This book was a solid 4 stars.
It was a fun, spicy, toe-curling romance with a love triangle that didn't bother me.
I literally read it in one day.
Most of the time I avoid books with love triangle trope because they tend to make me feel bad for one of the characters and I just can't finish them, but in this one, I picked my side almost at the start and it was so entertaining.
I am IN LOVE with Eliza of course, I always fall for the main character, and she was just so well-written that it seems like I was watching a movie in my head.
This romance is for you if you like a spicy and funny book with multiple POVs.

I LOVE THIS BOOK! Full review on Instagram!

Eliza is the best and I love all of her and Oscar’s kinkiness. Can’t wait for Tom to find his person!

Great read and I will definitely be buying a physical copy for my shelf so that I can read it over and over again!

More Than Shipmates was such a fun, charming, sweet debut novel!
Love triangles, laughter, cruise ship banter and comradery and growth after failures is what this book is all about and I am here for it! Eliza believes she is a failure at everything. Cant get into drama school, is chosen over someone else in her boyfriends life, cant win for anything attitude that pushes her to start new somewhere where she knows no one and cant get away even if she wants to. It isn't until she starts doing her job as cruise ship entertainment that she starts to believe she can do more than just fail. In fact, she can thrive. The cruise ship life means she gets to help and be helped by the patrons of the ship and the employees and she loves it.
This was a cute, quick, romance that is perfect for a beach read and even more perfect for the cruise read.
Will recommend to everyone!
Thank you to Netgalley and Summer Stars Publishing for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book! This is my first “love triangle” book and it took me through a whirlwind of emotions! It was a quick, fun easy read. Taking place on a ship was a different character location that I really enjoyed as well! And

Honestly, I didn't connect to this story like I thought I would. I couldn't understand Eliza and was constantly getting frustrated by her. I do appreciate the growth we saw throughout the book but this just wasn't it for me.

The love triangle did seem believable and that's sometimes hard to convey. I enjoyed many of the side characters and their lives on a cruise ship. It was fun to see the scandalous games they played.

Thank you to NetGalley and Summer Stars Publishing Limited for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

What a refreshing read! I love the premise, and also how you weren’t sure where the author was taking you. The ending wasn’t as predictable as we are accustomed in the romance genre and while I love a good HEA as much as anyone, I was thrilled and enthralled to see where the journey ended (if it has to end of course).

While I was impressed by the realistic and relatable FMC, I thought the development of the other two MMC was wonderful as well. I would have liked to learn more about Tom, but it appears we may get the chance with the next book. 100% looking forward to it!

Definitely recommend as your next summer read!

Eliza wants a fresh start so she moves half way across the world to work on a cruise ship. She’s determined not to get romantically involved with anyone, so of course she finds two love interests on the ship.

I really liked this book! All the characters were great, the banter was spot on, learning about life on a cruise ship was fun and the spice was 🥵🥵🥵 (Oscar and his mouth - oh my!)

⚓️ RomCom
🛳️ Forced Proximity
⚓️ Love Triangle
🛳️ Bisexual validation 🧡

Totally recommend this book if you’re into spicy romcoms!

What a fun, spicy, sweet story! This was such a good book to read at the beginning of the summer, to feel good & light & happy! Eliza is a sweetheart who is just trying to start fresh after not meeting some goals she set for herself and being burned by an ex. I don't usually like love triangle stories, but this story was just so fun-- on the cruise ship with the games-- it stayed so sweet & fun (lol how many times can I say "fun" in this review), I loved every minute of it. I also loved that for such a fun (4) story, the characters had depth, the plot was intriguing, & the setting was unique & inspirational. Overall, a great summer read!
Thank you for the ARC!!!

will post review on instagram week of 06/04; immediately posting to goodreads & twitter

Thank you to Netgalley, Philippa Young, and the publishers for an advanced copy of More than Shipmates!

WOW!
Are you a fan of...
-Below Deck?
-Musicals?
-Loveable FMCs?
-Love triangles (done well)?
-A fun cast of characters?
-RuPauls Drag Race?

If you answered yes to at least one of these questions, I promise this book is for you. It is the perfect summer read. I mean I thought the setting of a cruise ship couldn't get any better, but alas it exceeded my expectations ten-fold.

I was apprehensive to read a book with a love triangle because I feel like those can so easily bring me back to my YA days, but honestly this book did it more than justice. All three of the main characters were fun, well developed, and had a surprising amount of heart. Of course, I'm only human, so I obviously had a favorite guy that I was rooting for. But, Young wrote this book in a way that regardless of who you wanted to end up together, the other option was still a good one.

I think this book was so much fun. I was surprised how much it catered to me specifically. I mean my favorite two reality TV shows (Below Deck and RPDR) were represented in full force and my unwavering love for musicals was also given its due diligence. I thought all of the fun drinking games were an excellent touch, and the slowburn of the relationship was actually perfect.

I will say, one thing that I didn't love was the conflict around the 70% mark. It felt like we fell into it too easily and we resolved it too quickly. Meanwhile there were just huge chunks of brooding in the middle. I understand where the author was coming from and why this specific conflict point was important, but to me it didn't feel as natural as it could have.

However, I think this book is excellent and I think everyone should pick it up and take it with them for summer vacation this year!

Philippa Young's debut novel "More Than Shipmates" is a tension-filled romantic comedy that had me cheering on the main character, Brit Eliza, as she throws herself into a new job, working aboard a cruise ship as part of their entertainment division.

Eliza, a theater nerd and super performer at heart, convinces herself that this opportunity is her only option, after having to quit a series of jobs at home and getting rejected from theater school (multiple times). I enjoyed seeing Eliza's character development throughout the book - initially a closed-off skeptic who's past hurts have caused her to be cautious in both her personal and professional life, Eliza slowly but surely begins to open up and come into herself while working her cruise ship contract thanks in part to new friendships and several romantic interests along the way. Tom, the American boy with as much emotional baggage as Eliza, and Oscar, Eliza's new mentor and fellow Brit, provide a delicious love triangle that had me guessing until the end who she would end up with.

Eliza's path to self-discovery is a rough one, and readers can't help but sympathize as they learn how Eliza ended up as 20-something, riddled with so much self-doubt that it's heartbreaking. But with Tom and Oscar, both vying for her affection, and all of the swoon-worthy declarations of love they make along the way, the choice on who to pick becomes a tough one as Eliza begins to find herself again.

This was a solid rom-com read with multiple tropes including: Love Triangle/Multiple Love Interests; Forced Proximity; Workplace; Cruise Ship. And some nice kinks thrown in for good measure (Eliza's got a praise kink and likes to be choked - who knew!)

Despite being fairly lengthy for a romance read (at almost 500 pages), if you're looking for a light-hearted, feel-good romance read that will have you wanting to sign up as Carnival Cruise's next entertainment crew member, "More Than Shipmates" is just the pick!

[I was given an Advanced Reader Copy by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

First off I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for letting me review the book early. It was such a great store. This is the first time I have read a cruise ship story. My family cruises often and the detailing was pretty spot on.

The love triangle was a good one. I am not normally a big fan of them but this HEA and friendship just fit perfectly. I loved all the characters in the book. It was a nice quick read. The spicy scenes were so good without being too much.

Thank you again to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review More Than Shipmates! The book was so great for a debut! I’m already looking forward to book 2 from Philipa Young

review posted on Goodreads on 6/6/23!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this e-book for me to review! All opinions are my own <3

This book was very interesting because the setting was so unique! reading a book set on a cruise ship was definitely new and exciting. This book is sweet, with a 'why choose' love triangle, and all the spice. the spicy meter is subjective, but ill rate it a 3.5/5.
Apart from the romance and the spice, the FMC had some self-growth and it was nice to read!
Several scenes in this book had me giggling and I really enjoyed the characters! A fun summer read would definitely recommend it (:

When Eliza is rejected from drama school again after been cheated on, she runs away to work on a cruise ship, promising herself no more men, and hoping to find a place where she feels like she's enough.

The three main characters are all brilliantly likeable and although Love triangles aren't usually my favourite genre this one was really well written and kept me guessing for a while.

Totally swoon worthy, loads of spice and humour, this book is the perfect summer beach read.

A brilliant debut, I loved it so much and can't wait to read more from the author.
And now I'd quite like to go on a cruise!

More Than Shipmates, Philipa Young
Out now!

Stock up on sunscreen and hop aboard! This cruise based tale makes for a perfect summer read!

More Than Shipmates Is a debut rom-com that is sweet and a bit spicy, quirky and playful - what’s not to like?

The characters are likeable and flawed. The plot is fun and filled with young careful energy that makes me seriously wonder why the heck did I not ever work on a cruise line?!?

More Than Shipmates is a quick paced read with three POV’s - the FMC’s view is complimented by two male shipmates. Both of whom are vying her attention. Of course.

Cute banter ✅
Love triangle ✅
Forced proximity ✅
Miscommunication ✅
Rom-com with steam ✅

Seriously, so well done for a debut! I’m already looking forward to book 2 from Philipa Young!

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review More Than Shipmates!

This book started out so good! I loved the concept of it taking place on a cruise ship and following the staff. I really liked the three main characters at first but as the book went on I started not to like the FMC and the main MMC. I also think the pacing of the book was lacking. The whole middle didn't really have much going on and the main conflict wasn't pushing the book along as much as I would've liked. I also wasn't a fan of the love triangle troupe and I think this story would've worked better as a traditional romance or a reverse harem. Overall, it was really funning and interesting. I also loved all the theater references and the Spotify playlist that went along with the book. If you are wanting a low stakes, super easy read with some spice, this is for you.

I was definitely pulled to request this book based on the provided genres and it looked like a good read for vacation! So I was happy to be approved for the read on NetGalley.

I enjoyed the multiple POVs, though I was hoping for more of a love triangle from our three MCs - Eliza, Oscar, and Tom. Or even more internal dialogue and struggle with Eliza trying to choose between the two. Instead, it appeared Oscar was going to come out on top from early on.

There were many, many steamy moments and a few sex parties that seemed to happen to randomly. And after the initial one, we don’t see another one for quite some time. With erotica as one of the genres, I kind of expected a bit more raunchiness.

It was on the long side as far as books go in this genre, and I felt like some of the story repeated from time to time. But I appreciated the touch of reality while characters dealt with death in the family, grief, imposter syndrome, jealousy, and facing failures.

3.75 rounding up to 4. I enjoyed this story! I never gave much thought to the lives behind the scene on a cruise ship, and this was a fun, romanticized version. The buildup and the spice was perfect. There were more than a few cute LOL moments. There was also quite a fair bit of heavy truth mixed in- imposter syndrome, dealing with death of a family member, reinvention, and I particularly enjoyed that the frenemy was not forgiven offhandedly.

I thought myself fairly good with British slang and terms, this book gave me some new ones to look up 😂

The book was a little on the long side, I did feel a 3rd quarter drag, but the ending came along and wrapped up in a lovely, satisfying, HEA.

Thank you netgalley for providing an arc.

If you're looking for a fun, spicey, happily ever after book that just happens to have characters that are the embodiment of Below Deck yachties only on a much much bigger scale, a cruise ship scale that is then this is the perfect book for you.

While we're on the topic of cruise ships I have to say I'm fascinated by the crew life and have watched so many youtube videos that it's comical and this book is just so in line with what I've seen if you added a ton of snark and some spice that will leave you fanning yourself.

Eliza is one of those characters that you root for, that you want to see succeed and find love and have a ton of fun along the way.

Seeing all of our characters go through this choppy sea of ups and downs misunderstandings and moments that made me blush has this book at the top of my list of summer books.

This book is so much fun to read I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to Summer Stars Publishing Limited and NetGalley for providing a copy of this E-Book, I have voluntarily read and reviewed it and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

So sweet and perfect for the summer! Eliza is a 20-something aspiring actress looking for her path in life after a tough breakup. She finds herself working on the entertainment team on a Caribbean cruise for the next 6 months. She quickly realizes that ship life might be everything she was looking for after making friends and finding her self confidence.

One thing she was not looking for is anything romantic, but may have found it with not one, but two, of her new colleagues: Handsome, funny American Tom and mysterious but gorgeous Oscar.

The story follows her 6 month contract as she navigates the new job, her past friendships, her insecurities, and opening up to love again.

Definitely beach-read worthy with lots of lovable characters just enough spice!

I devoured this book today! This is the perfect book for summer. Whether you are reading at the pool, on vacay, or sitting around the house, the cruise ship vibes will keep you smiling. This book definitely has some spicy parts, but it also has a lot of heart and I love it all! The fact that I found out that we are getting more Tom in the future also made me happy. Do yourself a favor and grab this one to add to your summer TBR!
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 (without being awkward or too anatomical)
I was provided a free copy of this book in an exchange for an honest review.