A fun summer guilty pleasure read! I loved the cruise ship crew setting. There was some juicy drama/games and great sexual tension.

That being said, I struggled with the flow of the writing in portions and the FMC’s negative thoughts became a bit grating at times.

Thank you for the review arc!

I love the new cover of this book and the setting is amazing. I love rom-coms, cruising and all things nautical so I was very excited for this book but it just didn’t deliver as expected. There are a lot of British references in the book that, as an American, i just didn’t understand. I could gather by the context they were actors, shows or slang but they didn’t make me laugh or paint a picture like maybe they were intended to.
The category tags and description didn’t give any indication of MM involvement so I wasn’t expecting that. If that’s your jam, you might love this book. For me, I just couldn’t get into it after that.

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

⭐️Star rating: 2.75/5 

Spice:  🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5


I gravitated towards this book because the description and the cover art led me to think it was going to be a “why choose” trope. Even some of the scenarios early on in the book lead you to believe this way so I spent the whole book waiting for the other shoe to drop so-to-speak but it never does.

As the cover suggests, the story is told from 3 POVs, 1 female & 2 male. It is nice to know what everyone is thinking throughout the book, but I found it a bit confusing sometimes to keep up with.

If selfish female main characters with a whoa-is-me complex are a turn-off for you then I suggest staying away from this book. Eliza could’ve been many things since her whole reason for joining this ship is to get a fresh start but her outlook on life and towards others is just so annoying and over the top I know I couldn’t have been friends with her IRL.



Overall, I think this book had a ton of potential but there was just too much packed into it to get to the meat of any of the topics covered. I found myself confused and disappointed. Had the story truly ended in the throuple, I think it could have salvaged the book.



I posted my review to GoodReads on June 2, 2024 (link below)

This book was genuinely so entertaining to read. The setting and everything going on was fun and engaging, the characters were all so interesting, and the storytelling as a whole was very nicely done which made for this book to be so easy to go through. Admittedly, the slow burn was torture...but in the best way possible. The tension and chemistry between the characters made that tortuously slow burn worth it in the end.

I will admit, I'm not always a fan of love triangles but I was surprisingly okay with this one, mainly because "the other guy" wasn't made out to be such a prick and I just like how the entire thing was handled in the end.

Adored this book overall and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and spicy summer read!

• Love Triangle • Workplace Romance • Forced Proximity • Found Family • LGBT+ Representation • Slow burn with some angst • Multi-POV • Cruise ship shenanigans! • Musicals • So many gamessss 😉💦

This was such a wonderful read. Perfect steamy summer romance. Great for readers who love working class romances, love triangles and love triangles.

Thank you to NetGalley for this copy of More Than Shipmates in exchange for my honest review.

There are several things about this book that I loved:

⭐️reference to some of my favourite musicals and tv shows (if you love musicals this book is definitely for you)
⭐️ the love triangle
⭐️ the games the crew play together
⭐️this is a beautiful summer time read which fully immersed me in the holiday setting

However I feel like a lot of personal issues the characters had such as problems which they left at home were not focused on enough and they were just dismissed as they found ways to avoid these issues.

I usually like dual povs but i feel like 3 povs was too much, I also feel like it wasn’t structured into the story well as it could have been. I tend to enjoy multiple povs more when the next pov is at the start of a new chapter rather than randomly placed in the middle of a page.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

More Than Shipmates by Philippa Young is such a great summer romcom. Having now finished it I can’t wait to read the follow up, More Than Clickbait.

More Than Shipmates follows Eliza as she begins her journey as a member of the entertainment team on a cruise liner sailing around the Caribbean. She’s trying to escape the life she left behind, and the feeling that she’s never been good enough. She’s determined to embrace the work hard, play hard ethos of cruise life but is going to stay away from romance, fearing the consequences of mixing work and love once again. Things get more complicated, however, when the lines between colleagues and crushes blur and the nightlife puts her in some scandalous situations. Eliza’s efforts to resist temptation are challenged by cheeky American Tom and charming Brit Oscar, who might not be so willing to resist her.

There are so many fun things going on with this one, we’ve got:
🚢 forced proximity romance (on a cruise ship!)
🩷 workplace romance
🚢 love triangle - I know this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but in this one it works really well
🩷 found family - the cruise ship family Eliza makes is so good, I loved some of the secondary characters
🚢 multi POVs - all 3 members of the triangle
🩷 solid LBGTQ representation
🚢 good humour and banter between the MCs

This was a surprisingly long book for this type of story though it never dragged. I liked how we learnt more about each of the three MCS and how they were written with depth and their own backstories. Each of them were on their own growth journey, whether it was dealing with what they’d left behind or trying to be the version of themselves they most wanted to be. They’re all young and their lives are messy, they’re making mistakes along the way but trying to figure it out too.

I think it’s pretty obvious from early on who Eliza will end up with ultimately, but I loved how each of the two MMCs were, overall, decent guys. You’d be happy for her to be with either, neither was made out to be the baddy to help you easily root for the other. I love that though she ended up with one and was still able to maintain a really solid, and important, friendship with the other. It’s a slow burn in many ways but with some steamy moments peppered throughout,

This was a fun and easy read and I’ll look forward to the next instalment.

This was such a quick easy read! The banter was fun and my first workplace romance book. Loveeed it!

I ADORED this book. I don't know what it was about the book but I just couldn't put it down! Also blown away by the fact that this is a debut novel. The writing was excellent and the banter was so fun. I thought the setting was unique and very interesting, as I've never read a cruise ship romance. Also loved the tension.
The only small critique is that the spicy chapters were very clustered together and it did have many side plots (Tom's family visiting etc.)

I loved the book and I will absolutely read the second one.

This book was so much fun. It’s a steamy but sweet workplace romcom set on a cruise ship. The forced proximity tension, chemistry and banter was perfection. The games and activities they participated in had me laughing out loud and gave me major Below Deck vibes with all of the mischief they got up to with the guests being blissfully unaware.

As soon as I read the dedication in this book, I knew instantly we were in for a wild steamy ride and I LOVED that it had its own playlist! It was just a perfect sexy, fun summer read and I can’t wait for the next one ‘More Than Clickbait’.

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!

Signing up to be an entertainment host on a six-month Caribbean cruise might not be the best idea when you are trying to not repeat the mistake of dating someone you work with because with the new staff comes two very hot guys whom she'll have to choose between. Eliza is just trying to get herself back together after a messy work relationship. She's signed up to be an entertainment host on a six-month Caribbean cruise and has sworn herself off men completely... yet on the very first day there she is already tempted by her new coworkers. Particularly, the cheeky American Tom and the charming Brit Oscar. With a wide case of characters, cruise ship and relationship drama, multiple POVS, this book really really takes you on the journey. This one was not for me unfortunately, it felt so dragged on and boring, the characters just didn't sag my attention and I didn't care about the romance and love triangle at all. The book is about 380+pages and I could have done with 100 pages less. This would work as a fun tv show for sure, but as a book ? It just felt a bit messy and meh for me. If you enjoy messy relationship drama books that are a bit long and love love triangles, then yeah I'd absolutely recommend it to you!

Release Date: June 1,2023

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Summer Stars Publishing for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Summary: After not getting into drama school and having ex-boyfriend drama, Eliza decides to get a job on a Cruise Boat for six months. She hope this will give her the fresh start that she needs, but she falls in the middle of a love triangle.

"Our worlds have finally collided, and nothing will ever be the same again."

Vibes:
Forced Proximity (Cruise Boat)
Romantic Comedy
Love Triangle
Spice:2/5

“I've entered uncharted territory, and I'll be damned if I jump ship now.”

Thoughts: I'm not sure if love triangles are my cup of tea. I liked the game that they played, which included some spicy ones. It was interesting that one of the POVs was from someone who ended up not being chosen.

"Am I the drama?"

I was given Advanced Reader Copy by NetGalley for an honest review.

This was the first time that I actually rooted for both the guys in the love triangle. Most of the time, the author make it really obvious who the FMC is going to end up with, and makes the losing guy an asshole in the middle of the story. I didn't get that feeling this time, because all of them had their own personal problems and their reactions were totally normal for me. Well done, Philippa!

I love reading about people falling in love in unusal places, and it is certainly the first time that i read a love story situated on a cruise boat. It seemed such a fun environment, I wanted to be there myself! I was so jealous of all the characters.

I can't wait to read the next story, I'm so excited to meet Gemma!

Cruise ship 🚢 , love triangle ❤️ and spice 🌶️? YES PLEASE!!

More Than Shipmates is Phillippa Young’s debut novel that reminds me of Bravo’s Below Deck but on a much larger scale…a cruise ship. This book follow Eliza, a girl looking for a fresh start navigating life working on a cruise ship. She gets into a love triangle between two of her shipmates, Oscar and Tom, which makes the cruise all the more interesting.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc of this book!

Overall thoughts:
3.25⭐️
3 🌶️

‘Earl Grey tea is the worst thing I’ve ever put in my mouth, and I’ve made some bad choices where that’s concerned...’

‘Our eyes lock as the lyrics imply, and it’s as if no one else exists anymore.’

Tropes: Forced Proximity, Found Family, Multiple POV, Bi MMC, Nickname, Degradation (consensual), Miscommunication, Twins.

Teen drama meets cruising. Oh and make it sexy/ spicy!

If you were a theatre school kid or love cruising.. or both, you’ll love this book! This book is full of rom-com style conflicts & cute moments.
I also really liked some of the banter, Eliza’s retorts are brilliant!

I did have a few issues though (too many conflicts, plot could be a bit deeper), but as a debut novel it’s still a good first entry!

I’m also really interested in the plot described for book 2 of the Below Deck series so I’ll be reading that one when it’s released!

The only thing I think this book really needs is a content warning page - mostly because of the kink tropes, so people know what they’re getting into!

Thank you to Philippa Young, Summer Stars Publishing Limited & NetGalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Having fell in-love with cruising in the last few years the premise of this book was so appealing to me.
It follows Eliza who joins her first cruise ship in the Caribbean as an entertainment host. She has sworn off men after her boyfriend cheated on her however her resolve is soon tested before she boards the ship when she meets fellow crew member Tom. Once onboard she is assigned a buddy mentor, a fellow Brit Oscar, he’s sworn off women and trying to change his ways but can he after meeting Eliza.
I love that the story follows the 3 POV’s and Phillipa does such a great job of allowing you to understand each of their backgrounds which has lead them to behave the way they do now.
The book cover is cute but don’t let that fool you, this has such a good level of spice 🌶️ the crew’s games and antics are so naughty.
Thank you NetGalley, the Author and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this, all opinions expressed are my own.

I absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down, the cruise ship setting made it unique and exciting - nothing like anything I've ever read before. As a massive musical theatre fan the references to different musical shows were incredible and a lovely surprise throughout the book.
As much as I did love the book, I felt that the pace did slightly dip toward the centre of the book which left it feeling a bit slower than I would've liked.
Overall though, I loved it and felt like I'd been submerged into a reality show with all of the ship games, interactions between characters and spicy scenes.

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.