This was a very enjoyable read! I love everything I've read by author Emma St.Clair, and this was no exception.
The writing style is so witty, which I just love! Romcoms are some of my favorites for the very fact that they're comedic. And If All Else Sails definitely is filled with some very amusing moments!
Josie and Wyatt are great main characters. And while I am not a dog person, I actually enjoyed Jib, and all the outfits Josie found for her. Haha.
For the majority of the book, Josie is convinced Wyatt used to hate her. He definitely has a grump persona at first. But I loved getting to read from both of their points of view throughout the novel - it really gave more depth and realness to their characters and the reason behind many of their actions/attitudes.
The slow burn was real. XD I like slow burns so I thought it was handled really well, and I was plenty happy at the end! The epilogue might just be my favorite part of the whole book, hehe. So sweet.
I liked being apart of their sailing journey and seeing how that turned out.
Very fun story, lovely romance!


Thanks to the author and Netgalley for a copy of this story. I was not required to write a positive review and all thoughts expressed are entirely my own.

I just loved this! Wyatt and Josie are perfect! So opposite but yet so perfect for each other. What we think will be an enemies to lovers we find out that is maybe one sided. Wyatt is stubborn as can be but yet so perfect. Josie is sweet and caring but yet tender and scared. Wyatt breaks down all those walls slowly. It was a very slow burn story but so sweet along the way. I finished this in one day! I have read many stories from Emma St. Clair and this was just another perfect one!

If All Else Sails offered a charming, forced-proximity setup: a school nurse and her brother's best friend, a grumpy, injured hockey player she loathed tricked into spending the summer together. The premise of an enemies-to-lovers story set in a "quaint little murder cottage" was a cosy romance lover's dream and I was all aboard for the drama.

On the positive side, the book had some genuinely funny moments, especially with the whole "murder cottage" subplot and the witty banter between Josie and Wyatt. Watching Josie navigate the world of a professional athlete and Wyatt's slow-burn reveal of his softer side was sweet. Their shared history and the gradual peeling back of layers felt earned and it was easy to root for them to finally get together.

However, despite the promising setup, the book's journey wasn't entirely smooth sailing. The initial animosity between the two felt a bit surface-level and wasn't always as compelling as I'd hoped. The romance, while sweet, sometimes felt a little predictable following the familiar beats of the trope without adding many surprising twists or turns. It was a pleasant cruise but not the thrilling, waves-crashing adventure I'd been hoping for.

Ultimately, it was a solid and enjoyable read that delivered on its promise of a grumpy-meets-sunshine romance.

(Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for a review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own)

This book has a lot of good points and hits its stride at about 60% of the way through. I think once they get on the boat, the book starts to pick up and becomes more enjoyable. This is a slow burn! I think my biggest problem with this book is that there was so much going on and so many different action points that I'm not sure that all of them got the attention they deserved. I think this is an ideal beach read and would leave you very satisfied with the romance at the end. I did feel that the ending was a bit abrupt, and I wish that we had a bit more time to enjoy them as a full-fledged couple. I did appreciate the lack of a third-act breakup. Overall, if you are looking for a very sweet, very cute, clean, slow burn, this is for you!

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

I enjoyed reading If All Else Sails, a fun romcom set in Virginia on Chesapeake Bay. Josie’s older brother plans a summer sibling vacation and neglects to tell Josie what’s really going on. Josie arrives at the address her brother provides for their vacation and she’s confused. Her anxiety ramps up when she discovers a rundown cottage in an isolated area with a dock and a nice sailing boat, but her brother is missing in action.

Wyatt is a famous NHL ice hockey star who’s recovering from an injury and staying at the cabin he recently inherited from his uncle. Josie’s brother is his sports agent and best friend from college. Wyatt is shocked to discover Josie on his property. Their meet cute is LOL hilarious and a ridiculous situation. It also reinforces why Wyatt and Josie have been enemies forever.

Josie is an elementary school nurse and she can’t financially afford to turn down her brother’s lucrative offer to stay with Wyatt at the cottage and nurse him back to health. A delightful enemies to friends to more-than-friends romance develops as Wyatt and Josie spend time together and start to question their assumptions and beliefs about each other.

Circumstances force Wyatt and Josie to deal with the emotional baggage from their dysfunctional families of origin and past traumas. I loved journeying with them in the story, and especially loved their sailing adventures. They can’t ignore the romantic sparks and the attraction that’s pulling them closer and making them consider the possibility of a future together.

I recommend If All Else Sails to contemporary romance readers who like clean and wholesome romcoms with tropes including enemies to love, sports star hero, brother’s best friend, grumpy sunshine relationship dynamics, forced proximity, and many LOL hilarious moments in the story.

Many thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

If you love a grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers, brothers best friend, he falls first book, you should read this one! Josie is a school nurse off for the summer and when her brother sends her a random address and tells her to meet him there, she is surprised to find her brother's best friend Wyatt there instead. Wyatt is a professional hockey player in need of some help after an injury, and no one has been able to break through his touch exterior. Josie's brother tells her he will pay her to stay with Wyatt and get him to start going to his PT appointments. Josie believes that Wyatt has hated her since they met, but Wyatt just has a problem of putting his foot in his mouth any time he is around Josie. It was fun to see their banter and their relationship grow throughout the book. Wyatt had to deal with a recent loss of a family member, and it was touching to see him open up to Josie and Josie embrace the sailing life in order to help him be able to make the sailing trip happen that he always did with his Uncle. Overall, this was a super fun, cute read!

Enemies to lovers? Check. Forced proximity? Check. Grumpy sunshine with off-the-charts chemistry? Double check! 😍

Emma St. Clair delivers yet another romcom win with If All Else Sails—a charming, tension-filled standalone that had me hooked from page one. Josie is a school nurse with a sassy streak, and Wyatt is her best friend’s brooding hockey-playing brother. After a hilarious misunderstanding, the two end up sharing a cabin… and then a sailboat. Cue the sparks and banter!

The slow-burn romance is sweet, full of tension, and totally swoon-worthy—but all closed door and clean (no language). I loved the little animal sidekick and the cozy sailing vibes.

Emma always brings the heart, humor, and heat (without going spicy), and this one just might be my new fave of hers! Can’t wait for her launch party when she comes to SLC!

🌊🩷🐾

✎ᝰ. 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘙𝘌𝘝𝘐𝘌𝘞. 🩵🩷
"𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯, 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺"

"𝘔𝘺 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘙𝘖𝘖𝘒𝘐𝘌. 𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦"



✎ᝰ. 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘺:

In this enemies-to-lovers romance, school nurse Josie is forced to spend the summer in a cottage with Wyatt—a hockey player, her brother’s best friend, and… her absolute worst enemy! What begins as a disastrous vacation turns into a journey filled with laughter, tension, and unexpected emotions. Between physical therapy sessions and sharing a roof, they both start to realize that behind all the hatred… love might just be hiding. 🩵🏒🩷

✎ᝰ. 𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:

• 💔 Enemies to Lovers
• 👦🏻 Brother’s Best Friend
• 🏒👩🏻‍⚕️ Hockey player x School nurse
• 🏠 Forced Proximity
• 🛏️ Only One Bed
• 😠☀️ Grumpy x Sunshine
• 🌴 Summer Getaway
• 🔥 Slow Burn
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family Vibes
• 💞 Healing Through Love
• 🧸 Hidden Soft Side

✎ᝰ. 𝘊𝘞:

⚠️ Sports injury & physical therapy
⚠️ Grief / loss of a family member
⚠️ Forced proximity with unresolved tension
⚠️ Mentions of emotional vulnerability

✎ᝰ. 𝘔𝘺 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴:

This was such a sweet and heartwarming romance, especially the first 50%—I laughed out loud so many times! 😂💖 The second half leaned more into emotional tension as Josie started struggling with feelings she thought she shouldn't have, and I found myself getting just as anxious as she was. I didn’t fully feel the "Enemies to Lovers" vibe since Wyatt was never truly hostile—he was just reserved, and Josie misread that. Their misunderstanding felt more like miscommunication than real hate. 🤷‍♀️💭

Still, their early interactions were adorable and full of chemistry 💫, though I did lose a bit of interest midway when things felt drawn out. They’re adults, and I kept wishing they’d just talk—but I get it, it's a slow burn. Thankfully, the final chapters brought the fun back again! 🥹📖

✎ᝰ. 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴:

Wyatt was the classic grumpy-but-soft hockey player 🏒—injured, tongue-tied, but so patient and steady in his love for Josie. I adored how he knew what he wanted from the start and gave her space. 💞 Josie, on the other hand, was dealing with past trauma that made her guarded, especially around men and athletes. I was a bit frustrated with how she kept ignoring Wyatt’s clear signals 🙈, but I appreciated her journey.

And honestly? The best part might’ve been Josie shopping for Jib’s outfits—matchy matchy style had me giggling 😭🛍️💕. Also, Jacob? A chaotic king 👑 who knew exactly what he was doing setting them up—iconic!

✎ᝰ. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨:

The ending wrapped things up just the way I wanted, bringing back some sweet flashbacks that tied everything together beautifully.🥹


✎ᝰ. 𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭:

A charming and cozy slow burn with plenty of heart, a soft cinnamon roll hero, and just enough emotional depth to keep you hooked. 💖✨

Emma St Claire has done it again, making me want to take up a new hobby because her book is THAT good.

Wyatt and Josie’s love story includes handcuffs, rope tying, and only one bed, while still being a clean romance. 😜

Emma has a gift of creating amazing enemies to lovers tension and banter, with forced proximity, that will have you screaming JUST KISS HER ALREADY!

This was one of my favorite July reads and it’s now available and you can find it on Kindle Unlimited!

Melli’s Book Breakdown
Slow Burn
Forced proximity
Grumpy/Sunshine
RomCom
Enemy to lovers
Brother’s Best Friend
Hockey Player MMC

🎧 Audiobook +📗 E-book: If All Else Sails-a standalone

✍🏾 Author: Emma St. Clair-new to me author

📃Page Count: 368

📅Publication date: 8/5/25 | Read: 7/31/25

🏃🏾‍➡️Run Time: 10:35

🌎 Setting: VA

👆🏾POV: 1st person dual

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Adult Fic

Tropes: boat sailing trip, forced proximity, sports, enemies to lovers, brother's best friend, grumpy H, slow burn, small town, same room/1-bed

⚠️TW: parental neglect, depression, S/A, death of loved one, nightmares


🗣️Narrator: Andi Arndt and Patrick Zeller voice all the characters with standouts from Josie, Susan, and Wyatt. The reading style brought the text to life, and the author and narrators worked together perfectly. The pacing and flow allowed me to get lost in the story. The narrators paused and announced new chapters and there was a table of contents which helped me follow along.


Summary: Josie headed to where she thought was her brother's cottage to start their annual summer sibling extravaganza. Jacob, a sports agent and friend to Wyatt, a pro hockey player, is worried about him after a foot injury. He plays matchmaker with his friend and sister who hate each other. Jacob hires Josie, an elementary school nurse, to keep him on track with his physical therapy and medical appointments. Jacob wants to go on a sailing trip from VA to GA to honor his deceased uncle and Josie agrees to be his captain as long as he rehabs.


👩🏾 Heroine: Josie-26

👨🏾 Hero: Wyatt

🎭 Side Characters:

*Jacob-Josie's older brother
*Toni-Josie's BFF
*Uncle Tom- Wyatt's maternal uncle, recently deceased
*Susan + Peter-Wyatt's mother and brother
*Pets: Jib-their rescue dog

🤔 My Thoughts: This was a good slow burn/ enemies-to-lovers relationship between Josie and Wyatt. I loved Jacob's undercover (not really) matchmaking skills. He knew Wyatt always had a crush on Josie, but he just needed a little push. The trauma of Josie's and Jacob's pasts was handled carefully as they confessed to each other first. The sailing seemed to be a metaphor for escaping yet they still had to deal with themselves. It had a HEA and epilogue 2 years later.


*Spice: 1/5 🌶️ kissing only, clean
*Emotion: 5/5 🥲
*Couple: 4/5 🧑‍🤝‍🧑
*Rating: 4/5 ⭐

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson Fiction | Thomas Nelson, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio, and Emma St. Clair for this ARC & ALC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

Things start off rocky with these characters. Wyatt is wallowing and hiding from the world, and Josie is hoodwinked into an agreement with someone she hates after being mislead by her brother.

This is how to do a miscommunication trope right. Start it from the beginning, and have the characters work through their misunderstandings throughout the book.
I loved being able to pick up on the things that Josie thought Wyatt hated about her, to realize it was him being sweet and noticing small important details about her! They each have their reasons to believe they strongly dislike each other, but it was adorable to watch them tiptoe around each other until they realize their preconceptions were unfounded.
Seriously though, I loved that this book had no nonsense drama!

I really appreciated how Josie and Wyatt were able to talk about their past, even if it wasn’t easy. Mature communication is hardly ever easy, and often feels uncomfortable. The author does a fantastic job of making these characters seem mature and realistic!

Wyatt is such a darling soul. The little things he does for Josie to make her feel more comfortable was just so sweet- it reminded me a lot of my husband!

This book had a great cast of characters, even a surprise pet companion that grew on me throughout the book!

This book was just the best and sweetest summer read yet! It comes out Aug 5th!

I always look forward to a new book by Emma St. Clair and this book definitely lived up to my expectations! I had the absolute pleasure of receiving both an e-ARC and audio ARC. For the audio, it had two narrators to support the dual POV. Both voices were wonderful to listen to. I appreciate how Emma is able to bring out romance and closeness without the spice. In "If All Else Sails," she brings us grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity and enemies-to-lovers--but each are done in a subtle and tasteful way that aren't overdone. The connection between the MMC and FMC is fun to watch unfold. Looking forward to her next read! *I received a complimentary audio and e-ARC from the author/publishing company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

Josie (a nurse) is forced to help Wyatt (her brother's best friend & hockey player) who is injured and is refusing treatment. They both also think the other dislikes them. I really liked their dynamic, seeing their relationship grow and just be 100% unapologetically themselves. I also really liked the sailing trip and wish we got more, it was unique!! This is a very cute, fast summer rom com read that I'd recommend everyone check out before summer ends!

If All Else Sails: ★★★★☆ (4)

Pub date: August 5 - preorder now!

Tropes:
- forced proximity
- dual POV
- closed door romance
- brothers best friend

Thank you Thomas Nelson Fiction | Thomas Nelson & netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story! It has Emma’s signature wit and shenanigans and character depth and growth. I loved Wyatt and Josie together! I enjoyed how their incorrect perceptions and assumptions about their past were brought out and resolved. There’s a lot of great side characters as well; especially Wyatt’s mom.

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


I wouldn't really say grumpy vs sunshine because the girl definitely has her snide moments, but I really like the banter in this! I felt the chemistry of the characters, the writing was so easy to read, and there was no third act breakup, thank you ☺️ There is a cute adorable dog here that is always dressed up and you know me, when there are dogs or cats or any adorable pets, I'm in 🥰  I love Wyatt as an MC, he's such a green flag, and his love language is primarily is acts of service 🥰  Though I must say it was a missed opportunity to incorporate in the story some mental health intervention for both of them, as they clearly needed it to iron out some of their issues.  But overall I really enjoyed it and I would definitely read more of Ms. St. Clair's work ☺️

Right off the bat, I vibe with Josie cause athletes/hockey players aren't for me BUT they did good with this book. Not enemies to lovers, which I was hoping for, but still a cute read!

As with any Emma St. Clair book, If All Else Sails turned out to be adorable. Genuinely funny (I chuckled often) but also real. The FMC has anxiety, and it gets the better of her. The MMC doesn’t minimize it or tell her to get over it. They each help the other to manage their sometimes outsized responses to their unique triggers. Not everyone can or will outgrow certain responses, even if they want to. If All Else Sails shows that that’s OK, and that it can all still work out well regardless.

And I won’t spoil how or who, but Appies fans won’t be disappointed either.

Sweet funny read that’s absolutely perfect for summer.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I have read just about all of Emma's books and was so so excited to help support her first traditionally published book! I loved the character's interactions and scenes together. I just wish there was a little more boat/sailing scenes. It also felt like they took a quick turn towards love and would have liked to see a little bit more progression. However, this is still super sweet and charming!

This was a fun read! It’s a no spice, enemies to lovers, sorta forced proximity romance that had a lot of cute moments and well, despite it being clean, there was enough chemistry between the leads. Which is great! I almost didn’t notice the no spice factor.

I’ll be looking for this author’s works now.

My first book by this author and I’ve enjoyed it!

The initial plot of forced proximity—Josie a school nurse, forced to help her brother best friend (Wyatt), an injured hockey player hiding out in a small cottage who is refusing treatment. All planned and forced by her brother. It felt like a slow burn to instalove within a few paragraphs. The pacing was a little confusing for me. But, I did enjoy the banter, side characters coming in and out, and the eventual ending. I look forward to reading more of this author’s books.