We meet Eliza as she's preparing to embark on a new career as an entertainer on a cruise ship. While waiting for her boat, she meets a handsome American named Tom and they instantly connect. She's promised herself she won't have a fling with any co-workers though, and she attempts to friend zone him.

Once on the boat, she enters what she thinks is her room and is met with a tall, muscled, drool-worthy man named Oscar. Her promise to herself is put to the test, but she stays strong...until the games begin.

Apparently everyone on the ship is a total horndog. All of the employee bonding activities include nearly-naked time and lots of fooling around. It was a little excessive to be honest and made the characters seem less mature.

Even with this small complaint, More Than Shipmates caused me to DM the author at all hours of the night because I was so invested in the story. I may have even threatened to riot of Eliza didn't end up with my favorite guy.

This is the price of writing a binge-worthy read.

It is the way of love triangles, and this one was handled very very well. Eliza, Tom, and Oscar played off each other perfectly, and while I had a clear favorite as to who I thought Eliza should pick, both men were worthy. Tom had major golden retriever energy, a slightly tortured past, and cared deeply for Eliza. Oscar was more mysterious and reserved with a dark past of his own.

Each man was also varied in their...tastes. I felt awful for each various times during the story because they were both trying so hard to find themselves, but they kept being met with resistance.

All three characters made some tough changes to their lives and for their mental health that made you root for them the entire book.

Except for that one scene with Instagram stalking. That'll make you want to reach into the book and do some damage while screaming NO, ELIZA! LOOK AWAY! (But don't worry. You'll recover.)

The genuine concern Eliza, Tom, and Oscar have for each other made this book un-put-downable, and each character is given a happy ending of their own. I look forward to reading the next book in this series!

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

More Than Shipmates follows a cast of entertainment hosts on a cruise ship including guest interactions, activities, and off ship excursions. The setting of this book is really what drew me to it since it's been a while since I've been on a cruise and miss that atmosphere. Philippa Young really sells the setting and plot of the story through the plot and setting descriptions. I really liked the summery and vacation-y feel this book has. The FMC, Eliza, has not had much career or personal luck which has lead her to starting over by taking a 6 month contract on a cruise ship. With anticipation of growing her performing experience while meeting new people and perhaps a new love interest, Eliza is throughout shown to be bubbly, friendly, and trying her best. I really enjoyed her spirit even if she came off as a tad boy-crazy at times, I probably would be too if I was surrounded by such eligible bachelors.
The two MMC's, American Tom and British Oscar, add a lot to Eliza's development both from supportive friends and co-workers and possible relationship partners. Eliza and both MMC's were shown to have undeniable sexual chemistry and emotional bonds that I really could have seen her going with either option.
As someone who usually hates love triangles, More Than Shipmates had that plot but not in a drawn out way. I appreciated that the love triangle was present but not the main issue. While the first half of the book was a tad slow for me, the second half I could not put down. This is a great summer read for anyone looking for a spicy rom-com with an escape from reality and a great cast of characters.

TW: Cheating, explicit spicy scenes

The book is about Eliza, who used to live in London but packed her whole life up for a job at sea. Eliza is quite insecure when she first gets on the ship, worried that the other staff won’t appreciate her input. Her insecurities come from a number of things but through the book you can really see the character development and I’m so happy to see it. It was refreshing to see a main character fight through it, but not for a man, but for herself. She wanted to stay in the end, whether it was with Oscar or not.

I loved the spice, the jokes between her and Tom, even if I disliked him a little bit there for a second.
I could not stop reading this last night, and hurried to finish it this morning. It was so so so good. I definitely want the physical cope on my bookshelf asap!
And I look forward to Tom’s book so much!

While I loved the setting and found that the writing was easy to read and flowed well, the story itself just wasn’t for me. The multiple points of view meant that events were rehashed rather than moving the story along. I also am not a fan of love triangles. Otherwise, the glimpse into life behind the scenes on a cruise ship kept me interested in the story. This just wasn’t for me.

The story was captivating and well written. I found myself laughing a lot, but I didn’t fall in love. I thought this was a why choose book and instead it was a love triangle. Which was my mistake for interpreting the blurb like I did. Personally love triangles are not my cup of tea but I can admit when a story was good regardless!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an ARC on such short notice!

Once I saw that this book had a love triangle and was specifically written for the new-adult genre, I was hooked. Pun intended.

Cannot recommend this book enough to 20'somethings that crave adventure, romance, loveable characters (aka characters that have flaws), and cruise ships where awkward encounters are bound to happen!

Plus the smut is spicy :)

I really liked this book. I am not usually a fan of love triangles but it was done well. I also really liked the cruise aspect and the life on board. I most of the time really liked Eliza even though there were some moment where she annoyed me. I also kind if disliked how she wnet from Tom to Oscar back to Tom again. I also thought that the last 15% were unnecessary, there was drama just to create drama and conflict and it wasn't needed in my opinion. I was also very happy with Eliza's choice of her final love interest.

I'd love to give an honest review but unfortunately I DNF'd not long in, I just couldn't find myself keeping interested in the story. Maybe one day I'll come back to the story and feel more captured.

More Than Shipmates by Phillipa Young was a great read. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the whole love triangle, but I got on board once I saw how it was going to play out.
Eliza comes to the ship with a broken life and a broken heart with plans to not let a boy mess with her head, to be all business. But, best laid plans and all, right? She has a meet cute with some American guy before she boards the ship, and Oops, he is also going to be crew as well! (Tom) She has a meet cute with another guy when there is a cabin mix-up, Oscar, who is actually Harvey, the scene where she finds out why is pretty funny. (There is also another guy who she hooks up with in the dark at one of the party games but doesn’t know who he is.) Both guys are into her and she is into both guys. If you have issues with promiscuity and lots of people being cool with being naked and sexual with each other, this might not be for you, but it’s only in the beginning of the book, I think, to show what it’s like for crew members on their off time. There’s cheating (not between MCs), perceived cheating (between MCs), hurt feelings, secrets, a lot of sleeping around (off page in the past and currently for some MCs), etc.
A few things I really liked: I adored Oscar, he really had changed his life around and he really always did what he thought was best. The freaking sexual build-up. A lot of steamy scenes that were interrupted to keep edging the characters (and the reader, let’s be honest), Eliza’s growth, it was slow but when she finally got there it was rewarding.
A few things I was so-so about: the spice was ok. I’ve read better and I’ve read worse and much much worse. I wouldn’t call it super descriptive, I would have liked a little more. Tom… as a romantic lead? Nah, a big no for me. As a friend? Eh… I think he was getting there. Tom is still a boy, that’s the problem I think.
One thing I didn’t like: while some things were very obvious (the talent show and their performance, I called it as soon as the storyline started) it was whatever, there was no harm to the story line. The one that bothered me, even though I knew it, was the make out partner from the party game. The way is was used and found out was just an easy way to alleviate the angst (or at least it felt like it).
All in all, it was a fun read. I really enjoyed More Than Shipmates and I would definitely read more of Phillipa’s work, it will be interesting to see what she does with the MC in the next book.

I wanted to like this. I only got to about 20% and I DNF'd it. I typically dont like love triangles but the reviews were great about it so I decided to give it a shot. honestly i felt like there was too much random filler stuff in between and not much plot. And the two guys were very similar in my opinion and I was getting them confused. Maybe one day I'll come back to this but not for me right now.

was very excited to get a copy of this book from NetGalley! Seeing I'm headed off for a cruise soon I was looking for a book to lead into the excitement of my trip and this one certainly did it for me! I've read a few other cruise themed books and though good they didn't seem to involve enough of the day to day activities and adventures on a cruise ship to make you really feel like the story took place on a cruise ship. This one on the other had did an excellent job sprinkling in cruise themed activities throughout to give you the cruise line vibe. I really liked the characters in this book. Th try seemed to be well developed and ones you wanted to route for. I loved the storylines related to Eliza and her musical theater background and her experiences with that on the cruise ship as well as her working to build the haunted house! The rant on earl gray tea was funny as well!! The biggest fault for me was it seemed a little bit long at times. I feel like the section of the book when Oscar had to leave for 6 weeks and she was worried about him cheating was either just too long or it seemed forced in general. I did love how the story came together at the end! There were times that it got quite steamy which wasn't for me but I'm sure it would be enjoyable for other readers. Overall it was a great story and way better than I was expecting from this debut author. The authors note at the beginning and end were quite funny as well! I feel like the book was more of a 3.5 rounded up but I will definitely still be looking to read the next book she's writing about Tom. This review is also posted on my Goodreads account as well

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

HOLY SHIT.. this book is AMAZING! It was my first ever book set on a cruise and my first ever time reading a love triangle trope and i am officially obsessed.

I thoroughly enjoyed the setting and the whole lifestyle of working on a cruise ship, running the events, visiting the ports, it was all so fun. But then you get to the night life... the parties... the games... I ATE IT ALL UP!! It was so spicy, so entertaining, i LOVED it!!!

I'm not going to lie, I was skeptical about the love triangle trope at first, but I think in this book it was perfectly executed. There's no cheating (thank god) and it was overall very intriguing. The sexual tension between Oscar and Eliza was so intense but in the best way possible. But Eliza's dynamic with Tom also had me rooting for them!!

Overall, if you're looking for a fun, rom com, spicy af, summer time read, I could not recommend this book enough!!! PLEASE READ IT!!!

More Than Shipmates is out now!!!

Seriously, if you ever decide to read any one of my book suggestions, please let it be this one!! You will not be disappointed!!!

⭐️3.9 🔥2.8

🧲 Forced Proximity 🧲
💚♻️ Love triangle ♻️💚
⚓️ Workplace Romance ⚓️

Set on a cruise ship, "More Than Shipmates" has all the ingredients for a steamy and fun read.
The book gives us three points of view: the FMC, Eliza, and her two male love interests. Eliza could be a bit annoying at times, but overall I still really enjoyed the book and I appreciated how much she developed.
Now, I usually can't stand love triangles, but this one was surprisingly easy to get into. I think the lack of toxic masculinity in the male characters, and their willingness to look past their jealousy makes it easier.
Tom is super lovable, funny and compassionate and gives naughty Golden Retriever vibes. He also has depth though in his silent struggle with his mental health following a loss.
Everyone on the ship sees Oscar, as a straight-arrow, typical work-focused, no-nonsense guy, who is committed to mentoring Eliza. However, it turns out he is a reformed party boy with a filthy mouth who is the perfect soft top 🥵
<blockquote> "On your knees. Mouth open. Tongue out."</blockquote>
<blockquote>"You going to stay nice and quiet for me?"</blockquote>
<img src="https://media.tenor.com/4DpX1BfQ68cAAAAi/hot-melt.gif"/>
I really liked both Tom and Oscar. I really felt like (hoped) it had a chance of turning into an MMF, as Oscar (who is bi) and Tom share a kiss early on they both enjoy. I liked the scandalous games with their co-workers, they were hot 🥵
There were a couple of confusing moments in the writing, like when someone was mentioned as "still only wearing a towel" without any context. It momentarily threw me off but didn't ruin the overall fun.
My only gripe with this book is the way things are left hanging for the love interest who doesn't end up with Eliza. It was sort of like they declared their love and just had to get over it? They go back to being friends, but since we had the perspectives of all three characters, it feels like they vanish from the story for a while. I think it would have felt more satisfying if we had a glimpse of their perspective during that time, or maybe if we had less of their POV to begin with. However, I've heard that this love interest is getting their own book, which I would read because he deserves all the happiness 🥹
That all being said I was happy with who she ended up with ✨❤️
It was a fun and cute read.. The forced proximity and spicy dorm-room antics add to the thrill. Despite its length, the book was easy to read, and I enjoyed myself throughout 👏

😈🪽 Praise/Degrade
🔭 Public spice

I'm an avid romance reader, and the tropes, storylines, and archetypes can feel repetitive after a while. But Phillipa Young's book, More Than Shipmates, had many refreshing components and was different from my typical romance read.

Here's why the book is so endearing.

For one, the setting is on a cruise ship. Yes, a cruise ship. I mean, talk about forced proximity! I'd never read a book with characters who work on a cruise ship, so I loved that aspect of the novel. I also loved the camaraderie between Eliza and her friends/fellow coworkers and enjoyed the parties, events, and games that they'd play together. It just seemed like so much fun, and that atmosphere was tangible throughout the book.

I enjoyed Eliza as our heroine and appreciated the complexity of her past, and how it intertwined with her present life on the cruise ship. Eliza's narration was witty and sharp, just like her character. I liked that we got to read chapters from both Tom's and Oscar's perspectives, too. The spicy scenes from Oscar's POV just... hit differently.

As for the romance aspect itself, I've surprisingly not read many books featuring love triangles. That being said, I do wish that there had been more vacillating between Tom and Oscar as love interests. Eliza was fooling around with Tom, and I really liked their dynamic - but then he got friend-zoned and she pursued a real relationship with Oscar. Out of the two men, I think Eliza did end up with the best person for her, but I personally prefer my love triangles to be messy and dramatic. This love triangle was a bit messy, but that mess was contained for the most part. Eliza was sort of with Tom, and then not friends with him at all; Eliza and Tom makeup, and become friends again, but Tom wants more; Eliza friend-zones Tom and pursues Oscar; Eliza and Oscar date. It was too compartmentalized for my liking.

Ultimately, I really enjoyed More Than Shipmates and recommend it to any romance reader looking to shake up their reading repertoire.

Thank you to the author/publisher via NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of More Than Shipmates to review. All thoughts are my own and are not influenced by any third party. #MoreThanShipmates #NetGalley

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Tropes & what to expect:
- forced proximity
- starting over
- love triangle

A cute and fun debut novel that ultimately fell flat for me.

Eliza signs up to work on a six-month cruise as an entertainment host after a series of disappointing events leaves her feeling like she’s never good enough and she needs to escape. On board she meets Tom and Oscar, both of whom she develops feelings for but who come with their own share of baggage.

I really wanted to love this book but I didn’t really connect with any of the characters, it took a long time for the story to pick up, and the pacing was weird. This book was almost 500 pages long and yet it felt like nothing was really happening? I definitely expected more growth from the characters but was left disappointed. The writing was okay, the whole rom com vibe felt a little forced and I personally found it to be more cringe than funny. I also found this book to be a bit too immature, both with regard to the writing and the characters.
The romance was fun and the spice (abundant but not very graphic) was enjoyable. I don’t know if this is actually a cruise ship crew thing but it felt like literally everyone was hooking up? It felt like a switch was flipped and everyone was suddenly super horny lol.

Overall, the setting was unique and original and had a lot of potential, but I expected more plot and character growth and unfortunately couldn’t really get into the story.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

‘More than Shipmates’ is a wonderful debut novel by Philippa Young

1. All romance novels have to have a romantic setting, and who would have thought that a cruise ship was worthy? It made me want to join the voyage as a crew member (and I have zero talent so immediately wouldn’t be accepted). Horny crewmen and heart throbs throughout, what isn’t to love?

2. The love triangle between Eliza, Tom and Oscar (Harvey) was incredible. You yearn to know more and constantly wonder what is going to happen next and who is Eliza’s love.

3. The spice 🌶️, there was just enough from teasing to specific fantasies.

4. The humour was top tier, although also remind me not to go on a minibus with Mrs Dove as I would not have reminded calm at all.

5. I am a sucker for a playlist, and this book comes with one full of musical theatre- again sign me up I want to join!

A must read. It isn’t just about the spice, there is a story of comradely and friendship throughout and you will really want to join a cruise ship while reading.

4.5 stars ⭐️

Thank you to Net Galley, Philippa Young and Summer Stars Publishing for allowing me to read an advanced copy of More than Shipmates (published June 2023)

Eliza wanting to escape how her life is not going the way she would like it to. From multiple rejections to drama school, feeling like she fits in nowhere while lonely and single. She sets off to work on a cruise ship with a new perspective in mind. Little does she know that all her dreams will come true.

I love when books have playlists! First, the message at the beginning of the book had my laughing my ass off!😂 I definitely highlighted a lot of parts in this book.

Tom and Eliza’s friendship was beautiful to read about and I wish I could have watched their performance for the talent show.

The sexy party games turned up all the heat while reading this book.🔥🔥 I wanted to join in on the fun! Definitely gave me some ideas for party games. So many different times I laughed while reading this book.

Romantic comedies has always been my top favorite to read and this book was perfect to start the Summer break with! Finally finding out who had Eliza’s badge threw me for a loop! I also can’t wait to read the second book about Tom!


Thank you to NetGalley EARC! As always, my review is my opinion and thoughts.

I flew through this book in two days. I loved it.

An easy, light summer read. The plot centres around Eliza, starting a new job on a cruise ship in the Caribbean.

This romance was something different to everything else I've read and I really enjoyed it. There was depth to all of the characters, and even though there was a lot, you find yourself enjoying all of them. I'm not normally a fan of a love triangle but I'm a sucker for multiple POVs. As a musical theatre enthusiast, I loved all of the references, although as someone who's not into theatre, these may be a little hard to follow along with? Although without understanding the references, nothing is taken away from the plot.

I got this book as an ARC for an honest review through NetGalley.

thank you NetGalley for my copy of More Than Shipmates!

this book was such a pleasant surprise. the setting of it being on a cruise ship was like nothing i’ve read before. also, the love triangle was perfect. i hate love triangles, but this was not too “pick one person right now” it felt very accurate to how dating is in real life. i say that only because of timing with dating people & dating in general.

the thing i loved most about this book was the fact that we got all 3 pov’s which is so nice so that we aren’t kept in the dark on backstories or anything. one thing i will say is that the book was very long & the chapters were longer than i typically like. i usually take breaks after i finish a chapter which is why i prefer short chapters but i did enjoy the drama. also the complexities of each character was also very nice, this book felt like a tv show because of how developed the story is. not only for the main characters but the others in the story.

i think this is a great summer read because it’s about traveling & finding yourself & people leaving on a cruise ship for a free months.

This was a very fun summery read! It was pretty fast paced and I liked how about half way through we got to see some POV swaps. Eliza Chapman was an interesting character to get to follow on this cruise ship and see all the adventures she got up to. All the Ship drama and love affairs were fun to follow along with. I also loved all the amazing side characters! We get a love triangle of sorts in this following Tom and Oscar Harvey and I really liked both of their characters as well. Yes this was a romance but it also felt like a self discovery for Eliza which was a nice addition. I would definitely recommend this book and look forward to the next one!