This was a really sweet easy to listen to novella - just what I was looking for. This novella was incredibly heartwarming and easy to follow. Exactly what I needed!

Santa Overboard (audio)
Book 2 in the Potomac Shores series
3.5⭐️

This is a quick easy read/listen. I listened at 2x speed and was finished around 2 hours. I have not read the first book in the series, but felt “caught up” with references from “before”. With it being a short book things didn’t get too in depth, but it was still enjoyable with good writing and narration. It felt like something was missing. Like, the story provided could have been subplots to a larger main story, but that wasn’t the case. I think some will feel this was lacking in storyline. It should also be pointed out that the story takes place mid pandemic and refers to COVID quite a bit. The reality is 2021 still revolved heavily around COVID, so I get it, but I also recognize some people do not want to read works of fiction with a hyper-focus on COVID. Overall, I enjoyed the light and airiness of a quick book and relatable/real characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Make Waves Press for this audio ARC. This review will be shared on NetGalley, Goodreads, and Amazon.

Thank you Make Waves Press | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks for allowing me to read and review Santa Overboard A Potomac Shores Holiday by Carolyn McBride on NetGalley.

Narrator: Maria Marquis (great job)

Published: 09/24/24

Stars: 2.5

The cover screamed good time. The book was far more serious than I expected. There were tidbits sprinkled throughout hinting that this was a Christmas -- Santa story. However, this is more of a middle-aged woman attempting to find herself.

Quite frankly, I didn't like any of the characters.

I did like Frosty for a pet name.

Santa Overboard is a quick cozy book great for a light hearted listen. Narrator Maria Marquis does a great job bringing this story to life!

Potomac Shores, book two in the series! What a cute and literal cozy mystery. Can be read as a stand-alone though & you won’t miss much from not reading the first one.

Katie Young moved to Occoquan, on the Potomac and is working towards her getting her Captains license. She gets to know and love Deke, the town's resident scientist/captain the boat parade to deliver Santa. Katie gets upset whenever Deke tells her that he won’t be home for Christmas because he is going to the Galápagos Islands like he has done every year since him and his ex-wife divorced. She’s also second guessing on whether or not she truly LIKES him since he isn’t going to be spending Christmas with her.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Christmas traditions and the vibes I got from this book.
I was disappointed with the constant COVID references though. It’s enough to have lived through it, but whenever I read a book, I want to escape reality…
✨✨✨✨
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & publisher for a copy of this audio ARC!

Not my favorite, too much mention of covid… I was kind of bored too through the whole book, in the first couple chapters so many new characters were introduced and there were like all of a sudden a whole girls group.

Santa Overboard, written by Carolyn McBride, is the second book in the Potomac Shores series.

Main character, Katie Young, started over in Occoquan in the last book in this series. This book follows her winter adventures, including making friends, making plans, trying to figure out her relationship, and preparing for Santa!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the different friendships that were shown, and how Katie grew closer to those around her. I appreciated how they all supported each other and worked together. I appreciated the dialogue between characters, and the callbacks to the previous book.

I did not realize that this book was a sequel when I requested it, and I realize this is something I need to watch out for when requesting books! I have not yet read the first book in this series, but I do not think it took away from my experience. I still really appreciated the book and story line, and really enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, publisher, and narrator of this book for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

**Rating: ★★★☆☆**

"Santa Overboard" by Carolyn McBride presents an intriguing holiday adventure filled with festive spirit and unexpected twists. The plot centers around a group of characters who find themselves embroiled in a Christmas mystery that adds a unique touch to the season. While the writing is engaging and captures the whimsical essence of the holidays, some character development feels a bit shallow, leaving readers wanting more depth. Overall, it's an enjoyable read for those looking for a lighthearted holiday escape, but it may not leave a lasting impression.

I regret that this audiobook didn't resonate with me. The frequent mentions of the pandemic, lockdown, and COVID-19 overshadowed the main plot, making it difficult to fully engage with the story. The abundance of side characters added complexity and at times made it challenging to follow the narrative. However, amidst these challenges, I found enjoyment in the beautifully depicted Christmas traditions within the book.f Christmas traditions in the book.

The plot of the story sounded fun but although it’s light, I didn’t find it particularly humourous. I liked the descriptive writing and the explanations of the various ‘Holiday’ traditions. I, however, found Katie, the main character, really annoying. She’s just too whiny but she does have some ‘powerhouse’ lady friends!
The narration of the audiobook is clear and well paced.
(2.5 rounded up to 3/5 )
Thank you to NetGalley and Make Waves Press for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook ARC.

À quick light book to listen to. The plot, however, was a little on the weak side with a slight obsession with Covid and it's aftermath. I didn't really identify with the characters either which didn't help. I did find my attention drifting at times and had to go over one part as I fell asleep! The narrator's voice was quite gentle and soothing. I haven't listened to many audio books but an eye op has forced me to revisit so this form of literature is ideal in such circumstances.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Although it was a more "mature" single mom of a college girl, love story (I am in the younger age group compared to this😉), it was such a nice book.

If you need a Christmas-y heart warming story with some laughter this book is for you!

@carolynmcbridewriter also has another book called The Cicada Spring out. Looking forward to reading that one.

Thank you @netgalley for letting me listen to this book through you.

Santa Overboard By Carolyn McBride is out now for you to enjoy this upcoming holiday season!

Narrated by @soundslikemarquis , which did an amazing job!

I firstly want to thank the author Carolyn McBride, her publishers Make Waves Press and @netgalley for allowing me to receive an arc copy of this audiobook.

Next up, I want to congratulate the author on her choice of narrator. Maria is not someone I have listened to before but I will definitely be looking for her name when choosing future books to listen to. She adds the depth to the characters that you need to truly enjoy an audiobook I think.

Now the book itself. This is a light hearted, funny short story that leaves you with a fuzzy feeling inside. I liked how all the main characters are middle aged, like myself. It made the story more relatable for me as we have a much more relaxed pace of life and a very different outlook on many things. Most of us come with baggage of some sort, it's just how we deal with it that differs. This isn't just a love story though, it's about family and friendships and the important part they all play in our lives. The importance being to strike a happy balance between them.

#SantaOverboard #audiobook #carolynmcbridewriter #arc #NetGalley #bookreview #soundslikemarquis #potomacshores #makewavespress

💭My thoughts: The narrator did such a good job! Listening to this book made it more appealing in my opinion. It was a cute fast read. I just wasn’t a fan of the covid storyline. It was mentioned a whole lot. I think it made me ignore the plot and pay attention to the covid dialogue so it made the plot fall flat in my opinion. I don’t think I’ll be continuing this series.

Whilst there were some lovely moments in the book, sadly for me the characters (despite being in their 50s) felt quite juvenile, as if I was reading a coming of age story. Katie (the FMC) especially was hard for me to relate to or like as a person, unfortunately.

Centering the book in "real world" 2021 meant there were a lot of mentions of COVID, and those parts felt over the top, like the obvious was being spelled out a bit re vaccines. It almost felt like the author was trying to foist an education about vaccines on the reader.

However a good part for me was that I found the descriptions in the book just enough that I could vividly imagine the scene, but not too much that I couldn't have a bit of creative licence in my head!

As I listened to this as an audiobook, I also wanted to comment on the narration, which I enjoyed and felt helped the descriptions come off the page and lodge in my mind.

Overall, I would give this book 3 stars. The writing and audio were good however the characters felt shallow and fell flat for me.

I was not able to finish listening to the audiobook. I tried but I can’t relate to the story and the narration. For that, I am not rating this book. Thank you for sharing me this audiobook.

⭐️: 3/5
🌶️: 0/5

Santa Overboard picks up right where Cicada Spring left off! I liked seeing the continuation of Katie and Deke’s story. You have all of your favorite characters from Cicada Spring, plus some new friends!

Short, sweet, and to the point, this novella still manages to fully capture the found family and coming-of-middle-age themes. However, there is a lot of rehashing of the plot of Cicada Spring. I think that the backstory was a little unnecessary and the story would have read the same without it.

Overall, a cute Christmas story with deeper themes!

p.s. Thank you Carolyn McBride and NetGalley for the audiobook!

If you’re looking for a kind of “coming of middle-age” story with heavy reference to modern times (read COVID pandemic), this will suit you. The writing was good and the narration for the audiobook was very engaging and easy to listen to. The pandemic and geographic location were both important to the plot, which means they were referenced very often. Personally, that didn’t suit me. I think this is probably just coming down to genre not matching my taste, but I’m glad that I tried it. Audio ARC provided by Make Waves Press and NetGalley. These thoughts and opinions are my own.

DNF
i hate to dnf books, especially when they are this short, but this audiobook wasn't working for me from the beginning. i hope it will be someone else cup of tea!

Overall: 4
Spice: 2
Narration: 4

Yay midlife women!

Katie Young is settling in to her new life in the small town of Occoquan on the Potomac River. Her friend group, the Bonfire Babes, have built a thriving gallery and she's expecting delivery of her own ferryboat to launch a new business in the spring. The holiday festival should be smooth sailing, but when her love interest Deke decides to avoid the holidays for a work trip and her boat delivery is delayed will the whole thing be a wreck?

I was thrilled to read a book with characters the same age as me and still fall into the Romance genre! I will definitely go back to read book one and follow this series as this one was very well done. I thought the trials of a single, yet empty-ish nest, mom was realistic and relatable and I LOVED the Bonfire Babes. I've been realizing in my own life how women need to gather with other women more and this proves that point. I'd really like to join their group! Highly recommend to any romance readers, but especially those with a couple gray hairs.