skyeslibrary's review
5.0
Love, Lists & Fancy Ships is a beautiful story that weaves friendship, grief, love, growth, and family into one tapestry.
Sarah Grunder Ruiz writes characters that are unforgettable and impossible not to love. I was so impressed with her specifically subtle character building. Each person enters the scene as fully formed humans that you feel like you’ve known forever; yet you get to discover even more about them along the way — my favorites being the little preferences and personality traits. From the fiercely loyal and ever-entertaining best friend to the diligent security guard that enjoys curious after-hours hobbies, the cast is perfectly curated to make you feel like you are right there spending your summer with Jo and the rest of the crew (pun intended).
When we meet Jo Walker, she is entering her last summer in her 20s. Avoiding pain from a recent tragedy and swearing off love thanks to a terrible boyfriend, we get to journey with her as she navigates moving forward through loss and explores the potential of finding love again.
But this isn’t just Jo’s story. We get to witness the challenges of single-parenting as Alex tries to do what’s best for his daughter. We get to grieve as Mia reveals her guilt and pain. We get to cheer as Greyson finds a “family” of people that love her for who she is. We get to laugh as Kitty educates everyone in The Art of War. It is a story of blood family and found family that come together when the going is tough, and they carry each other through with grace, patience, and adventure.
As a person who has recently experienced an eerily-similar tragedy as Jo, I was curious to see how the storyline would unfold. I was not disappointed. For the first time since my own experience, there were times I felt like I was reading my own journal. It felt like someone else understood me and my pain. The writing is exactly what I wanted, and I connected more than I anticipated. It is obvious that this book was written with love, intentionality, and deeply personal care.
Well done, Sarah!
Sarah Grunder Ruiz writes characters that are unforgettable and impossible not to love. I was so impressed with her specifically subtle character building. Each person enters the scene as fully formed humans that you feel like you’ve known forever; yet you get to discover even more about them along the way — my favorites being the little preferences and personality traits. From the fiercely loyal and ever-entertaining best friend to the diligent security guard that enjoys curious after-hours hobbies, the cast is perfectly curated to make you feel like you are right there spending your summer with Jo and the rest of the crew (pun intended).
When we meet Jo Walker, she is entering her last summer in her 20s. Avoiding pain from a recent tragedy and swearing off love thanks to a terrible boyfriend, we get to journey with her as she navigates moving forward through loss and explores the potential of finding love again.
But this isn’t just Jo’s story. We get to witness the challenges of single-parenting as Alex tries to do what’s best for his daughter. We get to grieve as Mia reveals her guilt and pain. We get to cheer as Greyson finds a “family” of people that love her for who she is. We get to laugh as Kitty educates everyone in The Art of War. It is a story of blood family and found family that come together when the going is tough, and they carry each other through with grace, patience, and adventure.
As a person who has recently experienced an eerily-similar tragedy as Jo, I was curious to see how the storyline would unfold. I was not disappointed. For the first time since my own experience, there were times I felt like I was reading my own journal. It felt like someone else understood me and my pain. The writing is exactly what I wanted, and I connected more than I anticipated. It is obvious that this book was written with love, intentionality, and deeply personal care.
Well done, Sarah!
allysbookshoparoundthecorner's review
5.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.
etecho's review
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
A sweet romance. We love a protagonist who doesn't want kids, but she also is so unaware of her emotional immaturity at some points it got frustrating.
sarahflorimonte's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-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? No
3.0
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: ❤️ Romance
Recommend: ⚠️
I am -conflicted- about “Love, Lists and Fancy Ships”. I did like it but also I never found myself wanting to pick it up in those random 20 minutes I had to read that it I usually would if I was loving something.
Essentially the story is about Jo, a 19-year old Floridian who works on a private charter yacht. Over the summer, who two teenage nieces who recently lost their brother, come to visit her as she tries to finish a bucket list she made about turning 30. Of course while all this is going on, she is also falling for her new coworker/neighbor, Alex. There was just *a lot* going on.
One redeeming quality was I did get those romance butterflies when Jo and Alex FINALLY got together but it was very PG. just an entire book of investment for not a lot of payoff. Overall I just think it was trying to do too much and because of that nothing was intense.
Genre: ❤️ Romance
Recommend: ⚠️
I am -conflicted- about “Love, Lists and Fancy Ships”. I did like it but also I never found myself wanting to pick it up in those random 20 minutes I had to read that it I usually would if I was loving something.
Essentially the story is about Jo, a 19-year old Floridian who works on a private charter yacht. Over the summer, who two teenage nieces who recently lost their brother, come to visit her as she tries to finish a bucket list she made about turning 30. Of course while all this is going on, she is also falling for her new coworker/neighbor, Alex. There was just *a lot* going on.
One redeeming quality was I did get those romance butterflies when Jo and Alex FINALLY got together but it was very PG. just an entire book of investment for not a lot of payoff. Overall I just think it was trying to do too much and because of that nothing was intense.
takecover's review
DNF @ 15%. Idk how to explain it but I can just tell this isn’t going to do it for me.
readingindc's review
4.0
I’m sobbing over this book it was so goo! This was not the fun rom com I expected!!! Loved the main characters, loved the family angle, really liked most of it but needed the resolution to be a bit longer.
Some Emily Henry vibes honestly!
Some Emily Henry vibes honestly!
brandi2409's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-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
4.75
andireadsromance's review
5.0
This book was so good. Heartfelt and emotional, but definitely funny and swoony at times. I loved the relationship between Jo and her nieces. I didn’t want to put it down. Can’t wait for the next book. Should be a fun one.
sophnbooks's review
adventurous
funny
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5