Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⬜
Title: The Unsinkable Greta James
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Genre: Fiction
Setting: Alaska / Cruise Ship USA
Month Read: March 2022
Book Type: Hardcover
Publication: 2022
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages: 320
TRIGGER WARNING-
Grieving / Death / Strained Family Relationships / Alcohol / Sex
"It’s a particularly strange kind of loss, when something you don’t think you even want gets taken away from you."
No Spoiler Summary:
The Unsinkable Greta James is a contemporary fiction novel about music star Greta mourning the very recent death of her Mother. She gets guilted into taking a cruise that her mother had planned with her estranged father and several of her parents' close friends. Both Greta and Dad have a lot of grief, both for the woman who is no longer there, and the relationship they haven't been able to salvage between themselves.
While being stuck on a boat (ship?), Greta also has to deal with her floundering career. Will she be able to play guitar again after the last show she did several months ago? Will her sophmore album happen after so many delays? Will she regain the confidence she used to have?
The Unsinkable Greta James is about family bonds, but also about being true to yourself along the way.
Review:
I'm a fan of Jennifer E. Smith's teen novels, which I grew up reading--- and her jump to adult fiction was breathtaking. The characters, the setting, some of the lines in this book were so well done that I couldn't help stopping and taking photos to share. I was a little surprised to find this book was less about her relationship with her Mom (unlike Crying in H Mart and One Italian Summer) and more about her relationship with her Dad.
I loved the plot about her career, and how getting back into it was really hard for her to do. Performing is so difficult, and it seems like Greta had a relatively easier time getting to where she is, and it's almost nice to see this weird struggle she never could have seen coming. I thought it was really interesting, and also so relatable in so many ways.
I loved that the romance was a back burner subplot, but selfishly I wanted more. (A Sequel!? Please?) I loved that the book stayed about Greta, and not how Greta related to anyone else in her spaces (with the exception of her Dad.) I also loved how similar she and her Dad are, but how much they just couldn't see past themselves to see that about each other. I also 100% WEPT at the end. I cried quite a few times during this book because some moments were just incredibly heart wrenching.
I highly recommend this novel if you haven't read it already. It's moving, and fun, and just a great book to curl up with for a day or two and breeze through. Have some tissues ready if you're anything like me. It's a good cry.
Recommendation:
Grieving your Mom:
One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi (YA)
Crying In H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Women in Music:
The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes by Xio Axelrod
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton
Grieving someone close (but not as heavy):
The Star Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman
The Guncle by Steven Rowley
The Loose Ends List by Carrie Firestone (YA)
"...being told by pretty much everyone that it was too much of a long shot, this dream of hers, as if dreams were meant to be reasonable."
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