
Member Reviews

First and foremost, thank you to all involved for the audiobook version of If All Else Sails. I was lucky enough to have already read the book as an ARC before listening to it but I was still excited nonetheless to give it another go.
Listening to If All Else Sails gave the book an entirely different life. Even though I had previously read the book it did not make it boring at all. I will say I enjoyed the female narrator a lot more than the male. I found myself having to mess with volume control way too often while the male was talking and it became almost annoying as his voice kept coming in loud and then very soft. His female voice was also a bit grating unfortunately. I know not to expect him to sound just like a girl but the voice he gave our female main character was very annoying and whiny.
Otherwise, I love the story and I love the author. Emma St. Clair is one of my favorites and I will always read her books.

Thank you, Partner, @bookedwiththeemilys @kikimojo @thomasnelson
𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: If All Else Sails
𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: Emma St. Clair
𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀: Andi Arndt, Patrick Zeller
𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: August 5, 2025
5⭐️
⛵️ 𝙈𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 ⛵️
I love this sweet, slow burn summer romance story, that features previous Appies Hockey Player Wyatt, and his best friend’s sister Josie. Wyatt is nursing an injury at his uncles cabin and not taking care of himself and his best friend/agent Jacob is growing concerned. He convinces his reluctant sister/nurse Josie to assist in the care of Wyatt!
Josie is reluctant because she thinks Wyatt doesn’t like her. Josie discovers Wyatt planned on taking a sailing journey down the coast to honor his recently passed uncle this summer, and his injury has prevented him from doing so, and she offers to go with him.
I love that the misconceptions that Josie had about Wyatt in the past, slowly start to fade as she gets to know him personally. Wyatt isn’t what she thought, and her reluctance to be around him changes as she does some self-discovery.
This story has a lot of sweet, chemistry charged moments as Josie and Wyatt figure out their footing around each other. You can feel the tension and the pull between them. Emma writes tension-filled moments beautifully in a closed door setting, where it’s so very sweet and caring.
I loved the cameos from Eli and Van as well! I’m an Appies hockey fan and love when these guys show up for one another! I appreciated learning about Wyatt’s past with his family and uncle, which guided him to his love for hockey and sailing!
I liked seeing Josie’s self-confidence grow, and Wyatt’s thoughtfulness in making Josie comfortable around him. Wyatt gives Josie room to move at her own pace and I love his sweet patience!!
🎧 𝙉𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 🎧
Andi Arndt and Patrick Zeller were stellar as Josie and Wyatt! Andi brought a calm, collected aura to Josie’s personality. Andi was able to bring to life the chemistry and feeling behind the emotionally charged moments Josie was feeling around Wyatt. Patrick brought the steely, slightly grumpy personality that is Wyatt to life. You could feel Wyatt’s emotions toward Josie that he kept close to his chest.
🎧 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
⛵️ Enemies to Lovers
🌊 Brother’s Best Friend
🏒 Hockey Player/Nurse
⚓️ Sailing Adventures
🐕 Closed Door Romance
🩷Instagram post on July 30!

Y’all enemies to lovers has never looked so good! @kiki, I looooved this audio!! Narrator Andi Arndt was perfect for Josie! I couldn’t stop listening - or laughing!
𝙄𝙛 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙀𝙡𝙨𝙚 𝙎𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙨 by Emma St. Clair is the perfect summer rom-com:
⛵️ Forced proximity
⛵️ Grumpy x sunshine
⛵️ Enemies to first mates to lovers
⛵️ Closed door swoon
Add this to your summer reading list! You’ll be hooked by chapter one!

Thank you Thank you to @bookedwiththeemilys, the author, and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the #gifted copies.
Josie and Wyatt are both in holding patterns in their lives - Josie is doing her best as a school nurse, while Wyatt is homebound recovering from an injury. They’ve revolved around each other for years but have always been at odds with each other. So when they’re forced together by Josie’s brother (and Wyatt’s best friend/agent), there’s a whole lot of learning and unlearning that happens in order for them to tolerate each other – and eventually, become friendly enough to take a weeks-long sail down the Atlantic coast.
This story has so many of my favorite tropes: brother’s best friend, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, only one bed, caretaking, hockey romance. There were some seriously hilarious moments, and other times when my heart felt tender for both Josie and Wyatt.
The audiobook was a mixed experience - the male narrator’s performance was very exaggerated and the voice went from being very soft to very loud back and forth, which was perhaps more noticeable listening in my car than with headphones. Andi Arndt was amazing though and it felt that more of the chapters were in Josie’s POV, evening out the balance.

This book was really cute. I am a hockey fan but I’m also glad the story didn’t fully revolve around the sport. The sailing aspect was unique and loved the adventures they had along the way. I do feel like they kind of jumped into things in the end saying he would marry her ASAP.

Refreshing rom-com that was fun and cute and great chemistry without the annoying trope of misunderstanding/overreaction that is so common in rom-coms and/or romances. I loved all the little bits of character, loved the nod to the author’s Appies series. It was just overall a fun, quick read.
The narrators did a great job. It took me a little while to get used to the female narrator. She sounded older than I expected the character would and she didn’t really give off the “sunshine” that he character was described as. But once I got used to that, she didn’t a good performance.
The male narrator though…..wow. He gave off this Nathan Fillion vibe that I was all in for! (Why, per chance, does Nathan Fillion not do audiobooks…?!) We need this guy in more narration please!
I did feel like the sailing bit came a little late in the story considering it was the title and cover, but that’s just my personal opinion and nitpicky on the pacing, nothing that overrides the enjoyment of the book!
**thank you to Netgalley and TNZ publishing for a review copy of this audiobook. My opinions are my own.

Let's start this review out with....I LAUGHED SO MUCH IN THIS BOOK! I read this with my friends Oceana and Lindsay and we both really enjoyed it! So many laughs and just an overall great rom-com!
This is Emma's first traditionally published book with Thomas Nelson and I HIGHLY recommend! I have loved all of Emma's books I've read, she just has such a way with writing funny, clean rom-coms and this did not disappoint!
Tied to the Appies Hockey series, we have Wyatt, Josie's brother's best friend and Hockey Player, who spend the summer together. What happens when the "enemies" spend a summer together including sailing, forced proximity situations and a sweet dog accompanies them? FEELINGS!
Our characters spend time together, feelings come to the forefront....their walls come down as they get to know each other more deeply and we really get to know them. Emma always tells stories that are filled with depth and I love that because they are REAL people with REAL issues - more than just your average rom-com.
I loved seeing Josie open up to Wyatt about what she had been through and how much Wyatt grew from his grumpy self in the beginning to the end.
Another great read from Emma I highly recommend for a clean romance!
*content warning for mention of attempted sexual assault recounted. no spice, kisses only, no language
Thank you to Emma, Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for complimentary copies of the ebook and audiobook to read and review. All thoughts are my own.

This is such a fun book! I loved the chapter titles, the Appies link, the dog fashion, and the characters love story! Emma did a great job at writing the tension of characters trying not to like each other while making sure it didn’t cross over into making you think they actually hated each other. So much good stuff in this book! My only warning is that the male narrator sometimes goes really quiet and then really loud so beware if you are listening with headphones!

Talk about a slooowwww burn. I liked the enemies to lovers aspect but it was way too slow for me. I also liked how they dove into Josies past trauma and why she stays away from athletes. Her health anxiety was definitely relatable! All in all though, Jib the dog and her cute little outfits were honestly the highlight of this book. 3 stars for me ⭐️

The story kicked off with a bang—fast-paced and immediately engaging. Josie finds herself getting detained after showing up at a mysterious address her brother cryptically sent her, only to have the cops called on her by none other than Wyatt, her brother’s best friend and a famous hockey player. It was a fun and intriguing setup that had me hooked early on.
Adding to the tension is Josie’s belief that Wyatt has always loathed her, stemming from a misunderstanding back in their adolescent years. This miscommunication sets the tone for their rocky dynamic, filled with unresolved feelings and awkward tension.
Unfortunately, around the halfway point, the story started to lose momentum for me. While I pushed through to the end, I found it lacked a strong emotional payoff or any real turning point. The relationship felt stagnant—both Josie and Wyatt were too hesitant to initiate intimacy or move things forward - at least until the very last chapter. Wyatt constantly tiptoed around Josie, leaving the ball entirely in her court, which grew frustrating after a while.
That said, the overall story was still enjoyable, especially if you're after a clean, summery romance. It absolutely delivers on the summer vibes, and I’d still recommend it for readers looking for a sweet, low-angst beach read.
I did enjoy the narrators a lot, they definitely fit the story. My only comment about narration would be the male narrator was often quiet (whispering) then all the sudden went to loud or shouting... my poor ears. LOL. Great emotion in the performance though
This read is more of a 3.5 stars for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook
This book gave me all the feels. It’s emotional, romantic, and full of heart. The characters felt so real, and the story had just the right mix of heartbreak and hope. If you’re into slow-burn love stories with depth, definitely add this one to your TBR!

If All Else Sails will hook you right from the start! Between the cops and heat exhaustion, the pig encounter and near anaphylaxis, the beginning is comedic gold. An unexpected surprise for me was how much I enjoyed the slow burn. Usually I'm inpatient for the main characters to confess their feelings but the build up is just so good in this book. Wyatt is such a lovable character, between pining after Josie and patiently waiting for her to be ready. Josie was harder for me to identify with but I know a lot of people struggle with the fear of being hurt when they enter a relationship and being afraid to have difficult conversations.
Thank you Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for an ARC of this book! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This slow burn had a semi enemies to lovers feel to it that was charming to see play out. Josie and Wyatt may not have gotten off on the best foot but with a little nudge are finding their way to each other. Which brings me to one of my favorite parts of the book- the little twist to brother’s best friend trope.
Plus I am a sucker for lovable pup sidekicks and Jib was an absolute winner!
Dual POV romances are some of my favorites so I was so happy to see there were two narrators for the audiobook Although I did favor the female narrator a bit more. The male narrator did decent, he just was almost a bit too low and grovely to understand at times.
This was my first by Emma St Claire and I found it very cute. I’m going to have to check out her backlist.
Read if you love:
☀️ Grumpy / sunshine
⛵️ Sailing
🏠 Forced proximity
Thank you Harper Muse, Uplit and Netgalley for my review copies!

3.5 ⭐️
This was a cute story. Brother's best friend, Wyatt, who is a grumpy hockey player, injures himself and won't let anyone take care of him. Enter Josie: a school nurse who has always thought Wyatt has hated her. I wouldn't say this book is enemies to lovers, it feels more grumpy x sunshine-y, with forced proximity. There's lots of sweet and funny moments (foot-in-mouth disease).
I love that this book is dual POV and that the audio is dual narrators, but I will say that the male's voice was not my favorite. 😬
Thank you, NetGalley, for an audio arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This was my first experience with this author and overall I enjoyed the romance. It was simply adorable and I thoroughly enjoyed the banter between the characters. I love an enemies to lovers and forced proximity trope and the way it was done was fantastic.
I felt my only complaint was the feelings between the FMC & MMC lacked a bit. It felt like it was too much inner monologue instead of them talking to each other or really showing their feelings. I also couldn't fathom why the MMC crushed on the FMC for years when they never really had good interactions. It just didn't feel realistic. But the relationship itself blossomed well and it was a cute ending.

I always enjoy an Emma St. Clair book and this was no exception. I loved the unique voice and humor in this one, and I thought the dialogue was exceptionally well done. It was fun seeing little Easter egg references to the author's other books, and I loved its unique take on the hockey romance and brother's best friend tropes. I hope this won't be Emma St. Clair's last book with Thomas Nelson - she's a perfect fit for their brand of romance!
The audiobook narration was very well done. I enjoyed hearing Patrick Zeller's voice again after enjoying his reading of Wes and Addie Had Their Chance, and Andi Arndt, who I have also enjoyed previously, was his perfect match.

Loved the development in the chemistry between the two main characters. The dog is a nice addition to the story because I do feel that the relationship strengthens with other people/animals around.
Sometimes the story felt a little bit frustrating, they just need to talk talk to each other. But then again. Maybe that's why the moment in the hotel room hit home and was so beautifully written.
The only thing I would do differently is when for instance Josie speaks in the chapter of Wyatt. Have the voice actor of Josie, voice Josie. Instead of the voice actor of Wyatt. Those moments took me out of the story. Otherwise I enjoyed listening to it. Perfect summer read.!

This is a charming and funny summer romance that blends slow-burn chemistry, forced proximity, witty banter, and emotional healing. Ideal for fans of clean, feel-good rom‑coms. If you enjoy brothers‑best‑friend tropes, grumpy/sunshine dynamics, and nautical adventures peppered with quirky animal antics—you’ll likely love this one.

Do you love a feel-good contemporary romance? I do love my dark and spicy romance novels, but I also appreciate those that focus on building a relationship and can leave out the details of intimacy.
TROPES:
He fell first
False arrest
Brothers best friend
Grouchy/sunshine
Enemies to lovers
Hurt hockey player
School Nurse
Miscommunication
Forced proximity
Lots of banter
Family from old money
His mom spoils her
Past trauma with an athlete
Many funny moments made me laugh out loud. The slow burn, banter, and what-ifs were it for me.
This had me hooked, and I couldn’t stop listening to it. Thank you, Emma St. Clair, for keeping me entertained today with this wonderful Netgalley ALC that I received in exchange for an honest review. This book caught my eye on NetGalley, and it did not disappoint 🤍

I really enjoyed this charming, heartfelt, enemies-to-lovers romance! This slow burn, rom-com is filled with witty banter, awkward situations, and a sweet storyline with lots of heart. After a mix-up, Josie ends up at a cottage to take care of the Jacob, a grumpy, injured hockey player as a favor for her brother. They have known each other for years but never hit it off. Josie didn't like athletes, so avoided him when her brother brought him home. Jacob felt an instant attraction but always said the wrong things, offending Josie. Now Josie is a school nurse, helping Jacob recover from an injury. They had an awkward start, but soon they discovered each others secrets, helping each other see the other's true heart. The more time they spent together, especially on the sailboat, the more they fell for each other. But when it was time for them to return to their lives in the real world, in separate states, will they be able to make a long distance relationship work? I loved the chemistry between Josie and Jacob, the way they connected, complimenting each other so well, and really seeing and understanding each other. They had me totally swooning and rooting for their HEA! I enjoyed the way this story unfolded, including the sailing part, along with their meddlesome family and friends who added a lot of fun and entertaining moments.
Andi Arndt and Patrick Zeller's narration was wonderful, they just bring that little something extra to their performance. The way they developed and expressed each of these characters, and their struggles so intimately, making each character come alive, was completely captivating. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves slow-burn, romantic comedies, with witty banter and great characters.