Greta James, an indie rock star, embarks on an Alaskan cruise with her father – a cruise booked by her recently deceased mother to celebrate their 4oth anniversary. The relationship between Greta and her dad has been on rocky ground ever since she decided to pursue a rock and roll music career and she reluctantly agrees to accompany him at the behest of her brother. Throughout the 7-days Greta and her father learn a bit more about each other and the rift between them begins to heal. A subplot entails a kind of budding romance between Greta and Ben Wilder, another passenger with issues of his own. But unlike so many cozy romances, this one did not end with a falling in love and happily ever after ending for the couple. Instead it ended with Greta and her dad and a hopeful future for their family relationship. Thanks to Random House/Ballantine Books through Netgalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Grief is like a maze, the only way to get through it is to keep moving forward one step at a time.

Greta James is a young musician/rock star/singer/songwriter who is facing a crisis in her career after a romantic relationship breakup, the death of her mother, and a meltdown on stage one night while she is performing. Urged on by her brother, Greta accompanies her also grieving father on a week long 40th anniversary cruise to Alaska that her mother planned before she died. The two of them attempt to maneuver their way through their grief and their often contentious relationship while Greta is trying to make decisions about her future. A love interest on the ship also adds to Greta's dilemma.

This book made me smile and made me cry and made me cheer on all of the characters. The pacing of the narrative was good and the characters were very likable and well written. This would be a perfect read for fans of Jojo Moyes or Taylor Jenkins Reid.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for this ARC ebook.

I so enjoyed this satisfying novel about a woman learning about herself and her relationships on an unexpected week-long cruise. Smith does an exceptionally good job at writing characters who are complex yet relatable, and the ending is about as perfect as a reader could hope for without being schmaltzy. I will definitely recommend this one!

A parent's death can throw anyone's world into a tailspin, but when musician Greta James tries to perform after her mother's untimely death, she completely falls apart. Hiding out for the past three months her brother convinces her to take an Alaskan cruise with her father, the one her parents were planning to take to celebrate their anniversary. Needless to say this was a bad idea. Greta and her father have not seen eye to eye since she became a professional musician and the confines of a cruise only exacerbate the issues. Bu sometimes being around an estranged parent can bring out some feelings of hope. A thoroughly enjoyable book with a little romance thrown in for good measure.

The Unsinkable Greta James is a tender and quiet yet altogether kinetic story that takes place on an Alaskan cruise. It's about Greta James, an indie rockstar and guitarist, who is trying to pick up the pieces of her life after her mother's sudden death from an aneurysm months earlier. Still reeling from the loss, as well as from the public breakdown she had on stage that has stalled her career, she agrees to go on a seven-day cruise with her father, with whom she has a tense and contentious relationship.

While on the trip, she also meets a writer named Ben Wilder, who has a love of Jack London. Recently separated from his wife, he, like Greta, is trying to discover what he wants from his life moving forward. Their connection, I'd argue, is borne of mutual adriftness, mutual searching. However, that doesn't make what transpires between them any less profound or moving. With them, I think readers truly get the sense that certain people are meant to pop into your life when you need them. They're there to shake things up, force you to reevaluate. They're like a propellant that jump-starts you forward.

Though this book does have some lighter romantic moments, it's mostly about mourning, forgiveness, healing, and self-exploration. I believe Greta and her father, who are both grieving, who are both lost when it comes to knowing how to proceed, are the heart of the story. The tension between them feels authentic. Believable. The old sore wound that remains open between them has a deep history. It's been years and years in the making. It's not easy to mend; in fact, there were moments where I wondered if they'd be able to bandaid things over enough to reach neutral ground at all. The author depicts the complexity, the messiness, of their father-daughter relationship well. The conflict between them is palpable. However--so is the love.

All in all, this story was earnest and heartfelt. Definitely the kind that might squeeze a stray tear from you before you're done reading.

3.5 stars

Many thanks to Random House and Ballantine Books for the ARC.

I so, so enjoyed this book! Greta’s relationship with her family felt so realistic for those of us who have taken a more creative path, and I loved the handling of grief in this book. I cried plenty of times(in a good way) and I loved the small town feel that the cruise setting gave.

Thanks to Random House, Ballantine books and NetGalley for the ARC of the adult fiction debut.
The authors previously written novels are YA so I was unfamiliar with her. I’m pleased to have found her. The novel is a quiet yet emotional read with engaging characters. Greta is an aspiring musician who is on her way up. Unfortunately she suffers on onstage breakdown after hearing of her mom’s sudden death. After the funeral she ends up replacing her mom on a one week Alaskan cruise with her dad. Most of their trip is spent in anger, frustrations, hurting and grieving with quite a few moments of levity. Ultimately is paves the way for healing and love.
4*

I was intrigued by the summary of The Unsinkable Greta James and the book lived up to the expectations.I had. It is a lyrically written story of loss, grief, relationships, fortitude perseverance, forgiveness, and love.

After the unexpected death of her mother, Greta and her somewhat estranged father go on the Alaskan cruise that should have been the anniversary trip for her parents 40th. Accompanied by the two couples who were closest to her parents, Greta and her father make their way through the awkwardness of their reunion, the shared grief they are both reluctant to give voice to, and find each other again along the way.

This is a lovely novel. The division of the section by day of the cruise was perfect. Greta's point of view was engaging and relatable. The years of hurt and misunderstanding, the way she and her father were at odds, was portrayed realistically and sensitively. The ache of her mother's loss echoed throughout the book.

There were so many layers of loss in this story--the obvious one of Greta's mother, but also her relationship with her father and other loved ones along the way, and with her own personal issues centering around her career and music.

This was a book about a heavy subject that was not heavy to read. It was written in a way that found humor and heart. Approachable and realistic. It was a quick and engaging read. I like how the ending was left somewhat open, hopeful, not all tied up with a bow.

I would read more from this author.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

Enjoyed this one, especially that it ended not tied up in a neat bow. Loved how Greta’s relationship with her dad evolved. And Alaska as the backdrop.

A sweet tale of forgiveness set on a cruise ship in Alaska. After the death of her mother, Greta and estranged father go on what should have been their anniversary cruise. Along the way years of hurts and misunderstanding rises to the surface, and both daughter and father struggle to reacquainted themselves.
A little light romance, some sparky humor and tender moments are all.on display in this fast paced familial drama.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was such a heartwarming read. I got to the end and wanted more. Each of the main characters was well developed. I saw
my relationship with my dad within the pages.

I received an electronic advanced reading copy (ARC) of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first book by Jennifer Smith, but I'll likely pick up another! This book takes place over just a few days on an Alaskan cruise. I love the way the story is put together - starts in the present day and layers on so much of the past that results in complicated relationships and roads not taken. Alaska itself plays a role in the story and helps to remind us all about how small we are in the greater universe - which is both a relief and terrifying! There's a fun exploration of what it's like to "make it out" of small town life - and how much of the day to day is still the same for the rich and famous. Flawed characters learning and doing better made this book a real win for me.

Thank you for my copy of this heartfelt story! This is the first book I have read from Jennifer and I can't wait to read more from this author.
This was an enjoyable read that made me cry and laugh.

I really enjoyed the layers to this story. From the death of her mother, to the estrangement with her father, Greta has a lot on her plate. Yet she agrees to go on an Alaska cruise with her father and his friends. During the cruise Greta comes face to face with her guilt over her mother dying, her relationship with her father, and her own demons.
This is a light hearted story dealing with some heavy hearted issues...namely the death of her mother.
I loved the scenery, the cruise ship (was it a Holland America ship?), and the characters.
Overall, a good book, a fast and easy read.

This was a quick read for me, I really enjoyed Jennifer E. Smith's new book. Her descriptions of the Alaskan cruise made me feel like I was on the cruise. Greta's challenges and emotional trauma seemed very real-life to me. And I thought the ending wrapped up the story in an impactful way that readers wanted. Looking forward to reading more by this author. Thank you Net Galley and Random House for the chance to read this ARC.

I enjoyed the writing style and the story of The Unsinkable Greta James. However( and this will be discussed another day in book discussions as not to give spoilers) I found Greta to be quite a selfish person and thus this was a bit of distraction for me. I am not sure if one is to suppose that to be truly driven and gifted, one must be extremely selfish and thus it is major point of the book. She only exhibited one un-selfish moment in the entire book which I will not go in to in order to avoid any spoiler. I found the relationship between she and her brother to be quite well-written and believable. Her emotional turmoil was also written quite convincingly. I truly enjoyed the descriptions of Alaska , but then a cruise to Alaska has always been on my personal bucket list. I quite enjoyed reading the book and read it easily in 2 days. The book holds your interest easily so it is nice escape reading but also would be an easy beach or travel read. I would recommend it to others if only so I can discuss Greta with them.

ennifer E. Smith makes a splash moving from YA to Women's fiction. And I'm delighted to have been on board to witness her doing it.

Be prepared for atmospheric details so sharp that I often felt myself back in Alaska on my first cruise there. That's where we find Greta James, unwillingly dragooned to take her dead mother's place on a group celebration with a long awaited dream trip with her father and 4 friends on the occasion of her parents' 40th anniversary.

Greta, an indie singer/songwriter/guitarist has had an embarrassing melt-down at a concert where she introduced a song written for her mother. Astronomy, the new song her mother would now never hear died suddenly while Greta was performing in Europe. Greta breaks down and leaves the stage and puts her career in jeopardy. Greta's brother convinces her to take her mother's place on the cruise and her agreeing makes the novel.

In the course of the cruise and the Alaskan shore expeditions, family relationships are examined and revealed. The "romance" with a nerdy college professor whose specialty is Jack London changes both people.

Smith writes in the appealing style of an YA author but it works very well here. Particularly interesting is the insight into how being recognized as famous and how we use Google incessantly.
(What did we ever do before Google? Reading The Unsinkable Greta James makes me want to read her previous work.

Thanks so much to Random House (Ballantine Books) and NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

My first book by this author and it was really well written. A heartfelt reunion of daughter and father - after the passing of the mother/wife. It's about them working through their feelings while on an Alaskan cruise, with two sets of neighbors.

Greta is a rockstar, reeling from her mother's death and subsequent breakdown on stage - she's getting ready for new big comeback and a new album, when her brother convinces her to take her mother's spot on the cruise with her dad. It was to be their 40th anniversary cruise - all planned by her mother. The cruise is a great backdrop for the story - set with family drama and romance as Greta and her dad flounder to get along.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

In this immersive and moving story, rock star Greta James is trying to put her life back in order after a public breakdown following the unexpected death of her beloved mother. She can’t find her old joy in her music, is not sure if she can perform again, and on top of that is manipulated by her brother into an Alaskan cruise with their father. Greta and dad Conrad do not get along, and he constantly rides her about her lifestyle choices, but during the cruise they grudgingly try to get past their differences and deal with their shared grief.
Smith is excellent at portraying emotional conflicts, and presents believable conversations/arguments between the characters, including old family friends and a… maybe new lover for Greta. No one is perfect or without justified guilt here, which is refreshing. I particularly enjoy the fact that Greta is unapologetic about her choice of a performing career over a husband and kids and suburban BBQs everyone else pressures her to embrace.
The details of the cruise and the stunning Alaskan wilderness are also wonderful, especially a pivotal trek to a glacier for Greta and her father.
Where the novel disappoints is that there is very little feeling of Greta as a musician and how she experiences and plays her guitar and sings. She struggles over writing new songs in her grief, but somehow that feels abstract. I didn’t feel the driving rhythms she creates, or the immersion in music.
Still, I cheer Greta on in her path following her Muse.

The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer Smith is a slow build but phenomenal read! Greta is going through a rough point in her life with the sudden death of her mother. Her indie rock career is unstable and she is on a cruise with her dad and let's just say they don't have the best relationship. If you're a fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid you will love this book and the story of Greta James!