Welcome back to Reading Between Deadlines, the podcast where two authors read with the kind of energy usually reserved for stress-dreams about book launches. In this episode, Rachael Johns and Anthea Hodgson dive into Swept Away by Beth O’Leary—a bestselling author known for quirky, heartfelt rom-coms.
But this one? Let’s just say, our anchors weren’t the only things that didn’t stay put.
In this episode, we cover:
🌊 Is this a fun high-concept romance… or an oil rig of far-fetched plot devices?
🛏️ Why did they bang while the boat was sinking?
🤷♀️ Chemistry check: did anyone else feel like these two had nothing in common?
🪑 Contrivances galore: secret logbooks, missing dock ropes, a deserted oil rig—oh my!
👩❤️👨 Age-gap angst: is a 30-year-old woman really ancient compared to a 23-year-old?
🫣 Plot twist or plot oops: the baby daddy reveal that should’ve come with a group chat first
📚 Plus: Rachael listens on audio and cringes at every sexy scene, while Anthea reads in Bali and possibly gives the book too many margarita points
And of course, we rate it: Kiss, Kill, or Marry?
⏰ Timestamps
00:30 – Meet the authors (again): coffee, Diet Coke, and questionable memory
02:00 – Why we picked Beth O’Leary and what made Swept Away sound so irresistible
05:00 – The premise: one-night stand, houseboat, shenanigans
08:00 – Rating time! Anthea says “kiss,” Rachael shocks us with a “kill”
12:00 – Why the boat plot lost steam: flat characters and no real tension
15:00 – The romance that couldn’t: forced proximity but no spark
19:30 – Plot twist breakdown: baby drama and logic gaps
24:00 – Is this book secretly anti-swimmer?
28:00 – Our rewrite suggestions: enemies-to-lovers, surprise houseboat squatters, and maybe less rig collapse
31:00 – Does audio change how you experience a book?
34:00 – The verdict: will we read Beth again?
👉 Listen now, subscribe, and let us know—did you get swept away or were you screaming “abandon ship” by chapter five?
Our next book is American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld and then Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry! Hope you’ll read with us!
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