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Love with a Chance of Drowning
New love. Exotic destinations.
A once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
What could go wrong?
City girl Torre DeRoche isn't looking for love, but a chance encounter in a San Francisco bar sparks an instant connection with a soulful Argentinean man who unexpectedly sweeps her off her feet. The problem? He's just about to cast the dock lines and voyage around the world on his small sailboat, and Torre is terrified of deep water. However, lovesick Torre determines that to keep the man of her dreams, she must embark on the voyage of her nightmares, so she waves good-bye to dry land and braces for a life-changing journey that's as exhilarating as it is terrifying.
Somewhere mid-Pacific, she finds herself battling to keep the old boat, the new relationship, and her floundering sanity afloat. . . .
This sometimes hilarious, often harrowing, and always poignant memoir is set against a backdrop of the world's most beautiful and remote destinations. Equal parts love story and travel memoir, Love with a Chance of Drowning is witty, charming, and proof positive that there are some risks worth taking.
"If I could give it ten stars out of five, I would. I loved every single page--Torre's writing is hilarious, beautiful, poignant, and engaging--which is to say nothing about the fact that this is her TRUE story!" --Jenny Blake, author of Life after College
"In Love With a Chance of Drowning, Torre DeRoche has given reluctant adventurers, romantics, and lovers of beautifully-told tales a compulsively good read. I was positively swept away by this large-hearted, hilarious story about how deeply and unexpectedly a person can be transformed by love." --Suzanne Morrison, Yoga Bitch
A once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
What could go wrong?
City girl Torre DeRoche isn't looking for love, but a chance encounter in a San Francisco bar sparks an instant connection with a soulful Argentinean man who unexpectedly sweeps her off her feet. The problem? He's just about to cast the dock lines and voyage around the world on his small sailboat, and Torre is terrified of deep water. However, lovesick Torre determines that to keep the man of her dreams, she must embark on the voyage of her nightmares, so she waves good-bye to dry land and braces for a life-changing journey that's as exhilarating as it is terrifying.
Somewhere mid-Pacific, she finds herself battling to keep the old boat, the new relationship, and her floundering sanity afloat. . . .
This sometimes hilarious, often harrowing, and always poignant memoir is set against a backdrop of the world's most beautiful and remote destinations. Equal parts love story and travel memoir, Love with a Chance of Drowning is witty, charming, and proof positive that there are some risks worth taking.
"If I could give it ten stars out of five, I would. I loved every single page--Torre's writing is hilarious, beautiful, poignant, and engaging--which is to say nothing about the fact that this is her TRUE story!" --Jenny Blake, author of Life after College
"In Love With a Chance of Drowning, Torre DeRoche has given reluctant adventurers, romantics, and lovers of beautifully-told tales a compulsively good read. I was positively swept away by this large-hearted, hilarious story about how deeply and unexpectedly a person can be transformed by love." --Suzanne Morrison, Yoga Bitch
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2011
175 people are currently reading
8137 people want to read
About the author
Torre DeRoche
6 books215 followersTorre’s first memoir, LOVE WITH A CHANCE OF DROWNING, (Penguin ANZ) was optioned in Hollywood. Since then, her profile as a travel writer has continued to grow. Her blog, fearfuladventurer.com, has been profiled in NatGeo and was one of Viator’s Top Travel Blogs of 2015. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, The Guardian Travel and alongside Cheryl Strayed, Dave Eggers and Sloan Crosley in the Lonely Planet travel writing anthology, An Innocent Abroad.
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July 15, 2013
My friend Katie once told me that I should write a blog about all of the awful experiences I had during my two-year tenure as a single lady on the prowl. My friend Katie is constantly telling people they should start a blog for all sorts of reasons, so that doesn’t really mean a whole lot.
But then my friend Ted told me that I should write a book about all of the awful experiences I had during my two-year tenure as a single lady on the prowl. I told him that there wasn’t enough of a hook, nothing that would make the book stand out as something unique, something that anyone would want to read. It would just be a collection of bad first date stories and awkward sexual encounters followed by stories of me crying over beer and spaghetti.
“But I’d read it,” Ted told me. “And it would be funny as hell.”
You guys don’t know Ted, but trust me when I say that is quite the compliment coming from him.
So apparently I’m a modestly funny lady with a lot of bad first date stories that my friends find amusing. And though I could be wrong, I ultimately don’t think anyone else would really jump at the opportunity to read about my adventures with Douche Canoe, Square Peg, or the Jewish Mummer. But as I travailed through these men (which sounds way sluttier than I intended it to), I’ve often found myself drawn to memoirs written by other funny ladies with a lot of bad first date stories.
That’s ultimately what led me to request this book from NetGalley, though it’s not ultimately what this book ended up being about.
It’s about Torre, a twentysomething Australian who decides to move to San Francisco for a year basically just to prove to herself that she’s adventurous enough to do so. She meets an Argentinian man in a bar one night, the two hit it off, and the next thing she knows, they are sailing across the Pacific Ocean together. All the way across the world’s largest ocean. Just the two of them. In a 32-foot sailboat. For several months.
The title and the cover of this book will probably make those who decry “chick lit” wince and turn away. If you’re one of those folks, I would needle you to give this book a second look. Yeah, it’s about Torre’s relationship with Ivan, but it’s more about learning to embrace her sense of adventure, overcoming her fears, and all that good finding yourself kind of stuff. Torre’s got a great blog out there and she’s an engaging writer. She’s very insightful, honest, and just a little self-deprecating. It’s the book that Elizabeth Gilbert should have written, so if you – like me – enjoy a good “finding yourself” memoir but found yourself disappointed by the self-indulgent rubbish that was Eat, Pray, Love, give this one a shot.
But then my friend Ted told me that I should write a book about all of the awful experiences I had during my two-year tenure as a single lady on the prowl. I told him that there wasn’t enough of a hook, nothing that would make the book stand out as something unique, something that anyone would want to read. It would just be a collection of bad first date stories and awkward sexual encounters followed by stories of me crying over beer and spaghetti.
“But I’d read it,” Ted told me. “And it would be funny as hell.”
You guys don’t know Ted, but trust me when I say that is quite the compliment coming from him.
So apparently I’m a modestly funny lady with a lot of bad first date stories that my friends find amusing. And though I could be wrong, I ultimately don’t think anyone else would really jump at the opportunity to read about my adventures with Douche Canoe, Square Peg, or the Jewish Mummer. But as I travailed through these men (which sounds way sluttier than I intended it to), I’ve often found myself drawn to memoirs written by other funny ladies with a lot of bad first date stories.
That’s ultimately what led me to request this book from NetGalley, though it’s not ultimately what this book ended up being about.
It’s about Torre, a twentysomething Australian who decides to move to San Francisco for a year basically just to prove to herself that she’s adventurous enough to do so. She meets an Argentinian man in a bar one night, the two hit it off, and the next thing she knows, they are sailing across the Pacific Ocean together. All the way across the world’s largest ocean. Just the two of them. In a 32-foot sailboat. For several months.
The title and the cover of this book will probably make those who decry “chick lit” wince and turn away. If you’re one of those folks, I would needle you to give this book a second look. Yeah, it’s about Torre’s relationship with Ivan, but it’s more about learning to embrace her sense of adventure, overcoming her fears, and all that good finding yourself kind of stuff. Torre’s got a great blog out there and she’s an engaging writer. She’s very insightful, honest, and just a little self-deprecating. It’s the book that Elizabeth Gilbert should have written, so if you – like me – enjoy a good “finding yourself” memoir but found yourself disappointed by the self-indulgent rubbish that was Eat, Pray, Love, give this one a shot.
January 6, 2014
Now, the travel memoir isn't my first choice of reading material, especially those that feature women going abroad to discover love and enlightenment, which they then proceed to share with us, along with a photo of their fresh-faced perkiness in a cozy embrace with that hot guy they snagged on their quest for self discovery, for the price of a trade paperback. Something about their new found joy stirs the bitter flames of malcontent in my soul, making me think, for a moment, that I really need to fix up my life too.
Torre DeRoche, who owns and writes for fearfuladventurer.com, offers her own love story in Love With A Chance Of Drowning. Despite the rather fatalistic title, this one is an upbeat and humorous account of her crazy adventures at sea with a hot guy. Oh, and before you scoff, a quick search online tells me that Ms DeRoche and that guy, Ivan Nepomnaschy, are still going strong after eight years and counting, so be assured that this isn't one of those romantic memoirs written in the heat of the moment, before the screaming, the "You never understood me!" drama, and other post-coital and post-publication remorse set in. Girlfriend reeled in a real hot one during her first ever one-night stand (I know, that's what we all say, but let's drop the cynicism and take the author for her word) and I can only approve.
Our heroine leaves Australia for a year of soul-searching via rat racing in the United States. Her mother and sisters made her promise that she'd never hook up with an American guy in the meantime, as they want her to come back there instead of settling down in America and starting to mock everything Australian like the rest of the world. Fortunately for Ms DeRoche, then, that Ivan is Argentinian. No promises broken, phew! She and Ivan first meet in a one-night stand that, really, shouldn't mean a thing. Right? But he calls, she answers, and the next thing she knows, they both quit their jobs to spend a year going around the world on a leaking yacht named Amazing Grace. She is afraid of water, but hey, what can go wrong?
When I finished this book, I asked my husband how come we didn't do crazy things when we were younger and capable of running for more than five minutes without wheezing for breath in the next fifteen minutes. He pointed out that (a) we had student loans to pay by the wazoo, (b) we just bought a house and had to start making monthly payments, (c) the last time we took a short boat ride, I was sick for almost two hours, and (d) we would both lose our jobs if we took even two months off from work, as many employers in this part of Asia don't believe in employees taking sabbatical to find themselves and get a tan. I thought about his points, realized that they were all true, and I'd probably go crazy in a yacht without Internet connection or air conditioning anyway.
Therefore, while I do like the take home message here - we should get out of our comfort zone and do something crazy in order to find fulfillment in our lives - I'm not sure whether I have here empty platitudes akin to Beyoncé Knowles telling me that I should be content with my looks because it is her inner beauty that makes a girl hot. In other words, this message applies to people who are already privileged under the circumstances - in this case, without financial concerns or other mundane issues that would hold them back from quitting the rat race for a year. Everyone else, tough. Press your face against the window pane and drool at the sight of the tanned and happy couple. This is a nice story, therefore, but she and her guy are not every day people, and, therefore, that's all this is: a nice story.
Still, the story is an enjoyable read. The author has a strong narrative voice, and it's pretty cute how she manages to make herself seem vulnerable, insecure, or worried for the more dramatic moments in this story. Sure, it's pretty obvious that nobody dies or gets arrested in Thailand for drug trafficking, but the moments of suspense do feel rather, er, suspenseful when they crop up. Ms DeRoche makes herself a pretty likable protagonist here, and her self-depreciating humor has me chuckling now and then. I feel like I'm the author's friend instead of someone at the receiving end of a "Look at me! I'm amazing and I bet you wish you are too!" kind of narcissistic showcase that most "memoirs" written by women who find their groove by sleeping with hot European or South American guys tend to be.
While I can't connect emotionally or even intellectually with the author here, I end up appreciating her outlook, enjoying her adventure, and even admiring her for daring to do things that I would never even think of attempting myself. That makes Love With A Chance Of Drowning alright where I am concerned.
Torre DeRoche, who owns and writes for fearfuladventurer.com, offers her own love story in Love With A Chance Of Drowning. Despite the rather fatalistic title, this one is an upbeat and humorous account of her crazy adventures at sea with a hot guy. Oh, and before you scoff, a quick search online tells me that Ms DeRoche and that guy, Ivan Nepomnaschy, are still going strong after eight years and counting, so be assured that this isn't one of those romantic memoirs written in the heat of the moment, before the screaming, the "You never understood me!" drama, and other post-coital and post-publication remorse set in. Girlfriend reeled in a real hot one during her first ever one-night stand (I know, that's what we all say, but let's drop the cynicism and take the author for her word) and I can only approve.
Our heroine leaves Australia for a year of soul-searching via rat racing in the United States. Her mother and sisters made her promise that she'd never hook up with an American guy in the meantime, as they want her to come back there instead of settling down in America and starting to mock everything Australian like the rest of the world. Fortunately for Ms DeRoche, then, that Ivan is Argentinian. No promises broken, phew! She and Ivan first meet in a one-night stand that, really, shouldn't mean a thing. Right? But he calls, she answers, and the next thing she knows, they both quit their jobs to spend a year going around the world on a leaking yacht named Amazing Grace. She is afraid of water, but hey, what can go wrong?
When I finished this book, I asked my husband how come we didn't do crazy things when we were younger and capable of running for more than five minutes without wheezing for breath in the next fifteen minutes. He pointed out that (a) we had student loans to pay by the wazoo, (b) we just bought a house and had to start making monthly payments, (c) the last time we took a short boat ride, I was sick for almost two hours, and (d) we would both lose our jobs if we took even two months off from work, as many employers in this part of Asia don't believe in employees taking sabbatical to find themselves and get a tan. I thought about his points, realized that they were all true, and I'd probably go crazy in a yacht without Internet connection or air conditioning anyway.
Therefore, while I do like the take home message here - we should get out of our comfort zone and do something crazy in order to find fulfillment in our lives - I'm not sure whether I have here empty platitudes akin to Beyoncé Knowles telling me that I should be content with my looks because it is her inner beauty that makes a girl hot. In other words, this message applies to people who are already privileged under the circumstances - in this case, without financial concerns or other mundane issues that would hold them back from quitting the rat race for a year. Everyone else, tough. Press your face against the window pane and drool at the sight of the tanned and happy couple. This is a nice story, therefore, but she and her guy are not every day people, and, therefore, that's all this is: a nice story.
Still, the story is an enjoyable read. The author has a strong narrative voice, and it's pretty cute how she manages to make herself seem vulnerable, insecure, or worried for the more dramatic moments in this story. Sure, it's pretty obvious that nobody dies or gets arrested in Thailand for drug trafficking, but the moments of suspense do feel rather, er, suspenseful when they crop up. Ms DeRoche makes herself a pretty likable protagonist here, and her self-depreciating humor has me chuckling now and then. I feel like I'm the author's friend instead of someone at the receiving end of a "Look at me! I'm amazing and I bet you wish you are too!" kind of narcissistic showcase that most "memoirs" written by women who find their groove by sleeping with hot European or South American guys tend to be.
While I can't connect emotionally or even intellectually with the author here, I end up appreciating her outlook, enjoying her adventure, and even admiring her for daring to do things that I would never even think of attempting myself. That makes Love With A Chance Of Drowning alright where I am concerned.
January 17, 2012
A Love Story Superlatively Written
SWEPT: LOVE WITH A SENSE OF DROWNING is a little work of magic. Torre Deroche writes likes she was born to it. Contrary to some press clippings, this story is not a travelogue suffused with emotion. Yes, indeed much of the book takes place on an adventure of sailing the ocean - a handsome Argentine born man Ivan is consumed with a passion for sailing, houses his boat in Los Angeles and travels to San Francisco where he meets Torre (yes, this is her true story) who has flown to the US from her native Australia to repair after a love gone wrong. Ivan and Torre meet, literally fall into love, get to know each other, and Torre falls in love with a man whose passion is so far from her own phobias of being on the water that she hides behind a promise to her parents and friends in Australia that she will return home, unattached, in six months. Ultimately her relationship with Ivan is so secure that she does indeed accompany him on this sailing venture to the far away islands - as true a test of love as there ever could be. How these tow extraordinarily interesting people make it through the journey and how the author surprises us with a fine ending makes up the progress of a love story as fine as any in the contemporary literature.
Torre Deroche writes prose like a poet, whether describing the endless adventures and interactions with nature or finding the right way to describe the sense of passion and scent and movement and warmth of being next to the one you love. This book may have started out as a memoir, but it unveils a writer of tremendous promise. Find this book and read it. It is worth the journey.
Grady Harp
SWEPT: LOVE WITH A SENSE OF DROWNING is a little work of magic. Torre Deroche writes likes she was born to it. Contrary to some press clippings, this story is not a travelogue suffused with emotion. Yes, indeed much of the book takes place on an adventure of sailing the ocean - a handsome Argentine born man Ivan is consumed with a passion for sailing, houses his boat in Los Angeles and travels to San Francisco where he meets Torre (yes, this is her true story) who has flown to the US from her native Australia to repair after a love gone wrong. Ivan and Torre meet, literally fall into love, get to know each other, and Torre falls in love with a man whose passion is so far from her own phobias of being on the water that she hides behind a promise to her parents and friends in Australia that she will return home, unattached, in six months. Ultimately her relationship with Ivan is so secure that she does indeed accompany him on this sailing venture to the far away islands - as true a test of love as there ever could be. How these tow extraordinarily interesting people make it through the journey and how the author surprises us with a fine ending makes up the progress of a love story as fine as any in the contemporary literature.
Torre Deroche writes prose like a poet, whether describing the endless adventures and interactions with nature or finding the right way to describe the sense of passion and scent and movement and warmth of being next to the one you love. This book may have started out as a memoir, but it unveils a writer of tremendous promise. Find this book and read it. It is worth the journey.
Grady Harp
February 15, 2016
When I was a 7 year old on the island of Mauritius, I was dragged out to sea by a freak current and stranded for over 4 hours. I was eventually rescued by an old fisherman and ever since, have been the proud owner of a sea phobia. Aquariums are my version of a torture chamber. However, I finished reading this and immediately wanted to leap into a sail boat and set off for Tahiti. What a crazy adventure!
The writing is choppy in parts, and both Torre and Ivan are utterly insufferable at times, but it was still a fun wanderlusty read.
The writing is choppy in parts, and both Torre and Ivan are utterly insufferable at times, but it was still a fun wanderlusty read.
April 4, 2013
The best travel memoir I've ever read. A beautifully-written book which kept me hooked and took me to faraway places I've always wanted to visit. It's timeless, funny, deep, all rolled into one.
This is a must-read, and I am not exaggerating as I am a very, very difficult reader to please.
This is a must-read, and I am not exaggerating as I am a very, very difficult reader to please.
February 21, 2013
“Some people die of old age without ever having lived their dreams. Some people die without ever having loved. That’s tragic. We’ll both die someday, that’s a guarantee. If something happens on the ocean, we’ll die as two people in love who are living a remarkable adventure…”
Torre DeRoche planned to spend a year in the US working and then return home to Australia. Instead she fell in love with an Argentinian and despite a fear of the sea, agreed to sail with him across the Pacific. Love With a Chance of Drowning tells of Torre's adventures aboard the Amazing Grace during her journey to conquer the ocean, and her fears.
Torre wasn't looking for a relationship when she met Ivan in a San Francisco bar but charmed by his Latin good looks and kind, considerate nature she fell head over in heels in love. Yet their separation seemed inevitable, Torre had promised to return to Australia at the end of the year and Ivan planned to throw in his IT job and sail solo across the ocean. As the end began to draw near, Ivan suggested Torre join him and she was faced with a difficult choice, sail away with her lover or say goodbye. Despite her fear of deep water, disaster and "“anything that would fall out if you turned the ocean upside down and shook it” Torre's decides to surrender her comfortable city lifestyle for a love on a 32ft wooden boat in the middle of nowhere.
Though I have little interest in sailing (and my own fearful respect for the sea), I really enjoyed this entertaining memoir of (mis)adventure. The humour is engaging, Torre has no problem poking fun at her own obsession with safety equipment, her horrendous bouts of sea sickness and Ivan's innate clumsiness. She is boldly honest about the journey's practical and emotional hardships - broken equipment, rough weather, the lack of fresh food and inescapable intimacy. Yet as Torre describes the joy of watching dolphins frolic in the boat's wake, the stunning white sands and blue water of tropical waters and the convivial welcome of islanders, you can't help but wish you could join her.
Love with a Chance of Drowning is wonderfully written. Part travelogue, part romance, it is a tale of an amazing journey that will sweep you away.
June 8, 2013
I am afraid of aeroplanes, so if I met a man who proposed flying around the world in a small plane together, and I then spent the entire journey either freaking out, vomiting, complaining or asleep (which are the only activities that Torre engages in over the thousands of miles of Pacific sailing she does) I would NOT then write a book about it. I'm so weary of reading sailing tales by people who have amazing opportunities to sail to sublime places and then spend the pages of their subsequent books whining about how they just want to get to land and how much they miss civilisation. It's ironic that she refers to Bernard Moitessier so frequently, who, in the history of writing sailors, probably loved being at sea the more than anyone. I think this is supposed to be an endearing love story, however the dynamics of Torre's relationship - which are unexamined in the book, but are glaringly obvious to anyone who has completed Psychology 101 - are actually tragic and annoying. This is an additional sapper of any enjoyment that can be derived from the book being largely well written, and occasionally mildly humorous.
November 5, 2011
This book -- a memoir about a one-night stand turned worldwide sailing expedition between lovers (a charming Argentinian and a woman who is terrified of the ocean) -- is absolutely BRILLIANT! If I could give it 10 stars out of 5, I would. I loved every single page -- Torre's writing is hilarious, beautiful, and engaging -- which is to say nothing about the fact that this is her TRUE story! The equally amazing addendum is that DeRoche self-published, and now her book has been picked up by a US publishing house, to be re-released in a major way in 2013. Standing ovation!!
January 2, 2022
This book made me laugh out loud. DeRoche is so witty - the kind of author you'd love to have over for dinner to enjoy more of her raw and offbeat humor.
Love with a Chance of Drowning provides the perfect escape. You will be taken to new and beautiful places. I can not think of a more perfect read for these days of quarantine. She is funny, does not hold back, is incredibly descriptive and real. To say I loved this book would be an understatement.
Love with a Chance of Drowning provides the perfect escape. You will be taken to new and beautiful places. I can not think of a more perfect read for these days of quarantine. She is funny, does not hold back, is incredibly descriptive and real. To say I loved this book would be an understatement.
March 4, 2013
Book Review for Love with a Chance of Drowning by Torre DeRoche:
Basic Blurb: Love can make a person do crazy things . . .
A city girl with a morbid fear of deep water, Torre DeRoche is not someone you would ordinarily find adrift in the middle of the stormy Pacific aboard a leaky sailboat – total crew of two – struggling to keep an old boat, a new relationship and her floundering sanity afloat.
But when she meets Ivan, a handsome Argentinean man with a humble sailboat and a dream to set off exploring the world, Torre has to face a hard decision: watch the man she's in love with sail away forever, or head off on the watery journey with him. Suddenly the choice seems simple. She gives up her sophisticated city life, faces her fear of water (and tendency towards seasickness) and joins her lover on a year-long voyage across the Pacific.
Set against a backdrop of the world's most beautiful and remote destinations, Love with a Chance of Drowning is a sometimes hilarious, often moving and always brave memoir that proves there are some risks worth taking.
Riley’s Review: Overall rating 10/10
Cover Rating: 10/10 – The cover is what first drew me to this book. To put it simply, it is stunning - a siren call unto itself, calling out for the reader 'Pick me up and read me'.
Content Rating: 10/10
I rarely give out full marks for anything. Most books, no matter how well written, have room for improvement but I loved this book so much, that 10/10 hardly seems good enough.
From the minute I read the blurb on NetGalley, I knew I was in for something special. And the opening page didn’t disappoint.
There is something mesmerizing about Torre’s conversational tone; it is refreshing in its soul-bearing honesty and hilarious with Torre’s ability to poke fun at herself.
Love with a Chance of Drowning opens with Torre waking up in a stranger’s bedroom after one too many dirty martinis. She can’t remember his name and even once she discovers it, by rifling through his wallet, she can’t pronounce it.
‘Ivan Alexis Nepomnaschy. It seems he was named by a cat walking across a keyboard. When I try to pronounce “Nepomnaschy” out loud, my mouth sounds like it’s full of peanut butter.’
I started reading this book at work while waiting for a program to load on my computer. I only intended to read a page or two, but did not stop reading for more than two (very guilty) hours! Even then, I did not want to stop. I wanted to find some comfy corner and keep reading. I did force myself back to work but for the rest of the day, I was consumed with getting back to the story; consumed with finding out more about Torre’s burgeoning romance with her captivating one-night stand.
I’m a sucker for a good travel memoir (the price I pay for being a travel junkie myself) and Torre’s is definitely the best I have EVER read. It is not at all surprising that less than two weeks after she self-published her book on Amazon and Createspace that Hollywood came knocking (Torre is what might be described a Twitter success story – selling the movie rights and story within a very short time of her book being released) – because I knew immediately once I started reading that I wanted to see the movie. Torre is a gifted storyteller who weaves her magic around her readers, captivating not just their minds with her tale but also their hearts.
Believe me, I’ve read dozens of the reviews written by others who have read her tale and without exception, they all fell in love – not just with Torre and Ivan’s love story but with the romance of their adventure, and maybe even a little bit with Torre and Ivan themselves. Not in a bad way but more like you fall in love with the characters in your favourite romance movie or book. It really did feel like I was reading about an epic love story unfolding.
But at the end of the day, it was the adventure that gripped me tight and wouldn’t let me go. At heart, I am an adventurer. I get it from my parents who spent eight years travelling around Australia with three kids in tow (unfortunately not me but I did inherit their gypsy spirit). I grew up on the tales of their adventure but had never got to experience any of it for myself. At fifteen, I travelled from Melbourne to Sydney alone to spend the weekend with a girl from our Sydney office who I had only spoken to on the phone (it was my first trip out of the state). At 18, I decided to move to Sydney, where I eventually met and married my husband. In my late 20s, we moved from Australia to Papua New Guinea! And from there to Dubai and then Saudi Arabia. Over the last decade, I’ve had the opportunity to travel quite a bit – and far from quenching my thirst, it has only increased it, making my feet itch like mad whenever I read of someone else’s adventures.
Nobody who knows me would ever think me afraid of anything – but like Torre, I am terrified of the ocean. Sure, I can go diving and swimming – I even enjoy a boat ride if I can still view land from the bow. But the thought of being thousands of kilometers from land, at the mercy of the ocean’s omnipotent power… It is a terrifying thought. But as I was immersed into Torre and Ivan’s adventure, I actually found myself longing for the romance of the sea, dreaming of sailing the world. Knowing my history with boats, I’d probably be a lot more like Torre, holed up in the belly of the boat vomiting my insides out of every orifice… But I can’t deny it holds some appeal.
Like Ivan so poignantly reminds Torre, "Some people die of old age without ever having lived their dreams. Some people die without ever having loved. That's tragic. We'll both die someday, that's a guarantee. If something happens on the ocean, we'll die as two people in love who are living a remarkable adventure..."
Love with a Chance of Drowning isn’t just the best book I have read this year, or even in the last few years. It is, hands down, the best book I have ever read!
I cannot recommend it any higher than that. If you read only one book this year, make it Love with a Chance of Drowning. I guarantee you will love it as much as I did.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through NetGalley.
Have published this review, along with an interview with Torre on my website.
Basic Blurb: Love can make a person do crazy things . . .
A city girl with a morbid fear of deep water, Torre DeRoche is not someone you would ordinarily find adrift in the middle of the stormy Pacific aboard a leaky sailboat – total crew of two – struggling to keep an old boat, a new relationship and her floundering sanity afloat.
But when she meets Ivan, a handsome Argentinean man with a humble sailboat and a dream to set off exploring the world, Torre has to face a hard decision: watch the man she's in love with sail away forever, or head off on the watery journey with him. Suddenly the choice seems simple. She gives up her sophisticated city life, faces her fear of water (and tendency towards seasickness) and joins her lover on a year-long voyage across the Pacific.
Set against a backdrop of the world's most beautiful and remote destinations, Love with a Chance of Drowning is a sometimes hilarious, often moving and always brave memoir that proves there are some risks worth taking.
Riley’s Review: Overall rating 10/10
Cover Rating: 10/10 – The cover is what first drew me to this book. To put it simply, it is stunning - a siren call unto itself, calling out for the reader 'Pick me up and read me'.
Content Rating: 10/10
I rarely give out full marks for anything. Most books, no matter how well written, have room for improvement but I loved this book so much, that 10/10 hardly seems good enough.
From the minute I read the blurb on NetGalley, I knew I was in for something special. And the opening page didn’t disappoint.
There is something mesmerizing about Torre’s conversational tone; it is refreshing in its soul-bearing honesty and hilarious with Torre’s ability to poke fun at herself.
Love with a Chance of Drowning opens with Torre waking up in a stranger’s bedroom after one too many dirty martinis. She can’t remember his name and even once she discovers it, by rifling through his wallet, she can’t pronounce it.
‘Ivan Alexis Nepomnaschy. It seems he was named by a cat walking across a keyboard. When I try to pronounce “Nepomnaschy” out loud, my mouth sounds like it’s full of peanut butter.’
I started reading this book at work while waiting for a program to load on my computer. I only intended to read a page or two, but did not stop reading for more than two (very guilty) hours! Even then, I did not want to stop. I wanted to find some comfy corner and keep reading. I did force myself back to work but for the rest of the day, I was consumed with getting back to the story; consumed with finding out more about Torre’s burgeoning romance with her captivating one-night stand.
I’m a sucker for a good travel memoir (the price I pay for being a travel junkie myself) and Torre’s is definitely the best I have EVER read. It is not at all surprising that less than two weeks after she self-published her book on Amazon and Createspace that Hollywood came knocking (Torre is what might be described a Twitter success story – selling the movie rights and story within a very short time of her book being released) – because I knew immediately once I started reading that I wanted to see the movie. Torre is a gifted storyteller who weaves her magic around her readers, captivating not just their minds with her tale but also their hearts.
Believe me, I’ve read dozens of the reviews written by others who have read her tale and without exception, they all fell in love – not just with Torre and Ivan’s love story but with the romance of their adventure, and maybe even a little bit with Torre and Ivan themselves. Not in a bad way but more like you fall in love with the characters in your favourite romance movie or book. It really did feel like I was reading about an epic love story unfolding.
But at the end of the day, it was the adventure that gripped me tight and wouldn’t let me go. At heart, I am an adventurer. I get it from my parents who spent eight years travelling around Australia with three kids in tow (unfortunately not me but I did inherit their gypsy spirit). I grew up on the tales of their adventure but had never got to experience any of it for myself. At fifteen, I travelled from Melbourne to Sydney alone to spend the weekend with a girl from our Sydney office who I had only spoken to on the phone (it was my first trip out of the state). At 18, I decided to move to Sydney, where I eventually met and married my husband. In my late 20s, we moved from Australia to Papua New Guinea! And from there to Dubai and then Saudi Arabia. Over the last decade, I’ve had the opportunity to travel quite a bit – and far from quenching my thirst, it has only increased it, making my feet itch like mad whenever I read of someone else’s adventures.
Nobody who knows me would ever think me afraid of anything – but like Torre, I am terrified of the ocean. Sure, I can go diving and swimming – I even enjoy a boat ride if I can still view land from the bow. But the thought of being thousands of kilometers from land, at the mercy of the ocean’s omnipotent power… It is a terrifying thought. But as I was immersed into Torre and Ivan’s adventure, I actually found myself longing for the romance of the sea, dreaming of sailing the world. Knowing my history with boats, I’d probably be a lot more like Torre, holed up in the belly of the boat vomiting my insides out of every orifice… But I can’t deny it holds some appeal.
Like Ivan so poignantly reminds Torre, "Some people die of old age without ever having lived their dreams. Some people die without ever having loved. That's tragic. We'll both die someday, that's a guarantee. If something happens on the ocean, we'll die as two people in love who are living a remarkable adventure..."
Love with a Chance of Drowning isn’t just the best book I have read this year, or even in the last few years. It is, hands down, the best book I have ever read!
I cannot recommend it any higher than that. If you read only one book this year, make it Love with a Chance of Drowning. I guarantee you will love it as much as I did.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through NetGalley.
Have published this review, along with an interview with Torre on my website.
September 7, 2014
As the sole survivor of a boating accident, I was worried this book would be too confronting for me. Surprisingly, I loved it! Torre DeRoche - thank you for taking me on this journey and for allowing me the opportunity to experienced the magic of the sea and the splendor of your travels - you have great courage. Maybe one day I might be able to put my past behind me and have the courage to sail the waters, albeit not to the extent that you have. Please keep sharing your adventures - I have great admiration for you. Susan Berg
February 7, 2017
I enjoyed this book, especially the first half. Overall, I really liked the author and enjoyed her humorous and self-deprecating voice. However, Ivan began to grate on me after a while. He came off as arrogant, narcissistic, and insensitive. Obviously if this book had been written from his point of view I might have a different idea of him, but I came away not really understanding their love story.
May 4, 2014
Delightful, funny, sometimes serious, this memoir of life on the Amazing Grace was such a wonderful well-written book. Think joy, courage, love, laughs, whales, dolphins, Pacific Islands and the most beautiful scenery with a touch of seasickness and a few mishaps thrown in. A truly wonderful read.
September 3, 2020
I love travel adventure memoirs! A good one makes you feel like you’re traveling with the author and this one did that.
May 9, 2018
Love with a chance of drowning is the perfect escapism. This romantic travel memoir leaves you hungry for adventure and desperate to see everything the world has to offer!
The story really resonates with me as it's about a young woman who has a plan in life, work away for a year then return home to Australian soil... (ahem.. move to Bali for a year to write my novel!!) but then a man, Argentine Ivan (ahem... Australian Mark!) comes along when she least expects it and changes everything!!!
Upon her soul searching sailing around the world are funny stories of her experiences. The humor is delectable, entertaining and so enjoyable.
The story really resonates with me as it's about a young woman who has a plan in life, work away for a year then return home to Australian soil... (ahem.. move to Bali for a year to write my novel!!) but then a man, Argentine Ivan (ahem... Australian Mark!) comes along when she least expects it and changes everything!!!
Upon her soul searching sailing around the world are funny stories of her experiences. The humor is delectable, entertaining and so enjoyable.
Read
March 2, 2013This is a cracker story - travelling across the Pacific Ocean with a beautiful man in a tiny boat? It's a tale that screams to be told. The genre--a kind of memoir/women's fiction crossover--is not my usual preference but I found myself picking it up again and again, eager to find out what happened at the next island and the next.
April 27, 2014
What if you meet the love of your life but then discover his dreams are your nightmares? That's the essence of this memoir. Does love or fear win out when traveling in a small boat on the open ocean? Read the book.
March 21, 2013
So amazing! Found myself laughing and bemused and befuddled at the same time! Great beach read!!
Find yourself saying "Really Ivan? Again!?"
Find yourself saying "Really Ivan? Again!?"
June 19, 2016
Amazing writing skills. I could actually visualise things while reading.
October 16, 2016
Thanks to the friends who recommended it to me! Loved it.
March 29, 2017
Opposites attract and then what do you do? Sail across the Pacific Ocean in a dilapidated 32-foot boat dubbed the Amazing Grace, of course. Naturally, you are terrified, but love for an adventurer pulls you forward and you risk life and limb for what? For him. Now, don’t get me wrong this is a true love story and I enjoyed the vicarious thrills of being onboard during the good and bad times with Torre and Ivan. However, I wanted to learn more about the stunning scenery of the places visited on the journey. The idyllic islands in the Marquesas, Tonga and the Cooks are all on my radar. Torre never got further than the sandy shores of these islands to explore hikes to waterfalls and such, or she did not find them share Nor, did she impart the history of the Islands which as a travel writer myself, I want to know. But, this is not a travelogue, it is a very personal memoir. Torre says that once visual impact of paradisiacal lagoons was over, she saw them as good places to be lonely. It seemed to me she never did connect with nature, although she says that is what she got from the journey. She was always yearning for the internet cafes and conversation with others. None, the less, she did brave discomfort, the big blue and many hardships to be with her lover. The writing is clever, catchy, entertaining and draws the reader forward. I tend to agree with Ivan who wants to escape society, unplug from technology and to flow freely through life. He asks her “Why leave home if you are going to take it all with you?” Love kept these polar opposites in the same tiny boat for two years.
February 15, 2025
Torre DeRoche’s Love with a Chance of Drowning is an engaging and often humorous memoir about love, adventure, and facing fears. When Torre, a self-proclaimed city girl with a deep fear of the ocean, falls for a man with a dream of sailing around the world, she finds herself on an unexpected journey - not something I would have done!
Torre's writing makes it easy to get lost in her story. She has a gift for blending vivid descriptions with self-deprecating humour, especially when recounting her sailing “lessons,” which are as entertaining as they are nerve-wracking.
What makes this book so enjoyable is how relatable Torre is. She doesn’t sugarcoat the challenges of sailing or the anxieties that come with chasing a dream that isn’t entirely her own. Instead, she brings readers along for the ride, sharing her doubts, misadventures, and small triumphs in a way that feels like listening to a friend recount her adventures.
If you enjoy travel memoirs with a mix of humour, romance, and personal transformation, Love with a Chance of Drowning is well worth the read.
Torre's writing makes it easy to get lost in her story. She has a gift for blending vivid descriptions with self-deprecating humour, especially when recounting her sailing “lessons,” which are as entertaining as they are nerve-wracking.
What makes this book so enjoyable is how relatable Torre is. She doesn’t sugarcoat the challenges of sailing or the anxieties that come with chasing a dream that isn’t entirely her own. Instead, she brings readers along for the ride, sharing her doubts, misadventures, and small triumphs in a way that feels like listening to a friend recount her adventures.
If you enjoy travel memoirs with a mix of humour, romance, and personal transformation, Love with a Chance of Drowning is well worth the read.
July 5, 2024
A bookclub pick and I wasn't that excited about this one, truly, I don't really have an interest in sailing and while my fear of open water is probably not as great as the author's fear of water, I still definitely would not sail around the world in a small boat with an amateur sailor! But... she was in her twenties and very deeply in love - would I have if I were in her shoes? Who knows!
Amazing though what you can do as a person as long as you put your mind to it. And I admire the author so much for facing her fears and tackling a huge task that she had not a clue to start with. The prose is engaging and I can hear author's down to earth voice amidst her worrisome ones. Overall, this was actually a very easy read with some humorous anecdotes but I'm missing pictures... I had to look them up online (I'm a bit of a nosy parker).
Amazing though what you can do as a person as long as you put your mind to it. And I admire the author so much for facing her fears and tackling a huge task that she had not a clue to start with. The prose is engaging and I can hear author's down to earth voice amidst her worrisome ones. Overall, this was actually a very easy read with some humorous anecdotes but I'm missing pictures... I had to look them up online (I'm a bit of a nosy parker).
March 6, 2013
At the age of 24, Torre DeRoche packed her bags, left Australia and headed overseas for a year in America. Before she left, she made a promise to her family: no American men and she’d definitely be back in a year.
Then she met Ivan, an IT worker originally from Argentina with a dream. For the last few years, Ivan had been pouring every extra cent he had into a 32ft boat named Amazing Grace. His plan? To sail around the world and he wanted Torre to come with him.
Torre was petrified of water and everything that lurked within it. She didn’t go swimming at the beach above her knees. And this trip involved almost one month at sea without glimpsing land, possibly treacherous conditions and was most likely to go for years. It was crazy. Unthinkable. But the alternatives were, either Ivan gave up his beloved dream and stayed in a job that didn’t make him happy, or he went without her and they parted. Neither of those options seemed very appealing so Torre decided she might as well just do it. She resigned from her graphic design job and set about learning how to become a sailor, before they left for their voyage.
Torre battled seasickness, mishaps with the boat and countless…accidents but she also saw some of the most amazing scenery in the world. They could spend days, weeks living on tinned vegetables, pasta and rice and then gorge themselves on the most amazing tropical fruits when they reached their next port. They made friends with locals and were treated like family. She spent two years living on the boat and used her adventure as a way to embrace some of her darkest fears.
I don’t read much non-fiction, it has to be either something that really interests me, or something that I pick up because it’s a little different and I think that Love With A Chance Of Drowning ticks both of those boxes. For a start, I love the cover – it immediately draws my eye and makes me want to know more. And I think the story is awesome – woman who is afraid of the ocean agrees to sail halfway around the world in a pretty small boat. Torre DeRoche has been a blogger from way back and she recorded her journey meticulously. She decided to self publish her story and hired editors and people to help her polish it. Not long later, she received a call to ask if the film rights were still available. And then she received offers from various publishers in different locations for the rights. The book went through various edit rounds again before being published by Penguin in the UK and Australia (it is officially released tomorrow here and in NZ).
I’ve never left Australia so I’m equally drawn to books documenting travel and repelled by them. On one hand they allow me to experience something that I’ll never be able to do without winning a jackpot in the national lottery. On the other hand they also tend to make me realise that I’ve wasted opportunities in my life – especially all the time I had before having kids. However I found a lot of joy in reading this because it was something I’d never do, time/money or otherwise and therefore I was able to just really enjoy Torre’s experience. I admired her choices – to take the plunge and go sailing halfway around the world with a man she’d known only 7 months. Especially when she was basically afraid of water. And had no sailing experience. And one leg of the journey involved a month at sea without even so much as a glimpse of land – because there isn’t any in that part of the world!
Torre and her boyfriend Ivan sailed the Amazing Grace from California down to Mexico and then across the Pacific to the French Polynesian islands (that is the section that involves one month with no land). From there they island hopped, choosing places at whim because they’d heard about them or because other sailors were going there. They made friends and saw some of the most amazing scenery in the world. But the trip was not without its problems and I find them documented honestly and openly but with a touch of humour that comes from them being in the past. I really enjoyed Torre’s way of telling a story, this book has a natural style that makes you feel included by it and easily able to picture locations, even though I’d never been there. I’m not one for roughing it – I’m hopelessly princessy that way I’m afraid. But I have to admit that their journey sounded beautiful. And I think that it takes a very special relationship to survive this sort of journey as well. Torre and Ivan are never more than a few feet from each other 24 hours a day for almost 2 years. As she says in her book, fights have to end quickly, there’s no time to stew and sulk because things need doing and you have no place to hide. I’ve tried to imagine being with my husband for that amount of time and tried to end up with a scenario where one of us doesn’t push the other one off the boat and haven’t really managed yet! I love my husband but I also very much love my “me time”. He works nights and some of those peaceful hours after the children are in bed and before he arrives home are my most precious. And yet other times I found myself fiercely envious of Torre and Ivan for having all that time together, just themselves.
I loved this book. I’ve since had a nosy around Torre’s website and checked out her blog and her photos and if you read this then I strongly recommend you do the same. She’s been up to quite a lot since the end of her time with Amazing Grace.
Then she met Ivan, an IT worker originally from Argentina with a dream. For the last few years, Ivan had been pouring every extra cent he had into a 32ft boat named Amazing Grace. His plan? To sail around the world and he wanted Torre to come with him.
Torre was petrified of water and everything that lurked within it. She didn’t go swimming at the beach above her knees. And this trip involved almost one month at sea without glimpsing land, possibly treacherous conditions and was most likely to go for years. It was crazy. Unthinkable. But the alternatives were, either Ivan gave up his beloved dream and stayed in a job that didn’t make him happy, or he went without her and they parted. Neither of those options seemed very appealing so Torre decided she might as well just do it. She resigned from her graphic design job and set about learning how to become a sailor, before they left for their voyage.
Torre battled seasickness, mishaps with the boat and countless…accidents but she also saw some of the most amazing scenery in the world. They could spend days, weeks living on tinned vegetables, pasta and rice and then gorge themselves on the most amazing tropical fruits when they reached their next port. They made friends with locals and were treated like family. She spent two years living on the boat and used her adventure as a way to embrace some of her darkest fears.
I don’t read much non-fiction, it has to be either something that really interests me, or something that I pick up because it’s a little different and I think that Love With A Chance Of Drowning ticks both of those boxes. For a start, I love the cover – it immediately draws my eye and makes me want to know more. And I think the story is awesome – woman who is afraid of the ocean agrees to sail halfway around the world in a pretty small boat. Torre DeRoche has been a blogger from way back and she recorded her journey meticulously. She decided to self publish her story and hired editors and people to help her polish it. Not long later, she received a call to ask if the film rights were still available. And then she received offers from various publishers in different locations for the rights. The book went through various edit rounds again before being published by Penguin in the UK and Australia (it is officially released tomorrow here and in NZ).
I’ve never left Australia so I’m equally drawn to books documenting travel and repelled by them. On one hand they allow me to experience something that I’ll never be able to do without winning a jackpot in the national lottery. On the other hand they also tend to make me realise that I’ve wasted opportunities in my life – especially all the time I had before having kids. However I found a lot of joy in reading this because it was something I’d never do, time/money or otherwise and therefore I was able to just really enjoy Torre’s experience. I admired her choices – to take the plunge and go sailing halfway around the world with a man she’d known only 7 months. Especially when she was basically afraid of water. And had no sailing experience. And one leg of the journey involved a month at sea without even so much as a glimpse of land – because there isn’t any in that part of the world!
Torre and her boyfriend Ivan sailed the Amazing Grace from California down to Mexico and then across the Pacific to the French Polynesian islands (that is the section that involves one month with no land). From there they island hopped, choosing places at whim because they’d heard about them or because other sailors were going there. They made friends and saw some of the most amazing scenery in the world. But the trip was not without its problems and I find them documented honestly and openly but with a touch of humour that comes from them being in the past. I really enjoyed Torre’s way of telling a story, this book has a natural style that makes you feel included by it and easily able to picture locations, even though I’d never been there. I’m not one for roughing it – I’m hopelessly princessy that way I’m afraid. But I have to admit that their journey sounded beautiful. And I think that it takes a very special relationship to survive this sort of journey as well. Torre and Ivan are never more than a few feet from each other 24 hours a day for almost 2 years. As she says in her book, fights have to end quickly, there’s no time to stew and sulk because things need doing and you have no place to hide. I’ve tried to imagine being with my husband for that amount of time and tried to end up with a scenario where one of us doesn’t push the other one off the boat and haven’t really managed yet! I love my husband but I also very much love my “me time”. He works nights and some of those peaceful hours after the children are in bed and before he arrives home are my most precious. And yet other times I found myself fiercely envious of Torre and Ivan for having all that time together, just themselves.
I loved this book. I’ve since had a nosy around Torre’s website and checked out her blog and her photos and if you read this then I strongly recommend you do the same. She’s been up to quite a lot since the end of her time with Amazing Grace.
November 2, 2017
4.5*
Really loved the book! Thanks Torre for sharing your story. Very inspiring journey and very relatable. I loved the chemistry between Ivan and Torre. They sure make for a wonderful pair :)
The details of the Pacific Island and the people they met there was beautifully done, which could make anyone envious of their adventure. My favorite words from the book:
“If something happens on the ocean, we’ll die as two people in love who are living a remarkable adventure. That’s a good way to die.”
And,
"Life’s most beautiful things are empty without somebody to share them with."
Looking forward to reading the next book.
Really loved the book! Thanks Torre for sharing your story. Very inspiring journey and very relatable. I loved the chemistry between Ivan and Torre. They sure make for a wonderful pair :)
The details of the Pacific Island and the people they met there was beautifully done, which could make anyone envious of their adventure. My favorite words from the book:
“If something happens on the ocean, we’ll die as two people in love who are living a remarkable adventure. That’s a good way to die.”
And,
"Life’s most beautiful things are empty without somebody to share them with."
Looking forward to reading the next book.
May 20, 2021
Haha! Talk about stepping outside of one's comfort zone! This girl crossed an ocean! Wow! Great story told with wit and humor and a touch of is she gonna stick with this adorable but slightly inept guy, or what? Turning to the back cover and seeing her beaming face just makes me smile. Very enjoyable read.
May 29, 2025
Happened upon this gem of a book in one of those take-a-book-leave-a-book little libraries, and was transported onto the high seas and author’s related sailing adventures throughout. I would read this book again for the sheer escapism and wanderlust!
May 28, 2020
3.8. Listen to this one-the audible reader is great and makes it feel real.
December 3, 2022
this book was hilarious, always kept me at thew edge of my seat, i was so engaged and then it also made me cry!
February 5, 2023
A fun adventure story from beginning to end!
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