More Than Shipmates

"More Than Shipmates" by Philippa Young is like the ultimate escape fantasy on a Caribbean cruise, and trust me, it's as fun as it sounds. Eliza Chapman, our main girl, lands a gig as an entertainment host and vows to steer clear of dating at work. But then she meets Tom and Oscar, and the whole "no romance" plan goes overboard. It’s not your usual annoying love triangle; you kind of know where things are headed, but it's all about the ride!

Philippa totally nails the cruise ship vibes, making you feel like you're right there with them—sun, sea, and a bit of drama. Sure, there are moments when you wish they’d just talk things out and save some drama, but where’s the fun in that, right? If you’re in the mood for something light and breezy with a good dose of flirting and finding yourself, this book is it. Totally a must-read for a chill day.

Thank you to Summer Stars Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I devoured this book today! This is the perfect book for summer. Whether you are reading at the pool, on vacay, or sitting around the house, the cruise ship vibes will keep you smiling. This book definitely has some spicy parts, but it also has a lot of heart and I love it all! The fact that I found out that we are getting more Tom in the future also made me happy. Do yourself a favor and grab this one to add to your summer TBR!
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 (without being awkward or too anatomical)
I was provided a free copy of this book in an exchange for an honest review.

ARC review: More Than Shipmates by @philippayoungauthor 🩵💛 - 4.5⭐️, 3🌶️
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Fave Quote: “If we were in a show and your voice gave out one night because it was tired from weeks of being pushed to its limits, I wouldn’t blame you for not wanting to turn up the next night. But ‘the show must go on’, as they say. I want the show to go on. And I will do whatever it takes to make that happen. I’ll make you hot honey and lemons, I’ll run extra warm-ups, I’ll rehearse with you, I’ll get them to change the key, I’ll sing all of your songs with you night after night until you’re confident again.” He wipes the happy tears from my cheeks with his thumb. “You’re the star of this show, Chapman and without you, there is no show. And before you say it, I refuse to work with an understudy.”
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This is a great debut novel by Philippa! It’s a lighthearted and hilarious contemporary romance of Eliza, escaping her unsatisfactory British life to work on a cruise ship, where she meets two men she’s drawn to! There’s fast and slow burn open door spice, wild sexual hijinx that was so funny to read! AND even though it’s a love triangle romance, it was written so well that you’re not pulling your hair out over it (also I’m proud of myself for picking the right boy 😎) This is a great book I’d recommend if you want a light summer/ vacation read!
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Tropes:
🩵 Love Triangle (Blonde v. Brunette MMC’s)
💛 Forced Proximity/ Co-Workers - Cruise Ship
🩵 Open Door Spice
💛 Triple POV
🩵 Rom Com
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Thank you NetGalley and Summer Star Publishing for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

More Than Shipmates follows Eliza as she struggles with past rejections and breakups while trying to find her place on board a cruise ship in the Entertainment department.

I loved this book, its unique setting, and the many fantastic characters. Eliza, Tom and Oscar are all entertaining and sexy, and while love triangles aren't usually my trope of choice, I felt like it was perfect in this book! The love triangle is written well, and it felt like it developed and ended naturally.

Having recently been on a cruise, I found this book super relatable! I laughed at the end author's note - "I take no responsibility if you uproot your life and don't fall madly in love." I loved this, mostly because the book honestly does make you feel like you should immediately quit your job and go and work on a cruise ship for half a year. Or at the very least, go and spend a good amount of time on holiday aboard one!

This was a fun read, packed full with laughs, entertainment and spice.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review More Than Shipmates!

ARC REVIEW**
NetGalley

I NEED MORE!!!!
I have never laughed so hard at some of these interactions between characters. This book is all about finding yourself when your original dreams don’t go to plan and learning to love and accept yourself. Meeting super hot boys is never a negative either.
Do yourself a favor and read this. You won’t be disappointed.

Review posted on Goodreads and amazon

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 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.

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!

Ahhhhhhhh words can’t describe how much i love this book
Why is it so good
Devoured it and want to reread

I simply adored this book! I read it in a day, only breaking to eat and drink or when someone absolutely required my attention. I haven’t been this absorbed in a book and able to finish it all in one sitting in a while. I also haven’t read many books featuring a love triangle, and I feel like this could be the start of an unexpected new favourite trope?

I absolutely loved the setting of the cruise ship. The author painted a really vivid and beautiful picture of being on board a ship. It brought back so many good memories of the cruise I’ve been on. I loved all of our main and supporting characters, like I want to work on this ship, be their friend and watch them all succeed.

I especially enjoyed the honesty, respect and communication between them. I really felt the chemistry between Eliza and Tom when they first met. You could tell they had an instant and special connection. Then I absolutely loved Eliza’s first impression of/interaction with Oscar. I only wish he was in fact an Aussie surfer dude, I think that would have added an extra layer of drama.

I loved all of the tension and drama, it felt realistic and never over done. I was dying to know who she kissed in the dark, and I really enjoyed the way the author kept us guessing until the end. I wish it was mentioned a bit more throughout the story, like with some little clues or hints as to who it might have been.

All in all this is one of my favourite books of the year. It really resonated with me as someone who loves to travel, works in the hospitality industry and has at times felt a little lost in life. I already want to read it again and I can’t wait for the next book in the series!! I really loved Tom so I do hope he finds his one.

This was a fantastic debut and I’m so thankful I had the chance to read and review it.

Thank you for sharing the first book in the Below Deck series with me. I loved this book, I genuinely couldn't put it down. Eliza and Oscar's relationship was so lovely to read. I loved that Eliza spoke to herself in her head using musical quotes because I also do that constantly. I was so excited to find out that the next book in the series is Tom's book as I loved hearing his point of view in More than Shipmates. Can't wait to start More than Clickbait!

Rating: 5/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

This book is about Eliza, who has never been good enough at anything in her life. She decides to enroll as an entertainment host on a 6-month cruise to see where her life will take her after she completes this part. She is determined to give up on romance and work her butt off and reapply for drama school when she gets back. However, once she gets on the ship, she meets a cute American named Tom and her very sexy trainer named Oscar/Harvey (I won’t explain why he uses two names, just read it and you will understand I promise), they really start to test her resolve to give up romance and relationships. Can she hold on to her plans or will his love triangle knock her off her feet.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I normally don’t like love triangles that much but the way the author wrote this book was more than just a love triangle with spice. It was more about self-discovery, confidence and second chances in life (not just with love but with opportunities in life in general). I liked that this book was set on a Caribbean cruise, but you didn’t feel like there was repetitive information or any boring part of the book. It flowed so smoothly from work-life that you just felt as if you were one of the crew mates just there watching it all happen. I thought the characters were well developed and all three of them had great character development throughout the book. I thought having 3 POV’s would have gotten hard to read but the author made it clear on who’s POV it was changing, and I had no problem following. I really liked getting to understand each character on their own.

The author does write some spice in this book, but for me it was the wondering and trying to figure out what male will be the one that Eliza will choose to be with, and I don’t think she could have picked anyone better. I can’t wait to see what the next book will bring us and to see what new romcom drama will happen with this amazing author.

If you like romcoms with spice, love triangles, cruise boats, workmates, self-discovery, and musical themes you need to pick up this book and read it.

I want to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

More than Shipmates by Phillipa Young 🌟
⭐ Rating: 5 stars

👩‍🎤 Synopsis: Eliza Chapman joins a six-month Caribbean cruise as an entertainment host, determined to leave her past failures behind and avoid mixing work with romance. But cheeky American Tom and charming Brit Oscar make it hard to resist temptation, leading to a steamy love triangle on the high seas.

💖 Why You'll Love It:

Tropes: Love triangle, workplace romance, forced proximity, self-discovery
Characters: Eliza’s journey from insecurity to confidence is compelling. Tom’s golden retriever charm and Oscar’s reformed bad boy persona add depth.
Setting: The cruise ship backdrop adds excitement with fun games and thrilling escapades.
Romance: Sizzling chemistry, tension, and angst keep you hooked. The slow-burn romance and flirty banter are top-notch.
📖 Final Thoughts: "More than Shipmates" is a delightful romcom with a perfect blend of humor, romance, and self-discovery. Phillipa Young’s debut novel is a must-read for anyone who loves engaging love triangles and dynamic characters.

🔥 Heat Level: Steamy with plenty of spice.

🌟 Conclusion: An unputdownable, fun-filled romance set on a cruise ship. Highly recommend for romcom lovers!

📅 Release Date: June 1, 2024

#MoreThanShipmates #PhillipaYoung #Romcom #LoveTriangle #BookReview #Bookstagram #RomanceReads #CruiseShipRomance #MustRead

More Than Shipmates" by Philippa Young is an entertaining escape set on a Caribbean cruise. The story follows Eliza Chapman, who takes a job as an entertainment host on a cruise ship and vows to avoid workplace romance. However, her plans are quickly derailed when she meets Tom and Oscar, leading to a charming love triangle.

Philippa Young does a fantastic job capturing the cruise ship atmosphere, making you feel like you’re right there with the characters. The romance is lighthearted and fun, with plenty of flirty moments and humor.

If you’re looking for a breezy, romantic read perfect for a summer day, "More Than Shipmates" is a great choice. It's a delightful mix of humor, romance, and self-discovery that will keep you hooked.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this amazing book. This review has also been posted on Goodreads and StoryGraph.

I loved this love triangle debut from Philippa Young.
Eliza is starting her first stint as an Entertainment Host on a Cruise Ship. On her first day she meets Tom, another newbie that she clicks with instantly and Oscar (Harvey) who she's meets whilst stripping in his cabin.
Hijinks ensue as cruise employment life involves a lot of fun and games (many of which are clothing optional).
Its a roller-coaster ride of which guy will be the one to fully capture her heart.
What's great about the story (other then the spicy-ness) is that we get PO from all 3 characters. I love the growth all of them have throughout the book whilst they deal with demons from their past.
Such a fun spicy romance and I can't wait to read the next one.

NEED.MORE.NOW!

I am shocked this is a debut novel. This story was fantastic!! I laughed so hard throughout this entire story, I could not get enough.

I can't wait to read more by Philippa Young.

Review posted to Goodreads and Amazon.

Firstly, I am obsessed with this cover - it is so pretty!
Secondly, I am equally as obsessed with the storyline and characters of this wonderful story.
I am an bit of a sucker for a love triangle romance, and this was utter perfection - it was super spicy and so much fun, and it left me wanting more. Eliza, Oscar, and Tom completely have my heart, and i am going to need more books by Philippa Young immediately because I'm hooked!

Honestly I thought this was going to be a MFM romance but I was wrong and I’m totally okay with it because 😍❗️ Who she ends up with has my heart currently. I love the internal battle she had to not get involved with anyone she works with, and then proceeds to ignore her inner conscience 🤣 because girl I would do the same thing. I definitely recommend this read! I’ll end my review with a quote “New fantasy unlocked.”
because honestly Eliza, SAME 😌

1st person multiple POV
Love triangle
Forced proximity workplace/holiday romance
Slow burn
Sexy consent & spicy scenes
HEA
1st in a series (2nd available to purchase/borrow via KU)
Bonus scene link at end of book - SUPER GRATEFUL FOR!

Well written, laugh out loud funny & I thoroughly enjoyed every page. I highlighted so much.
I will be recommending this book to everyone who will listen. Excited also to read the 2nd in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Philippa Young for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.