This book had some of the best tropes!!
✨Brothers Best Friend
✨Enemies to Lovers
✨Forced proximity
I really enjoyed this book, & how they take a sailing trip! Definitely different from your typical romance book! Wyatt was a side character in the Appies series, so I love how we get to see his story continue! He is an injured Hockey player trying to find himself again, all while Josie (a school nurse) takes care of him. It’s hilarious and the tension is 🔥 I just felt there was more telling and less showing of the development of the relationship and I needed a little bit more!

Thank you @thomasnelson , @netgalley and @kikimojo for the ARC read! This book comes out August 5th! 😊

This was a beautifully written, sweet, funny, enemies to lovers romance. Thank you Netgalley for my ARC copy.
I love a good slow burn, and Wyatt had the broody, pining, terrible-with-words, grumpy, huge, hockey player trope perfected.

This book was a great read! It was fun to see an Appie player outside of the hockey world. I wish the relationship between the two main characters was as deep as some of the other Appie books, though. Overall, loved the book and can't wait for more!

I love the connection with the Appies team and players from other books by Emma St. Clair. I had to suspend reality a few times but overall it was a fun, clean, romcom to escape into, and the sailing element made it unique. Really cute book title.

This book was so beautiful and has everything I need in a romance! Enemies to lovers with her brothers best friend? Yes please! The romance was romancing, I was a giggling, feet kicking mess! And the banter? Perfect!

I love the brother’s best friend trope and this did not disappoint. The banter between Josie and Wyatt was great with a lot of swoon worthy moments. Overall loved this book.

This was my first book by Emma St. Clair, and I have to say, the cover totally hooked me—it's super cute. Wyatt Jacobs, a pro hockey player, gets injured and refuses to deal with his health and attend doctor appointments. His agent and best friend, Jacob, sends his sister Josie (who’s a school nurse) to take care of him. Josie thinks she's just heading to their usual Super Sibling Extravaganza, but surprise, surprise—her brother isn't there and she's at Wyatt's “murder cottage.” They’re not exactly friends (more like sworn enemies, or so Josie thinks), but she agrees to help out for the extra cash... and that’s when the chaos starts.

Wyatt and Josie are adorable! He’s the ultimate grump (with some serious foot-in-mouth moments) and she’s the sunshine-y, happy one. Their chemistry is fantastic; it’s definitely a slow-burn romance. I loved the dual POV, and the character development was spot on. We get to really understand why they are the way they are. Things heat up when they take a sailing trip together.

I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from this author.

Big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I loved how slow this book was, allowing a chance to really get to know the characters. This is my third book from this author and I will be reading more!

I was so excited for this new book from her and it was such a fun and sweet romance story. It has brother best friend, forced proximity, enemies to lovers; he falls first tropes all in one great story.

Wyatt got hurt and wasn't able to play hockey for a while, Josie is tricked into going and helping her brother's friend, who she doesn't like, while he is injured. While being forced to spend the summer together, they begin to bond over sailing. Wyatt was set to go on a sailing trip before he got hurt, and the only way he can go now is if Josie comes with him. Over the summer, they both begin to have a great friendship and relationship. It was a sweet romance.

4/5!

If summer was a book, it would be this one. Brothers best friend, single bed, grumpy/sunshine, slow burn AND forced proximity, what more could you want in a romance.
I loved the gradual relationship development between the two main characters as one handles grief and injury while the other feels lost in life making the end relationship feel genuine and not rushed.

I would checked trigger warnings for this as there are mentions and conversations of death,grief and SA.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the Arc in exchange for an honest review!

This was an adorable meet-not-so-cute, brother's best friend romance. Fans of Emma St. Clair know she weaves a romcom that makes you laugh and root for the characters HEA at the same time. If all Else Sails, set in a small eastern town, is right in the this vein. Right from the beginning, when Josie arrives at the mysterious address her brother sent her to, a whole host of comical misunderstandings begin. Josie, an elementary school nurse who needs both a vacation and some extra funds, ends up caretaking for her brother's best friends and her supposed nemesis, who also happens to be an injured professional hockey player. Something she does as both a favor to her brother and for some extra money, but definitely not for Wyatt (or so she tells herself). Josie thinks that Wyatt has been her enemy for the entirety of their acquaintance, stemming from an incident years ago, but as she spends more and more time with the grumpy man, she comes to understand that incident, and her feelings about Wyatt, differently. Can they overcome their past prejudices? What hijinks will they get into along they way? For fans of Emma there is even a nod to the Appies series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

"If All Else Sails" by Emma St. Clair is a captivating enemies-to-lovers romance that will tug at your heartstrings. Josie, a school nurse, finds herself entangled in a summer full of unexpected twists and turns when she is forced to spend time with Wyatt Jacobs, her brother's best friend and a charming hockey player. The chemistry between Josie and Wyatt is undeniable, and their banter will leave you laughing out loud. St. Clair beautifully captures the tension and slow-burning romance between the two characters as they navigate their complicated relationship. With well-developed characters and a plot full of surprises, "If All Else Sails" is a delightful read that will keep you hooked until the very end.

Fantastic read; it was cozy and a slow burn but the banter and story made you not want to put the book down! I would highly recommend this book!

Emma St. Clair has done it again, pulling me in from page one and keeping me hooked with the wit, the banter, the laughs, the chemistry, and all the swoon that Wyatt and Josie have to offer!

When Wyatt, an NHL hockey player (and former Appie!) gets injured and refuses to take care of himself, his agent/best friend, Jacob, sends his sister to take charge! However, Josie thinks she’s headed to her annual Super Sibling Extravaganza, not to babysit her nemesis. Things between these two start off on the wrong foot after Wyatt has her arrested and the fun begins and just doesn’t stop!

Wyatt and Josie are adorable!! He’s the classic grump and she’s the happy sunshine—though he doesn’t always bring out that side of her. I loved their chemistry and back and forth banter both when Wyatt was feverish and when he was perfectly healthy. It was fun to see their relationship change over time and I loved how their sailing trip really helped further their relationship. Of course, it was fun to see Van and Eli make a guest appearance, too!!

A few things to love:

💙 Wyatt & Josie
😤 Grumpy/Sunshine
🏒 Injured hockey player
👩🏻‍⚕️ School nurse
👫🏻 Forced proximity
🙅🏻‍♂️ Brother’s best friend
⛵️ A sailing trip
👟 Boat shoes
🦶🏻Foot-in-mouth disease
🐶 Jib
🛏️ One bed
🧔🏻‍♂️ A Van & Eli cameo

Loved this book so much! Don’t miss it!!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you Thomas Nelson Fiction!

Josie, an elementary school nurse, is all geared up for the ultimate sibling vacation with her brother, Jacob. Even arriving at a dilapidated old cottage doesn’t dampen her spirits - until the true nature of her arrival is revealed…

Wyatt Jacobs is a hockey star forced to step aside due to an injury. When he fails to take care of himself, his agent - Josie’s brother - arranges for Josie to take on the role as caregiver against her knowledge. With Josie and Wyatt’s complicated history still fresh in their minds, the two try to make the best of their situation.

This book was cute! Really fun and light. It’s the perfect summer holiday read.

It was very descriptive at times - honestly I would’ve preferred a bit more showing, rather than telling. And the monologues ran on a bit. But overall, I liked the story and the characters. The tropes are also very heavy here, so maybe keep that in mind!

If All Else Sails is released on 5 August!

I enjoyed the book and I love the how the author and her writing style. This book has some of my favorite tropes, close proximity, brother's best friend, and the banter between the two main characters! I laughed throughout the book, a slow burn read that had me from page one. I love Emma St. Clair's books and this definitely one of my favorites of hers!

This book was amazing! Emma st Clair is one of my favorite authors. I was so happy to read this book! The romance in this book was so fun and it kept me on my toes!

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for this early read! I loved this book from start to finish. Josie and Wyatt were so much fun, the settings, his friends, her antics, all of it! Please don't sleep on this one - pub date 8/5/25!

I was really happy to get this ARC because I really loved the main story. This book seems to be an offshoot for.
I don’t know if it is a standalone in these characters aren’t gonna pop up anymore or if it’s a start of its own series .
Anyway, the MMC Wyatt, was a side character in the Appies series, and he disappeared about halfway throughout the season, saying that he got a contract with a NHL team.
So I love the idea that the author is gonna do a bunch of standalone’s for other side characters of the series or another series. You get so invested with their stories and sad when you never know what happens to them.

To the book itself -
The FMC Josie, is an elementary school, nurse and her brother, the son of their families’s solar system, is a professional sports agent. He was best friends with Wyatt, the MMC growing up.

Thanks to a little miscommunication trope/misunderstanding that never got fixed Josie has been under the impression for many a year that Wyatt hates her guts to the point of being disgusted. And when she shows up at his house thinking she’s about to have a fun summer adventure with her brother and instead she is arrested…. It’s all kind of downhill from there.

Which, brings us to poor foot in his mouth, Wyatt 😂😂😂😂
I think this man would benefit greatly from writing down his feelings and sticking to a plan when talking to people, but instead he seems to carry a proverbial shovel with him wherever he goes. On the rare occurrence he actually does open his mouth, he immediately starts digging.
So, he’s taken to just not talking.

For me, this book was kind of emotional to read because I grew up in Virginia, I’ve been to almost all of the places that were mentioned! Hell, I’ve been boating on the bay! It’s so funny because you rarely read books about the Hampton Roads area. It was great because I could literally picture every single part in my head.

This was cute , simple and not that much going on, but cute. it does need some work and maybe some chapters need to be looked at. The characters do need a little more development and some work to make them a little more likable.