A lark; escapist fiction for a vacation read. The ending? Not so believeable. Learned a bit about sailing.

Kelly Harms is one of my favorites so I always jump on the newest book she has. This one did not disappoint.
Becca Larkan has decided she's taken enough from her cheating, scum dealing husband so she leaves him and his dirty money behind to forge a new life for herself. Enter the handsome Irishman who is willing to help her find a buyer for her sailboat. I just can't help it, I always catch myself swooning over Irish accents so I was all in with this love interest. His flirtatious remarks and the return of Becca Ann's confidence as she learns to sail and remember what it's like to feel brave again were some of the highlights for me. Since the book revolves around a sailing trip there are numerous sailing terms, but it didn't bog me down and I may have even learned a few things.
Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC and opportunity to provide an honest review.

Becca Larkin calls time on her twenty-two year marriage to Alistair, she’s been unhappy for years and she has issues with his morals. The couple have a twenty-one year old daughter Olivia, Becca doesn’t want her to have to take sides and she's never mentioned the problems she has had with Alistair.

The Larkin family is wealthy, Becca willingly signed a prenup when they married and she’s surprised when the judge awards her the Becky Ann in the divorce settlement and what will she do with a sailing boat? The obvious thing to do is sell it, Becca and Liv decide to sail the boat from Maine to the buyer in Miami. Becca knows nothing about sailing, she gets sea sick and Liv assures her that she’s a competent mariner. Becca is in charge of packing everything they need for the trip, including food, drinks and safety equipment.

The mother and daughter have always had a good relationship, she’s shocked when they arrive at the first stop over and out of the blue Liv informers her that she’s flying in Grant Murphy to take the Becky Ann to Maine. Becca is confused, Liv hates the Irish sailing instructor and why has she suddenly changed her mind?

Becca finds herself aboard the Becky Ann with the much younger handsome sailor and he’s not at all what she’s expecting. Grant is patient and kind, Becca starts to get her sea legs, understand sailing terms, tries new things, she actually enjoys sailing and the adrenaline rush! During the trip Becca starts to consider what she’s going to do in the future, she also worried Olivia, how she will handle college after summer break finishes and her parents separating?

I received a copy of Where the Wind Takes Us by Kelly Harms from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review. It’s a thought provoking narrative about a mother and daughter’s relationship and a their journey towards finding themselves. Becca especially learns to take chances, money can’t buy happiness, age is just a number, she embraces her fresh start and experiences real passion. Five stars from me, I highly recommend this mature coming of age story and Ms. Harms previous novel, The Overdue Life of Amy Byler.

This is the first book I have read by Kelly Harms and I was drawn to request it by the beautiful cover art and the idea of freedom given by spontaneously setting sail and leaving an old life behind.

This was a super-quick read and I finished it in one sitting. It's the perfect read for a summer day and has left me craving a holiday!

The characters are well developed and thought out and I found myself really investing in them and rooting for their success & happiness. I loved the writing style which was easy and light but also very descriptive.

A highly recommended escapist, summer read.

I LOVED this book! Cute, light, easy summer read with enough plot, character depth, and “will they or won’t they?” suspense to keep me engaged. I really rooted for the main character in her newfound freedom, adventure, and romance, and also enjoyed just the right amount of family dynamics thrown in.
I also was able to connect with the author on Instagram and her kindness made me love this book all the more. I am Kelly Harms’ new biggest fan!

Newly divorced and nearly penniless, Becca throws caution to the wind sells her ex-husband's sail boat and sails it Miami, never have sailed before. What starts as a comedy of errors, ends with a bit of romance. It is a good summer read full of eye rolling, groans, and laughter. It is slightly predictable but that is what makes it an easy read.

I always enjoy a Kelly Harms Novel! So good this one 🫶🏻
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher this book

“Sailing is going nowhere, slowly, and at great expense.”

I love to read books about sailing. It gives me a sense of adventure, a feeling of living in the edge, and new found knowledge of a skill I was always wanted to learn. When I saw Kelly Harms newest book, Wherever the Wind Takes Us out 10.18.22 I knew I had to read it.

Becca, a forty something, newly divorced mom of one grown daughter finds her self in possession of her ex husbands sailboat. Desperate for money, she decides to sell it and sail it herself (along with her daughter) to the buyer from Maine to Miami. After realizing it was more than they could handle, Grant Murphy comes along for the trip, to ensure the boats (and Becca’s) safety.

“That’s a sailor. A woman comfortable leaning into the wind.”

I loved Becca’s journey to find herself and her new footing after being married for so long. I loved seeing her sense of travel and confidence come back on each page. My one dislike with the book was Liv, her daughter. Her story line just made me more angry than it made any sense. Overall though I really enjoyed this one!

Thank you Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for this eARC to read and review.

I loved Wherever the Wind Takes Us by Kelly Harms. It was a great story about a woman trying to figure out life after a divorce. With sailing as the backdrop, it was a touching story that examined a mother/ daughter relationship and a search for what’s next.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I love Kelly Harms! She writes the best beachy books but they still have substance. This one whisked me away right away and I was hooked from the start. I will always recommend her novels to my friends. This one is no exception.

I really enjoyed this book! There s a strong mother-daughter connection that drew me in. I enjoyed the process of self growth Becca goes through. Started a bit slow weeding thru all the sailing jargon that I'm not familiar with, but i got over that pretty quick.

♪♬♪And no one knooooowwwwwwsssssss how far I’ll goooooooooooo ♪♬♪

Hehehe. For a gal who don’t love to leave the couch, I sure like reading about setting sail!

After posting a “meh” review and declaring myself a romance failure of late, a friend recommended Float Plan to me – which I had already read (and loooooved), but reminded me I had failed to ever review this one (naturally).

I did read the blurb on this and had a bit of hesitation how a romance of any sort was going to work on a sailboat featuring a recent divorcee, the able bodied seaman who gets hired to help her navigate said vessel and the . . . lady’s daughter????? If you too are reluctant to pull the trigger due to the addition of an intentional or unintentional cockblock, have no fear. Daughter doesn’t go on the trip! Daughter is also kind of a real turd of a human, but that’s another issue.

So as I just said this is the story of recent divorcee Becca who has walked away from a 20+ year marriage with pretty much nothing aside from an award of a 40 foot sailboat called the “Becky Ann.” Selling said boat will hopefully make the little cottage Becca dreams of a reality and sailing it down the Eastern Seaboard to the new owner will give Becca a chance to bond with her daughter. It doesn’t take long to realize the two aren’t quite as capable at the helm as they hoped so Grant is hired in order they and the boat make it to their destination in one piece. And I don’t want to spoil anything, but there’s a bit of a backstory of Grant and the daughter that I <b>really</b> did not enjoy and wish would have not even made it to print because it ended up as a waste of pages and the daughter was still a turd that I was so happy finally got off the damn boat.

Really that’s my complaint. I wish there wouldn’t have been a daughter. I’m a jerk. I went into this hoping for my dream man - Captain Ron. I got him too! And I got him without Martin Short mucking up my fantasy. My apologies to anyone who finds him charming rather than grating or has come to love him as one of their favorite “neighbors in the building,” but he will always be Ed Grimley to me and 100% annoying.

Yesterday, I realized that Livvie thinks I’m going to live out the rest of my days as though Alistair and I are still married. Still in this house, still on his payroll. She can’t see me doing anything else. I’ve got to change that.

I was so excited about this one, as it sounded like a perfect summer read. And, although I didn't get everything I was hoping for, there were things I really liked.

First of all, I loved the writing style, and how light and fun the tone was. I also loved all the summer vibes, the premise, and of course – the MC.

I really liked Becca. She was relatable, strong, went through something hard, but she stayed positive, trying to move on and come out of it stronger.

What I wasn’t all that trilled about was the romance. I expected at least a little bit of depth. With the insta sexual tension – it was all too quick, too much, and I didn’t really feel it.

Also, the sailing talk often took more space than the plot and characters. All in all, this was an ok read to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of Wherever the Wind Takes Us by Kelly Harms in exchange for an honest review.

Wherever the Wind Takes Us was an enjoyable book to get lost in. I loved how much I felt transported to being on the water. I loved the way messy reality represented in figuring out boundaries with people you love (or don't.) This is definitely an open-door romance, so know that going in! This book definitely made me want to live life more fully and take a trip on a boat in the not-so-distant future.

The perfect summer read - filled with romance, travel and sunshine, it is perfect for the beach.

Realistic, light hearted and feel good. A lovely book to read on holiday.

Absolutely lovely read!
A beautiful story which is a pleasure to read, fun at times and serious at others.
Is it a little bit predictable? Maybe. But on the whole, I enjoyed the read so much that I didn't mind having guessed a little of what would happen (though definitely not all of it).
The characters are very likeable and it's A great story about a woman starting fresh - or trying to - after a divorce, a little family drama in the background, a sweet mother-daughter team and of course a hot sailing instructor without whom there would be not heat to the story.

Thank you NetGalley for copy of book for honest review. I like to give positive reviews, but i just didn’t like this book very much. It was hard to get through; Mostly because it was too much of a romance novel for me. A story about a younger man and older woman doesn’t really interest me that much. Hard to relate. I kept reading because I was halfway through. It finally got very good in about the last 20 pages. I wish the writing and story line in the beginning were as good as the ending.

I loved the last book this author did and this one didn’t disappoint. Definitely had all the elements I was looking for in a book. I’d definitely recommend this to anyone

This was such a fun read - I’m a huge fan of Harms’ books, and this one definitely didn’t disappoint! Pick it up for your next beach read!

Thank you Netgalley for this copy of Wherever the Wind Takes Us by Kelly Harms. Is it fear or is it my gut? As Rebecca Larkin’s life takes a sharp left turn from a cushy married life to being single and adrift - this is the question she has to ask herself as she figured out what’s next. As Becca navigates relationships and family dynamics she also learns to navigate the open water as she is left with a sailboat she doesn’t know how to sail. Trusting her instincts but remembering she can do hard things leads her down a path of self-discovery and adventure. 5 stars!