Hockey, but not

 

If All Else Sails
By Emma St. Clair
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication date:  August 5, 2025
Print length:  368 pages
ISBN-13:  978-1400346943

 Publisher’s Blurb:

In this grumpy-sunshine romance, school nurse Josie and her brother's best friend--hockey player Wyatt Jacobs--are tricked into spending a summer together that's anything but smooth sailing.

 When Josie's brother sends her to a random address for their (sometimes) annual Super Summer Sibling Extravaganza, she finds neither siblings nor extravaganzas. Instead, ends up at a run-down cottage on the Northern Neck of Virginia occupied by a hockey player she knows and loathes.

 A hockey player who isn't just one of her sports agent brother's clients. He's also his best friend. And Josie's sworn enemy.

 Oh--and her brother wants Josie to help Wyatt recover from his injury.

 Dragging grumpy hockey players to physical therapy is a far cry from bandaging skinned knees, but for the price her brother offers to pay, Josie is willing to try.

 Even if it means sharing what she dubs the quaint little murder cottage with Wyatt.

 Begrudgingly, Josie starts to see a little more of the man behind the grumpy exterior. And when she finds out he was supposed to sail the Intracoastal Waterway south to Savannah scattering his uncle's ashes, Josie surprises even herself by offering to be Wyatt's first mate.

 Smooth sailing is nowhere to be found, and Josie begins to wonder if they'll be able to make it home without killing--or kissing?--each other.

 And yet, the longer they share cramped quarters and canned food, the more of Wyatt's layers she peels back until Josie realizes she misunderstood him, their shared history, and perhaps herself as well.

 If you're a fan of closed-door romance with sizzling chemistry, laugh-out-loud banter, and relatable characters, this romance with enemies-to-lovers vibes is your perfect escape. Dive into the irresistible story of Wyatt and Josie as they navigate the rocky waters of their past, uncover hidden depths, and discover that sometimes love is found in the most unexpected places. With the delightful grumpy-sunshine dynamic and the swoon-worthy he-falls-first trope, If All Else Sails by USA TODAY bestselling author Emma St. Clair will keep you turning the pages late into the night.

 My Thoughts:

Emma St. Clair can be relied on to deliver imperfect people who aren’t just grumpy for the sake of grumpiness—they have reasons for the way they are. It’s those reasons and past hurts that get in the way of their HEAs until they can be acknowledged and worked on.

 That is the case in this book. Wyatt’s family dynamic has made him shun the spotlight, despite his fame. Josie has past trauma with athletes, which has led her to misjudge Wyatt from the very first time they met. Which is too bad, because for him, it was pretty close to love at first sight.

 So when Josie’s over-the-top charming brother coerces her into looking after Wyatt’s recovery from an off-the-rink injury, she’s not exactly happy about it. But she recognize that Wyatt is in a vulnerable place, so she stays.

 As they both work through their vulnerabilities, they end up confessing past traumas and hurts and finally (and it takes some time) work through just how much Josie has misjudged Wyatt over the years. She has to be willing to look at all their past interactions through a new lens.

 Of course, there are obstacles. They don’t live in the same city. Josie has a lot of insecurity about fitting the mold of a famous athlete’s girlfriend…if Wyatt even thinks of her that way. Those insecurities are an obstacle, but Josie is self-aware enough that they avoid the third-act breakup.

 Though this is billed as a standalone, it does have a connection to the Appies series, cowritten by St. Clair and Jenny Proctor (reviewed here). This is completely a good thing.

 This is petty, but the most annoying thing to me about this book is the way Josie goes all in on dressing up the dog. I just…don’t get the appeal.

 All told, this is another entertaining read from St. Clair, with all the banter, feelings, and character development that we’ve come to expect.

 Also—St. Clair is working on a playlist for the book. Keep your eyes peeled!

 Possible objectionable material:

Past death of a family member, including spreading their ashes. Family disfunction. Josie’s older brother is a “player”. Past sexual assault. Kissing. Unmarried people share a bed.

 Who might like this book:

There’s not really any hockey in this book, though the male protagonist is a hockey player. If you like books with cameos from familiar characters, this has it. It’s classic closed-door romance.

 Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

 #BookReview #NetGalley #ClosedDoorRomance #Appies #EmmaStClair #IfAllElseSails #RomCom @emmastclairauthor