4.5 stars on this one. It's an arc I got from NetGalley. I thought it was great. The banter and back and forth were great and there were some truly lol moments. I loved getting to know Wyatt who is a teammate in the Appies series who moved to a different league. I had a little quibble with the epilogue but on the whole, this was a really fun romcom. St. Clair is one of my favorite clean romance writers. She's generally one whose books I will always pick up and enjoy.

This book is such a fun, cute, and easy read. Emma St. Clair pulls you in from page one and keeps you hooked through the whole story. There’s banter, chemistry, laughter, and of course swoon-worthy romance. This book has lots of good tropes that work well together: brother's best friend, hockey player, one bed, forced proximity, and he falls first—all the good things a romance needs. I appreciated how clean this book is while still giving you lots of romance.

Emma’s writing is amazing; I didn’t get bored for a second. The pace was perfect; her books just keep getting better and better. All in all, this book did not disappoint. I highly recommend it.

Emma St. Clair is an auto buy author for me, I love all of her books. Getting to read If All Else Sails early was amazing The main characters Josie and Wyatt were fantastic, the setting was lovely, and the way the story carried out was like a summer dream. Everyone should read this book, along with all of her other ones. It was so cute!

Thank you netgalley and Thomas Nelson for an arc of If All Else Sails by Emma St. Clair

The perfect light, easy read! I would absolutely recommend this book. I liked the hockey player without playing hockey storyline - while being a player impacted the story, it wasn’t a massive part of the book. Very well written and easy to follow. I honestly have nothing bad to say about it!

I thoroughly enjoyed being able to read such a sweet “enemies to lovers” romance. It is the perfect spring/summer read to escape with, preferably by the pool or ocean with a cold drink in hand! You couldn’t help but fall in love with Josie and Wyatt. Each of them had some long-term issues they battled, but still didn’t give up completely on happiness and love. Their banter made me laugh many times and I couldn’t help but cheer for Josie’s spunk! Wyatt’s brooding personality was very “swoon-worthy.” As someone who loves being on the Intercoastal, I also enjoyed feeling like I was on the water during parts of the book. The author did a relatively good job with touching on some tough topics, but I do feel like they were “glazed over.” As a result, the book felt rushed in in parts. I feel like the character development of some of the side characters could have been a bit further developed and incorporated, which would have provided a bit more depth to the plot/storyline. This is a slow-burn, closed door, no spice romance. Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Publishers for my eARC copy!

If All Else Sails by Emma St. Clair is the kind of rom-com that’s perfect for a light, feel-good read. The slow-burn romance between Wyatt and Josie is packed with enough charm and humor to make you smile, even if their "enemies-to-lovers" arc feels more like a reluctant acquaintances-to-lovers journey. The grumpy-sunshine dynamic between the two creates fun tension, and the quirky dog adds even more lightheartedness to the story. The forced proximity of the sailboat setting brings its own set of delightful moments, although the first half of the book drags a bit with slow pacing and a lot of inner monologue.

The romance definitely picks up once they’re out on the water, but I couldn’t help wishing for a bit more depth to the connection between Wyatt and Josie. While their chemistry is cute, I didn’t feel the sparks I was hoping for—especially with the buildup of the "enemies" part of their relationship. That said, the humorous banter, the dog antics, and the growth of both characters made up for the lack of tension. If you're into clean, closed-door romance with plenty of comedy and a bit of sweetness, If All Else Sails is a breezy and enjoyable read that’s perfect for a quick, cozy day in.

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

Josie is an elementary school nurse who gets tricked by her brother into helping his best friend and hotshot hockey player, Wyatt, rehab his foot. Josie and Wyatt have history riddled with misunderstandings, and I enjoyed watching them work through those in present day. The sailing trip was a storyline in the book that I was looking forward to, and I was glad to find that the pacing of the trip did not feel rushed. Even though I love a good slow burn, I think I was hoping for their relationship to move a tiny bit quicker than it did (even though I get why it didn’t). Overall, I thought this was a fun read with some really solid characters.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for the ARC! My review will be posted to Goodreads upon the publication date, and this review will be edited with the link at that time.

If All Else Sails by Emma St. Clair is such a cute, fun and beautiful romance. Swoony but low spice. Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, brother's friend, etc. I really enjoyed reading this
I got a complimentary copy from Thomas Nelson Fiction via Netgalley. All opinions expressed are mine

This was such a fun romcom! I loved the main characters and the side-characters. The plot had a nice pace and a satisfying ending.

This is a super cutie romance that was exactly what I needed. The slow burn was absolutely perfect, their banter was cute, overall just so cutie patootie!!

What a fun book! I love Emma St. Clair’s writing style. All the delicious wit and banter and none of the spice.

Emma never disappoints in creating an engaging story that keeps pulling you back in. This book had all my favorite tropes! Hockey romance, brothers best friend, he falls first…ah just all so good! I also loved how this was just as much about Josie’s own personal journey as it was a romance and Wyatt was just the best mix of grump on the outside and softie on the inside

"I'm a very patient man." And also slow as molasses. Who likes someone for as long as Wyatt has liked (loved) Josie. I hate that he probably would have continued to love her from afar if he hadn't hurt his foot and then spent weeks wallowing, necessitating Jacob sending Josie to help him. That's why Wyatt is not so smart. Maybe he'd been hit in the head by a puck....hmmmm. I LOVE the whole hospital scene! From the moment Josie works to get Wyatt in his vehicle all the way through to them getting take-out on their way home from the hospital. Every word of that was a true delight! I can't wait to read through that scene again!!!

Very quick and enjoyable reading! I'm in love with sailing so this one was just for me!

Slow burn with it's always been you was very delicious. Almost without the spice but it wasn't spoil the book.
Wyatt is goals!


Will recommend on my blog!

4.5 Boat Shoes 👞

What a delightful slow burn romance. It’s light on the spice factor if that’s what you are looking for but not on the tension.
Wyatt is pretty adorable as a big grumpy hockey player/sailor. Josie is the sunshine to his rain cloud. But as the story progresses she is given more layers and depths that allow for her (positively) flawed character to shine through.

Also Princess JibJabberwocky is clearly an adorable addition and would be welcome, in her many ridiculous outfits, aboard any sailing adventure I’d take.
Also I wouldn’t mind one of Mumma Jacob’s shopping sprees!!

If you like enemies to lovers with a spice level of 0=🌶️ but a realistic love story, than this the book for you.

Delightful romp aboard a boat!

Utterly delightful slow burn romance. Josie gets tricked into helping out her brothers friend slash client. There is no real enemy to lover trope. Instead, he has had feelings for years. Now is the chance to do something about it.

Very sweet story. The writing could use a bit more polish, but I would read this book again. I’ll also read sequels (hint hint). Definitely time well spent in reading this book.

5 stars.

If All Else Sails by Emma St Clair was a combination of some of my favourite tropes - brother's best friend, forced proximity, enemies to lovers. It had a great mix of witty and insightful dialogue and some fun scenes. It mainly centred around school nurse Josie spending her vacation with her brother's best friend - pro hockey player who is recovering from an injury, at his run-down cottage. They work towards his recovery and a sailing trip down the intercoastal waterway.

This was my first read by this author and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more stories in the future.

Thank you Net Galley for an advanced ARC copy.

Loved it! From start to finish this grumpy sunshine, enemies to lovers story hooked me in the best way! The grumpy hero was perfection! Honestly, how did his gruff exterior ever mask his—melt me into a puddle— heart of gold? I absolutely loved his fever induced truth telling moments the most! The forced proximity worked wonderfully well in this story and I enjoyed all the little special things that Wyatt did for Josie incognito. I love a romance that builds without unnecessary conflict and this one delivers! This is going on my favorites list for the year! I adored it!

If All Else Sails is a delightful, easy read you can finish in a day, packed with laugh-out-loud moments, a swoon-worthy slow-burn romance, and a quirky dog that steals the show. Emma St. Clair’s signature wit shines through the banter between Wyatt and Josie, whose grumpy-sunshine dynamic and forced proximity create plenty of entertaining tension. While marketed as enemies-to-lovers, their relationship feels more like reluctant acquaintances to lovers. Further development of their "enemy" origin story could have added greater depth to their connection, as the expected tension from the trope doesn’t fully materialize.

The sailboat setting adds a refreshing twist, with the story picking up once they set sail. However, the first half drags with excessive inner monologue and a slow build that makes the eventual romance feel sudden. Readers hoping for a stronger focus on Josie’s nursing role in Wyatt’s recovery may find that aspect underdeveloped. Still, the charming side characters, humorous canine antics, and meaningful character growth from both leads make this a worthwhile read. If you enjoy clean, closed-door romances with forced proximity and plenty of humor, If All Else Sails is a charming addition to your TBR—perfect for a one-sitting read, if you can sail through the slow start. Look for this on shelves August 5!

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

This is a standalone, kisses only romcom by Emma St Clair. It features a character that was first introduced in a previous series of hers, but it is absolutely not necessary to have read that series to thoroughly enjoy this book.

Wyatt and Josie have chemistry out the wazoo. The banter between them is humorous. I appreciated the deeper touches of the story as well. There is healing achieved throughout the story for both characters. It was fun to take that journey with them.

One thing that I do want to mention, is that I did not read the blurb and am very glad that I didn't. It contains information that happens over halfway through the story. From the cover and title, some events could be guessed, but I personally hate being spoiled by blurbs. That's why I've stopped reading them, especially for authors I am familiar with their content or for books recommended to my by friends. That is another reason why my reviews are more vague than maybe other's are.

I did receive an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.