Talk about a slow burn! The two main characters didn't kiss (yes! Just kissed) until the 95% mark. This was one of the driest romance books I have ever read. The female narrator was excellent, and thankfully, she read most of the book because the male narrator was a pain to listen to.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for the eARC of this book.I love Emma St. Clair’s writing, and was very excited when we heard that Wyatt was getting his own book. I loved that this was a hockey book without being a hockey book, and the combination of brother’s best friend, grumpy man, and enemies to lovers made this one great read. This was a cozy read that will be wonderful from the transition of summer into fall.

📖 Book Review 📖 The best part of being a school nurse is having summers off to relax away from the hustle and bustle of runny noses and bandaid placement (I cannot tell you the amount of phone calls I get from my kids’ school nurse to tell me they needed a bandaid for a cut that was not even bleeding 🤦🏼‍♀️)…I appreciate you school nurses and promise to not sue for accidents that inevitably happens with small humans. But alas her plans with her brother fall through when she ends up helping his best friend/client, professional hockey player Wyatt convalesce after an injury. For all of us romance lovers, we all know how a summer together in close quarters sailing the intercoastal waters goes! If All Else Sails is such a fun enemies to lovers tale embodies the best of summer love!

This was such a delightful, cosy, and heart-happy read.

Josie was full of sunshine and gumption. I found her internal monologues a little wearing at times, but overall really enjoyed her slow burn relationship with Wyatt. The writing style is easy and warm, and I loved reading about the authors inspiration at the end of the book.

The context of Wyatt’s uncles cabin and the yacht added extra intrigue, and made for a great escapist rom com. I particularly enjoyed Josie and Wyatt’s relationship with Jacob and their witty banter. What appealed to me most though was how genuine their relationship development was, and without the need for artificial conflict to generate interest.

Thank you Thomas Nelson Fiction for a copy of this ARC. Opinions expressed are my own.

If All Else Sails by Emma St Clair



A brother best friend romance who happens to be a grumpy hockey player who are forced to be together on a boat? Say no more.

This was my first Emma St Clair book and I was pleasantly surprised.

This sweet, funny, and slow-burn read is full of banter, heart, and swoon-worthy moments and is a clean romance for all you non-spicy romance readers. However I thought this had great tension and slow burn so you definitely get some good moment.

Maybe my one thing is that this was advertised as an enemies to lovers but I found that was quite minimal and the other tropes were more prevalent in comparison.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for a copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you netgalley, the publisher and the author for my #gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Well this one was fun! Sometimes you can read a book close to where you are and feel like it didn’t do it justice. And this is absolutely NOT how I felt about this book. I loved all the references to Richmond places and the terrible Northern Virginia traffic. And even a school my husband went to🤣

You met Wyatt in the Appies series (but don’t have to read those before this one) and I loved to get his story! Josie was the perfect match for him and I loved seeing these two actually get to know each other.

Read if you like:
🏒Hockey adjacent
⛵️brother’s best friend
🏒all the banter
⛵️sailing trip
🏒adopted dog
⛵️meddling friends/family

Please read CW/TW before starting this (and any) book. This one is out August 5 and is the perfect summer read!

This was so stinking cute! It combined so many of my favorite tropes and tied them all into one story. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this early!

I don’t even have the words to express how much I love and adore this book! I was giddy to discover that Wyatt (a former Appie) was the lead in this story and his meet-cute with Josie was utterly hilarious.

Wyatt is recovering from a hockey injury and Josie, a school nurse, is sent by her brother to care for him–in a m*rder cottage. This book is the perfect summer escape and it’s full of adventure, sailing, a cool whip container, Jib–the best-dressed dog ever, misconceptions, healing, swoony romance, and connection.

Emma St Clair is a favorite author of mine, as she never fails to incorporate a few unbelievable animal instances with her perfect combination of closed door spice, banter, humor, and emotion. The recipes of her books are everything that satisfies and satiates my love for this genre.

This is definitely a book I plan to re-read and has all the feels for an ideal summertime indulgence.

Content: mild romance; off-page vague talk of a near attack

Many thanks to Thomas Nelson and Netgalley for the review copy. I received a complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given*

This was my first to read the brother’s best friend trope and it will not be the last time because I fell in love with the trope.
First of all I loved Josie so much she is such a sunshine and she is HILARIOUS there was so funny moments in the book that made laugh so hard.
Second of all Wyatt is such a grumpy obviously but when you get to know him more you’ll know how a softie he is he is so cute and so in love with Josie and he with what he was doing for Josie he proved that to be loved is to be seen.
The slow burn in this was SLOW BURNING the slow burn was so good sooooo good.
And the dog in this book was every thing she was such a cute and wholesome dog.
Oh and this book was closed door and I loved this so much.
4.5 maybe 4.75 ⭐️

3.5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, Emma St. Clair and Thomas Nelson Fiction for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Super cute, fun and clean listen! No spice in this one so no volumes will need to be adjusted at red lights if you are listening in the car! :) Overall, this was just easy to listen to. It was a little lengthy but not boring. It was definitely not an enemies-to-lovers romance as it says in the synopsis. It is very clear from the beginning that Wyatt in no way hates Josie, she is just under the impression that he does. Contains all the expected tropes: one bed, forced proximity, Josie taking care of Wyatt when he is sick and of course there is a dog. No romance is complete without one!

Emma St. Clair is a new to me author and I will definitely be back for more by her!

From the beginning until almost the end, The Banter is bantering that's for sure 😆😉 Josie and Wyatt are like the ones who are meant to be but aren't then are! Haha, I Loved it! Wyatt is such a Grump in the beginning because he doesn't want the help that he needs, and while Josie is tricked by her Brother Jacob it turns out to be a learning experience for both!

my first Emma St. Clair book!!! and wow she did not disappoint.
This books perfect for clean romance book lovers with lots of butterfly inducing dialogues. LOVED LOVED IT

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

3.5 Stars.

This was a cute, clean romance. It's one of those easy fast beach reads. The only spiciness was holding hands and a romantic kiss at the end. However, this doesn't mean the book was boring! The characters had great chemistry with some fun dialogue. It also had plenty of romance tropes, such as forced proximity, one bed, miscommunication, and grumpy and sunshine. I also enjoyed the emphasis on the importance of consent and respecting boundaries. For librarians who struggle finding very clean romances for patrons, definitely add this to your roster.

Talk about a funny meet-cute! Or maybe not so funny in Josie's eyes! Or Wyatt's for that matter! But for us readers, we can definitely see the humor in it. I was giggling and shaking my head. Especially at those police officers. Oh man! And a little bit, or rather a lot of head shaking at Jacob, for his brotherly scheming ways.

I was in the mood for a fun and lighthearted (mostly) rom-com and was on a long drive by myself. So I pulled up this one and had my phone read it to me while I drove. It helped the drive pass quickly and I found myself laughing many times, but I also felt the sadness that these two characters experienced in their past struggles. Unfortunately they've had some misunderstandings, but fortunately, they have plenty of time to clear that up.

Josie is a nurse and agrees to spend some time (after a big misunderstanding thanks to her brother Jacob) helping Wyatt, the big time hockey player, heal from an injury. Some chaos ensues and humor, but most of all healing, in more than just a physical way. I enjoyed the adventures these two end up having. But I especially loved seeing Wyatt's softer and more caring side. Josie starts to learn that perceptions she had of situations were wrong and that Wyatt isn't this grumpy athlete but really a caring and kind hearted friend.

Hop aboard and enjoy a sweet story of healing, adventure, friendship and finding love. Oh and some funny and endearing family members make some appearances as well! I loved them!

Content: Clean. Some kisses but nothing further. Mention of a guy trying to take advantage of a girl but nothing graphic and the girl talking about her healing.

I received a copy from the publisher, Thomas Nelson Fiction, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

This book (and audiobook — I read and listened) was just absolutely amazing. It had me hooked from the very beginning, and I read it in a day because I didn’t wanna stop! I love the author, and this may be my new favorite from her!

I would give this book 3.5. I really enjoyed reading about Josie, a school nurse, and Wyatt, and hockey player. Josie’s brother tricks her into helping Wyatt for the summer since he has injury, and they eventually sail south together. I loved the banter between the two but was left wanting more from the two. I will say this is a light fun read and would be a perfect quick beach read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the ARC. All opinions are my own

A classic Emma st Clair story! Beautiful characters, a wonderful setting and all of the emotions and butterflies you could ask for

SO SWEET! this was the perfect palette cleanser, closed door, sweet summer romance. i LOVED this & loved the audio so much!!

If All Else Sails is the quintessential summer rom-com! At her brother's behest (and the promise of a much-needed summer paycheck), school nurse Josie finds herself nursing his best friend and client, hockey player Wyatt, back to health as he recovers from an injury. I loved that Josie and Wyatt had some history together but their shared summer brought a lot of clarity, a tempestuous sailing trip, and lots of top-notch humor and closed-door heat. I highly recommend this book, as well as anything this author writes because you can't go wrong with Emma St. Clair!

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Fiction for gifting me with an ARC to review. All opinions are my own.