I absolutely devoured this book! Such a great read!
I really enjoyed the main characters , their individual POV but also the general interaction between all the supporting characters. The love triangle was written fantastically, the character development throughout as they each over come their own pasts and move forward is really well written and an all round great book, I got the end and found myself wanting more - and then saw Tom was getting his own book and I’m off to purchase the second book!
If you’re a fan of force proximity, open door spice, love triangles, ROMCOM and multiple POV then this book is a must read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I originally had thought this book was more of a throuple instead of a girl choosing between two men. It was still really good though and it had a very good story line. I loved that it took place on a cruise ship, I had never read a book with a setting there so it was different.

More than Shipmates follows Eliza's journey on a Caribbean cruise, where she forms new friendships with Tom and Oscar. Leaving behind her home, family, and past, Eliza, a young adult struggling with self-worth, discovers new strengths within herself.

The story, though filled with engaging banter and interesting character development, felt too long and somewhat repetitive. Each character's unique storyline adds interest, but the pacing could be improved. Overall, it's a decent read, but the length might make it less enjoyable for some.

Thank you NetGalley and Summer Stars Publishing for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

I got about 42% in when I decided to DNF. I know that this book will be loved by others but it just isn’t for me. I was getting frustrated with the characters and could not move past them. I do want to continue this book some other time, but for now I am just going to move on from it.

A spicy workplace romance! I enjoyed this book and it had the tropes I love! I did find myself blushing and giggling along with this book!

MORE THAN SHIPMATES 🛳️


I don’t know what this book was supposed to do.. but the beginning . wasn’t it. I just I wasn’t turned on… I didn’t wanna keep reading.. I was uncomfortable?.. 124 pages in and I just felt myself making scrunch grossed out faces.. when I’m all for smut fun romance books but I don’t t know what it was about this book but…
I’m not sure how I felt about this orgy party boat crew thing that happened??… idk not it..
The scavenger hunt??? So awkward.. for staff members on a cruise ship?… I just wasn’t ready for expecting that…

When she finally started to chose the one and focus on that that’s where this book really started to turn around. I enjoyed it a lot more enjoyed the storyline and I’m more excited now to know that somebody else is the main character for book 2. I loved Oscar from the beginning and you wanted him the moment you saw him on the page. Tom was gross. And my biggest pet peeve was him telling her he loved her after fooling around with half the boat. I’m sorry what?… that boy is delulu✨
I can’t wait for a book 2 and have Tom meet his match

More Than Shipmates - ARC Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
🌶️🌶️.5
Out Now!

First I’d like to thank @netgalley and @philippayoungauthor for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

𝚀𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚂𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚢
Eliza feels like a failure with nothing left at home for her. After getting rejected from drama school again and again, she applies and get accepted to be on the entertainment team of a cruise line! Swearing off of romance after her ex cheated on her, she joins her swarm of horny shiplocked co-workers…lets see how long her pledge for celibacy lasts. 😉

𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝
This book was exactly the fluffy + spicy book that I needed. I’m usually not one for a love triangle, but I appreciated the self-growth that Eliza, Oscar, and Tom all went through as a result.

It also felt a lot more realistic - a bunch of extroverted people in their 20s trapped on a cruise together. As someone who did Semester at Sea and lived on a ship for 4 months - while it may not have been as wild, having multiple shipmances was totally common.
Oscar was the perfect soft dom, and is now up there with some of my favorite book boyfriends.

Also, the consent in this book!!! Immaculate! For a book that included sex game parties - the consent was awesome between the two MMCs and the FMC.

The ½ star off I think was just because of the miscommunication, and in some cases the extra details of their work on the ship felt a little muddled.
Overall, I 100% recommend this if you need that fluffy spicy read that makes you feel all tingly and ooey gooey on the inside.

CW: Soft Dom, Miscommunication (due to mental health, addressed well), Love-Triangle, Self-Loathing

A interesting book if a bit long. The romance was very cute and there was lots of good moments between the characters. Working on the ship was a cool and diffrent setting for a romance book and created some good moments in the story.

This was a cute, fun rom com with the right amount of spice! The FMC had so many ups and downs that sometimes I had a hard time following who she was mad at or why, but I still really enjoyed reading and I'm looking forward to reading the next one in the series! Thank you to NetGalley for my digital copy!!

1st person multiple POV
Love triangle
Forced proximity workplace/holiday romance
Slow burn
Sexy consent & spicy scenes
HEA
1st in a series (2nd available to purchase/borrow via KU)
Bonus scene link at end of book - SUPER GRATEFUL FOR!

Well written, laugh out loud funny & I thoroughly enjoyed every page. I highlighted so much.
I will be recommending this book to everyone who will listen. Excited also to read the 2nd in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Philippa Young for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Eliza Chapman, perpetually feeling inadequate, embarks on a new adventure as an entertainment host on a Caribbean cruise, determined to avoid past mistakes of mixing work with romance. Despite swearing off men, the lines blur between colleagues and crushes amid scandalous nightlife. Eliza faces temptation from cheeky American Tom and charming Brit Oscar, challenging her resolve.

I haven't been so glued to a book in a long time; I read every spare minute because something was always happening. Despite the steamy parts, I like how they explain what's happening on the ship, what they all have to do. Eliza annoyed me at times because she had moments where she cried over every little thing and didn't make smart decisions. The love triangle is interesting, and it makes sense how much she debated because Tom and Oscar seem very appealing. From the beginning of the book, I was definitely rooting for Oscar. What attracted me the most was how the characters develop throughout the book, each in their own way, each of them having a troubled past they don't want to revisit. Definitely recommend this book, perfect for summer, great to read on the beach even though it will heat you up even more. I'm starting to read the next in the series soon, although both can be standalone books.

Honestly I thought this was going to be a MFM romance but I was wrong and I’m totally okay with it because 😍❗️ Who she ends up with has my heart currently. I love the internal battle she had to not get involved with anyone she works with, and then proceeds to ignore her inner conscience 🤣 because girl I would do the same thing. I definitely recommend this read! I’ll end my review with a quote “New fantasy unlocked.”
because honestly Eliza, SAME 😌

I thought this books was great! I really enjoyed the tropes, as well as the character development! Her characters are so realistic and lovable, and I didn’t want to put it down!

I thought this book was really fun and really spicy without being “cringe“. I thought this was the perfect summer book and had me daydreaming of vacations. This is a light, easy to read summer book. I would definitely recommend to others.

I’m really surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. As a huge Bravo Below Deck fan the series name and cover grabbed me from the start and I was a bit disappointed that it turned out to be set on a cruise ship and not a yacht. The Broadway aspect pulled me back in though and the characters. The characters were sharp and funny and the ship drama kept me hooked. And the 🌶️ was so good. I can’t wait to read the next in the series.

I was really excited to receive this book as an ARC because one of my personal goals was to read new themes to me and I've never read a romance that takes place on a cruise ship - total Below Deck vibes if anyone is a fan of Bravo! I think that's why I enjoyed this book so much because it reminded me of that and I love the drama on that show, it's very entertaining - as was this book! I liked all of the characters, their developments, and the why choose romance! Both MMC's were easy to like and root for.

Thank you to NetGalley and Summer Stars Publishing for the opportunity to read the ARC of More Than Shipmates by Philippa Young.

4.5 ⭐

The beginning of this book gave me Wildfire by Hannah Grace vibes, which was incredible because it's one of my favourite books of all time! So, I was really looking forward to knowing everything about this story. The fact that this romance was placed on a cruise ship fascinated me because I’d never read anything like this before 🛳

During the book's first chapters, we are involved with the suspense to get to know what happened to Eliza in the past and once we get to know it, we want to punch everyone in the face for making her heart broken in the first place. During the storyline, we get to know all the characters and it was super nice to meet every one of them. At some point, I wanted to be part of the team! 💛

👱🏻‍♀️ Eliza felt that she had nothing left for her at home, in England, so she wanted something different (and to see the world). What’s better than working as an entertainment host on a Caribbean cruise ship? She can start over her life and become what she wants. But she is still stuck in the middle of the choice of what she wants to be. I thought she was so mature in some ways during the storyline. She was so hurt before and she was learning how to trust again and how to conquer her self-esteem back.

👦🏼 Oscar is Eliza’s supervisor and he is a sweetheart, a gentleman, and a man (well) written by a woman. He is everything a girl could wish for and even more. Even though in his past he was a party animal, now he wants to improve and become a better version of himself. Oscar was an actor back at home, in England.

👦🏻 Tom is a stand-up comedian wannabe and so he is a very funny and compassionate guy. He is also a sweetheart, although he did some questionable things during the book, which made me like him less (sorry, #TeamOscar over here 🙋🏻‍♀). He is a good friend and super understanding. Tom always tries to comfort everyone around him.

🌞 I loved to see all 3 POVs because we could get to know them even better and realize all their struggles and all their achievements. It was so nice to meet them all! Also, I was so glad about the ending since I really hoped for this to happen 🌊

The sexual parts are just 🥵🥵🥵 so just do me a favour and read this book! I'm excited to start the second of this series so bad!

I loved the writing and I can’t believe that it’s Philippa’s debut novel! I became a fan of her! The only con about this book was that the chapters were too long when I, personally, prefer the shorter ones. Please go read this book, it's perfect for the summer days ahead 👒✌🏻

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘓𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

More Than Shipmates was such a fun "dive" into the world of cruise ship employees! I applaud Young in creating a realistic yet wildly unique setting for this romantic comedy, as well as incorporating a wide variety of people into Eliza's "found family". I can absolutely see how the series will continue with other goofballs that we've come to love!

The inner monologue and decisions of the characters made sense for their respective traumas, as well as their individual paths through life. While Eliza could have been unlikable to some, I think this was a great portrayal of a young adult with severe trust issues. Both with Eliza and with the other two POV's, there was also a surprising amount of depth and backstory.

This was so much fun and I really had a hard time putting it down! Many thanks to Philippa Young and NetGalley for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 Stars ! Honestly I was so absorbed in this book I finished it so fast.
Love triangle, work place romance and spice. LOVE LOVE LOVE. 3 POV switching between Eliza, Oscar and Tom.

I loved the characters and felt like I really got to know them during the book. I was rooting for Oscar from the start and I was on edge reading this to find out who she ended up with. I loved reading Eliza’s relationship with the both of them and the banter included in their friendships was well written. I do love a bit of spice and Philippa wrote it well, it was just the right amount so that there was still a plot and storyline to enjoy but with added spice in parts.

Do I wish I was currently on a cruise ship after reading this ? Yes, I do !

As a former crew member on a cruise ship - I absolutely had a BLAST reading this book. So much was accurate about ship life (with a few exaggerations 🤣). This is such a fun read for anyone wanting a fast paced, super spicy, love triangle set on the high seas! Perfect for a summer read - especially if you’re about to set sail! ;)