The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith

The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith – Audio

ARC from PRH Audio and Netgalley for an honest review

Book Blurb:

The Unsinkable Greta James: Greta James’s meteoric rise to indie stardom was hard-won. Before she graced magazine covers and sold out venues, she spent her girlhood strumming her guitar in the family garage. Her first fan was her mother, Helen, whose face shone bright in the dusty downtown bars where she got her start–but not everyone encouraged Greta to follow her dreams. While many daydream about a crowd chanting their name, her father, Conrad, saw only a precarious life ahead for his daughter. Greta has spent her life trying to prove him wrong, but three months after Helen’s sudden death, and weeks before the launch of her high-stakes sophomore album, Greta has an onstage meltdown that goes viral. Attempting to outrun the humiliation and heartbreak, she reluctantly agrees to accompany her father on a week-long Alaskan cruise, the very one that her parents had booked to celebrate their fortieth anniversary. This could be the James family’s last chance to heal old wounds and will prove to be a voyage of discovery for them, as well as for Ben Wilder, a historian also struggling with a major upheaval in his life. Ben is on board to lecture about Jack London’s The Call of the Wild, the adventure story Greta’s mother adored, and he captures Greta’s attention after her streak of dating hanger-ons. As Greta works to build up her confidence and heal, and Ben confronts his uncertain future, they must rely on one another to make sense of life’s difficult choices. 

My Review: 4 stars

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The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith is an endearing story about love, loss, the complicated relationship between fathers and daughters and the price of musical stardom. This fun and unusual setting on an Alaskan cruise allows for refreshing content. It was a joy to ride the ocean with Greta, her father, her mother’s memory and the famous author, Ben Wilder. 

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book as covers can be very telling these days. Any type of cartoonish or hand-drawn art leads me to believe it’s a romantic comedy. I’m learning that this type of cover, without people depicted on it, can simply mean women’s fiction, rather than rom-com, and that’s where this one landed for me. 

During their week at sea, a lot of tough conversations, healing and understanding occurs. There’s erasure of self-doubt, which was heavy enough for Greta to sink the ship at the start. 

Smith’s writing was sure-footed, and she was able to keep the reader invested, especially with Ben, the new guy in the picture. I listened to this on audio and the narrator did a splendid job. Her characterization was appreciated. I look forward to reading what’s next from this author. 

Quotes I liked:

It’s a particularly strange kind of loss, when something you don’t think you even want gets taken away from you.”

“Maybe the point isn’t always to make things last. Maybe it’s just to make them count.”

“The truth is, being a parent is mostly just reacting. Sometimes you get it right and sometimes you don’t. You give what you can. And at the end of the day, most of it is just being there.”