"A Cruise Fling" by Laura Brown is a delightful romance that sweeps readers off their feet and onto a luxurious cruise ship. Brown's storytelling is breezy and filled with charm, and her characters, Ella and Spencer, are endearing and relatable. The novel takes readers on a journey of unexpected love and adventure, all set against the backdrop of the high seas. It's a lighthearted and entertaining read that will leave you with a smile.

I don't know why I requested because flings arent really for me so this wasnt my cup of tea. I will read more from Laura but I just didnt like this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for a copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

I wanted to like this book - I really, really did. Unfortunately, it missed the mark for me. I have read other books by Laura Brown (The Un-Arranged Marriage is a book that I still think about and recommend to people constantly), and so I was excited to read this one as it had a bunch of elements that I am normally super excited about. Laura does a great job of making sure that whatever disability/disabilities that she has in the book are adequately researched and presented with respect. The cast of characters is varied and their lived experiences make sense & are different from every other character. But unfortunately the things that rubbed me the wrong way about this book way overtook everything else. Spoilers ahead, beware.

So the main characters are Mackenzie and Cole - both white, both attractive, and both with baggage (and not just the kind that they brought on the boat because its a cruise). Much of the conflict could have been resolved if either of them had an actual conversation with the other, and weren't so stubborn and actually listened to other people once in a while. While I enjoyed the rotten lemons/lemonade metaphor, it felt a little too shoehorned in throughout the book. It felt like it was taking too long to learn some of the info about characters, and it wasn't revealed in a way that made it feel satisfying? Also, as a demi-sexual person, one of the things I sometimes struggle with (which is a total me problem) is insta-love. This was textbook insta-love and to add to it there was a surprise pregnancy (that Cole just KNEW was going to happen? come on). This is an easy book to read, but it took me quite a bit of time to get through it because I was just getting so frustrated with the characters. I will absolutely keep reading Laura's books, but this one was not one that I will be reading again. I'll just go back to The Un-Arranged Marriage.

I really liked the premise of this book and was excited to give it a read, I ended up just not really connection with the story, I found the characters difficult to connect to and was not crazy about some of the storylines. I ended up DNFing around halfway through. I may try this book again, possibly in the summertime, and maybe I'll enjoy it more then, It just wasn't for me at this time.

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

Mac believes that she has terrible luck and always makes the wrong choice. Her life is in shambles - she got fired, boyfriend broke up with her and she got kicked out of her house. What better thing to do then go on a cruise to get her life in order. Her friends keep talking her into having a cruise fling and the first day she has her luggage mixed up with a handsome man - Cole.

It was a fun and fast read.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advance copy!

A super light and easy read. It may not have been the deepest read, but it was perfect for summer and fun to read.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me tor receiving this book for a positive review.

Being on many cruises I had high hopes for this book. The plot seemed interesting and I thought it would be a fun read but it was not.

I felt like it just dragged on and I could not connect with the characters.

I felt like maybe the author should go on some cruises when writing a book so she can be more accurate.

This was an interesting vacation romance. Mac and Cole meet on a vacation trip. Mac goes on this cruise that her best friend gifted her after losing her job, breaking up with her boyfriend, who was also her boss, and losing her home as she lived with her boyfriend, and he kicked her out. Cole is visiting his best friend, Trent, who works on the cruise ship and is working on his last cruise. Mac has no intention of getting involved in a cruise fling, while Cole has had vacation flings because he has had attachment issues since he lost his leg at the Boston Marathon bombing. Neither signed up for more than a fling, but they quickly realize they have feelings for each other that they are fighting. It leads to a fun will they won't they situation.

Was not a huge fan of this one. The writing seemed a little off and I wasn’t too invested in the characters. And I was not a fan of the ending at all. It’s not a trope I like.

This had been on my tbr so long but after reading few pages I think this book isn't for me.

The first half of the book was interesting but later on the story got boring and I was flipping through the pages

After her boyfriend and employer confesses to being unfaithful, Mac finds herself simultaneously jobless and homeless. Temporarily staying with her friend Dani, she decides to take up her friend's suggestion of a rejuvenating cruise to regain her footing. A case of mistaken luggage delivery leads to a charming encounter with an intriguing, green-eyed stranger, and Mac contemplates a casual cruise romance.

A decade ago, Cole lost his leg in a brutal terrorist attack. Still battling PTSD and hesitant to form close connections, he is nonetheless drawn to the cheerful stranger who located his misplaced luggage. After spending time together, they mutually agree to a fleeting romance. But when their cruise ends and their feelings appear to have deepened, how will they navigate their emotions?

This book is the quintessential summer beach novel. It features a mix-up of luggage, humorous situations, unexpected incidents, the perfect dose of romance, and an engrossing storyline that captures your attention and keeps you entertained until the very end.

A cute romance that intrigued me mainly the meeting on a cruise. The characters were believable. I just wanted to have a little more fun on the cruise.

This was a cute story. The idea of a cruise fling intrigued me. I liked the quirkiness of the main character MacKenzie Mac her love of lemons and the damaged and serial dater of Cole.
We follow them on their 9 day cruise and their budding relationship.
My only issue was it felt as if their disabilities were at the forefront of everything and it begun to overwhelmingly overshadowed the cute story.

Mackenzie is going on a cruise after a hard breakup, not looking for a relationship. Then she meets Cole on the ship who has completely sworn on relationships. The cruise is 8 days long in the Caribbean and they end up having a fling and try not to catch feelings. It’s got representation of PTSD and disability. It’s obviously a summer theme book that you should read in the summer, maybe even while on a cruise ship.

Mackenzie is going on a cruise after a hard breakup, not looking for a relationship. Then she meets Cole on the ship who has completely sworn on relationships. The cruise is 8 days long in the Caribbean and they end up having a fling and try not to catch feelings. It’s got representation of PTSD and disability. It’s obviously a summer theme book that you should read in the summer, maybe even while on a cruise ship.

a cute book, i really enjoyed the characters

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the review copy.

An entertaining romantic read perfect for relaxing on holiday. Cole and Mac are cute together. Both have their insecurities and flaws but they have a good time together on the cruise ship. Most of their interactions are fun and innocent and this is where the humour comes into play. Their group of friends also add a lot of laughter. The romance rolls along at a swift pace and for a fling, it becomes something else very quickly. I would have liked to see more of Mac and Cole transitioning from holiday fling to reality a little bit more but it had a suitably happy ending that left me feeling good about them.

Easy, breezy, and sometimes cheesy onboard romance. It's not my typical genre, but I was intigued by the cover. It's light and fun and a great summer read.

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!