Instead of showing up for Thanksgiving dinner, Anna makes a run through the grocery store for limes and a flashlight, dried beans and rice, playing cards and boxed milk: shipboard essentials for going away to sea for “awhile.” Ten months into her healing from the loss of her fiance by suicide, Anna is eloping from her life to take the trip of a lifetime through the Caribbean in the boat Ben restored, on the trip they had planned to take together. He may not have a fully fleshed out float plan, just a final destination of Trinidad, to a beach where they’d planned to marry, and a map of ports of call between Fort Lauderdale and the Bahamas. She quickly realizes her limitations and hires on the more seasoned sailor Keane to help her navigate the islands. They form a compelling partnership as Anna learns to navigate both the sailboat and her grief. Along they way, they pick up a stray dog, Keane’s brother joins them for a while, they spent Christmas and New Years in the Bahamas.

Anna’s journey and resiliency are raw and imperfect, the characterizations nuanced, and the author doesn’t shy award from tough topics–Ben’s goodbye letter to Anna prefaces the story; Keane, disabled from an accident, has his own doubts and demons to overcome but is a decent and good man, sensitive, kind, supportive, and honest. Details like Anna’s mother’s German-accented English, the dolphins (famed for assisting humans in times of need) that accompany Anna out of the harbor at the start of her journey, and the geography of the Florida coastline are vivid. Descriptions of the design, vibe, food, people and culture of the various islands Anna and Keane visit bring the novel to life. The writing is masterful; sentences like “his mouth is bracketed by disapproval” convey emotion without overstating. Keane often speaks in proverbs, telling Anna the things she needs to hear to keep going: sometimes you have to throw out the map; what we need at present is not to let fear rule the day. At some point, Anna realizes that Keane is the person Ben was trying to be: not just a man in motion, but a man with direction. I don’t know that I’d call this a slow burn book, but the pacing is perfect for the romantic element.

Doller touches on faith lightly, in several conversations about God. Keane is Irish Catholic and finds a church when their shore leave coincides with Sundays. and at one point, Anna wonders if having faith would have saved Ben; all we know is struggled with depression for a long time.

I read this over a year ago, and didn’t review it at the time; a year and half later, it’s sticking with me and I even have quoted it: “the stages of grief are not linear. They are random and unpredictable, folding back on themselves until you begin mourning all over again.” So true, so evocative. Keane tells Anna he understands loss and reassures her that eventually, “You’ll start building a new house beside the ruins of the old.”

Anna’s sister Rachel and niece Maisie are referenced several times; read the The Suite Spot for Rachel’s story, and to get a glimpse of Anna and Keane and Queenie and their happiness post-Float Plan.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #FloatPlan from #NetGalley.

https://hiplibrariansbookblog.com/2022/12/18/float-plan-by-trish-doller/ ( )

Part audio and part physical book

Long ago I read a book called Maiden Voyage about a young woman sailing around the world alone. Earlier this year I became obsessed with a sailing channel on You Tube and I wanted hours and hours of a guy repairing his boat and ten sailing around the Caribbean with a random crew of people. I learned a lot about boats and sailing life and I think that made me appreciate this book a little more than I might have otherwise.

This story is about how a young woman works through the grief of a fiancée who dies by suicide by sailing their boat on a trip they were supposed to take together. Along the way she meets a hot sailor who has his own things to recover from. He helps her learn about boats and they fall in love.

As a general book/story it’s fine. It’s mostly about her grief process. As a romance it’s disappointing. The love interest is awesome, the main character is fine, but I can’t see anything at all between them to make them fall in love besides proximity and hotness. Which is fine but it’s not enough for me to buy in to the long term happily ever after. ( )

"Float Plan" was an uncomplicated, sweet read. I thoroughly enjoyed the author's descriptions of sea life and life on a boat, and the various Caribbean islands made me want to travel and visit them myself. When I read the blurb that the novel was basically going to be an ocean voyage, I wasn't particularly enthusiastic - I HATE boats - but the author did a great job writing an entertaining novel.

Anna and Keane were very likeable characters. Each was suffering a loss in their own way but their banter and daily interactions were a highlight. I liked how Anna grew and gained confidence in herself the more time she spent at sea, and Keane was a hon.

Overall, "Float Plan" was a lovely novel dealing with grief and personal growth. ( )

Float Plan
4.5 Stars

After her fiancé Ben's suicide, Anna Beck is devastated and disconnected. On impulse, she decides to set sail on the voyage they had planned together. As Anna sails from island to island, she comes to realize the importance of love and loss, strength and courage, faith and forgiveness. In the process, Anna finds not only her true self but a love that will change the course of her life forever.

This is an amazingly lovely and heartwarming book.

Anna is an engaging heroine whose courage and resilience, both physical and emotional, is slowly revealed as the story progresses. It is so easy to empathize and sympathize with her.

That said, the real highlight of this book is Keene Sullivan, the professional sailor Anna hires when she realizes that she cannot complete her journey alone. Not only is Keene strong, kind and caring, but he has an ingrained sense of goodness and integrity that glows from the pages. He is one of the absolute best book boyfriends to ever grace the pages of a book.

Finally, the descriptions of the various locations that Anna and Keene visit are wonderful. Trish Doller provides just the right amount of history, geography and culture in her settings, and even the sections depicting the boat and sailing are compelling (which says a lot as I'm not a sailor).

Overall, this is highly recommended for anyone who wants to end a book with a smile on their face. ( )

I voluntarily agreed to read and honestly review this book.
This was a great read about trying to come to terms with Life after a suicide. Our heroine, Anna, tries to get back on even ground by taking a solo boat trip. She meets the hero, Keane, and eventually falls in love with him. Her journey isn’t easy nor smooth. But eventually she gets to where she needs to be, and finally gets her HEA. ( )