Could not finish I was to much going on in made my head hurt. I had high hopes the book sounded intresting but fell short

Families come in all shapes and sizes, what works for mine may not work for yours. But this family.....you can see bits and pieces of so many different people you know and care about coming together in this one family. From Mom and Dad, to the smallest child, each has their own voice and their own concerns, with plans on how to get the family together. The ship "dry docked" in the yard gives a voice to the story that is very unique, but somehow familiar. Sonja Yoerg has done an excllent job of displaying the rough and the tender sides of this family, and maybe every family.

Growing up on the Chesapeake Bay, I had to read this one! The Family Ship was beautifully written. Highly recommend.

A unique family saga full of love, grief, disappointment, healing, hardships... emotional, engaging,

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2022 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2022/01/readers-advisory-announce-2022-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

Great book. Highly recommend and will most defiantly read more by this author and suggest to others!

This was a very different read. It is a family saga, but, unlike any I have read before.

The family consists of Mom and Dad and 9 children. The family purchased a house that happened to have a big boat embedded into the yard. This boat plays a major part in the development of the story and the children.

Mom loves her children….she is affectionate, caring and supportive. Dad is a former Navy man. While I’m sure he loves his children, he shows it in a much different way. His manner is unyielding, stern and gruff. He runs a tight ship, literally. He loves his wife deeply.

Dad uses the oyster boat embedded into the yard as a tool, to teach the children about life. It is used to teach discipline, cooperation, rules and regulations. Each child is assigned a rank and a duty. It has become a way of life for them.

While reading the book we live along with the Vergennes family. The chapters are written from the points of view of the different family members…..a great way to get an all-around picture.

Good things and bad things happen in the family. They went through some terrible times toward the end of the book. The terrible times only made them stronger and more appreciative of each other. The reader experiences these things along with the family members. This is a comfortable book, the kind that you can lose yourself in. It's not fast paced. It's definitely character-driven. Characters that wormed their way into my heart ….I will miss them. It's a great writer that can bring these emotions out in me.

And, I love warm and fuzzy happy endings.

I received this as an Advance Reader’s Copy from NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you, with apologies for the late review.

What an amazing book! If you love family dramas, this book is for you! I am still getting all the feels from these characters. This is a story about family, love, and life: the good, the bad, and especially the ugly. You will get sucked into the Vergennes family, and become a member on their ship. You will sail with them through a time in their lives where family means everything. Great book, and I recommend it to everyone!!!

*Thank you Lake Union Publishing and @netgalley for the egalley in exchange for an honest review.*

This was such a wonderful book. Super emotional and sad and hopeful. I loved the Vergenes family and thought the concept was so well done. Sonja Yoerg is an amazing writer who fills her pages with characters that are larger than life.

DNF - Did not finish. I decided not to keep reading this title because I did not connect with the writing or plot. Thank you, NetGalley and publisher for the early copy!

I would like to extend my gratitude to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sending me this advanced reader’s copy in return for a fair, frank, and honest review.

The “thing” that drew me to this book was that it followed a family negotiating who they are, who they want to be, who they do not want to be and finding out who you are and how you fit in the family. Loved the way the characters were developed over time. Beautiful storytelling. It was sad at times but so is ordinary life and that is when people find out if they are resilient enough or happy just to settle.

Highly recommend.

This one totally caught me off guard. I read it in one sitting, I could not tear my eyes away from the pages. The author weaves together such an intricate and realistic story, handling tough issues with such care.

There is just something so original and fresh about the plot of this book. This a large family and they have boat on their land that has become the central activity space for the children in the home. Each child takes a different task on the ship and they run drills and perform "missions." The ship helps them deal with the emotional issues in their lives and give them an escape and an outlet. When their mother passes away from complications of her final pregnancy, the family comes together to try to heal the pain. In the midst of this, they grow as a family and learn lessons individually. I will definitely be recommending this book to others. I struggled a bit with the way the ending kept going and did not really lead anywhere. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley. This book is a triumph.

The first book I ever read by Sonja Yoerg was House Broken and I recall loving the way she portrayed a family the way they really are, with all the ugliness, scars, personalities, disagreements and yet the true feelings and love too. The Vergennes family at the heart of The Family Ship have all that in spades. Each character in this story is so multidimensional. it must have been a feat just to write the story and keep all the characters real and true to their traits. Maeve & Arthur are the parents of this crew and they have a love that's so strong and they are each so different and their parenting styles are so different. Verity is the oldest girl, but the oldest sibling is Jude and we find out why Jude left the family 5 years earlier. Verity wants to go to away to college but with mom Maeve pregnant again after a miscarriage a few years before, the chances are looking slim that Verity will get to attend college at all. The Vergennes have so many children at home and this pregnancy seems very difficult for Maeve. The story is filled with metaphors, what's happening at the Vergennes home mirrors the big hurricane that's barreling toward the coastal town in which they live. I shed some tears for sure, as I got invested in the family. I got angry at dad Arthur, and I was proud Jude and Verity for being such strong young people. A truly emotional yet heartwarming novel. #NetGalley #TheFamilyShip

This story by Sonja was amazing. I absolutely loved this book written by her. Family hardships will make you think and cherish every moment you have! Will reread and recommend to all readers!

What a unique and captivating story!
This a wonderful, heartfelt story of the dynamics of a large family, and the unique role each child plays. As with most families, the elder children have a greater responsibility, especially when their pregnant mother is taken ill.
The dad is all but MIA as far as helping with the family and has issues of his own which only magnify after tragedy strikes.
What I love about the story is each character's perseverance in the face of challenges, both emotional and physical. The story slowly peels away layers of what has shaped each person, and what drives them to act the way they do.
It's a great story about the true meaning of family and being there for each other. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book.

Thank you Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing and Sonja Yoerg for free e-ARC in return of my honest review.

This is my second book by wonderful Sonja Yoerg. I enjoyed True Places and I loved The Family Ship! I loved everything about it - from plot development to character evolution, the voices of most characters telling the story from their view, the drama, the love, the disaster and the end. It is a complete treat for a book lover who enjoys family stories. I got so attached to fiction characters I had a dream about this family and the ship!

It is a wonderful, thought provoking book about family relationships and responsibilities, it will male you cry and laugh, it will turn your soul upside down, and then it will give you hope that everything with be all right at the end. Read it and thank me later ❤️

Maeve and Arthur have the large family they always wanted. With foresight, Arthur began a team-building exercise before it was trendy, naming the old boat on their property USS Nepenthe and proclaiming eldest daughter Verity captain. This works well to keep them entertained and safe at home until eldest son leaves the family home in anger. Once things start unraveling, secrets come out, as well as true feelings, and the entire family must rally from tragedy. Yoerg writes beautifully about family dynamics, especially siblings' love-hate relationships. Fans of Diane Chamberlain, Kelly Simmons, and / or Barbara Sissel will appreciate Yoerg's style of storytelling. I received a digital copy of this wonderful story from the publisher Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley.

This is a wonderful coming of age story of 18 year old Verity Vergennes, captain of the USS Nepenthe, and her seven siblings also her crew members. Her parents, Maeve and Arthur, are pregnant with another child but is grieving for the loss of their eldest child, Jude. Verity stepped in to manage the boat and keep a tidy ship for the family, she struggles with her following her dreams or staying behind. Verity is a compassionate, eager, lovable character. There are moments of tears, it’s beautifully written, and a quick read. Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and the author for a gifted copy. This is my honest review.

THE FAMILY SHIP is a beautiful, heartbreaking book about what it means to be a family and how to define oneself as separate from the family. Amazing characters, beautiful writing - this book had it all.