This was a quick read with romance and humor. The characters are older, which I liked. The mention of Covid so often was a bit much for me.

This book can be read as a standalone. It had a lot of promise. While I didn't love this book, it was enjoyable for the most part.

Thank you Netgalley for the copy of Santa Overboard.

I listened to Santa Overboard on audio thanks to NetGalley. This was a quick novella and a cute festive holiday read. The main character, Katie, is slightly older than the typical protagonists of romance novels that I typically read and I thought that offered a different perspective that I enjoyed. She has a college-aged daughter and this is about herself and her joy again. I did find that on audio it was a bit harder to track the characters and their story arcs but I still found the story enjoyable especially towards the end as the story came together and was tied up. Santa Overboard is #2 in the Potomac Shores series but I hadn't read the prior book. I think the novella can be read as a stand alone book but I likely would've benefitted from having more background about the characters first so would recommend reading in order.

Santa Overboard by Carolyn McBride is a cozy, quick festive read.

I loved the Beach Bonfire Babes and how the FMC, Kate, who had a life beyond romance.

The book’s inclusion of interesting fun facts , like Ukrainian Christmas spider traditions and animal fun facts shared by the scientist MMC, Deke, was a delightful touch—though I wish the fun facts had been introduced earlier to make him more endearing from the start.

Because of the above, I struggled to feel the chemistry between the main characters. The MMC felt underdeveloped, appearing sporadically at the beginning and not leaving a strong impression. The FMC’s dramatic reaction to him leaving, and her emotional spiral about their relationship, felt overblown, especially given her age (50+). Her dependence on his return for her own healing just showed a lack of self-love and emotional growth that could benefit from deeper exploration.

I did enjoy the witty boat puns, though the idea of boating in December in Virginia seemed far-fetched. Lastly, Maria Marquis was an outstanding choice for narrator, bringing the characters vividly to life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Make Waves Press for the opportunity to review this audiobook.

The cover and title drew me in, looking for a fun holiday listen. I love that the main characters are older for a change of pace. I struggled to connect with the storyline though. It just needed a bit more depth.

Thank you to Netgalley, Carolyn McBride and Make Waves Press for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Cute and Festive!
A short story with Christmas vibe and enjoyabel moments.

Love, friendship and (re)finding your self.
Oh and they are in there Fiftys!

*Covid afterlife

A nice breath of fresh air with older protagonists! Finally some characters that aren’t in college! A cute holiday novella! The narrator is great.

The characters are 50 something so I just can’t read this. It feels weird reading about way way older people that I can’t relate to

Thank you NetGalley for the ALC of this novel.

‘Tis the season for holiday rom coms!

Audiobook details first: The narrator has great variation in character voices and even accents, which I always appreciate. Full transparency I listened to this on 2x speed and found it to be the perfect speed for listening. Take that information as you will in terms of pace. I sampled a bit on 1.0 speed in the name of fairness and transparency. It wasn’t overly slow, but I could not listen to that and focus on the book still. That’s personal preference though.

Theres some good ideas going into this. Later in life MC’s, post-pandemic dating, and love after loss in particular. For all that it has going on, I would have loved a longer story to see it all play out. I understand that’s not the goal here, though.

There was so much going on that the plot got lost in the attempt to keep it short. It felt like the sequence of events were very rushed. The ending could have been very endearing had we seen a little bit more into the “why”.

Santa Overboard, by Carolyn McBride 📚

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a cozy, quick Holiday read. It was very lighthearted and was refreshing between other reads.

I wish the story would have gotten a bit deeper into emotions.

I loved the dynamic of the friend group in this story and how they really stood by each other during the highs and lows.

Thank you to Carolyn McBride, Makes Waves Press & NetGalley for this ARC!

💭: “Katie Young is embracing her new life in a charming riverfront town in Virginia. With her devoted friends, the Beach Bonfire Babes, a budding romance with a swoon-worthy scientist, and her college-age daughter baking up holiday traditions in their cozy river house, the season promises to make up for past struggles.

As captain of the town’s Christmas boat parade, Katie can’t wait to ferry Santa to the dock on her new boat. But when plans go off course and Santa takes an unexpected dip, Katie and her trusty crew navigate the stormy seas of midlife in the best way they know how—with their favorite foods, a cocktail or two, and a dash of holiday magic.

Brimming with laughter, the natural beauty of the Potomac Shores, and yummy holiday recipes, Santa Overboard is a quick read that delivers the perfect Christmas gift: a second chance at a forever love.”

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Thank you NetGalley and the publishers at for allowing me to listen to an ARC.

Katie and Deke were an interesting couple navigating the holidays as a couple. The friend group was my favorite part of the book and I did really enjoy the readers voice. This was a quick listen and a good palate cleanser to get me into the holiday reads. I would recommend if you need a quick read to pull you out of a book slump and enjoy an older couples love story!

Santa Overboard started out a little slow. I loved that the fmc isnt a young twenty year old. She is middled aged and has experienced life. The relationships she develops along the way and the way her relationship develops with the MMC, is absolutely phenomenal.

The over use of covid was a really big turn off. We get it, covid covid covid. Ugh it totally ruined the holiday vibes

anta Overboard by Carolyn McBride is a cozy holiday read with lighthearted charm, but it left me wanting more. While the small-town vibe and genuine friend group dynamics were delightful, the romance lacked spark, and the stakes felt low. A sweet, easy story, perfect for unwinding, but not particularly memorable. 3/5

I listened to the audiobook of the very light holiday romance and enjoyed the focus on a mature FMC. The setting was lovely and the story overall was one of friendship, finding love later in life and general comfort. I thought the story line flowed well and the characters were likeable. I have read so many romances where something big happens that you wonder why it happened and this was just a nice believable holiday romance. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in return for my honest review.

This is my first ever DNF. I only made it 30% of the book before the constant mentions of the pandemic got to be too much! The cover of this book is extremely deceiving since I assumed it would be a cute holiday book but this book is super serious.

I was given the opportunity to receive a copy of this audiobook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I am not familiar with this series and I really wish I was. This was a cute little story about characters in their holiday season and to me it felt like I was reading about the characters from the movie book club. The way that they interacted and the way that they all cared for each other so fiercely, it was really heartwarming. I wish I would have read the first book prior to reading this one just so that way I would have a little bit more context on the characters, but overall very cute and easy read for the holiday season.

This book was okay. I didn’t hate it but found most of it was boring. There were too many irrelevant details in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley, Make Waves Press, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks and Carolyn McBride. The narrator did a good job.

Thanks to Make Waves Press and NetGalley for sending me an ARC copy of Santa Overboard by Carolyn McBride in exchange for an honest review.

This is book 2 of the Potomac Shores Series.
**I read it as a stand alone** I will be going back to read book 1

Let me start by saying that this book was not for me. I LOVE LOVE Love Christmas and Romance books but this one was a bit too slow paced and bland for me.

One thing I liked about the book is that it is about 2nd chances at life and it shows us that no matter the age we can still start a new life. 50ish year old Katie moves to Occoquan after she’s been divorced multiple times where she meets Deke and they start falling for each other. They take things slow, I’m not sure if that’s due to their age or if they’re just being cautious but it was a tad bit too slow for me. Then when Deke decides to go on his anual work trip and won’t be home for the Holidays, Katie has a fit and debates whether he can still be boyfriend material or not.

The story is very slow paced and I feel like there really isn’t much story line there. Katie being divorced multiple times maybe we could’ve heard about her previous marital problems to make it more interesting but idk maybe it would’ve made it worse this is why McBride is an author is an author and I’m not. I’ll be reading book 1 and if it makes a difference in my view of book I’ll definitely be updating my review.

Something I really LOVED about the author was a note she left at the end of the book. She recorded an audio message about “Reviewing It Forward” (which I will be adopting as a motto to live by!). I loved every word she said about the importance of honest book reviews and although I already review most of the books I read I will now make it a point to always leave a review and teach others to do the same.

The audio was very good I was just not giving with the overall story I would recommend to others..........

It's nice to have a book about women in their 50s making new choices and trying new business ventures and having solid group of friends. This town seems to cycle through lots of small business because lots of places are available for new ventures though so who knows how long the bookstore/craft shop/bakery/art gallery/b&B/vineyard will be around. Money doesn't seem to be a concern to any of them so maybe they don't care how long they'll be open.

I *think* this book is set in December 2021. The town has a tree lighting and the characters make Hanukkah and Christmas crafts and bake Christmas cookies but then it's Thanksgiving. The timeline was confusing.

The main character is overly disappointed that her new beau is going to be in the Galapagos Islands for 6 weeks. He's made this work trip for 17 years. It is unrealistic for her to think after a few months, he'd just cancel to be with her. As a couple, Katie and Deke didn't have much chemistry and the love scenes felt awkward.

There is a lot of Covid talk. A lot. It's what the conversations of most of the characters revolves around. They talk like they were very alone and isolated for the last year and a half but also found new love interests, made new friends and opened in-person businesses. One character swipes right on a guy in March 2020 and she's still living with "Lockdown Larry" 18 months later because it wouldn't be right to dump a guy in a pandemic?

The narrator, Maria Marquis, was excellent and the reason I kept listening to this book.

Thank you to Make Waves Press | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks and NetGalley for the advance reader audiobook. I am required by law to disclose this. #SantaOverboard #NetGalley

Thank you to Make Waves Press | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks and NetGalley for the advance reader audiobook. I am required by law to disclose this. #SantaOverboard #NetGalley