Oh how I quite love a forced-proximity, "enemies" to lovers, a good ole "I thought you knew" filled with banter, tension, and the sweetest ending of them all. After receiving a copy from Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley, I couldn't hold back on stating what I truly think of this book. From the immediate moment we meet the two main characters, their banter are humor are unparalleled, and it continues on throughout the novel. Each character brings a joy to this book while we see the two main characters find their way and find each other. To see how two different people can see the same situation differently is relatable, and it brings immense joy and hopefulness to see how it ends. I'm so glad I got to embark in the story of Wyatt and Josie and will always imagine just how amazing their love story continues to be.

Any book written by Emma St. Clair is an absolute must read for me. The way she weaves a story has me sucked in immediately. Her characters are developed and seem like actual people. One thing that I appreciate about grumpy sunshine tropes is that it helps dispel the thought that grumpy people are just mean and don’t care about anyone else. They are that way for a reason, whether it’s anxiety, pain, or something else. I loved watching these two learn to open up and slowly grow closer (emphasis on slowly…my patience was not as strong as Wyatt’s). I have loved all the Appies books so getting to see Wyatt find love even though he’s no longer part of that team was fun. And Jib was just another sprinkle on top. It wouldn’t be an Emma book without an animal.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Overall I really enjoyed this, and it had some of my favorite tropes (forced proximity, brother's best friend). I felt there was a bit too much telling and not showing when it came to how the characters felt, especially about each other. Like they were just explaining everything away in their inner monologues rather than with each other. I plan on checking out more books by this author to see if it was just this instance or if it's a consistency in her writing.
It did get better toward the end and I was really able to enjoy the slow burn. It felt like their relationship really took time to grow and the characters were really really likable. MMC is also a professional hockey player, which I love.

I was excited to read Emma St. Clair’s first trad book, having read some of her indie published books in the past. St. Clair is still writing the same kind of dialogue and attempts at humor that always hold her books back from greatness. It appeals to fourteen-year-olds but as a forty-year-old reader, it falls flat. I’d love to see her rise to the occasion to write a character who is more mature. I think she’d nail it. Hockey is still hot but feeling overdone and I have read so many “spread the ashes with the guy who is dubbed an enemy” lately that that also didn’t feel fresh. However, I would recommend this book to Emma fans because they’ll eat it up.

If All Else Sails is a sweet enemies to lovers rom-com about Josie and her brothers best friend Wyatt. Josie and her brother try to take a sibling trip every year and this year when Josie shows up at the address her brother gave her she is arrested for trespassing. Wyatt is a professional hockey player, recently injured, who has shut himself away from the world in his deceased uncle's house on the water and calls the police not knowing the woman walking around his property is Josie. Josie's brother is Wyatt's agent and asks her to stay and help him recuperate and she reluctantly agrees. Josie gets to know a new side of Wyatt and realizes that she might have been wrong about him all these years.

This book was funny, sweet, and had a lot of heart! Once I started reading, I could not put it down. Josie and Wyatt are both struggling with different things and are there for each other, despite the issues of their pasts.

Thank you Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for this ARC! I highly recommend this fun enemies to lovers romance!

4.5⭐️
I am so surprised by this one. I haven’t read anything by this author before, but I will be picking up more!
This was so stinkin cute! Was it super cheesy? Yes.
It wasn’t perfect, and there were some moments that I felt were a little cringy, but in the end it didn’t matter enough to me, because I loved it!
This follows Josie and Wyatt. Wyatt is a hockey player who was recently injured, and his best friend tricks his sister Josie(who is a nurse), into coming to help Wyatt. I would say this is more grumpy/sunshine trope than enemies to lovers. There were so many funny moments with these two. I adored the sailing aspect to this book, and felt their dynamic worked so well.
The ending…swoon! So so good!!
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for this ARC. What a fun and unique story. Definitely one of the grumpiest grumpy sunshine tropes, but also so sweet and endearing. I enjoyed how we got to see these characters grow and how mental health was handled in this book. Plus there was some trademark Emma St. Clair humor.

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

Josie, a school nurse, is tricked into caring for her brother’s best friend, pro NHL player, Wyatt. Josie thinks Wyatt, whom she has known for years, has always hated her, but as she discovers when they take a sailing trip down the eastern seaboard, that could not be further from the truth.

This sweet rom-com has a ton of heart, loveable and relatable characters, and all of the best tropes:

Enemies to lovers ✔️
Brother’s best friend ✔️
Hockey romance ✔️
Grumpy/sunshine ✔️
Forced proximity ✔️
Only one bed ✔️
He falls first ✔️

PLUS cameo appearances by two of our favorite Appies hockey players, Eli and Van.

Definitely add this one to your TBR!

Thank you to the author and the publisher. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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

“Never leave the house without your underwear or your boundaries” I feel like this line hooked me.
I did like the main characters, including Jacob. Although at some points Wyatt could be too gumpy and Josie could be too much. And some things felt like they dragged on for too long, but I do love an enemies to lovers trope which is what this was. So overall, cute story, if a little basic and cute ending.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for this advanced copy!

Wow!!!! This book was SO cute. The banter and dialogue is top tier. I found myself highlighting so many quotes!

I loved so many different parts of this book but some of my favorites were the initial banter between the characters when deciding if she was staying to help him, the shopping spree with MMC’s mom (and immediately following!) and the rain scene on the boat. I’ve never read a book involving sailing and it made for such a fun and cute setting!

I loved this book and will absolutely be recommending to friends!

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book!
I haven’t read anything from the author in the past but like the synopsis of this and truly can not wait to read more!

The dynamic of Josie and Wyatt were very cute and I could not put it down!

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy for an honest review!

This is my first time reading a book by this author and it was a delight. Simple, swoony romance with enemies to lovers trope and witty banter. The perfect romcom book for fans of this type of genre.

This book is the perfect summer romcom. I loved the vivid setting, realistic and endearing characters, and slow burn romance. Although I will admit, the slow burn was a bit too slow for me at times. I especially enjoyed the cameos from this author’s Appies series. It is very rare that I find a main character that I personally identify with as much as I did with Josie. The anxiety representation in this book was on point. Overall this is a cute and fun read with a bit of depth. I recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, closed door slow burn, summer read.

This one is a very slow burn, and I was hoping to have more of their relationship, but it was more 'ok we're together now' then the next page they're 2 years into being together and married. There was a lot of build up for not much excitement.

I did enjoy this one though, don't get me wrong, but the ending left more questions than answers. Not necessarily a cliffhanger, but more of 'did I miss a chapter at the end before the epilogue? Is there a bonus epilogue?'

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy!

If All Else Sails has some of my favorite romance tropes, and the story is really well-executed. The only-one-bed trope works even in this sweet romance, along with plenty of forced proximity and an enemies-to-lovers trajectory. I also adore books involving travel, in particular sailing since I've never been on a sailboat, so there's some great escapism to the book. It's probably my favorite Emma St. Clair novel so far!

Jessie is working at being content with her ordinary life as a school nurse, hoping to one day buy her own home, not interested in romance or dating. Wyatt is a hockey pro who's down recovering from an injury. They've known each other for years as he's her brother's close friend, but Jessie's always assumed he can't stand her. They're thrown together by said brother who wants Jessie to talk sense into Wyatt so he'll show up for physical therapy and get back to hockey.

Wyatt is somewhat of a grump, but never truly mean, so it's easy to imagine early on that his grumpy exterior hides a sweetness underneath. The two decide to go sailing to follow the same route Wyatt planned to take with his now-deceased uncle, the man who had been like a father to him.

I loved the story of Jessie learning how to sail as a complete newbie, Wyatt learning how to accept help to recover from his injury, and both of them figuring out whether they can trust each other and become something more than enemies and even more than friends. Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

I always am a fan of a brothers best friend trope and this was a cute read for that. Wyatt was a sweet grump and he and Josie had solid banter. Will read more by Emma St, Clair

It was a cute rom-com with a great premise, but I felt like it lacked something. The beginning was great, the book was very easy to get into, and I found myself getting invested in the main characters straight away.

Usually, I am not a big fan of brother’s-best-friend trope, but with this book I almost did not care. Mainly because he was not there! None of the side characters were in any means memorable, since we meet them for a page or two and then move on.

The book is written in dual POV but I’d say just barely. It was really disappointing to find out that the main male character got only around 7 chapters. And since it felt like nothing was going on plot-wise, it would have been nice to at least see their feelings develop from both perspectives.

Overall, I’d say that this book is a perfect read for a cozy evening, something you can easily finish in one sitting.

Thank you so much to Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for this ARC!

This book was fantastic! With the perfect balance of edginess and swoon-worthy moments, it featured amazing character growth. This book had a hilarious beginning, and I really enjoyed how the plot developed. Her books just keep getting better and better, and the pacing was ideal. Overall, this book did not let me down. I thoroughly recommend it.

Oh Emma, you’ve really done it this time! 😍😍
I loved this book!! It had such wonderful character development with just the right amount of sass and swoony moments. I loved the hilarious start to this book and how the story evolved! The only thing I don’t like is that it’s over, and now I have a book hangover!! ❤️

A sweet and easy read. The characters were likable and the premise was original. There were times when I felt like the characters’ inner monologues took over and there were other parts that just felt too silly. But it was a cute book with a cute premise!

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