Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: closed door, just kissing
Tropes:
* Enemies to lovers
* Brother’s best friend
* Hockey player romance
* Forced proximity
* Summer romance
* Funny rom com
* Grump x sunshine

Thank you to NetGalley, Emma St. Clair, and Thomas Nelson Fiction for this eARC!

I enjoyed this book, and it started out very funny, and progressed into a heartfelt summer romance that had Wyatt and Josie change each other for the better. Both seemed closed off from relationships, despite different personalities (him such a grump, her such a ray of sunshine).

This was definitely a slower romance, where they don’t truly act on their feelings til the last 3 or so chapters of the book. But their journey together, with lots of banter and sweet moments, makes up for that.

My only ask of the author is to extend the ending a little more! I wanted to see more of how they made things work before the ending or included in the epilogue. It felt somewhat rushed and I wanted more of their love story there at the end.

📘 If All Else Sails by Emma St. Clair

A grumpy hockey player. A sharp-tongued school nurse. One unexpected summer on the sea.

📚 Plot Snapshot
When school nurse Josie finds herself tricked into spending the summer with Wyatt Jacobs—her brother’s best friend and personal nemesis—sparks fly, and not just the angry kind. What begins as reluctant cohabitation soon drifts into emotional honesty, simmering tension, and a slow-burn romance that neither of them expected.

🖋️ Writing Style Vibe
✍️ Fast-paced, snarky banter balanced by heartfelt vulnerability
✍️ Dual-POV that captures both emotional wounds and unexpected affection
✍️ Clean, romantic tension with depth and dignity
✍️ Self-aware, modern voice with just the right dose of sarcasm and sweetness
✍️ Ideal for fans of grumpy-sunshine, brother’s best friend, and forced proximity tropes

❤️ My Highlights
✨ Wyatt Jacobs is officially one of my favorite MMCs this year. He’s quiet but not cold, thoughtful without being pushy, and his patience with Josie is absolute gold. There’s something so compelling about a man who listens, observes, and respects without fanfare.
✨Josie’s journey was handled with grace. Her past experiences were acknowledged without being minimized, and I appreciated how Wyatt never tried to “fix” her—he simply showed up, consistently and gently.
✨Loved the brother’s best friend twist. Jason’s flaws added complexity, and I’m honestly hoping he gets his own story.
✨Cameos from the other Appies! A delightful surprise that gave a sense of continuity and community. Seeing familiar faces made the story even more meaningful.

🤔 What Fell Flat (if anything)
The title and cover hinted at more sailing scenes, but the boat adventure doesn’t begin until nearly halfway through the book. It’s a small detail, but it may set certain expectations that take time to fulfill.

⭐ Final Rating + Shelf Status
★★★★½☆ (4.5/5)
Solid keep. Would recommend to fans of heartfelt slow-burns with substance and charm.

💭 My Thoughts
This book is more than a romance—it’s a story about healing, timing, and the quiet kind of love that grows in safe spaces. Wyatt’s quiet strength, paired with Josie’s sharp edges and tender heart, made for a dynamic and rewarding emotional arc. While Jason’s character made me grit my teeth at times, it just added realism to the family dynamics. The chemistry was clean but strong, and the emotional payoffs made the journey worth every page. I’ll definitely be looking out for the next book in this universe.

I received an advance reader copy from Thomas Nelson Fiction via NetGalley. My review reflects my honest and unbiased thoughts.

Take me away on a boat and let me just fall into this sweet sweet love story. I love this book so much! It was absolutely darling.

⛵️❤️ Book Review: If All Else Sails by Emma St. Clair ❤️⛵️

Set sail on a beautifully emotional journey of love, loss, and finding hope in the most unexpected places. Emma St. Clair’s If All Else Sails is a heartfelt story about second chances and healing by the sea.

After a devastating loss, Nora retreats to a small coastal town to rebuild her life. When she meets the charming, grounded captain Ben, sparks fly—but healing old wounds isn’t easy. Together, they navigate past pain and new beginnings, proving that love can be the strongest anchor.

Tropes You’ll Love:
💔 Second chance romance
🌊 Small town/coastal setting
🛶 Emotional healing
💕 Slow burn romance
🏡 Found family and new beginnings

If you’re craving a tender, beautifully written romance with rich characters and a touch of seaside magic, this book is for you.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#IfAllElseSails #EmmaStClair #SecondChanceRomance #SmallTownRomance #CoastalReads #Bookstagram #SlowBurnRomance #HealingJourney #BookReview

The Cover ✨ The Title ✨ The Banter ✨ The Pining ✨

Romance gold.

Injured hockey player Wyatt retreats to a so-called murder cabin (charming!) for a summer of brooding solitude, but his grumpy getaway is promptly sabotaged by his meddling agent. Enter Josie: teacher, reluctant caregiver, and suddenly very motivated by the kind of money that could actually get her a house—because let’s be honest, on a teacher’s salary, that’s basically a unicorn.

Instead of her planned sibling summer, Josie’s stuck babysitting her brother’s best friend. But throw in a rescue pup, a sailboat, and a pair of boat shoes (essential, clearly), and what you’ve got is a quintessential summer romance read—with just the right mix of sass, sweetness, and slow-burn pining.

Five-star reads are about the feeling they give you, and this one nailed it. From the first chapter, it had me hooked. It’s funny, it’s heartwarming, and the setting? Unique and a perfect summer backdrop . Sure, the sailing part doesn’t kick off until later, but the build-up was totally worth it—and we’re already riverside, so the summer vibes are strong from the start.

Wyatt’s patience with Josie? Swoon. It was so fun watching their dynamic grow—tender, teasing, and just the right amount of awkward.

Though this is very much a standalone, longtime fans of the Appies series will get a delightful little jolt from the familiar faces that pop in. It felt like a knowing wink from the author, and as a longtime reader and fan, I loved that nod.

A must-read summer romance!

In this book, you'll find:
-Enemies to Lovers
-Forced Proximity
-Closed Door
-Cute Dog Outfits


Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for this e-Arc in exchange for an honest review!

This is the rom com you need in your life if you like to smile, giggle, maybe sniffle, then smile some more! Every time I read one of this author's books, I feel like I look ridiculous as I smile constantly while reading. She writes characters that are real and flawed making them so incredibly relatable while weaving pure joy into words and creating a world that you wish you could just step into. I'm not even the demographic that she writes for as I am much older than the characters, yet I absolutely love reading her stories. This rom com is the brother's best friend, grumpy sunshine and close proximity tropes that you know and love, but done even better than most! I am the least sports-oriented person on the planet and couldn't even name one Hockey team that is real, but I totally would go to an Appies game if they were real (Go Appies!)! In fact, I might be inspired enough to actually go to a local minor league game here just to see if I like it. The beauty of her books is that they weave a compelling romance with real life issues to overcome and always end in a happily ever after. Added bonus is that most of her books introduce characters that will show up in the next book she writes. I am totally hoping that Jacob gets his own romance in a future book! I'm already looking to see what this author is writing next so I can get cued up and ready to read!

Josie thinks that she’s meeting up with her brother for another one of their Sibling Extravaganzas, but what she finds is that her brother has stood her up, and since she’s there and off for the summer, can she look after his number one client (and best friend) as he recovers!
Wyatt is in a slump and wants nothing more than to hit the water with his sailboat, but with his injury he can man the ship himself.

I enjoyed this book because I was able to visualize the events and all of the ports they visited on their journey because I live and vacation in the same areas of VA and NC. Not to mention that I love a good forced proximity, childhood crush, enemies to lovers, brother’s best friend, famous hockey player storyline!

I’ve been a long-time reader of Emma St. Clair’s books, so I was thrilled to receive an early copy of If All Else Sails through NetGalley. This story swept me away from the very first page. I’d met reclusive, injured hockey player Wyatt in the Appies series and was happy to see him get his own story—crusty exterior and all! He’s grumpy, misunderstood, and secretly a total cinnamon roll, which made him all the more endearing.

Josie, the cautious but kind-hearted school nurse who finds herself caring for Wyatt (not always for the right reasons at first), is his perfect match. Their slow-burn romance is sweet, full of tension, and deliciously paced. Add in a sailing journey (my favorite part of the book), several hilarious mishaps, and a dog in a bikini and you’ve got the perfect blend of heart, humor, and healing.

St. Clair always delivers swoon-worthy stories with authentic, lovable characters, and this one was no exception. If All Else Sails is heartfelt, funny, and ideal for a late summer read—exactly what I’ve come to expect and love from Emma St. Clair and why I always recommend her clean, no-spice books!

*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary, advanced e-copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

If All Else Sails by Emma St. Clair is an enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity romance. Wyatt is a grumpy, injured hockey player hiding away at a remote cottage. Josie is his agent/best friends younger sister, a school nurse off for the summer. Said brother/agent/best friend tricks Josie into becoming Wyatt's caregiver which leads to a several week sailing trip (and love 🩷). This was such a fun read! The characters relationship progressed in such a natural and loving manner. The author did a great job of drawing me in to the story that I didn't want to put the book down! I will definitely be reading more from Emma St. Clair.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson Fiction, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Josie’s brother always comes up with a sibling trip and they can get wild, so when Josie shows up to a murder cabin and finds her brother’s friend/client grumpy Wyatt, she isn’t sure what to think. He talks her into staying to help Wyatt recover from an injury, and she agrees. Enemies to lovers/forced proximity lets go! I love both tropes, and they are done here together fabulously. Though, it is really only enemies on Josie’s side, as we know Wyatt has adored her from the start. We learn about Josie’s past, as well as why Wyatt owns the “murder cabin.” They embark on a journey together and I am here for it all. This one is a super slow burn, and I wish we would have gotten a little more of them as a couple. It is a clean romance, many I read include the spice…so it was nice for the pacing on it. I really enjoyed this one, it was such a fun ride!

Bottom Line: Read it!

**I received a copy of If All Else Sails from Netgalley and am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.**

This book got off to an odd start for me. It was a bit strange at first with the initial introduction of the main characters. Although they knew each other, I felt Josie's personality was a bit aggressive and combative. I struggled to connect with the main characters and I felt like I didn't get to know them deeply enough. I did like the overall plot. I thought it was cute. I just felt as though they didn't give me enough to pull me into the story. I did read some other reviews where they really loved the book, so my opinion shouldn't deter you from checking it out. It just was a miss for me. Thank you to Emma St. Clair, Thomas Nelson, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Cute premise, cozy setting 🐶⛵️, and fun moments, but a bit too squeaky clean for me 🧼🫧

This book pulled me in quickly! I loved the charming setting of the Virginia Cape, the unexpected roommate situation, and the simultaneously endearing and funny moments the author created. ⛵🌊 I especially loved the dog entering the picture! 🐶🖼️🐾

While I flew through the first part, I found myself taking a break from the book around two-thirds of the way through. Josie, the protagonist, started off quirky and fun but gradually seemed more helpless and emotionally immature, with the tendency to be scandalized by everything. After reading a review of another of this author's books, which highlighted that similar character dynamics are more typical of younger teens, I couldn't help but see the novel through that lens.

While I understand and appreciate that this is a clean romance 🧼, hints of off-page intimacy and a greater build of realistic tension would have improved the book for me. While I don’t want to stereotype, it’s hard to believe a professional athlete would wait literal months to kiss someone he has feelings for (this is revealed early on) and is living with. The lack of communication between the two main characters became frustrating. You’re both grown adults living in the same house... please just talk 🙃.

As for the narration, it was okay overall, though the narrators’ delivery styles weren’t my favorite. At times, the vocal affect and tone felt distracting. The male narrator leaned heavily into the frustration angle, and that didn’t feel true to how I pictured the character, so it was a bit off for me.

As I mentioned earlier, there was still plenty to enjoy in If All Else Sails. It’s perfect for readers looking for a wholesome, fun summer romance with a cozy coastal setting and a (super) slow burn 🔥. I’m curious to explore more, maybe some romances where the door’s left slightly ajar 🚪😉 with similarly fun, quirky setups that still make me laugh. If you have recs, let me know!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thanks to Thomas Nelson Fiction Audio for the ARC

#IfAllElseSails #NetGalley #ALC #ARC

"Maybe love is giving the other person the something they may not have on their own."

So delightful! I loved getting to know Josie and Wyatt. Josie's slightly obsessive, neurotic, anxious yet hopeful, bright, and sunny personality was the perfect complement for Wyatt's driven, focused, grumpy, monosyllabic yet thoughtful and kind persona. It was a mash-up of older brother's best friend and unrequited love and enemies-to-lovers trope, which was executed beautifully. Josie and Wyatt's banter was spectacular and they had some great laugh-out-loud moments. Someone should turn this book into a movie - it will be a huge hit.
I loved learning about sailing and traveling down the Intracoastal Waterway with them. Josie and Wyatt's romance was sweet and their friendship deep and genuine. I hope there is a book about Josie's older brother Jacob in the future!
If you love romcoms, you will absolutely adore this book. I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Thomas Nelson via NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own.

Such a fun book with so many "very Richmond" twists and turns. This is a great summer read and is so good. I loved reading about all the characters and getting their backstory. So amazing and lots of good river sidebars about Rivah places. Totally recommend!

Unfortunate it was a dnf for me.. i just couldn’t get through it. I don’t know what it was exactly but it just wasn’t catchy for me.

Stubborn and a curmudgeon, Wyatt does not want to accept the help his agent thrust upon him in the form of his sister, Josie. Brother’s best friend romance at its finest! Perfect summer read. Slow burn romance that will have you invested to see when will the HEA arrive.

Get your boat shoes, sunscreen, cool whip containers, and waterway maps ready for a sailing trip you need to take this summer! This trip is with Josie and Wyatt, two of the most unlikely pairs, at first glance, but with a little deeper look you will find not a grump but a softy and not a standoff girl but a woman who craves hugs and physical connection.

Will a little time together on a sailing boat crack open these two and show them what each other is missing and how wrong they have been about one another?

Wyatt is a pro hockey player, you may have heard of him from the Appies series if not don't worry, he also is a client of Josie's brother, Jacob. He is currently rehabbing in a "murder cabin" (that is a direct quote from Josie). But his rehab isn't going quite like expected. His mental health is also taking a toll and Jacob realized that Wyatt needs a little help, in the form of someone who won't backdown from his sarcasm and Josie is the perfect nurse! However, Josie isn't exactly lining up to take the job. Her and Wyatt aren't exactly best friends, like him and Jacob. But after a little sibling trickery Josie finds herself saying "yes" to helping Wyatt. What she doesn't expect to find herself saying "Yes" to is: late night fever induced love confessions, scary animal sounds from the barn, wild pigs that require bodily harm to fight off, midnight splinter removal, shirtless therapy sessions, and most of all a sailing trip that leads to questioning feelings. But all that can be billed back to Jacob, right?

Emma does a great job writing this slow burn between Wyatt and Josie and sharing both their histories that hold them back from one another. She pops in great laughter filled moments that will make you forget the fact that you aren't sure if they are ever going to end up together!

If you love the slow burn, the hidden grump, the secret pasts, adorable pups that will make you jealous of your attire, and swoon worthy kisses this is the perfect summer romance that will bring all the heat for you!

Thank you, Emma, Thomas Nelson Fiction, NetGalley for my eBook. It was not expected for me to leave any positive feedback. These opinions are 100% my own.

A One-Click author who never disappoints.
Anytime Emma St. Clair writes a book, I'm there waiting impatiently to get my hands on it. I know:
1) it will be hilarious;
2) it will be clean; and
3) it will leave me with a soft sigh, because it will have a feel good HEA ending.
Emma St. Clair, you knocked this one out of the park (or should I say that you slapped that hockey puck right into the net, with the buzzer sounding and the red light flashing!)
Love, love, loved it!

I was so excited to get an ARC of Emma St. Clair’s trad published debut! And was even more excited to realize Wyatt was one of our Appies hockey players. I love how Emma finds ways to connect all her series to each other. It’s truly so much fun.

The setup for this one was so fun. I knew Josie was going to end up on a sailing trip with Wyatt, her brother’s BFF, but I wasn’t sure how that was going to play out. And I felt like there were a lot of ways it could go that would seem flimsy but I thought the reason for this made so much sense and made the story that much more fun. I loved watching Wyatt and Josie get to know each other and for Josie to see the real Wyatt and have her preconceived notions of him destroyed one by one. There’s a lot of lead up in the book to the actual sailing trip but I enjoyed all of it and felt it was really well done. I also loved getting some cameos from some favorite Appies. That was such a nice surprise. Also Wyatt is a thoughtful sweetie and I just adored him so much. I wish I could’ve gotten more of his POV but that’s because I tend to love the guy’s POV more. Overall this was a fun one and I think it’s a great summer read.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and Emma for the ARC!

This is the perfect summer book!

If All Else Sails follows Josie and Wyatt. Wyatt is a hockey player who is struggling to get back on his feet (literally and metaphorically) after an injury. Wyatt’s best friend / Josie’s brother, Jacob, tricks Josie into helping Wyatt get back on track, and that’s where our story begins. Much of the story unfolds as the pair sails down the Intracoastal Waterway together stopping at spots like Carolina Beach and Savannah.

Wyatt and Josie were so adorable, and I absolutely loved this romance! Emma St. Clair packed this story full of hilarious, laugh out loud moments alongside tender, intimate ones. Sailing on a boat down the coast was such a fun setting for this book, and the author really created such a fun world for our two main characters to fall in love.

Wyatt was a strong, protective, masculine male main character while also being incredibly patient, thoughtful, and completely smitten. Josie was witty and funny while also being incredibly compassionate and selfless towards those she loves. They both had their personal issues and struggles that they were able to share with one another as their relationship deepened.

Also, this book is a spin-off of the Appies series, and I LOVED that we got to see a couple of our favorite Appies players make a guest appearance in this book as well.

Read if you love:

💙 brothers best friend

🤍 forced proximity

⛵️east coast sailing

🐾 dogs in books

🚫 no spice

🚫 no language