3.75⭐️

Consumed as an audio book…

I really enjoyed the banter between Josie and Wyatt.

🩵 forced proximity
🩵 brother’s friend
🩵 misunderstanding
🩵 slow burn

Josie’s brother manages to trick/manipulate/convince her to nurse his client and friend Wyatt, back to health after he suffers an injury that is keeping him from playing professional hockey. Wyatt is depressed and grumpy with little to no motivation to get better until Josie rolls in. During his recovery, Josie discovers a plan of Wyatt’s to sail his recently departed uncles boat, she convinces him to let her join him, providing a future plan to help him want to heal.

This book is a heartwarming, laugh out loud romance but with a serious tone surrounding Josie’s reluctance to form relationships.

I was sent this audio book by NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

Blurb:
Through her brother Jacob's scheming, Josie ends up as a nurse helper for his best friend and client Wyatt, a pro hockey player recovering from a disc golf accident. The forced proximity ramps up when Wyatt needs Josie to accompany him on a three week sailing trip to scatter his late uncle's ashes along the Intercoastal Waterway. Josie has always believed taciturn Wyatt hates her, and she's had a strict "no athletes" rule for years, so nothing could happen on this trip...right?

Thoughts:
Even on a sailboat surrounded by water, there isn't enough H2O on the planet to put out the slow burning happening between these two main characters!! Josie and Wyatt are a great sunshine / grump twosome, and throw in always appropriately dressed dog Jib for even more fun. I loved the first chapters before they set sail as much as the second half of the book on the water. If you're a fan of the Appies hockey series, we get a couple surprise cameos as well! The whole book is sweetness and all about the yearning and growth of each character, as well as them growing together into an inevitable HEA. (And I will never say no to an epilogue set a few years down the road...)

The dual narration is very good. Wyatt's voice sounds a little old for what I envision the character, but it was not a huge issue.

If All Else Sails was a clean romance with a brother’s best friend trope. It was cute and I really enjoyed the narrators. Andi Arndt is a favorite of mine.

Thanks for the opportunity NetGalley, Thomas Nelson, and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the ability to review. These thoughts are my own.

I had a review copy of the audiobook version of this book, but this is my voluntary and honest opinion. Josie’s brother convinces her that she will be able to help his friend and client Wyatt recover from a foot injury and return to playing professional hockey. She spends the summer getting this grumpy guy to go to Physical Therapy and heal. He teaches her how to sail his boat and they end the summer by going on a sailing trip. Wyatt has had a crush on her for years, and during the trip he makes it plain to her. An awesome grumpy/sunshine book about working together, moving from friends to more than friends, and being willing to step out and learn new things.

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.

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

If All Else Sails
By Emma St. Clair
Narrated by Andi Arndt; Patrick Zeller

Publishes August 5, 2025

I loved this book so much. It kept me smiling the whole time. For a romance it’s a clean romance with no spice. Every character in this book was amazing. This heartwarming cute and cozy romance was such a good audiobook. I just loved Josie, her humor and personality were just so perfect. Wyatt, a grump on the outside you could say but a total sweetheart on the inside. Jacob is a great friend and an even better brother. I love the brothers best friend trope. I cannot wait to read more from Emma St. Clair after this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for this ALC in exchange for my honest review. All words are my own.

A brother’s best friend trope will get me every single time and this was no exception. The most perfect summer read!

Josie is literal sunshine in character form. The unwavering ability to see the bright side of things even during her struggles was so admirable. Her humor was definitely my favorite part about her. The way she can just laugh herself out of a situation and crack jokes was the best!

Wyatt is a grump of a man, but a perfect match for sunshine Josie! The way this man withheld some info just to spend more time with Josie was so sweet. 🥹 the slow burn tension and relationship that blossomed throughout the story had me on the edge of my seat. I also have to note how much I loved Josie’s brother Jacob. He was a literal matchmaker and his love for his sister never went unnoticed. I also adored the little four legged friend they picked up along the way!

The narration was done well! Unfortunately the male narrator wasn’t totally for me. Luckily, the female narrator did most of this book which still made it enjoyable!

I would recommend to all my book besties who are looking for a fun summery romance!

really enjoyed this “enemies” to lovers summer rom com. Josie gets stuck taking care of Wyatt, currently injured hockey player and long time best friend of Josie’s brother, over the summer and his late uncle’s “murder cabin”. As he starts to heal, so does their relationship. They plan a sailing trip down to Georgia and back. On this trip, Josie comes to terms with her new feeling for Wyatt and what their future might hold.

I enjoyed the plot of this book but the audiobook narration almost had me not finish it. The female narration was great but it sounded like there was something wrong with the male narrators microphone. It did not sound professionally done, couldn’t understand it half of the time, seemed mumbled and then when he got angry way too loud. Luckily most of it is from Josie’s POV, but it did ruin the book for me a bit.

Overall, I really liked this book it was cute and very summery. Josie was a great fmc I liked her way of thinking and how she would overthink but not let it consume her and allow for major miscommunication. Wyatt, I loved uncovering his actual self and not just what Josie "knew" of him for all that time.
The narrator for Wyatt almost made me DNF the book. I thought he changed his tone way too sudden and often making me turn my volume all the way up when he mumbled and then have ear pain when he suddenly screamed the next word. The first Wyatt POV I really hated Wyatt. Also, the voice he did for Josie was so terrible I tried to fast forward some parts of him talking. Thankfully the majority of the book was from Josie's POV.

Overall, great summer romance read. There was no spice but lots of tension and yearning which I loved.

This was such a fun grumpy/sunshine book! There were so many things to love, but I especially loved the witty banter between Wyatt and Josie.
A few things I enjoyed:
🤒Feverish Wyatt
🐷 Pigs
☠️ Poison Oak
👨‍⚕️Physical Therapy
🐶 Doggie apparel 😂
⛈️ Storm
⛵️ Sailing
🥰 Savannah

I listened to an advanced listening copy. Thank you to the author and publisher for the advanced copy through NetGalley.

**Overall this was a cute, romcom, summer, hockey romance that had me hooked from the beginning. I found myself outright laughing at the banter and swooning at the romance!**

📖This story is about Josie, an elementary school nurse. Josie wants nothing to do with athletes due to an experience she had in her teenage years. Wyatt, her brother's best friend, is a professional hockey player that has just been wounded.

She has just arrived at a cabin, the supposed summer sibling vacation locale. Her brother is nowhere to be found, however, his client and best friend Wyatt is there along with his "chip on the shoulder" and a grumpy attitude. ::Ring, ring:: A phone call later to her brother, a deal struck, and her bank account fatter, Josie finds herself playing Wyatt's companion & nurse maid. Per her deal with her brother, Josie is supposed to encourage Wyatt with his rehab and get him back on track for the upcoming hockey season. What could go wrong......or right?!

A Big thank you to the author, NetGalley, & Thomas Nelson & Zondervan Fiction Audio for the ALC of this book.

🎧When I saw this audiobook had Andi Arndt as one of its narrators I had to jump on it! She is one of my favorites! The audiobook had two narrators, Andi Arndt 💕 and Patrick Zeller.
Both narrators did a phenomenal job. I think Patrick did a really good job portraying the female voice in his parts of the book. Not a lot of men can without sounding cringey. With that said, my only critique is the volume changes with his narration. It seemed to increase/decrease in volume at random times and lead me to have to adjust my volume several times. Not a huge problem and maybe that is already fixed for the final version! 😊

🌟Note: If you are only looking for 🌶️🌶️🌶️this is not the book for you. This is more your "close door" variety romance. BUT don't let that deter you, it is a beautifully written story with a delicious looking, grumpy hockey player!

📚Tropes:
Brother's best friend
Enemies to Lovers (one sided)
He falls first
Forced proximity
1 room/1 bed

4.5 ★

Emma St. Clair remains a must-read author for me. "If All Else Sails" is a super cute slow burn, with the fun and witty banter I've come to expect from this author. She also includes some funny animal encounters that appear in many of her books.

A few of the characters from her Appies series make a brief appearance, but you do not have to read that series before reading this book. However, if you haven't read that series, I also highly recommend you read those too (and the rest of her back catalogue).

Emma St. Clair is a clean closed-door romance author. I don't usually specifically seek out closed-door romance books, as I don't mind reading books with spice, but every time this author releases a new book, I'm quick to read it.

I immersively read this book by reading and listening to the audio book simultaneously (though there were times I didn't want to put the book down, so I listened while cooking dinner). The narrators Andi Arndt and Patrick Zeller did a great job. I was able to easily understand them even when listening at a 2.5x speed (I prefer to listen to audiobooks at a 2-2.5x speed).

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson Fiction, and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the arcs. All opinions are my own.

I always look forward to a new book by Emma St. Clair and this book definitely lived up to my expectations! I listened to this one on 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-ARC from the author/publishing company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

I can officially say, I love to read Emma St. Clair books. They have character depth and are still light and have wonderful HEA’s. Sometimes I need joyful and fun romcom reads! I already have multiple of her other books on my TBR.

I appreciate that it was clean both in language and in content, so I don’t have to worry about screening which friends or family I would recommend it to.

I loved Josie, Wyatt, and the many outfits of Princess Jib.

I listened to the audiobook on this. I was so excited for the dual narration. It is summertime and I have kids at home, so I often pop in an earbud as I complete household chores. Andy Arndt did a wonderful job and I want to listen to more books that she narrates. Unfortunately, Patrick Zeller’s narration was a miss for me. This was the first book I’ve heard him narrate. He was inconsistent both in speed and volume. This was especially noticeable at increased audio playback speed. There were times he’d be quickly mumbling and I’d have volume at 100% with both earbuds in, and no background noise, I’d just barely hear what he was saying if I listened closely. I couldn’t listen to it in the car at all on the chapters he narrated because of it going from very soft mumbling to very loud and normal talking unpredictably. These challenges made it harder and less enjoyable to complete the audiobook. I felt I had to plan out my reading environment more carefully so I wouldn’t miss anything and it took longer to get through the book.

I want to express a huge thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the ALC!

I really struggled with finishing this one. The cover is super cute and I love the title, but I do feel like the name was a little misleading since “sailing” didn’t really become a big part of this book until 50% in.

This was the slowest of slow burn romances, and the main characters had zero chemistry. They literally didn’t even kiss until the 90% mark. They were barely even nice to one another and yet we are led to believe they are in love? Nope, not buying it. We aren’t shown much of their previous experiences with each other, and the few that we are shown would not lead to a romance.

The female narrator was great, but the male narrator ruined this for me. I actually stopped listening to the audio and switched to the ebook because I couldn’t listen to him any longer.

Overall this was a painfully boring read, and I would not recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my free copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first book my Emma St. Clair. I’ll admit, I loved some of the banter and the slow burn, the romance was cute but there wasn’t really much to capture my complete attention. There didn’t feel like there was a whole lot going on. It was an easy quick summer read. I Loved the narrators though. Andi Arndt is one of a kind and Patrick Zeller did great!
Thank you NetGalley!

Grumpy x sunshine
Brother's best friend
forced proximity
It’s always been you
No spice/closed door
Hockey player romance

I really enjoyed this one. Josie and Wyatt had great enemies-to-lovers chemistry, and Wyatt ended up being such a softie under all that gruffness. The banter was so much fun, the dog was adorable, and the audio narration was really well done. Just a fun, feel-good summer romcom that hit the spot!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the audio ARC.

This has been one of the most entertaining audiobooks I have listened to this year!! Definitely worth saving your audiobook credit or library hold request - HOWEVER you listen to an audiobook just get this one ready to go! RELEASES AUGUST 5th 🎉

If All Else Sails is narrated by Andi Arndt and Patrick Zeller. These two totally made me giggle, smile, and react out loud with their narration! I could listen to Andi's voice all day and Patrick's chapters straight up felt like a theater performance - honestly, the MOST FUN was had listening to this book!!

Typically I will crochet or some other type of multitask while listening to audiobooks, but this one truly entertained and CAPTURED my full attention. The story itself is PURE GOLD.

Josie (FMC voiced by Andi) struggles with anxiety and trauma ... but firmly believes she has both under control. I just loved every part of her POV - she didn't hem and haw indefinitely, but also didn't act irrationally either. Her softness, yet sharp wit with Wyatt, made for an FMC I wish I could meet in real life.

Wyatt and his "foot in mouth disease" along with his hockey star body gets a solid 10/10 from me. 🤣 I love grumps that aren't really grumps at all, just not willing to play social games to please people. His gentle, yet DIRECT approach with Josie made me squeal more times than I would like to admit. (OK, I basically squealed my way through the last several chapters and DEFINATELY the epilogue)

Should you read this book? ABSOLUTELY
Should you treat yourself and make it a full experience with the audiobook? OH MY GOSH YES! A MILLION TIMES YESSSSS!

Thank you so much Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for this ARC - I beyond loved it 🥰

Obsessed! Loved the story but even more the way it was recorded. So good!!! They made the story come to life. I laughed right along with them….especially in the tickling scene. 😍

I've just finished a perfect summer read! Thank you Uplit reads, Thomas Nelson, and netgalley for the book to read, listen & review! I love pretty much anything Andi Arndt narrates and she did a fabulous job as Josie! Patrick Zeller brought all the angst and grumpiness of Wyatt to life! The first thing I loved about this was that Josie is a nurse(giving props to all the nurses out there)! When her brother tricks her into checking in on his injured friend Wyatt at his "murder cottage," Josie's words not mine, her life changes almost immediately. She gets roped in to taking care of him for the summer cue the grumpy/sunshine and enemies/lovers trope. After agreeing to accompany Wyatt & learn how to sail the sparks start to fly cue the forced proximity! This one is just a plain cute feel good romance!