I am really disappointed because I did not like this book. I went into it thinking it would be a short, fluffy easy read but I struggled to get through it. The concept was definitely there but the execution was not. It's not even 200 pages but it took me so long to read because I was just not enjoying it. Don't get me wrong there were some parts I did like but there was just some things that I could not stand. I'm all for disability rep but mentioning the characters prosthetic leg every other word is just too much it was so annoying. Like instead of just saying that the character kicked something it would always say he kicked it "with his prosthetic" and it just got to the point of being too much in my opinion. And once the bombing was brought up I swear it was mentioned like every other page, again, too much and annoying. It's also super insta-lovey I mean the guy was in love with her after like 2 days. I did really like the chemistry between the couple and I liked them together I just didn't need them to be saying I love you after a week of knowing each other. And the pregnancy too was so unnecessary. For such a short book too it was SO REPETITIVE. Loved Trent's character though!

I really liked the concept of this book, but I just think it was poorly done. The storyline seemed to be all over the place. There was a lot of details that I just felt irrelevant and it made me lose interest in the book at times. I enjoyed the characters, and I thought their commentary was fun. For such a short book, it was very repetitive and I just didn’t think that was necessary. It was almost as if the author used the repetitiveness as a filler instead of developing the story more. If you like an insta-love, super cheesy, almost cringy romance read - this one is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley, Laura Brown, & Entangled Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This insta-love romance releases on April 3rd, be sure to check it out!

I was really optimistic about this book after reading the description but was left disappointed. I thought parts of the book were cringey and repetitive, and I was personally not a fan of the ending and accidental pregnancy. I don't think it was needed. I also was not a fan of the "instalove" between the main characters and found it unrealistic. The chapters felt really long, and even though they were named after different destinations, I felt the book lacked descriptions of the ports they were visiting, which made it harder for me to connect with the story. Overall, there were still parts of this book that made it a cute love story, and I thought the author did a great job of representing each of the main characters' disabilities, but it was not enough, and the book ended up being a miss for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review:
I've never been on a cruise and honestly never thought much about doing one, but this book has got me longing for the open ocean and a giant ship full of strangers and the experiences within. Mac and Cole are strangers but a chance encounter leads to them spending the week together. Mac is convinced these eight days are all they will have but Cole falls first and hard and he wants, for the first time ever, more.
Cole and Mac have some issues, both from past experiences and physical ailments that set them apart, and their story is sweet and heartfelt and you'll want to shake one or both of them throughout the story. Overall, I really loved their story and was so delighted by their adventures and their story. Reccomended for anyone who is looking for some adventure while stuck at home and the perfect beach read!

Synopsis:
Mackenzie Laurel is done with rotten lemons. Especially the guy kind. With no relationship, no job, and nowhere to live, Mac’s leaving reality behind to go on a luxury cruise. Sun. Sand. Ocean breezes. Heaven. Of course, a little fun in the sun wouldn’t hurt. And a certain green-eyed passenger might just be the thirst-quenching lemonade she needs…

Cole Matterhorn isn’t a relationship guy. Hell, he can barely commit to leftovers. Yet the second he meets Mac, there’s sparks—the kind that could mean some delicious distraction. Distraction that Cole desperately needs to escape from his work problems and the event that imploded any chance of his having a normal life.

Mac and Cole have more in common than just chemistry. She’s hard of hearing and knows a little something about not always fitting in—and that his prosthetic does not define him. For 9 days they’re both having the time of their lives, whether it’s their failed trivia attempts, heating things up on a Caribbean beach, or even a sexy karaoke serenade.

It was supposed to be a cruise fling. This is how Cole works after hus accudent. Close off to relantionships. And this is how Mac needs it to be. Her life is a mess, no job, no home and her future to figure out. But life sometimes surprise us and put people in our way that has the power to change our perspective and makes better people and see a future ahead. Funny, sweet and wonderful.

This book was truly not great. The authors writing style was young adult and the content was attempted smut. The book was set up for a really great story in the first 15%. While readers understand what the plot is, the execution of this book was not great.

Both main characters were bad and annoying. The MMC was obsessive with no clear reason to be. The FMC was annoyingly obsessed with comparing everything to lemons?

I only finished this book because I received it as an ARC.

Spoilers: The instalove and was absolutely ridiculous. How is he asking someone he barely knows to literally marry him??? Of course, it had to end on an accidental pregnancy.

Initially I was enjoying this book, but nearing the half way point I began to lose interest. I had to put this one down. Perhaps I wasn't in the mood. I'll pick this up and try again as the summer nears.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy.

1.5

There are many improvements to be made to this. The chemistry did not build well. I understand certain books are meant to be fast paced but the way the plot unfolded felt like the speed of light. Unfortunately, this book reminded me of the one direction fanfics I read on Wattpad that I knew were written by middle schoolers.

I loved the representation of handicapable main characters but that was the extent of what I liked about this.

A Cruise Fling is a light, easy, summer read. It’s the perfect book to take on vacation with you. Mac and Cole both need to make decisions about where they want their life to go. Mac is homeless, jobless, and newly single. Cole is running away from his PTSD and any sort of commitment. They both agree that they just want a fling for the length of the cruise.

I found this romance to be fun and heartwarming. Though the book is short, there is a good amount of character growth throughout the novel. Mac and Cole are able to learn things about themselves within and outside of the relationship. However, I think that the character of Cole could have been a little more developed. It’s stated that he has a fear of commitment, but all of his actions are completely contradictory to that. I liked how quirky the characters are, including the secondary characters.

The story does take place over a cruise, so if you don’t like a face paced romance then this book will not be for you. I do think that the end of the book could have been a little longer, but, overall, the book was well paced.

I would recommend this book if you a looking for a lighthearted, charming, funny romance.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I found this book lacking in believability despite the relatable premise. The chemistry between the characters, especially with the secondary romance involving Quinn, did not feel genuine to me. Additionally, the instant infatuation and possessiveness of the main love interest felt superficial and creepy rather than cute. The overuse of the term "fling" and the repetitive references to lemons and lemonade were also a bit overdone. Overall, I think there was a lot of missed potential with this book, and while the ending may be interesting to some, it felt like a nightmare scenario to me. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Oh my gosh!! Can I go on a cruise, stat?!

I LOVED every second of this story!!

This was my first book by Laura Brown, and it won’t be my last!


The characters were so loveable, the disability representation, the steamy scenes, all of it!!

My review will be posted on my instagram (Bookmarkedfavs) on pub day 4/3!

I understand why people don't like this book but I'm not one of them. It's kind of cheesy and unrealistic but who cares. They are adorable together and I love them. The fact that he is her best friend's boss makes it even more fun. Also personally I am a huge fan of accidental pregnancy so the ending didn't bother me at all, I loved it.

Loved ! From the writing to the characters, this was such a fun read. Perfect read for a trip. This was a great pallet cleanser of a story. The banter between the couple was perfect and I loved the dynamic of their relationship. As well as the ending was soooo cute. Highly recommend! Hope there is a second book coming!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Anyone who knows me knows this is my truth: falling in love on a vacation is easy. One time a guy kissed me by a lake in Montana and I was like…writing poetry about him for months, thinking can I have a cowboy wedding on horseback in the mountains? Fell for my bike tour guide in Paris. A massage therapist in Canada. The list truly, incredibly, goes on and on. So I WANTED to love this. But even though I can find the realistic aspect of just immediately being stupid about romance on a vacation, something about it just didn’t deliver in the believability category. And I really hate to say this, don’t like to ick on anyone’s yums, but this book gave me a very serious ick. So let me just…unpack this.

This story has a genuinely good premise and foundation that has so much potential. Who doesn’t fantasize about falling in love on vacation? The characters, at a base level, are really good characters that you’re rooting for- it’s just that none of the proposed romances have a fundamental chemistry, especially the secondary one with Quinn. Like I don’t think I understood why everyone was saying there were sparks because it just kind of felt like normal conversation to me? With the main relationship, the instant infatuation doesn’t feel very genuine and it’s maybe a bit superficial. The one liners this guy is giving end up coming off creepy when they could have been cute had their relationship had a little more context or depth to it. I don’t want to spoil the ending for anyone giving it a go but I didn’t like how quickly this relationship takes off and how possessive and controlling the guy ends up being. If I had a fling with a guy on a cruise when my life was going to shit, this ending would be my absolute nightmare scenario.

I think there’s a lot more that could’ve been done with this book, for example each of the chapters is titled after where they are geographically but you don’t really get the sense of any of those cultures or any unique activities specific to those locations. There’s quite a bit of overuse of the term fling and so many references to lemons and lemonade that’s just a bit overdone. But again such a good premise and I mean that ending isn’t for everyone but was definitely interesting to say the least.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was interested in the premise of the book and it started off seeming to be a fun read. I normally enjoy dual-POVs but this time it just didn't work for me and I found myself only wanting to read one protagonists POV and couldn't find a real connection to the characters. I wanted to DNF this book about halfway through but read until the end and felt everything was predictable.

The story & set up had me hooked from the start but unfortunately the story and writing seemed to fizzle about 50 pages in, the meet-cute was sweet but seems to just jump straight into Insta-love trope but in a repetitive way, the characters kept on saying ‘fling, fling’ & since there was little to no build to the relationship it just felt all a little rushed. Some of the writing could use work, phrases like ‘little swimmers’ wasn’t necessary and the duel POV’s were confusing to follow, especially when the friend group was in the conversation

Easy & light read though

3.5-4*

A cute and lighthearted rom-com with a lot of inclusivity and just a dash of drama.

My bias for this book is a little heavy, because I've always dreamed of going on a cruise. And honestly, this idea was what grabbed my attention initially.
This is a vacation read, from the whole setting to the feeling in general. It was like taking a break from anything real for a few hours, a much needed and well deserved holiday. The story is mostly laid-back, even if the characters have a somewhat rough past. I really enjoyed their time together on the boat and the side cast was also entertaining. What bugged me the most was the ending, which felt a little rushed. I wish it had been a little bit more developed and taken a little longer for the story to finish.
In all, this is a fun read, for when you need a pleasant read that doesn't take too much energy. The thing I most appreciated was how inclusive the book was, it dealt with their disabilities in a kind and respectful manner. Both characters were living their lives and enjoying their time, despite their problems in the past and present. Neither of them let their conditions refrain them from having fun and doing what they wanted.
It was my first book from Laura Brown and I liked her writing. The style was a little different from most of my reads, 3rd person pov that change between characters during the chapter. In the beginning it took me some time to get used to it, but not much and it didn't diminish the whole experience. I will be looking forward to reading more from her in the future.


Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

• Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity of reading this ARC and providing feedback! •

I have to say that right from the start the premise of this book seemed like something that would be right up my alley and that happened to be so true. I'm an avid cruise lover and just the thought of being transported to that place already put me on a good mood. It was so fun being transported to each port of call and to the on cruise activities.

I also have to say that I really enjoyed both Cole and Mac. They were very adorable from the start, making me swoon at various different points of the book. I have to warn you that if you're a fan of slow burn this book might not be for you. Due to the nature of cruises things happen at a much quicker rate and I loved that in it.

This book was also able to tie together sweet moments as well as truly impactful messages of self confidence, grief of a life lost due to trauma and the ins and outs of having to find a purpose. I found myself cheering on the characters and hoping that everything happened like I had envisioned.

A cruise fling is perfect for when you want to read a light romance novel that happens on a cruise but is still able to have moments where real life conversations happen. I'm very in love with this book and insanely happy that I found this book as it was perfect for me.

#netgalley #acruisefling

A Cruise Fling was a very fun read, especially on my Caribbean vacation! I really liked the dynamic between Cole and Mac, but I especially loved the role the side characters played in the plot.
This story was definitely the epitome of insta love, but I found Laura Brown's writing style compensated for that. It still felt like the characters really knew each other, despite the short time they spent together. Overall this was a fun, light read that I would recommend for anyone looking for an easy beach read.

This book gave me the ick. I did not like it at all. I didn't feel a connection with the characters. The spicy parts weren't that spicy. I found myself not really liking any of the characters. This book also seemed very predictable. This one was just not for me.