.
- Supporting Cast: From Penny and Mae to Zeke’s siblings and the various rescuers, O’Leary creates memorable secondary characters who add dimension to the story rather than simply serving the plot.
- Emotional Authenticity: The relationship between Lexi and Zeke feels genuine, with all the awkwardness, miscommunication, and genuine connection that real relationships entail.
- Humor Amid Crisis: Despite the dire circumstances, O’Leary maintains her trademark warmth and humor throughout, finding moments of lightness even in the darkest situations.
What Could Be Stronger
- Plausibility Stretches: Some readers may find the initial premise—that both Lexi and Zeke would misunderstand who was supposed to tie the boat to the dock—a bit convenient for the plot’s sake.
- Pacing in the Final Act: After the rescue, the narrative moves somewhat more hastily through important emotional revelations and reconciliations than it did during the days at sea.
- Resolution Complexity: While the ending is satisfying, the complex family dynamics created by the revelation about Mae’s parentage could have been explored in greater depth.
- Oil Rig Sequence: The section on the abandoned oil rig, while thrilling, occasionally strains credulity in how the characters navigate the structure and what they find there.
A Refreshing Take on Contemporary Romance
Beth O’Leary has established herself as a voice in romance who can blend humor, heart, and complex emotion, and Swept Away continues this tradition while pushing into new territory. Unlike her previous novels like The Flatshare or The No-Show which were firmly grounded in everyday settings, this story ventures into survival fiction without losing the intimate character focus that makes her work special.
Fans of authors like Emily Henry, Christina Lauren, and Sally Thorne will find much to love here, though O’Leary brings a distinctly British sensibility to her writing that sets her apart. Her dialogue crackles with wit, her descriptions are evocative without being flowery, and her emotional beats land with precision.
Final Thoughts: A Romance Worth Getting Lost In
Swept Away is a testament to Beth O’Leary’s growth as a writer. It’s more ambitious than her previous works, blending genres with confidence and creating a story that’s equal parts harrowing adventure and tender romance. The novel asks interesting questions about how we define family, how crisis reveals character, and whether love born in extreme circumstances can survive in the mundane world.
For readers looking for a romance that goes beyond meet-cutes and misunderstandings, Swept Away offers something richer—a love story that feels earned through shared adversity, mutual respect, and genuine connection. It’s about two people who find each other when they’re literally lost, only to discover that being found might be the beginning of an even greater journey.
Despite some minor flaws, this novel stands as one of O’Leary’s strongest works to date, demonstrating her willingness to push boundaries while staying true to the emotional authenticity that has earned her a devoted readership. Swept Away by Beth O’Leary will sweep you up in its current and carry you through to its satisfying conclusion, leaving you with the warm afterglow that only the best romances can provide.
