Book Review: One Week Later

One Week Later by K.J. Micciche will be released on Jan 20, 2026.

 If you love a vacation romance, One Week Later might be for you. Two writers meet on the plane to Aruba and a whirlwind vacation romance ensues. Melody, an uninspired romance writer, is accompanying her mother, who is ill, to Aruba for a wintertime reprieve at a sunny, all-inclusive resort. Beckett is taking himself on his very first solo writer’s retreat, hoping to complete a final draft of his first book. When these two meet at the airport, sparks fly.

Fast forward two years, to when the book opens, Beckett and Melody have written the “same” book. One romance, two perspectives. And the kicker is, Melody’s book releases after Beckett’s, and readers are accusing her of copying his story. Meanwhile, Beckett is becoming a literary darling, with a huge book advance, and lots of buzz surrounding his book; on top of that, he is even dating a pop star. At this time, Melody is struggling to get over her mother’s death, so grief and mother-daughter relationships were explored here. The book alternates between current day and Aruba vacation week, from how Melody remembers their love story and how Beckett remembers it. The two are invited on a photo shoot for People magazine to set the story straight about their books; sparks will definitely fly, but will be they be romantic sparks or angry ones?

When I requested this book on Netgalley, days of snowstorms and grey skies had recently inspired me to research Aruba, with its almost endless sunshine and pristine beaches. If you can’t afford the plane ticket (like me, *sigh*), this romance novel just might be the next best thing to transport you to the Caribbean this winter.

My Thoughts

 I will say, at first, I felt like the novel started slow. Beckett’s version of the story (a novel excerpt within the novel) was feeling clunky with a flowery style. There were some long pieces of dialogue that felt like exposition too. I almost stopped reading. However, I am glad I kept reading, because the banter picked up, the dialogue improved, and the character development and chemistry between the characters improved the pacing and depth of the novel. While it is not the People We Meet on Vacation book or movie, One Week Later might scratch that itch if you want to read another vacation romance!

Thank you to Cosmo Reads and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!