I was lucky enough to receive as an ARC 🥰

If you're craving a sunshine-vs-grump enemies-to-lovers romance with a side of sailboats, sarcasm, and unexpected heart, this one’s for you.

Josie, a sassy school nurse with a serious grudge, is tricked by her brother into spending the summer at a "quaint little murder cottage" in Virginia. Except it’s not exactly a vacation—she’s tasked with helping grumpy hockey player Wyatt Jacobs (her brother’s best friend and her sworn enemy) recover from an injury. Cue forced proximity, lots of snark, and simmering tension.

From dragging a brooding athlete to PT sessions to accidentally becoming his sailing partner on an emotional trip down the Intracoastal Waterway, Josie’s summer takes a turn she never saw coming. Along the way, sparks fly, secrets unravel, and feelings surface. But can two people who’ve spent years misunderstanding each other really find their way to something more?

Tropes:
* Enemies to lovers
* Brother’s best friend
* Forced proximity
* Grumpy x sunshine
* Only one cottage
* Hidden vulnerability
* Slow burn
* Healing journey (both literal and emotional)

This was equal parts funny, heartfelt, and swoon-worthy. Josie’s sarcasm and Wyatt’s growly charm are a perfect match, and their banter had me laughing out loud more than once. But beyond the laughs, there’s a tender story about grief, second chances, and seeing people clearly once the past is stripped away. If you love emotionally rich rom-coms with genuine character growth and a unique premise, If All Else Sails will absolutely float your boat. ⛵

The banter is there from the start. One throws some sharp words at another. And another throws back some equally sharp words. Or add some more sharpness. Gradually banter slows down, and the emotional connection grows between them. The chemistry shines as they start to open up to each other.

The Brief: Josie isn’t happy about the last minute change of plans to the Super Summer Sibling Extravaganza. The new plan involves nursing her brother’s grumpy hockey player bestie back to health. And living in the murder cottage.

The Debrief: Favorite book to date by @ and an absolute delight. From the very ugly meet again to the swoony last word… I. Was. Smitten. Wyatt is such a brooding man with so many lovable layers to discover. His low key charm and wit became exposed to the sunshine and I melted.

Josie has no idea what to do about a kind Wyatt when she remembers him as her enemy. Her cheery attitude was the perfect backdrop to laugh out loud banter filled And can we take a moment to soak up that chemistry? I was there for all of it.

I am looking forward to going back for a re-read, Just so many quotables. My notes:

-sliver removal can be a vibe
-boat shoes are life
-”our”
-pigs are a hilarious menace
-Jib and her fits
-the Appies forever
-I want to go sailing
-the high society steamroller
-I’ll never look at a cool whip container the same
-grumpy men are my favorite

The Rhyme: Wyatt has dropped his anchor and wants to float in a gray haze. When Josie shows up in his life again, can she coax him to sunnier days?

I obviously highly recommend this romantic comedy with deep vibes that will warm your heart. Complimentary copy.

This was so fun!

The light, witty humor really had me from the start—I found myself laughing out loud a whole bunch, which is a huge win in my book!

Now as for the characters… I LOVE Josie, holy crap. She’s just so goofy and endearing in the best way. The trauma she had added a lot of depth to her character, which I greatly appreciated. It had a nice realistic touch! And Wyatt? Yeah, he’s one HECK of a man if I do say so myself. He’s a total grump, but in a way that made the dynamic between the characters so good. Josie was exactly what he needed to loosen up a bit, to soften his rough edges, and together they were hilarious! I wouldn’t say the romantic chemistry was completely up to par, but I still enjoyed them as a duo.

As for the audiobook… eh. Mixed feelings. The female narrator pretty much nailed it—she totally got the humor and delivered Josie’s personality perfectly! No complaints there. The male narrator, though, didn’t seem to work as well with the story. He came across way too intense, like practically yelling, trying way too hard to emphasize certain scenes. His voice was so low and gruff at times that I had trouble understanding what he was saying. Honestly, I just don’t think these two narrators went together well enough.

With all that said, I still had a fun time with this one! It was a fun, easy read/listen, and the humor alone made it what it is.

Book itself: 2.3 ★
Audiobook: 3.5 ★

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙍𝘾 & 𝙖𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙤𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠!

A sweet, summer romance version of the hockey romances we all know and love!

Short Synopsis:
The last person on Earth Josie expected to spend her summer vacation with is her brother’s best friend and client, Wyatt. He’s grumpy and clearly hates her. But, when he gets injured and starts skipping doctor and physical therapy appointments, Josie’s brother tricks her into a paid gig of being Wyatt’s nurse for the summer. Sounds simple right? The only catch is that Wyatt doesn’t want her there.

My thoughts:
I loved this off-season summer take on a hockey romance and the sailing element made it so fun to read! The grumpy/sunshine trope is one of my absolute favorites and this couple nailed it! I loved how vulnerable Wyatt was able to become and how they were both able to grow together!

Read this if you like:
✨ Hockey romance (sorta)
✨ Brother’s best friend
✨ Forced proximity
✨ He falls first / it was always you

If All Else Sails is a witty, heartfelt summer romance that blends charming banter, emotional growth, and a grumpy-sunshine dynamic that works beautifully. Josie’s upbeat personality and Wyatt’s prickly demeanor create a slow-burn chemistry that’s as frustrating as it is swoony, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments along the way. The sailing setting and quest to scatter Wyatt’s uncle’s ashes add a fresh twist that sets it apart from other rom-coms. While some plot beats feel predictable and the pacing slows in the middle, the warmth and humor carry the story through. Overall, it’s a cozy, feel-good read perfect for fans of clean, heartfelt romance.

One of my new favorite summer reads! If All Else Sails by Emma St. Clair is a closed door romance with plenty of great banter and a sweet slow burn. I was hooked from the beginning, laughing out loud, and kicking my feet throughout. Gotta love a tiny dog dressed up in matching outfits, a sailing trip, and an fmc who loves books! This story also lightly touches on anxiety, strained family dynamics and grief, all of which adds to the emotional depth of our fmc and mmc. Truly loved this story! I received a complimentary copy of this book however all opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

If All Else Sails is a sweet, witty, and heartwarming slow-burn rom-com! This book is for you if you like:

⭐ a low spice novel
⭐ tropes such as grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, brother’s best friend
⭐ playful banter
⭐sailing adventures

If you're looking for a high-energy enemies-to-lovers with strong conflict, this may underdeliver. But if you're after charm, character growth, and a cozy contemporary romance, Emma St. Clair delivers a delightful escape with Josie and Wyatt that might win your heart.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thid was a fun beach read that I will want to read year round! The grumpy sunshine trope was done well and was enjoyable.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own,
Thank you Thomas Nelson Fiction and Emma St. Clair, for this Advanced Reader Copy.
I absolutely adored this book. It was cosy, sweet and laugh-out-loud funny. It has some of my favourite tropes, grumpy sunshine, forced proximity, he falls first, it gave me butterflies.
If All else Sails follows Josie a school nurse who expected to go on her yearly vacation with her brother, but is tricked into caring for his grumpy best friend Wyatt, who is an injured professional hockey player stuck in his ways.
Through a series of hilarious moments, Wyatt and Josie build a friendship, and longing that burns so slowly (so very slowly). But Josies inner critic and anxiety holds her back in exploring more in not just the frienship but also in her every day life.
Josie coaxes Wyatt back to life in a sense and Wyatt encourages Josie and building her confidence in herself and teaching her to trust herself. It was such a beautiful story.
Lets not for get the star of the show Jib the dog and her amazing outfits.

If All Else Sails by Emma St. Clair delivers so many heartaching moments through the overall sunshine vibes. It's a cute enemies to lovers, forced proximity, grumpy-sunshine and best friend's sister trope rom com but the author hit me with some seriously epic feels intermittently. Josie and Wyatt made me laugh, made me swoon and filled my heart with warm cozy feels. Mostly. But when the heartbreak and emotional struggles come, its equally beautiful.

School Nurse Josie arrived at a dilapidated cottage by side of a beautiful lake for an adventurous vacation with her brother. Instead she finds her sports agent brother's best friend and now client Wyatt with an injured foot and surly attitude. Her brother begs and almost blackmails her with a great pay load to stay there to help Wyatt in his recovery because he is on an obvious path of self destruction, not to hockey rink. They supposedly hate each other, that is always the other side of love. Wyatt actually inherited the cottage from his recently decreased beloved uncle and he was supposed to go on sailing ( like each summer) to honor the memory. Will this journey change everything?

Josie has such a bright presence. She is witty and funny and compassionate and fiery. A bad experience in early life has made her detest jocks and her story with Wyatt is filled with awkwardness and misunderstanding. So this new version of Wyatt beyond his grumpy brooding one made her disbalanced. Wyatt knew she is off limits and he thought she hates him and so he never told her about his real feels. That he is obsessed with her. He hides it behind his snark and banter. Oh their battles of banter is the best. The slow burn is perfect. Josie gradually get to know the charming and vulnerable sides of Wyatt. The transition from enemies to reluctant roommate to friend to lovers was so beautifully portrayed by the author. The sailing trip was definitely a major turning point. They came so close but they had so many doubts till Wyatt decides to put his heart on the line. He had to show Josie that he really wants her and win her trust. Josie needed time to accept this charming honest version of Wyatt and open her heart.

I reviewed an early copy voluntarily

When Josie's brother sends her to a random address for their (sometimes) annual Super Summer Sibling Extravaganza, she finds neither siblings nor extravaganzas. Instead, ends up at a run-down cottage on the Northern Neck of Virginia occupied by a hockey player she knows and loathes.

A hockey player who isn't just one of her sports agent brother's clients. He's also his best friend. And Josie's sworn enemy. Oh--and her brother wants Josie to help Wyatt recover from his injury. Dragging grumpy hockey players to physical therapy is a far cry from bandaging skinned knees, but for the price her brother offers to pay, Josie is willing to try. Even if it means sharing what she dubs the quaint little murder cottage with Wyatt.

Brilliantly written. The first half is laugh-out-loud funny as these two crawl their way out of enemies to lovers territory. The second half of the book deals with a few heavier topics. This is the type of book I love! 4⭐

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

If All Else Sails is a great clean romance. All the swoon and none of the spice. I loved these two together. After not seeing each other for a while, their meet cute was hilarious. It was such a great set up for their story.

Although a romcom, it's not all fluff. It covers grief and the long emotional journey that follows. I loved watching these two navigate that together. I also appreciated how the emotions were counteracted with much levity. Especially when it came in the form of a furry friend ❤️

Read this one if you love the brother's best friend and enemies to lovers tropes. I loved the blend of these two great tropes!

Thank you so much to Thomas Nelson for the gifted book!

This one had me LAUGHING so hard, especially in the beginning. The brother/sister bickering was so funny and realistic. Even as adults, they argued like 5 year olds, but it was just so well done, I couldn't stop laughing.

Josie is skeptical when her brother invites her to a cottage in Virginia for sibling bonding. She's even more skeptical when she shows up and 1. sees what she describes as a "murder cottage" 2. her brother is no where to be found, and 3. her brother's best friend/client is there instead.

Wyatt is not only an injured professional hockey play, but also Josie's brother's closest friend and Josie's life-long enemy. There's nothing that sounds worse to her than spending the summer with Wyatt in the "murder cottage", but Wyatt needs a nurse and she needs the money!

Love and hilarity ensue in equal measure as the two begin to grow closer and closer to each other!

I thought this romance was so sweet and fun! There were few deeper moments that definitely added some depth, which I always appreciate!

I will pretty much love any book that includes an athlete rehabbing an injury and someone moves into help them. It's my catnip, I eat it up every time and this book is no different. Wyatt got injured after playing a non-contact sport while on break from hockey, and is now hiding away in his deceased uncle's cabin, and until Jacob sends his sister to stay with him under false pretenses, he is content with hiding away and never recovering.

Josie is so comfortable in her life, she is becoming afraid of taking new risks and chances, and is kind of in a rut. Her brother tricks her into staying with Wyatt for a decent amount of money ~ go Josie ~ and when she gets there she is pushed out of her comfort zone from the start. Wyatt and Josie have revolved around each other for years, and just now, are finally learning more about each other, and changing their perspectives.

Josie finally sees how much of a teddy bear Wyatt is underneath and is starting to fall for him one smile at a time, and their story is just so cute, I could not stop reading. I loved the family members, Wyatt and Jacob's friends, and overall every part of this story.

Josie is tasked, against her will, to take care of hockey player Wyatt, who also happens to be her brother’s best friend. Josie and Wyatt have met before, many years prior, and it set their relationship on a course of enemies instead of lovers.

This book was so cute and fun and a perfect book to binge on the beach! Josie and Wyatt were so cute. The witty banter and enemies to lovers trope worked so well here, especially when the two of them set sail on Wyatt’s late uncle’s “last wishes” trip. The two of them had a slow burn, budding romance, that I really enjoyed watching unfold. I enjoyed the depth of the characters, and how they talked about their past and how it shaped their present. The narrators did a great job bringing Josie and Wyatt to life and made the story even more enjoyable!

Overall I liked this book with its great banter, but I think the first half was better. It’s a nice option for anyone who prefers a closed door romance. Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for an advanced copy.

4 ⭐️

If you're on the hunt for a feel-good, closed-door summer romance, If All Else Sails is the one 🥹

We’ve got:
🏒 An injured NHL player (Wyatt) staying in a lakeside family home to recover
🏫 A school nurse (Josie) on summer break, with zero plans
🐶 A stray dog who absolutely steals the show
🛏️ Forced proximity and ONE BED (!!)
💘 And best of all: no third-act breakup 🙌

Josie and Wyatt are the cutest kind of oblivious idiots. The slow burn is real — but it's so worth it. I genuinely loved watching them fumble their way into love.

The writing is heartfelt, the pacing is steady, and the characters are warm, charming, and real. So much chemistry and sweet emotional depth.

Honestly? I don’t have any complaints. This was just a cozy, summery read that left me smiling.

Thank you Emma St. Clair and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the eARC!

J'avais déjà lu (et bien aimé !) un roman de cette autrice, du coup je savais que je mettais les pieds dans une lecture très chaste et doudou. On est sur du slow burn + closed door de compet, avec des valeurs somme toute assez traditionnelles.
Je suis toujours friande des romances avec le trope du brother's best friend, sauf que pour une fois, c'est lui qui craque pour elle depuis des années. On ajoute à l'ensemble de la proximité forcée, et voilà une histoire toute douce, mais en toute honnêteté, très plate.
L'ensemble manque de développement, l'autrice nous dit les choses, mais elle ne nous les montre pas, et ça, c'est quelque chose que je trouve particulièrement frustrant et ne correspond pas à ce que je recherche quand je lis.

Perfect end of summer book! I have never been let down by an Emma St Clair book, and this was no exception. In this book you will find grumpy/sunshine, hockey player, forced proximity, and brother’s best friend.
Emma’s writing always draws you in to where you feel like you know the characters. I love that this book gives you the witty banter and tension with Wyatt and Josie, but stay away from spicy scenes. This book had me giggling so much, and I was so happy for no 3rd act breakup! Thank you for another fun, clean romance!