I’ve been a huge fan of Tom since book one. It’s amazing to see his growth and storyline in this sequel. It’s also so fun to have old characters intertwined. The story is a fun, quick read with lots of steamy scenes. Theres nothing held back on cruise romances and Megan/Gemma is a strong great lead for this one. P

This was so cute and a lot steamier than I thought it would be!! Oh boy!! I loved the relationship between Gemma and Tom. I loved the setting of a cruise ship! It was so much fun!

I am gonna first start by saying I am glad that I read Book #1 in the series first, yes this book can be a stand-alone but not really at the same time. If you try to read it without starting with Book #1 you will lose out so much on the plot, the setting, the POVs, the characters and the whole thing I feel.
I am very glad I didn't do that because I was thinking about it at first. The author does put in a summary at the beginning of this book to share some tidbits of information from book 1, I thought this was a great idea.

Now onto this review..... I liked this book a lot better than the first one and I think it has to do with already knowing so much about the characters and the ship they are on. It was so much fun to see what else was going on and with other characters added to it.

Main Love Characters in this book: Gemma and Tom; Tom we know from the first book and now enters Gemma who we find out is related to an important character that we met in Book 1. We still see more of the story from the characters in Book 1. This book is mainly in Tom's POV. Emma is a complex character with a lot going on in her life and in her head, she brings an interesting and fun character to this book and we also see more of Tom his backstory and him getting into his emotions again but a bit differently than in the first book.
I read this book pretty fast, it kept my interest and was well-written. I loved the characters.

This book is a lot more steamy and has a different type of love triangle going on. It seems a bit strange at first but then you will understand it.
Can't really tell you much about it because I don't want to ruin the book for you.

I really liked this book and thought it was a great book for a series. I wonder if there will be another book added in.... hmmm

I really enjoyed this!

I struggled to start with as the page seemed really quite slow up until about 2/3 of the way through and I couldn’t work out which way it was going to go and then everything started to fall into place and the pace picked up dramatically.

I don’t want to give any spoilers but I would recommend sticking with it if you find it a bit slow.

I am now going to go and read book 1.

Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC !

Thank you to Netgalley and the author Philippa Young for letting read & review this upcoming novel. Gemma Harvey is a influencer for health and fitness but her dream of being chosen for a reality dating show turns into her worst reality. She is looking for a whole new identity to reinvent herself on a cruise ship with her brother for the next couple of months.

A really enjoyable, spicy workplace Rom-Com. The MMC was hilarious (makes sense considering he’s a comedian) and I loved the banter between him and the FMC. I also enjoyed the cruise ship setting as I’ve never read another book that takes place on one before.

I loved the first book and really enjoyed this one too. I believe you could read this without reading the first book, the author does give a recap which is helpful. I really liked that this book had a bit of a mystery in it aside from the romance. It made this book impossible to put down. I hope the author writes another book!

This book was a fun brother's best friend romance and I enjoyed the characters and the spice included in said story! This can be read as a standalone as I didn't read the first and I'll definitely be going back to read the first at a later date, I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to read something full of fun tropes, good spice and no third act breakup + characters with great personality.



Thank you to Netgalley and the Author for the opportunity to review this book!

This is the second book in the ‘Below Deck’ series and is promoted as a stand-alone. I guess you could read it on its own, but you would miss out on quite a bit by not starting with the first book.

There is a small summary at the beginning of the book, so that does help, but you would miss quite a bit of background information.

In the first book Eliza and Tom were the biggest friends and even something more for a little while. It seemed as if the writer wanted to be absolutely clear that Tom was over Eliza, by giving her almost no lines. I really missed the banter between these two friends!

The book is mostly in Tom’s point of view, which is nice, but I miss a bit of depth in Gemma as a character. I have the feeling I didn’t really get to know her.

I also couldn’t appreciate her way of getting back Tom’s attention. I think there would have been better ways.

Overall, I liked the book, but I guess I expected more out of it, after reading the first book!

This was my first Philippa Young book and it was good!
This was Megan and Tom's love story and I loved getting to know them better.
It wasn't the spiciest book I have read but I thought the book balanced spice and storyline.
There was a bit of mystery that I wasnt expecting but made me more interested to find out more details!
Overall a great book! Cant wait to see whats next from Philippa!

2.5/5 ⭐️s
🌶️🌶️ - medium spice with a little taboo

LOVES:
- When Tom turns on his “well-intentioned weaponized incompetence” 😂
- Jack is like the best friend a guy could ever have. I really like him.
- Tom handles her inexperience very well throughout
- It was interesting and pretty depressing to get major insight into Gemma’s time on the reality dating show. It made me extremely angry for her and made me rethink any reality tv I’ve ever watched. It just went on too long.
- The sharing was surprising, but also kind of worked actually… 🔥
- The mention of The Sims 💚
- The way everything with the show wrapped up was extremely satisfying. That was very well done.

“Always be honest, even if it’s ugly.”

CRITIQUES:
- The name thing confused me… I feel like that was handled a little clumsily
- The ups and downs of their relationship is a major roller coaster ride 🎢 too much for me
- His reaction to finding out her secret is garbage. Seriously, I don’t think he would just believe all the BS. 😑
- There were a couple times when the transition to a new chapter felt disjointed from what had just been happening

The way the whole viral fame thing spirals is tragic and the fact that people would be so cruel, not just in comments, but in person is bonkers to me. Probably too realistic.

There were enough things that bothered me in this story that the rating ended up pretty low, but there were a lot of things I appreciated too. I think some people might really like this one, it just wasn’t for me.

Thanks to @netgalley for eARC 💝

Cruises, secret identities, and forbidden flings…..oh my!

More Than Clickbait is a laugh-out-loud, steamy rom-com that takes the classic “brother’s best friend” trope and adds a dash of secret identity, a splash of reality TV drama, and a whole lot of shipboard shenanigans.

Gemma Harvey is a health-and-fitness influencer in hiding, trying to escape a disastrous dating show debacle.

Her plan? Work under the radar on a cruise ship with her brother. Reality? She’s a magnet for chaos, especially when it comes to Tom Parks, a cocky, charming comedian who just so happens to be her brother’s girlfriend’s best friend. (Yes, it’s complicated. But in the best way.)

Tom’s viral stand-up fame is floundering, and Gemma, despite her “I’m just here to blend in” attitude, is exactly the muse he didn’t know he needed.

Sparks fly. Secrets are kept. And the line between professional success and personal disaster gets delightfully blurry.

💡 Why I Loved It:
* The banter is sizzling. Tom and Gemma’s back-and-forth is equal parts flirty and hilarious.
* The cruise ship setting is pure rom-com gold: karaoke nights, fancy dinners, and sneaky rendezvous on deck.
* Steamy? Oh yes. But it’s also packed with heart, as Gemma and Tom navigate self-discovery, ambition, and what it means to be authentic—on and offline.
* Brother’s best friend trope + secret romance = maximum delicious tension.

Gemma’s journey from reality TV burnout to reclaiming her sense of self is relatable, while Tom’s struggle to balance viral fame with real-life vulnerability will have you rooting for him. Together, they’re irresistible.

If you love rom-coms with forbidden love, laugh-out-loud moments, and a side of steamy romance, More Than Clickbait is your next binge-read.

Let’s start by saying it’s highly recommended to read More Than Shipmates first to better understand the characters (though the author does provide a fantastic recap at the beginning). More Than a Clickbait is a sweet (and slightly spicy) romcom perfect for fans of insta-love/insta-lust and forbidden love. Tom and Megan show incredible growth, and their chemistry is amazing right from the start. For me, it’s 4.5 stars—mainly because I wanted more banter—but still an absolute must-read!

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Summer Stars Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After really enjoying More Than Shipmates (which I gave 4.25 stars), I was excited to read this one—and it didn’t disappoint!

Philippa Young has a great way of making you feel the characters' emotions. I really felt for Gemma, especially with everything she went through in the story.

The friendships and relationships between the characters on the ship are also a highlight. I loved how supportive they all were of each other.

There was one scene (around 80% through, I think) with Gemma, Jack, and Teigan that I didn’t enjoy—it was a bit too much for me, as I'm not a fan of three-person sexual experiences.

The relationship between Tom and Gemma, though, was so sweet and healthy. Tom’s support for Gemma is something many people would dream of in a partner. I really loved Tom in the first book, so it was great to see him get his happy ending. I did wish there was more about his friendship with Eliza, though.

After the ending, I’d love to see a book focused on Jack! Overall, this was a great read, and I’ll definitely be picking up more books by Philippa Young. Her writing style is exactly my kind of thing!

YES. I absolutely loved this one! The first one had me very annoyed and a little uncomfortable in the beginning and then I started to love it. This one I loved right off the bat and even liked the taboo kinky things in this one so much more. I loved this storyline for Gemma. I have always wanted to be on reality tv growing up and applied ALL THE TIME. Once I started getting older I saw the downsides of it just from people on the internet and how your privacy is stripped away. So not form any experience I felt like this book perfectly show reality tv. Tom, I loved finally getting his happy ending and with someone that didn’t play with his feelings. He stepped up in the wanting to be a better guy, wanted to be a good boyfriend to someone and I loved that he listened to Jack.

This book was a perfect brothers friend meets sister workplace romance! Im hoping we get and Jack book 3???????????????

This was cute and I loved the banter. It was super dramatic and would be a good CW show or Netflix movie. The spice was SO GOOD. I liked that he fell first and wasn't afraid to admit his feelings for her. I didn't read the first book, so read this as a stand alone and wasn't lost at all. I will probably go back and read the first one just for funsies, but all in all I thought this was a great entertaining read. A good beach read or palate cleanser if you're a mood reader! Will definitely read more by this author.

I think I like this one more than the first one. Tom has really grown as a character and finally felt like a real adult.

Gemma was a nice addition to the cast. I really felt for her and her backstory.

Also, JACK. After this book I really want to be Sadie. Like that man is FINE.

The plot line and characters were great. There are two points of view, and Tom's perspective gives us more. Until we learn everything, Megan's backstory is only hinted at. This is quite hot, despite the cover's adorable rom-com meanings. I liked with how the friendship developed and that Meghan made friends with employees. I had a great time reading this book. I truly enjoy this behind-the-scenes glimpse into cruise life, and I like the idea behind this series. I hope the third book is about Jack!

Thank you to Summer Stars Publishing & Netgalley for this e-ARC.

I haven’t read book 1, so can honestly say that this book works well as a standalone! This was a fun little spicy book. I’m personally not a huge fan of cruises but this was fun to read!

Gemma + Tom

-secret identity
-brothers coworker
-workplace romance
-forced proximity
-he’s american x she’s british

im so happy tom got his girl & who it happened to be 😏😏 & those scenes with jack?? dammmnnnn! definitely hottt!