Actual rating: 4.5 ⭐

This is the first book by Emma that I’ve read, and I’m certain it won’t be the last.

I genuinely enjoyed it. The story was interesting, and I really liked the characters. I appreciate a good brother’s best friend moment. The chemistry was definitely there, and the humor was on point. I also found the writing style quite good.

However, the one thing that really annoyed me was the male narrator. At one moment, he’d be shouting so loudly I had to turn the volume down, and the next, he’d be so quiet I could barely hear anything. Okay, I get that a bit of drama is necessary to keep listeners engaged, but you can’t be so inconsistent that I have to adjust the volume every five seconds.

If I had read the digital version instead of listening to the audiobook, this probably would’ve been a five-star read.

This book was so cute! Josie and Wyatt had such a sweet romance and I loved seeing it grow! I loved all of our side characters they added so much to the story, Jin was my favorite she took over in the best way at parts.

LOVED this book! I sped up the audio because I couldn't get enough of it. I love Josie and Wyatt's story -- plus the guest appearances of two of the Appies. A great summer read full of laugh out loud moments!

I love the premise of the book, but I found the story a bit too cheesy for my taste at times. I could see how a younger demographic or someone looking for a no-spice romance book would love it, but personally, that isn't the type of book I enjoy. I also didn't know that it was a no-spice book upon requesting it so I also felt like I was waiting for something to happen that never would

If All Else Sails follows Wyatt and Josie in a grumpy-sunshine, friends-to-lovers romance that blends humor, emotional tension, and slow-building connection. While I enjoyed the banter and found myself warming to the characters more as the story progressed, some of the emotional beats and pacing felt a bit off for me personally. A subplot involving grief was well done but unexpectedly difficult, as I experienced my own loss while listening—likely affecting my overall connection to the story. Andi Arndt’s narration was a standout, well-suited to Josie’s character, and Patrick Zeller brought the necessary gruffness to Wyatt, even if a few vocal transitions felt uneven. This may be a better fit for listeners in a different season; it’s a heartfelt, clean romance with genuine moments of charm.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio | Thomas Nelson Fiction for this ALC. This is my honest review.

Emma does it once again! Emma St Clair is one of my all time favorite authors and always an auto buy. I was super excited to hear the news that she was traditionally publishing a book and jumped at the opportunity to request to read it early.

There were so many things I loved, it's hard to list them all. The slow burn pining and tension was the best part. There were so many small moments of bumping knees and brushing shoulders and these are the things I live for. I loved Wyatt's connection to the Appies hockey team from Emma's other series. The forced proximity of the boat trip helped create so many fun and swoony moments. Of course, the one bed trope is always the best and Emma's signature humor throughout was on point. I was smiling and had so much fun overall with the story.

I do wish there had been a little bit more communication sooner from Josie. This didn't detract from the story necessarily and helped keep the slow burn nice and slow, but she could have made her worries known a little earlier. There was a conversation they needed to have and when they finally did, it was perfect.

I was super lucky to have the opportunity to listen to an ALC and it was so good on audiobook! Josie's narrator, especially, did a great job and really brought her to life! The narrator for Wyatt's POV wasn't my favorite, but he still did a good job bringing emotion and Wyatt's signature grumpiness to his performance.

I'm so glad that the world at large has the opportunity to read an Emma St. Clair book for potentially the first time! This one is such a fun summer read and I would highly recommend it.

If All Else Sails by Emma St. Clair is an enemies to lovers romance that was fun to read, made me laugh out loud and I really wasn't ready for it to end.

Josie is tricked by her sports agent brother into caring for Wyatt, one of his clients. Watching their relationship naturally evolve despite the forced circumstances was refreshing and both characters were actually likeable.

I really enjoyed seeing them each fall for each other and the natural progression of their relationship. Unlike other forced proximity romances, it didn't feel unnatural at all.

Ms. St. Clair has created likeable characters, a story that I didn't want to end, and the book left me smiling. Win, win, and win.

I had previously read the e-ARC and this audiobook is the perfect accompaniment to it. The narrators voice each character exactly as I "hear" them in my head and do the story justice. I fell into their narration and happily listened to it in one long session. A great audiobook with the narrators smoothly becoming the people they are portraying and giving life to the story in a perfect way.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I loved everything about this book! 📖 I already knew about this author and I think this one is the perfect summer read!!! Closed door only kisses and no language

What an absolutely delightful romcom! Emma St. Clair is an auto-read author for me, I’ve been reading her books for nearly four years, and I was so thrilled when I learned about her first book with Thomas Nelson!
As per usual with this author’s books I was sucked into this story at page one, and enthralled with Josie and Wyatt’s adventure all the way to the end!
I love grumpy+sunshine, and Wyatt and Josie’s relationship was perfection! I love it when the characters already know each other prior to the start of the story, and it was a joy to watch their enemies dynamic turn to friendship and then to something more. I also adored the sweet little dog pictured on the cover. And I just have to say that the cameos made by a couple of familiar characters (iykyk) had me grinning like an idiot!
I had so much fun with this story, and loved every minute of it!
Emma St. Clair books are my happy place! If you haven’t read any of her books yet you are seriously missing out!
If All Else Sails is a winner of a romcom and I most highly recommend it!
I loved every single second of this story, and I cannot wait for Emma St. Clair’s next book!

I received a complimentary audiobook copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley!
My review was not influenced in any way. All thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own

Absolutely delightful! This book was so much fun!! I was hooked from the first hilarious scene and laughing and completely invested the whole time.

Wyatt and Josie’s romance is slow burn deliciousness with all the forced proximity goodness I love. The romance was so sweet and I loved to see Josie peel back the layers that make up the grouchy Wyatt and get to know his softer attributes.

Everything you can expect from an Emma St. Clair book was delivered in spades—from laugh out loud scenes to animal encounters. I love the way she uses analogies and creative descriptions to really make the story come to life. The setting as well as the characters’ emotions and actions all felt real and relatable.

I loved the different settings of the “quaint little murder cottage” and the sailboat. It’s not a hockey book, because he’s recovering from an injury, but there was some fun discussion about the sport and his former team, the Appies.

As an all-time Emma St. Clair fan girl, this book gave me everything I had hoped for and more. I highly recommend any romcom lover pick this one up!

🎧: The audiobook is very well done and a great way to consume this adorable story. I love the narrators and how they bring Josie and Wyatt to life.

🔥: Kisses

I didn’t expect to enjoy this one as much as I did. It’s not usually the kind of slow-build romance I reach for, and I wouldn’t even quite call it enemies to lovers—more like strangers cautiously turning into something real. But that’s what made it work. It wasn’t rushed. It gave the characters room to breathe, to get to know each other, and to grow into something quietly beautiful.

What really pulled me in, though, was the sailing. That part was done so well—detailed enough to feel real, but not overdone. There’s something about the setting that just fits with the pace of the relationship: open water, shifting winds, and the kind of silence that says more than words.

It had warmth and depth without being heavy. A gentle, satisfying read that left me smiling at the end. Sometimes, the best stories are the ones that take their time—and this one definitely did it right.

Absolutely wonderful! I could not put this down. I loved how they are tricked into spending time together. I love the easy banter and the ridiculousness of things that happen. Josie and Wyatt are adorable together. I laughed out loud so many times! I love Josie's personality. I love that Wyatt isn't able to communicate around her. I love that they find a way to help each other no matter what.

This enemies to lovers story was delightful in every way. The characters were charming and witty and the banter was hilarious. The plot was perfectly paced and completely captivating. I especially loved the narration. I highly recommend this clean and fun read! Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

This was a super cute read! I loved all the office references!! I will definitely recommend this book for. Super cute rom com!

I thought the narrators did a great job!

Main character Josie agrees to be the personal nurse to her brother's BFF, who happens to be a pro hockey player Wyatt. They have never gotten along but can Josie crack Wyatt’s difficult personality?

Loved the character Wyatt he seemed like an actual person. I'd definitely read this author again i liked her writing style.

The male narrator... wow, was he frustrating. I seriously considered giving up early on. Thankfully, the female narrator was fantastic—she's the only reason I stuck with it, and I'm so glad I did.

This turned out to be such a charming slow-burn romance, perfect for summer! Normally, I can’t stand stories where characters are stuck in their heads and avoid actual conversations, leading to endless miscommunication or awkward “foot-in-mouth” moments. But this one won me over. The witty banter, the grumpy/sunshine dynamic—it all pulled me in and made the ride totally worth it.

₊˚ෆ Thank you NetGalley, Thomas Nelson, and Zondervan Fiction for the Arc! ₊˚ෆ
#IfAllElseSails #NetGalley

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5Stars (Good)
Setting: Primarily in a run-down cottage on the Northern Neck of Virginia and later shifts to a sailing trip down the Intracoastal Waterway toward Savannah, Georgia
Genre: Contemporary Rom-Com; Enemies/to-Lovers Trope

If All Else Sails had some fun and quirky potential with its enemies-to-reluctant-boatmates setup, but overall, it just didn’t fully land for me.

The premise was adorable—Josie getting tricked into babysitting her least favorite hockey player, then somehow ending up sailing down the coast with him? That kind of rom-com chaos usually reels me right in. And there were some genuinely sweet and funny scenes sprinkled throughout, especially once Josie and Wyatt started letting their guards down.

But the pacing dragged in places, and I found myself wanting more depth from both characters. Josie’s sarcasm was sharp (sometimes too sharp), and Wyatt’s grumpiness started to feel one-note. The romantic tension was there, but it didn’t build with the kind of spark I was hoping for. I think I was more interested in the idea of their journey than the actual journey itself.

That said, fans of slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers with a touch of wanderlust and water views may find this one a charming little escape. It just didn’t sail smoothly for me.
#netgalley; #ifallelsesails #booked_this_weekend

Thanks NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for an ALC of this audiobook.

The audio production and narration was rough for me. Andi Arndt as Josie was good, but Patrick Zeller i really struggled with, his volume fluctuation made it extremely difficult to listen to, sometimes the volume whisper quite and then would go to overly loud in a second. It was hard to find a happy medium where I could hear everything he said and didn't hurt my ears when his volume suddenly increased.

On top of the stress of the audio experience, this was just not my favorite Emma St. Clair, sadly. I do love the "I've loved you for years silently" trope and finally get the opportunity to show you and then finally tell you; and I usually love a good grumpy/sunshine couple, but this just did not give me the satisfaction I was hoping for. It was a good enough summer read, but not one that will stand out overall.

This was such a cute story. It felt more like "second chance" than "enemies to lovers", but I overall really enjoyed it. The dog was one of my favorite parts and I loved the summer vibes. I loved Andi Arndt's narration (I mean, she's one of the absolute best female narrators ever), but was underwhelmed by the male narrator. His voice was fine, but I had a heard time understanding him at times because he sounded muffled and his pacing was so much faster than the female narrator.

Many thanks to Emma St. Clair, the publisher, and Netgalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

4,25⭐
Thiiiiiiiiis book ughh 🥺❤️‍🔥 choosing to listen to this book during my hectic exams week was the best idea haha
This book was such a lovely read. Josie and Wyatt were absolutely adorable, and I loved how their relationship slowly grew over time. The chemistry and tension between them were so well done it made me root for them right from the start.

All the side characters added so much heart to the story, especially Jacob. And Jib? Completely stole the show. Such an adorable addition!

This could have easily been a 5 ⭐ read if not for the pacing that felt a little slow, especially toward the end. I wish we had more time with Josie and Wyatt as a couple. Also, it’s marketed as enemies to lovers, but honestly... it’s not. Wyatt liked her from the very beginning, and it was super obvious! They were never really enemies—she was just mad at him while he quietly adored her the whole time (which was cute, but not quite enemies to lovers).

Still, I really enjoyed it. It’s sweet, light, and easy to read—definitely a book I’d recommend to anyone looking for a feel-good romance.🩷🌸

Thank you again to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for this audiobook 🩷🫶