Reviews with content warning for Grief - The Unsinkable Greta James

I read Jennifer E. Smith's YA romances a decade ago and found them heartfelt and sweet stories -- they stood out in a genre I basically hated at the time, with the exception of Sarah Dessen. When I saw she had an adult debut I was so excited! Keep in mind, this is definitely in Gen Fiction category, it is not supposed to be a rom com like her ya tended to be. There's a side romance plot but the story is about Greta's self-growth and working through her mother's sudden death (off-page, before the story starts). It's about her unorthodox lifestyle as a musician, the complexities of parental acceptance, and her relationship with her dad. This takes place on an Alaskan cruise where she and the hot writer dude are almost the only ones younger than 50 - all of the side characters are fleshed out and memorable and quirky. I found my self chuckling a time or two.

While a prominent theme in this book is death and grief for a parent, and that might be triggering for some, I personally didn't get too emotionally tied to the situation and still felt removed enough to consider this a 'lighthearted' book. YMMV.

Content Warnings

srk_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful fast-paced

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

5.0

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christinesreads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

5.0

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katieimre's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

3.75

Content Warnings

jessgreads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⬜

Title: The Unsinkable Greta James

Author: Jennifer E. Smith

Genre: Fiction

Setting: Alaska / Cruise Ship USA

Month Read: March 2022

Book Type: Hardcover

Publication: 2022

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Pages: 320

TRIGGER WARNING-

Grieving / Death / Strained Family Relationships / Alcohol / Sex

"It’s a particularly strange kind of loss, when something you don’t think you even want gets taken away from you."

No Spoiler Summary:

The Unsinkable Greta James is a contemporary fiction novel about music star Greta mourning the very recent death of her Mother. She gets guilted into taking a cruise that her mother had planned with her estranged father and several of her parents' close friends. Both Greta and Dad have a lot of grief, both for the woman who is no longer there, and the relationship they haven't been able to salvage between themselves.

While being stuck on a boat (ship?), Greta also has to deal with her floundering career. Will she be able to play guitar again after the last show she did several months ago? Will her sophmore album happen after so many delays? Will she regain the confidence she used to have?

The Unsinkable Greta James is about family bonds, but also about being true to yourself along the way.

Review:

I'm a fan of Jennifer E. Smith's teen novels, which I grew up reading--- and her jump to adult fiction was breathtaking. The characters, the setting, some of the lines in this book were so well done that I couldn't help stopping and taking photos to share. I was a little surprised to find this book was less about her relationship with her Mom (unlike Crying in H Mart and One Italian Summer) and more about her relationship with her Dad.

I loved the plot about her career, and how getting back into it was really hard for her to do. Performing is so difficult, and it seems like Greta had a relatively easier time getting to where she is, and it's almost nice to see this weird struggle she never could have seen coming. I thought it was really interesting, and also so relatable in so many ways.

I loved that the romance was a back burner subplot, but selfishly I wanted more. (A Sequel!? Please?) I loved that the book stayed about Greta, and not how Greta related to anyone else in her spaces (with the exception of her Dad.) I also loved how similar she and her Dad are, but how much they just couldn't see past themselves to see that about each other. I also 100% WEPT at the end. I cried quite a few times during this book because some moments were just incredibly heart wrenching.

I highly recommend this novel if you haven't read it already. It's moving, and fun, and just a great book to curl up with for a day or two and breeze through. Have some tissues ready if you're anything like me. It's a good cry.

See more reviews at: https://jessgreads.wixsite.com

"...being told by pretty much everyone that it was too much of a long shot, this dream of hers, as if dreams were meant to be reasonable."

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caseythereader's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

Thanks to Random House for the free copy of this book.

- THE UNSINKABLE GRETA JAMES is a meditation on grief and love that somehow feels both breezy and substantive at the same time.
- I read this entire book in less than 24 hours, if that gives you any indication as to how quickly it draws you in.
- This book is funny and farcical, serious and painful. I loved it very much and will be thinking about it for a long time to come.

Content Warnings

anniesbookpicks's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

4.25

Content Warnings

chelsaat's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

“Without even trying, simply by moving forward, you end up doubling down on the life you’ve chosen.”

Rock star Greta James agrees to go on an Alaskan cruise with her estranged father after her mother dies. This book deals with grief, loneliness, pursuing your dreams, and reconciling familial differences - all in what I think is a really lovely way. I definitely cried in some spots.

What I appreciated most about this book is Greta’s self-assuredness in her life choices. Of course she can sometimes feel left behind when everyone else her age are having kids, or lonely without a partner when that’s what her father expects from her. But she ultimately decides that she’s okay with where she is - she has her dream job and enjoys the perks of being single when she isn’t in a relationship. It was refreshing to see.

The romance here is left in a vague place, and I actually appreciated this. Greta and nerdy Ben were cute together, but they definitely have a lot of issues to overcome if they are going to work out. Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. I imagine Greta will be okay either way.

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