Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

Chrissy and Deacon seem perfect for each other, but quickly break up on proposal night due to misunderstandings. They both still go on the cruise they won, leading to more misunderstandings and tender moments.

I was surprised how comfortable they both were sharing a cabin after such an emotional breakup. They both had secrets and had a hard time being honest with each other.

While this was a light read, I found myself frustrated with all of the characters throughout the book. One discussion could have helped them avoid all the heartache in the book.

The cosplay element of the cruise seemed unnecessary, too.

I wanted to like this book. The premise was fun. The cover was cute. Sadly the characters felt flat and the story never fully grabbed me. This was a DNF for me.

It's not exactly what I was expecting, but in a good way. Chrissy and Deacon were very fun, and the plot was unique. I felt like I was on a cruise with them, enjoying the sunshine and events as they were described. It was a great time! I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a carefree easy read with lots of fun and adventure.

Chrissy has one failed divorce under her belt- so when she wins an all-expenses paid cruise with her new boyfriend, all she wants to do is settle into their relationship and relax (without having to pay for the trip on finance mogul daddy's black card). Her boyfriend Deacon has something else in mind, and pops the question just prior to push-off, and now they're stuck on this beautiful cruise together. I really wanted to like this, it has the cutest premise, but I personally don't enjoy being dropped into an existing relationship and then forced to learn why they liked each other in the first place. I want to get to know the couple as they get to know each other. While this was a personal dislike, I could see the general pop really enjoying this one.

Pretty cute. Pretty funny. Something about the writing style I just didn't click with.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

What a fun read!
This is a clean romantic comedy, no language and closed door romance. Lots of swoon worthy moments. There is some character growth and empowering moments.
The setting was fun, in a themed cruise, also really fun addition of the exs.
Deals with topics such as alcoholism and rehab.
Lighthearted rom-com.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

LOVE the cover, but unfortunately, not the book. Instead of flowing nicely, the writing felt choppy and flat. It actually reminded me of some elementary grade books where the writing is just simple and basic. I also really, truly did not like the main characters. There was little character development and they came off as very immature and annoying. For example, Deacon was shallow, self-centered, insecure, fat-phobic, and obnoxious about sugar and "unhealthy foods." Um, no thank you. Who wants to be around that? Yes, this is the description of the love interest. (apparently, he was seriously hot and that seemed to be the draw). Rather than using new ways to describe events, personalities, etc., things were just repeated...a lot. I can see how it could be an escape read for some, but it just didn't work for me.

There is too much drama for a short read 📚.

The plot and the fun part was the payback for elliot. That guy can be so annoying, I feel like entering the book and hitting him with everything in me sha. But I enjoyed this.

Thank you, Cindy Dorminy and Netgalley, for this.

Time for a debut author for me! Although Cindy Dormini has already written a handful of books, she is new to me. The blurb stood out on Netgalley, so I requested the arc.

The story is funny, original and cute. Cindy keeps you on your toes about what will happen next with all the exes on board. Heartwarming and cozy and I’ll be definitely looking out for more books of Cindy.

four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

The Loathe Boat is another book by Cindy Dorminy I really enjoyed.
I really liked the characters- the interaction they had together- the idea of going on a cruise- a marriage proposal that was turned down- oh this is such a good story that was wonderfully written. I was so glad I got to read this book, and I know many others will also like it.
Second chances are a troupe I really enjoy reading.
Thank you NetGalley, Cindy Dorminy and Red Adept Publishing for the copy of The Loathe Boat. This is my personal review.

This was an entertaining book. Lack of communication was a huge part of the story and the I was confused at some of the issues since they had only split up a month before. It was fun and I did enjoy it.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Xpresso book tours for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Didn’t care about the characters

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book.

I’m going to rate this one 3.5 stars. It was a cute rom-com, but there was nothing remarkable about it to make it stand out in a sea of other rom-com novels. I did find the forced proximity on a cruise ship a fun twist and I love a punny title, which is why I bumped it up from a 3 star “average” with the extra ½ star.

Quick synopsis without giving any spoilers: Chrissy and Deacon are in love. Deacon pops the question. Chrissy has a mini freakout, so they fight and breakup. However they are both too stubborn to give up their ticket for a cruise they’d booked, so they end up sharing a room. As expected, their relationship ebbs and flows during the trip. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

The cruise the couple goes on has a theme, which adds some fun and silliness to the story while also helping the move the story along. I thought that was a pretty unique backdrop. I also enjoy the “there’s only one bed” trope, especially with a fighting couple.

I do have a couple of criticisms though. The first one is a writing thing… I noticed a few times that a character would use language that felt kind of stilted, or unrealistic to me. It wasn’t in keeping with their voice. For example, a couple of times Chrissy used the word ‘must.’ “We must wear them to dinner…” “We must do everything available.” But she doesn’t speak formally the rest of the time, saying ‘huh’ and using normal everyday language. Maybe that’s nitpicky, but it caught my eye, and I couldn’t NOT see it. The second one would be a spoiler, so I’ll just say that a main character held onto a bit of information way longer than was in keeping for his personality and felt unbelievable.

Overall though, this is a solid enough story. It’s fast paced and is exactly what it claims to be; a lighthearted, entertaining, rom-com. If you’re looking for something quick and fun, this is a good way to spend a couple of days. It’s just not a book that I am going to go out of my way to recommend to friends.

This was a cute romance novel. Deacon and Chrissy breakup over a misunderstanding. They have won a cruise which they both decide to go on. What could go wrong when both of your exes are on board?

Thank you to Red Adapt Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC 🙂

The Loathe Boat is a story about two people who have recently broken up, but won a cruise and are both too stubborn to stay home. Add to the mix that it's not just any cruise, but a LARPing cruise and you have a story with a great premise that I had high hopes for. Sadly, I was really disappointed with the story, for multiple reasons.

Firstly, the main characters, Chrissy and Deacon, both felt flat and somewhat boring. Their personalities weren't developed enough and I really didn't connect to them. Chrissy's whole thing is that she's quirky and spontaneous, whereas Deacon is just Fit. The author tried to add more to these characters, for example with Chrissy's family issues and Deacon's addiction issues in his past, but the way that it was written didn't have nearly enough impact because of how shallow the feelings about these issues felt were described. The characters just lacked a lot of depth, which was unfortunate.

Another issue I had is with the relationship between Chrissy and Deacon. Their whole relationship breaks off because of the miscommunication trope - which I'm just not a fan of. The fact that it happens multiple times throughout the book and is consistently the only thing that causes issues between them just made me not invested in this relationship whatsoever. They both have feelings about how the relationship ended but neither of them own up to it until like 90% into the book, which made it feel like a waste of a lot of time. I was actually rooting for Chrissy and Elliot to get back together for quite a while, until suddenly Elliot turned into a super villain. His whole Evil Guy attitude came out of nowhere and was so over the top that it made the whole thing feel quite unbelievable too.

My final big issue with this is that LARPing is used as the butt of the joke quite often during the book. LARPers are usually only there for comedic purposes and LARPing as a whole is looked down on consistently throughout the entire book. Only at the end in the epilogue does it show that Chrissy and Deacon enjoyed LARPing, which felt like it came out of nowhere with how they'd been shown reacting to LARPing throughout the book.

All this, together with some weird comments in the book that left a bad taste in my mouth (Deacon's whole spiel on the cycle of obesity, a passage about an "overweight man wobbling a few times as he attempts to surf.") made me give this book 2 stars, which I think is very generous considering the issues I have with it. The idea was fun enough and the writing was easy to read, but that's about it. I really wanted to like this more.

First of all, thank you Netgalley for an e-arc of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The cruise setting, role playing mixup and chaos was a pretty fun setting for this romance. The only thing I wasn't quite sure on was the couple themselves, as they get very petty with each other. I think it would have worked better if they stayed as friends. That being said, I enjoyed the friendships in this and Chrissy coming to realisations about her past relationship with a toxic ex.

It’s hard for me to get into a book after I finished one I really like. But the loath boat I honestly couldn’t put down. It was funny. It had a good plot and twist and turns. I will make sure to recommend this to anyone!

Chrissy y Deacon llevan un año de relación cuando él le pide matrimonio. Ella se asusta porque su anterior matrimonio fue un fracaso y no quiere que le pase lo mismo y en lugar de darle una respuesta, sale corriendo. Él la persigue y se encuentra con una escena que le rompe el corazón, no la deja explicarse y termina con la relación.

Un mes después, se reencuentran en un crucero, un viaje que ambos ganaron. Ninguno de los dos permitirá que el otro les arruine las vacaciones, y esperan poder aclarar los malentendidos y retomar su relación.




Tengo que decir que si hubiera leído esto en otro momento, mi calificación habría sido mucho más baja. Sin embargo, hoy estoy muy relajada y de buen humor, por lo que la tremenda falta de comunicación y el drama por cosas tan tontas no me afectaron y hasta me dieron risa.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Usually in a romance, one person is clearly in the wrong but in this - they both seem terrible and honeslty better off without each other so I wasn't rooting for them to get together at all. Plus, neither of them was very likeable.

Chrissy Parks already has one failed marriage under her belt, and despite being on good terms with her ex, she has no desire to put another ring on her left hand anytime soon. Life is good with Deacon, her amazing boyfriend, so there’s no need to rock the boat.
Deacon Youngblood has other plans. He pops the question just days before they plan to set sail on a role-playing-themed cruise. When Chrissy flips out and turns down his proposal, he begins to think that she may not be over her ex. The situation escalates into a breakup, but neither will relinquish their cruise ticket. Chrissy climbs aboard the Sovereign of the Sea with the goal of clearing her head and enjoying all the cruise has to offer. Deacon follows with the hope of winning her back.
Chrissy has a nagging feeling that Deacon is hiding something from her. And he’s not the only one vying for her attention. Chrissy must search her heart and decide who she wants. Or maybe she should abandon ship.
Chrissy and Deacon’s story is full of misunderstandings, exes, live-action role playing on a cruise, and funny scenes. It’s a very light-hearted read without much drama and with a happily ever after.
I never knew what LARPers were, but now I do!
Thank you Netgalley, Red Adept Publishing and Cindy Dorminy for providing an advanced copy of this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed it; all thoughts and opinions are my own. .