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

Before I found out I could request this on Netgalley, I saw this book somewhere on social media. I don't know who posted about it, or how I came across it, but I was like "Oh, what a cute and wholesome lil cartoon cover. I love cruises I'm going to read this!"

Don't let the cartoon cover fool you. Philippa Young has packed this book full of hot, filthy spice and I loved every second of it. But more than the smut, she has also managed to create well rounded and unique characters, and fully fleshed out side characters. She created an entire world aboard a fictional cruise ship and I savoured every single second of this book. It took me six days to read it - it is a thicc boi - but I couldn't put it down. I found something I could connect with in each of the main characters - Oscar, Eliza, and Tom - and I literally had anxiety about wanting to know who Eliza ended up with. That nervous feeling is why I LOVE love triangles. Philippa Young is a master at her craft and I can't believe this is her debut novel.

I'm heavily invested in her and I can't wait to jump on the second book, which is a work in progress right now. I can't tell you who it involves, but when you finish this book you'll find out. Just, don't be put off by this cover. Pick up this book however you read and thank me later.

Get ready to apply for a job on a cruise ship to find the love of your life…

As she embarks on her first six-month cruise ship contract as an entertainment host, Eliza has given herself a few rules to follow, the main one being not to get mixed up with a boy. It’s easier said than done when on her first day she meets fellow new recruit Tom, and then her training buddy Oscar. She can’t deny that she’s not attracted to them, but she’s determined to keep her head down and enjoy the cruise ship experience and not mess things up. But working on a cruise ship for such an extended period of time means that lines blur between friends and lovers, only spurred on by the scandalous situations of crew nightlife. As Eliza struggles to keep her feelings at bay, there are more than just romantic opportunities that await her on the open seas, as new friendships are formed and dreams could be fulfilled.

Oh my GOD I couldn’t get enough of this book! Philippa absolutely knocked it out of the park with this debut and I was left desperately wanting another book of hers to read once I finished! I will be anxiously counting down the days until her next book, which just so happens to be a follow-up to this beauty, which makes me even more excited!

I adored the setting of a cruise ship, which has always intrigued me and was the perfect fodder for the forced-proximity trope. I don’t know how accurate Philippa’s portrayal was of actual cruise ship life, but I’m SO close to uprooting my life and embarking on a new journey working on a cruise ship to find the love of my life, which I know as an introvert would drain my social battery ALL the time.

Eliza had such great chemistry with both Tom and Oscar, and this book was one of the few times where I would have been happy for her to end up with either guy, although I was definitely rooting for one slightly more than the other. I also LOVED all of the side characters and was just as invested in their stories as I was the main trio - I would 100% love for Philippa to write more books all ALL of these characters.

I really enjoyed Philippa’s writing style, and loved getting to see Tom and Oscar’s perspectives sprinkled in with Eliza’s - I wasn’t expecting the book to have more than one perspective when we had Eliza’s for several chapters before switching things up with someone new. Also a rom-com that’s nearly 500 pages long? Sign me up for more like this!

If you’re searching for your next rom-com read, then look no further than this fun debut that will have you packing your bags for a Caribbean cruise!

If you like love triangles, the show Below Deck, forced proximity, or work romance... you will LOVE this one! I am a huge fan of Below Deck, the show, and this book had a similar vibe. I laughed so hard and thoroughly had a great time reading about all the characters. They are wild! Makes me wish I had taken up a cruise job in my younger years. More Than Shipmates was a blast to read, and Philippa Young did an amazing job with this one! Her writing got me from the very beginning. With multi POV, scandalous situations, and an abundance of temptation... I was hooked into every character's "situationship." Perfect summer read, so so good!

Follow along with Eliza, who is trying something new to escape her past. Yearning for a belonging and a fresh start, she applies for a position on a cruise ship. She will now be an entertainment host for the next six months. She has strict rules for herself and is positive she will never make the same mistakes she made in her past. Little does she know that this crew will make her question everything. Mistakes will be made, and the rules will be broken. Rule #1 DO NOT fall for a coworker!!

More than Shipmates was a cute summer read with both slow burn and some spice. I hadn't realized that this was a debut novel by Young, but it definitely has me looking forward to reading more of their books in the future.

This is a perfect summer read! Fun, lighthearted, with a little bit of a love triangle. Starts off as a little bit of a slow burn but my goodness is it spicy when it gets going! Loved all the show tune references as well. Definitely recommended if you want a perfect summery rom com for your holidays.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The perfect summer read! So much fun!

Set up on a cruise ship following the personal growth of Eliza and her two very charming love interests in this romance from the debut author Philippa Young was amazing.

I got through the story very quickly and found the story easy to read and follow. Eventhough the beginning was a bit slow and the pace does catch up eventually. This fun romcom made me laugh and swoon, Loving the banter and tension between Eliza and the love interests. While romance was part of the fun, I loved reading Eliza's journey of self discovery and personal growth. That was very well written.

I'm definitely interested in reading more of this author.


Thank you NetGalley and Summer Stars Publishing for providing me with this ARC.

4.5 stars ⭐️

I really enjoyed this spicy ship based romcom! It was fun, flirty and a perfect dose of escapism. Lots of tropes I love - grumpy/sunshine, love triangle and moving across the world but I really can't stand the 'girl doesn't realise how beautiful/talented/generally amazing she is' trope. I also wasn't a big fan of the Tara/Kate subplot and felt like it didn't add much to the book overall.

This is an excellent choice for a holiday read or just a light and fun book to enjoy this summer. I raced through it and can't wait to read the sequel!

With thanks to Summer Stars & Netgalley for the ARC

"Our worlds have finally collided, and nothing will ever be the same again."

4.5/5 ⭐️
2.75/5 🌶

I received this book as a Netgalley arc. It's the debut novel by Philippa Young.

This book was a great read. The story takes place on a cruise ship. I absolutely enjoyed the story of the MCs. It's about a love triangle, which is not my favorite trope, but the story was so well written that it didn't bother me one bit.

The character development of all the MCs is so beautiful and inspiring. It's about growth and self acceptance with the right amount of comedy and lovely side characters.

I highly recommend this book!

Read if you like:

✨️ bisexual representation
✨️self discovery
✨️workplace romance

Before ‘More Than Shipmates’, I’d not yet read a romance novel that plays on a cruise ship, but this synopsis was hilarious!

All characters in this story were positively charming and I loved the dynamics and relationships that were created over the course of the book. The slow burn aspect of the love triangle between Eliza, our main character starting her job in the entertainment branch on a cruise, as well as Tom and Oscar was really well done and made for a looot of tension.
At times I felt like the plot could’ve been cut short ever so slightly, but that was only the case for 1-2 moments. Other than that, it was a delightful read and both the storyline and characters were absolutely lovely. I also really enjoyed Philippa’s writing style, it was fun and easy-going. Flew through the pages like it was nothing.
And the level of spice! Whew, definitely a 10/10 for the hot shit that went down on this boat. Next time I want to be a passenger too please!!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC and opportunity to read and review this book.

Absolutely loved this book, every character had their own flaws and charm and the story was a pleasure to read. I honestly can’t fault the book at all and am so excited to hear about the sequel.

Review posted to my Storygraph and Goodreads also.

More Than Shipmates, Philippe Young’s debut novel was a delight. At first I was frustrated with the slow burn aspect however the pace picked up and the story sped ahead at full speed with enough drama and twists and turns to keep me guessing at how things would go. I enjoyed the coming of age aspect and watching Eliza grow into her own. I definitely recommend this and can’t wait for Philippe Young’s next book.

t took me a while to get into it, but once I did I really enjoyed it! At first I thought the book was a why choose/reverse harem, but I then realized it was a love triangle; I do wish it was more triangle-y, though.

I did find myself relating to Eliza. Her saying that she felt like a failure really hit me. Her getting rejected from school, before her parents told her the truth, is something I related to. Her situation with Tara and Kate is similar to something I’ve gone through before so I really found myself feeling for Eliza and understanding where she was coming from and why she acted the way she did.

For a debut novel, Philippa did a great job!! 3.5 stars

What a breath of fresh rom-com air! Phillippa Young's debut novel More Than Shipmates was the perfect mix of steamy, sweet and silly! The author brought life to contemporary romance with a fresh setting - a cruise ship and gave the reader a glimpse into all of the shenanigans that likely occur behind closed doors in the crew bunks!

Eliza finds herself lost in life, working for a brother she can't stand. She needs a major life change after several denials from drama school - so she signs up for a 6 month contract on a cruise ship as an Entertainment host! Upon arrival on her first day, she bumps into adorable Tom, the American comedian, and shortly after meets her super swoony trainer, Oscar Harvey. The story is told from multiple POVs, switching from these three characters, as they navigate their relationships as friends, coworkers, shipmates, and most importantly (this is a romance after all), love interests! Who will Eliza end up with? Will she finally discover her passion for life while onboard?

Things I loved about this book:
- Eliza's journey to finding herself again and the growth of her character
- The hilarious and loveable supporting cast. Major love to Obi and Valentina!
- The LGBTQIA+ inclusion
- The musical theatre themes
- The hilarious witty banter
- The multiple POVs. Those steamy scenes from Oscar's perspective just hit harder!

Things I didn't love about this book:
- The love triangle. I feel like it wasn't really a triangle? Tom and Eliza were really just friends with some blurred lines and sexual tension, and I didn't feel the true "battle" between lovers that you see in other love triangle tropes
- Some of the "games" scenes were a little hard to follow and I found myself re-reading paragraphs trying to figure out what the heck was going on
- Some of the dialect was a little confusing for me as an American since 2/3 of the main characters are British
- This was a BIT too long. I think over 500 pages for a Romance is cutting it a little overdone!

Overall, I truly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it as the perfect summer read! I wish I could read this book ON a cruise ship actually! I'm excited to share this with my community on my bookstagram, @spicymamabookclub.

Big thanks to Phillippa Young for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Summer Stars Publishing Limited for the advanced copy of this book.

HOLY SMOKES!! What a debut novel. Forced proximity. SPICE. Rom-Com. GREAT contemporary romance. Dare I say ship erotica might be my new favorite genre?? Seriously. You cannot help but fall in love with all three main characters. Not only does the author let all of their quirks, demons, and pitfalls show up, she also allows the book to build up to each of them working through their issues and traumas. So beautifully written, the smut, and the character development are just *chef kiss*. Also looooved how she let Eliza grapple with so many pivotal moments in her journey of self-discovery / self-love up until the very end. Already scoping when book 2 will be out!! Cannot wait for the next steamy debut novel!

Thank you to Netgalley and Summer Stars Publishing Limited for this ARC.

3.5⭐️

I really like the characters and the storyline, but for some reason, this book just dragged for me.

I absolutely adored this book. I ate it up like Nutella on toast. It was so so so cute, warm and wholesome with some great steamy scenes🔥 I adore Oscar; especially Oscar AND Eliza together. They make each other better and I’m all here for it. I did think it was a bit long, over 400 pages I think, especially for a romance, but by the end I had no faults and didn’t get bored at all. It was easy to read and omg, so hilariously funny. I was laughing by page one! I also appreciate the short chapters (my fave) and it was equally fast paced which made me not want to put the book down. I’m obsessed with Below Deck and this is legit al the BD vibes ✨ I loved Madison as well and wish I had more of her story though, she wasn’t in it as much but maybe another book? 👀 I must say though, those group parties were SO MUCH FUN!! iykyk 🔥 I legit was almost late for work when I was reading those chapters 😂also HUGE appreciation for the mention of musicals and the west end because I work there and it’s fun to see what you know come alive in books 🎭 *sings Six multiple times* 👑 I can’t really say anymore without spoilers, and I do spoiler free reviews but I really enjoyed this one as I’m desperate for book number two already 🥰 Philippa is definitely an author I’m keeping my eye on! And she’s also so friendly and has kindly chatted to me in my DMs as well 😊🥰

Thank you to @netgalley and the author @philippayoung for this #gifted #arc in exchange for an honest review. This book is out NOW so go grab yourself a copy!! 🛳️

I’m no stranger to smut but this book was a little different than expected. I will say that the developing relationship between Eliza and Oscar hooked me from about halfway in the book but the first half was a little too intimacy heavy and overshadowed the plot itself.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this arc!
I really enjoyed this. I just came home from my first cruise and saw cruise smut and thought—yep I need to read this.
Bi men in books!!! My only ?? Moment was a third act miscommunication which ultimately hinged on a bi stereotype which I assume was not intentional and was handled well by the other party, but it did raise my eyebrows when I read it.
Eliza was a delight and I loved her, and Oscar 👀🥵 I loveeeeee him.
Anyway most of the things I could write are spoilers so I shan’t. Just know this was a fun and spicy book 🥰🥰🥰

I LOVED this book! As someone who is a big fan of the show, Below Deck, this was a fun read! Of course it’s a large cruise ship, not a small chartered vessel like the show, but same idea - love triangles, drama, them all being in close quarters, sex. Like a reality show in book form (with more spice)! 4 stars!

I love cruising - in fact I've been on over 25 cruises and have more booked! Crew life onboard a cruise ship has always fascinated me, and I appreciate their hard work. Especially knowing they are separated from friend and family at home for months at time. This was a fun read, peeling the curtain back, and letting us imagine what life is like on the lower decks of the ship. I have ordered this for our library collection!