Float Plan had me feeling all the feelings. It’s a well written, heart wrenching story about Anna who takes the trip of a lifetime that her recently deceased fiancé planned for the two of them. After a rough night of trying to sail on her own, she hires a professional (Keane) to help her finish the trip. With only each other for company, the pair help each other navigate their losses—Anna her fiancé and Keane his leg and build up each other’s confidences. The story does become more light hearted and the two’s budding friendship turns into more.

Overall such a great story!

. The novel is heartwarming and well paced, which is something That has the potential to be messed up when you have a topic with so much downtime such as sailing.

This book needs a big trigger warning for suicide. Anna is struggling to cope with the loss of her fiance and the hole he left in her heart after he commits suicide. Mental health is such an important topic and I thought the way the characters struggled with their grief after the loss of Ben was accurately written respectfully.

This was ajourney that is so much more than closure and a way of honoring life. Anna discovers so much about herself . She discovers her resilience, finds her passions, and attained hope for her future.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. In a time when no one is doing any escaping in real life, Float plan was the perfect escape. This is A book filled with healing, love, and adventure, it is definitely worth picking up.
Thank you for an advanced opportunity to read this amazing book.

Road Trip Island Hopping Mashup. At its heart, this is effectively a road trip tale of healing and finding oneself again after a tragedy. Even though it uses sailing a small sailboat through the eastern edges of the Caribbean as its primary vehicle, rather than some wheeled vehicle. And as with all good road tripping tales, you get a lot of heart and a fair degree of humor, and since this is a *romance* variant of the road trip, you get a bit of that (yes, including sex scenes) as well. Overall the suicide that spurs the trip threatens to drag the tale down at times, but Doller does just enough to keep that from really happening. Solid story, and a good escape that could provide a degree of catharsis for some. Very much recommended.

I chatting in a bookstagram reviewers group when someone started absolutely gushing about Float Plan so I immediately headed to Netgalley to check it out for myself. I hit that request button and patiently awaited the approval Gods to grant my request and I'm so glad they did. This book was so much more than I could have ever hoped for.

What I loved about this book:

1. I'm a sucker for great characters that evolve and grow throughout the story so obviously this book was perfect for me. Both Anna and Keane were struggling with different losses and were at a crossroads in their lives. When a chance encounter throws the two together they end up slowly opening up to each other and sharing feelings they've long kept bottled up. They forge an epic bond as they chart a new course for their futures. Their slow burn love story was sweet, steamy, and utterly swoony.

2. This book's heartfelt dialogue, unique plot, and tropical setting is sure to attract all readers. I was absolutely sucked in and immediately invested in this story. I found this book so addictive that I read it in one sitting while shedding a few tears along the way. If your looking for a book to give you all the feels, definitely pick this one up along with a box of tissues.

3. I can't review this book without a big trigger warning for suicide. Anna is struggling to cope with the loss of her fiance and giant hole left in her heart after he commits suicide. This part absolutely ripped my heart out and had me ugly crying. Mental health is such an important topic and I thought the way the characters (Anna and his Mom) struggled with their grief after the loss of Ben was raw and accurately written.

Wow this book deserves all the stars and praise so I hope you'll consider preordering this gem. Even though I was gifted an ebook for a review I'll definitely be picking up my own print copy to reread in the future.

In a year without travel, this novel swept me away. If you’re looking for a book that is filled with seafaring adventure, personal growth, and a slow-burning romance with intense chemistry, then this book is for you.

After the devastating loss of her fiancé, Anna is merely existing, not living. She leaves her job, her friends, and her family to set sail to the Caribbean, just like she and her fiancé had originally planned, however, she would be making this trip solo. While heading out on her own might not have been the wisest decision (I’m not that brave), she needed the escape from her current life. She wanted to fulfill Ben’s charted trip, and she also needed this time to heal. Anna wanted to learn how to live her life again. She didn’t want to forget Ben, and she knew that she would never stop loving him, but she needed to learn how to move on.

Anna’s grief wasn’t glossed over for the sake of the story or a potential new love interest. The author made you feel Anna’s grief. Her pain and anger were real, authentic, and palpable. It was not just a fleeting emotion, it was always there, whether on the surface or buried deep within, and I felt it all right along with her.

After a dangerous and potentially life-threatening night on the water, Anna decided that she needed to hire an experienced sailor to help her. In steps Keane Sullivan, an experienced Irish sailor who prefers to be at sea than anywhere else. He turns out to be so much more than just a hired hand. He’s caring, nice, thoughtful, and he’s also running from his own pain. After spending so much time together, Keane and Anna develop a friendship. They are friends first, however, I could feel their chemistry through the pages of this novel.

The author took her time to develop their relationship and make the reader anticipate all of the possibilities. There’s nothing better than an intense build-up, and Trish Doller delivered it perfectly. But it wasn’t always smooth sailing for Anna and Keane. There were plenty of waves that they had to maneuver, but for myself, it’s always the imperfections and the struggles that make for a believable story.

You don’t have to be a sailor to enjoy this book. While there are a lot of details and descriptions of sailing, it adds to the visualization of the story. I could picture every little detail as Anna was experiencing it.

Float Plan was an enjoyable read. Filled with beautiful destinations, great characters, bravery, determination, and romance, this book was a voyage that I was glad to take.

*4.5 Stars

Float Plan Reading Notes:
- I started this book on a Tuesday, two days before Thanksgiving... which is also exactly where the book starts. Coincidence or fate?!
- Oh, this is going to be a teary-sad beginning. It’s breaking my heart.
- Love the idea but the details are sparse. I constantly feel like I’m missing steps, all the little moments that make it feel true.
- Abrupt segues between moments.
- Love the main characters and the multitudes of people they meet along the way.
- Definitely adore the plot line. Each stop along the way is a treasure.
- Queenie!
- Seriously tripped up by the blunt transitions throughout. It’s just not my favorite style.
- Still, this book has been the balm to my winter blues. I’m a summer child. I crave sea and sand and sun, and this story is a nice change from the traditional “island vacay” chick lit.
- Overall, good elements but the quick shifts lacked room for emotion to grow.

*I received a free early ecopy from the publisher via Netgalley.

"The stages of grief are not linear. They are random and unpredictable, folding back on themselves until you begin mourning all over again. I have bargained with a universe that is not listening. I have cried myself hollow. I have leaned into the belief that I can't live without Ben Braithwaite, but kneeling here in the sand on a beach four hundred miles from home says maybe I can – and that terrifies me."

The first thought that I had after finishing this book was that I am utterly and completely unqualified to write a review for it. I've never been one to read romance; I absolutely adored this book for what it did individually, but had no idea as to how it stacked up within its genre.
To put it another way, this book made me want to go out and explore a genre I had never truly been interested in before.

Only after reading seven of the most highly acclaimed romance books of the year, do I feel qualified to announce that Float Plan may be my favorite.

Following a grief-wracked Anna, Float Plan tells the unapologetic story of how she finds herself at sea with the help of ocean air and a sailor companion, Keane. It is easy to think that having a romance set almost entirely at sea but be the most fascinating piece to the story, but there is something uniquely awe-inspiring in watching Anna fall in love again with life and the world. No other romance book I have read ever did something so beautiful. By placing value on Anna's coming of age (and coming out of grief) plot above the romance, we get to see someone actively choose love, rather than simply needing it.

I always thought this was a lame concept – what is the shame in admitting that you need someone? But this book placed such emphasis on finding peace within yourself, that I now understand without it your love is not fulfilling.
There is a moment where Anna is alone with herself and at last admits, "I sit with myself and am satisified with my soul." Even missing the ones she loves doesn't change that. I have yet to find another romance book where the priority is so heavily place upon the main character. She grows exponentially within 250 pages, and because of this she is able to love more fully and without restraint.
It is the most beautiful kind of romance to read.



***It is important to mention that while I give this book 5 STARS, I do believe the summary needs to be edited to contain a trigger warning / disclose the nature of death. The plot summary simply mentions that "since the loss of her fiancé, Anna has been shipwrecked by grief." IT IS NOT MENTIONED HERE HOW HER FIANCE DIES. However, the first page of the book is his suicide note. I am unsure as to how this book will be formatted in physical copy, but on my E-device the warning of self-harm and suicide appears on the same page as the suicide note. I believe it would be best if people had this warning before buying and starting this book, rather than on the first page that also contains a suicide note.

Part self-discovery, part travelogue, a smidgeon romance and a love letter to sailing. This book is like lying in a hammock that is rocking ever so slightly in a cool, salty seabreeze. I felt my troubles slip away and I got lost in the unassuming writing style. I enjoyed island hopping from Fort Lauderdale to Turks and Caicos and a million haunts in between (including a place called Cat Island where people feed potatoes to wild, aquatic pigs!). Though I disliked some of the woe-is-me tidbits (though understandable after losing a loved one to suicide), I really liked spending my afternoon watching Keane and Anna face their demons down. If you love the nomadism of a life at sea, give it a go. Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's for the arc!

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin & NetGalley for this advance copy. All opinions are my own!

What begins as a woman undertaking a journey by sea that her now-deceased boyfriend planned for them becomes a journey that is so much more than undertaking closure and honoring his life. Anna grieves what she's lost and finds closure, yes, but she finds and discovers so much more about herself, about her resilience, her passions, and her hopes for her future.

This was a beautiful journey through grief and healing, witnessing growth and friendship and new love. I felt so deeply connected to Anna, and I fell for Keane right along with her. It was such a fascinating contrast between the man she'd lost and was learning to let go of and the man who began as a partner on her journey, then a friend, and who she ultimately opened her heart to.. Keane was a man of faith, but quite human and imperfect; he was kind and caring and steady and a dreamy Irishman. I also loved the disability rep in his amputation and prosthesis; while I can't speak to the accuracy of the representation, the author note indicates she undertook research and it all felt very respectful, empowering, and plausible, while not skirting the truth that all of us, disabled or otherwise, battle internalized ableism.

From a content warning perspective, having someone close to me who died by suicide, I can say that I felt this was generally a respectful narrative around suicide, and that for anyone for whom this is a triggering subject matter this will definitely be an emotional read. That said, it felt very forward-oriented, not dwelling on grief or railing on the man she lost to suicide. It was a story about how we learn to accept that sometimes we lose and that grieving that loss is nonlinear and complicated and personal and sometimes transformational.

I'm totally enamored with Doller's prose. Her writing is fluid, natural, confident, and incredibly relatable. I felt so easily drawn in, and as I've said deeply connected to Anna's perspective.

My final praise is how vividly this evokes the power of community, the joy of relationships, and the truth that some people are in our lives for finite times but unforgettable ways, even when their moment with us is brief. I highlighted a number of passages that I know will stick with me, but here are a few of my favorites (please note this is an ARC and thus content is subject to change):

“I reckon if you stay in one place too long, you might start taking it for granted... But if you keep moving, everything holds its wonder."

and

"The stages of grief are not linear. They are random and unpredictable, folding back on themselves until you begin mourning all over again. I have bargained with a universe that is not listening. I have cried myself hollow. I have leaned into the belief that I can’t live without [him] but kneeling here in the sand on a beach four hundred miles from home says maybe I can—and that terrifies me."

FLOAT PLAN is out March 2. If you're ready for a story that draws you right in on a journey of healing, growth, and love, look no further.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for this eARC.

This was a great pandemic read - I WOULD like to be on a beach, I WOULD love to take to the sea (not my normal state), but at least I can imagine I did because of this book. Here's the deal - Anna's fiancee died by suicide a little less than a year ago, but on the day they were supposed to leave to sail the Caribbean, she goes by herself. In the Bahamas, she meets Keane, an Irish sailor, who joins the trip (side note, I did spend a lot of this book thinking of the song on the boat in Mama Mia: Here We Go Again, I MEAN). There's a dog! There are Sea Turtles! There is excellent scenery! People can interact! The book does deal with grief and the normal questions people ask in the wake of a suicide, but there is a lot of lightness here too. An enjoyable read.

Sometimes when life gives you a gut punch you just need an escape. Anna decides to embark on a solo sailing trip through the Caribbean after her fiancé's tragic death. She picks up a professional sailor, a delicious Irishman named Keane, to help once she realizes she's in over her head. They are both working towards a new normal in their individual lives, and it's heartwarming to see how they each learn to support each other as they build a relationship.

It took a bit for me to get into this story. There is a lot of boat and sailing jargon unfamiliar to me, but once Keane enters the story and Anna has someone to interact with on the regular the plot picks up. It's a heartwarming slow-burn kind of romance which was quite enjoyable.

This is a well written book that will keep you turning the pages to see what happens next It's an emotional read about dealing with grief and starting over. It's so much more than a romance. Thank you St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book.

I think my expectations were way too high for this one, because I was expecting a lot more than what I got. This is not a romance, but it is marketed as one. I think I would have enjoyed this more if it was just about Anna's journey, dealing with her grief over the loss of Ben, but throwing in a romance that moved way too fast didn't work for me. Anna was wishy-washy and irresponsible and kind of hard to sympathize with, especially when she moved from mourning Ben to falling for Keane practically overnight. The traveling on the sailboat to all the islands was interesting and I thought well done. I just think this would have worked better as an exploration of Anna on a solo journey, rather than trying to bog it down with a romance that bordered on instalove. Overall, this was just an okay book for me. Would I recommend it? I think so, simply because I think this will be a big hit with a lot of people and I didn't hate it - I was just expecting something else. I'll probably buy it for my shelf though because the cover is so pretty.

I am a sucker for a second chances romance since at some point nearly everyone needs a second chance. Anna is still reeling from her fiancé's suicide when she impulsively decides to go on the trip that they had planned. The only problem is the trip involves sailing around the Caribbean and she is not an experienced sailor. After a harrowing day sailing on her own, she hires Keane, an experienced sailor, to help her. Keane is dealing with his own issues, having lost part of a leg in a sailing accident and finding it difficult to get employment with his disability. The relationship between the two grows slowly and believably - first a friendship and then something more. While I am not a sailor, the sailing aspect of the novel was really interesting and added to the book. I really enjoyed Float Plan for both the realistic romance and the alluring travelogue (I love to travel and this is the only way to do it right now) and I highly recommend it.

Trish Doller's adult debut was fabulous! I loved reading about Anna's transformation as well as her romance.

I enjoyed this book. It was well written, engaging and kept me invested in the characters. I always enjoy books of finding yourself again and like where this one went. Fuller review will be posted closer to publication.

After 10 months of treading water with her grief, Anna's finally decided to "move on" from the death of her fiance in the best way she can: taking his sailboat and ditching her job in Ft. Lauderdale to go cruising around the Caribbean on a trip they should have taken together. Along the way, she picks up a one-legged sailor still coping with his own loss. This scenic, adventurous, and travelogue-themed tale with a slow-burn romance and a focus on healing and grief management makes for an incredible book I practically read in a day.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The character development was subtle in a myriad of ways, and the plot moves along quickly enough to keep interest. I could have used a little more expansion around the ending of the book, but on the whole found the experience very enjoyable.

This was my first read of the summer, and I'm so glad my season started with a bang! Slow burning romance, heartfelt connections, a strong lead; this was exactly what you want from a romance book. Marvelous writing by Trish Doller.

Full review on Goodreads. Decent characters and nothing like rags to riches or so,etching unrealistic between the two love interests, but it was just too predictable for me