Float Plan

Float Plan was an 'Instagram Made Me Read It' kind of book. Other readers/bloggers were waxing poetic about this lighter read with an eye-catching cover so I jumped on board if you will. 😋

I went into this book blurb unseen and, based on its cover, I expected a lighter read. But this story deals with darker, emotional issues as the main character, Anna traverses her grief after the loss of her boyfriend Ben to suicide. Her journey through her grief is highlighted and I appreciated that the author included a warning at the beginning since the suicide is revealed very early in the book. 

Float Plan is a blend of genres: part self-discovery/dealing with grief, part travel log and part romance and I read it in less than one day. But it fell short for me in the feels. I loved Keane's 'almost too good to be true' character, but only had lukewarm feelings towards Anna and, quite honestly, not a lot actually happens plot-wise. There are a lot of travel descriptions, interesting Caribbean history, culture and tropical settings as well as a very slow-burn romance, but even that didn't really get going until the very end. My expectations were too high.

Float Plan is a story about the lingering effects of grief, the impact of suicide and finding one's own way. While it didn't quite check all the boxes for me, it was an interesting read in a beautiful setting and would be a good pick particularly for sailing and travel fans.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Trish Doller

Genre: Light Fiction, Contemporary Fiction

Type and Source: Hardcover from public library

Pages: 272    

Publisher: St Martin's Press

First Published: March 2, 2021

Opening Line: Anna -- There's a kind of jacked-up happiness that comes when you know your life is almost over, when the decision to end it becomes solid.

Book Description from GoodReads: Critically acclaimed author Trish Doller's unforgettable and romantic adult debut about setting sail, starting over, and finding yourself...

Since the loss of her fiancé, Anna has been shipwrecked by grief—until a reminder goes off about a trip they were supposed to take together. Impulsively, Anna goes to sea in their sailboat, intending to complete the voyage alone.

But after a treacherous night’s sail, she realizes she can’t do it by herself and hires Keane, a professional sailor, to help. Much like Anna, Keane is struggling with a very different future than the one he had planned. As romance rises with the tide, they discover that it’s never too late to chart a new course.

In Trish Doller’s unforgettable Float Plan, starting over doesn't mean letting go of your past, it means making room for your future.