Head First is a fast-paced marine biology-inspired rivals-to-lovers romance. I enjoyed the rivals to lovers aspect with the side of banter and the forced proximity. However, in the second half I was not a fan of the miscommunication and the heavy lean on repeated mini third-act breakups, it just became frustrating.

The marine biology elements add an interesting backdrop, but some of the plot holes surrounding diving, species identification, and the logistics of impersonating a known researcher pulled me out of the story at times. Side characters could have been more developed, as I occasionally found myself struggling to track who was speaking or being referenced.

Whilst this book certainly does not reinvent the wheel as a light-hearted n-between read, it served its purpose perfectly.

I found this well paced with good characterisation of Andi and Hugh and loved the setting in the beautiful Great Barrier Reef! A fun escapist read.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bonnier Books UK for providing an ARC of this book.
The story picks up pace quickly and we get introduced to our FMC Andi, who studied Marine Biology in college, works a corporate job, and just broke up with her long-term boyfriend. Now, she is unsure what to do with her life, everything seems dull to the point she’s asking herself whether to pick up knitting and I’d say: yes! Go for it, knitting is a great hobby. Some might even say, picking up knitting would have been a better idea than picking up a guy, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
We also meet her sister Millie, who is actively researching as a marine biologist and want to go on a trip to Australia over the holidays to find a fish her rivalling marine biologist believes to be extinct. However, she has to get an emergency surgery and Andi has to go in her stead.
This premise got me thinking “okay, but how is this actually going to work… like, logistically?”
Turns out, quite conveniently, Millie and Andi look alike (almost like twins) and Andi has kept up with Millie’s research (having studies marine biology herself for a bit and being her grammar proof reader on every paper). Since scientific papers are usually a team effort, there’s nothing wrong with having someone proofread your work. It would, however, also imply that other scientists are involved in the making of the paper, so why does Millie think it’s a better idea to send her majorly unqualified sister instead of someone from the lab she works at? We do not know, but Gen Z people say “do it for the plot” and I guess the author did just that.
And Andi did spend a couple days studying corals of the Great Barrier Reef… apparently all 600 of them.
What I liked about the book:
- the diving scenes
- the banter
What I didn’t like about the book:
- Every time Andi is flirting with Hugh, “sweat prickles in the back of [her] knees”… what?!
- rippling abs/muscles… why?
- the couples/side characters were confusing, I honestly couldn’t distinguish them until halfway through the book
- referencing another romance book (Beach Read, by Emily Henry) in the book as a novel the protagonist is reading

This does in no way re-invent the wheel. It’s also not the most emotional or touching romance I’ve ever read. It is light-hearted, the perfect read for in-between or while on vacation if you want to read something for entertainment only without having to use your brain too much (which I do not mean as criticism, all contemporary rom-com books fall under this category for me).

This book was so beautiful. The writing was so descriptive and the whole story was just….it had me hooked from line 1.

I absolutely loved this book, what a GORGEOUS setting! Makes me want to go to Australia! The tension between Hugh and Andi…wow! Great characters and great setting.
Made me laugh out loud!

I thought from the cover that this was a romcom, but it’s actually a romance. As such, the rival to lovers wasn’t as snarky and combative as I usually enjoy, but it suited the light tone of the book.
Head First is well written and warm and I liked the characters. FMC Andi’s motivations for hiding her identity was well established through the sub-plot with her sister’s potential breast cancer, which is all extremely well handled. And I fancied MMC Hugh!
The strongest aspect of this book is all the diving, living on a boat and marine creatures. The story and description really brought all that to life, which I massively enjoyed.
A lot of readers will enjoy Head First as one of their top reads this summer.

4/4.5 🌟

Thank you to netgalley for an arc of this book!

This was such a great read! I loved the setting I loved the characters, and it flowed really well. Of course hearing about diving in the Great Barrier Reef is amazing and such a dream and I loved seeing how much it changed Andi and encouraged her to change her life to what she wanted. I loved the sisterly bond between them and how it only grew better once she returned.

The romance was also great and although Andi frustrated me with not telling Hugh, I did see her side of it and I’m glad that it worked out the way it did in the end - I think if they instantly got together I would’ve found it unbelievable.

Overall a great read if you’re looking for a bit of spice & summer vibes

absolutely loved this book.

I want to travel to the Great Barrier Reef and scuba dive now!

The tension between Hugh and Andi… yes please.

I laughed out loud at the bubbling sting suit!

I can’t wait to read more from Claire Kershaw!

This was such a fun & pacy read! I loved the setting on the Great Barrier Reef, I loved the dynamic between all of the characters, obviously Andi & Hugh, but I also loved Andi & Millie's relationship & Andi's friendships on the boat. Will definitely recommend as the perfect summer (or even Christmas) read.

Thank you to Bonnier Books - Zaffre and Claire Kershaw for approving my Netgalley request for an eARC of Head First in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Head First will sweep you off your feet, setting sail into the heat of summer with wind on your face and a chance to experience the tropical delights of the Australian Great Barrier Reef. All of this is tied up with an enemy-to-lover bow with the juicy twist of her not being who he thinks she is. Claire Kershaw wrote an engrossing story that had me kicking my feet with glee and giggling like an evil co-conspirator in on the secret. The gorgeous description of stunning sunsets and the colourful coral reefs made me wish I could trade my asthmatic lungs in for a new pair so I could go diving there. She crossed all her ‘Ts’ and dotted the ‘Is’ to get her devilish duck details in a row to make this a watertight plot and to enrich the story to leap off the page with realism.

A good romance plot never is all smooth sailing; the tension, conflict, and heated banter between Andi and her sister’s devilish handsome rival, Hugh Harris, was divine. I loved every moment on those stormy seas. I did wish she might have been able to tell Hugh sooner her secret rather than the blunt kipper to the face he gets in the heart-wrenching moment when Andi’s outed. But it’s a necessary evil to make Head First the fantastic story and give Andi’s character arc the girl power jump start needed to question her life back home and inspiration to chase a dream and get her man.

An immersive, flirty, light-hearted romance with a fun twist of secret identity and forced proximity that I gobbled up faster than a yummy Christmas dinner. It is definitely for your TBR romance lovers if you want to dive headfirst into a love story featuring travel to exotic places, adventurous activities, and wicked, snappy banter exchanges between love interests.

One thing that puzzles me is why publish Head First in May 2025 when part of the trip takes place around Christmas. I thought this would have made the perfect festive read for anyone needing a break from the festive season or a break from the bleakness of winter.

I loved this book! The tension between Andi and Hugh was everything! I adored the characters and their stories, especially Pip. My favourite part of the book would have to be the tension throughout between Andi and Hugh as it just brought everything together. I wished there would have been more about Hugh's backstory but overall i loved this book and would definitely recommend it.

I would recommend this book to fans of enemies to lovers where they're not really enemies!

Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher, and Claire Kershaw for allowing me to receive an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.75 stars rounded up

Head First follows Andi, whose sister Millie is a marine biologist due to go on the trip of a lifetime to scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef. However, when Millie needs emergency surgery, Andi agrees to take her place, but she will have to pretend to be Millie the entire time. If that wasn’t complicated enough, Andi then learns that Hugh Harris, Millie’s professional (and very handsome) rival, is also on-board.

Despite it being cold and snowy where I am, this summery book almost made me feel like I was in sunny Australia! The summery vibes were perfect, and this would be a great book to read in the warmer months.

This was a quick, fun, lighthearted read, and I loved the marine biology aspect. Despite being 400 pages long, this book didn’t drag at all, and the pacing was generally very good.

I really liked the characters and their relationship development, but I wish the false identity on Andi’s part would have been revealed to Hugh sooner. Although this trope is central to the plot, it made me feel a bit icky the further their relationship progressed without Hugh knowing the truth. I would have also liked this conflict to have gone on for a little longer, and for the characters to be together rather than separated while dealing with the repercussions of the lie.

The ending felt slightly rushed, but I was satisfied with how everything was wrapped up. This book is definitely one I’ll be recommending for a beach read next year. Thank you to NetGalley and Zaffre for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

As soon as I heard this was a summery romance following rival marine biologists, I knew I would like this, and I did. Head First had me completely immersed in the summery vibes despite reading it in front of my Christmas tree, and I will now be spending too much time staring mournfully at the cost of plane tickets to Australia.

The pacing of this deserves some credit because it should feel long given how much content the plot covers, but I read it in one sitting and it felt like a light easy read. I also feel like the amount the plot covers is necessary for the relationship development, and had we not seen so much content from the boat/dives, it would be harder to root for the character's relationship (and root for them I did).

My only critique is that I didn't love that the characters progressed so far in their relationship under false pretences. I wish Hugh would have found out sooner as it made me feel a little icky, and I also would have liked to have experienced that conflict for a little longer and really explore it. Once the boat trip is over the story starts to feel a little bit rushed, and I would have liked to have seen the characters navigating the conflict around each other rather than being separated. However, I was impressed that I could root so hard for a couple whose relationship was built on a lie so I feel like is an excellent example of the mistaken identity/lying about identity trope.

I thought this was a really fun, light-hearted, and easy read, and I will be recommending this to people for their summer or beach holiday tbrs. Whilst I may have rated this 3 stars, please know it’s more of a 3.5 star rating and I will be purchasing and recommending this.

Sadly this wasn't for me. The premise was promising and I loved the idea of following marine biologists, but unfortunately it felt quite repetitive and lacking character development. Andi was initially lovely to follow but her outrage at Hugh never quite made sense to me and I didn't find myself rooting for them to connect.