Go on an Alaskan cruise. You know reading takes you places you have never been before! A story of finding yourself, healing from tragedy and building meaningful relationships with family and unexpected strangers. Loved the setting and getting to know Greta James, a struggling rock star. Perhaps a glimpse into the struggles and real live of entertainers. Very satisfying ending.

Greta James and her father have always had a rocky relationship. Her mother was the referee and the glue that kept them together. After her passing Greta an Indie musician has a breakdown on stage and escapes the rock life by going on an Alaskan cruise we’re her father that was supposed to be for her mother.
I loved this book and the backdrop of Alaska and the descriptive language was beautiful. It’s relationship building between Greta and her father was well done, the bit at the end where he goes to her show was touching.

Jennifer E. Smith’s The Unsinkable Greta James takes readers on a journey into her characters’ broken hearts as they board a cruise ship bound for Alaska.

Indie rock star Greta James doesn’t make it home before her mother’s death from an aneurysm, and she soon breaks up with her long-term boyfriend. Grief, guilt, and stress result in her on-stage meltdown that quickly goes viral on social media. Afraid to walk out on stage again and worried about the success of her second album, Greta is talked into accompanying her father on the fortieth anniversary cruise her parents had planned months before her mother’s death. Already emotionally adrift, Greta must deal with a father who has never accepted her career choice and lifestyle, believing instead that she should be married with kids and a mortgage like her brother.

Handed an endless schedule of activities and her father’s chosen busy agenda for the first day, Greta decides to go her own direction even if it means staying in her room. At least, her dad has four other old friends along on the cruise, two couples who were her parents’ best friends.

Then Greta meets Ben Wilder, a college professor and recently published novelist onboard as cruise lecturer, and she surprises her father when she shows up for Ben’s first lecture. Not knowing she has already met Ben, her dad knows well that she has never cared for lectures or read Jack London, the topic of Ben’s lecture and recently published fictional biography. Even Greta isn’t sure why she’s there. Ben is a far cry from her type and has no idea who she is until a wide-eyed young girl spots her and approaches, asking if she’s Greta James.
Accustomed to life far from home and suddenly thrust into an awkward situation with her father, Greta must confront her demons and find a way forward.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine/Random House for a well-written, uplifting story.

Wow! I loved this book. It made me cry and yet gave me hope too. Just like Greta says about her song, Astronomy, written in her grief, it is about hope, sorrow, but mostly about love.

Greta James is an indie singer who’s going through a rough patch both professionally and personally following the sudden death of her mother. Her brother Asher talks her into accompanying their grieving dad, Conrad on an Alaskan cruise which was to be an anniversary celebration of Greta’s parents. But Greta and her dad just don’t get along. Even though he bought Greta her first guitar as a child, he frowned when as an adult she chose music over a normal and conventional lifestyle. Greta has always sought his approval, but feels he has shown nothing but disappointment. But their grief unites them as they seek to find an understanding of each other. Both are lost and need to find their way.

Having been on an Alaskan cruise, the author made me feel like I was onboard again with the plentiful descriptions and details. I loved the references to Jack London and living your life beyond your dreams. The characters were multi-dimensional and complex. The dynamics between Greta and Conrad, as well as Greta and Ben, showed that there was so much below the surface. You could feel their emotions, their uncertainties, their pain. Every once in a while, you feel an emotional connection with a book, and this one by Smith really did it for me. This book leaves you with hope to move on by celebrating the love of those you lose.

Many thanks to #netgalley #theunsinkalbegretajames # jennifersmith for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Greta James is a famous indie musician that can play the guitar like nobodies business, she’s graced the cover of Rolling Stone and is preparing to release her sophomore album. When her mother dies unexpectedly, Greta’s career quickly begins to fail as her onstage meltdown goes viral. Gretas mom Helen was her biggest cheerleader, while her father Conrad has always wished Greta would get a “real job.” Greta decides on a whim to take the place of her mom on an Alaskan Cruise with her Dad, hoping to avoid the media backlash of her meltdown and subsequent breakup with her Manager boyfriend. When Greta meets handsome nerdy author Ben (who is obsessed with Jack Landon’s Call of the Wild) her eyes are quickly opened to the beauty and wonders of the Alaskan adventures. Will Greta be able to heal her wounds, find love, and reconnect with her distanced dad Conrad?

I adored this book! I loved the musical aspect of it, I loved the familial relationship struggles. I adored Helen and how she was such a huge fan of Greta, my heart melted when I read that she’d show up to concerts with a sign reading “Greta’s Mom” so all the fans would know who she was. Ben was an adorable nerd, who was the best dad. I loved how much he cared for his girls! The ending was just the cherry on top with how it all wrapped up! Read this one if you love family struggles, romance in unusual places, and healing during a crisis.

Greta James, famous guitarist and rock star, sets off on an Alaskan cruise with her dad, filling in for her recently deceased mom. Greta and her dad haven't always gotten along so well, and so this is a journey in which they both have to confront their grief and relationship issues while all but trapped together on the cruiseship. Greta also meets Ben, a historian of Jack London and single dad, and Preeti, a preteen who loves her guitar playing, and charts out a path forward while out to sea.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Genre: contemporary fiction, women's fiction with a romance thread
Location: an Alaskan cruise
Reminds me of: Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships and One Italian Summer
Pub Date: March 1, 2022

I loved this book - it reminded me a lot of Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships, not just for the presence of a giant ship, but also for how it balanced love, loss, and family. It's about personal growth as much as it's about mending familial relationships and building new romantic relationships, and it all takes place so beautifully in this book. I'm not sure there's anything revolutionary about the narrative, but it was just a really lovely story that resonated in many ways.

This book will have you ready to set out on an Alaskan cruise so that you too can lick glaciers, get covered in rain and mud while hiking in the Alaskan wilderness, and head out whalewatching.

Read this if you like:
⭕️ family narratives
⭕️ adventurous cruise destinations
⭕️ nerdy historian hotties 😂and rock stars

Thanks to Ballantine Books and #netgalley for a copy of this book!

I enjoyed the glimpses of Alaska and peeks into Greta's musical inspirations and aspirations, although I remained confused about why her father was so set against her musical career.

In Jennifer E. Smith's new (published yesterday!) light fiction novel The Unsinkable Greta James, Greta is an up-and-coming indie rock star whose father has never approved of her career.

To say that stubborn Greta and her equally stubborn father clash (and always have) would be putting it mildly.

But Greta's beloved mother passed away recently, and the couples' trip to Alaska that her mother had planned for her fortieth wedding anniversary is looming. Greta's brother Asher convinces Greta to go along to keep their dad company. Asher also not-so-secretly hopes that the trip will help Greta and her father find their way to each other somehow.

I found myself waiting for more explanation regarding Greta's father's refusal to accept her (now successful) music career, especially because he is shown to have been supportive of her musical passion in her youth. Was it that he wanted her to be more typical for some reason? Did he want her to settle down like her brother with a more common career and a spouse? Was it that he feared that she would have to chase fame or sell out in order to succeed? Did he fear that with an unpredictable schedule and future, she wouldn't give him grandchildren, which he wanted? But why any of this, when she is clearly happy and is not struggling--and when his soul mate, Greta's mother, fully supported the endeavor and Greta's happiness? I hoped for the revelation about some reasoning on his part, no matter how nonsensical it may have ended up feeling to Greta or even to him.

But his motivation for creating this wedge, this long-term, significant, emotional distance from Greta, was never delved into to my satisfaction, nor was his generally curmudgeonly attitude explored. The foul attitude seemed to have predated his wife's death. So was his grumpiness about Greta and her music, or did he behave like this with everyone, as it seemed he did? And if the latter, why were his friends willing to travel with him, much less remain friendly on a regular basis at home? And why on earth did Greta's beatified, beloved mother put up with him and adore him? There are allusions within Greta's memories to her mother's "you don't know him like I know him" attitude--but she and we never do know him this way, so this all fell flat for me. There are tiny moves forward until a big shift that occurs at the end of the book, and the timing and drastic change felt too convenient for me to have emotional investment in it.

There's an unlikely-to-be-long-term, nerdy but sweet, complicated and messy love interest that I enjoyed, and I loved the peeks into Alaska. Greta spends a lot of time day drinking (and night drinking) on the cruise, and she uses alcohol to connect with her new beau, to dull the pain of her mother's death, to soften her annoyance at her father, and to kill time.

I loved the glimpses into Greta's musical aspirations and inspirations--and the brief exchanges with her young number-one fan.

I received a prepublication digital galley of this book courtesy of NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group's Ballantine Books.

If you like books about music, you might also like the titles on the Greedy Reading List Six Rockin' Books about Bands and Music.

Jennifer E. Smith is also the author of nine books for young adults, including The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between.

Greta James, a 36 year old rock star, had a breakdown on stage after her mother died and she is taking a break from music. She goes on a week long cruise with her father and family friends that was supposed to be a 40 year anniversary celebration. Greta and her father have a history of disagreeing, but they try to meet and work through their issues and grief on an Alaskan cruise. Heartwarming and thought provoking.

Up and coming Indie musician, Greta James, is trying to recover after she has a freak out on stage after her mother's death. While Greta is trying to recover, her brother guilts her into joining her dad on an Alaskan cruise. Her mom has planned the cruise before she died. The cruise gives Greta the chance to reconnect with her dad and rediscover herself. I enjoyed this story. I loved the descriptions of Alaska and now want to go there.

Greta James drew me into the story right away. Her struggles in life were so very real, at times I felt like I was right there watching her interacting with others. In every family there are emotional undercurrents between siblings and parents. The interactions between Greta and her brother and then her dad were so emotional and touching - especially on the glacier. I so appreciated the way Jennifer E. Smith told their healing story so thoughtfully.
I also loved Greta’s relationship with her young fan culminating in a very touching emotional scene that affected more emotional healing. My hope for Greta is to reconnect with Ben.
Many many thanks to Jennifer E. Smith for making me feel and care about the characters, Ballantine Books for realizing her amazing talent, and NetGalley for affording me the pleasurable opportunity to read an arc of this just published book. Keep writing Jennifer E. Smith.

Reading this book was like a giant hug! I wasn't expecting to fall in love with the characters or setting the way that I did but together it made for a powerful, compelling read.

Greta is a musician working on a comeback while also dealing with grief over her mother's death. Begrudgingly she agrees to go on a weeklong Alaskan cruise with her estranged father at her brother's urging, a cruise that was meant to be in celebration of her parents' anniversary and that her mother had been carefully planning.

Once aboard the ship (not a 'boat'), father and daughter continue to struggle to communicate, each choosing to go their separate ways, participating in a number of events and excursions that show off the beauty of Alaska. At an author talk Greta meets and befriends Ben, a Call of the Wild scholar and the two strike up an onboard friendship with sparks of something more. However, Ben's complicated marital status and Greta's career make any kind of future bleak.

For me the true magic of the book is the way that Greta and her father are finally able to resolve their past hurt feelings and get to a better place in the absence of the woman that used to be the glue between them. The cast of secondary characters in the book are strong, particularly the little girl who helps Greta rediscover her love of music and performing.

Highly recommended for fans of Josie Silver, Sarah Jio and Rebecca Serle. This book was especially wonderful on audio narrated by actress Mae Whitman and I so enjoyed listening to her tell this story! While I enjoyed the author's YA book, Field notes on love, this latest adult women's fiction story is going to have a special place in my heart. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy!

Greta James is a successful musician but her father has never supported her. After her mother’s death, Greta finds herself on a cruise to Alaska with her father. Onboard she meets Ben, a historian who is also struggling. They form a friendship and help each other through their healing.

I have a feeling this will be on many book club lists because there’s so much to love and discuss in this book. While it handles that sensitive feeling of being lost in life delicately, there is a sense of hopefulness throughout the book. The parent-child relationship between Conrad and Greta in particular felt so raw and complex yet relatable and it was written so beautifully. While this book could have easily felt heavy, Jennifer E. Smith wrote it in a way that ultimately felt more heartwarming. This is definitely a book that will get people thinking about their own lives. Also, now I want to go to Alaska…

Thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

The Unsinkable Greta James was such a delightful read. The author writes well about overcoming loss and also her descriptions of Alaska were atmospheric and beautiful.

Greta is a professional musician who is still getting used to her newfound fame. When her mom suddenly passes away, Greta is left heartbroken and a shell of her former rockstar self. Greta used to feel invincible playing her music for crowds but during a live show, she is not able to overcome her grief of losing her mother and she loses control of her emotions. Her performance goes viral and Greta fears this may be the end of her music career. She steps back for awhile and attends an Alaskan cruise with her estranged dad. Greta and her dad don’t agree on much, in fact he has not been supportive of Greta’s music career in years. The one thing they can agree upon is how much they deeply love and miss Greta’s mom. Will their shared grief bring them together? Can they repair their broken relationship and form the connection they both desperately crave? They have 7 days on a cruise ship to find out.

The novel takes place during Greta James’ time reluctantly joining her father and his friends on an Alaskan cruise. While Greta has a romantic interest in this story, the recent sudden death of her mother and the grieving process are the driving forces of the story, as well as past and present conflict with Greta’s father.

The setting of a cruise ship and sightseeing in Alaska is fantastic. Also, Greta is a musician in her thirties, and her non-traditional career path and lifestyle are a source of conversation and reflection.

I really appreciate that the main character and her love interest are in their thirties. The romance piece is closed-door and has some cute opposites-attract moments.

If you enjoyed the novel Shipped, you may like The Unsinkable Greta James. Readers, be aware that Greta’s grief over losing her mother is a major focus. If comparing contemporary fiction on boats or ships, I liked Greta James more than Shipped at a bit less than Float Plan. I enjoyed this one, overall, and it is a very quick read.

Review also posted on Instagram @beginandendwithbooks and on Goodreads Michelle Beginandendwithbooks

• r e v i e w || THE UNSINKABLE GRETA JAMES [thank you to @ for the free book] •

“An indie musician reeling from tragedy reconnects with her estranged father on a week-long cruise in this tale of grief, fame, and love from bestselling author Jennifer E. Smith.”

I have enjoyed all of Jennifer E. Smith’s YA books and I have been looking forward to her adult debut. This is the type of romance/contemporary I love the most; emotional but filled with forgiveness and hope. The characters are well developed and it was easy for me to feel what they were going through. I really enjoyed reading about the Alaskan setting too. Would be a great vacation read this summer.

😍loved || 💗 low steam
🤟music, family drama, hopeful
📚One Night on the Island + Evvie Drake Starts Over + Beach Read
🎶Phoebe Bridgers

I found myself in the airport reading this book. It was definitely not the most opportune place for me as it struck very close to home. I'm not a musician like Greta. But I did lose my mother to a sudden stroke leaving me heartbroken and navigating uncharted territory with my father. Therefore, this book sunk it's claws into me and didn't let go until the last page was read. I thought this author did a beautiful job of showing how spouses and children grieve differently and can't necessarily reach one another. It's a delicate balance when you finally find common ground after the matriarch of a family passes. Each person grieves her differently.

In this book, Greta is feeling immense guilt for not being there when her mother passed away. She blames her career and subsequently has a melt down on stage which she has yet to come back from. She and her father had a falling out years before regarding her choice of careers and her mother was the glue that managed to keep them together. Now, she's not sure how to related to him. Her brother persuades her that she should go with her father on the Alaskan cruise he was supposed to take with their mother and a group of their friends. Greta succumbs to the guilt that her brother places on her when he insists that her father shouldn't be alone. Yet, from the minute they leave on the cruise, things are awkward.

The story unfolds with various stories from the past which give the reader insight as to how Greta got to where she is. You know about some of her past relationships and that she's always been uninterested in serious relationships or children. She's only wanted to focus on her career. Men were never anything she was serious about.

She meets a professor on the cruise ship who is there to lecture on a book he's written. They strike up a relationship. However, it's complicated by the fact that he's separated with two young daughters. Yet Greta finds herself drawn to him even though he shouldn't be someone she'd be interested in.

Greta and her father continue to say things to one another that lead to misunderstandings. Finally they go on an excursion together that enables them to connect in their loss and find a way back to one another.

The beautiful thing about this story to me was that it covered so many things. It started with Greta's inability to deal with her grief. But it evolves to how she finds a way to love herself again and through that she can love others fully. In addition, she clears the air with her father and they muddle the way through their misunderstandings. Greta experiences personal growth that only she can push herself through and it happens when she's at her lowest. I really thought this book was beautifully written and insightful about how we often let emotions paralyze or confuse us.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Greta is a musician who loses her joie de vivre as well as her music when her mother dies. She is thrust into a situation with her father who has been less that supportive of her career choices. How she navigates her relationship with her father, with music, with her career is the plot line that keeps you wanting more.

Growing up in the birthplace of Rock n' Roll, I didn't quite know what to expect. But Greta's story is one we can all relate to. The losses she endures, the lack of understanding and support for her dreams are painted such that you feel her pain. This is one of those books that once you get started, you can't put it down.

Ms. Smith, please consider a sequel. I'd love to see what happens to Greta, and maybe the young friend she meets, as well as her father and brother.

Greta James is an indie/rock star who finds hershelf on a cruise with her father which was supposed to be him and his wife's 40th anniversary trip. The wife recently passed away and Greta needs to get away from a very public breakdown. This was a moving story about family dynamics/resilience/and dealing with the trauma of loosing a loved one. This was a quiet lovely book. I felt deeply connected to the characters who were genuine and heartfelt. This was an easy one to cruise through in a weekend, I was completly engaged with the emotional story.

***Thank you NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.***

Pros: This is the second book I’ve read in a row that features a female main character who goes on a trip after the death of her mother. I was glad that that is where the similarities stopped and that each book explored grief in its own way. This book examines family dynamics between a father and daughter without the wife-mother there to mediate. I especially enjoyed the setting of an Alaskan cruise and thought this book did a great job creating a strong sense of place.

Cons: I didn’t love the romance aspect but understand why it was included.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read this book.

3.5 stars

I’ve shared this review on Goodreads, StoryGraph, and Amazon.

I have mixed feelings about this book. For me, it dragged a lot, but I made myself persevere and by the time I finished, although I still didn’t love it, I found it somewhat entertaining. This is really a story of grief, where Greta, a famous rock star, is grieving over the loss of her mother. She has a rocky relationship with her father, who is also grieving, and somehow still ends up on a cruise with him to Alaska, a trip that was supposed to be for her mom and dad. I felt the weight and sadness pervasive and I generally don’t pick these books to read. However, this time I did not even read the blurb and had no idea what it was about. The lesson to me was to read what a book is about before deciding I will read and review a book.