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.

Sometimes when life gives you a gut punch you just need an escape. Anna decides to embark on a solo sailing trip through the Caribbean after her fiancé's tragic death. She picks up a professional sailor, a delicious Irishman named Keane, to help once she realizes she's in over her head. They are both working towards a new normal in their individual lives, and it's heartwarming to see how they each learn to support each other as they build a relationship.

It took a bit for me to get into this story. There is a lot of boat and sailing jargon unfamiliar to me, but once Keane enters the story and Anna has someone to interact with on the regular the plot picks up. It's a heartwarming slow-burn kind of romance which was quite enjoyable.

This is a well written book that will keep you turning the pages to see what happens next It's an emotional read about dealing with grief and starting over. It's so much more than a romance. Thank you St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book.

I think my expectations were way too high for this one, because I was expecting a lot more than what I got. This is not a romance, but it is marketed as one. I think I would have enjoyed this more if it was just about Anna's journey, dealing with her grief over the loss of Ben, but throwing in a romance that moved way too fast didn't work for me. Anna was wishy-washy and irresponsible and kind of hard to sympathize with, especially when she moved from mourning Ben to falling for Keane practically overnight. The traveling on the sailboat to all the islands was interesting and I thought well done. I just think this would have worked better as an exploration of Anna on a solo journey, rather than trying to bog it down with a romance that bordered on instalove. Overall, this was just an okay book for me. Would I recommend it? I think so, simply because I think this will be a big hit with a lot of people and I didn't hate it - I was just expecting something else. I'll probably buy it for my shelf though because the cover is so pretty.

I am a sucker for a second chances romance since at some point nearly everyone needs a second chance. Anna is still reeling from her fiancé's suicide when she impulsively decides to go on the trip that they had planned. The only problem is the trip involves sailing around the Caribbean and she is not an experienced sailor. After a harrowing day sailing on her own, she hires Keane, an experienced sailor, to help her. Keane is dealing with his own issues, having lost part of a leg in a sailing accident and finding it difficult to get employment with his disability. The relationship between the two grows slowly and believably - first a friendship and then something more. While I am not a sailor, the sailing aspect of the novel was really interesting and added to the book. I really enjoyed Float Plan for both the realistic romance and the alluring travelogue (I love to travel and this is the only way to do it right now) and I highly recommend it.

Trish Doller's adult debut was fabulous! I loved reading about Anna's transformation as well as her romance.

I enjoyed this book. It was well written, engaging and kept me invested in the characters. I always enjoy books of finding yourself again and like where this one went. Fuller review will be posted closer to publication.

After 10 months of treading water with her grief, Anna's finally decided to "move on" from the death of her fiance in the best way she can: taking his sailboat and ditching her job in Ft. Lauderdale to go cruising around the Caribbean on a trip they should have taken together. Along the way, she picks up a one-legged sailor still coping with his own loss. This scenic, adventurous, and travelogue-themed tale with a slow-burn romance and a focus on healing and grief management makes for an incredible book I practically read in a day.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The character development was subtle in a myriad of ways, and the plot moves along quickly enough to keep interest. I could have used a little more expansion around the ending of the book, but on the whole found the experience very enjoyable.

This was my first read of the summer, and I'm so glad my season started with a bang! Slow burning romance, heartfelt connections, a strong lead; this was exactly what you want from a romance book. Marvelous writing by Trish Doller.

Full review on Goodreads. Decent characters and nothing like rags to riches or so,etching unrealistic between the two love interests, but it was just too predictable for me

Anna’s fiancé took his own life almost a year ago, and she has felt lost ever since. When a calendar alert reminds her that today was supposed to be the day they left for their big sailing trip, Anna decides she will still go on the trip, just alone. After the first leg though, she realizes she may have bitten off more than she could chew and hires Keane to help along the rest of the journey. Over time, both Anna and Keane share their traumas and they begin to realize that this could be something more than just a hired hand.

This was such a beautiful story about starting over, finding yourself after loss, (whether it be a person or a dream) and finding love again. The characters were great, and both had such heartbreaking situations that just made you love them even more. It made me want so much more for them both. The side characters at the islands they visited were also fantastic and added some extra flare to the story. If you are in the market for a heartwarming, feel good, second chances story, look no further than Float Plan. It is out on March 2nd!

I have a love/ hate relationship with contemporary romance, but I'm pleased to say that I found this book engaging with well-rounded characters. Even though the plot is propelled by heavy subject matter, the author handles them deftly, weaving them into the characters lives without letting them take over the story. Even the subject of grief is handled with honesty and understanding. Despite the darker elements, this story manages to stay light and fun, which is exactly why I wanted to read it,

This was a cute book though parts were quite heavy. Loved the idea of sailing as a form of change/therapy/renewal. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

This was a cute rom com that made me dream of summer days again! I always have had a love for sailing and I’m so fascinated with It! This was such a cute book!

This book was breathtakingly beautiful. It was a story of love, loss, grief and healing. I went into this book thinking it was something else and was pleasantly surprised. I loved reading about Anna's journey. All parts of it were captivating. This book may be up there for my favorite of 2020!

Based on the cover, I thought this would be a light, fluffy rom-com. Instead, I read a book with much more depth than expected. This was a well-written book that drew me in from the first few pages. While I am not a sailor and cannot speak to the authenticity of the sailing jargon or situations, I felt that Anna's emotional journey was realistic and true to form. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the next from this author.