I LOVED this book! It introduced a new to me author I will continue to look out for :) I will be getting book 2 on kindle unlimited!
I loved how fun the characters were, the banter and humor kept me engaged the whole time. The spice was a pleasant bonus! I feel like I wish this was a "why choose" romance because I couldn't choose who I loved more, Oscar or Tom!

I don't really know how to write this review tbh.
I wanted to like this book so so bad but it just didn't want to cooperate.
I thought about DNFing at 25% but I really wanted to give it a chance.

Let's do a bullet point review for this one :
- The main characters were cute
- I liked the cruise setting ; though I think we could've done without the details for each activity
- This book was way too long ; there was too many details about things that didn't really further the plot + too many side characters
- It felt like the story was fast paced, but in reality, the plot moved so so, so slowly (if that makes sense?)
- It didn't feel like a real love triangle ; the conflits and resolutions were way too easy for me. I needed more drama and more pining
- Considering the Erotica label on NetGalley, I thought there would be way more spice

- POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT!!!!!
(I don't know if it's a me problem, but I feel like I was baited into thinking there would be sword crossing, and I kept reading in hopes it would turn poly until the very last page and it didn't and I was devastated)

END OF SPOILERS

In conclusion, this book wasn't for me considering the expectations I had of it. But it is still a cute and fun summer romance if you want to give it a go!

Thank you NetGalley, Summer Stars Publishing and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this ARC because my parents met and fell in love on cruise ships. I’ve grown up hearing the stories, and as I’ve gotten older I’ve heard more about the raunchier adventures that cruising brought along. This book showcased what they told me in every way, and the attachment I feel towards the characters is incredible. The flow of the story was effortless, and so intriguing to read as it took place over so many months. Each characters journey with themselves and their lives on the ship was fascinating and the SPICE!!!!!!! The spice was everythingggggg!! This book truly mixed fun and important life lessons in a way that was unique and so so pleasing to read. I’m also 100000% more sure that I need to go live out my cruise ship employee era ASAP!

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.

This was a fun, summer read! I loved the setting of a cruise ship! A modern day Love Boat, if you will! I enjoyed the found family, close proximity, and love triangle tropes! So glad there is another book in the series to continue the fun!

This book was just alright. Way too long in my opinion. The story was good but so much of the book was just fluff! Eliza was the worst! Also the love triangle bit was drawn out and not necessary. That being said I didn't hate the book and would read the 2nd one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It’s hard to put into words what I felt reading this book. There were lots of things I liked and then lots of things that rubbed me the wrong way. It had a strong start and I was really optimistic it would be fabulous. It ended up being only okay and partly because of how some of the conflicts were written.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

I had no idea what to expect going into this read, and I was not disappointed. I am normally not super interested in love triangles but this one was so entertaining and kept me on my toes. It was full of witty banter and funny moments that kept me engaged the whole time. The chemistry between all the characters was so well-written and I could not figure out who I wanted Eliza to end up with! I also really enjoyed three pov's. I love being able to see everyone's thoughts and this book did it so well. It was full of self-discovery and I've never been on a cruise but this book made me want to go on one ASAP. This book was well-written and every chapter kept me wanting to read more.
This was such a perfect rom-com and one that anyone on or off a cruise would enjoy reading!

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

I really wanted to give this a higher rating because I enjoyed the first 2/3 of it. It had a fun setting and interesting characters.

That being said, the last 1/3 went on entirely too long. I never got when or why Tom stopped being interested in Eliza. He just… stopped. Oscar and Eliza had good chemistry but his motivations were weird. He kept saying he used to be wild so he can’t be with her but that makes it seem like he doesn’t have any control over his own actions. Just strange.

Mmmmmm. I'm disappointed.

I'm not sure why this is a 500-page long novel that couldn't even utilize the length to give a good development and establishment of the plot and characters.

Long story short, the book gave nothing.

This cruise ship love triangle stars Eliza, Tom, and Oscar as they figure out what they want and who they want. I loved everything about this story! It was mostly fairly accurate to how I’d imagine living on a cruise ship with a bunch of other hot singles goes. The banter kept me laughing and the steamy romances had me on the edge of my seat.

dnf-ed at 27% .

im deep in my Below Deck era so i thought this would be right up my alley! unfortunately the storyline gave Carnival cruise ship instead. to me there were too many characters to follow, the writing was a bit fast paced but the plot was slow (idk how else to describe this. it just seemed there was so much more written than what was happening). there was a lot of dialogue, but i did appreciate the multiple POVs. maybe i’ll try again in the future but for now, not too big of a fan to try & continue.

As a huge Below Deck fan I was super excited for this book. I had a fun time reading it but it was a little bit too long!

omg what a cute book I loved all the characters and i really wanted everyone to get along and fall in love. I love that show below deck and this just felt like a regular season of the show. I really liked joining Eliza on her search to understanding of her life and figuring out what she wants to do. It doesn't hurt that the romantic banter was very cute as well with a side of spice.

This was not a favorite of mine at all. I wanted to love it but the theater/drama references really made me lose interest. I couldn’t connect with the characters that ended up making it cringe. I had high hopes for this one. It’s also about 200 pages too long.

ARC review — Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity.

This is a great book!! It is really so funny and has making me feel like applying to work on a cruise so…

But I might say I got lost on the story more than once, maybe because sometimes it was hard to “see” the scene. The character building is actually nice and well performed. I think we all agree on which boy was she choosing at the very first half of the book but it was so well done and written, creating an atmosphere where it didn’t feel so strange for the characters to start having feelings for each other. I also might said that from around a 56% to a 85% the book feel heavy. Difficult. It didn’t catch all my attention and that is why it was difficult for me to finish. But anyways, after and before that was a really good story, I promise.

I didn’t know I was in the last chapter when suddenly… “Thank you… if you enjoyed…” Oh my god!! I wasn’t ready to leave this gang!! I couldn’t help but to cry just a little. Feeling I won’t ever hear from these two makes my heart ache.

Hope you like this one!!

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.

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!

This was such a great story with all the ups and downs you want in a Rom-Com, I loved the chemistry between Oscar and Eliza. I loved how sweet the characters were with each other and how they just all bonded together. This had spice and laughter all throughout it and even had its ups and downs. I loved how we got to see Eliza grow and become a stronger confident person.