I’ll be honest in that I picked this book up not knowing what to expect in the slightest. But wow, am I glad I picked it up.

With her nephew, Samson, Jo Walker creates a list of thirty things to do by the time she turns thirty years old. What she doesn’t expect is for that same nephew to pass away unexpectedly while she’s out at sea on the yacht she works on. Reeling from the tragedy, Jo fights to keep it together while she attempts to tackle the list in honor of Samson. But her plans get thrown overboard when her two nieces come to visit unexpectedly (due to a misunderstanding). In addition to this, as she works to check off items on her list, she kisses a stranger at the bar, only to discover he’s also her new neighbor – AND her new coworker!

Talk about a small world/neighborhood/boat.

Alex, the stranger/neighbor/coworker, also has a daughter around the age of Jo’s nieces, so they are constantly being thrown together, and Jo doesn’t entirely mind. And neither, does it seem, does Alex.

But there’s a lot going on for both of them that neither puts voice to – can they work through it? And what happens if they do? What if one of them gets pulled away? What happens with Jo’s nieces leave at the end of the summer? Will Jo be able to work through her grief enough to find happiness again?

This book was funny, heartbreaking, and wonderful. I loved the banter between Jo and Alex, and between Alex and Nina. Nina and Ollie were fantastic and clearly have their own secrets going on (can’t wait for book two!). But the heartbreak and very real grief that were portrayed here just made me want to hug every single character. HIGHLY recommend. One of my favorites this year.