More Than Shipmates by Philippa Young is such a great summer romcom. Having now finished it I can’t wait to read the follow up, More Than Clickbait.

More Than Shipmates follows Eliza as she begins her journey as a member of the entertainment team on a cruise liner sailing around the Caribbean. She’s trying to escape the life she left behind, and the feeling that she’s never been good enough. She’s determined to embrace the work hard, play hard ethos of cruise life but is going to stay away from romance, fearing the consequences of mixing work and love once again. Things get more complicated, however, when the lines between colleagues and crushes blur and the nightlife puts her in some scandalous situations. Eliza’s efforts to resist temptation are challenged by cheeky American Tom and charming Brit Oscar, who might not be so willing to resist her.

There are so many fun things going on with this one, we’ve got:
🚢 forced proximity romance (on a cruise ship!)
🩷 workplace romance
🚢 love triangle - I know this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but in this one it works really well
🩷 found family - the cruise ship family Eliza makes is so good, I loved some of the secondary characters
🚢 multi POVs - all 3 members of the triangle
🩷 solid LBGTQ representation
🚢 good humour and banter between the MCs

This was a surprisingly long book for this type of story though it never dragged. I liked how we learnt more about each of the three MCS and how they were written with depth and their own backstories. Each of them were on their own growth journey, whether it was dealing with what they’d left behind or trying to be the version of themselves they most wanted to be. They’re all young and their lives are messy, they’re making mistakes along the way but trying to figure it out too.

I think it’s pretty obvious from early on who Eliza will end up with ultimately, but I loved how each of the two MMCs were, overall, decent guys. You’d be happy for her to be with either, neither was made out to be the baddy to help you easily root for the other. I love that though she ended up with one and was still able to maintain a really solid, and important, friendship with the other. It’s a slow burn in many ways but with some steamy moments peppered throughout,

This was a fun and easy read and I’ll look forward to the next instalment.

This was such a quick easy read! The banter was fun and my first workplace romance book. Loveeed it!

I ADORED this book. I don't know what it was about the book but I just couldn't put it down! Also blown away by the fact that this is a debut novel. The writing was excellent and the banter was so fun. I thought the setting was unique and very interesting, as I've never read a cruise ship romance. Also loved the tension.
The only small critique is that the spicy chapters were very clustered together and it did have many side plots (Tom's family visiting etc.)

I loved the book and I will absolutely read the second one.

This book was so much fun. It’s a steamy but sweet workplace romcom set on a cruise ship. The forced proximity tension, chemistry and banter was perfection. The games and activities they participated in had me laughing out loud and gave me major Below Deck vibes with all of the mischief they got up to with the guests being blissfully unaware.

As soon as I read the dedication in this book, I knew instantly we were in for a wild steamy ride and I LOVED that it had its own playlist! It was just a perfect sexy, fun summer read and I can’t wait for the next one ‘More Than Clickbait’.

There is absolutely no way this is a debut novel. This is fantastic! I am blown away. This was one of the funniest books I’ve read lately, and I love all the silliness, the romance and the banter was great.

I really can’t believe this is a debut though, this is just wow. I will be reading from this author again! Phenomenal!

Signing up to be an entertainment host on a six-month Caribbean cruise might not be the best idea when you are trying to not repeat the mistake of dating someone you work with because with the new staff comes two very hot guys whom she'll have to choose between. Eliza is just trying to get herself back together after a messy work relationship. She's signed up to be an entertainment host on a six-month Caribbean cruise and has sworn herself off men completely... yet on the very first day there she is already tempted by her new coworkers. Particularly, the cheeky American Tom and the charming Brit Oscar. With a wide case of characters, cruise ship and relationship drama, multiple POVS, this book really really takes you on the journey. This one was not for me unfortunately, it felt so dragged on and boring, the characters just didn't sag my attention and I didn't care about the romance and love triangle at all. The book is about 380+pages and I could have done with 100 pages less. This would work as a fun tv show for sure, but as a book ? It just felt a bit messy and meh for me. If you enjoy messy relationship drama books that are a bit long and love love triangles, then yeah I'd absolutely recommend it to you!

Release Date: June 1,2023

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Summer Stars Publishing for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Summary: After not getting into drama school and having ex-boyfriend drama, Eliza decides to get a job on a Cruise Boat for six months. She hope this will give her the fresh start that she needs, but she falls in the middle of a love triangle.

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

Vibes:
Forced Proximity (Cruise Boat)
Romantic Comedy
Love Triangle
Spice:2/5

“I've entered uncharted territory, and I'll be damned if I jump ship now.”

Thoughts: I'm not sure if love triangles are my cup of tea. I liked the game that they played, which included some spicy ones. It was interesting that one of the POVs was from someone who ended up not being chosen.

"Am I the drama?"

I was given Advanced Reader Copy by NetGalley for an honest review.

This was the first time that I actually rooted for both the guys in the love triangle. Most of the time, the author make it really obvious who the FMC is going to end up with, and makes the losing guy an asshole in the middle of the story. I didn't get that feeling this time, because all of them had their own personal problems and their reactions were totally normal for me. Well done, Philippa!

I love reading about people falling in love in unusal places, and it is certainly the first time that i read a love story situated on a cruise boat. It seemed such a fun environment, I wanted to be there myself! I was so jealous of all the characters.

I can't wait to read the next story, I'm so excited to meet Gemma!

Cruise ship 🚢 , love triangle ❤️ and spice 🌶️? YES PLEASE!!

More Than Shipmates is Phillippa Young’s debut novel that reminds me of Bravo’s Below Deck but on a much larger scale…a cruise ship. This book follow Eliza, a girl looking for a fresh start navigating life working on a cruise ship. She gets into a love triangle between two of her shipmates, Oscar and Tom, which makes the cruise all the more interesting.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc of this book!

Overall thoughts:
3.25⭐️
3 🌶️

‘Earl Grey tea is the worst thing I’ve ever put in my mouth, and I’ve made some bad choices where that’s concerned...’

‘Our eyes lock as the lyrics imply, and it’s as if no one else exists anymore.’

Tropes: Forced Proximity, Found Family, Multiple POV, Bi MMC, Nickname, Degradation (consensual), Miscommunication, Twins.

Teen drama meets cruising. Oh and make it sexy/ spicy!

If you were a theatre school kid or love cruising.. or both, you’ll love this book! This book is full of rom-com style conflicts & cute moments.
I also really liked some of the banter, Eliza’s retorts are brilliant!

I did have a few issues though (too many conflicts, plot could be a bit deeper), but as a debut novel it’s still a good first entry!

I’m also really interested in the plot described for book 2 of the Below Deck series so I’ll be reading that one when it’s released!

The only thing I think this book really needs is a content warning page - mostly because of the kink tropes, so people know what they’re getting into!

Thank you to Philippa Young, Summer Stars Publishing Limited & NetGalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Having fell in-love with cruising in the last few years the premise of this book was so appealing to me.
It follows Eliza who joins her first cruise ship in the Caribbean as an entertainment host. She has sworn off men after her boyfriend cheated on her however her resolve is soon tested before she boards the ship when she meets fellow crew member Tom. Once onboard she is assigned a buddy mentor, a fellow Brit Oscar, he’s sworn off women and trying to change his ways but can he after meeting Eliza.
I love that the story follows the 3 POV’s and Phillipa does such a great job of allowing you to understand each of their backgrounds which has lead them to behave the way they do now.
The book cover is cute but don’t let that fool you, this has such a good level of spice 🌶️ the crew’s games and antics are so naughty.
Thank you NetGalley, the Author and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this, all opinions expressed are my own.

I absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down, the cruise ship setting made it unique and exciting - nothing like anything I've ever read before. As a massive musical theatre fan the references to different musical shows were incredible and a lovely surprise throughout the book.
As much as I did love the book, I felt that the pace did slightly dip toward the centre of the book which left it feeling a bit slower than I would've liked.
Overall though, I loved it and felt like I'd been submerged into a reality show with all of the ship games, interactions between characters and spicy scenes.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of More than Shipmates for me to read. This was a phenomenal book! I loved all the characters, different pov’s, and the ship games! I was giddy reading this and did not want to put it down! This book definitely made me want to get on a cruise ship.

3.5 stars. Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this book! I loved how the book started and detailed life on a cruise ship and the spicy scenes. Ultimately though the book felt a bit long and I started to lose interest 2/3 of the way. The ending did pull it back together though and overall I enjoyed it enough to recommend.

This book made me ugly laugh! So unbelievably relatable!

I have worked on a cruise ship as a musical theatre actress in the shows on board and this made me reminisce about my cruising days so much. I don't know what cruise liner the author worked for but it sounded very similar to the one I worked on, however there was extreme hatred for the cast members from all departments on my ship, but we were most hated by the ents hosts unfortunately. The ents hosts in this book were much friendlier, wish we'd had that!
Love the musical theatre references, as a real life MT I could totally relate to a lot of what the author was talking about.
Also can relate to the irritating training when you first embark, and all the bullsh*t extra things you have to know and learn.
Obviously, there's a few things that were different to real life and a few things that simply wouldn't happen, well, certainly not on my ship as it was really strict and the crew mess food was practically inedible to the point we had constant D&V. But this is the closet story I've read to what it's really like working on a ship.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to work on ships but has no idea what the actual life on board and below deck is like, I feel lots of people have some misconceptions but this book shows both the glamour and the not so glamorous side of working on a ship.
I have already recommended this book to all my ship mates and they're already dying from the first few chapters.

Damn, I miss the endless drama of who slept with who due to the $1 pints of beer in the crew bar.

Thank you to Victory Editing and NetGalley for this copy!

What an outstanding debut! I was instantly drawn to this book knowing it was set on a cruise ship. I've never been on a cruise and reading this felt like I set sail for the first time! *There may be spoilers, read with caution*

Our FMC Eliza is dealing with some serious but relatable imposter syndrome and I think we've all been there at that age. You're instantly rooting for her to find her place. I love her story battling that while facing all the new challenges on ship as well as what she left behind at home. There's a few moments where you reflect on your own story and really feel for her and wonder what you would have done in her shoes or maybe done differently in your own. Some of the love life drama felt a little cringe, but then again so does some real life love issues. My only hitch while reading this was the multi POVs was a little confusing at first as it was unexpected and at times felt unnecessary, but I ended up enjoying it for the most part especially knowing one of them is the MMC in the sequel. I truly fell for both MMCs and all of the side characters were so fun. I instantly wanted to join their friend group turned family. All of the shenanigans on board made me want to sign a cruise ship contract ASAP and had me LOLing as well as tearing up. Bravo to Philippa on this incredible debut. I cannot wait to read #2 in the Below Deck series!

"Am I the drama?"- Eliza Chapman, probably.

I really really enjoyed this book! It got me out of a reading slump. It was so fun and I loved the love triangle. It was well written and just what I was looking for. Oscar and Eliza are perfect for each other. The beginning and the end were fantastic but I found that the middle was a little bit too long and I got a little bit bored and honestly annoyed with Eliza.

More than Shipmates by Philippa Young is the perfect summer read. I've never read a book before taking place on a cruise ship. I love cruising and this book made me feel like I was right in the middle of this love triangle. So swoon worthy and overall an enjoyable read.

Thank you to Summer Stars Publishing at NetGalley for the ARC of More Than Shipmates in exchange for an honest and independent review.

Eliza Chapman is looking for a do over in life. After failing to get into drama school three times, she has resigned herself to being less than and simply not good enough for anything or anyone. Her relationships have failed her, her boyfriend cheated on her, and her friends stopped including her on their lives. She simply had nothing left for her back in London. In a spontaneous turn of events, Eliza decides to enlist in a six month adventure aboard a cruise ship as an activities coordinator. Here she can escape to a new start where no one knows her and give her life the do over it deserves all while swearing off men and all other nefarious activities.

She quickly finds her place on the ship and falls in with the close knit group of entertainers. In no time she forms a close bond with, Tom, a hunky American seeking an out from his own personal issues. Meanwhile, under the vigilant tutelage of Oscar, a hunky senior staff member, while she learns the ropes, Eliza starts to feel her walls swearing off all men begin to crumble. Close quarters mixed with sexy ship games created by the staff to pass the time only make Eliza's resolution less steadfast and before she knows it, she's caught in an unwanted love triangle between Tom (her best friend) and Oscar (her sexy mentor).

As feelings brew aboard the ship, Eliza knows she's in trouble and there's no fighting it now. She quickly needs to decide how to move forward without hurting both people that she cares for deeply, all while still pursing her ambitions and for once not putting others before herself, only to be the one to wind up broken in the end. Who will she pick? Oscar? Tom? Herself? Hop onboard and find out for yourself! This one is sure to be spicy ride for all involved!

Now lets unpack this one...First off, this was a longer read than what I was expecting for the given storyline. There were parts that I felt were a bit unnecessary to the story and could have been removed to keep the excitement going. One moment the book is flowing quickly and you can't wait for the next salacious thing, and then the next I found myself struggling to wade through the history of the characters or flashbacks that were a bit confusing to follow. That being said, I did really enjoy the character dynamics presented. You could really feel the bond of the crew. The only thing I found a bit weird was the explicit nature of the games they played aboard the ship to pass the time. I know it was meant to add spice and sass to the book, but they were almost so far out there it really wasn't believable on some levels.

Lastly, and I know this is a personal opinion, but there were several moments I wanted to stop reading only because I could not stand the main character at times. There is only so much "woe is me, I'm a failure" that I can take and Eliza seemed to play the victim card all too easily, which just annoyed me. Also, her indecision between Tom and Oscar was just maddening at times. I wanted to yell for her to just pick a path and stick with it and quit looking over her shoulder for the next best thing! Okay, I shall remove myself from my soapbox now.

While I thought the book was a fun read, it was just a bit long for ultimately what it was and I had some personal issues with the main character. Beyond that, I am excited that there is a second part to this one, which I am tempted to pick up just to learn more about the characters that have grown on me. Also excited to see how Eliza's decision has turned out for her and where her future takes her as well, even though the second installment circles around a separate character from the first book (not giving anything away here). Overall a very sexy take on life at sea and always remembering to bet on ourselves when it feels like everything is falling apart. Happiness can always be just 10 seconds away!

OUUUUUU am i a sucker for some tension... I loved the overall vibe of this book. The characters were very very lovable, and the tension was 10/10. At certain points I did find it slightly hard to follow along, it dragged for a bit. But, with that being said, once you push through the sticky spots it picks up like craaaazy! What a great great read to introduce summer <3