I've read Trish Doller's young adult titles and enjoyed them. This had the same impact. I loved that the main characters aided each other through grief and to acceptance--and I love that it all came with a little romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f friends to lovers
-close proximity
-an adventure/escape on a boat
-a rescue dog
-slow burn

This was a beautiful story of grief and taking a risk. Both Anna and Keane suffered loss in different ways. While I know little about boats this book toed the line of creating a great atmosphere without being overwhelming with all of the sailing details. It pulled me in rather than detracted.

The story deftly handles sensitive topics including life after loss and issues of ableism. Keane was such a cinnamon roll and patient waiting, not pressuring her. I couldn't put this one down and truly enjoyed reading it. The romance was slow, but steady and sweet. But this was truly Anna's story of adventure and finding herself out in the ocean, meeting the right person at the right time..

CW: suicide, grief, ableism

Rating: Rave
Steam: 2.5

An absolutely lovely story of overcoming grief. The writing is beautiful, the characters are endearing and the story is satisfying. Surprisingly, the nautical jargon did not get annoying! And you will definitely question your life choice of not dropping everything and moving to a tiny Caribbean island! I do wish there was an epilogue, only because I wanted more story, as it is easy to invest in and root for these characters.

Thank you to netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Very hard to put in words, but the journey of Anna and Keane is one that, typically you really don't get to see in real life very often, (two broken souls with really hardcore losses), but it actually made me stop for a moment and think about this trainwreck of a year, and the fact we are still here standing. Just like Anna dealing with the loss of her fiance, not knowing what's better for her, and Keane coping with the loss of one of his limbs for crying out loud, you couldnt put two and two in a better match than this., and though its being published until the spring, I have to say the timing for reading this was very appropriate. This book will make people be more thankful, mindful and grateful for what they have AND for what they lost.

Thank you St Martin's press for the ARC. I needed this slap of reality in the shape pf a very well writren, very page turning story.

This book was a perfect escape! The romance is a lot of fun, and I have been dreaming about sailing the Caribbean ever since.

This very well could be one of my favorite books I’ve ever read. Soft, gentle, tender, this book takes a broken heart and cradles the pieces while they heal. The story explores pain and grief and all of its nuances, but does so in a way that makes you feel like you are sitting in the sunshine while you heal.
Anna’s fiancé, Ben, committed suicide almost a year ago, and Anna (on a whim) decides to take the sailing trip they had once planned to take together in an effort to heal and find herself. Along the way, she meets Keane Sullivan, one of the best, realistic, good guy love interests I’ve read in awhile.
One of the most valuable aspects of this book is Anna’s ability to learn to love, forgive, mourn, and trust herself completely and entirely. She is the hero of this story. The book also portrays the intricacies of loving someone while being able to live without them. While the subject matter can be tough, the story is the epitome of beauty and grace, touches of humor and reality and loveliness making it an absolute pleasure to read. I can’t recommend it enough.

Great story and loved the romance. Loved the cast of characters and how the story came to be. Great story and I would read this author again.

You ever read a book and can’t think of a single thing you disliked cause yup. Like maybe the fact it had to end. I could have taken the ending being stretched another 100 pages or so.

What do I have to do to get more? I’ll take a spin off with Eamon. I don't care just give me more please. This is a story that fits like a glove. I was so contented and smiling or laughing every chapter. It’s not “light” in the slightest. If you’ve ever known anyone who’s died by suicide or just suffered loss in any way, you’ll really understand Anna and Keane. That's why the humor is so necessary for the story. Doller didn’t write a book where two characters are instantly fixed by love and live happily ever after having no problems. She wrote real characters that have to constantly choose each other and face their traumas, insecurities, and doubts. That’s what made this book so great. You root for both characters getting the love they deserve.

This doesn’t even touch on how it felt like going on a trip just to read this book. I was googling all the sights and islands they stopped at and the author wrote about them so well you didn’t even need to see pictures. I think the most wild part of this story is that it made me want to go sailing 🥴 like I would definitely try it at least once. There’s something about mother nature not letting you conquer her and having to be attuned to her that seems beautiful, and I love to travel. This was basically my open invitation that if you’re like Keane please dm me. Thx ☺️

If you want to read a book about messy love, disability, and being lost, I would highly recommend this one. I honestly could keep going about how much I loved this story. I always look through my notes and highlights to write my reviews, but I wrote this one completely unassisted because it was so memorable.

This book was so refreshing in its approach to a rom-com! We have the conventional quirky side characters and push and pull factors between the main couple, but the sailing and personal baggage (grief, family stuff) made it all very fun to experience with Anna and Keane!

I'll have to admit—I did get a little lost in between all of the different places they visited and the abundance of random characters that were friendly and helpful in just the right ways to nudge them together. But it was all very charming and I got swept away in the mini-adventures and reflections that they made on where they were in their lives and where they wanted to be.

Very well written and a wonderfully captivating narrative throughout.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the wonderful ARC!

I Loved, loved, loved this book, and I know my library patrons will, too. I can't wait for more from this author.

“The cure for anything is saltwater—sweat, tears, or the sea.” ―ISAK DINESEN

This quote at the beginning gives an indication of what's in store. The opening scene broke my heart into tiny pieces. Pray that no one shouldn’t go through it and God gives them strength to overcome it.

Anna has been dealing with intense grief, goes on a voyage in a sailboat, which she is supposed to sail with her boyfriend Ben. She isn’t an experienced sailor, and hires Keane to help her. Keane has been going through a difficult change in his life as life did not pan out in the way he planned.

This is a beautiful book about grief, hope, change, and new beginnings. Anna is a strong and brave character to go sailing alone. I cried and smiled along with her. It’s the beautiful journey of Anna, starting with her lowest phase, going through every phase of grief, learning to overcome it, making new friends along the way, and turning her life around.

My favorite scene was when she learns how valuable life is, and decides to make the most of it, and realizes moving on doesn’t mean forgetting. Learning to build new life alongside old one from gorgeous locations.

I can’t get enough of Keane. I wish this book was a little longer so I can lose myself in their heartwarming camaraderie and romance. He is handsome, adorable, considerate and helps Anna to see life beyond her grief.

Doller’s writing is beautiful. Her vivid descriptions of sea, thrilling adventures made me enjoy this vicariously. Appreciate that romance doesn’t take center stage but this is about the second chances, overcome dark stages and slowly building romance between them is truly amazing.

Though it deals with heavy topics, overall, this is an awesome book filled with beautiful characters.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Float Plan had me feeling all the feelings. It’s a well written, heart wrenching story about Anna who takes the trip of a lifetime that her recently deceased fiancé planned for the two of them. After a rough night of trying to sail on her own, she hires a professional (Keane) to help her finish the trip. With only each other for company, the pair help each other navigate their losses—Anna her fiancé and Keane his leg and build up each other’s confidences. The story does become more light hearted and the two’s budding friendship turns into more.

Overall such a great story!

. The novel is heartwarming and well paced, which is something That has the potential to be messed up when you have a topic with so much downtime such as sailing.

This book needs a big trigger warning for suicide. Anna is struggling to cope with the loss of her fiance and the hole he left in her heart after he commits suicide. Mental health is such an important topic and I thought the way the characters struggled with their grief after the loss of Ben was accurately written respectfully.

This was ajourney that is so much more than closure and a way of honoring life. Anna discovers so much about herself . She discovers her resilience, finds her passions, and attained hope for her future.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. In a time when no one is doing any escaping in real life, Float plan was the perfect escape. This is A book filled with healing, love, and adventure, it is definitely worth picking up.
Thank you for an advanced opportunity to read this amazing book.

Road Trip Island Hopping Mashup. At its heart, this is effectively a road trip tale of healing and finding oneself again after a tragedy. Even though it uses sailing a small sailboat through the eastern edges of the Caribbean as its primary vehicle, rather than some wheeled vehicle. And as with all good road tripping tales, you get a lot of heart and a fair degree of humor, and since this is a *romance* variant of the road trip, you get a bit of that (yes, including sex scenes) as well. Overall the suicide that spurs the trip threatens to drag the tale down at times, but Doller does just enough to keep that from really happening. Solid story, and a good escape that could provide a degree of catharsis for some. Very much recommended.

I chatting in a bookstagram reviewers group when someone started absolutely gushing about Float Plan so I immediately headed to Netgalley to check it out for myself. I hit that request button and patiently awaited the approval Gods to grant my request and I'm so glad they did. This book was so much more than I could have ever hoped for.

What I loved about this book:

1. I'm a sucker for great characters that evolve and grow throughout the story so obviously this book was perfect for me. Both Anna and Keane were struggling with different losses and were at a crossroads in their lives. When a chance encounter throws the two together they end up slowly opening up to each other and sharing feelings they've long kept bottled up. They forge an epic bond as they chart a new course for their futures. Their slow burn love story was sweet, steamy, and utterly swoony.

2. This book's heartfelt dialogue, unique plot, and tropical setting is sure to attract all readers. I was absolutely sucked in and immediately invested in this story. I found this book so addictive that I read it in one sitting while shedding a few tears along the way. If your looking for a book to give you all the feels, definitely pick this one up along with a box of tissues.

3. I can't review this book without a big trigger warning for suicide. Anna is struggling to cope with the loss of her fiance and giant hole left in her heart after he commits suicide. This part absolutely ripped my heart out and had me ugly crying. Mental health is such an important topic and I thought the way the characters (Anna and his Mom) struggled with their grief after the loss of Ben was raw and accurately written.

Wow this book deserves all the stars and praise so I hope you'll consider preordering this gem. Even though I was gifted an ebook for a review I'll definitely be picking up my own print copy to reread in the future.

In a year without travel, this novel swept me away. If you’re looking for a book that is filled with seafaring adventure, personal growth, and a slow-burning romance with intense chemistry, then this book is for you.

After the devastating loss of her fiancé, Anna is merely existing, not living. She leaves her job, her friends, and her family to set sail to the Caribbean, just like she and her fiancé had originally planned, however, she would be making this trip solo. While heading out on her own might not have been the wisest decision (I’m not that brave), she needed the escape from her current life. She wanted to fulfill Ben’s charted trip, and she also needed this time to heal. Anna wanted to learn how to live her life again. She didn’t want to forget Ben, and she knew that she would never stop loving him, but she needed to learn how to move on.

Anna’s grief wasn’t glossed over for the sake of the story or a potential new love interest. The author made you feel Anna’s grief. Her pain and anger were real, authentic, and palpable. It was not just a fleeting emotion, it was always there, whether on the surface or buried deep within, and I felt it all right along with her.

After a dangerous and potentially life-threatening night on the water, Anna decided that she needed to hire an experienced sailor to help her. In steps Keane Sullivan, an experienced Irish sailor who prefers to be at sea than anywhere else. He turns out to be so much more than just a hired hand. He’s caring, nice, thoughtful, and he’s also running from his own pain. After spending so much time together, Keane and Anna develop a friendship. They are friends first, however, I could feel their chemistry through the pages of this novel.

The author took her time to develop their relationship and make the reader anticipate all of the possibilities. There’s nothing better than an intense build-up, and Trish Doller delivered it perfectly. But it wasn’t always smooth sailing for Anna and Keane. There were plenty of waves that they had to maneuver, but for myself, it’s always the imperfections and the struggles that make for a believable story.

You don’t have to be a sailor to enjoy this book. While there are a lot of details and descriptions of sailing, it adds to the visualization of the story. I could picture every little detail as Anna was experiencing it.

Float Plan was an enjoyable read. Filled with beautiful destinations, great characters, bravery, determination, and romance, this book was a voyage that I was glad to take.

*4.5 Stars

Float Plan Reading Notes:
- I started this book on a Tuesday, two days before Thanksgiving... which is also exactly where the book starts. Coincidence or fate?!
- Oh, this is going to be a teary-sad beginning. It’s breaking my heart.
- Love the idea but the details are sparse. I constantly feel like I’m missing steps, all the little moments that make it feel true.
- Abrupt segues between moments.
- Love the main characters and the multitudes of people they meet along the way.
- Definitely adore the plot line. Each stop along the way is a treasure.
- Queenie!
- Seriously tripped up by the blunt transitions throughout. It’s just not my favorite style.
- Still, this book has been the balm to my winter blues. I’m a summer child. I crave sea and sand and sun, and this story is a nice change from the traditional “island vacay” chick lit.
- Overall, good elements but the quick shifts lacked room for emotion to grow.

*I received a free early ecopy from the publisher via Netgalley.

"The stages of grief are not linear. They are random and unpredictable, folding back on themselves until you begin mourning all over again. I have bargained with a universe that is not listening. I have cried myself hollow. I have leaned into the belief that I can't live without Ben Braithwaite, but kneeling here in the sand on a beach four hundred miles from home says maybe I can – and that terrifies me."

The first thought that I had after finishing this book was that I am utterly and completely unqualified to write a review for it. I've never been one to read romance; I absolutely adored this book for what it did individually, but had no idea as to how it stacked up within its genre.
To put it another way, this book made me want to go out and explore a genre I had never truly been interested in before.

Only after reading seven of the most highly acclaimed romance books of the year, do I feel qualified to announce that Float Plan may be my favorite.

Following a grief-wracked Anna, Float Plan tells the unapologetic story of how she finds herself at sea with the help of ocean air and a sailor companion, Keane. It is easy to think that having a romance set almost entirely at sea but be the most fascinating piece to the story, but there is something uniquely awe-inspiring in watching Anna fall in love again with life and the world. No other romance book I have read ever did something so beautiful. By placing value on Anna's coming of age (and coming out of grief) plot above the romance, we get to see someone actively choose love, rather than simply needing it.

I always thought this was a lame concept – what is the shame in admitting that you need someone? But this book placed such emphasis on finding peace within yourself, that I now understand without it your love is not fulfilling.
There is a moment where Anna is alone with herself and at last admits, "I sit with myself and am satisified with my soul." Even missing the ones she loves doesn't change that. I have yet to find another romance book where the priority is so heavily place upon the main character. She grows exponentially within 250 pages, and because of this she is able to love more fully and without restraint.
It is the most beautiful kind of romance to read.



***It is important to mention that while I give this book 5 STARS, I do believe the summary needs to be edited to contain a trigger warning / disclose the nature of death. The plot summary simply mentions that "since the loss of her fiancé, Anna has been shipwrecked by grief." IT IS NOT MENTIONED HERE HOW HER FIANCE DIES. However, the first page of the book is his suicide note. I am unsure as to how this book will be formatted in physical copy, but on my E-device the warning of self-harm and suicide appears on the same page as the suicide note. I believe it would be best if people had this warning before buying and starting this book, rather than on the first page that also contains a suicide note.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin & NetGalley for this advance copy. All opinions are my own!

What begins as a woman undertaking a journey by sea that her now-deceased boyfriend planned for them becomes a journey that is so much more than undertaking closure and honoring his life. Anna grieves what she's lost and finds closure, yes, but she finds and discovers so much more about herself, about her resilience, her passions, and her hopes for her future.

This was a beautiful journey through grief and healing, witnessing growth and friendship and new love. I felt so deeply connected to Anna, and I fell for Keane right along with her. It was such a fascinating contrast between the man she'd lost and was learning to let go of and the man who began as a partner on her journey, then a friend, and who she ultimately opened her heart to.. Keane was a man of faith, but quite human and imperfect; he was kind and caring and steady and a dreamy Irishman. I also loved the disability rep in his amputation and prosthesis; while I can't speak to the accuracy of the representation, the author note indicates she undertook research and it all felt very respectful, empowering, and plausible, while not skirting the truth that all of us, disabled or otherwise, battle internalized ableism.

From a content warning perspective, having someone close to me who died by suicide, I can say that I felt this was generally a respectful narrative around suicide, and that for anyone for whom this is a triggering subject matter this will definitely be an emotional read. That said, it felt very forward-oriented, not dwelling on grief or railing on the man she lost to suicide. It was a story about how we learn to accept that sometimes we lose and that grieving that loss is nonlinear and complicated and personal and sometimes transformational.

I'm totally enamored with Doller's prose. Her writing is fluid, natural, confident, and incredibly relatable. I felt so easily drawn in, and as I've said deeply connected to Anna's perspective.

My final praise is how vividly this evokes the power of community, the joy of relationships, and the truth that some people are in our lives for finite times but unforgettable ways, even when their moment with us is brief. I highlighted a number of passages that I know will stick with me, but here are a few of my favorites (please note this is an ARC and thus content is subject to change):

“I reckon if you stay in one place too long, you might start taking it for granted... But if you keep moving, everything holds its wonder."

and

"The stages of grief are not linear. They are random and unpredictable, folding back on themselves until you begin mourning all over again. I have bargained with a universe that is not listening. I have cried myself hollow. I have leaned into the belief that I can’t live without [him] but kneeling here in the sand on a beach four hundred miles from home says maybe I can—and that terrifies me."

FLOAT PLAN is out March 2. If you're ready for a story that draws you right in on a journey of healing, growth, and love, look no further.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for this eARC.

This was a great pandemic read - I WOULD like to be on a beach, I WOULD love to take to the sea (not my normal state), but at least I can imagine I did because of this book. Here's the deal - Anna's fiancee died by suicide a little less than a year ago, but on the day they were supposed to leave to sail the Caribbean, she goes by herself. In the Bahamas, she meets Keane, an Irish sailor, who joins the trip (side note, I did spend a lot of this book thinking of the song on the boat in Mama Mia: Here We Go Again, I MEAN). There's a dog! There are Sea Turtles! There is excellent scenery! People can interact! The book does deal with grief and the normal questions people ask in the wake of a suicide, but there is a lot of lightness here too. An enjoyable read.