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patrissia10's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Cursing, and Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism and Sexual content
kelly_e's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Title: Float Plan
Author: Trish Doller
Series: Beck Sisters, #1
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.0
Pub Date: March 2, 2021
T H R E E β’ W O R D S
Quick β’ Fearless β’ Adventurous
π S Y N O P S I S
Ten months following the unexpected suicide of her fiancΓ©, Anna finds herself at a complete loss. When she gets a reminder for the sailing trip Ben and her were supposed to embark on, she decides to pack up and go it alone. After just one night, she realizes there is no way she's going to be able to do this alone. Enter Keane, himself reeling from a life upended, who offers to help her set sail on the path Ben planned out. Together they set sail, finding ways to rebuild their lives, and find themselves.
π T H O U G H T S
My own partner died in 2020, so even before I began reading, I knew I shared a connection with the main character. But for me Float Plan lacked the emotional depth, I was hoping for, and which so many readers have alluded to. It felt as though the trauma surrounding Ben's suicide and Anna's grief took a back seat, while they should have played a bigger role. As a whole, the aspect of grief felt entirely rushed and inauthentic. Don't get me wrong, I know firsthand how every grief journey is different, but to me there was so much potential to develop emotional depth and grief awareness here. And maybe for the average reader, the author has accomplished that.
If I could put myself outside my own grief journey, I'd likely be more forgiving of that side of the story because there's certainly a solid story, welcoming cast of characters, and the writing has a good flow. I just constantly found myself yearning for more of Anna's relationship with Ben, and his life. The locals in each of the places they visited were a definite bright spot in this story.
Even though this one was underwhelming for me on a personal level, I will be keeping an eye out for the follow up book coming out this year.
π R E C O M M E N D β’ T O
β’ slow-burn romance readers
β’ anyone needing an escape
π F A V O U R I T E β’ Q U O T E S
"Someone at his funeral told me that Ben will always be alive in my memories, but it's not the fucking same at all."
"'Eventually - and I say this from experience - you'll start building a new house beside the ruins of the old. When you're ready, you'll know.'"
"The stages of grief are not linear. They are random and unpredictable, folding back on themselves until you begin mourning all over again. I have bargained with a universe that is not listening. I have cried myself hollow. I have leaned into the belief that I can't live without Ben Braithwaite, but kneeling here in the sand on a beach four hundred miles from home says maybe I can - and that terrifies me."
Author: Trish Doller
Series: Beck Sisters, #1
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.0
Pub Date: March 2, 2021
T H R E E β’ W O R D S
Quick β’ Fearless β’ Adventurous
π S Y N O P S I S
Ten months following the unexpected suicide of her fiancΓ©, Anna finds herself at a complete loss. When she gets a reminder for the sailing trip Ben and her were supposed to embark on, she decides to pack up and go it alone. After just one night, she realizes there is no way she's going to be able to do this alone. Enter Keane, himself reeling from a life upended, who offers to help her set sail on the path Ben planned out. Together they set sail, finding ways to rebuild their lives, and find themselves.
π T H O U G H T S
My own partner died in 2020, so even before I began reading, I knew I shared a connection with the main character. But for me Float Plan lacked the emotional depth, I was hoping for, and which so many readers have alluded to. It felt as though the trauma surrounding Ben's suicide and Anna's grief took a back seat, while they should have played a bigger role. As a whole, the aspect of grief felt entirely rushed and inauthentic. Don't get me wrong, I know firsthand how every grief journey is different, but to me there was so much potential to develop emotional depth and grief awareness here. And maybe for the average reader, the author has accomplished that.
If I could put myself outside my own grief journey, I'd likely be more forgiving of that side of the story because there's certainly a solid story, welcoming cast of characters, and the writing has a good flow. I just constantly found myself yearning for more of Anna's relationship with Ben, and his life. The locals in each of the places they visited were a definite bright spot in this story.
Even though this one was underwhelming for me on a personal level, I will be keeping an eye out for the follow up book coming out this year.
π R E C O M M E N D β’ T O
β’ slow-burn romance readers
β’ anyone needing an escape
π F A V O U R I T E β’ Q U O T E S
"Someone at his funeral told me that Ben will always be alive in my memories, but it's not the fucking same at all."
"'Eventually - and I say this from experience - you'll start building a new house beside the ruins of the old. When you're ready, you'll know.'"
"The stages of grief are not linear. They are random and unpredictable, folding back on themselves until you begin mourning all over again. I have bargained with a universe that is not listening. I have cried myself hollow. I have leaned into the belief that I can't live without Ben Braithwaite, but kneeling here in the sand on a beach four hundred miles from home says maybe I can - and that terrifies me."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Suicide
Moderate: Grief and Mental illness
Minor: Ableism, Cursing, Sexual content, and Vomit
depression, death of a partner100_pages_hr's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I've been seeing this book everywhere on Instagram and hearing such good things. But I must admit that I think it was even better than I'd heard.
Anna has been thrown something that no one should ever have to but her courage to sail without her fiance (or anyone for that matter) is pretty amazing. I really admired her grit and determination as she set out. She truly is brave.
Keane is amazing. I loved him. From his first interaction with Anna he was a true gentleman and was kind and caring. Even when they weren't in agreement on something he gave guidance but let her make decisions. He taught her so much. Yet I think he learned from her too. I really loved how he was raised to treat women and his devotion to his family even from afar.
Sailing isn't an interest of mine and I'm certain I would hate it - but I really loved it as the setting for this story. The difficulty of sailing seemed to pair almost perfectly with the difficulty of grief. I love how Keane and Anna were able to connect over loss. I love how they became friends. I love how well they partnered together.
While sailing isn't an interest of mine - travel is and I loved all of the different places they stopped along the way. It would be a dream to see all those sights and animals and to hear all those different languages and accents.
Anna has been thrown something that no one should ever have to but her courage to sail without her fiance (or anyone for that matter) is pretty amazing. I really admired her grit and determination as she set out. She truly is brave.
Keane is amazing. I loved him. From his first interaction with Anna he was a true gentleman and was kind and caring. Even when they weren't in agreement on something he gave guidance but let her make decisions. He taught her so much. Yet I think he learned from her too. I really loved how he was raised to treat women and his devotion to his family even from afar.
Sailing isn't an interest of mine and I'm certain I would hate it - but I really loved it as the setting for this story. The difficulty of sailing seemed to pair almost perfectly with the difficulty of grief. I love how Keane and Anna were able to connect over loss. I love how they became friends. I love how well they partnered together.
While sailing isn't an interest of mine - travel is and I loved all of the different places they stopped along the way. It would be a dream to see all those sights and animals and to hear all those different languages and accents.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Grief, and Suicide
Moderate: Car accident, Medical content, and Sexual content
Minor: Vomit
Amputation, prosthetic
More...