A cute holiday romance, I read Carolyn McBride's Santa Overboard: A Potomac Shores Holiday as a standalone. To be honest, I didn't even realize it was the second book in McBride's Potomac Shores series til I came to review it.

The author spends a lot of time reminiscing about the pandemic and it brought back so many memories. I have kids this age too, and boy did COVID change life for my 20-somethings.

I enjoyed the narration by Maria Marquis, they deliver a fine performance.

Santa Overboard: A Potomac Shores Holiday by Carolyn McBride
Narrated by Maria Marquis
Publisher: Make Waves Press, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks
Genre: Novellas & Short Stories, Romance, Women's Fiction
Published: September 24 2024

Santa Overboard is the second book in the Potomac Shores series by Carolyn McBride. I haven't read the first book but was able to read this as a standalone romance.

The narration by Maria Marquis was very enjoyable.

I really wanted to like this book. It's a quick Christmas read and I'm all for getting into the holiday spirit. But for me, it fell flat. There was so much emphasis on the pandemic, vaccinations, and the struggles around COVID that I thought the fun was sucked out of it. I read books to get away from reality and this one kept bringing up the pandemic (at least once every chapter it seemed) that I couldn't get away from it. I feel like this book was released like 2 years too late (or way too soon for people to have gotten past their own hurts).

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I'm sorry to say but the only reason I kept listening to this book was because of the narrator, I enjoyed her voice. But the storyline to me was so mashable, maybe because I didn't read The first book, but even being able to read it as a standalone it was still kinda odd. So much COVID being mentioned, yes we had that as a timeline in our history why have it mentioned so much? But either way, I kept listening because of the narrator, thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to listen.

This was a cute, fun little story with a pleasant narrator. Friendship, romance and holidays are a good combination, and I liked the main character, who was dealing with some insecurities. An added bonus: I wasn't sure I liked it at first, but there was some trivia too, and I learned a few things; the new facts were nicely added in a lighthearted way. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook

This is a story about friendship, love and ambition the main character is Katie who we follow around in this narrative, as she tries to set up her business and navigate her relationship all with the support of her friends, the Beach Bonfire Babes.

I love the character of Deke and how patient he is with her. He truly does want the best for her, giving her the space and time that she needs.
But the best part was the bond between a group of women who are constantly lifting one another up and cheering one another on.

This is a truly beautiful story of friendship.

This book was a cute, funny, fast paced holiday read. I enjoyed the cultural aspect it provided as well. I feel like this book focused a little too heavily on Covid, other than that the book was pretty light.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to listen to this book! I didn't realize this was book two until I had already started it. I don't think you need to read the first one to be able to appreciate the characters in this one. Although it is not a standalone, so you probably get more backstory in the first one. That said, I really enjoyed this book! It was a quick and fun listen on a beautiful fall day. I will be going back and listening to the first one now and probably come back and listen to this again. This story is a great holiday season read. A little bit friendship, finding oneself post divorce(s), and holiday traditions while missing family members.

Katie is looking forward to captaining the Christmas boat parade and delivering Santa. Just when she thought her romance with Deke, the scientist, was going somewhere, he tells her that he won’t be around for Christmas as he’s heading south for work. He initially hopes she’ll join him, but she told him it wouldn’t be possible until January when her college-aged daughter returns to school.

What will the holidays have in store for Katie?

Thank you to NetGalley and Make Waves Press for allowing me to listen to an ALC of this novel. #NetGalley #SantaOverboard

This was a quick and easy listen. Cute story, kept my attention on my daily commute, and the narrator was pleasant. I was hoping for a bit more holiday, but felt it was lacking a bit in the festive spirit - but I’m not sure what I was expecting. There were some witty moments that made up for it.

Thank you to the author, narrator, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free e-audio version of this title in exchange for my review.

I don't go for rom-com types often, but they are a nice break here and there. I thought this one would be a cute, heart warming story, and maybe it is for others, but not for me. The pandemic was referenced far, far too often. I get it, we all lived through it, and probably all need to talk about it, but it seemed like not one paragraph failed to mention the pandemic. It was just too much, and took away from the story as a whole. Just didn't work for me.

2 stars for 'it was ok'

Unfortunately I was unable to listen past the first chapter. Way way way to many mentions of pandemic and covid, it was just to overwhelming and turned me right off. I did enjoy the narrator. Also 3 previous marriages and then a new relationship doesn't really align with my personal values. I'm sure many will like the book but it was not for me.

The concept of this book was great! I didn’t think the covid/pandemic mentions would bother me- but it was a lot. I didn’t really connect with any of the characters.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. I was really looking forward to this read but honestly it was kind of a let down. Yeah we heard the word Covid too many times. I didn't really connect with any of the characters and I just didn't click with them. I feel like it was just kind of a let down. Just not my cup of tea. The cover is really cute though!

This was a really sweet easy to listen to novella - just what I was looking for. This novella was incredibly heartwarming and easy to follow. Exactly what I needed!

Santa Overboard (audio)
Book 2 in the Potomac Shores series
3.5⭐️

This is a quick easy read/listen. I listened at 2x speed and was finished around 2 hours. I have not read the first book in the series, but felt “caught up” with references from “before”. With it being a short book things didn’t get too in depth, but it was still enjoyable with good writing and narration. It felt like something was missing. Like, the story provided could have been subplots to a larger main story, but that wasn’t the case. I think some will feel this was lacking in storyline. It should also be pointed out that the story takes place mid pandemic and refers to COVID quite a bit. The reality is 2021 still revolved heavily around COVID, so I get it, but I also recognize some people do not want to read works of fiction with a hyper-focus on COVID. Overall, I enjoyed the light and airiness of a quick book and relatable/real characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Make Waves Press for this audio ARC. This review will be shared on NetGalley, Goodreads, and Amazon.

Thank you Make Waves Press | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks for allowing me to read and review Santa Overboard A Potomac Shores Holiday by Carolyn McBride on NetGalley.

Narrator: Maria Marquis (great job)

Published: 09/24/24

Stars: 2.5

The cover screamed good time. The book was far more serious than I expected. There were tidbits sprinkled throughout hinting that this was a Christmas -- Santa story. However, this is more of a middle-aged woman attempting to find herself.

Quite frankly, I didn't like any of the characters.

I did like Frosty for a pet name.

Santa Overboard is a quick cozy book great for a light hearted listen. Narrator Maria Marquis does a great job bringing this story to life!

Potomac Shores, book two in the series! What a cute and literal cozy mystery. Can be read as a stand-alone though & you won’t miss much from not reading the first one.

Katie Young moved to Occoquan, on the Potomac and is working towards her getting her Captains license. She gets to know and love Deke, the town's resident scientist/captain the boat parade to deliver Santa. Katie gets upset whenever Deke tells her that he won’t be home for Christmas because he is going to the Galápagos Islands like he has done every year since him and his ex-wife divorced. She’s also second guessing on whether or not she truly LIKES him since he isn’t going to be spending Christmas with her.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Christmas traditions and the vibes I got from this book.
I was disappointed with the constant COVID references though. It’s enough to have lived through it, but whenever I read a book, I want to escape reality…
✨✨✨✨
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & publisher for a copy of this audio ARC!

Not my favorite, too much mention of covid… I was kind of bored too through the whole book, in the first couple chapters so many new characters were introduced and there were like all of a sudden a whole girls group.

Santa Overboard, written by Carolyn McBride, is the second book in the Potomac Shores series.

Main character, Katie Young, started over in Occoquan in the last book in this series. This book follows her winter adventures, including making friends, making plans, trying to figure out her relationship, and preparing for Santa!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the different friendships that were shown, and how Katie grew closer to those around her. I appreciated how they all supported each other and worked together. I appreciated the dialogue between characters, and the callbacks to the previous book.

I did not realize that this book was a sequel when I requested it, and I realize this is something I need to watch out for when requesting books! I have not yet read the first book in this series, but I do not think it took away from my experience. I still really appreciated the book and story line, and really enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, publisher, and narrator of this book for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.