Love, Lists & Fancy Ships Review: A Slow-Burn Romance About Grief, Growth, and Second Chances
There’s a particular promise a cover like this makes: sunshine, flirtation, maybe a little chaos at sea. Love, Lists & Fancy Ships absolutely delivers on warmth and heart, but it also carries something heavier beneath its bright palette. What unfolds is a character-driven story about love in all its forms — romantic, familial, and hard-won — wrapped in a bucket list and a summer that changes everything.
Hype Report
Goodreads says 3.90, StoryGraph says 3.96. I’m right there with them. This is Appropriately Hyped.
Aesthetic
The Cover
The illustration is the star of Love, Lists & Fancy Ships‘ cover: a stylized portrait of the main character with a yacht reflected in her sunglasses. The tone appears light-hearted and sea-faring. The only thing that hints at seriousness here is the fully buttoned-up polo that the character wears. The wind-blown hair could indicate that the character is carefree or a bit of a mess. We’ll have to read the story to find out.
The bold and serif font choice for the title feels up front and earnest. The way that the title intertwines with the character illustration indicates that there is a relationship between these words and the character. The words “Love, Lists & Fancy Ships” seem secondary (rather than overlaying the portrait, they tuck in around it), which might indicate that the story is highly character-driven (spoiler: it is!)
The author’s name takes a back seat as it’s much smaller, indicating that they haven’t established a large following yet.
The color palette communicates fresh, flirty, youthful fun. Summer vibes. One might assume this is a beach read (it could be).
Interior
The ebook version of Love, Lists & Fancy Ships is simple and cleanly formatted. There were a couple of odd spacing issues, but nothing that inhibited the reading or brought me out of the story.
Did the design affect whether I bought the book?
It certainly did. I’m not even sure I read the description. This was a “that looks fun” impulse buy.
Summary
In Short
Grieving Aunt Jo unexpectedly has to cancel her 30 before 30 plans to take care of her nieces for the summer, but they, along with her bestie and new colleague, pitch in to help her complete her bucket list.
From the Publisher
Sometimes a yacht, a bold bucket list, and a kiss with a handsome stranger are all a person needs to dive into the deep end of life.
For the last year, yacht stewardess Jo Walker has been attempting to complete a bucket list of thirty things she wants to accomplish by her thirtieth birthday. Jo has almost everything she’s ever wanted, including a condo on the beach (though she’s the youngest resident by several decades) and an exciting job (albeit below deck) that lets her travel the world.
Jo is on track until the death of her nephew turns her life upside down, and the list falls by the wayside. But when her two nieces show up unannounced with plans to stay the summer, they discover her list and insist on helping Jo finish it. Though the remaining eight items (which include running a marathon, visiting ten countries, and sleeping in a castle) seem impossible to complete in twelve weeks, Jo takes on the challenge.
When she summons the courage to complete item number five–kiss a stranger–and meets Alex Hayes, all bets are off. As her feelings for Alex intensify and Jo’s inability to confront difficult emotions about her family complicates her relationships, she must learn to quit playing it safe with her heart before she loses what matters most.
“And I marveled at how it was impossible for some of the best things in my life to exist without the worst.”
Character Analysis
The characters in Love, Lists & Fancy Ships come across as versions of people you have met in real life. Descriptions are vague enough to insert your own preferences but specific enough that you “get” who the character is. Their actions speak louder than their looks in most cases. Even the quirkiness of the best friend, Nina, read as true to life.
The characters each deal with their own circumstances in a richly individualized way that is true to the character. While it’s at times frustrating to watch the main character lie to herself, it’s a thing that resonates- hits maybe a little to close to home.
“Then I had a thought, Joy, the moment he’d touched me, as if his thumb on my mouth were something I could keep?”
Writing Style
While somewhat slow-paced, the writing in Love, Lists & Fancy Ships is easy to read. The character-driven story unfolds realistically. Misunderstandings are not overblown, and urgency is applied in a way that feels true to life.
“Had I suddenly wandered into a Jane Austen novel? If Jane Austen had somehow wandered into a nightclub? A nightclub that offered cooking lessons?”
Themes
Love, Lists & Fancy Ships is as much about grief as it is about love. The love story is as much about family as it is about romance. Friendship by itself and as a component of family and romantic relationships, flows through the pages.
“But who’s to say his love for her didn’t add something to his life even if she couldn’t love him back?”
Critical Evaluation
The first few chapters were spent establishing our main character, Jo. The pacing felt a bit laggy and I was not immediately engaged with Jo. This could have caused me to DNF (did not finish) the book, but luckily, I pressed on. The story did eventually engage me, and I did become invested in the characters and the outcome, but the start could have used some tuning up.
“Was it worth it? If you’d known what would happen, would you do it again?”
Personal Opinion
I didn’t expect to cry. I thought this one would be light-hearted and fun. I missed the grief in the blurb. However, I’m glad I read it! Love, Lists & Fancy Ships was emotional, yes, but in the best way. The relationships were so genuine. I was delightfully surprised by the depth of connection and true friendship formed by the love interests.
“The good, the bad, how could you untangle it? It was impossible. So why not take the good where you could get it?”
Recommendation
Romances are so often hinged on physical attraction and witty banter, but Love, Lists & Fancy Ships goes deeper. This no-spice romance would be perfect for someone looking for depth of feeling in a slow-burning format.
Notes
I read Love, Lists & Fancy Ships to fulfill my 2026 Playing Card Reading Challenge prompt: Read a book set at sea. 🌊 Unfortunately, very little of Love, Lists & Fancy Ships takes place on the yacht. I’m still counting it, but if you are looking for something that includes the ocean as a major setting element or story driver, this doesn’t fit that bill.
The boat in Love, Lists and Fancy Shops is called The Serendipity. What would you name a yacht?
Buy This Book
May your life be as full as your bookshelf and as long as your TBR list.
Happy Reading!
Start Your Own Bucket List!
“Turn Your Wishlist Into Your To-Do List” lined, 120-page, paperback journal.
0 Comments