Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships

Love, Lists & Fancy Ships #1

by Sarah Grunder Ruiz

Sometimes a yacht, a bold bucket list, and a kiss with a handsome stranger are all a person needs to dive into the deep end of life.

For the last year, yacht stewardess Jo Walker has been attempting to complete a bucket list of thirty things she wants to accomplish by her birthday. Jo has almost everything she's ever wanted, including a condo on the beach (though she's the youngest resident by thirty years) and an exciting job (albeit below deck) that lets her travel the world.

Jo is on track until a family tragedy turns her life upside down, and the list falls by the wayside. But when her two nieces show up unannounced with plans to stay the summer, they discover her list and insist on helping Jo finish it. Though the remaining eight items (which include running a marathon, visiting ten countries, and sleeping in a castle) seem impossible to complete in twelve weeks, Jo takes on the challenge.

When she summons the courage to complete item number five--kiss a stranger--and meets Alex Hayes, all bets are off. As her feelings for Alex intensify and Jo's inability to confront difficult emotions about her family complicates her relationships, she must learn to quit playing it safe with her heart before she loses what matters most.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Audiobook, Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, Adult

336 pages, Paperback

First published November 23, 2021

About the author

Sarah Grunder Ruiz is a writer, educator, and karaoke enthusiast. Originally from South Florida, she now lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with her husband and two children. She holds an MFA in creative writing from North Carolina State University, where she now teaches First-Year Writing.

Reviews

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is fresh, sweet, original, heartwarming, extra sentimental, remarkable book which is about finding your exact place in the universe, learning to deal with your grief, second chances, finding love, embracing the life.

Josephine Walker has a unique job as yacht stewardess fits with her vivid, adventurous soul. One drunken night, she and her best friend/ coworker/ boss Nina wrote down a bucket list with 30 items she has to do before she becomes thirty. She starts completing the tasks of the list starting with simple ones but when a tragedy hits her life, losing her nephew Samson in an accident, she gets devastated, finding herself in painful grieving process. Her coworkers, friends get worried about her well being.

She is still adamant to complete her bucket list, planning a detailed European tour. And one night, when she hangs out with her friends Nina, Olive at their favorite bar, Nina challenges her to check off number 5 from the list which entitles “kissing a stranger”. Jo accepts the challenge to introduce herself charming guy in his mid-thirties who recently had a dramatic conversation and got abandoned by a woman.

They kiss and she learns his name: Alex. But another drama escalates between her friends which forces her to say goodbye to her stranger.

And before concentrating on her trip plan, she gets a call from nieces telling her that they are waiting at the airport to be picked up. Her sister Beth has issues about marriage after losing her son so she sent them to spend time with her sister.

Jo cancels her trip plans because both of her nieces already suffer from loss of their brother and cracking marriage of her parents.

And surprisingly faith brings her and her charming stranger together. Both Alex starts working at the same place, living in the same condo, keeping each other company.

Both of them insist they don’t want a serious relationship, enjoying each other’s company. But you know the drill: sparks fly between them and palpable chemistry is undeniable!

Overall: this is absolutely perfect example of feel good novels which warm your heart and brighten your mood. The emotions poured over the dialogues and well crafted, genuine characterization made me love this story more than you expected.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

[Terrie Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships" by Sarah Grunder Ruiz is a debut novel.

Jo Walker has created a 'Thirty-by-Thirty List'. It's the scary things she's afraid to do but dreams of doing by her thirtieth birthday. She starts right away by completing '#1: Start a Blog' so she can post updates about her list!

Jo chips away at the list until tragedy strikes. Her young nephew, Samson, is killed in an accident and all she can focus on is work. Both the blog and the list takes a back seat for a while.

Determined to get back on track, Jo plans a summer trip to Europe to complete '#30: Visit Ten Countries'. During a night out with friends and a challenge from her BFF, Nina Lejeune, to complete '#5: Kiss a Stranger', Jo meets "Hot Guy from the Bar', Alex Hayes. Great kisser!

With only eight items to complete Jo's niece's, Mia and Kitty, arrive unexpectedly for the entire summer. Jo cancels her trip to Europe and Mia and Kitty offer to help with the remaining items on her list. Will Jo, along with Mia, Kitty, and occasionally BFF Nina, be able to creatively plan and complete her list by her thirtieth birthday?

Why was I was expecting this to be a Rom-Com? It's not even close. What it is, is a well-blended mixture of Women's Fiction and Romance. There is humor inside the covers, but it embraces serious topics, too, as Jo works through her grief, healing and rediscovery.

This story is about how quickly your life and the lives around you can change. Life changing events like relationships that break or leave you broken, the loss of a family member and how you cope with that grief, and mostly, not losing yourself within it all! Yep, there's love, too!

I loved all of these characters and how they kept me connected to this story. I found a little of myself in each of them. All the emotions that surfaced, things they experienced, and how they communicated with one another makes this a very relatable story. I highly recommend to those who love Women's Fiction and Romance. Warning: Tearjerker!

I'm looking forward to book #2 Luck and Last Resorts in this series with an expected publication date of 8/9/22. Jo's BFF, Nina, is the main character and I'm hoping it's another winner!

Thank you to Elisha at Berkley for a widget of this ARC through NetGalley. It has been my pleasure to give my honest and voluntary review. This book is available now.

[Kaceey · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*
All aboard! 🛥

Jo is a yacht stewardess catering to the wealthy, ensuring their experience is top-notch all the way. Rapidly approaching her 30th birthday she pulls out her 30 by 30 bucket list that she’d set aside after the recent death of her nephew.

Perhaps it’s time to get back to the list?🤷🏻‍♀️. Maybe start with an easy one first…kiss a stranger. And well hello, there standing at the bar is one fine looking guy! Okay, he’ll fit the bill!😜.

But when he turns up as the new chef on board their yacht AND happens to be living in her quaint little condo complex Jo realizes she wants more than that one little kiss.

I enjoyed the romance (not too spicy). But there were a lot of heavy themes that just weighed it down a bit. Grief, being front and center.

Though I had the book version on my kindle I opted to listen to the audio. How could I not! It was Karissa Vacker narrating! And yes, she made the read!

I was on the fence on picking up book two Luck and Last Resorts which will be released Aug 8 2022. Perhaps I’ll wait for the audio once again….and of course Ms. Vacker will be narrating!🤩

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing.

[Sarah Grunder Ruiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks for checking out LOVE, LISTS, AND FANCY SHIPS, my debut Women's Fiction/Contemporary Romance novel! Not sure this book is for you? Here's a list of what you can expect:

I consider this book a hybrid of Women's Fiction and Romance. There are two central plots: the romance and Jo's emotional journey. The romance has a traditional romance arc with a happy ending.

Grief is a central aspect of the book. If this will be harmful to you, please avoid.

If you love Below Deck, I've included some Easter Eggs just for you!

Moderate profanity (including f-bombs). Slow burn. Low steam.

Funny, but not a rom com. I hope it'll make you laugh in a "best friend getting you to laugh after a long cathartic cry on their shoulder" sort of way.

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that Sarah Grunder Ruiz is a local author, and this was such a feel good book and the start of a series. It actually has plenty of depth and emotion, and to me, was more of a contemporary than rom com, which was fine by me. I love my emotional reads, but it was especially nice to know I’d more than likely experience a happily ever after for these characters.

The main character lives in Florida and works on a yacht. She has recently lost her beloved young nephew, and two of her teen nieces come to stay with her for the summer, which really shakes up her life. On top of that she meets a single dad of a teen daughter, and he starts working on the yacht as well. The story of their relationship is a slow build with great depth to the characters and all of the emotion as the family walks through loss.

Overall, I found this extremely well-written and am eager to pick up the next book. I’ve seen several comparisons of this one to Float Plan, which I also loved. This does not have the travel/adventure component to the same extent; however, it’s equally well-done and full of emotional dynamics.

Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader

[Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Might be more of a 4.5 but I'm rounding up because this charmed the absolute heck out of me, which is especially impressive because I don't usually love romances that include children/teens. Jo and Alex just had SO much chemistry and there were many moments that I had the biggest shit-eating grin on my face because I truly couldn't handle how much I loved them together. This was a delight!!!! Cannot wait to (immediately) carry on to book two to see what Nina and Ollie are getting up to! MY HEART!

CW: death of a loved one, grief, survivor's guilt

[Larry H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing but the title is crying out for an Oxford comma!

Boy, I loved Love, Lists and Fancy Ships ! It’s a book about love and family and grief and what happens when you try to insulate yourself from getting hurt.

Jo is a yacht stewardess, a job she enjoys fairly well, despite the occasional difficult guests. About a year ago, with her 30th birthday on the horizon, she put together a bucket list of things she wanted to do before she turned 30. She’s been making good progress and has been blogging about it along the way.

When the death of her beloved nephew turns everything upside down, the bucket list is the last thing she can think of. There are a few impossible things left—sleeping in a castle, visiting five countries—so it doesn’t seem like she’ll make her goal as her milestone birthday approaches.

When her best friend (and boss) Nina encourages her to check one item off her list—kissing a stranger—and she meets Alex, she’s unprepared for the ripples it sets off. And when her teenage nieces show up unexpectedly for the summer, they vow to help her complete the list, but at the same time they challenge Jo emotionally, as she tries to retreat from confronting her grief and helping them deal with their own emotions.

I can’t say enough about this book. It’s funny, sad, thought-provoking, and just so good. A sequel of sorts, Luck and Last Resorts , featuring other characters from the book, is due next summer, and I cannot wait!!

See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.

Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.

[Samantha Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who has suffered great loss will find Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships deeply relatable. It’s moving, it’s healing, and the characters are real and likeable. And the slow burn banter-filled romance between Alex and Jo brought perfect balance to the story.

An emotional and beautifully crafted novel of loss, family, and love. An amazing debut and a must read!

[Brandice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, Lists, & Fancy Ships was so great! Jo is a yacht stewardess in South Florida. She is approaching her 30th birthday and working her way through a bucket list of 30 items to accomplish by then. ⁣
⁣
After her family suffers from an unexpected tragedy, Jo’s two teenage nieces, Mia and Kitty, are sent to FL to spend the summer with her, giving her bucket list project pause. Mia and Kitty are determined to help her finish the list though, and Jo tries to be a supportive aunt to them. As they all work through complicated feelings, Jo also reunites with a stranger she kissed while out one night, just one of her 30 bucket list items ;) ⁣
⁣
I enjoyed the Below Deck vibes from Jo’s job and loved her relationship with her nieces and nephew, both playful and protective. I also appreciated the modern pop culture references. Love, Lists, & Fancy Ships is a touching story with some humor and some depth.

[Chloe Liese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Berkley, NetGalley, and the author for this review copy. While Sarah and I share a publisher and are friends, all opinions are honest and my own!

With tenderness and humor, Sarah Grunder Ruiz explores the journey toward healing in the wake of deep grief. After the death of her 11-year old nephew, Jo has put her head down, thrown herself into work as stewardess on a charter yacht, and given herself a list of to-dos that both structure her life and allow her to function through her grief. Alongside a lovable cast of her two nieces, her best friend, Nina, Ollie the cranky yacht chef, and the new chef who takes Ollie's place, Alex, as well as his daughter, Jo experiences a summer that stretches her to finish her list, heal her broken heart, and find hope for her family and herself.

This lovely romantic women's fiction features a slow-burning, sweetly vulnerable love story between Jo and Alex. I really enjoyed seeing how they connected through humor, showing each other their dorky sides and having fun together both on the yacht and off. For anyone who enjoys an emotional women's fiction and a well-developed romantic subplot, this is an absolute gem. Perfect for fans of Trish Doller and Libby Hubscher!

Content Warnings: grief, parental abandonment (off-page, in past), death of a minor (off-page, in past).

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships by Sarah Grunder Ruiz is a mix of a contemporary romance and a women’s fiction novel. There’s a lighthearted nature to it at times but the foundation is an emotional family journey to healing. It’s one that will make you laugh but also may make you cry.

Jo Walker is the more free spirited between herself and her sister. Jo has been working onboard a fancy yacht waiting on the rich travelers as a yacht stewardess while her sister had settled down and had a family. Now that Jo’s approaching thirty she had come up with a thirty before thirty list of fun things she wanted to accomplish.

Jo’s list had been getting close to complete when she got a horrific phone call while working on the yacht. Jo’s nephew had tragically passed after an accident so now she is trying to hold herself together for the sake of her sister. When some wires get crossed and her nieces end up on her doorstep Jo gets the push she needs to finish her list before her birthday.

While Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships by Sarah Grunder Ruiz wasn’t exactly what I was expecting when I picked it up and began reading in this case that was a good thing, or at least not a bad thing. I expected this to be more rom-com than it was but it was actually more a mix of something deeper but yet still humorous and fun. I loved that the girls were involved and I loved that there was growth and healing from everyone in the story all the while still making parts fun. Definitely one to check out and now an author to add to my growing list that I’d love to return to one day.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/

[ß · Rating 4 out of 5]

if i had a nickel for every time i’ve read a book about a hot guy named alex who’s a hot chef on a fancy boat and has a corny sense of humor, i’d have two nickels. which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice, right?

[Blackjack · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Some moments of cute banter between the two main characters, but otherwise, this book was more of a miss for me than a hit. I found too many situations highly improbable and silly (and sometimes even on the cringy side). Jo and Alex felt more one dimensional and glossy than real. I never got beyond a superficial understanding of the themes driving the story.

Grief over the death of Jo's young nephew puts her life in a tailspin, and so most of the novel is about coming to terms with loss. Prior to her nephew's death, Jo though had already been attempting to put her life on track after a bad breakup by creating a bucket list. The "List" is filled with fluff - the kind of goals one would see on Pinterest: kiss a stranger, go skinny dipping, sleep in a castle, sing at a Karaoke bar, etc. None of these things make Jo interesting to me or gave me insight into why anyone would find these activities particularly meaningful. Jo herself admits to Alex midway through the book that many of the bucket list items aren't important to her. Yet still we follow each cringy adventure after another.

One of the main problems I had with this novel is that Jo is not much more of a character beyond her list and her grieving. Secondary characters fill the pages too but are as sentimental and one-dimensional as Jo. We're told frequently that group hugs, lots of tears, characters bursting into song, and people inexplicably dancing in their kitchen constitute depth and meaning. The hero of the book is nearly perfect but unrealistic. A late plot development will have readers flipping back to try to make sense of the hero's ambiguous behavior toward Jo, and that frankly annoyed me. This late-stage conflict is also wrapped up in a couple of sentences and turned out to me to be a complete waste of time. Too many fluff rom-coms lately are starting to sour me a bit on contemporary romances.

[Lisa (Remarkablylisa) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so much more depressing than the cover depicts. I thought it would fun flirty summer read but it's literally everyone dealing with horrible grief. Our heroines nephew passed away recently and she was taking care of her nieces while her sister deals with losing her son. The heroine also had long lasting trauma from her dads death during her childhood and her mother changed as a person because of the death (making their relationship unbearable). Anyways, the romance was sweet, tender, cute and super slow burn. I'll have to read the synopsis closely though next time.

[Chris C - A Midlife Wife · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, emotional, and sweet story about family and a budding romance. 4.5 STARS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This book was a big surprise to me. Unique jobs, unique family settings, and a growing love interest that pulls on the heartstrings. I love the thirty by thirty list! It was a beautiful way to tie the characters together and build on the foundation of friendship and family.

Ruiz manages to craft and captivate with her character development. Alex is a perfect dream guy and Jo balances him perfectly. I could feel the tension through the growing feelings and the fear as they worked through their emotional growth so they could take a risk. The supporting family and friends are witty and warm while working through their emotional upheavals too.

Much of this story also deals with grief in several different ways. While it is not a “sad” story, there are many instances where you will find yourself a bit weepy while relating to the intricacies of the emotion. The characters learn to grow through the pain with love and connection.

Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships is a delightful story with a strong, flirty, fun, yet healing message. It is not a heavy story and you will find yourself absorbing every word, holding your breath as they all figure out where to go from here.

* copy received for review consideration
full review - https://amidlifewife.com/love-lists-a...

[Pavlina Read more sleep less blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 STARS <3

This was very good, I loved the beginning so much and I freaking loved the characters.For me they are the reason why this book was so good.The romance was great,too adorable and I loved how they met it was funny.

Generally this book is sweet and cute but there are also some moments which are so emotional.The author did such a good job with everything .

This story is about a woman finding love and deal with grief over the loss of a family member.

 

  

[♥Rachel♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

Josephine Walker “Jo” is working on her “thirty-by-thirty” bucket list, with things like: run a marathon, kiss a stranger, visit 10 countries, but her efforts have stalled since the death of her eleven-year-old nephew, Samson. She’s had a hard time mustering the enthusiasm to check off all the items until her nieces, Mia and Kitty, show up for an unexpected visit (for the summer) and decide they must complete it. "Kiss a stranger" is one of the first things Jo checks off with “Hot Guy from the Bar”, Alex Hayes, a stranger she doesn’t expect to ever see again, but life has other plans!

Jo needed help dealing with her emotions, not only over the death of Samson, but guilt over the death of her father, and a bad breakup making her swear off love and entanglements. I loved Mia, Kitty and Greyson, Alex’s teenage daughter! Hard to be sad with teenage antics, although the girls had to deal with their grief over their brother, too, making/helping Jo face her emotions even when she didn’t want to. Greyson was a breath of fresh air with no filter, whatever she thought just spilled out of her brain which was pretty funny.

Love, Lists & Fancy Ships a fun, sexy romance full of humor, but also with a serious side. Both Jo and Alex were dealing with their own adult issues, grief, guilt, and vulnerability. Their story sucked me right in and left me with heart happy feelings!

A copy was kindly provided by Berkley Books in exchange for an honest review.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

If women’s fiction and romance had a baby it would be Love, lists & fancy ships. When I read the write up on this I got really excited because one of my favorite reality TV shows is Below Deck and I also love “things to do before you turn” lists so yay right. But this book was heavier than I anticipated and there was A LOT of conflict, most of it being completely unnecessary.

Rant ahead………. We’ve come up with how many movies about shark tornadoes and we can’t think of anything better than miscommunication and assumptions as the reason of conflict.🙄 I WOULD RATHER HAVE THE SHARKS.

I think I’m just burnt out on this gene, so maybe it’s not you it’s me type of thing. Have a great day🦈

[Noi (in & out) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really unexpected. I admit that I don't like the cover, and that made me not want to read the book (don't judge me). So this was really spare of the moment why not kind of book for me.

It was so deep and emotional, there was talk of a death of a parent and a death of a nephew. There were also mentions of a past controlling boyfriend (emotionally & verbally).

But still, like, I cried from this, and it's really well written.

Hope some of you give it a try.

* There is no spice whatsoever, just an FYI.

[Nursebookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love, Lists & Fancy Ships

I am addicted to Below Deck so picking this book up got me all kinds of excited. Jo Walker who is a yacht stewardess from South Florida is turning thirty in the summer - she makes a list of thirty items to do by the time she turns thirty. In a drunken night in a bar with best friend and chief stew Nina, she check off one of the items in her bucket list ‘Kiss a Stranger’. The stranger Alex ends up staying in her same condo and whose daughter is friends with her nieces, who ended up with her for the summer as her sister tries to put her life together after a failing marriage after the sudden death of her nephew Samson who shared her birthday.

In the backdrop of the yachti life in Florida, Jo Walker goes through grief, loss, complex family dynamics, along with love, lists, and fancy ships to her happy ever after as she turns thirty. The story is heart wrenching and heart warming. I love the way family, friendship and love was told in this story - simply amazing!

I really enjoyed the fun and refreshing writing, the amazing humor, and the crazy antics Jo Walker ends up in. I really cannot wait for the second book!

[book bruin · Rating 5 out of 5]

CW: death of loved ones, grief, anxiety, divorce, parental abandonment

Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships is truly a beautiful novel. Readers should check the content warnings before starting though, because this isn't a light and fluffy romcom.

The book explores grief, forgiveness, and love in such an honest and raw way. There's a wonderful romance that develops (Hot Yacht Chef for the win!), but it's really Jo's emotional journey and healing that is the focus. I appreciated that all different kinds of love were showcased in the book - family love, romantic love, the love between friends, etc. I also liked that we got to see Jo's victories as much as her struggles. She doesn't have all the answers and she makes mistakes along the way, but it only made me root for her more. Her ride or die friendship with Nina was a definite highlight and Nina provided some much needed comic relief throughout the book. I'm very impressed that this is the author's debut and I'm already counting down the days until Ollie and Nina's story.

I both read and listened to this one and Karissa Vacker's narration was fantastic. Her performance during the more emotional scenes really packed a punch. I also thought she voiced all the different characters from teens to adults so well.

Audiobook Review
Overall 4.5 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 4.5 stars

[Sarahcophagus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Does it feel like serendipity that I chose this book to travel with me on my mini-cation this past weekend to Epcot?? 🌎 Why yes, yes it does. Just as serendipitous as the same hot guy from the bar also being hot single dad neighbor and hot yacht chef coworker.

This is such a sincere book with beautiful, fleshed out characters that are going through so much emotional unimaginable pain. It’s fairly tame w/ regards to steam, which I’m glad I was aware of ahead of time because at points all of the pining and chemistry was totally combustible 🔥 and I’m glad I had my expectations properly set. I can’t wait for Nina’s book!

[Simply Love Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Author Sarah Grunder Ruiz, blew me out of the water (no pun intended) with her debut novel, Love, Lists & Fancy Ships. I knew going in this book was going to be more of a women’s fiction story with a romantic side and I was okay with that, but what I wasn’t expecting was the emotional journeys of so many of the characters in this story. That wasn’t a bad thing; in fact it was a beautiful thing. A bit of a warning this book deals with the loss of a child (recent) and the loss of a parent (in the past) and they way those losses have not only changed the heroine of this story, but also those around her. I loved every emotional, touching, sad, funny, and sometimes outrageous moment of this story.

Jo is a yacht stewardess, a career she fell into purely by accident, but she loves the travel and the down time when she has it. Closing in on her 30th birthday, Jo has twelve weeks to complete her 30 by 30 list, thirty things she wants to accomplish by her birthday. She was off to a good start until a tragedy hit her family and she’s found it hard to get her footing again. At the end of the regular yacht season, while celebrating at a bar with her fellow crew members, Jo is pushed into kissing a stranger in a bar by her best friend and co-worker, Nina. Even Jo has to admit the kiss was a bit magical, but then he’s gone and she figures that’s probably a good thing as she has no intentions of having a relationship any time soon. When Jo’s nieces arrive to spend the summer with her, something she wasn’t expecting given the recent tragedy in their family, she finds that they are just what she needs even though they also remind her of what they all have lost. She also doesn’t expect for Hot Bar Guy to wind up being her neighbor or the fact that he has a teenage daughter that fits right in with her two nieces.

Alex gave up life as a Michelin star chef to raise his daughter and he’d do it all over again. Moving to Florida and accepting a job as a yacht chef so that his daughter could attend the best school for her was a no brainer. While she’s not happy with him right now, he knows in time she’ll realize it was the right thing to do. Discovering the woman who laid a hot kiss on him is his neighbor is a bonus although he’s vowed no relationships, his daughter must come first and then finding out they’ll be working together, another reason to stay clear but the more he’s around Jo and her nieces and he see the way she treats her daughter like one of her own, makes it so damn difficult.

For me this book had three parts; one was Jo’s journey in finishing her list and dealing with her grief, two was her relationship with her nieces as they too deal with their grief, and third was the flirtation, possible romance with Alex. Yes, they were all connected yet there was a process to all of these parts that kept the story forever changing, funny one minute and bringing tears to my eyes the next, watching Jo roll her eyes at her nieces antics yet then acting a like a teenager herself around Alex, balancing work with home life, and a potential relationship. I loved all these pieces and I credit Ms. Ruiz for seamlessly rolling them into this incredible story.

If you enjoy books with real emotion, one that doesn’t shy away from tough subjects, yet also contains happy and lighthearted moments then Love, Lists & Fancy Ships is the perfect book for you. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more from this author.

Review copy provided for a voluntary review.

[Ness (Vynexa) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for an early copy of Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships

This novel follows Jo, who will be turning 30 with a list of 30 things to do before then with a newly added item: Mourn the sudden loss of her nephew, who also shares her birthday.

This story covers a lot, which is probably why I didn't fully enjoy my time reading it.

For one, I wasn't really a fan of the romance. Alex is a nice guy, single dad who loves to cook. However, their romance just felt bland, kind of forced at times. Typically whenever I read a novel with a romance, whether it centers the story or not, I can feel it. The love as it grows and blossoms, the pining, the yearning, the moment they come together after the miscommunication is thrown out the window. However, not there for me. Personally, I think this story would've been better if it just focused on Jo allowing herself to mourn and learning about herself.

Second thing that pretty much bothered me was that Jo wasn't allowed to mourn. She kept trying to be strong for her nieces and doing a not-so-great job (maybe because she has never been given the chance to mourn her own losses and trauma), so when she did try, it felt like her family was against her doing so. Which is difficult for me to explain without spoiling anything. It made me very uncomfortable when certain scenes came up. I understand that Jo is an adult, but she is still human. Let the woman mourn!!

Third, this book is 336 pages all around, perhaps 324 pages of actual story, and it felt about 600 pages long. A contemporary story, especially with a romance, in my opinion, should flow nicely and quickly.

If you're into boats, men who listen to pop & hip-hop and can cook, family centered stories or a story without any sex scenes in it, I recommend this novel. I know many people will love it/do love it, so please take my review with a grain of salt.

⭐️2.5 STARS⭐️

[Emily Carter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Woo, I did not like this book to the point I made a list of my grievances while I was reading it.

Within the first 25 pages, we have a literal Below Deck plot line - a charter guest telling the stew to smile more, and then a towel art penis. Kate was robbed.

My biggest issue is how PREDICTABLE IT WAS. Jo kisses a stranger in the bar, then he ends up being her neighbour, then OMG, HER CO-WORKER! It felt like the author thinks her readers wouldn't put this together and I side eye her hard for that.

Jo was so one dimensional. Alex and her have no chemistry. It's a slow burn, bland romance. Things like, oh hehe I'm Jo and my diet consists of microwavable food! Enter Alex the chef.

There are elements of grief here as a family tragedy changes the trajectory of her summer, and therefore her list of things she wants to complete before her 30th birthday. When I tell you she has to be dragged, kicking and screaming, to finish every single one, I am not lying. Jo was just not likeable to me.

I am an outlier here, this book has mostly 4/5 star reviews.

[Sarah Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

To put it simply, this was absolutely beautiful. From beginning to end there is a heavy focus on grief, yet it's not overly depressing. It had a very airy, hopeful quality to it. I didn't realize how invested I became in these characters until I found myself thinking of them hours after finishing.

After the death of her nephew, yacht stewardess Jo Walker set aside her 30-things-before-her-30th-birthday bucket list. But when her nieces unexpectedly arrive to visit for the summer, an adventure ignites to check off the remaining items. With their giddy meddling, I adored the relationship Jo shared with her nieces. It was so special.

And of course there's an adorable romance with the perfect touch of serendipitous moments. The glimpses of yacht life was really fun, too, with Jo and her coworkers dealing with the most obnoxious guests. I'm so glad there'll be a book two because Nina, the chief stewardess and best friend of Jo, was a blast!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it’s the season of amazingly strong debut romances because this one is another must read! I knew as soon as my friend Sarah at ReallyIntoThis recommended this for fans of Below Deck this would be the book for me and she wasn’t wrong. The BD piece is just a small part of what this one has to offer, it’s so much more. It’s about grief, family and found family, taking chances with a side of romance and humor. Basically everything I could want in a book and more, I just adored this one.

While I truly loved every aspect of this one the characters were the best part for me. This is so much more than just a romance, (although Jo and Alex were THE cutest!) it’s about Jo’s journey and her path to healing herself and her fractured family and the author did a beautiful job at portraying how you can process a tragedy and start to forgive yourself. You know how most of the time they’ll be at least one character in a book that you don’t like? Not here, I seriously freaking loved them all, Jo’s nieces Kitty and Mia, her BFF Nina and Alex and his daughter, Greyson. They were just the best little crew and I wanna hang out with them, ok? If you liked Float Plan you’ll love this one too, such an amazing, emotional and heartfelt read!

[Bex | TotallyBex.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

★★ 4.5 stars! ★★

Sweet, emotional, sad yet hopeful, great family connections (including found family), unique storyline and setting, fresh writing... I really liked it and can't wait to read the next one!

[full review to come}

[Mia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This feels way longer than it is and while I love slow burn, romance here is so bland. Positive is l liked personal development.

[Basic B's Guide · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s not the book, it’s me. After my audiobook hold expiring at 65% I lost interest when it renewed. I just wanted to finish.