Book of The Month discussion

Greta James's meteoric rise to indie stardom was hard-won. Before she graced magazine covers and sold out venues, she spent her girlhood strumming her guitar in the family garage. Her first fan was her mother, Helen, whose face shone bright in the dusty downtown bars where she got her start—but not everyone encouraged Greta to follow her dreams. While many daydream about a crowd chanting their name, her father, Conrad, saw only a precarious life ahead for his daughter.

Greta has spent her life trying to prove him wrong, but three months after Helen's sudden death, and weeks before the launch of her high-stakes sophomore album, Greta has an onstage meltdown that goes viral. Attempting to outrun the humiliation and heartbreak, she reluctantly agrees to accompany her father on a week-long Alaskan cruise, the very one that her parents had booked to celebrate their fortieth anniversary.

This could be the James family's last chance to heal old wounds and will prove to be a voyage of discovery for them, as well as for Ben Wilder, a historian also struggling with a major upheaval in his life. Ben is on board to lecture about Jack London's The Call of the Wild, the adventure story Greta's mother adored, and he captures Greta's attention after her streak of dating hanger-ons. As Greta works to build up her confidence and heal, and Ben confronts his uncertain future, they must rely on one another to make sense of life’s difficult choices. In the end, Greta must make the most challenging decision of all: to listen to the song within her or make peace with those who love her.

Saturday

(view spoiler)[ wow, her relationship is definitely strained between her and her dad.

hopefully this new music will shake her out of her sadness. I'm not sure its depression, but it could be.
tough, to lose your mom. . .

and a cruise. I could never - because of my motion sickness (hide spoiler)]

Sunday

(view spoiler)[ awe, the distance between her and her dad break my heart. I hope they find their groove again on this cruise

and, of course, Ben is sweet (hide spoiler)]

Monday

(view spoiler)[ the trip to the glacier was cute but it got deep quick. Ben's kind of distracted by his current break-up/new normal. not the best dating material.

and yikes, her dad is sick. I hope he gets better but I'm a bit worried he's not (hide spoiler)]

Tuesday

(view spoiler)[I was wondering why he was dodging her. . .that was so odd.

I hope her dad really is getting better. . . (hide spoiler)]

Wednesday

(view spoiler)[ wow, that was a big day

I love that they scattered the ashes
and also that they had it out a little
but her dad really is hard on her. he can't seem to support her unless she's doing something he approves of
and his hurt feelings shouldn't keep him from loving her - she's his kid. . .

I like Ben. I wonder if they will date when they both get back (hide spoiler)]

and I'm done

this one was so good! I can't believe I waited to long to read it!
(view spoiler)[ I really liked Greta. So glad they finally talked. I loved the idea of her writing a new song for her dad

I loved the brother, too, and how he tricked them both to be there

and I'm glad that Greta and Ben got on with their lives, sorted some issues out but there's hope there, that they will find each other in the snow. such a cute story! (hide spoiler)]