This was so fun to listen to! The narrators really bought the story to life. I am a big fan of duel POV and this did not disappoint. I have never read a book that involved sailing but I really enjoyed it and honestly think I learned a thing or two. I really enjoyed the set up and the plot. This book also had some deep themes including grief and complicated family dynamics. Then the romance; I was giggling and kicking my feet the entire time, Rookie (iykyk.) I highly recommend picking this up, it’s enemies to lovers, brothers best friend, he falls first, age gap, and miscommunication all wrapped into one and it’s hockey player with an injury and a elementary school nurse.

This one was really fun- there is a little Appies cameo as Wyatt used to be an Appie so if you are looking for a little more in that series this is just for you!

Wyatt has had a thing for his best friend’s little sister since the first met, Josie has a thing against big athletes and unfortunately for Wyatt he is just that- he plays hockey in the NFL.

Fast forward to an injury that makes Wyatt have to cut his season short and a case of situational depression after the loss of a loved one and Josie’s big brother decides he needs to intervene and tricks Josie (who is a nurse) into going and helping Wyatt recover from his injury.

This one had all the feels, plenty of lol moments but it was also full of lots of heart to heart talks and dealing with grief and also some anxiety related to some trauma for Josie. So take care if those are triggering for you.

I would definitely recommend this one and I’m hoping Josie’s brother Jacob gets his own story after this!

Emma St. Clair's If All Else Sails is a delightful enemies-to-lovers romance that takes school nurse Josie and her brother's best friend, grumpy hockey player Wyatt Jacobs, on a summer adventure far from smooth sailing. What Josie expects to be her "Super Summer Sibling Extravaganza" turns into a reluctant cohabitation at a "run-down cottage" on Virginia's Northern Neck—with Wyatt, her sworn enemy.

Her sports agent brother has orchestrated this bizarre arrangement: Josie is to help Wyatt recover from an injury. Bandaging skinned knees is one thing, but physical therapy for a surly hockey player is a whole new challenge. Yet, the price her brother offers is enough to tempt her, even if it means sharing what she lovingly dubs the "quaint little murder cottage" with Wyatt.

Begrudgingly, Josie begins to see beyond Wyatt's grumpy exterior. When she learns he was meant to sail the Intracoastal Waterway to Savannah to scatter his uncle's ashes, Josie, to her own surprise, offers to be his first mate. Their journey is anything but smooth, filled with cramped quarters, canned food, and constant bickering, leaving Josie to wonder if they'll make it home without killing—or kissing—each other. As she peels back Wyatt's layers, Josie realizes she's misunderstood not only him and their shared history, but perhaps herself as well. This charming read promises a journey of self-discovery and unexpected romance on the high seas.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for this ARC. This book is a true beach read to me. It’s lighthearted, comforting, and sweet. Josie (FMC) thinks she’s going on a vacation with her brother and ends up taking care of her brother’s best friend, a grumpy, injured hockey player. We get a couple of chapters from Wyatt’s POV and I think it’s the perfect amount. I loved seeing the healing journey both Josie and Wyatt go through. I laughed throughout this book. It had some of my favorite tropes like forced proximity and brother’s best friend. She’s caring and funny I would say this is more of a grumpy/sunshine romance than enemies to lovers. One of my favorite things is that there is no third act breakup!!!!! That’s my biggest problem with contemporary romance so it was beyond refreshing to not have to go through it. It should be noted that this is a clean romance novel. My only problem with the book is that we don’t get to see Wyatt and Josie’s relationship develop once they’re committed to each other but sometimes that just happens in a slow burn. Overall I would give this 3.75 ⭐️ and would love to read more from this author!

What a cute summer romance about an injured pro hockey player and his best friend’s sister. If all else sails by Emma St Clair is a cute romcom and I really enjoyed it. It was really cute and sweet. It is definitely a slow burn with enemies to lovers, grumpy and sunshine, and forced proximity. Some of my favorite tropes. The ending did feel a little rushed but was fun summer read and would be perfect for a day at the beach.

Thank you @netgalley for the chance to listen to this audiobook Narrated by Andi Arndt and Patrick Zeller

This book was a perfect slice of heaven. I love St. Clair’s writing. I’ve read many of her books so there was no doubt I’d love this one too.

Wyatt and Josie are so well done. Wyatt is a lovable grump and Josie is exactly what he needs. Jacob (Josie’s brother) schemes for Josie to meet him for a sibling outing, but what actually happens is the the perfect plan to get her to Wyatt and I loved all the events that take place to get the two together.

As always with St. Clair’s books there is humor and heart. The well-written side characters come in with full force and leave lasting impressions - Wyatt’s mom and Wanda to name a couple. There are surprise visits from characters I was more than thrilled to see.

I loved how Wyatt and Josie worked together on the boat and the ending revelations from one character pulled at my heart strings. The sailing was a fun addition. Their banter was so enjoyable and their chemistry was perfectly done.

The audio narrators were perfect for this story. Andi Arndt and Patrick Zeller do an excellent job with these characters. Their tone and expression added so much to already excellent story.

Thank you to the publisher for the NetGalley approval for the ebook and the audio. All views are my own.

Absolutely could not get enough of this book.
Always up for an enemy to lovers read and this did not disappoint. Cute animal fun also included and sentimental family issues. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc.

"Should I hope, or should I nope?" You absolutely should hope, and give this book a read! I stayed up way into the morning hours to finish this one.

I love Emma St. Clair novels, especially when they're the grumpy / sunshine trope AND forced proximity. The inner monologue of Josie had me cracking up from Chapter 1 with things like "murder cottage" and "Or maybe it's not an irritable bowel thing, but just a personality one. Not IBS, but IPS - Irritable Personality Syndrome." The references to The Office and Hunger Games were also a delightful touch, since I do the Katniss salute at least once a week at work.

Wyatt was adorable, and it was impossible not to root for the guy. The antics of his friends really lended to the story - but, when there's a supportive male friend group in a rom com, whats not to love?

The narrators were great. Andi Arndt did a fantastic job, and Patrick Zeller was giving me Patrick Warburton vibes and made it more fun.

Thank you to Zondervan, Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for an Audio ARC of this book!

You know what they say about assumptions… that if you make them, you end up with this book. I don’t mean that in a bad way, but I feel like it’s important to be upfront about the miscommunication trope because it’s such a hot button topic. But the characters are aware of their “foot in mouth” disease, so at least there’s that.

We love a grumpy hockey star, don’t we? And Wyatt is every bit the trope as you’d expect. Mix that in with forced proximity and sibling taboo, and we’ve got ourselves a winner! But this leading man gets better the further we get into the book. As Josie says, getting to know Wyatt is like unwrapping a present and finding another one to unwrap within it, meeting the different parts of him is a pleasant surprise.

The unexpected soft underbelly of this romance lies in Wyatt’s love for sailing, the relationship he had with his uncle, and how excitedly he shares this passion with Josie. She has always held an unflattering view of the grump with a hard exterior, but this little piece of Wyatt is all it takes for her to truly see him. If you didn’t have any interest in sailing, you might after this intro.

I love that everyone we meet throughout the book can so clearly see a connection between Josie and Wyatt. Or rather, at least see that Wyatt is so clearly gone for her. But it’s the slow dismantling of her blinders that’ll trigger the butterflies in your belly.

I had the fortune of listening to this audiobook and the narrators knocked it out of the park!

This was a such a cute summer story, but boy did I want them to realize they needed to be together before it actually happened. I particularly enjoyed the authors backstory for this book and it made it more meaningful to know that parts of the story were inspired by actual events. This was a quick read that any fan of romance will certainly enjoy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the ALC! I really enjoyed the audiobook version of this.

4.5⭐️s. Super fun with lots of banter and great wit. I enjoyed both characters of Josie and Wyatt and had moments to relate to both characters. They both had depth and tension but also lightness and playfulness as they transitioned from animosity to friendship and beyond.

The setting of the “murder house” and the sailboat was a lot of fun, and some of the sites off the ICW I was familiar with. Also, love the moments with Jib.

For the audiobook, the female narrator was great but I struggled with the male narrator. His volume varied wildly between so low it was basically muttering, to all the sudden almost yelling volume. It was really annoying and almost made me switch to reading the digital version instead if I hadn’t been in the middle of a different one.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this audiobook and ebook. All opinions are mine.

Such a cute read! As someone from Richmond, VA who does weekends away to Kilmarnock this was such a fun surprise. It really was exciting to read a book where I actually know the small town. The vibes were captured perfectly!

I’m not usually a fan of “siblings best friend that you had a previous negative encounter with” trope, but this one was done well and I didn’t find it overbearing. I liked the forced proximity but their relationship happened at a slower pace. I found myself laughing out loud a lot while I listened.

One note for audio listeners: the male and female readers had totally different energies as they read. The male one was super passionate… I mean, the character was getting heated in his own head and the narrator started basically screaming and talking fast.. I had to pull my headphones out because it startled me. I wasn’t really a fan of his narration BUT he doesn’t do as many chapters as the female. If I reread, this would be a book I would skip the audio and physically read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the ARC and ALC! You had me at nurse MFC and then throw in a misunderstood hockey player? So good. Josie is the younger sister who has always been on the outs with her brother’s best friend - NHL player Wyatt. When Wyatt gets injured and holes up in his recently deceased uncle’s home, Josie’s brother tricks her into going to visit and then convinces her to stay and nurse Wyatt back to health. The banter, the longing, the sweetness…I gobbled this one right up.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the ALC

4 1/2⭐️ rounded up

This was such a fun listen, the narration was hilarious. Andi Arndt was perfect as Josie, and Patrick Zeller definitely has the gruffness down for Wyatt. I’ve read many of Emma St. Clair’s books and have always loved them. They’re that perfect cozy read that gives you all the happy warm romcom movie feels. I loved getting a little glimpse of Eli and Van from the Appies series too, it just made me love it even more.

A very cute story with a lot of the popular tropes: forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine, she falls first, hockey romance, brother's best friend. I think the pacing could've been better, especially during the second half, but I enjoyed the characters and the story.

My thanks to Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I would give this a 3.5/5 stars. This story follows school nurse Josie during her summer vacation while she takes an unconventional side job of caring for injured pro hockey player Wyatt. I enjoyed the story overall and it was a nice light, feel good book. I thought the characters could have had more depth and the romance could have been stronger once it was formed. I listened to the audiobook and I enjoyed the dual narration, but sometimes Wyatt’s narrator spoke very loudly. I absolutely loved the inclusion of Jib. This is a good summer read and potentially a good palate cleanser book, too.

Audiobook NetGalley Arc. I really enjoyed this book, loved the grump MC and the sweet FC. I liked the narrators, I didn’t like the guys voice at first but he really grew on me and they both did a great job. The story was a fun lighthearted story.

I loved this clean, light-hearted romance novel! Even though it was fairly predictable, I still enjoyed the storyline and the interactions between the main characters. Would definitely recommend it for a women’s’ book club.

Josie is expecting to meet her brother for the sibling holiday extravaganza. Instead she gets Wyatt a hockey joke who is recovering from a serious injury. It’s her worst nightmare, especially when she discovers she will be staying in the murder house. At times this book is funny the author and the narrator both work on building the characters so you become invested in what happens to them.

Ultimately, you know how the books going to end you just enjoy the journey of how they’re going to get there a perfect summer Read lighthearted and heartwarming

This book is such a breath of fresh air, I was laughing out loud multiple times. The audiobook's narrators really brought the characters to life and made the banter that much funnier! I love a good enemies to lovers and this one had it all: grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, one bed, he falls first, and brother’s best friend. Josie thinks she’s going on a trip with her brother when really he sends her to the cabin his best friend (and a hockey player he is the agent for) inherited recently to help him heal from an injury. Wyatt has stopped going to his doctor's appointments; he clearly needs help, but keeps refusing it. Josie's brother convinces her to stay and help him recover, despite thinking that she and Wyatt have hated each other since they met a few years ago. The book is perfect for summer and comes out August 5th!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!