On Thanksgiving Day, Anna Beck awakens to an alarm reminder her boyfriend Ben Braithwaite set three years earlier. It was to be the day they set sail in his restored Alberg 37 to travel to the Caribbean and back. But Ben committed suicide ten months and six days ago and Anna has barely left her bed. She’s struggled to find something to motivate her to get on with her life and Ben’s plan suddenly gave her focus. Anna gets up, shops for supplies, cleans the boat and sets sail…all alone. She calls her family to let them know and, of course, they have a predictable reaction.
I have to believe that if Anna hadn’t been so miserable she’d never have undertaken a trip like this on her own. Her decision was born of grief and loss, an attempt to gain the ground back under her feet. Her life was Ben and now she had to figure out how to live without him. By the time Anna made it to Bimini, she knew she needed help after some close calls in the open waters. She hires on an Irishman named Keane Sullivan who’s looking for a ride to Puerto Rico. He’s got lots of experience, stories and his own disappointments but he’s just the grounding Anna needs. I loved how authentically Anna expressed her sadness, grief, despair and anger about Ben’s decision to take his life. I’ve never experienced that kind of loss but I connected with her sense of being rudderless after the death of someone important in your life. There were moments when I got emotional because I remembered what she was feeling in those moments.
Keane and Anna’s relationship is what made this story even more special. To categorize it as friends to lovers trivializes what I found to be a lovely growth of friendship, respect and admiration between two strangers who somehow found each other at the right time, in the right place. It wasn’t about a romance as much as it was their individual self discoveries and that led to their loyalty to one another. By the time they drifted into something more, it felt right. I enjoyed everything about this story, including the narrator who seemed to capture Anna’s youth, naïveté and sorrow. I liked how she handled the gradual transitions of her emotions. And, I learned a lot about sailing, enough to know definitively that I’d never attempt this kind of trip on my own. Oh! And I discovered the author has another book scheduled for release in March featuring Anna’s sister, Rachel. Count me in.
Book Info
- Release Date: March 2, 2021
- Narrator: Sarah Naughton
- Audio Length: 7 hours, 18 minutes
- Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Blue Mood Café 
Sounds like a really good story with a wonderful review attached. 💕
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Thank you, Marialyce💜 It was pretty special.
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Fab review Jo! I’ve added it to my Scribd audiobook list!
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Thank you, Nicki💜 You’ll love the travel in this one.
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I love the sound of this one – it sounds like such a lovely story ❤️. Great review, Jo!
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Thank you, Tessa💜 This one’s a keeper!
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Wonderful review, Jo. I had read other reviews of this book and I wasn’t sure if it was for me or not. The idea of a romance in this situation felt wrong and forced to me. I can’t imagine it even five years after losing my husband. However, your review has shed a different light on the story and I am going to add it to my TBR.
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Thank you, Carla💜 I’m so glad you got what I was trying to convey. It would have felt off if that romance had been at the forefront. This isn’t that kind of story, thank goodness. I think you’ll connect to it in a more meaningful way than I did.
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Absolutely fantastic review Jonetta! Sounds like something I need to read. Thank you for sharing.
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Thank you, Susanne💜 I truly believe you’d enjoy this story.
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This sounds lovely. I remember seeing the cover for this book pop up in various recommendations, but I was assuming it was a much lighter story. After reading your review, I’ll need to check it out!
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I was pleasantly surprised for the same reason, Lisa💜
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Fabulous review! I love the sound of this one.
Anne – Books of My Heart
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Thank you, Anne💜 This was such a nice surprise.
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Fabulous review Jonetta! I kept seeing this book but was on the fence about reading it. You just convinced me! Adding! 🤩💖📚
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I have been meaning to read this.
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I put it off for too long, too.
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