Meet Me in Paradise by Libby Hubscher

Marin Cole has never:
Seen the ocean
Climbed a mountain
Taken a risk on love

....But if her sister's plan works, she just might do all three.

Ever since her journalist mother died on assignment, Marin has played it safe, refusing to set foot outside the state of Tennessee. Her wild-child younger sister, Sadie, has trotted the globe as a photographer, living off of art and adrenaline.

When Sadie returns from a tough assignment abroad and looks a little worse for wear, Marin reluctantly agrees to a sisters' spa weekend on the tropical island of Saba. But her lifelong fear of travel is affirmed when Sadie misses the flight, Marin's luggage gets mixed up with another passenger's, and an episode of turbulence sends her hurtling into the lap of Lucas Tsai, the handsome stranger who stole her sister's seat.

For the first time in a long time, Marin has to step outside of her comfort zone as she explores the island with Lucas and learns what she's been missing out on. With each breathtaking new experience, Marin gets closer to her real self, the man she's falling for, and the heart-wrenching truth about why she's there in the first place.

Paperback, 352 pages

Published March 23rd 2021

 by Berkley Books

5/5 stars

It feels like its been so long since I've read a 5 star book and I have the fine folks in bookstagrammers world to thank.

I loved this story, the journeys that took place, yes that is a plural because this was a multi-layered story that kept me reading. Slip in some reminiscing of the past to help define Sadie and Marin's relationship and see why Marin was the way she was.  Add in some adorable island characters along with that tropical setting making this the kind of read that I didn't know I was looking for.  

I enjoyed the author's writing style.  It flowed nicely, intersperse with flashbacks that came across as effortlessly.  The vibe was very rom/com for the first bit but switched over to women's fiction. Not that there weren't com moments along the way.  Meet Me in Paradise is a powerful story, funny, poignant and emotional.

It wasn't until I began this review that I discovered this is Libby Hibscher's debut.  Wow, I am super impressed and can't wait for her next book coming in March 2022 - If You Ask Me.

Psst...she is one of those author I would preorder and have on my shelf vs a library read like this one was.