Excellent writing and story!! definitely add this book to your to be read pile! The character development is so strong, Greta is an amazing woman with an amazing story. You fall in love with her family. You cry. You laugh. So beautifully written and developed. I don’t feel like my words are giving it quite the review it needs! Definitely worth your time! I read this book in one day and thoroughly enjoyed every minute! It will stay with me for quite some time. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Net galley for providing this free advanced reader copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

First - thank you Jennifer Smith for writing this novel. This was such a great story! Briefly it is about Greta who goes on a cruise that her Dad is on along with a few other couples that he is friends with. This cruise to Alaska was planned well over a year ago with his wife to celebrate their anniversary with the other two couples. However, well before the cruise Greta loses her mother and the Dad still goes on the cruise to honor his wife. Greta is a well known guitarist and plays all over the world. The relationship Greta has had with her Dad is tough because of what she does for a living. Just do not miss out on reading this novel. It is one of the top 3 reads of the year for me. I look forward to reading more by this author.

I have read and reviewed many books over the course of this year and few have left such a lasting impression as did “The Unsinkable Greta James.” I am always honored to receive early editions of new books and I couldn’t wait to start reading Greta’s story. The life of a rock star may seem glamorous on the outside but it is a lot of hard work, lonely nights and missed opportunities. Greta’s songs speak to how she feels, what she has experienced and what she wished could have been different. She fought hard to become a star and her mom was her biggest supporter. Her mom was the buffer between Greta and her dad and the Alaskan cruise was the backdrop for them to reconnect and air their differences concerning her career.

Ms. Smith described the picturesque beauty of the Alaskan scenery with such detail that I felt like I was on the cruise with Greta. Their first glimpse of the glacier, tasting the glacier ice and seeing whales rising out of the water were memories they would never forget. Greta and her dad used this time to share memories of her mom but it was as if they had to get to know each other all over again. Ben was a wonderful surprise that awaited Greta on the ship. His brilliant mind and thoughtful nature was just what Greta needed. Ben’s fascination with Jack London opened Greta’s eyes to a world she knew very little about. The author mixes music and literature resulting in a passionate and real story of family, love and chasing your dreams. Words tell a story, whether it is in a book or a song, and I feel fate brought Greta and Ben together so they could share their dreams with each other.

Big fan! Big big fan! I absolutely adored The Unsinkable Greta James! The book gave me some Daisy Jones and the Six vibes mixed with the more wholesome book, Mary Jane.

Greta James is a rock star, but when her mom passes away, she fills her mom’s place on an Alaskan cruise with her father. She and her dad have always had a tenuous relationship, and that is only one of the struggles Greta is currently facing. After her mom’s death, she may have blown up her whole career from a meltdown at a show.

While this book does have a romantic component, I was actually pleased that it wasn’t the sole focus of the book. Greta is learning to navigate life without her mom, trying to rebuild a relationship with her dad, and learning how to be herself again. And what can go wrong in the middle of an Alaskan cruise?

This was a heartfelt novel with some great wit. Would love to read more about Greta James!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine Books for granting me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Excellent book about family, grief and moving forward. The cruise ship setting really added to the story since Greta and her dad were afforded the opportunity of being together and learning to heal. I found Greta to be a likable and relatable character. The supporting characters were all well written and added to the story. The ending was believable and a perfect. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine - for an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

The Unsinkable Greta James
Jennifer E. Smith
Release date: March 1, 2022

I have read several of Jennifer E. Smith which I have enjoyed. Those books I would classify as young adult, but her newest book “The Unsinkable Greta James” definitely is geared for a more grownup audience and the writing matches in the maturity of the writing. I reiterate, I have liked Smith’s YA, but this…I absolutely adored!

The book revolves around Greta and the different relationships in her life (both family and personal) as viewed from her past as well as present.
The main plot line is the dysfunctional relationship Greta has with her father. As much of a connection Greta had with her recently deceased mother, that is as much of a disconnect she feels with her father. The dad that she is now pushed into taking her mother’s place on an Alaskan cruise…

The dynamics and the emotional depth between the characters on the page was just so real. The writing was genuine. There was so much hurt through grief and guilt, misunderstandings, regrets, and just plain emotional pain not just on Greta’s side either. All the characters were fully fleshed out and that made me want to know their story, too.
While a lot of the book had conflict, there were plenty of sweet, cute/nerdy moments. The romance with Ben was a wonderful addition that made me smile. By the end of the book you could absolutely feel the hope and see the characters on a path towards healing-one day at a time.
Greta James was indeed unsinkable!
5 STARS

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

Greta James is on an Alaskan cruise with her father. She’s younger and hipper than 90% of the passengers, Greta and her father can barely get through a conversation without frustration, and her rockstar career is feeling precarious. Greta and her father are both grieving the loss of Greta’s mother, but it doesn’t bring them any closer together. As you might surmise, Greta wants off this ship.

Greta is such a likable character. She’s vulnerable and her anxieties felt relatable to me. Greta acknowledges the blessings in her life as much as the challenges. The family strains feel real. Her romantic interests are more about Greta’s self-discovery than a love story. I just really liked her and this story.

Highly recommended. 4.5 stars rounded up.

I thought this was such a beautiful story about family, forgiveness, and starting a new chapter in your life. This story follows Greta’ an indie artist who is suffering from the recent loss of her mother, her biggest fan.

This story follows Greta as she spends a week on a cruise with her father, taking her mom’s place. The tension and issues between Greta and her father feel so real and the way the issues are handled between them are very relatable.

It’s hard being told how your life should look like and what should be expected of you. As someone who doesn’t want kids myself, I respect that Greta stood by her ground and fought for her dreams.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! Once this book is published, I highly recommend it!

(Posted to Goodreqds, will share to my Bookstagram in a couple of months)

Jennifer E. Smith does it again with The Unsinkable Greta James. I have long been a fan of her YA books, so I was thrilled to get my hands on an early copy of this adult novel.

This is a tender meditation on family, one's craft, grief, and healing. After her brother tricks her (à la a little Parent Trap action) to go on a cruise to Alaska with her father following the death of her mother, Greta James finds herself confronting some demons from her past.

Musician Greta hasn't been able to perform since a very public meltdown at a show after her mother's sudden death. On the cruise Greta meets some unexpected people including a young fan who has a talent herself and a charming Jack London expert. By opening herself up to these people and getting to know her father better, she may just be able to move forward.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

This was my first book to read by this author but I cannot wait to read more! The characters stay with you long after you finish the book. Such a great story and fast read. Highly recommend!!!

I really liked this book. It’s the story of an estranged father and daughter who take an Alaskan cruise together while both grieving the loss of the mother. In addition to the daughter dealing with her relationship with her father, there is also a sub-plot of an onboard romantic relationship with a fellow passenger. I liked all the characters and thought it seemed very realistic.

I greatly enjoyed this book. It was a very refreshing take on the life. and struggles of a musician. I appreciated. seeing her experience a crisis that was not addiction based as so many music tales lean into, and instead have her grapple with grief. I also liked the relationship. she had with her father. The idea that parent would be so skeptical of her profession despite her success was a new take as well. And how could you not love her journey with Ben? It was sweet and lovely and very much a journey and not a destination situation -- while was definitely rooting for them, it almost seemed like the time they shared was life changing on its own, even if it permanence wasn't in the stars. (But I still hope that it was!)

Absolutely loved this book! it hits in all the right places and at several points found myself getting teary eyed. The author has a way of explaining Greta's thoughts and feelings, and her father's as well, in a way that is very relatable, even if you've never had the same experiences.

"Dysfunctional family on a cruise ship" is a plot I've encountered before -- “The Jetsetters” by Amanda Eyre Ward and Elyssa Friedland's "The Floating Feldmans" are a couple of recent examples. I was attracted to "The Unsinkable Greta James" not because of its cruising milieu, but because the protagonist was described as an indie rock star, which sounded intriguing.

Greta had an on-stage meltdown (which was, of course, seen by millions when the video went viral) when she tried performing a new song shortly after her mother Helen's sudden death; ever since, she's been in a kind of stasis, worried that if she messes up again, her career will be over. Her brother persuades her to go on an Alaskan cruise with their dad Conrad -- the dream vacation he had planned to take with his wife to celebrate their 40th anniversary. Instead, he's accompanied by his daughter, whose career he has never supported (he wanted her to choose a more sensible, stable profession), as well as two other couples, friends from their Ohio hometown.

Greta, who recently broke up with her producer boyfriend, meets a recently-separated college professor on board -- he's there to lecture to passengers about Jack London. The two strike up a romance while Conrad is confined to his cabin with a stomach ailment, despite the fact that, as they acknowledge, if their paths had crossed on land, they probably never would have connected. But the father-daughter relationship is at the heart of this novel, as Greta and Conrad deal with their immense grief and try to learn to accept each other without Helen there to mediate.

This is a lovely and poignant story, and the beautiful descriptions of Alaskan scenery give it a great sense of place. Greta's burgeoning stardom adds a fun, unique twist -- I imagined her as perhaps akin to Phoebe Bridgers, since we learn that she has headlined European festivals and she is recognized by younger people, while the senior citizens aboard the ship (i.e., most of the passengers) have no idea who she is.

Thank you to Ballantine Books for the review copy!

How do I love this book, let me count the ways…. At surface level, Unsinkable is about a grief-stricken family and a woman struggling to find herself again. Deeply, this story examines the stagnancy that the death of a loved one can cause. Greta realizes her own grief but often is too swept up in this to have empathy those in her life experiencing the same thing. I often found Greta to be self absorbed but it was a beautiful ride to watch her character grow through the course of the story. The ending of this book, well, it’s just perfect. Chefs kiss.

The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith is a smash hit. Funny, wry and well written. I found myself staying up to find out what would Greta do next. Definitely a recommended read.

"The Unsinkable Greta James" is a really fun book and unlike anything I've read recently. Using an Alaskan cruise as the backdrop, the book tells the story of an indie rock star mourning the recent death of her beloved mother. The book is sharp yet emotional, and I really enjoyed following the trip with Greta.

Thanks to @netgalley and @randomhouse for the opportunity to read this fabulous novel. Greta James is a #thirtysomething rockstar who just lost her biggest fan…her mom. Three months after the tragedy, Greta’s brother convinces her to go on the #alaskancruise their parents had booked for their anniversary. Greta’s relationship with her father has been strained since her teen years and being confined on a boat…oops I mean ship 😉 doesn’t help. But the cruise provides Greta the opportunity to connect with her parent’s friends, a teen fan, a Jack London-loving novelist, and maybe eventually her dad. Can Greta use these connections and experience to overcome her pain and grief to make it to #govballnyc in time? This ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ novel by @jenniferesmith would make the perfect read to take on the Alaskan cruise we all need to book before the glaciers are gone. Be sure to pick up #theunsinkablegretajames when it’s published in early spring 2022. 📚📚📚 #netgalleyreads #netgalleyreview #randomhouse #bookstagram #bookrecommendations

This is why read books. I will never go on a cruise, I will never go to Alaska. But with great writing such as this, I can be an armchair traveler. I so enjoyed the descriptions of the whole journey and my husband laughed when I yelled out “they saw whales”! Greta is an interesting character and her relationship with her father will hit home with many readers. It’s fun that she is kind of famous but not enough to have to be wary of everywhere she goes. Love the hopeful friendship she makes with Ben and the ending is perfect. I love when an author doesn’t wrap it up and put a bow on it but leaves it to our imaginations. Well done!

Wow! This was such a fantastic read. I loved following Greta's journey as she dealt with her rock career and being on a cruise with her dad after her mom died. I am keeping this review short because I don't want to let any of the story's magic slip out. It is beautiful. I laughed. I cried. I clung to every word and felt like I was on that cruise too. I was so disappointed (and happy because it was amazing) when I finished.

Thank you Random House Ballantine and NetGalley!