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!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (5/5 stars)

Enemies to lovers + one grumpy hockey player + one feisty school nurse = pure summer romcom gold. 🏒💘⛵

When Josie arrives at a rundown cottage instead of the promised sibling getaway, she’s greeted not by family, but by Wyatt—her brother’s injured hockey-star best friend and her sworn nemesis. Add in a forced summer together, unexpected sailing adventures, and a whole lot of unresolved tension, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a slow-burn that sizzles. 😤🔥❤️

This story has everything: sarcastic banter, emotional depth, "grumpy x sunshine" energy, and a sailboat road trip that’s both hilarious and heartfelt. Watching Josie and Wyatt go from barely tolerating each other to something way deeper was such a satisfying, swoon-filled ride. 🛶💬💞

The chemistry? Off the charts. The emotional growth? So real. The side of laughter, longing, and late-night confessions? Chef’s kiss. 👩‍⚕️🍲✨

If you love forced proximity, slow-burn tension, and romance with heart and heat, this one’s your next five-star favorite. It’s tender, funny, and utterly unputdownable. 📚💖⛵

Brothers best friend. Grumpy/sunshine. Hockey player albeit without any official hockey.

Things I loved about this book:
1. Wyatt! Oh my. He was such a dream boat! Coming from Josie’s perspective that he hates her to his perspective… loved him.
2. Josie was such a delightful character with how she faced hard things but was able to look past her preconceived notions about Wyatt and herself.
3. Josie’s brother Jacob and how he was a true friend to Wyatt.
4. The sailing adventure- the dog outfits and the people they met along the way.
5. Wyatt’s mom— she was delightful!

Favorite Quotes:
And I remember every word she’s ever spoken to me. Just like I remember every one I’ve said to her, all of which somehow came out of my mouth wrong.

“It’s the way he looks at you,” Eli says. “Like you’re all he sees.” “Or wants to see,” Van agrees.

“My last name looks good on you, Rookie. Maybe we can find a way to keep it there.”

“Because what I want—what I’ve always wanted with you—is everything.”

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

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

Tropes:
🛥️ Enemies To Lovers
🛥️ Slowburn
🛥️ Brothers Best Friend
🛥️ Grumpy x Sunshine

Josie is a school nurse and severely under qualified to help hockey player Wyatt rehab his potentially career ending injury, her brother Jacob however has other plans…

I ate this book up, it was such an easy read and such a phenomenal slow burn. Wyatt is grumpy and Josie is the sun he needs to scare away his dark clouds. I am a big fan of Emma St Clair’s contributions to the Appie’s series, so I thoroughly enjoyed Eli and Van making a cameo.

Such a great easy mood read, the banter was so good and the pacing was done incredibly well. I am hoping we get a Jacob book in the future ( with more cameos pls) I would love to see him reform his player ways and have to ask Josie for advice.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the ARC.

I don't even really know what to say about this one. It wasn't the worst romance I have ever read but it didn't particularly stand out from the others either. The characters weren't anything to write home about but I found their trip and the blossoming of their friendship and relationship to be somewhat enjoyable. I was hoping to feel the tension between them, but I think that the book lacked showing us the chemistry between Josie and Wyatt. It's a fine reading but I probably won't think twice about this book.

If you’re into enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, and tons of banter, may I recommend If All Else Sails?

Josie thinks she’s showing up for a fun sibling weekend and instead lands at a rundown cottage with Wyatt, the grumpy hockey player (!!!) she can’t stand, who also happens to be her brother’s best friend (fave trope alert!) and client. Josie’s stuck helping Wyatt recover from an injury (screaming rn), and soon she finds herself navigating tight spaces, awkward moments, and a whole lot of canned food.

The chemistry between these two is *chef’s kiss,* from hilarious bickering to heartwarming moments as they slowly start to fall for each other. The boat trip to scatter ashes adds a unique twist and an emotional depth to this book that I was looking for.

It’s a fun, sweet read with just enough tension to keep you hooked. Definitely a perfect summer read if you're in the mood for a sweet, heartwarming romcom.

This is a cute story about a school nurse who is duped into taking care of her brother's loathsome but pitifully injured hockey player friend.

I enjoyed all the banter and the slow and steady progression of the relationship. I love getting in the character's heads, though there were a few times when I got lost in the inner monologue between pieces of dialogue.

I'm so glad this was a dual POV - I loved getting both perspectives, which eventually led to all the secret mutual pining. 🤌🏼 Though, of course, it also had me silently screaming at them to talk to each other about how they feel!

The setting of the book is fun, from the murder cottage to the sailboat. It made me want to get out in the sunshine! This would be a great summertime read. ☀️

Tropes to look forward to:
⛵ Brother's Best Friend
⛵ Grumpy x Sunshine
⛵ (One-Sided) Enemies to Lovers
⛵ Forced Proximity
⛵ Only One Bed (clean)

💕: kisses, mild innuendo
⚠️: abandonment by family, brief description of past abuse

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Publishing for allowing me to read and review this eARC.

Loved this book!!! It was absolutely adorable, a very unique yet believable plot, and as always with Emma st. Clair, great writing!!! I would recommend this to anyone looking to escape and be happy for awhile!