This was such a subtle, sweet, moving book, part romance, part women’s fiction. It was a journey through loss and grief as well as a voyage through acceptance, opening yourself up to vulnerability and taking risks. How the latter can help you through the former. Every character in the story was on their own passage, fighting through their own insecurities and pain and I loved how they all healed each other (well maybe except Nina and Ollie). I loved Alex, hot yacht chef 😉 and their slow-burn romance and how they all worked together to check off the remaining items from Jo’s thirty-before-thirty checklist. My birthday is tomorrow and I'm tempted to make a cough-before-cough list (I have two years to a REALLY big birthday!).

Quote: Was it worth it? If you’d known what would happen, would you do it again?

Song for Jo and Alex: Same Boat by Zac Brown Band. “Tryna fix the same broke hearts, wishing on the same stars. We're all hoping hope floats, and we're all in the same boat.”

I had put off reading this one a bit because I heard it could be heartbreaking, and I'm just not someone who reads sad books. But after seeing fabulous reviews from @twiceuponabook and @bookswithnopictures, I knew it was time to pick it up. And it did not disappoint. A beautiful story about love, loss, and self-discovery (I can't believe I just typed that--makes me want to vomit--but it's true), yacht stewardess Jo is trying to check off items on her bucket list before her thirtieth birthday, which also happens to be the birthday of her recently deceased nephew. When her nieces unexpectedly show up for the summer, they are determined to help her complete her list, and maybe push her into the arms of their new friend's single dad.

I loved everything about this book. I wouldn't change a thing. That's it. That's the review. Yes, it's a bit sad, but not overly, as her nephew's death occurs before the book begins, so it's more about the grief than the shock. I would put this book more in women's fiction than romance, though I think romance-lovers will enjoy it, as well (mini spoiler: there's a HEA).

Thanks to Berkley for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 10/10

Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships by Sarah Grunder Ruiz is a mix of a contemporary romance and a women’s fiction novel. There’s a lighthearted nature to it at times but the foundation is an emotional family journey to healing. It’s one that will make you laugh but also may make you cry.

Jo Walker is the more free spirited between herself and her sister. Jo has been working onboard a fancy yacht waiting on the rich travelers as a yacht stewardess while her sister had settled down and had a family. Now that Jo’s approaching thirty she had come up with a thirty before thirty list of fun things she wanted to accomplish.

Jo’s list had been getting close to complete when she got a horrific phone call while working on the yacht. Jo’s nephew had tragically passed after an accident so now she is trying to hold herself together for the sake of her sister. When some wires get crossed and her nieces end up on her doorstep Jo gets the push she needs to finish her list before her birthday.

While Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships by Sarah Grunder Ruiz wasn’t exactly what I was expecting when I picked it up and began reading in this case that was a good thing, or at least not a bad thing. I expected this to be more rom-com than it was but it was actually more a mix of something deeper but yet still humorous and fun. I loved that the girls were involved and I loved that there was growth and healing from everyone in the story all the while still making parts fun. Definitely one to check out and now an author to add to my growing list that I’d love to return to one day.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships is a beautiful, big-hearted story about family and grief with a solid dose of humor thrown in for good measure. I absolutely loved it! Perfect for anyone who loves Below Deck and a cathartic cry.

Both funny and heartbreaking, this novel beautifully portrays the bonds of family and dealing with grief while also showcasing the fun of falling in love. Highly recommended.

This was basically like reading an episode of Below Deck for the first few chapters, and I found that quite distracting. I really liked the exploration of grief, and felt it was handled pretty well. My heart broke for the family, and it's only too easy to imagine how gut wrenching it would be to lose such a young member of the family.

I loved the idea of the list, and really enjoyed the creative solutions that they came up with to keep Jo moving forward. I also thought Greyson was amazing, and there should have been 100 more pages just for her.

I did find the romance somewhat lacking. I hate it when the love interest is basically perfect, their only flaw being their inability to state how they feel, and Alex VERY MUCH fit into that box. That combined with some chapters reading like a written account of a Below Deck episode meant I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped.

One of my favorite tropes is the one where the heroine creates a bucket list of things to do before a significant birthday or event. It's because I relate -- I created summer bucket lists for years and I had a super mini-one to try and complete before my 30th birthday. In Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships, Jo Walker has been attempting to complete a bucket list of thirty things to do by her birthday. She's made good progress! Plus she loves the life she's built for herself with her condo on the beach and as a yacht stewardess, she gets to travel the world. But a family tragedy changes things for Jo and her loved ones. Until her two nieces show up unannounced ready to the spend the summer with her. They find her list and with only twelve weeks to go, they're determined to help her complete the final eight items. As impossible as it sounds, Jo wants to make it happen.

I really loved the sense of family and friendship throughout the book. Yes, Jo has this list of things to do (like sleep in a castle or kiss a stranger — more on the latter in a bit!) but it's about so much more than that. She and her family are grieving and this list gives them something to work towards and hopefully a way to start healing too. The author did a good job of highlighting how everyone grieves differently and the struggle to talk about those feelings. I also loved seeing the aunt and niece relationship play out as someone who is very close to her aunts. And Jo's best friend is constantly supportive throughout too. Especially when it comes to kissing a stranger, which is how she meets the love interest, Alex Hayes.

The romantic tension and chemistry was there but it felt a bit lacking at the same time with the execution. I went into this book expecting a full-on romance, complete with steamy scenes (if I'm totally being honest) but that's not really the case. That's not a bad thing but that wasn't my expectation. It's a lot of back and forth, missed signals, and angst. Which is fine, but I wish there has been less of it. I also struggled a bit to connect with Jo, even though I did like her. If you plan to read this book, I do think you have to readjust your expectations because despite the cute cover, it's less rom-com and steamy than may be implied.

Do I recommend? Like I said, even though it's not a new favorite, I did like it and there were things about it that I thought were well done so if you're still curious about the story, I'd recommend borrowing it from the library.

I’ll be honest in that I picked this book up not knowing what to expect in the slightest. But wow, am I glad I picked it up.

With her nephew, Samson, Jo Walker creates a list of thirty things to do by the time she turns thirty years old. What she doesn’t expect is for that same nephew to pass away unexpectedly while she’s out at sea on the yacht she works on. Reeling from the tragedy, Jo fights to keep it together while she attempts to tackle the list in honor of Samson. But her plans get thrown overboard when her two nieces come to visit unexpectedly (due to a misunderstanding). In addition to this, as she works to check off items on her list, she kisses a stranger at the bar, only to discover he’s also her new neighbor – AND her new coworker!

Talk about a small world/neighborhood/boat.

Alex, the stranger/neighbor/coworker, also has a daughter around the age of Jo’s nieces, so they are constantly being thrown together, and Jo doesn’t entirely mind. And neither, does it seem, does Alex.

But there’s a lot going on for both of them that neither puts voice to – can they work through it? And what happens if they do? What if one of them gets pulled away? What happens with Jo’s nieces leave at the end of the summer? Will Jo be able to work through her grief enough to find happiness again?

This book was funny, heartbreaking, and wonderful. I loved the banter between Jo and Alex, and between Alex and Nina. Nina and Ollie were fantastic and clearly have their own secrets going on (can’t wait for book two!). But the heartbreak and very real grief that were portrayed here just made me want to hug every single character. HIGHLY recommend. One of my favorites this year – I couldn't put it down.

One of my biggest quarantine obsessions was BELOW DECK. I literally watched every single episode of every single season and iteration of this show, so when I saw this book, I immediately knew that I had to read it ASAP! And let me tell you, this book did not disappoint! I did not imagine how moving this book would be, so fresh and original! I also love the author on instagram, she is incredibly relatable and I appreciate that. I will write a longer review soon, but I wanted to get my initial thoughts on how I felt about this book immediately after finishing it.

PS MEGA Capatin Lee vibes in this!

I really enjoyed Love, Lists and Fancy Shios. As a big fan of Below Deck, I was immediately drawn in to a story where our main character Jo is a stewardess on a private yacht. Jo is dealing with grief after losing her nephew earlier in the year. She’s about to take time off from work to travel and try to finish her 30 before 30 list because she turns 30 in a couple months. However when her teenage nieces show up to stay with her for the summer, her plans are changed.

I won’t spoil the story of how Jo meets Alex - but I really loved their meetings. I love Alex so much and appreciated the slow burn building of their relationship. I will say for me the romance felt secondary in this story - there are times I almost forgot about it and would have been okay without it because I was so involved in the rest of the story.

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

"Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships" by Sarah Grunder Ruiz is a debut novel.

Jo Walker has created a 'Thirty-by-Thirty List'. It's the scary things she's afraid to do but dreams of doing by her thirtieth birthday. She starts right away by completing '#1: Start a Blog' so she can post updates about her list!

Jo chips away at the list until tragedy strikes. Her young nephew, Samson, is killed in an accident and all she can focus on is work. Both the blog and the list takes a back seat for a while.

Determined to get back on track, Jo plans a summer trip to Europe to complete '#30: Visit Ten Countries'. During a night out with friends and a challenge from her BFF, Nina Lejeune, to complete '#5: Kiss a Stranger', Jo meets "Hot Guy from the Bar', Alex Hayes. Great kisser!

With only eight items to complete Jo's niece's, Mia and Kitty, arrive unexpectedly for the entire summer. Jo cancels her trip to Europe and Mia and Kitty offer to help with the remaining items on her list. Will Jo, along with Mia, Kitty, and occasionally BFF Nina, be able to creatively plan and complete her list by her thirtieth birthday?

Why was I was expecting this to be a Rom-Com? It's not even close. What it is, is a well-blended mixture of Women's Fiction and Romance. There is humor inside the covers, but it embraces serious topics, too, as Jo works through her grief, healing and rediscovery.

This story is about how quickly your life and the lives around you can change. Life changing events like relationships that break or leave you broken, the loss of a family member and how you cope with that grief, and mostly, not losing yourself within it all! Yep, there's love, too!

I loved all of these characters and how they kept me connected to this story. I found a little of myself in each of them. All the emotions that surfaced, things they experienced, and how they communicated with one another makes this a very relatable story. I highly recommend to those who love Women's Fiction and Romance. Warning: Tearjerker!

I'm looking forward to book #2 Luck and Last Resorts in this series with an expected publication date of 8/9/22. Jo's BFF, Nina, is the main character and I'm hoping it's another winner!

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group and Sarah Grunder Ruiz for a free ARC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review. This book is available now.

I really loved this book! It really isn't a romance since the focus is more on the main character and her nieces learning to handle their grief together. The romance is adorable and I would've liked more of it tbh, but this is a beautiful story and it was such a good read.

I did think some of the end was annoying in terms of the drama and I wanted a bit more from the romance/relationship at the ending, but this was still a solid and powerful read.

TW: grief, loss of a family member, death of a child

Oh man. This book hit close to home for me. I loved that Ruiz wasn't afraid to let her characters grieve. I loved Alex and Jo and everything about this book. I can't think of a single thing I disliked about this novel. What a fantastic addition to the genre! 10 stars for Sarah Grunder Ruiz (and cute chefs named Alex!).

Jo Walker, a stewardess on a luxury yacht, is turning 30 this summer. She has a successful blog telling the story of her 30 before 30 bucket list, but after tragedy struck her family at the beginning of charter season, she hasn’t been making a much progress on her list or found the energy to write the upbeat and positive posts her blog followers are expecting. As charter season ends and summer begins, Jo is ready to tackle the last eight items on her list, including kissing a stranger, running a marathon and visiting the last of 10 new countries. Unexpectedly, her nieces turn up to spend the summer with her at her condo in Florida, forcing Jo to rearrange her summer plans and expectations for finishing her blog. Also unexpectedly, the stranger she kissed? Her new neighbor, dad to her nieces’ new best friend, and new chef on the yacht for the summer. Both Jo and Alex swear they have sworn off dating; Jo wants to focus finishing out her list, distracting her nieces from their grief and avoiding any additional emotional attachments. But as Jo and Alex grow closer and the end of the summer looms, Jo begins to learn that keeping distance doesn’t always mean keeping hurt away.

This book was absolutely amazing. It deals with some incredibly heavy topics; all of the main characters in this story have suffered an intense loss of some kind, but Sarah manages to balance these intense emotions with hilarious and accessible writing and banter the reader can find themselves getting lost in. I found myself laughing and crying in alternating chapters. The relationships in Jo’s family are strained by grief but are also incredibly strong and close- anyone who has a close relationship with a sibling and/or niece/nephew is going to find something to relate to in this one.

I loved watching Jo and Alex grow closer and found myself caught up in their tension and Jo’s uncertainty of Alex’s feelings for her. I don’t make it any secret that I prefer some steam and heat in my books, but when an author creates such incredible emotional intimacy and connection between characters, like she did between Alex and Jo, I find that I don’t even miss it even a little bit.

This book might hard for anyone who has recently suffered the loss of a loved one, but when you feel ready to read about these topics, Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships will take good care of you and guide you safely through the journey. Tackling various forms of grief from the perspective of Jo, her nieces and even her sister, this story really gives a multi-dimensional view of a family trying to find a way to carry on. Yes, the romance is there, and it’s great, but at the end of the day, what I’ll remember about this is the way that the characters, related by blood and by friendship, were able to count on and lean on each other. I will recommend it to everyone and anyone for a long, long time.

OMG, what a great romance, I saw so many 5 star reviews for this book so I was super excited to pick it up and dive right in. It was a super unique story where Jo works on a boat with her friends, and somehow her abroad trip gets ruined when her sister's kids just show up at her door.

However, even though she is all of a sudden guardian of two kids her summer is not boring at all and is filled with a fun and flirty romance.

I think this romance will be super popular this winter, a perfect escape from the winter weather.

I loved this book! It was not what I was expecting but I mean that in the best way! Alex and Jo's banter was perfect. I really loved this one and I will be buying a physical copy!

Author Sarah Grunder Ruiz, blew me out of the water (no pun intended) with her debut novel, Love, Lists & Fancy Ships. I knew going in this book was going to be more of a women’s fiction story with a romantic side and I was okay with that, but what I wasn’t expecting was the emotional journeys of so many of the characters in this story. That wasn’t a bad thing; in fact it was a beautiful thing. A bit of a warning this book deals with the loss of a child (recent) and the loss of a parent (in the past) and they way those losses have not only changed the heroine of this story, but also those around her. I loved every emotional, touching, sad, funny, and sometimes outrageous moment of this story.

Jo is a yacht stewardess, a career she fell into purely by accident, but she loves the travel and the down time when she has it. Closing in on her 30th birthday, Jo has twelve weeks to complete her 30 by 30 list, thirty things she wants to accomplish by her birthday. She was off to a good start until a tragedy hit her family and she’s found it hard to get her footing again. At the end of the regular yacht season, while celebrating at a bar with her fellow crew members, Jo is pushed into kissing a stranger in a bar by her best friend and co-worker, Nina. Even Jo has to admit the kiss was a bit magical, but then he’s gone and she figures that’s probably a good thing as she has no intentions of having a relationship any time soon. When Jo’s nieces arrive to spend the summer with her, something she wasn’t expecting given the recent tragedy in their family, she finds that they are just what she needs even though they also remind her of what they all have lost. She also doesn’t expect for Hot Bar Guy to wind up being her neighbor or the fact that he has a teenage daughter that fits right in with her two nieces.

Alex gave up life as a Michelin star chef to raise his daughter and he’d do it all over again. Moving to Florida and accepting a job as a yacht chef so that his daughter could attend the best school for her was a no brainer. While she’s not happy with him right now, he knows in time she’ll realize it was the right thing to do. Discovering the woman who laid a hot kiss on him is his neighbor is a bonus although he’s vowed no relationships, his daughter must come first and then finding out they’ll be working together, another reason to stay clear but the more he’s around Jo and her nieces and he see the way she treats her daughter like one of her own, makes it so damn difficult.

For me this book had three parts; one was Jo’s journey in finishing her list and dealing with her grief, two was her relationship with her nieces as they too deal with their grief, and third was the flirtation, possible romance with Alex. Yes, they were all connected yet there was a process to all of these parts that kept the story forever changing, funny one minute and bringing tears to my eyes the next, watching Jo roll her eyes at her nieces antics yet then acting a like a teenager herself around Alex, balancing work with home life, and a potential relationship. I loved all these pieces and I credit Ms. Ruiz for seamlessly rolling them into this incredible story.

If you enjoy books with real emotion, one that doesn’t shy away from tough subjects, yet also contains happy and lighthearted moments then Love, Lists & Fancy Ships is the perfect book for you. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more from this author.

OVERALL 4 / 5 STARS - Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships

4 / 5 STARS - Story Authenticity

4 / 5 STARS - Relatable and Lovable Characters

1 / 5 STARS - Steaminess

Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships features a lovable and relatable young adult attempting to complete an epic list of 30 items before her thirtieth birthday after losing a dear nephew. When her nieces, also struck by the tragedy, unexpectedly come to visit, and an interesting character joins her life, she has to use a little ingenuity to attempt to complete her goal, all while attempting to heal from the family’s loss.

Sarah Gründer Ruiz gracefully showcases Jo’s struggle to straddle supporting her niece’s healing process while grieving herself. Throw in the heart-thumping attraction between Alex and Jo, and you have a truly emotionally complex, yet heartwarming story.

The only adjustments I might suggest would be to tighten up certain chapters, especially those towards the center, and use those to better expand those amazing moments between Alex and Jo. Also, such a minor thing, but there is a reference to a scene in The Greatest Showman, and as an aerialist, it really bothered me that the wrong apparatus was used. (Not that the film itself is completely accurate - it isn’t, but they don’t use silks in that scene. They use rope in with hand loops similar to aerial straps, so either “rope”, “aerial rope”, or “straps” would have been accurate.)

All in all, Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships is an emotional and enjoyable read with themes of grief, healing, and romance. If you enjoyed Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez, you’ll enjoy this book.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing, Sarah Gründer Ruiz, and NetGalley for the read!

Love Lists and Fancy Ships

Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships by Sarah Grunder Ruiz is so much more than a cute rom-com as the author explores some deep emotional themes of grief, loss, and heartache. It begs the question, " How do we navigate life after tragedy?"

there were several aspects of this book I highly enjoyed, I liked the yacht setting as I am a sucker for books based on the ocean (must be the island gyal in me) and I think Jo was very relatable at times with the existential crisis that is your 30's. Her bestie was such a hoot and added much-needed comical relief throughout the novel. I also enjoyed that this wasn't a picture-perfect story of girl meets boy but has layers of familial complications, responsibilities, and bone-deep loss.

While I tried my best to love this book, there were just certain aspects that took away from the overall story. The dialogue felt a bit cliche and juvenile at times and I honestly wanted to shake Jo and Alex. Two adults cannot be this oblivious and I felt if they just communicated a bit more, we could have reduced some excess scenes and the flow would have been much smoother. I am no stranger to a good slow burn but there must be some element of attraction to spur the reader on. It felt very disjointed as they were fighting their desire, then embracing then fighting again.

Overall it was a great book that featured very relevant themes. Thank you to Berkley, the author, and NetGalley for providing me with an arc.

Thank you to Berkley for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships by Sarah Grunder Ruiz was one of the books I was most looking forward to this year! I love books set around water so this story about a yacht stewardess on a fancy boat seemed right up my alley. I definitely enjoyed this book and thought the portrayal of grief was VERY good and raw. I wish I hadn’t lost interest in the romance halfway through, but I do think this is a very enjoyable book and a lot of people will really like it!

Synopsis:

“For the last year, yacht stewardess Jo Walker has been attempting to complete a bucket list of thirty things she wants to accomplish by her thirtieth birthday. Jo has almost everything she's ever wanted, including a condo on the beach (though she's the youngest resident by several decades) and an exciting job (albeit below deck) that lets her travel the world.Jo is on track until the death of her nephew turns her life upside down, and the list falls by the wayside. But when her two nieces show up unannounced with plans to stay the summer, they discover her list and insist on helping Jo finish it. Though the remaining eight items (which include running a marathon, visiting ten countries, and sleeping in a castle) seem impossible to complete in twelve weeks, Jo takes on the challenge.When she summons the courage to complete item number five--kiss a stranger--and meets Alex Hayes, all bets are off. As her feelings for Alex intensify and Jo's inability to confront difficult emotions about her family complicates her relationships, she must learn to quit playing it safe with her heart before she loses what matters most.” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Concept—If you know me, I grew up sailing and absolutely love the water. I was ready for this book to feel like Below Deck meets Float Plan. It was so much more than that!

The Characters—I found Jo to be really relatable. I think we all feel like we’ve lost a lot of time in the last two years, so following someone who wanted to “achieve” small things before her 30th birthday landed HARD with me.

The Theme of Grief—I had read a review somewhere saying this book leaned more towards women’s fiction than romance and I’d have to agree. The theme of living with grief after the loss of a loved one is the central plot, with a sweet romance on the side.

What Didn’t Work:

Started off strong, dragged a little in the middle—I was totally sucked in for the first 40% of this book! Then things petered off a bit. Things moved so well at the beginning and then the middle dragged a bit for me.

Wish there had been less miscommunication—There was an instant attraction between Alex and Jo so i thought we’d get more from their budding relationship, but instead it became a lot of miscommunication which is why I think the middle dragged for me.

Content Warnings:

Grief, death of a parent, death of a child

Character Authenticity: 4/5 Steam Rating: 0/5 Overall Rating: 3.9/5