4 ⭐

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for the e-arc. Omg, this was so cuteee, I can't believe I've had this sitting on my shelf/Kindle for a little while now. This is my first book I've read by Emma St. Clair and omg, I had such a wonderful time with this story — I'm a such a sucker for a brother’s best friend, grumpy/sunshine tropes, and I absolutely adored Josie and Wyatt together.

Grumpy Wyatt completely stole my heart. What do you mean he's been in love with his brother's little sister for years — remembering all the little things about her, like how she always wore brightly coloured nail polish, and clinging to the titbits her brother would share about her? I loved the scene where he asked the librarian about the crocodile and the mouse book after Josie told him the story.

I also loved how patient Wyatt was with Josie. I suspected there was something holding her back from romantic relationships; it really just took finding the right person.

It is a closed-door romance, but a very realistic one nonetheless, it felt genuine, and I couldn't help but root for them; mainly Josie to stop being so hard on herself and scared of letting someone be there for her. Wyatt really did adore her.

Tropes

Brother's best friend
He falls first
Forced proximity
Slow burn romance

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a cute read. I've read several of the author's Kindle books & enjoyed them; I thought this was a more polished effort with engaging characters.

However, I am confused why it is being published under Thomas Nelson, the Christian/faith based arm of HarperCollins. Some titles published under this arm are imbued with an explicitly Christian perspective, others have Bible verses or a prayer awkwardly stapled into an existing story. (I feel like I've seen it all!) Neither style is present here. Although closed door, there are several tropes here I'm surprised to see in a story put out by a Christian/faith based publisher.

To be clear, I don't expect your garden variety cute chick flick/rom com book to adhere to Christian/faith based perspectives. There are a lot of diverse perspectives in the world! But if a book is being published under the Christian/faith based arm of a major publisher, I expect to see that represented in the book itself in some capacity. It is not. This book should have been published under a different arm of HarperCollins. (Maybe I'm late to the game, and Thomas Nelson has tweaked it's publication criteria/strategy. But a lack of sex scenes is not the same thing as a Christian/faith based book,)

I think Ms. St. Clair is a skilled writer at drawing out the emotional components of a love story, and I would read future stories by her. But I'm still bewildered why this is being published by Thomas Nelson.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

If All Else Sails has one of the cutest covers, plus add in forced proximity and a brother’s best friend trope, and I was sold on it. Elementary school nurse Josie arrives to meet her brother for a trip, but instead of Jacob, she finds Jacob’s best friend Wyatt. He’s a perpetual grump and famous hockey plater and is recovering from surgery and needs a nurse—Josie begrudgingly agrees and finds herself agreeing to help Wyatt on his sailing trip on the Intracoastal Waterway that brings them closer than she ever expected. Josie felt really relatable and she is so kind and has so much love in her. Wyatt is such a great grump too, and I loved how he was with Josie. The banter is so cute, and I thought the romance felt really organic. This is such a cute and fun romcom. Such a perfect summer read filled with adventure and character growth, laughs, and love!

A fun adventurous read. It had a slow burn with enemies to lovers and brothers best friend
Wyatt is such a sweetie and I enjoyed reading Josie and his story. There were a lot of LOL moments and a couple swoons! Overall recommend!!



I received a copy via NetGalley and this is my honest review!

The plot and flow of the this book seemed a little all over the place for me and at times felt very cliche. I had a hard time staying interested, just not the book for me

Loved this!!! I fell completely in love with Josie & Wyatt. It was the literally definition of “he fell first” 😭🥰💖 such a sweet book!

The dialogue and banter between the two characters was so much fun. This is the perfect summer holiday read!

ARC REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️
First of all, it has a couple of my favorite tropes so that was excellent.

I was 3 pages in and I was already invested, laughing and intrigued, although in some parts I found the dialogue childish and I felt Josie and Wyatt’s dynamic kind of mom & son.

In some occasions I felt there wasn’t a plot, a lot of inner monologue, a lot of telling instead of expressing and showing.

Overall I feel like this book’s lacking something, I had high expectations and in the end it was nothing special BUT, I enjoyed it and it made me laugh.

I Really enjoyed this book, why ? Because it made me laugh out loud several times and that’s pretty rare.
Josie is excited to spend time with her brother for their annual get together so why is she getting out in handcuffs for trespassing on the property her brother had told her to go to ?
Wade is inside the house feeling sorry for himself and his injury and not playing hockey when he hears some noise , calls the cops , and soon the trespasser is in the cop car but wait is that his best friends sister ? Crap . And so the story begins ..
I loved the beginning , middle and end. It kept my attention and interest the entire time. Well done !


Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the copy of the book. I received a complimentary copy, and all opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Brother’s best friend, school nurse x injured hockey player, close proximity, one bed.. all tropes that had me SAT🧎🏻‍♀️clean romance too!

oh my days and adding the dog to their slow burn romance story was just brilliant!!
I was cracking up at the outfits/costumes Josie was dressing her in as they kept getting more and more unhinged, the matching red bikini was the cherry on top🤣

I think fans of Sarah Adams’ love in Rome would eat this book up just like I did! It gave me the same cozy feels.

PS. This was NOT an enemies to lovers like advertised, more like grumpy x sunshine.
But it was grumpy sunshine done amazingly.

While not part of any series, If All Else Sails does feature Wyatt, a former Appies player and we see brief appearances from a few other teammates. While you can absolutely enjoy this book without having read that series, it's definitely a fun bonus for those of us who have.

When I pick up a book by Emma St. Clair, there are a few things that I have learned to expect:
-fantastic chemistry and banter
-laugh out loud moments that will keep me smiling
-loveable characters
-and animal shenanigans... of course!

This one did not disappoint on any of those fronts. This story drew me in right away with quite the memorable opening! I found myself laughing right from the start with this one... while the romance was a bit of a slower build, I found myself enjoying every minute with these two as they learn that their initial perceptions of one another might be a little off. The more we got to know them, the more I found myself rooting for them. With some of my favorite tropes (brother's best friend, forced proximity, etc) plus the unique sailing aspect, there was a lot to love with this one!

If All Else Sails is a closed-door romance with kisses only and no language. While overall a lighthearted and fun romcom, there is a brief mention of sexual assault/attempted sexual assault, that I thought was handled in such a genuine way. The way the character downplayed her experience is something that I think so many women can related to all too well.

**ARC received via Netgalley for consideration. All opinions are my own.

Emma St. Clair's latest novel, If All Else Sails, is a fantastic read! It features sports, family, angst, and romance. Josie is a nurse who genuinely wants to help everyone and everything. She is tricked into aiding Wyatt, someone she believed hated her, during his recovery from an injury. Wyatt is mostly known for being grumpy, but I adored the fevered Wyatt, who gave me several laugh-out-loud moments. This story explores second chances amidst a series of misunderstandings, with a heavy dose of friends and family meddling.
I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC ebook that I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

I LOVED this!!! It's not enemies to lovers, it's something much better in my opinion: Wyatt fell first and hard when they first met years ago and has been pining for Josie ever since, but she misunderstood everything and has kept her distance all these years till his injury and her brother force them together again. He is the epitome of a grumpy grump when they first meet again but the way he blossoms in her presence is just wonderful.

He's a hockey player but there's hardly any hockey in this book. I really enjoyed the sailing aspect though! Love the little dog they adopt and her outfits. I just loved everything about this book. My favorite from Emma St Clair by far!

If All Else Sails is a classic romance between our female lead and brother’s best friend. They don’t like each other (or it appears so) and the book starts off with a massive mix-up involving some cops and detainment. It’s not really enemies-to-lovers but more like we can be in the same room but won’t talk to each other.

He is a grumpy sports player dealing with an injury and the loss of his uncle whose unkept house he is hiding in and she * drumrolls please * is a medical nurse (in a school but she is on summer break). She helps him recover on the condition that she will sail with him on his uncle’s boat as per his last wishes. And that is where their forced proximity tension really boils over.

One point of issue is that till about 50% of the book, the book moves really slowly and I wish some of the bits were shortened. The romance books I have been picking up lately are closed-door romances and I am not complaining even though it is a detour from the usual romance books I read.

This makes for a good summer read. Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

I liked this one, but I didn’t quite love it. I went in expecting a full-on enemies-to-lovers romance, and while there was definitely some fun banter (which I really enjoyed!), it didn’t quite deliver on that trope the way I was hoping. Still, it was a solid read overall—engaging and enjoyable, just not amazing for me personally.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the ARC!

How often do we think whether the first impressions we have of a person are made without full context?

That's exactly what happened with Josie and Wyatt as they recount their first meet & every meet thereafter while they take a remembrance sail trip.

The main characters are written with deep emotional strokes with the supporting cast contributing to further defining them. Despite the blurb hinting at second chance, this story falls squarely into forced proximity trope. The only aspect this book had me asking for more was the descriptions of actual yacht work and life of a sailor.

I recommend this book to the sailing enthusiasts and those who love to read about agent-athlete relationships.

ARC and ALC review
Publication date: 5 Aug 25

"If All Else Sails" by Emma St. Clair is a contemporary romance.

I received an ARC from Thomas Nelson Fiction and an ALC from Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio (via Netgalley).
Opinions from this review are completely my own.

Josie was expecting a summer trip with her brother but he cannot get off work and askes her to help his friend Wyatt to recover after surgery.
She is a school nurse and he is a hockey player.

What you can expect:
- brother's best friend
- dual POV
- forced proximity
- witty banter
- sailing adventures
- cute dog
- slow burn
- closed door romance (kisses, mild innuendo)

The audiobook is narrated by Andi Arndt and Patrick Zeller. Most of the chapters are from Josie's POV and Andi did a great job narrating them.
I liked the way she managed to bring the characters to life with humor and emotion.
Unfortunately I did not enjoy the chapters from Wyatt's POV as much. The voice is nice but there were to many instances when he raised his voice and made the character seem mad.

The story is a mix of funny moments, emotional ones and a slow burn (closed door) romance.
Josie was sure that Wyatt hates her, but he was actually into her for many years.
She helps him at first and then they bond over sailing.
Slowly, she begins to trust him and they become friends before he admits that he has feelings for her.

This is my first book from the author and it convinced me to read more.

4.5 “my last name looks good on you rookie, maybe we could keep it there” dead. I was laughing, swooning, gasping at this book and I loved it way more than I thought it would. Brother’s best friend/client where the brother is plotting to get them together? Say less

4.5⭐

I loved this so much ❤️❤️❤️. I smiled all the time and laughed so hard, AND it's clean!!! I honestly love ALL the characters. The story itself is so cute and heartwarming and the audiobook is amazing 😭😭

Josie is sunshine and her sense of humor is hilarious. Wyatt is a grump but he's a secret softie, he reminded me of a porcupine 🥺 Jacob is a fantastic brother and a wonderful friend

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕻𝖗𝖊-𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

I heard brother's best friend and came running 🫣 Gigantic thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the eARC & ALC 💕

3.5/5 ⭐️
This was my first read by Emma St. Clair and this was a good book!

The story had some unique elements to it and Emma’s voice was really excellent at pulling me in and compelling me with the storyline. I love forced proximity, caretaking, and a MMC who can’t stop stumbling over his words! I found it adorable how he wanted to say one thing but always managed saying something else. But that gave them the chance to build those communication skills!!!

I think this book lacked some substance in some of the subplots it tried to incorporate. There was some acknowledgment of building trust after sexual assault trauma and some dabbling into toxic family dynamics but these storylines felt like they were really limited and it diminished their impact. I also feel like we missed the opportunity to see any growth or improved connection with her brother.

On that same note, some of the pacing was weird where we spent so much time in certain monologues and certain experiences, but then we’d gloss over days on end of their relationship building.

This was such a fun book!! I loved the chemistry between Wyatt and Josie. Also the grumpiness of Wyatt was so well done! The first scene in the book had me laughing so much and I was hooked through the rest of the story! The characters were both very relatable and unique and had emotional back stories that gave great depth!