Hello everyone,
Today’s review is on The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith.
Date Read: March 9, 2022
About the Book
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. In the end, Greta must make the most challenging decision of all: to listen to the song within her or make peace with those who love her.
An indie musician reeling from tragedy reconnects with her estranged father on a week-long cruise in this tale of grief, fame, and love from bestselling author Jennifer E. Smith.
My Thoughts
I was really happy when I found out that Jennifer E. Smith was coming out with her debut adult novel. I had been a fan of her work ever since I picked up This Is What Happy Looks Like in 2015. I will admit that I was a little nervous going into it because I really wanted to like it. And I am happy to say that I really enjoyed it and iti is definitely a book I plan on revisiting.
I enjoyed getting to know Greta and reading her sort of re-coming-of-age story as she tries to reignite her passion for music. I also liked that we get to see her grapple with grief as well as having to confront her estranged relationship with her father. There were definitely a few things that I found unlikable about Greta, however I think that they also made her more three-dimensional, and they also serve as a reminder that we are all flawed in one way or another.
I also liked getting to know Ben, however there were times that I found him kind of flaky and two-faced. One minute he would be consoling Greta for something self-deprecating she said, and the next moment he would be criticizing her of the very thing he just assured her she isn’t. I also felt like h strung her along and was unfair to her at times. I get he had other things going on in his life, but stull, I just wish a few things had gone differently, but also get that that is life sometimes.
There were times when the interactions with her father were hard to read because he is so hard on her and doesn’t view her music as a career. However, I also liked that over the course of the novel they start tot talk through their issues.
I also liked the backdrop of an Alaskan cruise and seeing how that is used to help Greta rediscover who she is. I also liked how Stella the sea eagle that her and her father see symbolizes how things are going to get better for them – since they are considered to be lucky.
Overall, I really enjoyed The Unsinkable Greta James and I hope that Jennifer E. Smith writes more adult fiction in the future. 4/5 Stars.
Happy Reading,
Janelle L. C.
Meanderings of a BookWorm 