This book follows Katie as she navigates life post pandemic and trying to make her relationship with Deke work.

I feel like not much happened while listening to this. Katie has been divorced three times, starting a new romance. She’s cautious about her budding relationship with Deke. She gets upset when he says he’s going away for the holiday. Makes her question their whole relationship. That’s about it I struggled to feel the connection between the two characters. I did enjoy her relationship with her daughter and friends more. Was fun to hear about all their Christmas traditions.

Personally I don’t want to read about Covid because I had to live through it. Maybe I would have enjoyed this more if I had read the first book, my fault for not realizing this was #2 in the series.

I thought the narrator did a great job though. Quick cozy cute Christmas listen!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Carolyn McBride’s Santa Overboard offers a cozy, feel-good holiday read with a mix of humor, heart, and midlife self-discovery. Set in the charming small town of Occoquan, this rom-com focuses on Katie Young, a single mom navigating a flurry of holiday chaos, a blossoming romance, and unexpected challenges as she settles into a new chapter of her life. The story blends lighthearted mishaps—like a swimming Santa—with emotional depth, making it an enjoyable mix of fun and sentimentality. While the premise is charming, the plot follows familiar holiday rom-com tropes, which may leave seasoned readers of the genre wanting more surprises .Some moments feel overly drawn out, particularly in the lead-up to key events, while other storylines could benefit from more depth, such as the dynamic between Katie and her holiday-averse love interest, Deke.

Santa Overboard is a delightful seasonal escape for readers who enjoy small-town romance, holiday cheer, and stories of personal growth. While it doesn’t stray far from genre conventions, its heartfelt themes and spirited setting make it a worthwhile read for fans of cozy rom-coms.

I love love, love that this took place in a town, not too far from me and I could imagine all the scenes perfectly however, I didn’t read the first book and found myself very lost. I’m sure this would be a very cute read if you would read the first book in the series, but unfortunately it is not a standalone..

This is a cute Christmas romcom with some throwback to the infamous year of 2021. I really liked learning more about the spider traditions.
I thought the narrator did a good job and I wasn't feeling cringy with the voices as I sometimes do. Cute and quick listen!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun holiday read. I really loved how the characters were vulnerable about their feelings surrounding the holidays and how to blend traditions together. I loved the characters and wanted this to be a longer book just so I could spend more time with them all. I loved the setting and wanted to spend more time in the town.

Santa Overboard was such a cute Christmasy novel. I haven’t read very many books like this, but I real enjoyed listening to a relationship where the couple was a little bit older and had struggles in their previous marriages. It had the right amount of keeping it intriguing yet also, being a bit cheesy without it being predictable. I loved all of the Christmas time traditions between Katie and Belle…it reminded me of my childhood with my own mom. There was one spicy scene so I just skipped that chapter when listening to the audiobook. But overall, cute Christmas romance novel between Katie and Deke.

2.75 / 3 ⭐️

this one missed the make for me, unfortunately. I initially picked this up because the cover is adorable and I’ve been wanting to read all the holiday romances as well enter December. With that the overall idea is the book was cute. I liked the idea of the plot and the characters but i feel like it all fell a little flat for me.

I wanted more chemistry between the MCs and the lack of chemistry made it hard to be emotionally attached to their romance and the story. I felt like the overall conflict felt a little disjointed as well.

I felt like I was checking the audio to see how long I had left way too often and that’s a downside to me. I want to be so emerssed in the story that it flys by / i don’t want it to end.

I think the story needed to be longer and more thought out. I did enjoy the narrators - I added a star to bump it up to 3 ⭐️ due to them.

Overall, i don’t know that i would recommend this book to my peers. I’m sorry! If you loved this book I absolutely love that for you & i’m so glad it’s getting flowers from those who enjoyed it.

This was a quick holiday read, which made it nice to read in between other things. It didn't really have a huge story line in my opinion, so it was easy to just go with the flow. I did enjoy the narration, I thought that she did a good job distinguishing between the characters.

Covid is mentioned several times in this book, which was kind of a bummer. I thought it was interesting that they were brave enough to go on a cruise after the pandemic. Thank you to Netgalley, Make Waves Press, and Carolyn McBride for an Arc of this book. This review is my own honest opinion.

On the audio alone I would give it a 3.5 stars.
for the story a 2 stars.

This was just simply not for me.
There were moments when I just shook my head and said nope out loud. (which is really awkward in a store lol )

There were phrases in the book that I just did not care for.
I also did not like the fml

I dont want to pick this book apart simply because I can see someone liking this story.

A Christmas catastrophe on sea! Single Katie can't wait to use her ferry boat to showcase the towns Santa. But when the day comes Santa falls overboard. Can she fix this?

The narrator of the book was great, the book storyline fell short to keep me fully entertained.

Thank you for allowing to have an advanced reader copy of this audiobook.

Now this was a cute novella, although the narrating was excellent, the plot fell flat for me unfortunately. It is witty and fun, but it wasn't for me!

A wonderful short story for the holidays!

I appreciate the lightheartedness, the wit and fun.
I’d recommend to anyone who’s looking for the same.

Thanks for the opportunity to provide my feedback.

A cute, quick read, with quips of humor and relatable characters.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my review copy!

<b>Thank you to Make Waves Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this audiobook. Here are my honest thoughts and review.</b>

This book was a predictable holiday novella. While I appreciated certain aspects, the overall plot fell flat for me, leaving me somewhat disappointed.

What stood out, however, was the representation of the FMCs as adult women rather than the more common trope of women in their early 20s—we love to see it! The true highlight of the story for me was the friendship dynamic within the group. Their relationships felt authentic and not just thrown together to serve the plot. I love it when side characters have distinct personalities and make a genuine impact.

As for the holiday elements, the small-town setting and its charming traditions were enjoyable, but the story as a whole didn’t resonate with me. There were moments where it felt like too much was happening without anything meaningful actually taking place. Ultimately, I’m left confused and disappointed, though I’m glad it was a short listen.

<b>The Narration</b>
The narration by <b>Maria Marquis</b> was excellent and truly a saving grace. This was my first audiobook narrated by her, and I was blown away. Her delivery was captivating, making each character sound unique and their emotions come to life. Her performance elevated the material and kept me engaged despite my misgivings with the story.

<b>Tropes</b>
Small-town 🏡
Second-chance 💔🔄
Slow-burn 🔥⏳

Overall, while this book wasn’t for me, fans of cozy holiday novellas may enjoy the blend of romance, friendship, and holiday traditions.

I just finished a story that has left me feeling conflicted. The narration was absolutely superb, and I was captivated by the voice and delivery. The narrator truly brought the characters to life, and each one was precise and individual. However, the storyline itself fell a bit flat. It was just a little too cheesy for me, and there were parts of it that were very dramatic that I felt were exaggerated and unrealistic. 🧀🎭
#santaoverboard
#netgalley

The narration was excellent! The story was cute despite it being rather predictable. It was awesome reading about adult women instead of youths, bringing their lifetimes of perspective to the romance genre. An interesting snap shot of a holiday season the year after the Covid lockdown.

I listened to this thanks to Makes waves press who provided me an audio copy via NetGalley.

Rating: 2⭐

Santa Overboard is a contemporary fiction book about a group of friends and the area they live in. The book is a cozy, quick holiday read! I loved the friend group, I loved their dynamic and how they were there for each other no matter what. However, The romance and pacing was for me in this book. The chemistry between the characters was not there. Also, the covid reference let this book down a lot and I think most readers would agree.

✧ Small Town Romance
✧ Holiday Cheer
✧ Second Chance Romance
✧ Friend Group Dynamics
✧ Lighthearted Fun
✧ Slow Burn Romance

A fun and festive holiday story centered on a group of strong, resilient women! This was a quick, easy, and super enjoyable read—perfect for the season. The only downside for me was the focus on COVID; I personally prefer my fictional escapes to exist in pandemic-free bubbles. But if you don’t mind a touch of real-world drama mixed in with your holiday cheer, this one’s a delightful choice!

This was a quick holiday read for me, I really liked the narration of the audiobook. This is the story of Katie, living in a small town and trying to make her new relationship work and preparing for a boat parade. He does not like Christmas and plans to leave for Galapagos for the holidays. There is quite some drama, a lot of Covid, but also really funny moments. What I loved most is the amazing friend group around Katie.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook ARC.

3.5 stars.

Starting over in the little town of Occoquan, Katie Young finds solace in small-town life with best friends at their thriving gallery and a deepening romance with the town’s resident scientist. Her college-age daughter bakes up holiday memories in their river house. But when the holiday-averse Deke flies south for the season, Katie wonders if she needs a survival suit—or just a really strong cocktail—to weather midlife mayhem. Can the single mom save the holiday festival and salvage her belief in love?

As soon as I realised this was a second book in the Potomac Shores series, I immediately hunted down the first book before jumping in to this one. I could’ve probably read this as a standalone, but I wouldn’t recommend it as you wouldn’t get all the background story that made Katie ‘her’.

This was just as cosy and sweet as the first book, but with the additional Christmas-themed fun. There were funny moments that made me chuckle.

While I’d agree that this was a fun rom-com, the storyline also had a certain depth about assessing the viability of a relationship amidst midlife challenges, which I didn’t think was reflected by the cute cover design alone. The girl on the cover also didn’t really match how I’d imagined Katie in my head.

The audiobook was performed really well - easy to listen to, with great narration and intonation. I’d recommend this to anyone wanting a short and sweet holiday-themed story!