I reimagined almost all of the big plot points of the story in my head as I was reading so it would make more sense in the aspect of Anna making an 'Anna-type' of decision based off the information that the author gave in the book, same goes for Keane, etc. etc.

The only redeeming factor I found present in this story was the characters. They had so much to give and could've been written in such a way that made them feel like a human being but they were written VERY flat and vaguely. The only reason a character would be introduced was to further Anna & Keane's relationship onto the end goal (dating) and not give the reader any more depth into the main characters themselves. I also found that Anna's decisions would have made a lot more sense if Ben had died a couple months before they were supposed to take the trip, not ten months after the fact. Anna would have been much more impulsive immediately following Ben's death based on her actions we see a few chapters in, not after she'd have almost a year to gather her thoughts and trying to be okay without her fiancé. I know everyone's road of grief is different, but the way the story is written is not realistic in my eyes.

The foundation which every character was standing on was made of popsicle sticks. Each character's actions and thoughts rarely match up to cooperate intermingled; almost as if Anna & Keane were accidentally written like they both have Disassociative Identity Disorder but neither of them knows it.

I was thoroughly disappointed in this story. The concept is amazing, but the execution was worse than poor :(

Content Warnings

teacupsandfirereads's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I picked this book up because so many friends really enjoyed it. However for me, it was a quick, enjoyable read, but I didn't love it, and after the last page, most of it is a blur. Meaning I can't remember the details of the story, but the overall story. Yes it had more depth than a typical romance, but I did feel that parts of that were lacking in terms of development. It still sort of felt surface level. I do think it is worth picking up if you are looking for something quick and fun.

Content Warnings

pinkberryoasis's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

lastingliterature's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Anna and Ben dreamt of taking a sailing from Florida to the Caribbean. When Ben ends his life before the trip is supposed to take place, Anna is left spiraling. On the scheduled take-off day, she decides to drop everything, quit her job, and go alone. Very quickly she realizes she is in over her head and hires an Irish sailor named Keane to help her along. As they travel from island to island, Anna learns how to begin her life again and maybe find love once more while Keane struggles with redefining his dream after losing his leg in an accident.

This book will definitely hit you hard with wanderlust. Anna and Keane travel to beautiful places and the descriptions of the scenery, food, culture, and people will have you desperate to go (COVID needs to go away ASAP…). I listened to the audiobook of this one, and I truly felt like I was a part of their journey and yearned for more. I have never really felt the urge to go sailing, but now I’m wondering where I can go to take a spin…

There is definitely some of that insta-love trope going on here (which is interesting considering it’s a pretty slow-paced book). Anna and Keane have an instant attraction from the start, and when stuck on a small boat for weeks, of course that deepens their relationship almost immediately. Some readers may not like that, but it didn’t bother me too much. Out of the two, I really liked Keane—great sense of humor, charming accent, extremely generous and compassionate, good soul. I wished we saw a little bit more of who Anna is as a person outside of Ben and what she wants in life. I’m not sure if I learned enough about her to really define her as a person.

Despite the disclaimer at the start of the book about trigger warnings for death and suicide, this isn’t much of a sad read. While the book does often reference Ben’s suicide, it is focused on Anna’s journey of coping with her grief and rediscovering who she is. Overall, it is a good romantic read, but nothing spectacular.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

TW: suicide, death, grief, depression

Content Warnings

simpleexplorations's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Content Warnings

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