The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith. Pub Date: March 1st, 2022. Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟. At it’s core this is a story about grief and navigating tough times, but there are also themes of family and finding yourself again. Greta James is a musician who is successful but had suffered an onstage meltdown leaving her with mixed feelings leading into her second album. Her mother suddenly passed away and she leaves to take her mother’s spot on an Alaskan cruise with her estranged father. Put on a cruise ship together, these two characters are forced to face the facts and navigate through their past differences to propel themselves into the future. I love the cruise ship backdrop, Alaskan scenery tidbits and all the family drama. This was a solid read. Thanks to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookworm #igreads #theunsinkablegretajames #randomhousepublishing

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book.

Greta James is an indie musician who loses it on stage after her mother's sudden death. The footage of the breakdown goes viral and Greta stops playing which puts her career in jeopardy. Months later, and Greta still not coming back to stage, she reluctantly goes on an Alaskan Cruise with her estranged father who doesn't approve of her career choice of being a singer. Still heartbroken this is something that Greta and her father share.

While on board Greta meets a professor and author who is on the ship to lecture on Jack London. Ben is there dealing with his own family in crisis. Separated from his wife and with two small children, he is looking for what is next in his life.

I loved Greta and Ben. I loved the maturity of their relationship but I felt like something was missing between the two of them. I also loved how Greta and her father were able to overcome all the hurt and disagreements from their past and form a new relationship. My only wish is that the book had a little more focus on Greta and her father. Conrad wasn't too likable until the end and I would have liked to see their relationship strengthen through out the book.

Overall, it's a great story of family and coming together through grief.

The Unsinkable Greta James is a moving story about love and loss and how people handle grief. Set against the backdrop of the beautiful Alaskan wilderness, this novel explores what it means to lose the person that's most important to you and how the people that are left behind help each other deal..

Greta James is finally making her mark in the world of music when the unthinkable happens. Her mother and number one fan suffers an aneurysm and is suddenly gone. Her grief comes out on stage so, on top of her intense sadness, she's forced into a few months of a break from her career.

Her brother convinces her she should join her father on the long planned Alaskan cruise that should have been a celebration of her parents' 40th anniversary. Despite her strained relationship with her father, Greta decides to go and it sets off a chain of events that leads all our characters toward healing.

This was a moving novel on grief interspersed with light moments including a budding new romance. It really encompassed the complicated feelings related to losing someone and moving on, and I think Jennifer E. Smith has done an incredibly good job.

4.5 🌟

After losing her mother, Greta feels lost and the passion to professionally perform has also taken its toll on her. Greta’s brother Asher convinces her take her mothers place on an Alaskan cruise with her father. Greta’s relationship is strained with her father, so this isn’t necessarily a vacation she’s trilled about it. After experiencing the death of a parent, I find novels like these with seamlessly raw grieving depictions speaking to my own soul. It had depth, potential love, complicated family relationships and so much more. I adored this novel!

Thank to Ballentine Books and NetGalley for this novel.

The Unsinkable Greta James is Rebecca Serle meets Taylor Jenkins Reid. A perfect tale of grief and redemption that will be enjoyed among readers of many different genres. Jennifer E. Smith crosses over to adult seamlessly but I would still consider this a great title for older readers who have graduated from reading YA contemporary.

This was such a heartwarming read! Such a good mix of romance, music, family and grief. Greta was such a fun main character, she really gave us rocker girl vibes but also quirky, fun, relatable vibes. Also can we talk about the setting!? Like I felt like I was on vacation during this book, the cruise and the Alaskan scenery, and the WHALES. I need to book a cruise asap now. I binged this one in 24 hours and regret nothing. Thank you NetGalley for the gifted copy!

Jennifer E. Smith has created a beautiful story of family, love, and second chances - all taking place on an Alaskan cruise! I was initially excited to read this book because I love all stories taking place in Alaska, and I myself have an Alaska cruise coming up. The setting served as a perfect backdrop for Greta to reconnect with her family and family friends after the recent loss of her mom. I cherished every page of this book, as Greta navigated the her relationships with family, her manager, and made a new connection with Ben, and rediscovers her love of music, all in the course of a week-long cruise. I look forward to reading more works by this author!

I have mixed feelings about this book. The writing is outstanding but I wasn’t feeling the chemistry between two very unlikely people, one a college professor and a father, the other an indie rockstar with few ties and grieving for her recently deceased mother, who died unexpectedly of a brain aneurysm just before going on her bucket list cruise to Alaska.

Synopsis:
Greta James's meteoric rise to indie stardom was hard-won. Before she graced magazine covers and sold out venues, she spent her girlhood strumming her guitar in the family garage. Her first fan was her mother, Helen, whose face shone bright in the dusty downtown bars where she got her start--but not everyone encouraged Greta to follow her dreams. While many daydream about a crowd chanting their name, her father, Conrad, saw only a precarious life ahead for his daughter.

Greta has spent her life trying to prove him wrong, but three months after Helen's sudden death, and weeks before the launch of her high-stakes sophomore album, Greta has an onstage meltdown that goes viral. Attempting to outrun the humiliation and heartbreak, she reluctantly agrees to accompany her father on a week-long Alaskan cruise, the very one that her parents had booked to celebrate their fortieth anniversary.

There were flashes of happiness, but overall this was a very sad book, not my usual choice. It’s really a story between Greta and her father more than a love story. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Unsinkable Greta James was a @bookofthemonth option for March so I know a bunch of you must have this on your shelves. Raise your hand if you read and loved this as much as I did. 🙋🏻‍♀️
An Alaskan cruise brings Greta, grieving after the loss of her mother, together with her father who was supposed to be taking the trip with his wife. Greta James is a rockstar whose career is threatened after a recent viral video.
There was so much to love here including the depictions of Alaskan sightseeing (like, I really want to take an Alaskan cruise now). Greta and her dad have had a difficult relationship for a long time because of her career choice, but the forced proximity her made them face some of their demons and this was an absolute joy to read. Plus the smidge of romance with a Jack London loving professor was the Cherry on top. A heartwarming, uplifting novel about family and second chances.
I listened to this and I have another favorite narrator to add to my list. @mistergarf performed this to perfection. Loved it.
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Following a public breakdown brought on by the sudden death of her mother, indie musician Greta James agrees to accompany her father on a cruise to Alaska. They have always had a tense relationship, and while she was alive, Greta’s mother, her biggest fan, had helped father and daughter communicate. With her gone, Greta and her father Conrad struggle to bridge the divide between them especially in the face of their shared grief. Both hope the cruise to Alaska will help them learn to understand each other. In addition to trying to repair her relationship with her father, Greta is working on her sophomore album, dealing with fans on the cruise ship, re-evaluating her current relationship, and trying to recover from her public meltdown. Ultimately, The Unsinkable Greta James is a story about repairing relationships, finding your joy and living life to the fullest. I absolutely loved this one and highly, highly recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This was an honest look at how people deal with grief. Greta and her dad are still reeling from the loss of Greta's mom and they embark on an Alaskan cruise. The author portrayed the strained relationship between Greta and her dad realistically. The characters were interesting and the story engaging.

This warmed my heart. I read it in 2 days. It is a story of healing and self discovery. I really enjoyed it.

This is a heartwarming, feel good, and well written story about the power of love, dealing with grief, and second chances. Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group Ballantine, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

We follow Greta James as she navigates through many of life's challenges. Any one of these issues might throw a weaker person into a permanent depression. Greta faces a very public meltdown on stage following the death of her mother. Since then, she has not been able to perform or even pick up a guitar.

She agrees to accompany her estranged father on the cruise which was to have been a celebration of her parents' 40th anniversary. Will this cruise be her ultimate challenge or is she really "unsinkable"?

Amidst the breathtaking scenery of Alaska, she learns truths about herself and her relationship with her family.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and look forward to others by Jennifer Smith.

THE UNSINKABLE GRETA JAMES by Jennifer Smith was an engaging read. After the sudden passing of her mother, she’s asked to go on an Alaskan cruise with her father that was planned for their 40th anniversary before her mother’s death. As a successful musician, Greta is working to fix all that is broken with her career, her relationship, and her heart. The result is a fast reading story about the distances you have to sail and the honesty you need to embrace to find what you are looking for. Definitely an author that I will keep following.

The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith is an emotional family drama that will warm your heart. Ever since I read Kristin Hannah’s The Great Alone I have been obsessed with Alaska so when I found out this book takes place on an Alaskan cruise, I was sold.

Synopsis:
Greta James is an indie/rock musician that has made quiet a name for herself. But, when her mother suddenly passes away, Greta is left mourning her loss while on the road. Greta’s life seems to be falling apart, but when her brother asks her to go on an Alaskan cruise with their dad, Greta cannot refuse. She knows this was the trip her mother had been planning way before her passing. Greta and her dad have a stranded relationship, to say the least, so how will they do together stuck on a week-long cruise?


Thoughts
- Loved the Alaskan setting.
- Loved the growth of Greta.
- Loved that Greta was not creepily obsessed with her mother.
- Loved that Greta was thinking of her family during their mourning process and they were able to grieve and grow together.
- Wish there were more musical vibes with Greta’s career, but definitely loved that we got a glimpse of that part of Greta’s life as well.


4.5 stars for Greta James. I really enjoyed this book and was able to finish it is a few short sittings because I was so invested in the story. Plus, the cover is gorgeous.

Greta James is a thriving rock star... until her mother dies. Through a tumultuous relationship with her father, her mother was always the referee as well as Greta's biggest supporter and fan. When she is gone, Greta is unsure how to continue life on stage and off. She is convinced by her brother to go on a week-long cruise with her father and friends in place of her late mother. With their rocky relationship, Greta does not think the trip will go well. Not only does she need to repair the relationship with her father, but she also needs to figure out how to get back on stage after the dreaded night when she completely fell apart on stage. At times this story was laugh-out-loud funny but then was an emotional meltdown. I absolutely loved it. It was a quick amazing read and I would recommend it to fans of Daisy Jones and the Six. 5 stars. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC.

The Unsinkable Greta James really pulled me in and I was surprised to find how quickly I read it. Greta is a famous musician who has been taking some time off. Her mom passed away a few months ago and she broke down on stage after and video of it went viral. Greta’s brother convinces her to go on a cruise to Alaska with her dad and her parents’ friends.

I really appreciated the ways this book handled grief and family relationships. I just felt so drawn into Greta’s life that the book flew by and now I find myself wanting to know more about what will happen next for her.

Thank you to Ballantine and Netgalley for the free review copy.

I love Jennifer E. Smith’s YA books and this didn’t disappoint! I resonant story of family bonds and surprising paths taken.

I really liked this book! The characters were all very likable and I couldn’t really figure out how it was going to end! I loved reading about Alaska, too.