📖 Overview
Anna Beck sets out alone on her sailboat for a Caribbean voyage that was meant to be her honeymoon, ten months after her fiancé's death. When she realizes she needs help managing the boat, she hires Keane Sullivan, a professional sailor with his own history of loss.
The journey takes them through various ports in the Caribbean as Anna learns to navigate both sailing and grief. Their time at sea and in port forces them to confront their pasts while developing a partnership built on trust and shared responsibility.
These characters face physical challenges from sailing a small boat through open waters while processing emotional transformations. Their individual healing paths intersect as they make decisions about their futures.
The novel explores themes of resilience and rebuilding after devastating loss, demonstrating how unexpected connections and brave choices can create new possibilities for moving forward.
👀 Reviews
Readers describe Float Plan as an emotional but uplifting romance that handles grief with authenticity. The book maintains a 4.1/5 rating on Goodreads (27,000+ ratings) and 4.5/5 on Amazon (2,800+ ratings).
Readers praised:
- Realistic portrayal of processing loss and moving forward
- Detailed sailing terminology and Caribbean settings
- Chemistry between main characters
- Balance of heavier themes with hopeful moments
- Representation of disability without making it the character's only trait
Common criticisms:
- Slow pacing in first third of book
- Too much technical sailing detail for some
- Romance develops late in the story
- Some found the ending rushed
Reader quote: "This struck the perfect balance between acknowledging grief while still being a romance novel about healing and finding joy again." - Goodreads reviewer
Several readers noted they don't typically enjoy romance books but connected with this one's deeper themes and authentic character development.
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Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson Two people connect through letters about loss, second chances, and new beginnings.
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver A widow navigates grief and discovers a path forward through unexpected connections after losing her fiancé.
The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith A musician processes the loss of her mother while on an Alaskan cruise with her father.
Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez A doctor from a prestigious family falls for a small-town carpenter while learning to chart her own course in life.
Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson Two people connect through letters about loss, second chances, and new beginnings.
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver A widow navigates grief and discovers a path forward through unexpected connections after losing her fiancé.
🤔 Interesting facts
🚢 While writing Float Plan, author Trish Doller extensively researched sailing and drew inspiration from real-life sailors who documented their journeys through the Caribbean.
⛵ The novel's sailing route through the Caribbean islands is based on actual navigational charts and could be recreated by real sailors.
💕 The author chose to write about grief and healing after losing her own father and experiencing how people process loss differently.
🏝️ Many of the ports and locations in the book, including specific bars and restaurants in the Caribbean islands, are real places that readers can visit.
🌟 Float Plan was selected as an Amazon Best Romance of 2021 and received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, which praised its authentic portrayal of grief and recovery.