Wherever the Wind Takes Us was the perfect book to read while confined to my dinky room with Covid 19. The story reads like the sailboat the characters are sailing-smooth over a glass sea or riding over choppy waves.
Granted a beautiful sailboat in her divorce, Becky decides to sell it for the money it will bring her. She enlists the help of Grant, a sailing teacher and skilled sailor. Becky chooses to sail the boat to the owner from Maine to Miami. She and her daughter Olivia begin the journey only to have Olivia bail and call in Grant to sail it with her mother. From this point a true adventure in learning and in love begins.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wherever the Wind Takes Us is the ultimate summer read! In this book, our main character, Becca, has let her husband take almost everything in the divorce, except for his sailboat. She and her daughter decide to sail it down the coast to Miami to sell it. They run into some trouble and end up enlisting the help of Grant, a younger, attractive Irish skipper. Soon, romance ensues between Grant and Becca. It was really refreshing to read about a slightly older character in a romance novel and it made a real difference in the perspective.

I really enjoyed this book as I thought it contained all the key elements of a good summer read. Romance, travel, sunshine.

This is my second book from Kelly Harms and I'm a bit fan of her work.

5/5 stars.

A great holiday read - made me want to be on a boat (although not in the bad weather). We all feel lost when things end and it was a great story on how beginnings can be exciting and you can reinvent yourself from the role you have been cast in whatever your age.

I loved this book - I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started it but it quickly surprised me and became a story about empowerment, integrity, over coming hurdles and finding out who you are even when it feels like the worlds against you. I loved the romance aspect as it didn’t take over the rest of the messages in the book.

The writing style was easy and faultless and completely transported me to the authors world.

Highly recommend!

It's a signature of any Kelly Harms novel to have a strong woman protagonist. This book is just that. After years in a loveless marriage, Rebecca Larkin is on her way to finding herself. This is solely about Rebecca; any relationships she has with other characters are to propel her to a decision she already knows inside. It's a simple journey of self-discovery. For me, it was good and bad. I wanted more from Rebecca as I know the author's style. It is still a good read.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for letting me read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story about a 42 year old woman struggling to figure out what comes next after divorcing her very wealthy husband of 22 years. Becca spent the last 22 years of her life caring for her daughter and keeping up appearances and their home. Because of a prenup not in her favor all she gets from the divorce is a 40 foot sailboat. So she ends of agreeing to sail the boat to Miami with her daughter, despite knowing nothing about sailing, to sell the boat and make a nest egg and to bond with her daughter. Once on board nothing goes as planned, and they bring on a 26 year old sailing instructor to help. There were a lot of sailing terms and information which made the book a little confusing to read at times for those that know nothing about sailing. Despite that, this was a quick easy beach read. I received an ARC from netgalley, and this is my honest review.

Take The Sea Wife by Amity Gage, crank up the humor, and take away the heavier aspects of grief - and you’ve got Wherever the wind takes us. Kelly Harms wrote a heartwarming story of a middle aged woman finding herself again. The relationship with her daughter was relatable and of the times. The romance at the end felt a bit forced at times but was overall enjoyable.

Becca is fresh from her divorce when she and her daughter, Liv, decide to take the boat she won in the divorce to Miami to sell it. The boat called Becca Ann, was the only thing the Becca received after the divorce and she needs to sell it in order to have money to live. Grant, a sailing coach who works at the marina where the boat is kept, offers to help Becca sell the boat. It turns out that Grant is the guy Liv has been obsessed with and Becca does not find out till her and Liv go to start their journey from Maine to Miami. Lots of trials are in the way, but Becca Ann ends up in Miami with Becca having learned lots of lessons along the way.

3.5 Stars rounded up to 4

This “second act” novel is consistent with many current books that describe a mid-life woman, either widowed or divorced, who is compelled by life circumstances to start over and find authentic self in the process. While the premise may be familiar, this story does provide a different twist that was both interesting and frustrating.

Becca Ann Larkin is recently divorced after struggling through the last ten years of a two decade marriage. Now that her daughter has reached adulthood, she no longer is willing to tolerate her husband’s infidelity and his family’s lucrative law practice based on defending unsavory, even notorious, characters. One small problem – she is penniless, jobless and homeless. The perfect, albeit terrifying, opportunity to recover her lost dreams and sense of worth.

When the judge unexpectedly awards her a 40 foot, luxury sailboat, Becca decides to sell it and use the money to begin anew. With three weeks for delivery, Becca, with no nautical experience, decides to sail the boat from Maine to Florida with the help of her daughter, who has had two semesters of instruction in college. After several disastrous days, her daughter bails and arranges for her sailing instructor to come aboard to complete the trip and the sale. From this point on, Becca’s transformation unfolds as she faces a multitude of fears and rediscovers her passion and inner strength.

I almost gave up reading in the first half of the book. The pace was slow and it was so full of sailing techniques and jargon that I felt as confused as the protagonist trying to master the fundamentals. Fortunately, the pace picked up in the remainder of the book and the relationship dynamics became the focal point. I appreciated Becca’s principles and her commitment to moving forward despite her fears. Olivia (Liv) her daughter was less likeable, but perhaps understandable as a young, spoiled 21 year old caught between two parents she cared about. Grant Murphy, the sailing instructor, was the voice of reason and proved to be not only an inspiring coach, but also a caring, considerate man as a counterpoint to Becca’s manipulative ex-husband.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

This book is very American in many ways. I enjoyed the mother-daughter story that goes through many topsy turvy turns. There is a little too much sailing for my liking, but it does create that seafaring atmosphere, which brings out the best in Becca Ann. I am not sure whether 40+ women would truly relate to it, but as an almost 30-something, I found Becca's growth moving. While the romance is well-written and manages to not fall completely into the love-at-first-sight cliche, Harms has to reiterate that the marriage has been dead for years, and the rebound factor hovered throughout. All in all, a great afternoon read!

Newly divorced Becca has a sailboat to get rid of but she has to sail from Maine to Miami to do so. That's when a hunk of a sailing instructor, Grant, comes in. There was a lot of sailing terminology that I just didn't get but it is obvious the author knows her stuff. As with her last book Wherever the Wind Takes Us is full of charm, wit, and humour. I loved that the mother-daughter relationship was a big part of the story and not just the romance. Harms has a way of making you care about her characters and will have you cheering them on, I loved watching Becca grow as a character and as a woman. And although I found the ending to be a tad predictable there was a surprising twist that I didn't see coming and it made the book all the more enjoyable to me. This was a short book and I enjoyed it enough to be able to read it in a single sitting. I can't wait to see what Harms comes up with next.

Chick lit either works for me or it doesn’t…this one did!! It was a very cute book that took place mostly on sailboat traveling from Maine to Miami, it was fun reading about familiar places like Rehoboth, Chincoteague, Virginia Beach, and the Outer Banks. I even learned some sailing terminology! Of course, there was family drama, a romance, and some life lessons mixed in. Although it was fairly predictable, it was still an enjoyable “journey.” I really liked this author’s The Overdue Life of Amy Byler, but did not care for The Seven Day Switch. So glad I liked this one! It was a great summer read and I wonder why it is not being released until the fall!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Bella Larkin is officially divorced. After not expecting to get anything in the settlement, she is surprised when the judge rules she’ll be getting the precious sailboat. Liv, Bella’s daughter, is surprised her mom actually wants to keep the boat instead of just selling it and earning some money. When Bella proposes a girls trip on the sailboat, Liv agrees, after all at least her mom wants to do something fun! Though that does mean Bella has to learn how to sail… and her sailing coach just happens to be irresistible, but also maybe too young? Could this trip really be a good idea?

Wow! I loved Harm’s past book, The Overdue Life of Amy Byler, and I knew I had to read this book! I loved reading this book and how it not only explored the mother-daughter love between Bella and Liv, but I loved Bella’s growth throughout the book and the way her perspective changes. It was a quick read and once I started it, I couldn’t really stop.

Becca Larkin is left with a sailboat she knows nothing about after her divorce. After deciding to take it out on one final voyage, Becca learns more about herself than she thought she would. This was a cute story that I enjoyed a lot more than I thought I would. I read it in just a few days. A perfect palette cleanser in between tougher reads. Recommend!

What a journey, in more ways than one. Becca is thrown in at the deep end by her divorce and then by the sea. A true voyage of discovery, she has to contend with learning to sail whilst learning more about herself and her daughter than she really wants to know. A captivating story that is well written and gripping. A joy to read.

Becca Larkin is 42, newly divorced, and is left with only a sailboat to her name. She has spent the last 22 years of her life raising her daughter, Liv, and being a dutiful housewife. With no prior experience sailing, she somehow needs to get her sailboat from Maine to a buyer in Miami. She decides this is the perfect opportunity to go on a girls’ trip with her daughter and get some quality bonding time with her.
I read it in a day and loved every minute!

A surprise divorce leaves Becca Larkin destitute except for a behemoth of a sailing boat she plans to sell until a fateful meeting with a sexy Irishman sets her on a completely different voyage of discovery.

When a buyer comes through for the boat if Becca can deliver it to Miami, she talks her daughter Liv into the big adventure of sailing it down the east coast from Maine, but they can’t do it alone and hire 26yr old sailing instructor, Grant Murphy.

While there’s an enjoyable love story, it’s the strong mother-daughter connection and the self-growth Becca goes through on the trip that truly makes this a great read!

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and the author for a free e-book of Wherever the Wind Takes Us in exchange for my honest review.

This is my second read by Kelly Harms. She's an author I look for, when I want a fresh, fun story. I enjoyed this book a lot, I read it quickly. Just a day and half, I was hooked from the first line and could not wait to get back to it!
A solid 3.5 stars, but I will round it up.

Becca opens the book by saying that the day her divorce became final was the happiest day of her life. We learn about her cheating husband and her worries how she will survive financially, since his family's wealth always paid the bills. The book does get a bit repetitive here and there about the cheating husband (Alistair Larkin) and his sleazy family and their law firm. Eventually Becca learns she has received a sailboat in the divorce settlement, and the story takes off from there. I did partially guess the predictable ending, but to be honest, it did not ruin the story for me.

After sitting on my TBR for years, I finally read The Overdue Life of Amy Byler a few months ago. I loved it and jumped at the chance to read an early copy of Harms' newest book, Wherever the Wind Takes Us.

I wish I could say that I enjoyed it just as much as The Overdue Life, but I didn't. It was okay. The interactions between Becca and her daughter were interesting and the romance with Grant was nice. Nothing really stellar, but an agreeable read.

The thing that didn't work for me was all the sailing terms. Yes, learning to sail is a big part of the plot, but I don't need 30% of the book to be filled with technical jargon and explanations that I'm just going to skim over.

If you are a sailor, then this book is probably for you and will be out in October 2022.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ohh. What a book!

I found Becca to be relatable, she finds her merit and her much better self and I loved it. She really grows as a person.

This is not my usual read. But I really enjoyed this story. It may have been predictable, but it was still a pleasant read.