Starred review from September 13, 2021
Ruiz debuts with a touching, hilarious rom-com that finds Florida yacht steward Jo Walker striving to cross 30 items off her bucket list by her 30th birthday. Unfortunately, a family tragedy throws Jo off track, and the list gets put on the back burner. Now she has just three months left to complete her bucket list. She books a trip to Europe to knock off two items—visit 10 countries and sleep in a castle—but this plan is derailed when her two nieces unexpectedly arrive to spend the summer with her. When the girls discover the bucket list, they launch a scheme to help Jo complete it in time. Meanwhile, task number five—kiss a stranger—leads Jo to meet Alex Hayes, who doesn’t stay a stranger for long. But Jo’s failure to confront difficult emotions causes problems in all her relationships, and she must address her past before she can construct a meaningful future. Ruiz presents a layered story by merging the heartbreak of Jo and her family’s loss with the sheer joy of chasing down items on the impossible bucket list. The sunny setting; chaste, endearing romance; and heartwarming themes of familial devotion will leave readers hungry for more from Ruiz. Agent: Wendy Sherman, Wendy Sherman Assoc.
Starred review from October 15, 2021
While trying to complete her bucket list of 30 things to do before she turns 30, a woman grapples with grief and a burgeoning romance. Jo Walker has been a yacht stewardess for 5 years, spending months at a time ferrying the superrich across the seas. While Jo loves her job and the crew, her desire to get out of her comfort zone leads her to start a 30-by-30 project, complete with a blog to document it all. What started as a fun pastime, however, has fallen by the wayside since her 11-year-old nephew, Samson--with whom she shared a birthday and a special connection--was struck and killed by a car while riding his bike. But when her nieces, Mia and Kitty, unexpectedly arrive to spend the summer with her, they insist on helping Jo check off the final few items on her list. It's clear that both girls are struggling without Samson, so Jo agrees to their scheme in an attempt to distract them. While checking off No. 5 on the list--kiss a stranger--Jo meets Alex, a handsome man she sparks with but never expects to see again. That is, until she meets her new neighbors--Alex and his energetic daughter, Greyson. And then again when Alex turns up as the new chef on the yacht. As the girls--all three of whom are scene-stealers, precocious and intelligent yet complexly drawn--become fast friends and romance between Jo and Alex seems inevitable, long-hidden emotions bubble over and promise to change all of them forever. Ruiz captures the complexities of grief and guilt through many different lenses--loss of a parent, loss of a child, loss of a sibling, abandonment through death but also by choice--and tackles them all with sensitivity and skill. Readers are sure to fall for this heartwarming and emotional novel.
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