When Greta's mother dies, it brings on the heartbreak but also guilt and anger over a bunch of things that have transpired, especially in her family and specifically with her father. This story is told over the course of a week on the cruise and the day after she gets home, with a brief chapter "before" and "after" those 8 days. She does manage to grow and learn about herself, but it is a struggle. I'm not entirely sure what to make about Ben's character and his Jack London obsession - that does give him a purpose and a reason for being on the Alaskan cruise, but as the characters keep pointing out, if Greta and Ben had met.in NYC, they wouldn't have paid any attention to each other. It's forced proximity since they're the two people on the ship in their age range and novelty since they are so different from each other. Their "romance" seemed to help him more than it helped her, and this is not a romance book so there is no concrete HEA or even a HFN between Greta and Ben. This book definitely feels more like women's fiction, I don't think it has the general fiction appeal.
There were poignant scenes and lots of beautiful Alaskan scenery, but overall I felt the story had some issues.

Thank you to Penguin Random House- Ballantine and Netgalley for an e-ARC of this book. I love books that center around vacations or trips for healing and growing. That's exactly what I felt from this book. Jennifer E. Smith does a beautiful job of articulating grief and the multitude of feelings that come with it. It was emotional and raw, but also uplifting. I also really enjoyed Greta's career as a musician. The story was told through flashbacks as well as present time and I think having Greta's backstory was a nice touch here. It really helped me feel her grief and understand why her relationships played out as they did. Overall, I really liked the message, the themes of healing and understanding other people's reasoning behind their actions. It was a more emotional read than I was expecting but I really liked this book.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
I loved this book and will read it again. It made me cry, laugh and made me want to keep reading, yet not want it to end.
There were times when I absolutely loved Greta and other times thought how rude she was. I ended up loving her and all of her family. The Unsinkable Greta James was a heartwarming book. Yes, of course I stayed up reading too late. I loved it!

The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith
In The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith we are introduced to Greta who, after the tragedy of her mother's death, and Greta's breakdown on stage, agrees to accompany her father on a week-long Alaskan cruise. The same cruise that her parents were to spend together on their fortieth wedding anniversary. I really enjoyed the dynamics and the gradual reconnections that Greta had with her father after many years of a strained relationship. I may have shed a tear or two. This was just a great read and one that will stay with me awhile.
Thank you Netgalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my review.

So deeply touching in a way that I did not expect.

The emotional rollercoaster (err boat, no ... SHIP!) that Greta James has ridden is a real doozy. The heart-wrenching details surrounding some regrets with her mom bloom into a realization of the potential she has to mend her relationship with her father. Their arguments and differences come to a head in a way that made me really feel for both of them, deep in my gut.

The family dynamics of this story were relatable and touching. From the "favorite sibling" tendency to the idea that parents just want what is BEST for their children were common themes throughout.

All of this set among the beautiful landscape of Alaska really piqued my interest.

Ultimately, this story reminds us that it doesn't matter how "successful" you are or what your line of work is (writer, rock star, nurse, athlete), people CHANGE. Sometimes it takes the deepest, darkest moments in life to make us stop fighting against that change.

Great read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. :)

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ ½
Genre: Contemporary

Greta James is a rock star. Her mother Helen passed away recently just before going on an Alaskan ship cruise with her father. This was the trip her mother has booked to celebrate her 40th marriage anniversary with her husband. Greta and her brother argue about who should go with their father and the rock star ends up going with him. The story takes place in a week timeframe. Greta and her father didn’t have a strong relationship especially because her father had no faith in her as a musician. Could this trip change things between them? That’s is what the bigger part of the story is about.

The concept of the story is really good. I enjoy reading about family members when they sort out their issues and try to rekindle their bonds. In this story what both the father and daughter share is the grief of losing a loved one. Helen’s passing away and the trip makes the father and his daughter put aside their differences and know each other better. The end result is beautiful. There is also a romantic interest (Ben) that Greta gets to know on the ship. But I felt something was missing between the two. I don’t know what exactly. Their chemistry was not strong and I feel something was absent in that new relationship. Another thing that didn’t convince me is Greta’s character and her being a rock star or musician. I kept forgetting that she was a musician in the story until something was coming up about her job. Maybe her behavior did not feel like a celebrity. I feel her character needed some more fine-tuning in that area. However, these points I mentioned do not outweigh the perks that this story has. The main highlight for me is the father and daughter relationship which is the core of this book.

Many thanks to the publisher Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book.

This was a heartwarming woman’s fiction story about the dynamics of family dysfunction dealing with loss, grief, and miscommunications. Greta and her father had to deal with all their issues while on an Alaskan cruise. The cruise that her mother was suppose to be on before she suddenly passed away. I will add that the author’s descriptions of the scenery of the cruise was amazing an added a unique layer to the story.

Greta and her father have a difficult relationship and at times is awkward and uncomfortable but very real and relatable. Greta also finds an unlikely romance aboard ship that helps her to find herself once again. While the story was melancholy, it did end with positivity and hope and that new beginnings are possible.

“Maybe the point isn’t always to make things last, maybe it’s just to make them count.”

*advanced copy provided by NetGalley and Random House Publishing/ Ballentine Books in exchange for an honest review*

4.5 stars rounded to 5 stars! What a heartwarming read! I truly enjoyed The Unsinkable Greta James. This story centers around learning to navigate through life, after loss, while faced with grief. The author does a fabulous job developing complex characters and making the reader feel like he or she is there with them. I wanted to be on an Alaskan cruise while reading this book! Once I started this book, I found it difficult to put down.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed above are my own.

I started this book at 5PM, and stayed up until 1:30AM to finish (I did some other things in between, like workout, eat dinner, watch Jeopardy with my husband, which only shows how quickly I devoured this book). The setting immediately hooked me – as someone who loves the water, and misses traveling desperately, being on a boat (sorry, a SHIP) completely transported me. I could feel the wind in my hair, taste the salty air, and hear the gently lapping water. It was perfect.

Aside from the atmosphere, I also adored the characters. Greta is 36-years-old and still trying to figure out what she wants from her life (which, as a 37-year-old wondering the same thing, was very relatable). After a lot of loss, she's feeling unmoored, and spending time with her dad on a cruise is just about the last thing she wants to do.

This book is all about grief, growing up, mending relationships, and figuring out if your dreams are possible. Can you grow up and live out your dreams at the same time? What does it actually mean to grow up? I adored this book. I teared up quite a few times, so have your tissues handy. For fans of The People We Keep and Evvie Drake Starts Over.

Thank you to Randomhouse for my free copy. All opinions are my own.

Ooph, this book was somehow heartbreaking and cozy and sad and lovely all at the same time.

The story follows Greta as she goes on an Alaskan cruise following the death of her mother. She has taken a large step back from her career - a singer/songwriter - after a very public meltdown. Her brother convinces her to go on the cruise to keep her father happy, though they have a strained relationship.

Greta goes on journey on this 8 day cruise.’ Not just literally but also emotionally. She and her father have emotional talks and start mending some of the fractures. She meets a man and is able to see herself actually sharing a live with someone. And most of all, she rediscovers her love of playing guitar.

I really enjoyed this one. I liked learning about Greta and her life. I liked seeing her interactions with her father & Ben (love interest). I also liked the little interactions she has with other people throughout her journey (there is an old lady, a young aspiring guitarist and others).

Of course being the romantic and always wanting a HEA, I wanted a different outcome for her relationship. But at the same time, I feel like she gave herself her own HEA. Reaffirming her passion, and rebuilding a relationship.

Definitely would recommend this with the caveat that if you’ve experienced a loss recently to go in with care.

[cw - death of parent]

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
"The Unsinkable Greta James" by
Jennifer E. Smith was a well written, funny, heartfelt, enjoyable & entertaining story.
This book isn't the usual genre that I read but I have to say it's one of my favorite books that I have read this year.
I will definitely be looking for more books by Ms. Smith.

I love any kind of story about music/musicians, so I was immediately drawn into The Unsinkable Greta James.

Greta is a musician who ends up on an Alaskan cruise with her father after the death of her mother. She's reeling from an emotional event that's left her not playing music, and she's also working through some difficult challenges in her relationship with her father.

Over the course of the novel, Greta is confronted with everything she's been trying to avoid, whether it be relationships, loss, and coming to terms with where she is in life. So much growth happens for her over the course of the novel that helps her learn how to shine as bright as possible in spite of whatever life throws at her.

I loved the unexpected ending, and I look forward to more novels by Jennifer E. Smith.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine books for the ARC of this novel.

What a lovely read! At first, I wasn't sure about the premise of this book, but as I started reading, I was hooked. It's a novel about a father and a daughter, but it's also a novel about love, in all its forms. I look forward to recommending it to our patrons.

4⭐
G for a contemporary fiction that's not really a romance and is closed door!

This book has me wishing I could plan another trip to Alaska ASAP! Set on an Alaskan cruise for indie rockstar Greta James to reconnected with her widower father, this book has a great balance of beautiful wilderness, a little romance and a lot dealing with grief and hard relationships.

I loved how Jennifer's writing truly transported the reader to Alaska, to the flashbacks of Greta's Ohio childhood and to her life in New York City. I did find some of the relationships between the characters were not as developed as I would have liked and thought Greta and her dad found peace in the end, I wanted to see even more development in their relationship.

I really enjoyed the set up from this book and could totally see it happening in real life. If you enjoyed Josie Silver's One Night on the Island, I feel like this one would be worth checking out as well for that stranded romance, dealing with some hard stuff feel.

❤️ I liked Greta and felt her character was well-developed and unique. I appreciated that she was a successful middle-age indie musician & can’t say I’ve read many characters like her before.

❤️ this book is about grief, family, forgiveness, and how the unexpected can be tragic but also beautiful. I loved the setting - sign me up for any book that takes place in a boat, in the wilderness, or in Alaska. all three? YES.

💔 I found some of Greta’s dad’s actions to be unrealistic. the conflict between the two felt authentic, but it’s hard to believe how unsupportive a parent could be about their wildly successful kid’s career.

4.25/5

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an early read of The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith.

Greta James is a young 30-something rock star who we meet at a particularly low point in her life. She lost her mother unexpectedly and her grief caused her to have a “meltdown” on stage, which instantly went viral. She has been laying low, trying to get up the energy and courage to perform again, when her brother asks her to accompany their father on an Alaskan cruise. The cruise had been their mother’s dream, and they did not want him to go alone. She tags along with her father, very reluctantly, as he and she have never had the easiest relationship. It was her mother who supported her career, her father who wanted her to have a more stable life. On the cruise, she meets Ben, a successful author also at his own crossroads. They instantly click and we can sense romance in the air. While I am always a fan of romance, I think the best part of this book was Greta and her father’s relationship. They are both grieving the same woman, but not in the same way. They need to come to terms with their relationship – he to realize that Greta is living the life she was meant to live, she to understand his worries about that life. There are some difficult moments and conversations between them, and the ending might have been a bit predictable, but I enjoyed the journey to get there. If you like books like Evvie Drake Starts Over or Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, then give this one a try.

My heart is so full after reading this fantastic novel! I loved the story and the plot and I just wanted to give both Greta and her dad great big hugs at the end. I love books about father/daughter relationships, which is what initially drew me to read this book in the first place.

Greta James is becoming a well-known indie rock star and songwriter. She's been playing the guitar since she was young and is quite talented. She has a label and her first album was successful, but she's been on a bit of a hiatus since she had a public mental breakdown onstage while singing a song she wrote for her late mother who passed away recently.

Greta is struggling with grief after her mother's sudden death. She hasn't played the guitar in months. Her "golden child" brother, Asher, talks her into being her dad's plus one on the Alaskan cruise he and their mom were supposed to go on for their anniversary. Greta has never had the best relationship with her dad. They have very opposite views and opinions and are always clashing. Asher is hoping this cruise will help them settle their differences and become closer.

All of the characters were truly great (except for maybe Luke). I loved how real they were and how their feelings were so raw. The author tried to give Greta a love interest, Ben, and while he is a really nice guy with a bit of baggage, I just did not feel the chemistry between Greta and Ben and I immediately put him in the friend zone.

This is not a hot, steamy contemporary romance. This is a more of a family drama with a sprinkle of romance and I loved every page. I would recommend this book to fans of Josie Silver.

Special thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Unsinkable Greta James is the first novel I’ve read from Jennifer E. Smith and boy does it pack an emotional punch! It follows successful indie musician Greta James as she takes a week-long Alaskan cruise with her estranged father. The cruise was meant to be a 40th wedding anniversary trip for Greta’s parents, but Greta’s mom passed away unexpectedly. When her father announced he was going on the cruise anyway because the trip meant so much to his wife, Greta reluctantly agrees to accompany him so that he won’t be alone with his grief.

The complicated dynamics of the relationship between Greta and her dad captivated me from the start. It’s clear that they love each other immensely and would do anything for each other, as is evidenced by Greta agreeing to be stuck on a ship with her dad for a week. But, that said, it’s equally clear that the relationship is very strained and that much of the strain is due to Greta’s dad not approving of her career in music. I immediately became invested in them mending their relationship, especially seeing how much they were both hurting over the loss of Greta’s mom. Whether they realize it or not, they need each other more than ever before.

Greta’s journey in this book isn’t just about repairing her relationship with her dad though. It’s also a journey of healing for herself. Her mom was her biggest fan, attending her rock concerts and holding up a sign that read “Greta’s Mom” on it. Knowing that she would never again see her mom’s face and sign in the crowd again emotionally wrecked her and she actually breaks down on stage in the middle of her first performance after her mom’s death. The moment went viral and she received a lot of bad press over it, to the point where she doesn’t even know if she has a career anymore. She’s at a crossroads and trying to figure out how she can move forward.

I adored Greta and was 100% in her corner as she navigates her way through the minefield of pain and grief that surrounds her. I became especially enamored with her when a teenage girl recognizes her on the ship and tells her that she plays guitar like Greta and wants to be just like her. They share several scenes throughout the book and it’s so sweet to see Greta take the time to mentor this girl even with the weight of the world on her shoulders.

The Unsinkable Greta James is one of the most moving books I’ve read in a while. It’s a sad but hopeful story and it really made me think a lot about the importance of family and the power of healing. I will also freely admit that I cried my eyes out several times, especially as I approached the final heartwarming moments of this beautiful story. It’s one that is going to stick with me for a while, no doubt about it.

One of the things I love about reading YA novels is that they’re typically about a person on the cusp of something greater. When you’re 18, you are choosing one of the major paths of your life and there’s no way that that’s not huge. In the right hands, those stories resonate. Jennifer E. Smith has taken all of the years of writing YA and given us the story of a 30-something indie musician who is achieving semi-greatness in her career but suffers a tragedy and is forced to analyze her life and choices in The Unsinkable Great James.

Greta James is riding high as an indie singer-songwriter. Just as she’s about to release what may be an astounding Sophomore album, Greta’s biggest fan and supporter, her mother, dies suddenly. Immediately afterward, at a charity concert, Greta breaks down onstage and the video goes viral, and now the career she’s worked so hard for may be just an afterthought. As she takes time off, Greta’s brother, Asher, persuades her to go on the vacation trip, an Alaskan cruise, with her father, Conrad, that her mother had planned and looked forward to. But Conrad is far from Greta’s biggest supporter and they haven’t gotten along in quite a while. This trip could make or break them. And so begins The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith.

Just to prove, once again, that I am a book blogger with her head in the sand, I had no idea that this was one of the most anticipated books of 2022 and, frankly, I’m glad I didn’t know because I went into this read with few expectations. And then I was blown away.

The relationship between Greta and Conrad is so real. They came from a place of closeness—he bought her her first guitar—and then found an unnavigable sea between them because he wanted her to have stability and she wanted to do what she loves: play guitar. The thing that brings them together is their shared love for the woman they both mourn.

On this Alaskan cruise, Greta befriends a ten-year old wanna be rock star; has a shipboard romance with a professor who seems to be obsessed with Jack London; and discovers a lot of truths about herself and her relationships with others. Simply, this is a relationship novel that resoundingly loves all kinds of relationships, familial, romantic, platonic.

Greta is one of my favorite characters from the past few years and not just because she’s a rock star. She’s also a woman who doesn’t need to have marriage and/or children to feel or be fulfilled, and it’s great to have that acknowledged in a book when the opposite is so pervasive. She’s a character who feels deeply, questions herself, has depth, a sense-of-humor, is self-deprecating, and is complicated.

Smith’s writing is funny and compassionate and frequently poetic and she has an eye for meaningful detail and a great sense of how people tick. She surprised me twice at the end of The Unsinkable Greta James, which I didn’t think was possible; one surprise ended with tears of happiness and the other with hope. This book made me feel so much and that, to me, is the blueprint of a successful novel.

If it were possible, I’d like to read this again for the first time.

The Unsinkable Greta James is one of my top reads of the year.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A family (parent/daughter relationship) drama sprinkled with some light hearted humor.

Greta James is a fairly well known indie musician, who recently lost her mother and embarks on a weeklong Alaskan cruise with her dad, who has always struggled to connect with after deciding her career path. A path he didn’t approve of.

This was a nice change of pace from the psychological thrillers I have been reading lately. Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for an early reader. This book will be published on March 1, 2022