Why have I been asleep on this book? Possibly because I do not recognize tropical romantic greatness when it is staring me in the face?

Full disclosure: I have been searching my Kindle shelves for the most fluffiest romance covers to end 2021 on. Sometimes, you just need to embrace the fluff! This book was exactly what I needed! Liz Alden crafts a great romance with minimal drama and Mia and Jonas were perfection. I read this in a single sitting and have zero regrets.

**I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

I really loved the characters in this book. I loved the setting and the travel elements. However, there was just not enough dialogue and interaction between the mains.
I know a lot about sailing though.

I have been loving this series by Liz Alden! She is becoming a favorite author of mine. I have a dream of sailing the world, and these books are helping me to “live” out my dream through books. I loved the tropical setting of this story, perfect for the summer! I absolutely adored Jonas and Mia. Their connect was undeniable and perfect. The steam in this book was just right. I was hooked while reading this, and I can’t wait to read more in this series!

This book was... fine. I found the characters a little thin and the emotions a little empty. I wasn't convinced by the characterisation. But I'm sure this book will make some readers very happy.

I don’t usually read travel romances but I thought this had a great premise so I gave it a try. This is also my first read by this author.
This is definitely unlike anything I’ve read before but still has the romance that makes readers swoon. I liked the banter and dynamic the characters had and the fact that the readers get to experience sailing too is awesome.
I had a fun time reading this and think it would make a great beach/vacation read.

The Sailor in Polynesia by Liz Alden was super cute -- an enjoyable start to summer read. I enjoyed the romance. I did not read the first book and enjoyed it as a standalone, was able to grasp the characters and understand everything seamlessly.

I was so excited to read this. I really liked the first book so I was happy to see all the characters once again. Jonas made me laugh at how different he was from the serious Jonas of the first book, I loved how goofy he was trying to play it cool for Mia. It was so cute! Liz Alden also once again was very detailed in describing her world and all the technical stuff, so much that I really want to go sailing now. 😩😂 Also, even though this is the second book in the series, you could totally read this as a standalone.

I liked it. Jonas was super cute. The chapters were short and the writing style so easy to get into.

I loved the first half but the second one fell flat for me. The relationship was going nowhere, it got stuck in the same thing. Also, I was expecting more of a conflict. And it frustrated me that they were going to have sex and then got interrupted or something happened.

I didn’t read the first book in the series, but I will definitely pick it up. And I will continue with the third book when it comes out too!

he sailor in Polynesia starts of with Mia sailing on her own after a divorce. She earns her living by sharing her sailing experiences. It would be like her own channel in youtube. The story was okay. I am sure that I liked it but I would not say I loved it. It had a lot of potential but the story stayed in the safe lane. The author did not use divorce as a leverage for drama which was okay. It concentrated more on how Mia handled it after. As a whole, the story was lukewarm. It was an okay read with an ending without finality.

As a reader, it was nice to know that Mia was still living the life she liked despite a divorce. Also, her meeting Jonas and not falling in love right away was realistic too. She knows that her emotional state was vulnerable and using someone to quell the loneliness would be selfish. Her being friends with him was a first step in relationships. However, the timing of the story was too fast for me. I am sure that everything happened in just about 6 months.

All in all, the story was 3.5 hearts from me. It was okay. I like that the Mia was a sailor which usually has the male species dominating it. Also, she has still pursued what she loves despite her divorce. The reason for her divorce was not talked about much in the story. I was not sure if she was subject to violent behavior by her husband. However, the story did not concentrate on this but on her healing process. The story was more about second chances in love and it had a light hearted take on it.

Liked this, but liked Float Plan by Trish Doller more. Inevitably these 2 books will be compared, so I'm not going to even pretend these books aren't similar. For this book, I did have the luxury of finishing this in a day (thank you Memorial Day weekend) and I've since started and finished another book and found that The Sailor in Polynesia has not haunted my thoughts at all.

I adored The Hitchhiker in Panama, so when I had the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of The Sailor in Polynesia I was so excited. The second installment of the Love and Wanderlust series follows Jonas’ love story from the perspective of his love interest, Mia.

Mia is a travel blogger who is just getting out of a terrible divorce and solo-sailing, when Jonas and his crew anchor their boat next to hers. She and Jonas have an instant attraction (he mayyyy have a massive fangirl crush on Mia). But their adventures have them heading in different directions, so how can a relationship possibly work?

Liz Alden has a magical way of creating beautiful settings and incredible adventure for her love stories. After over a year of no travel, this book has me ready for an adventure. I also loved Mia’s journey of healing, and seeing her growth. I wanted only the best for her and she was such an easy character to root for. This book is not super dramatic, which I enjoyed. Instead of a roller coaster of emotions and drama, it was a slow burn and it felt natural.

This one was the perfect summer read andI am already looking forward to reading book three!

Thank you to the author for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

After reading The Hitchhiker in Panama, I was excited to read Jonas' story in book two of the Love and Wonderlust series. It was fun going back to the Eik to see where the crew was after crossing the Pacific.

Sailing vlogger Mia is anchored in French Polynesia, trying to erase the bad memories of her recent divorce. Burnt out on relaxation, Mia needs to figure out what to do, after the divorce has left her with only a small savings and her boat. When the Eik anchors next to Mia, Jonas is starstruck, having followed Mia's vlog. Jonas is also nursing a broken heart from a recent divorce and soon, the pair strike up a friendship that has the potential to lead to more, even if it's just a fling.

The Sailor in Polynesia is a slow burn, friends to lovers romance set in the most beautiful place on Earth. The adventures the crew goes on, including free snorkeling, spear fishing and hunting for coconuts had me wanting to travel to a deserted island. This is a perfect summer read.

Jonas was the most adorable hero ever! Ever persistent to break down Mia's emotional walls, his small acts of love each melted my heart. When meeting Mia, he was instantly starstruck and fangirled hard, but once he got to know her, he was quick to accept the real Mia, not the public figure she was putting out in her videos for the world to see. Jonas would do anything for Mia and I loved that he was willing to risk it all, including his boat and crew, to help her when she needed it most.

CW: previous emotional abuse

Post divorce, Mia is sailing French Polynesia solo. Then she meets Norwegian sailor, Jonas. Is it too soon to fall in love again?

I won’t lie, I chose this purely because it’s set in French Polynesia. It’s a destination I’m connected to in real life and one I’ve always wanted to visit. This book didn’t disappoint with the travel aspect and the descriptive writing of the setting. It’s clear the author has sailed around the islands and this adds hugely to the book and brings it to life.

I’m not usually a romance fan, but this was the perfect light read - it got pretty steamy towards the end! It’s written mainly via dialogue, making it a quick read too.
I understand this is part of a series. I’ve not read the others but it worked well as a standalone.

The one thing that was a let down for me was the constant use of “ja” from Jonas. It’s not the only word in Norwegian and Norwegian people (well, the ones I know) don’t use it frequently when speaking in English. Scandinavians generally have perfect English so this wasn’t necessary and made me cringe.
Minus this small annoyance, this was a fun read!

After reading, The Hitchhiker in Panama, I was excited for Jonas to get his story in The Sailor in Polynesia.

I enjoyed to descriptions of free diving, island hopping, and sailing. This book made me wish that I was traveling. I loved that Jonas had a fangirl crush on Mia. It was sweet and I loved how he realized that what he knew of her from her videos, wasn't fully her. I also appreciated watching Mia heal from her past relationship, where she was belittled and controlled. I was rooting for her and loved watching her grow.

This is the second book in the Love and Wanderlust series and I can't wait to for the rest of Marcella's story!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

CW: emotionally and verbally abusive ex

Ms. Alden did it again, The Sailor in Polynesia did not disappoint.

This time, the book focuses on gorgeous Jonas and YouTube sensation Mia. We still get updates and glimpses of the characters of The Hitchhiker in Panama and the setting for the next book (yay!). Mia is trying to find her self and a new path after her divorce. Jonas, a divorcee himself, is “fangirling” hard as he discovers that Mia is his fellow neighbor at the Polynesian island lagoon. The Eik crew and Mia explore the Polynesian islands together and again the book takes us to different paradise travel adventures.

*spoilers*

The book is from Mia’s point of view and it starts as she discover Eik dropping anchor next to her. Jonas is adorable fangirling for her, acting awkward at first. Lila plays a little cupid interference of course, and after that, Mia and Jonas start a friendly relationship learning and having fun together. The plot doesn’t have a like a huge incredible conflict to resolve, just down to earth life changing decision making from the characters. This is what I like and is something that I can relate because we all know “life happens”.

The characters are refreshingly real. Mia is trying to disentangle from her marriage and find out what she wants. She is on her own, literary because the crossed the Pacific Ocean by herself after she was able to keep her sailboat. The tricky part is that Welina is full of memories. Enter easygoing Jonas and she sees the contrast of how can sailing be with a true equal partner. How problem solving doesnt have to be hard and how they can work together and she overcome certain triggers her marriage had left her. Thru different situations she gets to make new happy memories throughout. This leads to her and making a decision to pursue happiness and more adventures with Jonas (swoon!).

I want to mention something I really liked towards the end of the book. This is, not portraying women in a triangle as petty and jealous. Elayna being kind of Jonas’ ex and Mia being Jonas’ love interest, they both got along and respected each other. Elayna sneaked one or two remarks, but overall both characters understood where they came from. Elayna clearly liked and respected Mia.

Marcella left Eik and the next book will follow her =D

*end of spoilers*

If you are looking for a book to make you feel good about love. To feed your wanderlust and sense of adventure towards something different… This book is for you. Is a really slow burn love story of two people who thought love had failed them. Let me know if you like it!!!

Thank you Ms. Alden and NetGalley for this ARC. My review is 100% genuine, I’m now addicted to these stories.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I absolutely adored the budding relationship between Jonas and Mia. Even though I don't always love a slow-burn romance, this one was just exactly the right to me. We see Mia grapple with being newly divorced and learning to be independent when it comes to sailing, so I feel like the slow build-up to them coming together was necessary. I wouldn't have loved it as much if they had a romantic connection faster, because it would have almost felt like a rebound. So thank you to Liz Alden for helping me find a love and appreciation for a good slow-burn romance!

I really loved connecting with the characters throughout this story. The crew of the Eik were probably my favorites, although Mia's brother James also holds a special place in my heart. I will say after reading this book, I would love to read the previous and up-coming books in the series. I can't wait to see how Marcella's story continues. Overall I really loved the characters, and they all had their own charms that allowed them to nestle into my heart.

Also as someone who has no sailing experience, I loved seeing some aspects of what it takes to be out on the open waters. It created a magical journey, and beautiful settings for this romance to take shape.

The main reason I did not give the book a higher rating, is just it felt like I was missing some action. It felt like there was no real conflict to me, and not for one moment did I doubt that Mia and Jonas would wind up together. Although there were potential problems; distance, separate destinations/journeys, a potential love rival, etc; it felt like all of these resolved themselves rather quickly. I just wish I had a bit more to their story, but it was an amazingly sweet romance.

Wanderlust, check. Love, check. Norwegian sailors (2 handsome brothers), check. Strong and adventurous women, check. This is what you get from this series. It manages to transfer you to the Pacific and all the magnificent experiences that you might have there.

Like the first book, this one still has plenty of technical terms related to sailing but it definitely shows more character growth than the previous one. Jonas (the big brother and Eik’s Captain) appears to be a sweetheart and so caring towards everyone that you can’t do anything but love him. Mia is a badass and skillful sailor with a sad relationship background that starts to eventually appreciate Jonas’ heart. Their romance is slow burn and their diving experiences are delightful.

Unfortunately, the wanderlust part feels a bit dissociated from the love part. Even though you really like and feel for the characters, there seems to be an awkwardness throughout the story and frankly you don’t know what to do with it. It is obvious that Jonas and Mia can be an amazing couple, but the writing makes their coupling and their interactions quite difficult to root for. However, since I have never been sailing, I cannot clearly grasp the difficulties and the struggles (physical and mental) that someone might experience in this kind of adventure.

I will definitely stick with the series and I cannot wait for the next installment and Marcella’s story.

I'm not ashamed to admit I read this in a single sitting. I wanted to pick up a book I knew I'd enjoy, and this was perfect. It was light and fluffy, with just the right amount of steam. Although i haven't the other books in this series, I will definitely be picking them up.

Like most books focused on travel, my favorite element of this was the setting. I mean, it was a romance set on tropical beaches and coral reefs, there was nothing to complain about. The setting was super fun to picture, and I felt like it fit Jonas and Mia perfectly.

Speaking of Jonas and Mia, I loved them so much! The tension between them was immaculate, and by the end, I was ready to force them to admit their feelings. I loved how their wasn't unnecessary angst between them, their relationship was fairly straightforward. That doesn't mean it was boring though! It kept me hooked the entire time, and I honestly wasn't ready for this to end.

Now that I've read this, I don't want to go back to my typical fantasy reads. I'm ready to binge the rest of this series, and meet the rest of the Eik's crew. I love series that focus on a group of friends/a family, so I can't wait to continue this!

Thanks to Liz Alden and Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Loved this one. Liz Alden manages to marry fresh and sweet with romantic tension and steam so seamlessly.

I was surprised in Hitchhiker and again in Sailor by how much I enjoyed the lack of drama. Normally I like being on a roller coaster of intense emotions and while this had lots of emotion it wasn’t forced or contrived. It felt so real, like the coolest story someone you actually know has told you.

Mia is a great heroine, she is in such a transitional stage of her life coming out of a bad relationship. You can’t help but feel the hope and excitement her future has in store once Eik anchors beside her.

Jonah’s fangirl crush was so sweet but I loved that he was still in charge when he needed to be. Vulnerable yet still sexy as hell.

A swoony summer must read.

In this book we get reacquainted with Jonas and we meet his love interest Mia. She just got divorced and is trying to move on with her life on the boat that she managed to keep in the divorce.

In this book, everything flows pretty easily between the two characters and there are no real hurdles between them. It was a sweet read with a bit of steam, and just like the previous one in this series, educational on everything relating to sailing.

Jonas was extremely sweet and I liked how Mia really evolved as a person along the story.
If you're looking for a book that will make you smile and travel and all the while educate you this is definitely a book I recommend for you.

TW : Mentions of past abuse (nothing extreme or detailed but be careful if this is something that can trigger you).

*This ARC was provided to me by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*