This one is a very slow burn, and I was hoping to have more of their relationship, but it was more 'ok we're together now' then the next page they're 2 years into being together and married. There was a lot of build up for not much excitement.

I did enjoy this one though, don't get me wrong, but the ending left more questions than answers. Not necessarily a cliffhanger, but more of 'did I miss a chapter at the end before the epilogue? Is there a bonus epilogue?'

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy!

If All Else Sails has some of my favorite romance tropes, and the story is really well-executed. The only-one-bed trope works even in this sweet romance, along with plenty of forced proximity and an enemies-to-lovers trajectory. I also adore books involving travel, in particular sailing since I've never been on a sailboat, so there's some great escapism to the book. It's probably my favorite Emma St. Clair novel so far!

Jessie is working at being content with her ordinary life as a school nurse, hoping to one day buy her own home, not interested in romance or dating. Wyatt is a hockey pro who's down recovering from an injury. They've known each other for years as he's her brother's close friend, but Jessie's always assumed he can't stand her. They're thrown together by said brother who wants Jessie to talk sense into Wyatt so he'll show up for physical therapy and get back to hockey.

Wyatt is somewhat of a grump, but never truly mean, so it's easy to imagine early on that his grumpy exterior hides a sweetness underneath. The two decide to go sailing to follow the same route Wyatt planned to take with his now-deceased uncle, the man who had been like a father to him.

I loved the story of Jessie learning how to sail as a complete newbie, Wyatt learning how to accept help to recover from his injury, and both of them figuring out whether they can trust each other and become something more than enemies and even more than friends. Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

I always am a fan of a brothers best friend trope and this was a cute read for that. Wyatt was a sweet grump and he and Josie had solid banter. Will read more by Emma St, Clair

It was a cute rom-com with a great premise, but I felt like it lacked something. The beginning was great, the book was very easy to get into, and I found myself getting invested in the main characters straight away.

Usually, I am not a big fan of brother’s-best-friend trope, but with this book I almost did not care. Mainly because he was not there! None of the side characters were in any means memorable, since we meet them for a page or two and then move on.

The book is written in dual POV but I’d say just barely. It was really disappointing to find out that the main male character got only around 7 chapters. And since it felt like nothing was going on plot-wise, it would have been nice to at least see their feelings develop from both perspectives.

Overall, I’d say that this book is a perfect read for a cozy evening, something you can easily finish in one sitting.

Thank you so much to Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for this ARC!

This book was fantastic! With the perfect balance of edginess and swoon-worthy moments, it featured amazing character growth. This book had a hilarious beginning, and I really enjoyed how the plot developed. Her books just keep getting better and better, and the pacing was ideal. Overall, this book did not let me down. I thoroughly recommend it.

Oh Emma, you’ve really done it this time! 😍😍
I loved this book!! It had such wonderful character development with just the right amount of sass and swoony moments. I loved the hilarious start to this book and how the story evolved! The only thing I don’t like is that it’s over, and now I have a book hangover!! ❤️

A sweet and easy read. The characters were likable and the premise was original. There were times when I felt like the characters’ inner monologues took over and there were other parts that just felt too silly. But it was a cute book with a cute premise!

Thank you to 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.

4.5 stars on this one. It's an arc I got from NetGalley. I thought it was great. The banter and back and forth were great and there were some truly lol moments. I loved getting to know Wyatt who is a teammate in the Appies series who moved to a different league. I had a little quibble with the epilogue but on the whole, this was a really fun romcom. St. Clair is one of my favorite clean romance writers. She's generally one whose books I will always pick up and enjoy.

This book is such a fun, cute, and easy read. Emma St. Clair pulls you in from page one and keeps you hooked through the whole story. There’s banter, chemistry, laughter, and of course swoon-worthy romance. This book has lots of good tropes that work well together: brother's best friend, hockey player, one bed, forced proximity, and he falls first—all the good things a romance needs. I appreciated how clean this book is while still giving you lots of romance.

Emma’s writing is amazing; I didn’t get bored for a second. The pace was perfect; her books just keep getting better and better. All in all, this book did not disappoint. I highly recommend it.

Emma St. Clair is an auto buy author for me, I love all of her books. Getting to read If All Else Sails early was amazing The main characters Josie and Wyatt were fantastic, the setting was lovely, and the way the story carried out was like a summer dream. Everyone should read this book, along with all of her other ones. It was so cute!

Thank you netgalley and Thomas Nelson for an arc of If All Else Sails by Emma St. Clair

The perfect light, easy read! I would absolutely recommend this book. I liked the hockey player without playing hockey storyline - while being a player impacted the story, it wasn’t a massive part of the book. Very well written and easy to follow. I honestly have nothing bad to say about it!

I thoroughly enjoyed being able to read such a sweet “enemies to lovers” romance. It is the perfect spring/summer read to escape with, preferably by the pool or ocean with a cold drink in hand! You couldn’t help but fall in love with Josie and Wyatt. Each of them had some long-term issues they battled, but still didn’t give up completely on happiness and love. Their banter made me laugh many times and I couldn’t help but cheer for Josie’s spunk! Wyatt’s brooding personality was very “swoon-worthy.” As someone who loves being on the Intercoastal, I also enjoyed feeling like I was on the water during parts of the book. The author did a relatively good job with touching on some tough topics, but I do feel like they were “glazed over.” As a result, the book felt rushed in in parts. I feel like the character development of some of the side characters could have been a bit further developed and incorporated, which would have provided a bit more depth to the plot/storyline. This is a slow-burn, closed door, no spice romance. Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Publishers for my eARC copy!

If All Else Sails by Emma St. Clair is the kind of rom-com that’s perfect for a light, feel-good read. The slow-burn romance between Wyatt and Josie is packed with enough charm and humor to make you smile, even if their "enemies-to-lovers" arc feels more like a reluctant acquaintances-to-lovers journey. The grumpy-sunshine dynamic between the two creates fun tension, and the quirky dog adds even more lightheartedness to the story. The forced proximity of the sailboat setting brings its own set of delightful moments, although the first half of the book drags a bit with slow pacing and a lot of inner monologue.

The romance definitely picks up once they’re out on the water, but I couldn’t help wishing for a bit more depth to the connection between Wyatt and Josie. While their chemistry is cute, I didn’t feel the sparks I was hoping for—especially with the buildup of the "enemies" part of their relationship. That said, the humorous banter, the dog antics, and the growth of both characters made up for the lack of tension. If you're into clean, closed-door romance with plenty of comedy and a bit of sweetness, If All Else Sails is a breezy and enjoyable read that’s perfect for a quick, cozy day in.

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

Josie is an elementary school nurse who gets tricked by her brother into helping his best friend and hotshot hockey player, Wyatt, rehab his foot. Josie and Wyatt have history riddled with misunderstandings, and I enjoyed watching them work through those in present day. The sailing trip was a storyline in the book that I was looking forward to, and I was glad to find that the pacing of the trip did not feel rushed. Even though I love a good slow burn, I think I was hoping for their relationship to move a tiny bit quicker than it did (even though I get why it didn’t). Overall, I thought this was a fun read with some really solid characters.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for the ARC! My review will be posted to Goodreads upon the publication date, and this review will be edited with the link at that time.

If All Else Sails by Emma St. Clair is such a cute, fun and beautiful romance. Swoony but low spice. Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, brother's friend, etc. I really enjoyed reading this
I got a complimentary copy from Thomas Nelson Fiction via Netgalley. All opinions expressed are mine

This was such a fun romcom! I loved the main characters and the side-characters. The plot had a nice pace and a satisfying ending.

This is a super cutie romance that was exactly what I needed. The slow burn was absolutely perfect, their banter was cute, overall just so cutie patootie!!

What a fun book! I love Emma St. Clair’s writing style. All the delicious wit and banter and none of the spice.

Emma never disappoints in creating an engaging story that keeps pulling you back in. This book had all my favorite tropes! Hockey romance, brothers best friend, he falls first…ah just all so good! I also loved how this was just as much about Josie’s own personal journey as it was a romance and Wyatt was just the best mix of grump on the outside and softie on the inside

"I'm a very patient man." And also slow as molasses. Who likes someone for as long as Wyatt has liked (loved) Josie. I hate that he probably would have continued to love her from afar if he hadn't hurt his foot and then spent weeks wallowing, necessitating Jacob sending Josie to help him. That's why Wyatt is not so smart. Maybe he'd been hit in the head by a puck....hmmmm. I LOVE the whole hospital scene! From the moment Josie works to get Wyatt in his vehicle all the way through to them getting take-out on their way home from the hospital. Every word of that was a true delight! I can't wait to read through that scene again!!!