Philippa Young’s Below Deck series sure knows how to bring the spice, but the storytelling? Not quite as satisfying.

More Than Shipmates – 2 Stars
The smut? Hot. 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ The characters? Well… Oscar is a gem, Tom is on a major personal growth journey, And Eliza…bless her, she’s begging for therapy. At a whopping 490 pages, this book feels like a marathon without a water station. There’s really no reason for it to be this long – I’ve seen epic fantasies wrap up faster. The ship life antics and laugh-out-loud chaos were on point, but let’s be real – I almost DNF’d at 30% because I was so overwhelmed by how much was left. The selfish, immature vibe from characters who share tight quarters for months on end made them seem anything but seaworthy. At least the sweet, HEA was satisfying after the marathon read. Eliza & Oscar 4ever 💙

More Than Clickbait – 2.5 Stars
Credit to Young for starting with a recap – more authors should do that! This book wastes no time, jumping right into, well…an actual orgy. The spice is alive and well here, too. 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ The chemistry was real, the ship shenanigans in full swing, but please read More Than Shipmates first to understand Tom and his messy, messy backstory. Tom’s transformation from a self-proclaimed man-whore to “King of Consent” was impressive – he’s come a long way, folks. And let’s talk about Gemma (or is it Megan?)… I wanted MORE from her character - she felt so underdeveloped. But Jack? The absolute MVP, friend of the year, and the one who makes the book. Still, the pacing dragged, and it was longer than necessary for a romcom-style read. HEA, yes, but another long haul to get there.

Overall: Think reality TV – a binge-worthy, slightly chaotic train wreck you can’t look away from. Will I be back for Book 3 (Jack and Sadie, please)? Absolutely. The series is addictive, spicy, and packed with shenanigans, but it needs a serious edit.

Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

While I had high hopes for this book, it just didn’t do it for me. While the plot was decent, I found the writing style to be a bit choppy which took me out of the story often. I also just didn’t find myself connecting with the characters at all so it fell a little bit flat for me. I definitely think this author has potential. This specific story of hers, unfortunately, just wasn’t for me.

More Than Clickbait is the follow up to More than Shipmates - a steamy romance about Tom (from More than Shipmates) and health and fitness influencer Gemma. Who just happens to be Oscars sister.
Tom meets Gemma on their first night back on the boat, and in turn Gemma ends up helping Tom with his social media channels. Gemma has escaped to work onboard after a personal disaster on reality TV. They begin secretly hooking up and of course they catch feelings.

I went into this book blind - not having read the first book. I would highly recommend reading the first in this series to get some background on the characters.
I am not 100% sure if this book was it for me - I hadn't read an 'influencer steamy romance' before, but it just didn't click for me. The spice was there, and it was good, but overall I don't think the storyline was for me.

I love the idea of this book - following a crew of a cruise ship and the lives they lead. But when it comes to the romance between the two characters, it just didn't feel natural or developed enough. A little too "insta-love" for me. But it was a fun read and easy to get into as the plot developed and you learned more about the FMC's past.

Thanks so much to Philippa Young and Summer Stars Publishing. This was such a great quick read. I loved reading about Gemma and Tom’s story. Definitely has spice!!! Can’t wait for Young’s next book!

I found Phillipa Young a couple of months back and ordered myself Both books in the Below Deck series, the signed copies. Along with them I got some art and axtra goodies!

I read More Than Shipmates a few months ago and absolutely devoured it, I couldn’t actually get over it. Obviously I jumped into book 2 immediately afterwards. It can be read as a stadndalone but I highly suggest reading book 1 first.

I absolutely LOVE that this book is very MMC based, over FMC. It was a nice change seeing as nearly every book is FMC lead.

MMC - Tom, as rising comedy star, after a single clip of his goes viral. He is absolutely dreamy. I love that is was mostly his PoV and he was the lead in this book. I’m obsessed with Tom and I want him.

FMC - Gemma, an influencer in hiding after a bit of a problem when working in a reality show. She lacks personality. I like her don’t get me wrong, and this is clearly a portrayal of who she is, but I just didn’t click with her. I’m here for Tom, sorry babes.

Now lets gets to the good stuff, the spice. OH MY LORD. I cannot even express how hot and heavy this book is. It’s a hidden gem with all that naughty stuff you want… Young nailed it. Like, no faults. None. Give me all of it.

Anyway… To recap, great story, good characters, fantastic spice. What's not to like? Young’s writing is a brilliant as always and have zero complaints. I’ll be over here waiting for her next book to drop.

This is the second installment in the series and absolutely love reading this book. This book has my favourite tropes and workplace romance is always a treat to read.
The characters were amazing and the plotline was wonderful. I had a great time reading this book as the author has penned down everything brilliantly.

such a cute read! I am a huge fan of below deck so I knew I had to snag this! I love how you feel like you are actually on the boat with the characters! Gemma and Tom are so cute and I love their banter! I definitely recommend for any steamy rom com or below deck lover!

What a fun read! I knew it was going to be good, but it surpassed my expectations! Philippa Young is so good at captivating a reader, and leaving them begging for more!

This was SUCH a fun romantic comedy with the most atmospheric lido deck vibes. For anyone going on a cruise this summer, this better be in your suitcase!

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

It was a cute book, but not really for me. It wasn't my cup of tea. I wanted to love it, but I just didn't. It is just okay

I thought this wasn't as good as the first one, I still enjoyed it.

Even though this is a standalone, I'd highly recommend reading the first of the Below Deck series.

I did enjoy Tom's character while Gemma felt a little blah to me-

More Than Clickbait
By Phillipa Young

2.5 ⭐️⭐️

Tropes:
- forced proximity
- Influencer/ Comedian
- Reformer Playboy
- Hidden Identify

This book left a little to be desired, but the spice was good! I really enjoyed that the MMC had more POVS than the FMC, because you don’t see that too often. I also loved Jack & Toms friendship. I feel like Tom & Gemma’s love was lacking? Overall a fun easy read but not for me.

Thanks to the Victory Editing NetGalley Coop for this e arc in return for an honest review

Wow I really wish I read the first book! The first few chapters were a surprise, but I am not complaining!

I thought the story was well written, making it a fun and easy read. I appreciated all of the random references, especially the one about H2O, I was a huge fan of that show growing up! I loved the immediate attraction Tom and Gemma had, and how they used Tom’s TikTok posts as their excuse to sneak around. This story had a great amount of spice!

I really enjoyed Gemma’s personality/character. Although I am not an influencer and have never been on TV, I can relate to her anxiety. I liked how protective and loving Tom was towards her, especially when they first got together and when her ‘secret’ got out. Gemma really came out of her shell when she started dating Tom, and this is a great example of good character development! The one thing I was not a huge fan of was how Tom talked to her sometimes, it was a tad too cheesy for me.

Tom and Jack’s friendship was refreshing, I really liked how protective they were of each other, but also knew when to call each other out on their bs. The one scene with the three of them was something I was not expecting, but again I am not complaining!

This book had me blushing and kicking my feet! I cannot wait to read the first one, and for the third one to come out so I can hopefully learn more about Jack & Sadie.

4.5 ⭐️

I received an ARC from Summer Stars Publishing through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you for NetGalley for this ARC.

This is book 2 in a series which I didn't know going in but can be read as a stand alone.

This is a below-deck-inspired romance between Gemma Harvey and Tom Parks.

Gemma is working on the cruise ship with a secret identity in an attempt to stay out of the public eye as an influencer. There, she meets Tom, her brother's girlfriend's best friend.

After a steamy night together - Gemma struggles to continue her ruse while Tom doesn't know he can't have her or why.

This was a fun read and I will be going and reading the other books in this series.

3.5 ⭐️
This is the first of Phillipa’s books that I’ve read and I look forward to reading more!

This is truly a ‘my reputations never been worse, so he must like me for me’ vibe and I loved it.

Although the spice is hot and heavy early on (and the spice is SPICY), that doesn’t take away from the wholesome development of Gemma and Tom’s relationship. As an extra note, Tom as a character is so pure and has so much love to give and I think Gemma is such a well-suited character for him.

As a final note- I am obsessed with Jack and I really hope we see more of him in this series!

I honestly had such high hopes for this book, but sadly I was not super impressed :(

The characters just didn't seem to do it for me, and while the story line was pretty decent, it felt a little all over the place. I did really like the dynamic between Tom and Gemma (aka Megan), but I still felt like I missed a lot of what was going on.

The best part of this book was the MFM scene if I'm being honest, and that took a really long time to get to. The rest of the book seemed rushed and a little choppy.

However, I did see a lot of potential, so I will be trying to go through Philippa's backlog to see what I can find!

Thank you to NetGalley and Summer Stars Publishing for the copy!

This was my first time reading Philippa Young and I had a great time! I loved the idea of centering a series on a cruise ship and diving more into the lives of the staff! Though I hadn't read book one, Young did a great job informing the reader of the contents of the first book in a way that felt natural.

Tom was my favorite part of this story. His emotions felt so natural and real. He is absolutely hilarious and cares so deeply about the people in his lives. A very fun MMC POV to read from.

While I did like Gemma, the plot centered around her made the book feel less grounded than it could have been. Some parts were confusing (ex: how her conflict wraps up) and I wish with a setting like a cruise ship, the plot would be centered around living on the ship. Unfortunately, it feels like we only ever really got to experience about three rooms on the ship.

Overall, I really liked this story and Young's writing. I am keeping my eye out for the next story in this series.

More Than Clickbait is a lighthearted, fun romance set on a cruise ship, mixing mystery with a bit of workplace drama. Gemma Harvey, a health influencer, decides to escape her public image and takes on a new identity, "Megan," while working on board. Her plan to lie low quickly changes when she meets Tom Parks, a charming American with a complicated history with her brother. Their chemistry grows, and it becomes harder for her to stay hidden.

I read this book as a standalone, but I think reading the first book in the Below Deck series might have helped fill in some background details and made the story even more enjoyable. Still, I loved the intrigue around Gemma’s secret and figuring out what led her to hide her identity.

Tom’s character is really sweet and patient, and he brings out the best in Gemma. Their interactions felt natural, and the storyline kept my attention, and the mix of romance and mystery on the ship made it a fun, easy read.

this book was soooo cute 🥹

I didn’t read the first book so I’m not sure how Tom was in that book but I absolutely adored him in this one!!! As much as he tried to stay away, it wasn’t easy and it’s not because they were on a cruise ship 😂

You can tell how much Tom cares for Gemma and he respected her by not digging too much into her past (even if it blew up in their faces) my heart hurt sooo much for Gemma. She deserved so much more and I wanted to jump into that book to protect her. Tom and Gemma had instant connection and I liked that it came naturally and every time Gem was ready to take it to the next step, Tom made absolutely sure it was what she wanted 🫶🏻