I received a copy of this book from ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op via NetGalley.

Liz would prefer any destination other than a ten-day Caribbean cruise with her estranged father attending his high school reunion. Despite the distraction of an anonymous note, an onboard mystery, and the company of a cute boy, the trip only widens the gap between Liz and her father. Liz's impulsive actions, triggering unintended consequences, force her to confront her deep-seated hurt and anger. Struggling to maintain her carefully crafted facade, Liz turns to her faith, embarking on a journey to redefine her life.

Honestly, I felt like I was reading a highlight reel of a cruise vacation. You know, the kind where everyone is nonchalantly partaking in a multitude of activities, from salsa dancing lessons to synchronized swimming. I've been on my fair share of cruises, and either I'm missing out on the secret life of cruisegoers or Liz has some kind of time-stretching device that the rest of us don't. The narrative was zipping through activities faster than the ship itself. Now, the plot. I appreciate a good mystery, but this felt like a cozy mystery's distant relative. I kept waiting for the surprising twist, but it was more like a predictable turn.

However, what did strike a chord with me was Liz's internal struggle. The portrayal of her relationship with her father, the emotional turbulence, and her attempt to navigate through the hurt and anger felt genuine. It was like sailing through a sea of emotions, and in that regard, the author did well in capturing the turmoil within Liz.

"The key to happiness is forgiveness."

Thank you to NetGalley and Vinspire Publishing for an ARC of Charting the Course in exchange for an honest review.

Charting the Course is about a young girl named Liz taking a cruise with her estranged father for his high school reunion over the Christmas and New Years holidays. She ends up getting more than she bargained for when she meets a cute boy and starts to form a bond with the other people that share her dinner table each night. As the cruise continues, she slowly learns the importance that happiness and forgiveness play in a relationship.

I enjoyed this book from beginning to end, though a little bit less than I actually thought that I would. I loved the characters and relationships that develop throughout the book but I felt like the religious aspect sometimes interrupted the storyline and took it in a weird direction. I really enjoyed Liz's musical theater interest as well as the fact that she sang some of my favorite songs in the book. Although it was a small inclusion, I liked the mention of "Livin' on a Prayer". I have a great cruise memory with this song and it was great to relive it for a little while.

One thing about this book that I didn't really enjoy was the extra storyline that involved the crew on the ship. I thought that with this extra storyline, the book as a whole got a little bit confusing because by the end, there were character traits emerging from Liz that hadn't been mentioned the entire book and just suddenly showed up.

Overall, I would give this book 3/5 stars and would recommend it for anyone who enjoys vacation rom-coms.

Liz is on a ten day Caribbean cruise with her father. It is a tense time as she tries to fathom out her thoughts and emotions.
There are several surprises on board which help her.
An optimistic and uplifting story.

Liz’s parents are divorced and she barely has a relationship with the man who walked out on her and her mum. When she is forced to attend her father’s 30th class reunion cruise over the Christmas holidays, she is less than impressed.

The reunion takes place on a cruise ship, and is riddled with good and bad events. Will these hiccups bring Liz and her father closer, or drive them further apart?

All the conflicts are wrapped up nicely at the end of the book.

For a Christian book, I thought there was way too much drinking and gambling going on, which may impact those readers with addiction issues in their families.

Personally, I wouldn’t let my child read this unless you had read it first to make sure it is appropriate for you.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

I love a good YA and I really enjoyed Charting the Course. It is all told from Liz’s perspective, which is a refreshing point of view, and really resonated with me, as I went through an eerily similar situation when I was in high school with my own family. The unforgiveness of past hurts is real, and I feel like it goes even deeper when this huge life event happens early in adolescence, and feel like the author handled this masterfully. Seeing the nudges of faith is beautiful and my favorite part of the novel was actually when Liz seems to hit rock bottom, because the only way to go is up, and the only way to move forward is to let go. It was a good reminder for me, and I know this will touch younger audiences as well.

Seeing Liz’s growth during such a short amount of time is refreshing, and I loved all of the supporting characters and the unique setting. I’ve never been on a cruise ship myself but it sounds very fun! This novel is part of the Finding Faith series, though it is easily read as a standalone, but it was such a good read that I now want to check out the rest of the series. It is a week of unimagined adventures and a personal journey for Liz as she gains a healthy, new perspective and I am so grateful that I got to witness her adventure.

I liked this a lot, although perhaps a little less than I was expecting to like it. I find the characters are all super sweet (to an extent), and the premise of the cruise with a dash of mystery was very fun to navigate through. However, and this is purely on me, the religious interludes were perhaps a little bit random at times. I didn't mind them too much but I feel like they sort of cut the flow of the story at times. Take this part of my review with a grain of salt because this is very subjective.

Wow! What a cruise! I enjoyed this soooooo much!
Oh my! This author made me feel like I was on board with Liz and her dad. I know I would have branched out on my own bc to me class reunions are the most boring things on earth. Exactly why I don't go to mine. The popular people never change. It seems like they stay the same all their lives. So why have reunions? Never got that part.
But anyway I still enjoyed the book and honestly why I got the book was because I love ships. Anything to do with ships I'm hooked.
Beautiful cover by the way.
A fantastic job with the mystery part. Another reason why I chose this book. I love guessing games, so I really had fun with this book.
Liz was such a good character. I really admired her from the get-go. This little lady has spunk, and that's what I like in a character.
I didn't really much care for Tad at all!
But what can I say about Karma?.
The supporting characters were wonderful, too. I loved Linda a lot! She made me snicker in some places. A very wise person and Liz couldn't have choosen a better friend in my opinion. Then we have Josie. Josie reminds me of my friend. Friend who used to hang out with us and then all of a sudden who doesn't. I get that I really do but at the same time it hurts because it feels like they want to move on without you.
God puts people in your path for a season. People aren't meant to stay. It's how we grow and learn to trust God to do His job. I'm really trying but changes are hard especially for me.
Here's another quote that I liked too and this really fits about me and Liz
Don’t dwell on what you can’t change. Just make the future different. See why i loved Linda?
I understand how Liz feels and in that way I feel like we are so like minded.
I'm not going to say anything more. I don't want to give it away but I had so much fun with this book.
Here's a quote from Cole to Liz;
“I’ve wondered about them over the years, but my folks are amazing, and I’ve realized that this is the life God chose for me, for whatever reason. You know, every family is unique. Some certainly have more issues than others. But our families, whether they are filled withcertainly have more issues than others. But our families, whether they are filled with
hardships or blessings, help form us into the people God needs us to be in order to do His work.
So very true and for some it's a hard lesson to learn like I've had to learn and am still learning. God is good all the time!
I highly recommend it!
5 stars for keeping me engaged throughout this awesome novel.
I will be adding this to my list of favorites.
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.