Jennifer Smith's THE UNSINKABLE GRETA JAMES is a great read. It's about family dysfunction, grief and a smattering of romance. The characters are very real, full of humor, grief, sadness and joy.

Greta James is a musician/songwriter who has had some success with her first album, while delving into her second album, she is overtaken with grief at the loss of her biggest fan, her mother. While taking a break to attempt to heal, her brother talks into accompanying her father on the Alaskan cruise her mother had booked before she died, to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Though family friends are going on the cruise her brother thinks Greta should go too.

Greta and her father have a strained relationship. He’s never understood or supported her desire to be a rock musician, he would prefer her to settle down and have a family like her brother. On the cruise Greta and her dad forge life without her mother to intervene. A lovely story that is easily relatable and touching.

I found Greta’s romance with Ben a nice break from the family angst.

The writing, the levity, the well thought out characters made this book uplifting instead of morose. Left me wanting more; what happened to Greta and Ben?

Stories about the lives of musicians always give me this romantic, tragic feeling—and this title, with its reflections on grief, love, and life in the limelight, was no exception. I appreciated the choice to limit the setting, as it helped differentiate the story from other popular titles of the last few years (Daisy Jones, Opal & Nev); I also appreciated the skill involved in presenting both Greta's love interest and Greta's father as fully three-dimensional characters.

Everything I've heard has suggested that Jennifer E. Smith made a successful pivot from YA into adult fiction. I didn't feel like any plot points were rushed, and there weren't any easy outs to be found for any of the character struggles. That being said, I haven't found this book to be particularly memorable over the past couple of months; but I have heard amazing things about the audio, which might help bring more richness and depth to the story.

Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Thank you to netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion,

I felt like this book was just ok. There were a lot of themes: moms death, a breakup, a rebound relationship, a scarred relationship with dad, a public "breakdown". The only relatable thing was the main characters grief over her mother, but i didnt connect to any of the other story lines.

Jennifer E. Smith is one of my favorite authors. Being a primarily teen author, this is her debut adult novel. The novel explores the relationship between a father and daughter. After Greta's mother dies, she decides to take her place on a previously planned cruise with her father. Their relationship has been a rocky one and she hopes this time together will heal old wounds. I enjoyed reading this story. How she revealed the relationship between Greta and her father was full of emotion and the character development was wonderful.

I loved this story and the complex relationship Greta and her father had. This was one of the best books I read in 2022 and I have recommended it to many of my readers.

Greta James needs a break. After losing her mom, ending her relationship, and having a public break down live on stage, she needs time to get things back together before she performs for the first time in months. After some discussion with her brother, it is decided that Greta will take her mom’s spot and join her dad and his friends on an Alaskan cruise. On this trip, Greta does a lot of soul searching and tries to figure out if she can still do the whole rock star thing.

I was really excited for this one when it came out but it was never the right time to read it. I am so glad I finally picked it up as I found this story to be delightful, charming, and emotional. Greta was a really interesting character and I loved all of the complicated family relationships the author wove in. This book made me cry a few times and I found myself thinking about it a lot the weekend after I finished it. Greta was really relatable on some ways and I am also happy to read a story with a protagonist who isn’t interested in marriage/having a baby because those things aren’t for everyone.

Conrad, her dad, was actually a really interesting character and I wouldn’t have minded more scenes with them.

The setting of the cruise was lovely and made me want to hop on a boat, stat. While on the boat, she meets an author, Ben, and their quick friendship was really great. I loved part of the ending involving him (trying to not spoil here) but would have been happier with more.

Overall, a good read for fans of books about fake celebrities/musicians (though this one is different than some of the others), discussions on family dynamics, overcoming grief, and finding your voice.

Greta has a lot going on in her life. She is a rising star as an indie rocker, she lost her mother a few months ago, and now she is on a cruise with her estranged father. The characters in this novel are well-written and complex. Highly recommend!

Greta James, has just lost her mother and she is supposed to be performing on stage, promoting her second album. Problem is she has a break down on stage and it been videoed and now has gone viral. She spends time away from the music world to regroup and to recoup. During this down time her father asks her to go on a cruise he was supposed to take with her mom. They have really never gotten along and she doesn’t know if she can handle it. Her dad, Conrad, convinces her to go and she figures, what could go wrong. On the same ship is a historian named Ben Wild. He is on the ship for similar reasons. Hiding from life and trying to figure out his future. The two meet and anything is possible. Can these two, help each other? Can this cruise bring Greta the leave she is so desperately seeking? Can she mend her relationship with her Dad? Does she want to keep her career and her fame? What changes does she have to make. This was a good story. I liked the characters and the writing was excellent. I gave this book 4 stars. I want to thank Netgalley & Jennifer E. Smith for my copy for an honest review. It was a pleasure to read and review this book. I hope you enjoy it like I did.

What an entertaining book by Jennifer E Smith! The Unsinkable Greta James tells the story of how Greta and her father try to pick up the pieces after her mother passes away and Greta, who is a musician, melts down on stage. They go on a cruise that her mother and father were supposed to go on, and their relationship looks hopeless… But keep reading! I really enjoyed the book. It left me with hope and was just the perfect book for my reading mood of late. I cannot wait to read more by this author. Thank you to Jennifer E Smith, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest feedback. I loved it so much that I bought a hardback.

Greta is a 30 something musician who has had a stalling of her promising career. Her mother died unexpectedly and it has affected her both personally and professionally. Her brother calls her with a request to accompany their father on an Alaskan cruise (one he was supposed to take with his wife).. Although she really doesn't want to, she goes on the cruise.

Like so many families, Greta's mother had always been the buffer between Greta and her father and it is very evident in the beginning of the story.

I'm not sure why this book didn't grab me. The overall story was right up my alley, but it wasn't a big hit for me.

It was a likable read, but I really had to make myself pick it up and finish it.

I really loved this novel about pain, loss, love and grief. Greta and her dad don’t see eye to eye on very much since her teen years and now that her mother is gone, they have no choice but to deal with each other.

Through the help of her parents’ best friends and a “boat”, they find their common ground once again but not without some truths along the way.

Pitch perfect, heart tugging, relatable story of overcoming grief and rediscovering love and relationships. Truly enjoyed this one so much!

Have you ever started reading a book and just known you were going to love it even though you were only one chapter in? That was this book for me. I just immediately had a feeling.

This is a "coming of age" story of Greta James, famous musician, as she takes an Alaskan cruise with her dad after the passing of her mother. It follows her attempt at fixing her relationship with her dad, which having a pleasant love interest detour.

Definitely an enjoyable read. I highly recommend.

Any book centered around music is always a win to me.

I very much enjoyed this one! Total "coming of age" vibe with the main focus on Greta as she reflects on moments from her past and how to go forward while dealing with grief and music meltdowns.

I do think the exploration of Greta’s grief was super well done. While I enjoyed the romance with Ben, I wish there was a little more depth with her relationship with her Dad.

Read if: you like "coming of age" stories, enjoy music-centered books.

This book was everything that I needed right now. I was worried about the subject matter when I realized that it dealt with the loss of a parent, Having recently lost my own beloved father, I was worried about how this one was feel. I have read a few books this past summer which dealt with this topic with mixed feelings. Some were incredibly cathartic and cleansing and some were just triggering and painful. This book, however, was neither. The book was a like a warm blanket wrapped around my shoulders while sipping on a hot cup of tea. Enjoyable, delicious and comforting. That was how I felt reading this book. There were days parts, certainly, but for the most part the book was just pure wonder and job. I have never been on an Alaskan crew but this book is definitely giving me FOMO- so I definitely hope to try it one day. The best word I would give for this book is redemption- with. parental relationships, struggling careers, romantic relationships and most of all with oneself. Highly recommend this book. BIg thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. I really loved it.

I thought the exploration of Greta’s grief was well done, but honestly I was a little frustrated how this book turned more into a romance with Ben than fixing her relationship with her Dad. They were on a cruise ship together for 7-8 days and yet their time together was limited. It didn’t feel like any progress and I think that’s a bit unrealistic to be honest.

It was definitely a “coming of age” vibe with the main focus on Greta as she had reflective moments from her past and forward growth through her mothers passing and her music meltdown.

I'm a devoted Jennifer E. Smith YA reader and will continue to be so! Unfortunately I felt this book read like a YA novel in which I was TOLD the characters were older, but I wasn't able to fully buy in. I look forward to more from Smith in the future, regardless of which audience she chooses to write for next.

Such a delightful book, gave me all the feels! The character development was remarkable, and I really felt like I was on this trip with them the whole time. Much thanks to Netgalley for allowing me on this journey.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this book but by the end, I was totally sold! The Unsinkable Greta James follows indie=rocker Greta as she processes the loss of her mother - while on an Alaskan cruise with her father and family friends. The relationships felt respectful and realistic while also being fun. I was worried I was getting a bit burnt out on musician protagonists but this one was excellent - definitely a book I’d recommend!

Not always my go to type of book, after reading the synopsis of this one I decided to give it a try. I think the author is excellent at plotting a story but have to admit I felt that the book was a little dull. It could have been a me problem for sure as it gets many great reviews. Sometimes I think reading the right book at the right time is essential, and i feel this is the case with this one.