Reviews

The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith

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lauraine's review

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes

5.0

mjwilll's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

kellyhook_readsbooks's review

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4.0

Do you ever read just the right book, at precisely the right time? After a few heavy hitters, I wanted a light-hearted palate cleanser that wasn’t a rom com. THE UNSINKABLE GRETA JAMES fit the bill perfectly.

In the wake of her mother’s death, famed musician Greta James is reeling after a disastrous concert and relationship fallout. She reluctantly sets sail with her father on the Alaskan cruise he had planned to take with her mother to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary.

Greta was fiercely independent and was sure-footed in her life aspirations, which I loved to see. Of course, what would cruising with a bruised heart be without a little romance? I appreciated that Greta’s romantic life wasn’t the star of the show; rather, Jennifer E. Smith explores complicated family relationships, romance, and moving forward after great loss in a thoughtful way.

This story has similar themes to ONE ITALIAN SUMMER and was also reminiscent of SONGS IN URSA MAJOR with the feature of a female musician–both of which I enjoyed.

I read a combination of print and audio (my absolute favorite) and I especially enjoyed the narration of Mae Whitman (any parenthood fans out there?) This is a March @bookofthemonthclub selection and I hope it finds its way into the hands of many readers!

RATING: 4/5
PUB DATE: March 1, 2022

A big thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

melkelsey's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Book 122

I listened to The Unsinkable Greta James. Greta is a rock star who has a strained relationship with her father and a recently deceased mother. She accompanies her father on what should have been he and his wife's anniversary cruise. It was heartfelt and easy to listen to.

jena's review

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4.0

I started this novel almost completely blind. Of course, I read the synopsis when I first bought this book but it’s been sitting on my shelf unread. Going into it, I remembered this book was set on a ship and that’s about it. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. While there is some romance and familial drama, this ultimately is about a woman who is lost after the death of her mother. I really enjoyed the journey this book took me on and I loved that it was set on an Alaskan cruise! Definitely recommend!