Loved, loved, loved! The banter is fantastic and the grief storyline is so well done. I also loved the relationship between Jo and her nieces. But Alex, or Hot Yacht Chef was obviously my favorite. And the Zefron-athon was nostalgic and fun! If you're a fan of Emily Henry's books, this one is for you!

Super yacht stewardess Jo is feeling lost. Still reeling from the death of her nephew Samson three months earlier, Jo' is tasked with watching teenage nieces this summer while her sister works on her marriage. Then by a stroke of fate, the stranger she kisses at a bar turns up in the galley of her super yacht as the new chef. Together, the group helps Jo complete her 30 by 30 list through unforgettable events that not only solidify their bond, but also help Jo and her nieces with their grief.

Love, Lists and Fancy Ships captured my attention from the beginning and had me wanting to do nothing but read. I cannot believe this is a debut novel. I knew I would love it before I even read it and let me tell you, the book did not disappoint. It got me out of my reading slump. This book made me smile, laugh, and cry.

My husband and I are OBSESSED with Bravo's Below Deck and this book made me feel like I was in the middle of an episode of my favorite show. Everything felt so real and the characters came alive through the pages. I could feel their emotions right alongside them and there were moments in the book that completely shocked me.

Whether blood or found, this book explores the importance of family. Jo's relationship with her nieces extremely endearing. I love how both Kitty and Mia push her out of her comfort zone. They help Jo see that she has been keeping everyone at arm's length, afraid to get heart and afraid to truly feel. Their adventures in pursuit of the 30 by 30 list were so fun and original. And I am obsessed with her bestie Nina, who delivers quirk and sass in every scene. I cannot wait for her book next.

The group is muddling through the grief of losing Samson in their own ways. I loved how each character dealt with this tragedy completely differently, but they all are working toward the same goal of healing. They offer each other heart-warming gentle nudges along the way, which makes them realize that you can't ignore or outrun your grief. There are so many raw and vulnerable moments in this book.

Love, Lists and Fancy Ships is more than a romance. It's more than a chick lit book. This book is emotional, real and relatable. It is absolutely beautiful and an incredible debut novel. Bravo, Sarah.

Thank you to the author + Berkley for the advanced copy.

So you ever know you’re going to LOVE a book before you even read a word about it? This book was one of those for me, and when I got to read an advance reader copy thanks to the author herself + Berkley Romance, I couldn’t believe how much I just LOVED it.

You may recognize Sarah from her fun reels + singalongs over on bookstagram, because she is by far one of the most fun authors I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know, and for me her personality and flair were what made her debut a book I will be showcasing on my shelves and recommending to everyone I can.

While this year I have read MANY a book about a boat / traveling, I had no expectations for where I’d be shipped off to in this story having avoided the synopsis because I prefer to be surprised! & surprise me it did, I freaken loved it.

Ya’ll, this book blew me away.

Things I fell in love with in this book -

* The 30 before 30 list that Jo makes, and how her BFF Nina + her nieces force her into tackling the items she fears
* Jo’s personal growth - I love a protagonist who might be a bit of a mess, unsure who they are & where to go next because I find that so relatable
* Alex is most certainly the Hot Yacht Chef, and probably my favorite book boyfriend of the year. I LOVED how he was introduced into Jo’s life, and all the situations that led to their
* The relationships, ALL of them. From the family dynamics to the side characters, every character introduced added something to this story that I couldn’t wait to read more about. Each one was spunky, unique and gave the book this close knit framily feel to it that was unique for a romance but that I just adored.
* The friendships and support, in all kinds of directions, and how Sarah’s writing style made me feel like I was a part of every event in the book, part of the crew of characters in this incredible story.
* Showing us that grief comes in different ways, and how truly uplifting those around us can be. I laughed, I cried, and this book felt like a huge warm fuzzy as I did so - it was my own emotional roller coaster in the best way possible.

Being able to call Sarah a friend made no impact on my 5 star rating, but has me cheering this book on so hard! I cannot believe this is her debut novel, and books like this one make me so excited to be a reader - to laugh, to cry and to feel like I found something meaningful in the pages that impacted my own feelings on life. I’ll be cherishing this one forever.

My virtual based book club, loveARCtually will be reading this one in October and I cannot wait to discuss with friends & Sarah herself! Do yourself a favor, request this one, preorder it - you won’t regret it!

A perfect summer read! A beautiful story about how we cope with grief, and finding the will to open ourselves to life and love. Happy to recommend this to staff and faculty!

Jo is trying to get over a tragedy by avoiding it completely. Like, in-the-middle-of the-ocean completely. As part of a luxury yacht crew, along with her best friend, she is working on a 30 things by her 30th birthday bucket list, and she just might get through it all. Until her 2 nieces show up unexpectedly to stay with her for the summer. And it turns out item #5. Kiss a Stranger, is her new neighbor, and the new chef on the yacht. With her life unraveling and the list languishing, Jo is ready to pack it in. But Alex, aka Hot Yacht Chef, has other ideas. An empowering, lovable look at life, just when you thought you'd seen it all.

I found Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships to be the perfect summer read. It was funny, romantic, and an overall great read!

Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships follows Jo Walker, a stewardess in a yacht named Serendipity, starts at the end of charter season where she had three months left to complete her thirty-by-thirty bucket list that she and her best friend/workmate Nina created the previous year. Jo had been stalling off on the list ever since her nephew Samson suddenly passed away..

When the yacht docked in the marina, Jo, Nina, and Ollie went to their usual bar to have some fun. There, Jo met a guy named Alex whom she kissed to check off Number 5 on the list which was about kissing a stranger. Little did she know that that was not the last time she’d see him. For her remaining bucket list, she had it all planned out and her itinerary for her Europe trip to tick off some on the bucket list was all set, but there was one big problem: her sister Beth unexpectedly sent her daughters Mia and Kitty to her place for the whole summer. Jo’s nieces needed her to be there for them as they were still grieving for the loss of their brother and at the same time worried about their parents’ failing marriage. She cancelled her plans and decided to stay with them. As she found herself constantly in Alex’s company as they both worked at the same place and lived in the same condo, Jo learned to confront her emotions before she loses the thing that matters the most – her loved ones.

This book is amazing. I love how this novel shows us about grief and how people cope with it differently. Some may lash out in anger, others may push people away, and others may be anxiously quiet about it. It was admirable that the author emphasized the importance of open communication and understanding in order to be able to pull each other out from the dark.

Jo preferred to be on her own and tended to push people away because of her past experiences. Despite what she has gone through however, I love the fact that her loving and kindhearted personality never changed. Alex on the other hand, had an outgoing and bubbly personality whenever Jo is around which brightened the story’s atmosphere. Although they both kept telling themselves that they were not interested in dating, they both still somehow found themselves breaking their walls and barged their way into each other’s hearts. Aside from that, I adore his fatherly love for his daughter Greyson and how he was willing to do everything for her. He may not have been a great dad at first, but at least he constantly tried his best to become better.

This book was so easy to read. I love the sincerity of this story and how everything centered on family, communication, and meaningful bonds between the characters. The story pacing was just right; the events and revelations in the story were spread well that the reader wouldn’t be overwhelmed with too much information. I am so glad that I picked this one up because this will surely be on my comfort reads list. Thank you so much @prhinternational @berkleypub for this ARC! I would most especially thank @Sarahgrunderruiz for making this, and congratulations on your debut novel!

I almost passed on this book, but I am SO glad I didn't. I would have missed out on a fantastic story!

In a drunken moment of bravado, Jo creates a bucket list of 30 things she wants to accomplish before turning 30. Some things are fairly easy to accomplish, like "start a blog" and "plant a garden" others take a little more effort (and courage) like "skinny dip" and "kiss a stranger."

Jo works aboard a luxury yacht so she has plenty of opportunities to see the world and interact with diverse groups of people. She's plugging away nicely on her list when the sudden and unexpected death of her young nephew stops her cold. Jo isn't sure how to go on living life day to day let alone completing what now seems like a "silly" list of insignificant tasks.

When Jo's nieces come for a visit her summer is even further uprooted. They're all dealing with the grief of their nephew/brother's passing in their own ways but avoiding dealing with it together at all costs. When Jo meets Alex and the continue to have fatefully inspired run ins, she begins to open up to the idea of living and loving once again.

This book is full of humor, life, and hope. Sarah Grunder Ruiz has a unique voice that is refreshing in the world of contemporary romance. I am so glad I took a chance on Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Sooo, Quick question for you Sarah. How on earth did you make such sad, heavy material so light and fun?

Don't get me wrong, there were a few tears, but the story wasn't about making you cry. It was about lifting you up and finding life again after tragedy, how differently everyone processes and how the unexpected can be exactly what you needed.

I wish I could live in Sarah's head while she's writing or maybe even just pick her brain about it after. There are so many random (and I mean RAAAAANDOM) and quirky details that make her characters so uniquely real, not only that, I want to personally know them ALL.
Nina is a RIOT! I can't wait for her book, I want an appearance of her shark fin swimsuit again, hear more about her craigslist trolling and definitely see some more sassy mom tees.

I digress... back to THIS story. It Romance, Adventure and Humour but the highlight for me was the relationship between Jo and her nieces. Mia is a little firecracker and Kitty is just so sweet and smart. The dichotomy of these two living with their Aunt Jo for the summer while they try to fulfill Jo's list of 30 before 30 is SO MUCH FUN!

And then we have Alex. *sigh* Sweet, Sexy Alex. I won't go too much into his deal since I enjoyed a few nice surprises when it came to him, but just know he (and everyone that comes with him) is a delight.

I want to list more of the random things about this story that I loved but part of the fun of it was discovering them for myself and being surprised. So I will just say do yourself a favour and read this story. It is a beautifully unexpected love story about life after loss and finding your place in life.


I will be sharing this review on my blog and instagram in the week leading up to pub date.
Here is the link to the blog once I've made it live
https://www.romantiquarian.com/post/love-lists-and-fancy-ships-by-sarah-grunder-ruiz

“Then why had I thought, 𝙅𝙤𝙮, the moment he touched me, as if his thumb on my mouth were something I could keep?”
— 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚, 𝙇𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙨 & 𝙁𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙮 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙥𝙨, Sarah Grunder Ruiz

Rating: 🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊/5

It’s the end of charter season aboard the yacht, 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘺, that Jo Walker works on as a stewardess. Jo has three months left to complete a thirty-by-thirty list, a bucket list of sorts she and her best friend, Nina, created after Jo went through a bad breakup. She has a trip planned to Europe to knock off two, visit 10 countries (she has five left) and sleep in a castle. One problem: her nieces show up unexpectedly and throw a wrench in the whole thing. See, their brother was killed three months previously in a tragic accident, and Jo cannot abandon Mia and Kitty in their time of need. Oh, and then there’s the stranger she kissed at the bar to check off another list item who keeps popping up. As the hot single dad of the friend her nieces have made. As her neighbor. As the new chef aboard the 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘺. Thanks to the forced proximity between work and home, Jo and Alex start spending a lot of time together. And Jo, who since her bad breakup and death of her nephew has done everything she can to build impenetrable walls around her heart, finds herself cracking under the pressures of Alex’s attentions. Alex, with his kind heart and goofy personality, starts making her question whether it’s better to keep pushing the people and things she loves to spare her heart, or hold them close and risk the heartbreak.

Lord I loved this book. I think my favorite part about it was that it really tackles the different ways in which people grieve in the wake of a tragedy. Jo pushes those close to her away to spare herself more hurt. Mia is angry and racked with guilt. Kitty is skittish and quiet. They’re all silently struggled when they should be openly talking and healing together. I also really loved Jo and Alex’s relationship. It was based almost entirely on their emotional connection, which I think is something so rare. Sure, other novels in the genre obviously show their characters having an emotional connection, but often times it starts off as something purely physical. Alex taught Jo how to open her heart and let love in, and Joe taught Alex how to stay and fight for something.

This book isn’t out until November, but to add it to your Goodreads and add an event to your calendar, because you won’t want to miss it when it releases!

𝕋𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕜 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕦𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕙𝕖𝕣, 𝕒𝕦𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕣, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 ℕ𝕖𝕥𝕘𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕪 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔸ℝℂ 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕡𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕥𝕪 𝕥𝕠 𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕓𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕓𝕖𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕡𝕦𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟!

This was the best book I have read in quite some time. I'm a huge fan of the show Below Deck, and this is practically Below Deck flying off the screen and onto pages. Not only is it a very entertaining, hilarious and captivating book, but there is a very serious side as well. There is grief, and heartache. Our OTP have such great chemistry and banter. I laughed, smiled, and cried with this book. It was just so good.

Thank you to Berkley, NetGalley and the author for this review copy. All opinions are my own!

With tenderness and humor, Sarah Grunder Ruiz explores the journey toward healing in the wake of deep grief. After the death of her 11-year old nephew, Jo has put her head down, thrown herself into work as stewardess on a charter yacht, and given herself a list of to-dos that both structure her life and allow her to function through her grief. With a lovable cast of her two nieces, her best friend, Nina, Ollie the cranky yacht chef, and the new chef who takes Ollie's place, Alex, as well as his daughter, Jo experiences a summer that stretches her to finish her list, heal her broken heart, and find hope for her family and herself.

This lovely women's fiction brings a slow-burning, beautifully vulnerable love story between Jo and Alex. I really enjoyed seeing how they connected through humor, showing each other their dorky sides, and having fun together both on the yacht and off. For anyone who enjoys an emotional women's fiction and a well-developed romantic subplot, this is an absolute gem.

Content Warnings: grief, death of a minor (off-page, in past)