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?

Get full access to Reading Between Deadlines at readingbetweendeadlines.substack.com/subscribe