I am a sucker for books about loss and how people work through grief. Ten months and one day after Anna lost her fiancé to suicide, she embarks on the sailing trip that they had planned together. Her fiancé, Ben, had bought a sailboat, restored it, and mapped out an itinerary. When a reminder that Ben set goes off on their planned departure day, Anna decided to take the trip on her own. By day 2 she knows she needs help. This is where Keane joins her voyage. He also is working his way thorough an unexpected loss which impacts his future.

I’m not sure what else to say- the grief feels so authentic as does the resilience. Also, I loved all the sailing and island description. My husband and son both sail competitively, so that was a fun connection.

This felt so real that I found myself wondering about doing a long sailing trip (I get seasick really easily, so probably not!). That said, the book really made it seem like something to consider!

Thanks to NEtGalley and St. Martins Publishing for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Float Plan by Trish Doller is a fresh new story about grief, love, and independence. This slow-burn romance was more about the hearts and strength and growth of each of the individuals separately, rather than just their love story together.

I love the fierce independence and drive for healing that Anna has. Although she feels unmoored in her grief, she isn't a helpless damsel in distress that needs to be saved by a man. I love that spark in her! She tries and fails, and is determined to sail her boat by herself, and to ultimately find her way back to happiness. She's so brave!

Keane brings a really strong and charismatic persona to the story, and I love the representation of his disability and how it isn't holding him back from being strong and capable. It's a really excellent portrayal of loss and grief in a different way from Anna's, but something that brings them together in such a tender way.

I also really enjoyed learning about the process of sailing (and some of its terrors) and the different islands and their history - that was such a rich connection to the love of traveling and being immersed in new cultures.

Inspiring, honest, patient, and adventurous - this sweet romance will fill your sails with joy!

{Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced eARC of this in exchange for my honest review}

There was nothing in particular that I disliked about this book, but it just wasn't the book for me. The writing was good, the characters felt real, but I just wasn't all that interested or invested. I think for the right person this would be an excellent read and I'm sure there are going to be a lot of readers who will enjoy this book. For me, it was just okay.

I just really, really loved this book. Although parts of it were extremely heart wrenching, by the end I just felt alive and hopeful. Second chance books are always so great and uplifting to read and this one was particularly delightful. The scenery was beautiful and even though I am not a boat person at all, by the end of this book I felt inspired to sail the Caribbean. Anna’s story was truly lovely. Full of heartbreak for sure, but also filled with hope, strength, self awareness and of course a slow burn steamy romance. I loved Keane immediately and could not get enough of him. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press/St Martin Griffin for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

“It’s pointless to speculate what might happen. What we need at present is not to let fear rule the day.”

Anna is grieving the loss of her partner Ben. When an alarm goes off on her phone reminding her of the sailing trip they were suppose to do together, Anna decides to pack up her stuff and go. After scary night at sea, she decides she can’t this alone and hires Keane to help. Keane is struggling in his own way and the trip begins to help them both heal from their demons and a spark begins to grow between the two of them.

**This novel contains topics of self harm and suicide**

What did I like:
1. This is a beautiful story about heartache and healing from a being left behind. I love how it showed Anna’s character in the different stages of grief. It was a great display of how one flows back and forth through the different stages of grief.
2. This author did her research. She knows sailing. I mean, it appears she does. I do not know anything about sailing but it is clear that she did her research when talking about the different topics of sailing. She also did a fantastic job of describing all the different locations they went in great detail. I could envision myself in all the beautiful places the pair visited.
3. I read this book while I was trapped inside my home because of a snow storm. It was nice to escape and pretend I was on vacation with Keane and Anna.

What did I not like:
1. The story wasn’t super exciting. At times I felt myself skimming. I felt like the “climax” part of the novel was the last 2-3 chapters.
2. Lovers of steamy scenes will be disappointed but for me thats okay. This message of this was about finding yourself after loss. Learning to not forget but to also move on.

Overall a pretty good read. Float Plan releases March 2nd!

First off, thank you so much to Net Galley for sending me my first ARC! I am so excited to have received an early copy of The Float Plan by Trish Doller. Most times I will know if I like a book from page 1 and this was one of those books. This book starts off very heartbreaking. Anna’s fiancé committed suicide 10 months before the plot takes off. Anna gets a notification on her phone as a reminder to sail the world with Ben. After laying in bed for 10 months, she decides to take the leap and stumbles upon Keane along the way. I found myself lost in these pages and felt like I was right there on the Alberg with Anna and Keane. I felt every wave, every emotion, and every interaction within these pages. I really enjoyed the amputee reputation in this book because my sister is an amputee! My sister and Keane have a lot in common. They don’t let their disability define who they are and instead find ways to overcome and adapt. You can tell the author is a sailor and is writing upon her own experiences. This book is heavy, emotional and so captivating. It’s the perfect escape that i needed! I loved this book so much that I have already preordered it and I can’t wait to have a physical copy in my hands!

I’ll be honest - when I saw Float Plan on Netgalley, I thought it was going to be a romantic comedy because of the bright and cheery cover. Don’t be fooled - even though the cover is sunny and reminiscent of the current illustrated romance cover trend - Float Plan is an emotional rollercoaster of a book and will definitely make you feel so much.

From a plot point of view - this book is heartbreaking. It’s the story of Anna, whose fiance died of suicide a few months prior to this story. Anna decides to leave her life behind and attempt to complete the sailing trip that she and her late fiance had been planning before his death. It’s also the story of how Anna wades through her grief and tries to find a path forward in life. Outside of this emotionally driven plot, as soon as you pick this book up it’s clear that Trish Doller excels at her world building - you could practically see the tropical fish and the whales and the majesty of the tropics. Every new island that Anna and Keane visited was lushly described, and was a place I would very much like to visit (especially the slavery memorial on Martinique - it was incredibly profound).

Anna was deeply in mourning in the wake of the loss of her fiance when Float Plan started. One of her only ties to him was his sailboat - which she impulsively decides to charter to the Carribean in honor of plans she and her fiance had together. As she took her sailing journey, she made connections with people along the way and really started to come out of her shell and out of the shroud of her mourning. One thing I really appreciated was that her grief didn’t go away as she opened herself up to new people - she simply made emotional space for new people in her life and didn’t forget her late fiance.

Part of what makes this book so magical is the cast of characters - every single one of them was a multifaceted, interesting person who helped Anna’s journey in some way. So many of the characters only made brief appearances, but their impact on Anna’s life was still profound. The biggest example is Keane - he offered to help her sail from Bimini to Puerto Rico, free of charge, and along the way he opened her eyes to life after her fiance and what the tropics had to offer. I also really loved that he was uber-respectful of her emotional state - he never pushed her into doing anything she wasn’t ready for.

Have the tissues of standby for Float Plan - you will definitely run a full gamut of emotions while you read it. You’ll also want to book a post pandemic trip to Caribbean to see some of the sights that Keane and Anna experienced. This was the first book by Trish Doller that I’ve read - and I’m definitely looking forward to exploring the rest of her books. If you’re looking for other great books to read, check out What You Wish For and Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center. 5/5

“I’m starting to understand that some people come into your life when you need them, and go when it’s time.”

What You’ll Find:
✔️Second Chance Romance
✔️Cinnamon Roll Hero
✔️Disability Representation
✔️Sailing Adventure
✔️Singular POV

I truly loved this story. Its a beautiful romance, written with such fluidly. It’s about so much more than romance. It’s about overcoming loss, in a multitude of ways. About self perseverance and rediscovery. Also second chances at love and so much more.

Anna is lost in grief after her finances passing. When she gets a reminder about a trip they were suppose to do together, she decides to brave the seas and sail the trip alone. She soon learns she’ll need help along the way and hires Keane, a professional sailer, who’s struggling with his own future. Together they discover it’s never to late to start over.

Keane stole my heart from the beginning. Just so present. And aware. Intuitive. A sweetheart of an Irishman who has a zest for the sea life. Anna, lost in grief, yet still so brave. It was beautiful to watch her transform and heal. Their relationship takes its time to form. And I appreciated that in this storyline. It was a slow burn well worth the wait. And I don’t mean a wait for steam, though there is a little of that too. I mean for a connection that felt natural, real and even vulnerable.

The story was just the read I needed right now. It had me locked in from the start. I could picture everything clearly and enjoyed going on the journey with them. This story has everything from emotion to steam, to humour and relatability. And fantastic disability representation I loved. I feel like I learned so much.. not only about sailing and the Caribbean but so much more. This is a story that will stay with you. Highly recommend this one!

CW/TW: Suicide

LOVED this book! This book tackles tougher topics (grief, suicide, etc.) than your typical romance does so it is more Katherine Center than Christina Lauren, but it still is heartwarming and encouraging as Anna learns to navigates the world (and the Caribbean) without her fiancé, Ben. So many things that I enjoyed about this book, but my favorite was the Caribbean setting and all the island hopping -- YES, please! Maybe it's because traveling isn't happening too much right now, but I loved the escape to tropical destinations and getting to read about each island Anna visited and what made each of them unique. I think this will be a great spring/summer read to put in the beach bag and I look forward to sharing it with our audience. 5 stars!

TW: suicide, grief

Following her fiancé's suicide, Anna Beck finds herself swamped in grief and at a standstill. When an alert on her phone reminds her of a sailing trip they were supposed to take together, she makes the impulsive decision to do it alone. After a difficult night, she hires Keane Sullivan, Irishman and experienced sailor. As their journey progresses, Anna finds solace, healing and love.

Float Plan packed a lot in and covered a lot of ground (both literally and figuratively) without feeling rushed or lacking context. The elements of grief and healing added depth to the story, but Doller's writing style softened the edges of Anna's emotions, aligning with the Romance genre. As a reader, this was a relief, as I didn't have to internalize Anna's sorrow and pain to understand what she was feeling. I loved all of the people that Anna and Keane met along their journey, especially Joyce. While I have never sailed, I was completely charmed by the community and hope to experience it someday. I appreciated the extensive information regarding sailing, and I was extremely thankful that Doller accurately portrayed the knowledge and experience required for a safe journey.

There were two quotes that had a profound impact on me:
1. "Eventually - and I say this from experience - you'll start building a new house beside the ruins of the old. When you're ready, you'll know."
2. "The stages of grief are not linear. They are random and unpredictable, folding back on themselves until you begin mourning all over again."

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for my honest review.

Anna's fiance, Ben: <i>He pointed at a constellation...."There. That little star at the bottom. That one is yours, Anna. Forever and always." I didn't remind him that sometimes the light we see is left over from dead stars. It couldn't be mine if it was already gone.</i>

Float Plan is a classic quest story, with the outer journey mirroring Anna's interior. She emerges from her complicated grief to set sail on her fiance's dream trip, 10 months & 6 days after he has died by suicide.

The lovely yet damaged Keane eventually becomes her companion for the voyage. You have to love a guy, who, when you're forced to admit "you were right," responds with "I didn't want to be."

Beautiful, poignant writing, evocative descriptions, (mostly) likeable characters, flashes of humor, and portrayals of people navigating tough situations with grace make this a good fit for those who like Abby Jimenez, Talia Hibbert, Sarina Bowen...perhaps even Fredrik Backman.

Comes out March 2, 2021. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC.

This was an emotional and moving book that at the same time felt like an adventure! Anna decides to follow her fiancé's dream of sailing the sea after he dies by suicide. Confused and unmoored, she hires Keane (who is also experiencing a life different than what he had planned) to help her sail her boat, and the meditation on grief and love after loss that follows is beautiful.

Learning about all the islands and settlements they traveled to was so fun, and although I wasn't incredibly interested in the sailing descriptions, they were short and important enough to the plot that it didn't feel boring! I appreciated the depiction of Keane's disability and how it did not hold him back, but was simply part of him. Their relationship was realistic and emotionally impactful.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me an advance copy of this book! I loved it!

A bit more than your typical rom com, this title features two characters hiding from the world to process two different kinds of loss. Tropical locales and strong narrative make for a diverting read.

Cute as a button! I loved following Anna as she embarks on a sailing adventure, grieves her late fiancé, and grows as a person. I loved Keane and his kind heart. This book makes me want to go off on an adventure in the Caribbean ASAP. This book is cute, sweet, and funny. A lovely escape!

Thank you St Martins for the ARC!

In a world in which travel is mostly restricted, reading Float Plan was the perfect take-me-away I needed to start the new year off right!

Trish Doller’s story of Anna and Keane is so detail oriented it will literally leave the reader feeling as though they were along for their trip across the islands. I loved that the characters also had depth to them, they were flawed individuals looking for happiness - not knowing if they would find it on their crazy trip. TD’s writing also has you feeling all the feels - you will laugh, cry, and fall in love with Anna and Keane along the way.

This is the first of Trish’s novels I have read - I am going to have to go back and add the rest to my TBR list!

I can’t wait till more of my reading friends take the journey with Anna and Keane!!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book, Float Plan by Trish Doller in exchange for my honest opinion.

Okay y'all, this book. I cannot even tell of you all of the ways I loved it!! I could have read this book from start to finish in one sitting if I would have had the time. Once I started reading this story I was so invested I could not stop. Oh the feels!!

The book begins with us reading a suicide note from Anna's fiance, Ben. Anna is lost and sad and heartbroken after Ben committed suicide and the day her alarm goes off for their planned boat trip she packs up and takes off on an impulsive sailing trip.

Anna quickly learns that she is in way over her head and hires a professional sailor to help her complete her trip, one that Ben had mapped out, from Florida to Trinidad.
This a story about friendship and grief and overcoming fears. It's about learning to start over but never forgetting. It's about building a new home right alongside the old one.

I also loved the setting of this book. I know virtually nothing about boats or sailing, but felt like I was right along with Anna and Keane as they venture through their trip. Also, Queenie the rescue dog was such a sweet part of the story.

Oh my gosh! This book is so amazing!! friends to lovers, slow burn romance, close proximity, Irish good guy, amazing setting. Read this book, you will not be disappointed! I will recommend this book over and over again!!

I love when a book falls into your hands just when you need it. I wanted desperately to start the New Year with a story of adventure and a fresh start, and Float Plan was that and so much more.

It was also a story of self-discovery and finding your place after tragedy, as Anna decides to set sail as she had planned to do with her fiancée. There’s a bit of suspense waiting to see what adventure awaits, and a side of romance as a bonus. The author navigated a sensitive subject matter like suicide and bringing strength, hope and courage from it.

To note: there is a trigger warning of suicide, which has impacted my life in a big way, and in some ways this book healed raw emotions I still have over losing my Father this way.

*many thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Griffin for the gifted copy for review

Float plan was an incredibly book that’s not just romance but the story of a woman figuring her life out after experiencing a major loss.

There was so much to love about Float Plan. The writing is effortless and it’s an incredibly easy book to sink into. Doller writes Anna’s grief in a way that is so tangible that your heart breaks along with her. But as she works through that grief you find yourself smiling while reading.

The hero Keane is about as loveable and swoony as they come. He and Anna form this beautiful friendship and as Anna is healing you see them moving towards becoming something more. Keane is so earnest and open about his feelings, it’s refreshing in a main character. This story feels so fresh and I loved the setting of the sailboat and the different islands they hopped to and from along with the cast of supporting characters.

This will definitely be a book I’ll be recommending!

I'd heard many great things about this book before reading it, but this story about grief, forgiveness, moving on, and falling in love again absolutely exceeded my expectations. The pace wasn't rushed at all, which gave the reader time to fall in love with Anna and Keane at the same rate they were falling for each other. But it wasn't too slow either. It was perfect. I'm not typically a big fan of description, but I loved hearing about all the islands on their journey and it made me wish so hard I wasn't stuck inside during a pandemic and unable to travel! It's clear the author was familiar with all the legs of the trip, and I felt like I was along for the ride. I really want to go sailing now. And find my own Keane. He was delicious.

It's very early in the year, but I suspect Float Plan will be among my favorite reads of 2021.

WOW! This book was breathtaking. The themes discussed in this novel are deep, but they were written fantastically and with such care. The characters are so great together, and I loved reading about them.