A new to me author for me that I haven't read any books by Philippa Young. More than Shipmates, a spicy romance set on a cruise ship. This story was only an okay book for me it didn't really grab me. I liked the setting and some of the characters.

As someone who loves a good rom-com with sweet main characters AND the show Below Deck, I ate this book up so thank you NetGalley and Philippa Young for the opportunity to review!

Eliza is setting sail as part of the crew on a huge cruise ship where she meets Tom and Oscar. Eliza seems to be running away from a disappointing past and hopes to find herself and her future on the ship. Tom and Oscar are also running from their past but together, they find that maybe it's time to stop running.

This was such a cute read with a dash of love triangle (no cheating). Eliza's growth from beginning to end was really nice to watch and left me really rooting for her in the end.

At first you don't know which guy you really want Eliza to end up with but this book has you rooting for one over the other in a heartbeat while still having you want the other guy to succeed (and from what I've read, we'll get his story in the next book).

Such a fun read for summer!

This book is the PERFECT summer read! The cover just screams summer time and I was so excited to jump into this. I adored the main character, Eliza and loved reading her story. Also, now I want to book a cruise? This just was the perfect rom-com which angst, swooning, flirty banter and fun. Cant recommend enough! Also, its debut?! wild!

DNF @ 10% - I tried on multiple occasions to read this book but I could not get into it (the story, the characters).

Thank you Netgalley & Summer Stars for the advanced copy.

Wowsers! I will never look at a cruise ship the same!
Probably not one for my old ladies in my book group but I have a lot of customers who will absolutely love this. Very on trend for all my Below Deck lovers

Such a lush summer romance! We’ve got love triangles , we’ve got some genuinely funny writing in places & we have a summer holiday setting that had me dreaming of jetting off & living my best yacht life (lol I wish!) I really liked this one, I don’t want to give anything away story wise but it was a fab summery read!

** 2.5 stars **
I love cruising and I always imagine what the lives of the performers are like, so I was so excited to start this one. But I’ll be honest, I really thought this book would be for me… and it just wasn’t. For starters, I really wasn’t expecting this to be a full out love triangle (based on synopsis and many descriptions/events throughout the book). I think this story would have benefitted from being a “why choose”, but I know that can come down to personal preference. I also thought it was a bit longer than maybe it needed to be and some of the chapters were a bit wordy/lengthy.
•
Let me also say, I know for sure that there will be people who love this. There was some hilarious dialogue that I actually laughed out loud at, and I can imagine that this could be a great vacation read. I also really loved one of the love interests, I just think my love of the characters got drowned out by the pacing, perspectives, and some of the plot choices.
•
Thank you so much to NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this book and provided my honest thoughts.
Happy reading!

This book had me on the edge of my seat , I love how each chapter was from a different persons point of view. I wish I could read this book again for the first time. Some very steamy scenes and very romantic which I love in a book! The first thing that attracted me to this book was the cover and illustrations very eye catching I love a good book cover. Definitely Oscar for me all the way.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This was such a fun summer read!

Eliza needs to escape life so she signs a six month contract to work for the entertainment staff on a cruise ship. There she meets Tom, who is sweet and charming and Oscar, who is a reformed playboy.

It was great seeing how each character helped each other grow. I thought the characters were very well written, and didn’t know who to root for at times! This book had me laughing and crying! It also gave off major Below Deck vibes!


I loved all the different tropes! Multiple POVs, workplace romance, forced proximity, love triangle, and the spice!! This was such a fun and easy read! What an amazing debut novel from Philippa Young! I’m looking forward to reading more from her!

📘: More Than Shipmates by Philippa Young
🗓️: June 1, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley, Philippa Young, and Summer Stars Publishers for this ARC!

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

*Reviewed on NetGalley and Goodreads.

I don't know. This one just didn't quite vibe with me as it should have? It has great tropes and a love triangle. Maybe the love triangle was something that put me off for the moment. I may try reading it again, then maybe I'd be able to judge it more appropriately.

This was good! I’d say 3.5 ⭐️ I enjoyed Eliza’s story and all the side characters. I really wish Tom and Eliza ended up more than just friends, especially after Tom and Oscar’s moment that one night 🤭 Oscar was still a good choice but I wanted her to have both 🤷🏻‍♀️ This book was a bit too long but overall a nice read! (Posted this review on Goodreads and Amazon.)

THE PERFECT SUMMER READ DOES EXIST!
I loved everything about this book! The love triangle, multiple POVs, romance in the workplace, spice.. all chefs kiss 🤌🏻
The characters were all so fun and sexy almost made me want to go work on a cruise ship- although I don’t think my husband OR child would like that too much!

Philippa Young, you did the damn thing and I can’t wait for your next one! 🫶🏻

Get out of here with how good this book was!

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley courtesy of Phillipa Young in exchange for an honest review.

I was not prepared to enjoy this as much as I did. I was laughing out loud and smiling (when I wasn't crying). I am not generally one for a love triangle trope, but I was instantly hooked on this one (even if I had a favourite from the beginning).

Eliza just can't do anything right in her life, so she packs up to work on a 6-month cruise contract as part of the entertainment staff. Before even boarding, she meets a handsome and hilarious American, Tom, who also happens to be escaping life to join sea life. After boarding, Eliza gets caught in her "pants" in what she thought was her cabin - but nope! It belongs to the quiet, mysterious Oscar Harvey (reformed bad boy). Cruise ship shenanigans ensue and a story of love and friendship is wound through.

This book had me laughing, crying, and shouting NOOOOO at the characters and situations Young put them in. Plus, it had some lovely tension and didn't leave you hanging on the spice.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️.5

I cannot believe that this is a debut novel! Think Below Deck but a spicy rom-com. This novel had it all for me, a love triangle, work place romance, and forced proximity! Though this was longer than the typical rom-com I was still able to read this novel over the course of one day. This had more spice than I was expecting which is a plus in my book! I enjoyed the multiple POV’s, I believe this helped Eliza, Tom, and Oscar feel fleshed out and relatable. At different points in the novel I found myself rooting for both men though I am ultimately happy with who Eliza ended up with and cannot wait for the next book! Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this fun and easy read, I highly recommend!

It’s ALWAYS the innocent cover books. This was a fun summer read.

The setting was interesting and new, which made the tropes in this book seem a little more fresh.

Did not expect Oscar to be the BOLD man he is, iykwim ;)

Looking forward to the next one. The one sentence snippet already has me hooked.

Thanks NetGalley for the eARC.

I was really excited to read this book because it is about a theater girlie who works on a cruise ship and I was once a theater girlie working on a cruise ship. I worked on a very small cruise ship so my experience was not comparable. We didn't have a crew bar or crew activities. While I didn't get into any steamy exchanges I know plenty of people did. If this book was one thing, it was steamy. I'm not usually shy about what I read, but I switched books when reading this on a plane. Things get hot very quickly. I don't think I loved the love triangle aspect, but I am happy with who she ended up with. I also think the book could have been just a little shorter. Overall it was a fun read that was nothing like I've read before. A cruise ship is a fun setting for the coworker/roommate/forced proximity tropes and I'd be interested in reading more books set on a cruise ship.

This book was unlike any book romance book I’ve read recently. It is written in three different points of view which lent for some unique storytelling. This story is set on a cruise ship which means we have forced proximity to the extreme. It revolves around Eliza Chapman, a young woman from London with a love of performing with aspirations to go to drama school, to which she has been getting rejected. Elisa is struggling to find her passion and unable to keep a job. Due to her feelings that she had nothing left back home, she applied to work at a cruise ship and got a six-week contract to work in the entertainment staff.

Prior to and upon boarding the cruise ship that is to be her new home, she meets Tom. Tom is an American who is also assigned to the entertainment staff with a background in standup comedy. She also meets Harvey, a fellow Brit whom she meets awkwardly in his room when changing out of her clothes into her uniform when given an erroneous room assignment. Throughout the book we see Eliza’s interactions between Tom and Harvey through their points of view and how they both vie for her attention and friendship, which eventually leads to a good bit of romance. Overall, this was a fun read! There were a lot of spicy scenes and funny and awkward scenes peppered throughout. The angst here is minimal but leads to some character growth.

I really enjoyed Eliza’s evolution in this book. How she starts from being insecure to empowered at the end. I loved how her adventures on board help her to find herself. That and the spice! Holy cow! This was an excellent summer read. Super easy to follow and really just makes you want to go somewhere tropical. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

ARC REVIEW
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
So grateful I got to read this book and I 100% recommend this book.

I don’t think I have enough words to say how cute this book was. I loved the mini love triangle and multiple POVs. This was my first book I’ve read with that.

-mini love triangle at times
-multiple POV
-workplace romance
-strangers to lovers
-forced proximity
-sweet and spicy romcom

The characters were fun and flirty and very sexy I loved the banter. It made me want to go work on a cruise ship lol.

This is def a 4.5 stars for me.

This is the perfect read when your looking for the perfect mix of sweet and spicy 😜
I can’t wait for the next book 😍

Wow. To be honest, I initially checked this out because I’m a huge fan of Below Deck on Bravo TV. But this was so much better than I expected.

I felt like I was actually working on the cruise — I’ve never even been on a cruise and now I want to!

I’m not giving any spoilers away here. I adore Tom, Eliza, Oscar and the supporting characters. It was heartbreaking, heartwarming, fun and feisty.

💫4.25/5 |🌶️ 3.5/5 | Workplace Romance | Love Triangle | RomCom| Forced Proximity | Cruise ship Setting | Self-Discovery | Multiple POVs

Thank you @philippayoung for sending me this eARC and congratulations on an amazing debut! I had to wait to post my review on here because I had to get myself the physical book – I loved it so much! Everyone, you have got to give this a read! It’s sweet, spicy and one hell of a time. Sign me up wherever this cruise ship is because damn, I want to be hot and bothered. A perfect read for the sizzling summer. This book was so freaking fun and hilarious, I literally laughed out loud so much. The comedy aspect was well done – I can’t wait for the next book to come out.

This was troped as a Love Triangle, there was back and forth and multiple love interests, but it didn’t feel that way to me – which is a good thing! There is also a found family facet in this which was endearing, I liked the sense of camaraderie the workplace portrayed, and I loved some of the secondary characters. The crews after work activities were so good! Sardines was hilarious and Scavenger I think was my favorite – literally had my jaw dropping at every turn.

Eliza is the FMC in this book who’s a spunky, snarky, aspiring star but has a lot of trust and self-confidence issues. This book is mainly her journey of self-discovery and soul searching. Tom is absolutely charming, and I loved his golden retriever energy. His characterization was played out very well and he made me feel warm and cuddly like he was my best friend. His story is about healing and breaking away from his twin’s shadow. And OSCAR HARVEY, swoon, and drool. Who doesn’t love a reformed playboy who has all the restraint in the world yet commandeers everything (I mean everything). He also has his own journey about accepting his new self and allowing him to have nice things and enjoy what he wants despite fears to reverting to his old ways. I would gawk at this person too. Guys, he calls Eliza “cricket” – friggin adorable and the slow burn – holy crap! I couldn’t get enough!

There is LGBTQ representation in this book. The sexual fluidity of some characters was a breath of fresh air but not overly done. And who doesn’t love characters who are artists and entertainers. The reference to musicals and showtunes was EVERYTHING!