When I pick this up, because od of the covers, I was expecting a light and fluffy and easy read.
But what I got is a rollercoaster of emotions.
It gave me the feels in the good way.
This one was really good.
Thank to Netgalley for sending me this one.
I really enjoyed.

4 stars.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 to Float Plan by Trish Doller.⁣
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Boat romance with a grief element? I was sold the moment I saw the cover on NetGalley. ⁣⛵️🌺💕
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Ten months after her fiancé, Ben, dies by suicide, Anna sets sail from Ft. Lauderdale to Trinidad on his sailboat—a trip they were supposed to take together. Along the way she meets and hires Keane, an Irish sailor who wears his heart on his sleeve. Keane helps Anna weather storms (both literal and figurative), and the two grow closer as they explore islands and meet friends, new and old. Anna is forced to confront her grief and consider what life and love can look like without Ben.⁣
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This book is emotional, unflinching, and beautiful. It is both sweet and swoony, heartbreaking and hopeful. I was rooting for Keane and Anna from the beginning. I especially admired how Doller didn’t flinch from the tragic history of both the characters and the setting.⁣
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I can’t wait for this book to come out from St. Martin’s press in March 2021. I’ll definitely be purchasing a hard copy, because this one is worth rereading!⁣
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Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the chance to read and review .

**Review will be published on my blog/Instagram February 26th, 2021**

A TOUGH [& GOOD] READ.

Trigger warning, this review will be discussing suicide, grief, depression and possibly other sensitive topics. I mention it here because the basis of the book is losing a loved one who passed away from suicide.

I liked the way this book was approached. Every time Ben was brought up, the appropriate terms were used (such as passed away from suicide) which I sincerely appreciated. Anna’s grieving process was raw and out there in the open. It was heart-breaking and really had me pondering many important topics. Anna’s healing process wasn’t linear. She stumbled sometimes, took two steps forward to go one step back, but always had such a strength about her. I liked that this wasn’t linear because nobody can tell you how long is too long to grieve and process the unthinkable.

Keane was exactly what Anna needed though. He allowed her to grieve as she needed, made sure she was safe, and became a good friend first. The chemistry was kept on the low end at first and allowed for a progression of emotions and desire to come out as it needed to.

The trip itself made me want to get on a sailboat and sail the Caribbean myself. It was beautiful writing and really brought the islands to life. I loved all of the things Anna and Keane got to do together while sailing and visiting islands and meeting new people. It added charming side characters and more depth to the story.

I’m grateful I picked this one up (and got approval from Netgalley!) because this approached a hard subject, and also gave a sense of hopefulness in enduring.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary fiction + romance
Language: strong throughout
Romance: kisses / make-outs; innuendo, a few open-ish (mild detailed) love scenes
Trigger warnings: suicide (of a loved one, including method and being the first one to find them); severe grief, depression; losing a limb from a car wreck and resulting trials

I loved this. At first I was hesitant as I know nothing about boats or sailing. But the reader learns along with Anna on her solo adventure. The romance was nice and heartfelt, and all of the characters worked in the story. The descriptions of the islands while island hopping made me want to go out and buy a boat.

I enjoyed every bit of this book. It's about Anna who's dealing with her fiance's suicide. She makes the split second decision to go the sailing trip her fiance planned. The trip helps her heal and discover what she wants. It's a cute story. I'm looking forward to read more by this author

3.5 stars. Thank you for gifting me the experience of reading this book. Overall I really enjoyed the novel although it was tough to read at times.The author really brought me along through Anna’s grief and her inspirational healing journey. It was heart wrenching and emotional, but also promising and hopeful.

On a side note, my cat passed away today so Anna’s grief and my own were really along side one another this week.

Great novel for anyone looking for something more than a “fluff” story. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

A book about grief and finding one's way back into living. Very cute and a quick read, but the romance aspect takes a little bit of a backseat, as it should since the focus is on getting over loss.

This is such a poignant, delightful novel. I stayed up way too late because I just couldn't stop reading. The writing style is fresh and so enjoyable to read. I highlighted numerous creative, original phrases that made me smile. I am not an experienced sailor although I'm intrigued by the concept of taking such a bold adventure like Anna did. I do like to read for escape so Float Plan is a wonderful opportunity to see and experience sailing through the pages of this novel. Keane is a great hero and one who will live on in my imagination for a long time. The romance is a fantastic slow-burn and I especially enjoyed how Keane and Anna played to one another's strengths and weaknesses. Their character journeys are well-crafted and they both demonstrated so much growth from the beginning of the story to the end.

Sensitive reader alert: the loss of a loved one to suicide is a theme in this novel.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a complimentary ARC. All opinions shared here are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story of Anna as she finds her next steps in life after her fiance commits suicide. After wallowing in grief for a year she packs his boat and attempts to take the route they had planned to do together ending in their wedding. She meets up with Keene, a lovable Irishman, who helps her guide the boat through the islands of the Caribbean. This is a romance that is built on two people who come to love each other even though they both have their obstacles. It is also wonderful to experience their carefree trip, the people they meet, and the love that develops between them. I highly recommend it!

I acquired this book through Net Galley and have left an honest review.

I loved this poignant novel. This story is more about Anna making peace with her tragic loss and painful memories than the romance between her and wounded hero, Keane. Keane is practical, steady, considerate and honorable, a sexy and sweet hero you can’t help but fall in love with. The novel deals with overcoming debilitating grief and old dreams and moving on. The Carribean setting was fabulous to read about in this time of no travel.

Grief doesn’t come with a plan or a time line. Nobody can tell you how to grieve or when to stop grieving. “Float Plan” is a story of a widow following the plans of the deceased which leads to her finding herself along the way. A well written book that had me laughing out loud at many parts. The characters drew me in and had me sailing along with the. A great break from everyday life.

Has there ever been a more perfect book for these quarantimes? If I can't travel to these beautiful, tropical locales that Trish Doller does such a superb job in describing, then reading about them in her gorgeous prose is the next best thing. Had you asked me prior to reading this if sailing in a small boat around the Caribbean was something I'd be interested in, I'd have to reach for dramamine just to answer you. And yet by the time the book was over, I was wondering how much a boat would cost and if I could learn to sail on YouTube. And I'd do it, too, if my boat came with its very own Keane. The romance between Anna and Keane was slow burn and sexy in the best possible way. I can't wait to revisit this book again and again.

A nice fluffy romance, a good palette cleanser between the more serious books I had been reading, but nothing particularly special. I probably only enjoyed it as much as I did because I do dream of just taking off to go sailing, screw my responsibilities. However, wow, the book is like overwhelmingly and obviously White. The way the text calls attention to the race and skin tone of non-white characters can be jarring. Relatedly, the excessive kindness and helpfulness of all characters towards the heroine feels really fairytale like, both of BIPOC and white characters. I can't really recommend this book to people even if I enjoyed reading it.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I picked up this one - in my mind, I assumed it would be a light/fluffy read but was thrown into an emotional, gut-wrenching, inspirational story about second chances.
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In Float Plan by Trish Doller, we follow two very loveable characters who set-off to sea together, these two strangers face a bunch of challenges that will test their patience, have them experience new things, and healing past wounds.

After the death of her fiancee, Anna quits her job and leaves her family behind to set sail on a voyage she had planned with Ben (fiancee). The problem is - Anna is a mess and doesn't have the most knowledge when it comes to sailing. This is where Keane comes in - Anna hires Keane to help her sail and navigate through choppy waters.

Keane walks into her life at the right moment - he finds Anna at a low moment (while drunk) and makes sure that she makes it onto her boat safely. From the moment we're introduced to his character - I knew how much I would love him. Keane is using this trip to battle his own personal demons, including to prove he can still be the great sailor he is after losing his leg.

This book had me feeling so many emotions, I love how the two of them become such great friends and became such a powerful bond together. Their relationship is such a slow-burn, I wanted to yell so many times at the book for them to just kiss already!!! This book takes you on a journey - and I felt like I was sailing with them and stopping off at these amazing islands with them! I would have loved to see an epilogue at the end of the book as I felt the end was a little rushed (I won't go into details for spoilers), but honestly, I just wanted to see more of Anna and Keane!
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Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review - all thoughts and opinions are my own!

I know nothing about sailing, but this boat made me want to find a sailboat and go off on an adventure! Poignant, funny, adventurous, romantic, and unforgettable! Consumed with grief after the loss of her fiancé who died by suicide, Anna decides to to sail the route they were supposed to do together. After encountering some difficulties, and realizing it may not be possible alone, Anna encounters Keane, an experienced sailor who is also trying to get his life back to what he envisioned. Suddenly two strangers are living in close quarters, weathering storms, meeting new friends, and having adventures... but are they what each other need to move on, or will the past stand in the way?

It was just so much fun to read! Anna is a delight to journey with through the book, she is resilient, human, funny, and headstrong; Keane is adventurous, attractive and caring. Both seem so real as they navigate their problems, and this journey. It's the perfect combination together with the actual adventure of their trip, the islands they visit, and people they meet! Definitely recommend!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are all my own.

I normally only give 5 stars to literary or historical fiction but something about this book was just perfect for me at this moment. It’s the story of Anna, who is trying to get over the loss of her fiancé. Before her fiancé’s death he had fixed a boat up and had planned to sail the Caribbean. 10 months after his death, Anna decides to take the trip by herself.

I loved the vivid descriptions of boat life. I felt like I was right there on the boat with them and it made me miss pre-Covid days when we took trips and went on boat rides. I also felt like the author did a great job with how she handled the main character’s grief while still providing a satisfying romance with a new guy. The characters were endearing. It was also a pretty quick read and left me feeling happy.

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher @stmartinspress for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for my opinions.

After her fiance commits suicide, Anna decides to fulfill his dream of sailing the Caribbean on his refurbished boat. But Anna is not a skilled sailor and ends up needing to hire help to get around safely. Keane, her hired crew mate, is also struggling to move on from an unexpected tragedy, and together they learn to let go of the past and start to rebuild.

I'm waffling on the rating for this one because I feel like the sailing and travel part of the story was really interesting, but Anna and Keane just weren't compelling characters for me. I enjoyed the story but I don't think it will be one that stays with me.

It did make me wish I didn't get sea sick so I could sail around the Caribbean though! Totally jealous about that!

Thank you to netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for the eARC.

What a beautiful story about grief and starting over. I love Anna and how brave she was to take a leap of faith to sail. Keane was such a perfect man to help her heal while he adjust to his new life. I adored their sailing adventures and all the wonderful people they met along the way. This slow burn was so well done!

4 stars for this adorable romance!

Float Plan is the perfect beach read with substance. It's filled with a realistic second chance romance, quality characters, beautiful settings, riveting adventure, and vulnerable discussions on grief and moving forward. Also, if I ever visit the Caribbean, I'll be using this book as a guide!

This is Trish Doller's adult debut and I hope she has many more to come!

I'm glad I read this, not just because it was a pleasant and engaging read but also because I enjoyed reading a book after a long time.

It's a love story, embellished with travel tales, or maybe it's a travel tale, embellished with a sweet love story. Anna and Keane sail together and fall in love. Anna is recovering from a terrible loss. Keane has also lost something precious and trying to fight it. So it's not an insta love (thankfully) , as we see them to get closer, grow in a sweet relationship. They travel to various islands and I really enjoyed the places, their description, people and their lifestyle.

'I’m starting to understand how sadness and happiness can live side by side within a heart. And how that heart can keep on beating.'

It's about moving on. About finding your strength. And believing in second chance.

I really liked Keane. And enjoyed their conversation (which is a very good thing for a love story).

It was a good read. Just one thing that bothered me a little that there's no conflict. Everything is very convenient. It's not really a complain, as I enjoyed reading this book, however a little bit of conflict could have added more intrigue to this story.