First Impressions
I stumbled across Sarah Grunder Ruiz’s Love, Lists, & Fancy Ships while browsing Libby, and the title caught my eye. After perusing the summary, I knew I had to try this book. It was such a fun, sweet read. Despite being heavy-handed with tropes, the novel was also unique and thoughtful.
Book Summary
Jo Walker is a stewardess aboard the yacht Serendipity. She spends her days catering to the wealthy – whether packing picnics for the beach, folding towels, or mixing drinks – and working her way through a “30 by 30” list she made after a bad break-up. She’s on track to complete it too, until the sudden death of her nephew sends her reeling. When her two nieces arrive unexpectedly to spend the summer with her, they scheme to help her complete it.
Meanwhile, a new chef begins working on the Serendipity, and he and Jo’s paths continue to intertwine and overlap, especially when she realizes that he was the stranger she kissed to complete Item #5 on her list (“Kiss a stranger”).
Tropes, Tropes, and More Tropes.
There are tropes here out the wazoo:
- List-checking
- Forced proximity (working together)
- Trying to stay friends because it’s “complicated”
- Being match-made by others
- Grief arcs
- Outgoing best friend
I expected these when I selected the book, and I truly didn’t mind them. The only trope that bugged me was the best friend Nina. She checked every box for the single best friend, and it was very in your face. She was outgoing, colorful, loud, bold, and shameless. While I appreciated her friendship with Jo, Nina seemed to exist solely to balance out Jo’s more cautious character. As a cautious character myself (Ha!), Nina overwhelmed me, and I often felt annoyed by her, despite her good intentions.
Thoughtful and Refreshing
Tropes and a touch of profanity aside, I loved the book. It had:
- Great protagonists: Jo and Alex were respectable, mature adults who were experiencing difficult things. Their relationship was, at times, predictable. On the whole, it was reasonable and worth rooting for. It was refreshing to see a rom-com portray a healthy relationship with mature characters and emotional growth without requiring melodrama.
- Touching side characters: The addition of Jo’s nieces and Alex’s daughter was thoughtful because it added both sincerity and levity to the story.
- Grief arc: The struggle with grief that Jo and her nieces were experiencing was somber and relatable. I liked how consistent that plot piece was woven throughout the novel and how it provided depth for the story.
- Well-paced: The book was not rushed, nor did any plot points drag.
- Refreshing, original backdrop: I really enjoyed the story set in the yachting scene. I thought it was super fun. For once – a rom-co not set in a small town!
Sequels?
If you enjoy typical rom-coms with heart and respectable characters, Love, Lists & Fancy Ships should be added to your To-Read! Ruiz has written two sequels to Love, Lists & Fancy Ships about related characters. While I personally did not enjoy either of them as much as this first book, they’re still worth checking out!
Final Ratings
This family-centered, yacht-set rom-com gets four stars from me. It was both original and true to its genre; both funny and heartwarming. I’ll keep an eye out for future reads by this author for sure!
Content Rating: Mild
for some swearing
Copyright Sarah Grunder Ruiz and Berkley. Image from Amazon.
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