I finished it! What a great ride. If you don't know anything about sailing it is okay you don't need to, but you will need to have an adventurous spirit to follow The Float Plan.

I have read everyone of Trish Doller's books and am happy to say they just keep getting better. She is an excellent author who knows how to keep you in the story. I am very glad to have met all these wonderful characters.

I wish I was till young enough to get in a boat and sail the oceans blue!

Float Plan is an excellent summer reading book that I thoroughly enjoyed. Trish Doller clearly has knowledge (or dug a lot of it up!) about sailing and cruising around the islands off of Florida. I admit to being a sucker for a good romance, and this is definitely a strong book full of characters not only working through their own issues, but also meeting unique people along the way and discovering things about themselves and more as they travel.

Anna has a lot to work through due to losing her fiance to suicide, and you really feel her grief as she tries to figure out how to live a life without the man she loves. You want her to succeed, but you also understand the fight she has to go through in order to move on. Her emotions felt real rather than overly dramatic or far too deep for her to get out of. She also doesn't magically get over them, but slowly changes over time.

Keane (bonus - he's Irish!) has his own set of problems, but he's a strong person for Anna to lean on when she needs to, and makes sure she learns to stand on her own and gives her space when she needs it. To some people he might seem too perfect (even Anna comments on this a few times), but some people in life really are just good people trying their best and trying to help others, so I actually found him rather believable.

I like that their romance wasn't big or fancy - just a slow, soft love that appeared over time. The setting, all the islands and clear ocean waters and colorful peoples on the islands, was always described vividly so I could see everything and wish I was there myself. Also maybe wishing I was on a sailboat with a cute Irish gentleman floating away from everything (at least, for a time).

From the pace to the story itself to the overall feel of this book, it was the perfect read for a hot summer day (even better if you're poolside or, better still, beachside!).

Float Plan is the sweetest little romance novel I've read in a long time. I loved every page, learning about Anna's emotional pain resulting from her fiance Ben's, suicide and her will and spirit to continue to live, and experience life and adventure, even without Ben. In this story, Anna sets sail on Ben's boat to complete the trip that they had planned a year ago from Florida to Trinidad. I admire her bravery and her willingness to listen to her soul when she meets Keane and hires him to help her make her voyage.

During this quarantine time of COVID, Float Plan was for me a little Caribbean vacation. Trish Doller's beautiful and descriptive writing took me to so many islands where I got to enjoy the food and drink and culture. I got lost in the fun every time I sat down with the book, and was so sorry when I got to the last page. I did love the way the story ended - very satisfying and wonderful.

Highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this book.

It’s been a year since Anna’s fiancé committed suicide, and when she realizes she’s not really living, she packs up the sailboat he bequeathed to her and sets off on a voyage without having any idea what she’s in for. Float Plan tells her story as she navigates the literal and figurative waves first by herself, and then with the company of Keane, a professional sailor mourning his own loss, an amputated leg. This story is about grief and second chances and embracing life and it was a joy to read. At times, it got more sappy and physical than I would like, but the story was fairly unique and I loved the writing style.

This was a great read and I’ll definitely be looking up more of Trish’s books!

This book was like a warm blanket, soft and comforting.
It wasn’t as I expected for a book about a widow still trying to come to terms with her husband suicide, but I likes that.
I loved both main characters, Keane was so sweet and earnest and Anna was so strong, even if she didn’t know it.
I loved the slow burn, especially because of where sh was in her life.
Another thing, I didn’t know sailing through the Caribbean is/was such a lifestyle, and now I wonder how Covid-19 has affected all that, but it was pretty nice seeing all this people helping each other and getting together.
And of course all the food and fruits mentioned, specially my most favorite fruit in the whole world: sugar apples.

This is an enjoyable book about starting over. While I couldn't be a sailor like Anna or Keane, I do envy the leisurely lifestyle of boating from island to island.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the ARC.

Honestly, the first chapter of this book, I thought, this is really not my kind of book. Thankfully, I kept going! This is by far one of the best books I've read in a very long time.

I actually feel this was a life changing read...it makes you think about life choices and gives hope. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. Also to the author, for an amazing read.

Wow, this book is hard to describe in words to give it justice. The main character dealing with the lose of her fiance due to suicide embarks on an adventure they had planned together before he died. Sailing to multiple islands and getting married. While she starts the journey alone she sees what she is capable of accomplishing and then hires a crew member to help her sail and learn more through the process. The places she travels and experiences she deals with were heartfelt and sad at times,but just goes to show that the choices we make can change everything. Highly recommend reading this book!

Anna's fiancee died and she was still emotionally reeling when several months later she received his reminder note of their planned sailing trip to the Carribbean. Anna decides to undertake the trip in his memory, hoping to heal. But once she makes it to the first stop, she realizes she needs help and hires Keane who also needs to heal from a tragedy.

The prologue grabbed my attention. But then it lagged w/the next 2 chapters. But once Keane entered the story, it picked up. And 1/3 of the way thru, i couldn't put it down. The story progresses into a deeper one of 2 people trying to figure out what to do w/their lives and how to overcome their trauma. It's also about the slow relationship development between Anna & Keane.
Both characters were fully evolved. (even the supporting characters had good development) And the writer did a good job of painting a picture of the places they visited on the trip.
I liked all the characters & they had good chemistry. I could relate to some of the experiences while traveling. (ie. meeting people, exploring places, etc.)

I liked the addition of Anna worrying about her depleted savings as the trip continued. For me, that was a realistic & empathetic element to add to character detail.

My only negative is that because I don't sail, i was unfamiliar w/a lot of the sailing/technical things mentioned and it wasn't explained well enough.

As it got towards the end, I did wonder if Anna continued sailing what she would do for financial support. And would a vacation romance last? As a reader, I was so caught up in the story that i worried about these characters fictional future. To me, that's dang good writing!

quote from the book that summed up the overall theme best:
"But 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."

Float Plan was a delight! It features intelligent, adventurous protagonists and a slow burn of a romance. Both he and she were working through losses by figuring out how to move forward without emotionally discounting or discarding the past. I love strong, self-aware characters I’d want to be friends with IRL. This book has a lot to offer on the topic of grief, yet Trish Doller works it into the story in a way that doesn’t bog down the plot. The Caribbean setting was great, as was learning a bit about sailing life. What’s not to love about a well-written romance that offers so much more than only will-they/won’t-they and steam?

A very appropriate novel for our time. How does one handle grief? How do we heal? This is the story of both grief and healing, as we move forward.

I think book clubs will enjoy dealing with these issues.
Thank you Netgalley for this opportunity.

Trigger warnings: several mentions of past suicide (the main character's deceased fiance)

This book is not the type I normally pick up; in fact, it's the type of book I usually avoid. I personally have a very hard time with the contemporary genre, especially any book dealing with issues such as grief and hardship and yeah, you get it. If I read contemporary, it's all rom com and fluff, and even then I occasionally have a hard time (let's chalk it up to personal issues and anxiety).

And yet somehow, this book landed in my hands, and became a salve for my soul.

Let me also mention that I've met Trish (online - we worked together to host a giveaway for one of her previous books on my bookstagram account). I was immediately struck with how genuine she is, and how humble. And I saw romance in this title, combined with the adorable cover, so I jumped to give this a chance (still not realizing it was a more serious toned book). I don't regret it at all.

While this book deals with grief, it does so in a healing manner. The read itself still feels escapist, as the heroine is jumping ship literally to sail on her deceased fiancé's boat on a trip he had planned for the two of them a year ago before he took his life. Ah! It sounds heavy - and trust me, it is. Except the pages take us from island to island with Anna on a beautiful journey that focuses on the will to live and breathe and enjoy life, even amongst sadness.

The best part? Very quickly in the journey, Anna meets Keane, a tender boy with pain of his own. Except his scenes are full of smiles and laughter, and his penchant for life (and for Anna) is an intoxicating as the trip itself. I devoured the pages while watching them explore places - and each other - as they almost unknowingly fall in love.

Another aspect I truly enjoyed (as a writer especially) is the gorgeous prose. The writing is nothing short of vivid and sensory with sentences that left me breathless.

So I'll leave with this: Yes, there's heavy topics here, but it's a beautifully written feel-good story that I'll certainly be returning to again.

I LOVED this book. Anyone who has ever suffered the loss of anyone can relate to Anna's grief over Ben. And Keane is just the best human. Such a soft place for her to land. I also love that the book wasn't just about falling in love again--it was really about Anna coming into her own. She is a smart main character with a lot of strength. She made mistakes but wasn't afraid to admit to them, and to open her heart too. I loved learning about sailing and also visiting the islands they visited. Although it can be sad at times, I think this is a great summer read. It has the perfect mixture of reality and tropical getaway.

This is probably one of my favorite romance's of the year! I absolutely adored Anna and as someone who is still grieving over the loss of a loved one, it was almost magical watching the healing process. The character development was outstanding, I loved the dynamic between Keane and Anna. I also felt like I was sailing right along with them, couldn't put the book down. It makes me want to learn to sail! I cannot wait to read more from this author! Thank you Netgalley, Trisha Doller and St. Martin's Press for sharing this eARC

This book was an utter delight. I honestly did not expect to love this book as much as I did but I could NOT put it down! The development of Anna’s grief, to anger, to acceptance was very emotional, raw and authentic. This was a fantastic read and I am already hoping for a sequel!

I absolutely loved this book. The story was so original, the characters were loveable. I'm so glad I read this book, I flew through it in a day!

When reading Float Plan by Trish Doller, I instantly fell into the world of this book. The emotion the characters went through, was impeccable. I felt as if I was going through their feelings right there with them. I enjoyed how easy the writing style was and how this is a cutesy book that also dives into more serious topics. I think if anyone is looking for a nice, summer read that has more than just romance this is your book!

I adored this quick read. I was a little nervous it would be really heavy, knowing the backstory of Anna and Ben. While their are definite moments of grief, there were so many second chance, forgiveness aspects that I loved. I couldn’t put it down once I started. It left me feeling happy for our Anna and Keane. I would definitely read more of their adventures.

This is not a standard romance. This is a book about a young woman, Anna, trying to cope with the loss of her fiancé after he commits suicide. Ten months after his death she receives a calendar-notice: it is the day they would have left on a sailing trip to the Caribbean. And Anna takes the boat Ben left her and goes... onto an adventure and towards healing. But sailing is not that easy on your own with not much experience and she needs help to finish the trip. Fortunately, Keane is there in her hour of need.

Keane also has his demons. After losing part of his leg in an accident his dream of sailing was cut short. Sailing with Anna and adopted dog Queenie they both come to terms with what they want and need.

I thought this was a beautiful story of healing and love!

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. Part adventure, part romance, part learning to lose and live again and find yourself in the process. It was both fun and heartwarming. I’d surely recommend it to all. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.