If All Else Sails by Emma St Clair



A brother best friend romance who happens to be a grumpy hockey player who are forced to be together on a boat? Say no more.

This was my first Emma St Clair book and I was pleasantly surprised.

This sweet, funny, and slow-burn read is full of banter, heart, and swoon-worthy moments and is a clean romance for all you non-spicy romance readers. However I thought this had great tension and slow burn so you definitely get some good moment.

Maybe my one thing is that this was advertised as an enemies to lovers but I found that was quite minimal and the other tropes were more prevalent in comparison.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for a copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you netgalley, the publisher and the author for my #gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Well this one was fun! Sometimes you can read a book close to where you are and feel like it didn’t do it justice. And this is absolutely NOT how I felt about this book. I loved all the references to Richmond places and the terrible Northern Virginia traffic. And even a school my husband went to🤣

You met Wyatt in the Appies series (but don’t have to read those before this one) and I loved to get his story! Josie was the perfect match for him and I loved seeing these two actually get to know each other.

Read if you like:
🏒Hockey adjacent
⛵️brother’s best friend
🏒all the banter
⛵️sailing trip
🏒adopted dog
⛵️meddling friends/family

Please read CW/TW before starting this (and any) book. This one is out August 5 and is the perfect summer read!

This was so stinking cute! It combined so many of my favorite tropes and tied them all into one story. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this early!

I don’t even have the words to express how much I love and adore this book! I was giddy to discover that Wyatt (a former Appie) was the lead in this story and his meet-cute with Josie was utterly hilarious.

Wyatt is recovering from a hockey injury and Josie, a school nurse, is sent by her brother to care for him–in a m*rder cottage. This book is the perfect summer escape and it’s full of adventure, sailing, a cool whip container, Jib–the best-dressed dog ever, misconceptions, healing, swoony romance, and connection.

Emma St Clair is a favorite author of mine, as she never fails to incorporate a few unbelievable animal instances with her perfect combination of closed door spice, banter, humor, and emotion. The recipes of her books are everything that satisfies and satiates my love for this genre.

This is definitely a book I plan to re-read and has all the feels for an ideal summertime indulgence.

Content: mild romance; off-page vague talk of a near attack

Many thanks to Thomas Nelson and Netgalley for the review copy. I received a complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given*

This was my first to read the brother’s best friend trope and it will not be the last time because I fell in love with the trope.
First of all I loved Josie so much she is such a sunshine and she is HILARIOUS there was so funny moments in the book that made laugh so hard.
Second of all Wyatt is such a grumpy obviously but when you get to know him more you’ll know how a softie he is he is so cute and so in love with Josie and he with what he was doing for Josie he proved that to be loved is to be seen.
The slow burn in this was SLOW BURNING the slow burn was so good sooooo good.
And the dog in this book was every thing she was such a cute and wholesome dog.
Oh and this book was closed door and I loved this so much.
4.5 maybe 4.75 ⭐️

3.5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, Emma St. Clair and Thomas Nelson Fiction for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Super cute, fun and clean listen! No spice in this one so no volumes will need to be adjusted at red lights if you are listening in the car! :) Overall, this was just easy to listen to. It was a little lengthy but not boring. It was definitely not an enemies-to-lovers romance as it says in the synopsis. It is very clear from the beginning that Wyatt in no way hates Josie, she is just under the impression that he does. Contains all the expected tropes: one bed, forced proximity, Josie taking care of Wyatt when he is sick and of course there is a dog. No romance is complete without one!

Emma St. Clair is a new to me author and I will definitely be back for more by her!

From the beginning until almost the end, The Banter is bantering that's for sure 😆😉 Josie and Wyatt are like the ones who are meant to be but aren't then are! Haha, I Loved it! Wyatt is such a Grump in the beginning because he doesn't want the help that he needs, and while Josie is tricked by her Brother Jacob it turns out to be a learning experience for both!

my first Emma St. Clair book!!! and wow she did not disappoint.
This books perfect for clean romance book lovers with lots of butterfly inducing dialogues. LOVED LOVED IT

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

3.5 Stars.

This was a cute, clean romance. It's one of those easy fast beach reads. The only spiciness was holding hands and a romantic kiss at the end. However, this doesn't mean the book was boring! The characters had great chemistry with some fun dialogue. It also had plenty of romance tropes, such as forced proximity, one bed, miscommunication, and grumpy and sunshine. I also enjoyed the emphasis on the importance of consent and respecting boundaries. For librarians who struggle finding very clean romances for patrons, definitely add this to your roster.

Talk about a funny meet-cute! Or maybe not so funny in Josie's eyes! Or Wyatt's for that matter! But for us readers, we can definitely see the humor in it. I was giggling and shaking my head. Especially at those police officers. Oh man! And a little bit, or rather a lot of head shaking at Jacob, for his brotherly scheming ways.

I was in the mood for a fun and lighthearted (mostly) rom-com and was on a long drive by myself. So I pulled up this one and had my phone read it to me while I drove. It helped the drive pass quickly and I found myself laughing many times, but I also felt the sadness that these two characters experienced in their past struggles. Unfortunately they've had some misunderstandings, but fortunately, they have plenty of time to clear that up.

Josie is a nurse and agrees to spend some time (after a big misunderstanding thanks to her brother Jacob) helping Wyatt, the big time hockey player, heal from an injury. Some chaos ensues and humor, but most of all healing, in more than just a physical way. I enjoyed the adventures these two end up having. But I especially loved seeing Wyatt's softer and more caring side. Josie starts to learn that perceptions she had of situations were wrong and that Wyatt isn't this grumpy athlete but really a caring and kind hearted friend.

Hop aboard and enjoy a sweet story of healing, adventure, friendship and finding love. Oh and some funny and endearing family members make some appearances as well! I loved them!

Content: Clean. Some kisses but nothing further. Mention of a guy trying to take advantage of a girl but nothing graphic and the girl talking about her healing.

I received a copy from the publisher, Thomas Nelson Fiction, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

This book (and audiobook — I read and listened) was just absolutely amazing. It had me hooked from the very beginning, and I read it in a day because I didn’t wanna stop! I love the author, and this may be my new favorite from her!

I would give this book 3.5. I really enjoyed reading about Josie, a school nurse, and Wyatt, and hockey player. Josie’s brother tricks her into helping Wyatt for the summer since he has injury, and they eventually sail south together. I loved the banter between the two but was left wanting more from the two. I will say this is a light fun read and would be a perfect quick beach read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the ARC. All opinions are my own

A classic Emma st Clair story! Beautiful characters, a wonderful setting and all of the emotions and butterflies you could ask for

SO SWEET! this was the perfect palette cleanser, closed door, sweet summer romance. i LOVED this & loved the audio so much!!

If All Else Sails is the quintessential summer rom-com! At her brother's behest (and the promise of a much-needed summer paycheck), school nurse Josie finds herself nursing his best friend and client, hockey player Wyatt, back to health as he recovers from an injury. I loved that Josie and Wyatt had some history together but their shared summer brought a lot of clarity, a tempestuous sailing trip, and lots of top-notch humor and closed-door heat. I highly recommend this book, as well as anything this author writes because you can't go wrong with Emma St. Clair!

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Fiction for gifting me with an ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

Emma St. Clair has authored many sweet, enjoyable closed-door romances and this is yet another one! "If All Else Sails" is centered around school nurse Josie who reluctantly agrees to spend the summer helping her brother's best friend, hockey player Wyatt, recover from an injury. She's always thought that Wyatt hates her because she doesn't realize his aloof personality is just him hiding how much he really likes her. As they spend the summer together, Wyatt is more open to sharing his feelings but Josie is pretty scared. When the two take off on a sailing adventure, the close quarters make it so that their mutual feelings can no longer be avoided.

I enjoyed reading the varying viewpoints, and the two main characters are so easy to root for. I enjoyed this sweet romance and just wish we had a little more between the ending and the flash forward. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Loved the witty banter among characters! Thus was the perfect book to get me even more ready for summer! The perfect summer read and full of hilarious moments and great banter among the main characters! Found a new author to put on my list for summer!

A solid romance with the mix of chemistry and misunderstandings that I love to read. At first, I was vibing with the story, but then I was confused that the book didn't take the typical direction of a New Adult romance. I made the mistake of not realizing it was a Mariana Zapata-style slow burn, only not as long. Not that I have a problem with it, but I was expecting the typical thing in this kind of novel: with so much tension and resentment there must be 🌶️ scenes, but there weren't any. I have no problem with close-bredroom romance scenes but I didn't realize the author doesn't write these kinds of scenes, and I also expected the conflict and misunderstanding to be resolved halfway through, not reaching the end of the book.
Something I would have liked, and this is a personal preference, is less text and descriptions. There were many times in the second half when it wasn't necessary.

In conclusion, it's a sweet romance that's quite engaging from the beginning. At first, it seems to take a more "New Adult" direction, but the story ends up feeling like a Disney movie.

Thank you Netgally and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review

This was such a great enemies to lovers rom com! It had tons of snarky banter and forved proximity while being fun and flirty. Josie and Wyatt had me hooked from the moment she landed at the “murder cottage” and realized she was stuck with her least favorite hockey player. Their slow burn chemistry builds perfectly, and I adored watching Josie challenge Wyatt while he begrudgingly melted for her. I listened to the audiobook and highly recommend it. The narrator nailed both the humor and the emotional parts. I enjoyed this heartwarming summer adventure!