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A review by shelby1994
Float Plan by Trish Doller
adventurous
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
TW: Suicide
The loss of a fiancé to suicide may seem like a cringe-worthy and tone-deaf way to set up a romance novel, but Doller is able to match up parallel experiences of loss, apprehension, and overcoming unrealistic expectations for a life is no longer the reality, with real ease.
10 months after Anna’s fiancé dies by suicide, she’s still lost in a current of grief, and decides to take his sailboat and complete the sailing trip they had planned on taking together when he was alive. She’s quickly joined by Keane, who in an effort to help her survive the Caribbean depths, has to come to terms with his own loss of the life he thought he would have before an accident amputated one of his legs.
Suicide and the shockwaves that emanate after the death of a loved one is a taboo subject for many - and there are probably those who will disagree with the way that it’s handled in this book. But I found it to be bracing and honest - a sweet story about how brittle we can become after someone permanently leaves our life by choice, and how to reckon with their memory in the face of new horizons.
(there is a lot of sailing jargon in this, so recommend pulling up a diagram of a basic sailboat to have handy!)
Read If You Like:
Romances without contrived third-act drama
Well-rounded depictions of disability in romance
Rescue dogs
The loss of a fiancé to suicide may seem like a cringe-worthy and tone-deaf way to set up a romance novel, but Doller is able to match up parallel experiences of loss, apprehension, and overcoming unrealistic expectations for a life is no longer the reality, with real ease.
10 months after Anna’s fiancé dies by suicide, she’s still lost in a current of grief, and decides to take his sailboat and complete the sailing trip they had planned on taking together when he was alive. She’s quickly joined by Keane, who in an effort to help her survive the Caribbean depths, has to come to terms with his own loss of the life he thought he would have before an accident amputated one of his legs.
Suicide and the shockwaves that emanate after the death of a loved one is a taboo subject for many - and there are probably those who will disagree with the way that it’s handled in this book. But I found it to be bracing and honest - a sweet story about how brittle we can become after someone permanently leaves our life by choice, and how to reckon with their memory in the face of new horizons.
(there is a lot of sailing jargon in this, so recommend pulling up a diagram of a basic sailboat to have handy!)
Read If You Like:
Romances without contrived third-act drama
Well-rounded depictions of disability in romance
Rescue dogs
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide