It was a nice change to read a novel with a female main character who was older. I really liked how the story centered on Katie as she learned to love again, opened up, became vulnerable, and grew from her experiences. This growth helped her embrace her current relationship without self-sabotaging, which I think many women can relate to.I enjoy reading as a way to escape, but the repeated references to COVID and the pandemic throughout the story unfortunately diminished my enjoyment. Each mention reminded me of the current situation, which was distracting. A few mentions would have been fine, but it felt overwhelming since it came up in almost every chapter.

Despite that, I found the audiobook quite enjoyable overall.

I love reading books where the main characters are in the middle of their lives - and Santa Overboard fulfilled that interest with Katie and her friends returning from the first book The Cicada Spring! There is a rich selection of characters who are relatable and are always on the lookout for one another. I was a little disappointed that Katie kept revisiting her insecurities and issues from The Cicada Spring, I was hoping for a little lighter material for a holiday book.

Katie Young, a middle-aged woman who's been divorced three times, has moved to Occoquan and is in a new relationship with Deke, a local scientist. When Deke plans to work during the holiday season, Katie struggles with feeling left behind. Throughout the story, Katie relies on her female friends for emotional support. The book explores her personal growth, learning to be vulnerable and not self-sabotage her current relationship.

A gentle warning: Set in 2021, the narrative references to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the characters' lives. It is mentioned more frequently than I believe most readers would enjoy, especially if it is a sensitive topic. Overall I enjoyed a lot about this book - more mature main characters, her friends, and honesty about navigating life after having your heart broken. It wasn't super Christmas-y, so if you're looking for something that is focused on Xmas, this might not be your favourite.

Maria Marquis does a great job narrating, with different voices for male characters and a good Southern drawl!

Thank you to Make Waves Press and NetGalley for providing a copy of this audiobook for review.

Short and sweet holiday read that was cute. Didn’t enjoy the Covid references but overall kept me interested.

Katie Young is navigating midlife as the holiday season begins, along with her girl gang, her boyfriend Deke and her daughter having their own things going on. There was a lot going on with each of the characters and I honestly wondered what the main storyline actually was, despite this being such a short story. It also got very philosophical at times.

A sweet tale about love, friendship and second chances, this is just the airport novel to take you home for the holidays.

Thank you to Make Waves Press and NetGalley for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute book. I did enjoy the story even though I found parts of it a little cheesy. It was a quick read. I did enjoy the narrator.

I hadn't read the book previous to this one, so these were all new to me characters, author and story.

I liked the characters, and narrator enough to go and buy the previous book on audible. The narrator Maria Marquis was enjoyable to listen to, and made the characters come alive.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Make Waves Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this audiobook.

This was a fun holiday romance that was a bit of a mash up of genres. It was romance, it was comedy, it had some spice (which surprised me), and it also seemed Christian in parts. I hadn't read one by this author before but I wondered if this could or would be part of a character series. The narration was fine, though I speeded it up a bit. It kept me smiling while I was driving to work!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this free audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
 
Santa Overboard is a fun, fast-paced holiday romance with some very unique elements. This is the second book in the Potomac Shores cozy mystery but can be enjoyed as a standalone. The story follows Katie Young, a middle-aged woman who’s moved to the town of Occoquan, where she meets and falls for Deke, the town's resident scientist. As Deke is set to venture on a work assignment over the holidays and won’t be with Katie, she becomes unhappy with their relationship. The book features some popular romance tropes, including small town romance, second chance romance, and slow burn romance.
 
The story’s main protagonists being middle-aged brings a fresh and unique take on the holiday romance trope. Even still, some of Katie’s actions, especially her unwillingness to have Deke spend the holidays away from her, come across as quite immature and selfish. Overall, the characters are realistic and relatable, and their dialogue has some meaningful moments, especially for such a short book.
 
It should be noted that this story takes place in 2021, and there are references to COVID and some challenging related experiences for the characters. Unfortunately, the amount of COVID mentions takes some of the cheer from the story; it would have been more effective to have limited the COVID references and added a bit more substance to the storyline.
 
Narrator Maria Marquis does a great job narrating this audiobook using an exuberant voice filled with emotion and well-placed dramatic flair for the climactic moments. Her excellent pacing and delivery of distinct, authentic voices for the characters enhance the listening experience.
 
Overall, this is a lighthearted holiday romance with unconventional middle-aged characters. Being a short listen at less than 4 hours, the story can be read in a single sitting. If you enjoy small town romance, realistic characters, and quick holiday reads, this book is one to consider for the holidays!

Santa Overboard had potential. The story was cute but there was WAY too much mention of Covid. Reading is my escape from reality. Unfortunately, this was a huge letdown for me and I can’t recommend it

It was a nice change to read a novel where the FMC was more mature in age. I loved that the story focused around Katie learning to love again, open up, be vulnerable, learn through her experiences and grow so that she could embrace her current relationship (and not self sabotage) which I think a lot of woman can relate to.

I read to escape and the constant mention of covid and the pandemic throughout this story unfortunately ruined the listening experience for me as it kept drawing me back into reality every time this was mentioned. I wouldn't mind the odd mention but as it was brought up in nearly every chapter it was a bit much for me.

Overall I enjoyed this audio, the characters and the HEA our girl Katie got.

2.5 Stars

I listened to this as a standalone novella but if I had read it as an accompaniment to book 1 of the series, I would have appreciated more. While I could follow where the characters were in their individual journeys, I didn’t feel connected enough to them. If someone read book 1, I’d absolutely recommend the holiday novella but if they hadn’t I wouldn’t recommend.

This was such a cute holiday story! It was an easy, nicely paced listen. Kate Young is preparing for the holiday boat parade, trying to establish a new relationship and heal from loss due to the pandemic.

I would call this a palette cleanser. There is no deep character, romance, or conflict plot. And the world is everyday USA.

This slow-burn cozy romance is a nice intro to the Christmas holiday season.

Thank you to Netgalley, and Carolyn McBride for the ALC of this fun little book. I am voluntarily leaving this honest opinion.

Santa Overboard by Carolyn McBride is a fluffy and cute holiday romance with a wonderful audiobook narrator.

First off, I really liked the narrator. So many audiobooks have been ruined for me because of the narrator. I will definitely be looking forward to more audiobooks narrated by Maria Marquis.

The story was a fluffy holiday romance. I’m a sucker for these. They always get ya right in the feels when you need it. The storyline for this tale in particular fell a little flat for me. There was a bit too much muddling around in the middle, but I can still connect the beginning to the end. I will definitely read a few more books by Caroline McBride to give a fair chance.

loved the quick cozy holiday read. was exactly what i needed to get out of the daker books I've been reading lately .
the friend group was amazing reminds me of sex and the city all grown up . the narrator was AMAZING

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Make Waves Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Spoiler: The friendship group was to die for.

I think that was my favourite aspect of this book. I loved the friendship between the women, and the way they always supported each other through thick and thin. Their bond felt very genuine. The narrator also did a great job bringing the characters to life. I could easily tell who was speaking, and honestly, it really made me feel like I was a part of that group.

At the opposite side, I did not love the romance. At first I was really excited about Katie, the main character, being in her 50s. I did, however, feel like her and Deke were lacking chemistry. They were so in love and happy, but to me it felt a bit lacking. Unlike the friendship group, it didn't feel that genuine. Also, his name being Deke gave me the ick. I'm sorry, I cannot ignore it.

The main conflict also didn't feel very strong, and it could all have been solved with a conversation and some therapy. They could have celebrated the holidays a different weekend. She felt very hurt that he was leaving, but instead of expressing that, she was being short and snappy. Again, could have easily been solved by just talking to each other.

And then there was the pandemic references. I get that the author wanted to really show how the world had changed and it made sense with the timeline, but it felt like COVID popped up a bit too much for me. A lot of readers might look to escape the pandemic reminders in what they consume, and it just felt like a lot.

Still, overall it was a cute book that got me into the Christmas book.

Santa Overboard is the second installment of Carolyn Mcbride's cozy romance novels. While this is not my normal cup of tea, it was a simple, cozy, and clean romance novel. I couldn't resonate with the lead character as much as I could have due to the character's age and life. However, the character was written well and I am sure it would have been better if it was a character of my age. The romance was clean as well.

Quick 3hr audiobook which is always great for quick work.

Reminded me a lot like Grace and Frankie from Netflix, but at Christmas. A couple of old gals that like to go boating and are very much apart of their small towns festivities.

Honestly thought this was very cute. It’s not my usual read, but it was quick for what I needed.

Kate is a 50+ aged lady, she’s gone thru divorce, her life being up ended and trying to navigate what it is she really wants from life after watching her own children leave and attend college. She surrounds herself with a group of like minded friends and decide they’re going to decorate their boats for the holiday season. There’s not a whole lot of a storyline, plot. It’s just a good cosy read. The narrator has a nice soothing voice making it feel cosy too.

Whilst it was a short and easy read, this book just wasn't for me. Set in a world with COVID (and frequent references to it), this Christmas romance was lacking both Christmassy atmosphere and romance. I didn't enjoy the story and I didn't like the characters - the ones I could tell apart, at least, as there's multiple K names and very little to them. It was cringey and at best cliche, with 'wine mum' humour that had me rolling my eyes throughout. The romance was subpar, borderline problematic, and frankly Katie and Kendal would've been much better suited for each other than the unfortunate men they dated. I'm probably not the target audience for it, with the main character being double my age, but I imagine fans of hallmark cringe will enjoy this. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.