This book was everything I wanted and MORE. We were teased in Love, Lists, & Fancy Ships with bits and pieces of Nina and Ollie’s relationship, and this gave us all the answers we were looking for. It was such a balm for the soul. Just like LL&FS, L&LR packs an emotional punch but in the most satisfying way. Love love love.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: physically abusive parent (past), death of a parent, parent with a gambling addiction

This is the second book in the series but can be read entirely as a standalone (but if you want to fall in obsession with Ollie and Nina from the beginning read book 1)

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)
-m/f best friends to idiots to lovers
-mutual pining
-second chance romance elements
-dual timeline
-we're on a boat
-only one cabin
-close proximity
-food/cooking as a love language
-an Irish grumpy simp of a cinnamon roll
-one more but I won't spoil it BUT OMG

Ollie and Nina have been calling to me since I read LLFS and I couldn't have been more excited that they get their own book. When I say this is the best friends to lovers trope perfection I mean it. Nina is chaotic, messy, and damaged from her past, and so is Ollie. They fit each other's spaces so well and just connect and I couldn't adore them more. The risk of trusting someone, of changing up things that are working, the fear of telling your best friend how you feel, admitting to yourself how you feel. My heart broke for these two so much as they figured it out.

And Ollie. Seriously just find me this man and I will marry him tomorrow. He falls first and hard and I adored him. The banter with Nina, how he got her, making her pizza bites and every small thing he does to show her how much he cares. Those were the moments that this book shined the most, the flashback chapters where you see their friendship and feelings begin, the callbacks, the building intimacy. I can't even talk about the sexual chemistry between these two but that yacht is lucky it didn't burn down with all of that tension.

The twist in chapter 4. I won't ruin it, never saw it coming and my jaw is still on the floor. The plotting of this book, the pacing, how you can tell it brought joy in the writing. Try to put this book down once you pick it up, you can't.

This was such a well earned HEA. How you have to love yourself before you can truly let someone love you. The leap off a cliff that falling in love is.

Steam: 2 (closed door)

Disclosure: I am social media mutual with the author

Second chance romance meets Below Deck in this upcoming romance by Sarah Grunder Ruiz. Nina and Ollie (don't call him Oliver) are coworkers who get along- some of the time. Other times it’s getting hot in the kitchen, literally since Ollie is the chef of the yacht both of them work on. Nina, the chief stew, tries her best to keep Ollie at arms length. She has been burned by family, and doesn't know how to trust others. Even more so trust herself and her future. Ollie knows what he wants, and it's a future with Nina, and he isn't afraid to fight for that chance of happiness for both of them. He knows Nina is end game, now he just has to convince her that he is too. I absolutely LOVED this story so much. Sarah had me laughing, crying, gasping, the whole works. This will be one romance I reread again and again, and know I will feel all the same emotions when I do

Just utter perfection.

One of my favorite things about books is seeing the progression authors take from their debut novel to their second novel. While I loved Love, Lists, & Fancy Ships, I was blown away by Luck and Last Resorts. Sarah's writing has grown tremendously. The world building, the character development and the fresh take on common tropes immediately pulled me into this story and I read it in one sitting without any regrets.

In Luck and Last Resorts, we're taken back into the yachting world with Nina and Ollie reuniting after a year apart while Ollie opened a Miami restaurant. With Jo leaving yachting to open a restaurant with Alex, Nina is feeling left behind and refuses to admit that maybe yachting might not be for her anymore. When some shocking news from Ollie throws Nina's world into a tailspin, she only has one charter season to figure out what she wants out of life and with Ollie.

Despite being hopelessly in love with Ollie, Nina has some pretty serious commitment issues (and rightfully so). I loved how beautifully broken Nina was and enjoyed being able to get into her head after falling in love with her character in the first book. She's such a spitfire and I just loved her, even though I wanted to shake her at times.

Ollie is such a romantic soul and incredibly patient with Nina, despite her keeping him at arm's length. He understands her and wants to fight for their future, even if Nina won't admit what she wants. The banter between the two is pure fire and had me laughing in so many parts. Who doesn't love questioning cartwheels and dick hernias?

The book was layered, with incredibly complicated characters that emote loyalty and emotional depth. I loved the present tense/past tense switches that slowly revealed the complicated past between Ollie and Nina so that the reader could understand why these two needed a second chance at love. I honestly wish I could read this book again for the first time. It broke my heart into a million pieces multiple times and then put it back together. I was emotionally invested from the beginning and loved every word on the page.

This was EXCELLENT. I picked it up on a beach and finished it in one sitting!! I hadn't read the first book in the companion series, but it was easy to figure out who everyone was and how they were involved with eachother.

The superyacht setting was really cool and very escapist. I liked the main character, she had serious issues but she was self-aware and her arc made me really happy. Ollie was also v swoon-worthy. My only complaint was that the characters didn't QUITE feel fully developed.

Overall, I will definitely be picking up other books by this author!

I came into this book without having read the first in the series but had no problems following the plot and enjoyed the characters and world presented here. I was quickly drawn into the story and enjoyed getting to know Ollie and Nina with both timelines. The pinning and banter between them was the highlight for me. Would read more in this series now!

I really, really loved this book!
It is the second of the Love, Lists & Fancy Ships series and I truly enjoyed being back in this world with these characters again. This book is about Ollie and Nina. In the first book, we met them and I was so excited to read their story. It did not disappoint. This book switches back and forth between the past and the present. There was so much depth to this book that I loved and some important issues were discussed.

I absolutely loved being back in the universe created in Love, Lists & Fancy Ships. It was great to have cameos from the characters of the first book and to get a glimpse as to where they are now. I was so excited to delve into Nina and Ollie's story. All the credit goes to Sarah Grunder Ruiz because I typically don't enjoy the friends to lovers trope, but I loved her take on it. And as a reader of quite a bit of romance novels, this story felt fresh. Nina and Ollie's relationship wasn't a perfectly wrapped gift with a bow on top. I loved the messiness of their love. It made it feel real and honest.

To me, this book provided a beautiful take on soulmates and love. Nina and Ollie are clearly meant for one another and are in love. But is love enough? It was hard to witness Nina continue with her walls up, set in her ways. I loved her journey of opening up, allowing herself to be vulnerable, and the role of therapy. And Ollie, man, I just love, love, love Ollie. I loved his humor, his thoughtfulness, and his steadfast loyalty. And I love that he ultimately put himself first when he needed to.

I love that this story took unexpected turns. There were moments where I held my breath, racing through the text to unravel the outcome.The gems of this book for me were the flashbacks through Nina and Ollie’s meeting and early years. They really helped develop Nina and Ollie as characters, as well as their historied relationship. Also, Grunder Ruiz flawlessly navigates difficult topics along lighthearted ones.

Thank you to Sarah Grunder Ruiz for this story. Thank you to Berkley and Jessica Mangicaro for this early review copy. I truly hope we get to see a third book that Sarah has hinted about on her social media. I want to get to know Jack next!

4.5/5

I will post a review on social media at @theonewhereaimeereads closer to publication day.

Sarah Grunder Ruiz has done it again! While I fully expected to love this book about Nina and Ollie from Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships, I did not expect to connect with it so emotionally! Nina is dealing with some trauma from her past and having experienced a similar trauma, I found her aftereffects so relatable. SGR writes with empathy and intuitiveness and her characters feel like real people. I can wait for book 3!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5/5 stars

Luck and Last Resorts is the excellent/amazing/perfect follow-up to Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships. This time, the story is all about Nina and Ollie. Two people completely in love with each other and completely incapable of making it work. Finally, Ollie has had enough and gives Nina an ultimatum- if they are not together by the end of charter season, he is going back to Ireland for good (yes, he has an accent).

I knew I was done for when the first flashback chapter hit. Nothing makes me swoon like an enemies to friends to lovers second chance love story. The more tropes the better for me. Ollie and Nina are two of my favorite characters. I love how intense and angsty they are even though they never stop joking with each other. The character development in this is everything. Nina hurt my heart multiple times throughout. Ollie made me want to reach into the book and give him a hug. The banter gave me the high that only the best repartee can. I give it all the stars.

I need Sarah Grunder Ruiz’s next romcomdram right now because I need more romance books that make me laugh and then immediately kick me in the heart.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Full review to be posted closer to release date.

brb—crying

Sarah Grunder Ruiz draws readers into her books with a pretty cover and a cute synopsis. However, these are not the fluffy romcoms you may suspect. The author more than delivers with her complex and lovable characters, engaging plot line, swoony romance, and unique setting. I’m absolutely obsessed with her books and she’s definitely become a new favorite author.

Now let’s get to the nitty gritty—
We met Nina and Ollie in Love, Lists, & Fancy Ships and of course, instantly fell in love with them. We learned a little about them, but the majority of their individual stories were hidden from us. Luck & Last Resorts reveals the history between Ollie and Nina, along with their individual pasts. I really enjoyed the flashback chapters interspaced through the story, as it provided greater context and just made me root for them even more. Nina was incredibly frustrating at times but I couldn’t help but love her and hope for her to be happy. Jo was an incredible friend to her and I loved all the times she advocated for therapy. Ollie was *chef’s kiss* (sorry, couldn’t resist the pun). I loved how he wouldn’t give up on Nina. It was so endearing, and I really appreciated how respectful he was in his pursuit of her.

The ending was all that I ever wanted. It was sweet and hopeful and I really want to read more books with this cast of characters, especially Britt!

I fell in love with Ollie and Nina when we met them in Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships, and was so excited to read their love story.

Full of humor and heart, laughter and tears, this romance delivers.

Sarah Grunder-Ruiz does not shy away from heavy topics, she balances the heavy with the lighthearted with so much grace and writes romances that warm your heart.

Nina and Ollie antagonize each other, but deep down love and respect each other. They have a beautiful romance, there is great character growth, and I’m still crying as I write this because my heart is so full!

As IF I wasn’t already a huge Sarah Grunder Ruiz fan — her social presence is like a tease of excitement that has had me rooting for team Nina + Ollie for quite some time now, as Sarah lures us in with sneaks of upcoming book 2 while simultaneously admitting she wants to break our hearts.

Thanks to her and Berkley Romance, I was able to read an advance copy, and I am beyond thankful. I LOVE THIS BOOK. Already preordered, already looking forward to reading it again when my copy arrives, to me this book showed that Sarah is one to watch, with incredible heart that takes life's complications and makes it beautiful and real on the page.

Now, you could 100% read this title without reading Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships, which I always really appreciate when a title COULD stand-alone, but being a part of a series makes it even better. Having "met" both of our main characters in book 1, I was SO beyond excited to not only get the characters we know and love, but Sarah gave us so much MORE. I didn't know it was possible, but her writing style blew me away with how much we get to know about these two and how it builds their love story.

"I only wanted to take without worrying about what belonged to me and what didn't. I wanted to steal this moment and figure out how to give it back later."

I refuse to give away any of the best parts, but just know you will be in LOVE with both characters, and the cast and crew both old and new in this story. I highlighted so many lines of this book that spoke to me, and took away all the feels, from the comfort of silence to learning to be brave I found LUCK AND LAST RESORTS an absolute inspiring delight.

I devoured Sarah Grunder Ruiz’s debut novel, and her second was, if anything, more fun than the first. Nina LeJeune and Ollie (don’t call him Oliver unless you’re secretly in love with him, please) Dunne, have worked together, off and on, for almost a decade on one of the luxury yachts which sail out of south Florida. Nina calls him Oliver, and Ollie, he doesn’t mind. But what she can’t seem to do is commit--to a relationship, to him, or to anything but living by her two rules: have fun, and don’t rely on anyone.

This is a romance, though, and with Sarah’s skillful writing, the characters earn their happily ever after. I should have been impatient for the resolution, but despite Nina’s dithering, I was right with the character and the author the whole time. Sarah knows her genre, and throws in more than one favorite trope--the marriage of convenience, the grand gesture--but finds unexpected ways to use these conventions. At the sentence level, her writing is crisp, surprising, and perfectly voicy, capturing Nina’s wit and snark throughout, like when she reflects that an obnoxious guest says her name, “like it’s an item on one of Ollie’s tasting menus.” Altogether, a satisfying and delightful follow up to a very successful debut.

Rating: 5/5
Steam: 2/5

Thanks to Jessica Mangicaro at Berkely and to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy for review.

Ohhhhh this one was such a great second chance at love romance!!! I'm a huge fan of the author and was beyond excited for her second book. Let me tell you, it did NOT disappoint!! Nina and Ollie have the most beautiful friends to lovers story and we slowly learn the way it started through flashbacks. Both these MCs have family baggage that is causing them to avoid certain things in their lives. For Ollie it's going back home to Ireland and for Nina it's taking a chance on love. Ollie decides to give Nina one last chance to show him she really wants their relationship to work and ugh, their emotional journey is just soooo beautiful!!

So many sweet and tender moments in this book. You will absolutely fall in love with Ollie. There are great cameos from Jo and Alex too (we get to see their wedding!!). Throw in more yacht adventures, an epic Settlers of Catan scene and an off the charts emotional roller coaster ride for the last 30% of the story. Thank goodness the author makes up for breaking our hearts with one of the BEST endings ever. I can't say goodbye to these characters and will be eagerly waiting for the next book!! Highly, highly recommended! Much thanks to NetGalley, Berkley and the author for my advance review copy.

Rating: 4.5/5
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Warnings: Difficult family dynamics, domestic violence/child abuse (past, off page), identity theft, gabling addiction, sexual harassment
Read if you liked: Love, Lists and Fancy Ships or Count Your Lucky Stars
Steam: 2ish (fade-to-black/peek-around-the-door)
Tropes: Forced Proximity, Frenemies to Lovers, It's Just a Hookup, Second Chance, Workplace

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Luck and Last Resorts will be released on August 9th, 2022.

Sarah' did it again! It's quirky, chaotic, heartfelt and I just love those two humans so much. I am VERY INVESTED in this story world that has been created and I need all the books about it. Unlike Love, Lists and Fancy Ships which was more women's fiction, this is a second chance romance. We got a taste of Nina and Ollie + their dynamic in LLFS but now we get a whole book about them.

Things I loved: The pining, the second chance of it all, the chapter 4 surprise. The Tobacco Free Florida Ad is such a Florida kid thing and we all KNOW. Ollie and Nina's dynamic and the banter. The pizza rolls, the earrings. I loved seeing Jo and Alex again. THERAPY was mentioned and we love a therapy moment. I love Ollie, like adore him and I would like him to be real.

Things I didn't care for: The timeline, I loved how we had past and present but then we kept skipping months. They resulted in a little confusion. I wanted more context about both of their pasts before each other.

Disclosure: The author and I are mutuals on social media, do live in the same area and have become friendly. All opinions are my own.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to @berkleyromance and @netgalley for my gifted copy of Luck and Last Resorts, by Sarah Grunder Ruiz! I know I’m SO early with this August release, but I can’t resist posting a glowing review early. I flew through this book last week during our recent winter storm, and if you liked Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships, you’ll want to get your hands on this one too.

Y’all, I felt SO many emotions while reading this book, in the BEST ways. My mouth was on the ground in some parts, I ran for my tissue box, I laughed my tail off…it was FANTASTIC. So many jokes landed well, I got hit in the feels SO many times, and I loved the Below Deck references!

Friends, I believe that there is a buy 2 get 1 free sale at Target this week, and that preorders work for it. If this intrigues you, I urge you to order Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships, preorder Luck and Last Resorts, and then grab something else fun. You’ll be in for a treat!

This was my most anticipated read of 2022 and it blew all of my expectations out of the water.

Nina and Ollie have a complicated past -- that is no secret. For a decade they have done this push and pull back and forth game that started when Nina first walked onto the Yacht where Ollie was the chef and their paths collided. Nina, finding it hard to trust after being hurt by someone she loved, has a hard time giving herself over to Ollie completely, but Ollie is done with the back and forth and finally wants more. He comes back to the Yacht for one last charter season and gives Nina and ultimatum that if she won't decide to be real with him by the end of the season, he is going to go back home to Ireland. Nina now has to decide if she can finally let herself trust again. If she can overcome the scars of her past and let herself love and be loved or risk losing Ollie for good.

If Love, Lists and Fancy Ships wasn't proof enough, this book is evidence that Sarah Grunder Ruiz is a master wordsmith. She doesn't tell you something is blue or someone is sad, but instead her words illustrates things so beautifully you feel you are there seeing the blue of his eyes or you feel their sadness with them. To read one of her books is to experience it completely. By the time this book was done I felt like Ollie and Nina were real people and I wanted so deeply for things to work out for them. When the story took certain turns I wept and at other times I literally cheered. I was so sad this book was over, it felt like having to say goodbye to a good friend.

Ollie and Nina's story is beautiful and raw and real. I love the way it is told over time jumps so you see how their love story has unfolded over the years and how the pieces that we got glimpses of in LLFS truly unfolded. I went back and re-read LLFS after reading Luck and Last Resorts and the little pieces that are woven into this book from the first one are so fun.

This book is perfection. I fell in love with Ollie and Nina and this entire world that Sarah has created. I cannot wait to read everything that Sarah writes. This book is funny and witty and will make you laugh out loud while at other times make you weep for each of these characters. This is a must read and I cannot sing this book's praises enough.

Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing, NetGalley, and Jessica Mangicaro for allowing me access to this title early. I have never been so excited to read a book early and once I started reading I could not put it down. All opinions are my own.

**I will post to my social media accounts closer to pub date**

This book was my most anticipated read of 2022, and now it has become my favorite book of the year. I know it's only February, but if you know, you know.

The quality of this story was so enormous that I felt like I'd been knowing Nina and Ollie for years, for ten books already. Their personalities were so defined, so intense and deep, that it feels as if they're real people. Especially Nina... she was delightful. I already loved her in LOVE, LISTS AND FANCY SHIPS, but being inside her mind was something else. She's one of the most complex heroines ever. I fell in love layer after layer of her character. She's so funny and genuine, but also, deeply damaged, and knowing her fears even before she faced them made her extremely lovable.

Ollie... OLIVER JOSEPH DUNNE. I want him to exist right now. He was... perfect. (Also, not revelant for his personality but it was so refreshing to see a shorter than 6ft hero!). Even though the book is narrated from Nina's POV, I feel like I got to know Ollie as deeply as Nina. After reading romance novels for years, I find it hard to get to know the heroes the same way if the books are single POV, but Sarah has managed it. I think it speaks volumes about her gift for writing.

Now, to the spoilery part of the review. I thought this would be a second chance romance. I did NOT expect Chapter 4. At all. This went from second chance to marriage of convenience to marriage in crisis, and I loved every single minute of it. I was happy with second chance, but this? This was a masterpiece. A heartbreaking one. I felt a hand squeezing my heart a bit more with every chapter I read. By Chapter 16, my heart was shattered. I love when books do this to me. I want the emotion, the angst, because I know the HEA is extremely rewarding after all the pain. They deserved the happiest ending ever, and it was beautiful.

I won't post this review on social media sites until release day for obvious reasons, but I'll encourage everyone to preorder this masterpiece as frequently as I can. Everyone deserves to read this wonderful story.

Thank you to Berkley and Jessica Mangicaro for my advance review copy!

Rating: 5/5, favorite, must-buy, must-adore, will-love-forever.
Steam: 1/5

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this eARC. It made my weekend.

Sarah Grunder Ruiz is once again coming for your tears and whoa baby it hurts SO good.

Yacht chief stew Nina Lejune lives for bringing fun into her life and those around her, whether they’re her close friends or the charter guests she serves. It’s the way she’s lived her life for the last decade.

But when her old flame and yacht chef Ollie Dunne gives her an ultimatum — admit she loves him or he’s returning home to Ireland — she’ll have to decide if she’s ready to sink or swim.

OH MY GOSH. I stayed up until 1 a.m. to finish this gem of a story. It oozes angst and heartache but the payoff of this powerful love story — for a soulmate and for yourself — is so worth it. If you’ve read Grunder Ruiz’s debut “Love, Lists and Fancy Ships” your jaw will be on floor with certain twists and being inside Nina’s thoughts will be a surprise and a joy. You’ll want to shake her and give her hug (along with some tough love advice) but it’s all something she has to figure out herself and being along for that is such a gift.

Please please please make this one of your summer reads in 2022.