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. <- Really couldn't put it any better than that.

This was such a satisfying book - from the setting (an Alaskan cruise) to the unlikely friendship/romance between Greta and Ben. And the side characters were so great - I hope I can give my daughter adults in her life like Greta's parents' friends, and I loved Greta's relationship with her brother.

“Right after the sudden death of her mother—her first and most devoted fan—and just before the launch of her high-stakes sophomore album, Greta James falls apart on stage. The footage quickly goes viral and she stops playing, her career suddenly in jeopardy—the kind of jeopardy her father, Conrad, has always predicted; the kind he warned her about when he urged her to make more practical choices with her life.”

“Months later, Greta—still heartbroken and very much adrift—reluctantly agrees to accompany Conrad on the Alaskan cruise her parents had booked to celebrate their fortieth anniversary. It could be their last chance to heal old wounds in the wake of shared loss. But the trip will also prove to be a voyage of discovery for them both, and for Ben Wilder, a charming historian, onboard to lecture about The Call of the Wild, who is struggling with a major upheaval in his own life. As Greta works to build back her confidence and Ben confronts an uncertain future, they find themselves drawn to and relying on each other.”

This was the kind of read I was looking for. All of the characters have their flaws and faults, Jennifer Smith writes them as people we can not only relate to but could also be. The story is full of the emotions grief, love, reluctance and happiness. Through the story we discover family misunderstandings through grief and the ability to come out on the other side. The cruise to Alaska is a lovely bonus and it is not your typical vacation. . Greta confronts her past decisions, her relationship with her father. and if she has the strength to forgive herself. A delightful novel, well crafted story that has that sentimental appeal we are all looking for. Thank you to Net Galley for this preview copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book I have read by Jennifer Smith and I really enjoyed it! The Unsinkable Greta James is a musician who lives in the city and is on the road performing concerts. She is out of the country at a music festival, when she get the call that her mom is sick in the hospital and that Greta better get home quickly. By the time she gets home, her mom has passed away. Now Greta and her dad have never gotten along, he doesn't believe that music can be a career. Her parents have a 40th anniversary cruise to Alaska booked with 2 other couples and long time family friends. Greta's brother asks her to go with her dad so he doesn't have to go alone.
She meets an author and historian, Ben, (whom is separated from his wife) on the cruise to give a lecture about The Call of the Wild, his favorite book and author. It is a really great story and the excursions that they take in Alaska are amazing. There are some funny parts, sad parts and really cute parts, like the young girl who idolizes her, that spots Greta on the cruise.

A lovely tale of unsinkableness.

Thanks to the kind folks at NetGalley for the chance to read an advanced reader's copy of this delightful book.

Greta James is a famous singer who, after her mother's death, breaks down during a concert -- of course, it goes viral in social media and affects her life in a very negative way. While she is healing from all this, her brother guilts her into going an Alaskan cruise with her father -- taking the place of her mother. It had been her parents' dream cruise. Greta joins her father, and finds healing during her week on ship. A wonderful story, complete with romance and family.

I have been reading so many emotional books lately, I'm surprised I'm not in therapy yet.

Gretta James is a musician ( really big Daisy Jones and Six vibes) but her world is forever changed when her mother dies. Her and her father, well needless to say, their relationship wasn't always an easy one but now she finds herself on a cruise to Alaska of all places with her father.
This is truly a story about the family dynamics. I was so happy that there is really not a romance component to the book and it focuses on Gretta and her father who are trying to heal their relationship and share in their grief. This is a tender story and of course it made me cry.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Unsinkable Greta James
by:Jennifer E. Smith
Pub. date:March 1, 2022
Review date:November 26, 2021
Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine & to NetGalley, for access to this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.
The Unsinkable Greta James is a truly enjoyable read & I can’t recommend it strongly enough.. I give it 4.5 stars & can’t wait for the publishing date so I can see what Everyone thinks of it! Greta James is so Real, just So relatable, I feel like I know her so well. She’s grieving over the loss of her mother & is growing closer to her father since she passed. I recently lost my Mom so this really hit home. Greta & her father decide to take a week-long cruise to Alaska & I felt like I was right there with them. There are just so many aspects of this book that I just couldn’t get enough of. I’m sad it’s over, I miss the characters already!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
#TheUnsinkableGretaJames #NetGalley #RandomHousePublishingGroupBallantine

I really enjoyed this book - I devoured it in about a day. Even though I have almost nothing in common with Greta, I could relate to her character so much - a sign of good writing and character development! I won't spoil the ending but I really liked it - because it seemed realistic. It's not a romance exactly, but has some elements of it. The family dynamics would be relatable for most people. They love each other, but they don't always like each other, and everyone is so frustrated with one another, but then they all share this great love for Greta's mom which brings them together even after her death. This book also got me thinking that I'd like to visit Alaska (not necessarily on a cruise!) and to read The Call of the Wild, which is referenced a lot, in a funny and loving way. I can see this being a bit hit when it comes out.

A beautiful story of finding yourself, family and the world again after loss of someone irreplaceable.

LOVED loved loved this book.

The writing had me captivated from the start to finish, and I found myself reading it almost straight through one sitting. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for the eARC of The Unsinkable Greta James.

Picture it : a struggling rockstar goes on an Alaskan cruise with her dad after the recent loss of her mother, meets a writer and during this week long adventure, finds herself, repairs relationships and maybe starts another one or two.

I really liked this book until the ending. I don't need all endings to be tied up in a cute little bow, but this one left me needing more.

The author did an exceptional job of painting the Alaskan scenery. It made me want to book a trip stat! I've always joked about going on an Alaskan cruise in that everyone would be over 75, in bed by 8:00 p.m. and probably more like me than most people in my life.

All in all, a pretty good read.

⭐⭐⭐💫

Thank you for the ARC netgalley & Ballantine Books. I really enjoyed this book. The pacing was great and the story was binge worthy.

Greta James is an indie musician reeling from the sudden passing of her mother, reconnects with her estranged father on a week-long cruise. The story is heartwarming and lovely. Plus the book gave me wanderlust for Alaska, with depictions of whales, glaciers and the great outdoors.

Don't mind me, I am busy planning a family trip to Alaska.

Oh my gosh. Everything about this. Do you ever meet characters in a book that are so life like that they feel like family? I never want to let them go. Greta, Conrad, Asher and Ben. Gosh I miss them already. This book a journey through so many things, hopes and dreams, grief, love and knowing oneself.

With this book, Jennifer E. Smith smoothy makes the transition to adult fiction from YA. This is the story of Greta James, a famous musician who has recently lost her mother and her confidence in her music after an embarrassing breakdown on stage. Three months after this loss, Greta joins her father on the Akaskan cruise her parents booked for their 40th anniversary. The relationship between the two is fractured by time and a song full of unfavorable lyrics. On this cruise, Greta learns that she still has strength and that grief is something she needs to continue to work through. After meeting Ben, a writer, who is searching for his own inspiration after a shift in his life, Greta starts to see the world a little differently. I loved this story. Greta was a realistic and well written character. The way Smith explored grief and pain were well done and I really liked that the romantic story didn't take center stage, instead it just helped to enhance the personal journey Greta was on. The setting of the Alaskan cruise was also really enjoyable and full of wonderful detail. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion

Greta is a talented, famous indie musician. But she's also a daughter and she's agreed to go on an Alaskan cruise with her grieving father. Their relationship is strained, and after the sudden death of her biggest fan, her mother, this cruise may be the best chance she has to better understand her father, who she has always struggled to get along with, while they both adjust to life without their family's matriarch.

This was a sweet read full of love and a little celebrity life, too.

Rock star, Greta James, is coerced into taking an Alaska cruise with her dad shortly after her mom's passing. The intense grief that she's been experiencing has affected her performances and she's second guessing her future in the rock and roll world. While on the cruise, Greta is able to come to grips with her relationship with her dad, while being encouraged in her career by a new "friend". The story is sweet, though somewhat predictable, and the ending is satisfying.

Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review The Unsinkable Greta James.

After self-destructing on stage shortly after her mother’s death, up-and-coming singer-guitarist Greta James took a step (or twelve) back from her career, and now she’s stuck. Her brother cajoles her into going on an Alaskan cruise with her dad, who had planned this as an anniversary trip with his wife.

The trouble is, Greta’s dad was never a fan of her music, and he’s not any happier about her being with him than she is. Yet here they are. Almost as soon as she steps on board, Greta meets an author/professor, and sparks fly.

There’s so much to love about this book. If you’ve been on an Alaskan cruise, you’ll enjoy the immediacy of the scenery; if you’ve been on a cruise of any kind, you’ll enjoy the humor and aggravation that ensues when way too many people are stuffed like sardines into a ship.

Greta’s week unfolds as a journey of self-discovery—or, more accurately self-REdiscovery—and I’m sure we can all recognize echoes of our own parent-child relationships in the dynamic between father and daughter: fraught, real and yet beautiful. As a musical composer, I loved seeing Greta’s musical gift express itself, fight against her, and eventually deepen.

Lovely, evocative, and real in the very best of ways, THE UNSINKABLE GRETA JAMES is one I’ll be happy to recommend again and again.

I wasn't sure I would be able to immerse myself in this book when I first started reading it. I'm happy to say I was wrong. I enjoyed the storyline and found it to be engaging. The characters and their interactions were interesting and at times poignant and heart wrenching. I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the messiness of family love.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I was so excited to be approved to read this early as I've already heard so much good press about this book. The press was spot on! I loved this book. The story line was very deep and stirs up all kinds of emotions! I can't wait to read more by this author! Thank you so much for allowing me to join in on all the hype surrounding this! I can't wait for all my friends to read it so we can all discuss how wonderful it is!

3.5 STARS

Greta James has finally hit the big time in her thirties after several years as a struggling and then more recently, famous Indie Rock musician. While she is performing at a festival, Greta’s mother falls ill and does not recover. Greta’s mom was her anchor in life, her biggest fan, and the loss sends her on a tailspin, unfortunately, while on stage. As is usual in these social media days, Greta’s meltdown goes viral threatening not only her peace of mind, but her hard won career. She has a second album about to drop so both Greta and her record label are nervous for her comeback. Greta is not sure she can pull it off.

Some months later after losing her mother, Greta is guilted into going on a seven day Alaskan cruise with her father and some of her parent’s friends; it was supposed to be a fortieth anniversary trip for her mother and father. Greta and her father, Conrad, have been at loggerheads most of their lives with her mom being the peacemaker. While on the cruise, Greta meets historian lecturer, Ben Wilder, who is a Jack London aficionado. He is in the midst of his own life changes, questioning his decisions regarding a divorce. The majestic scenery of Alaska is the backdrop to the emotional turmoil Greta, Conrad, and Ben face while coming to terms with major life changes.

While well written for the most part, this story hits high on the anguish meter as there is a lot of sadness, grief, and existential angst for Greta to deal with especially since the connection with her father is fraught with tension and regrets on both sides. Her interlude with Ben was the least satisfying part of the book because whether or not they will continue a relationship is written in an ambiguous way so that the reader is left wondering. This is Ms. Smith’s first foray in to Adult novels as her previous works have been Young Adult.


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