Our main female characters gets arrested by our man within the first chapter, so really this gives enemies to lovers a new meaning. There were so many moments in this book I found myself genuinely laughing out loud. Forced proximity with her brothers best friend who’s an injured hockey player? Say less. I received this arc from netgalley and this opinion is entirely my own. I ate this up! Will definitely read more from the author.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. If All Else Fails by Emma St. Clair is a heartwarming and uplifting romance that blends humor, vulnerability, and emotional depth. The story follows two main characters who, despite facing challenges in their lives, find solace and connection with each other. St. Clair’s writing is charming and relatable, with witty dialogue and a strong emotional core. The chemistry between the characters feels genuine, and their growth throughout the story is both touching and satisfying. Overall, If All Else Fails is a delightful read for fans of feel-good romance with a mix of lighthearted moments and deeper emotions.

This was such a quick sweet and spicy read from a new to me author! I picked this up because all the tropes just screamed to me in the best was and I love watching how the author unfolding this story.

I love Josie’s character and how she stayed strong and true to herself despite the misfortunes that may have happened in her life. I love how verifiable she felt as a character and someone I could picture being friends with. Paired with the grump of her brothers best friend, Wyatt. I love that his form of flirting could be insults but that he had such a softer tone with it came to Josie. He was gentle and patient, he gave the delicious side to the grumpy sunshine mix I tend to gravitate towards in my books.


The plot was super enjoyable! And while I did feel a bit rushed at moments and slower in others I found myself really invested in this story from beginning to end.


Will definitely be an author I pick up again!

"Better started than perfect. Better tried than unknown"

What an absolute delight! "If All Else Sails" was a perfect mix of charming Rom-Com with a heartfelt story at its core.

Josie is tricked by her sports agent brother into keeping an eye on his friend and client, injured hockey star Wyatt. If their history is anything to go on, Wyatt is grump with no time for his friend's little sister. As they navigate his recovery and plans to sail the Intracoastal, they discover that the course of true love never did run smooth.

One thing I loved the most was how effortless the comedic aspects of the story were balanced with a beautiful romance. I was hooked by the hilarious opening chapters where Josie is wrongfully detained. Then as the story progressed, we saw how the relationship between Josie and Wyatt was so sweet. I appreciated the green flag way in which Wyatt was so respectful of Josie's heart, being patient with her hesitancy, even when not fully knowing the impact that her past had on her.

😂❤️ Romantic Comedy
🏒 MMC is an injured hockey player
👩🏼‍⚕️ FMC is a school nurse
⛵ Sailing trip and forced proximity
🫑🔥 Slow burn, closed-door romance
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Absolutely loved it!!

I loved these two so much. The chemistry, everything was just so amazing. 20/10, will be reading this again very soon.

Oh my goodness, this book is everything I hoped it would be! I love grumpy sunshine tropes, and this one is just perfect that way! Wyatt and Josie could have worked out their differences earlier, but I doubt the story would have been so good. They are the perfect complement to each other, and I loved being a part of their love story.

Thank you netgalley for the arc of this book.
I loved this book so much. And there was even a few of the Appies that showed up so that's always a bonus. I loved the banter. The so called enemies to lovers troupe.
When Wyatt is injured and not taking care of himself so Jacob gets his sister to come take care of him under false pretenses. She has always disliked him and thought he hated her. So when she realized what Jacob wanted her to do she was definitely not on board.
Such a good book.

I enjoyed reading this book a lot. The plot is well written and the characters are loveable. This is my first read of this author and definitely won't be the last.

This was a fun, cozy romance between two people who thought they were enemies and then found out they were something more. This is a clean, entertaining read. I give it 4 stars. I received a complimentary review copy of this book from NetGalley.

What a fun book! From the very first chapter I was in love with this story and the mischief the MCs got up to. 😆😍 The romance was so well written, sweet, and cute! Josie and Wyatt had a rough start, but the more you reader the more you realize he’s just a big ole softie with foot-in-the-mouth disease (iykyk). The characters were great, plot engaging, and romance clean!

/Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own/

Josie y Wyatt se conocen desde hace algunos años, ya que él es amigo de su hermano. Por alguna razón, no se llevan bien, y cada vez que se encuentran, sus interacciones son incómodas, ya que terminan ignorándose o él dice alguna tontería. Lo último que Josie quiere es pasar sus vacaciones con él, pero su hermano le ofrece dinero para que sea su enfermera y lo ayude con su lesión, para que pueda regresar a jugar hockey, termina aceptando. Durante esas semanas, por fin hablarán y aclararán los malos entendidos. Josie descubrirá que él no es tan malo como creía y que nunca fue su intención ser grosero.



~


Prácticamente toda la relación entre Josie y Wyatt está marcada por una serie de malos entendidos, causados por la falta de comunicación de ambos y terminaron creyeron que el otro no lo toleraba. Sin embargo, la realidad es que siempre se gustaron. Ella tenía miedo de los deportistas debido a una mala experiencia, y él habla sin pensar lo que dice, lo que puede hacerlo sonar brusco.

Yo quería pov de Wyatt cuando fueron al hospital. Ya sé que después explicó lo que pasó, pero fue de manera superficial. Me gustaría saber qué estaba pensando cuando vio lo que hizo y dijo.

¿Jacob tendrá su propio libro? Porque se le tendría que hacer un cambio total de personalidad.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A sweet read. Loved reading about all the sailing terms. I felt the chemistry between the two main characters but felt their inner monologue was a bit much. I found myself rolling my eyes from some of it. I felt like shouting "Just talk already!" I loved seeing Van and Eli from the other books. Cute and predictable but a nice read to relax with. Not my favorite from this author but I am glad I read it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

🩷 romcom
🩷 spice free
🩷 slight enemies to lovers
🩷 brother’s best friend
🩷 hockey
🩷 forced proximity
🩷 one bed

This book is so adorable!

The Characters
My absolute favourite thing about this book is the characters, they felt so realistic, with fears, hopes and dreams that really shape their character and also the actions that they take throughout the book. I could imagine them to be real like these characters could be people I walk past on the street.

Wyatt was so nice, his actions towards the main character felt so understandable, his choices reflecting who he is. His past and journey to get to where he is felt so true, his emotions about everything seeming to come off the page. And his patience and kindness>>> The way he acts around Josie is the cutest thing ever, each interaction had me screaming for more, making me stay up way too late so that I would get to know what was going to happen sooner.

Josie felt so realistic throughout the book, the traumas that she dealt with and the fears that she has. I love how the characters worked on their traumas, and how they got to know each other and confide in each other without just jumping straight into the relationship. The way they learned about each other and began to slowly understand and grow closer was so adorable.

The Setting & Writing
The setting was one of those things that added so much to the story, it was a mix of the setting itself and the amazing descriptions that were used for each scene. I felt like I was able to picture each scene perfectly, and the book played out like a movie.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free e-ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

So much of it was too…unbelievable to make this book enjoyable. Why do we never get a good explanation about how Wyatt goes from a slight fever to comatose in a snap? The whole book just…dragged. Are hockey players even that famous? I like romcoms with more substance and depth. It’s just them being obsessed with each other and never actually facing real issues. All the issues are faced off the page and then briefly mentioned. Just…not my favorite.

4 Stars / 0 Spice
‘If All Else Sails’ is a standalone contemporary romance written by Emma St. Clair.

This novel follows Wyatt who is a professional hockey player who is currently recovering from an injury and Josie who is tricked into nursing him back to health. As the best friend and client to Josie’s brother, Wyatt has known Josie for years. Their relationship seems to filled with hostility and animosity; at least on Josie’s side of things. As an elementary school nurse, Josie has the summer off. She was looking forward to having a trip with her brother but he cleverly tricked her into going to Wyatt’s summer home. She learns Wyatt is in a dark place emotionally after his uncle’s death while also refusing to participate in physio and aftercare from an injury. With the temptation of an incredible salary from her brother, Josie stays to help nurse Wyatt back to health. They begin to get to know one another on a deeper level as they remain in the same house. Past miscommunications come to light and the attraction they both share comes to the surface. Josie agrees to go on a sailing trip with Wyatt after his injury is healed which further deepens their now complicated relationship.

Wyatt is the strong, silent type. He is calculating, calm and collective. Wyatt does not like to be in the spotlight and wants to simply enjoy his chosen sport without the fanfare. He is protective, witty and tender once his layers are stiped back a bit.

Josie is an overthinker and an analysis everything. She is a fun, charismatic character who does not take ‘no’ from people easily. She is incredibly relatable and her inner insecurities are ones many would face as well.

Overall, this novel was an enjoyable read and I was able to get through it quickly. I found the pacing seemed a bit slow at times and some of the inner dialogue/narration seemed a bit repetitive. I really enjoyed the novel from when the couple first sets sail and onwards. It was an incredibly slow burn which was frustrating but built tension. This was well written; the dialogue was witty and I found myself laughing out loud a few times. The characters were extremely relatable and felt raw/real. I wish I had more of the characters after they were together and there didn’t seem to be any major drama that kept me craving more or anticipating what would happen.

Thank you to NetGallery for this ARC. Overall, I would recommend this to others who are looking for a beautifully quick contemporary romance novel.

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

Things to look forward to:
Brothers best friend
Grumpy x Sunshine
Forced proximity
‘Enemies’ to lovers
Slow burn
He falls first
One Bed

A little bit cheesy but still super cute! A lighthearted summer read but I wouldn’t rush to reccomend it.

I was sure about this book but the more I read the more I liked it. First I thought maybe this was a second or third in a series but the more I read the more I didn’t care. Josie was a believable character and so was Wyatt, they both had misunderstanding keeping them apart but the brother brought them together. I really wanted to know more about Wyatt’s Mom. She seemed like an interesting character. If there is other stories to go with this one I want to read them.

This was a fun read involving enemies to more, brother's friend falling first, forced proximity, sass, banter, and family dynamics. Josie dislikes jocks, and readers will find out why. Wyatt is a hockey player with an injury. I enjoyed the chemistry between Josie and Wyatt, the mother and daughter shopping spree, and getting to see some Appies hockey players making an appearance. Let's not forget a cute dog, a sailing trip, and an unforgettable encounter at the beginning involving Josie and the police. Enjoyable clean read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really liked this book! It was such a sweet, easy summer read. There were cute moments with great banter. If you are looking for a lighthearted summer read that bring some joy, sass, and sweetness into your life--this is it!!

I received an ARC but all thoughts are my own and completely honest!

If All Else Sails by Emma St. Clair was such an enjoyable read! It follows school nurse Josie and she reunited with her brother best friend, grumpy and currently injured hockey play, Wyatt. I was super excited when I realised the MMC was Wyatt from the Appies Series, and for those who follow that series look forward to a few other camoes for our beloved hockey team. I really liked the characters of Josie and Wyatt and their banter and chemistry really kept me hooked! Overall, a great, fun story to lose yourself in. I can’t wait to see what Emma St. Clair comes out with next! Thank you to the author, Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for the ARC! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.