Float Plan

This book was a punch to the gut. I was bawling my eyes out reading the first chapter. This book is a romance, yes but it is more than that. It is a journey of self discovery after the unthinkable happens. Anna’s fiance took his life by suicide 10 months prior, on Thanksgiving morning her alarm goes off and the reminder pops up that they were supposed to start their sailing journey. After months of not being able to leave her bed, Anna realizes that this is just what she needs to start the process of closure. As she begins her voyage, she soon understands that she might have taken on more than she could handle. This was supposed to be a trip for the both of them and she is not sure she can do it on her own.
Enter Keane, a man who saves her from herself after a night of drinking too much and bad decisions. Keane was a professional boat racer and he loves being on the sea. After an injury left him unable to do what he loved so much, he began helping people like Anna, but he will never give up his dreams. The unlikely pair form a bond while at sea, finishing the itinerary that was set up by Anna’s fiance Ben, but with each stop, Anna starts to realize more and more about her relationship and about herself.
The self discovery in this book was the real stand out to me. Anna explains that the grieving process isn’t linear, how it’s all over the place but it is also a process she was stuck in for so long and this trip helps her progress. At each stop, Anna lets a little more go and begins to see that there is a whole world out there worth living for, not just living in her grief and what might have been.
At the beginning of the book I felt a little more emotion than I did at the end, and I will say I was expecting a little more of an AWE moment with the romance, but after a lot of thought, it was right where it needed to be. Anna has further to go with her grief, but I am glad she pulled herself out to know that good things await her in the future.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Float Plan begins the healing journey for Anna who is struggling to find closure after her long time boyfriend Ben overdoses on medications and alcohol. She has lived with Ben in their Ft Lauderdale, FL condo planning to spend their lives together. Or so, Anna thought. She had the wind taken from her sails when he dies leaving her with plans for the lifetime dream trip Ben had planned to sail to Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. When Ben’s family kicks her out of their shared condo, Anna decides she needs to get away and takes Ben’s boat on the trip they were supposed to take together.

Her mother and sister worry about her venturing out alone but she ensures them that she will keep in touch along the way. Her friend, Karla, also anxiously emails her with updates while she is gone. Anna ignores the complaints and legal action which Ben’s mother threatens to take against Anna. She feels confident that this trip will help her to comes to turns with Ben’s death. She had known he struggled with depression and was getting help so she was never prepared for what happened.

Turning tragedy into adventure, Anna sets sail to Puerto Rico with only the plans for the trip Ben planned. Fortunately, she meets up with Keane Sullivan in a manner which seems clandestine. Ultimately, she hires him to help her maneuver the boat through the rough waters. Keane accepts the job as he was travelling to Puerto Rico for a job opportunity. He has lived his life commanding boats until an accident caused him to lose a leg making him a liability to former employers. He has proven to Anna that he has never let his prosthetic leg interfere with his ability to live and work.

During the trip, Anna and Keane learn more about each other including the challenges and pains from the past. The story explores love and loss, finding your place in life, and when to let go of the past. The boat trip provided healing as just like the sea, Anna encountered many unexpected situations in which she learned to be open and flexible allowing her to discover her authentic self.

Thank you @stmartinspress for #gifting me a copy of this book!

4/5 Stars
1/5 Steam Rating

Anna sets off on a spur of the moment solo trip through the Caribbean when she realizes she in over her head. Keane steps up to help her on her voyage. Anna & Keane are both struggling with grief in their own way and unsure of what the future will hold. Throughout this journey, both come to terms with their grief and find love within one another’s arms.

What I enjoyed:
• I loved the grief that seeped through these pages, you could feel Anna’s struggle to cope after her fiancé’s death and how she found herself in the end
• I enjoyed the build up between Anna & Keane, it felt like a natural progression
• This was a slow build romance but still kept your attention
• I loved all of the information about the Caribbean (I’ll admit, I had no idea Trinidad was located before this book)
• This was a quick read and the chapters were a great length

What I wished was different:
• My only complaint was that the ending felt rushed. The first part of the book was set at great pace, I wish it would have continued all the way through

Overall, I thought that this was a great story to escape to when you’re in need of a tropical getaway but it’s just not in the card for you.

This was a cute book. It brings out all the feels of love and lost, independent journey, and finding oneself through it all. I love that Anna finds herself on the journey which was supposed to be with her and her now ex. Along the way she meets a friend Keane who becomes her boat companion. Through the slow burn of friendship comes something more for these two. But my favorite quote from Anna was “I can do this without you, but I don’t want to” When she first started this journey she was so unsure of herself and literally had sea legs. Now she can do anything she puts her mind too. Love her strong character build.

I highly recommend this book!

This was an incredible book. Great characters going through some truly shocking and difficult times and trying to figure out how to move forward and maybe even find a little happiness along the way. Anna is grieving the loss of her boyfriend to suicide as a result of clinical depression. She thought he was okay as he was planning a wonderful adventure of sailing for the two of them that she thought would end with them getting married. Her world is truly rocked, she is lost and stuck in grief, survivors guilt and missing the life she thought she would have. To get her out of her funk she decides to take their trip alone to regain her equilibrium, heal emotionally and mentally, grow stronger and chart a new path for herself. She soon realizes she needs help and finds Keane, who is suffering his own loss and internal battles. They are both such wonderful characters that you can’t help but want them to both be happy and get all that they want for themselves. Though this is a novel it doesn’t gloss over the impact of mental illness on those gone, but also on those left behind who loved and will mourn them. Have some tissues at hand, but also be prepared to celebrate these these wonderful characters abilities to move forward and find new purposes and maybe even love.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley.com in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thanks to Netgalley and St.Martins Press Romance for the opportunity.

I was drawn to this book with its theme of starting over and finding yourself. I was completely blown away by how it held me captive from Page 1 and didn’t free me until the last page. The characters came alive and jumped off the pages into my head. Their journey was my journey too. I felt like I was there with them, experiencing their highs and lows and visiting all the places they visited. I enjoyed the subtlety and tentativeness of their growing love for each other. It was interesting, exciting and ultimately satisfying. This book is an exceptional read–the perfect beach read or rainy-weekend read or just-take-me-away read. The writing is perfection, flowing throughout from beginning to end. The story is easily relatable to all, whether or not you’ve experienced what these characters have. The ending wasn’t what I was expecting (I loved that!). What more can one ask for? A definite 5-star read–don’t miss it!

An amazing book! Anna Beck is on a farewell sail. She has the book that her and Ben put together. Mapped out all the islands they wanted to visit and the last island where they were going to get married. So the planned alarm went off and she packed up her clothes and set sail. Keane Sullivan is island hopping hoping to get to Puerto Rico to see if a crew spot is available. She agrees to hire him to help her to complete the mission. I literally looked up maps of the Caribbean. Some of the islands I’ve heard of and others I didn’t. I could feel the wind in my hair. All the wonderful places and people they met along the way. I love that she adopted a pot dog. As the New Year comes in, they admit their feelings for each other. Keane has been offered the chance to crew a ship for a regatta. Although not happy, Anna tells him to go. She still has to finish the trip and lay Ben to rest. When all is said and done, she has to decide what to name her boat. The unexpected surprise is Keane showing up. No matter where Anna goes, he is following. They never want to be separated again. I love where they decide to sail to next.

Do not let the cute cover fool you—this book packs an emotional punch! This was a beautiful and compassionate story about love, loss, and sailing.

Anna and Keane are both facing their own demons and grieving their pasts. You follow along as Anna grows through her grief, trying to figure out how to live her life without her fiancé. Anna and Keane are both grappling with their dreams shattering, and together try to forge their new normal. Anna’s emotional connection with Keane is strong as he is so attuned to her needs, comforting her at the right times and giving her space when she needs it too.

There are also so many happy and sweet moments as Anna finds her strength, adopts a rescue dog Queenie, and meets many friendly locals. I enjoyed hearing the technical components of sailing—you felt right there on the boat with them. The descriptions were so vivid as they charted the open sea, faced some dangerous scenarios, and explored the islands. It definitely makes you want to go on an adventure!

I loved this story and highly recommend picking it up

Anna is inspiring. After her fiance commits suicide, she fulfills their plan to sail through the Caribbean. I thought the story was hopeful and empowering. Anna was able face her grief and find the path for her life on her challenging journey. Keane was a perfect partner for Anna on this trip and for her future. I loved him. The book paints a great picture of the various islands and differences between them. The book is full of interesting characters. The changes in Anna from beginning to end were completely believable and inspiring. I truly enjoyed this book. I received a copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I just might be ruined. In Float Plan, Trish Doller, a new to me author, creates a stunning world set on a 30 ft sailboat. Here, she also provides a literary vacation sailing through The Bahamas. This is one of my top reads, and not only for 2021. I read this over a few evenings and found myself thinking about it throughout the day. When I started the story, I shared with my husband that I was reading a contemporary romance centered on a sailing boat as sailboats have long been one of his interests. His response was, “Let me know how the trip goes”. This alone warmed my heart. Then the book set it aflame.

Float Plan is a wonderful story about grief and recovery. When we meet Anna, she’s packing up to set sail through the Bahamas, part of a plan that her deceased fiance Ben envisioned. The first leg of her “grief” trip, from Miami to Bimini, is a bit of a wake-up call. She’s incredibly vulnerable and will doubt her decision to sail ALONE. While the seas are well charted, the path to soothe her broken heart, well, not so much. She quickly realizes that the trip may be too much for her to tackle alone. Enter Keane Sullivan. A charismatic sailor looking to catch a ride to Puerto Rico, already one of Anna’s stops. Their initial meet-cute is not one that Anna remembers, but it’s one Keane will never forget.

What’s also unforgettable is their story. As they embark the challenges quickly pile up. Everything is a learning experience for Anna. Not only in sailing, but also in herself. The 1300+ mile journey finds the bond between the two growing, as Anna is also learning to let go, or to simply put her emotions for Ben in the right place, the past.

Trish Dollers’ writing is eloquent and impeccable. I was completely pulled in and invested in their happiness. Anna is a rare character, always aware, introspective, and one who grows so very much over the course of the story (an A+ example of a great character arc). Anna’s emotions are compounded by the intent of the trip and newly found emotions for Keane. I was so proud of her when she is forced to tackle some setbacks and how she rises to the occasion. Keane is a dreamboat (pun intended, because how often can you use that and have it feel “literal” ?). He encourages Anna to work through her hurt and builds her up at the same time. The flirting and banter, the chemistry between them is simply exquisite.

If you’re a reader like me, you know the moment a story has transcended from a lovely read, one you are enjoying, over to one that you can only consider a favorite, and a 5++ star read. For me, when I read lines that generate tears, and lines that leave me feeling exuberant, I know I found it. Float Plan did that for me. So much so that for funzies I found myself tracking their trip via google maps, zeroing in on the docks and harbors and easily picturing Anna and Keane.

This 5++ star read is one I HIGHLY recommend, a #MustRead. It left me with quite the #bookhangover. I’m so excited to have been exposed to Trish Doller and the prospect of reading through her vast library.