Thank you to netgalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. This was a great romance read. Loved the writing style.

As someone who is a sucker for yacht and billionaire romances, picking up this book was a no brainer. I read Ada Barume's first book and while it was just an average read for me, I was hoping for more in this book. Unfortunately, I felt the same after reading this book. Overall, I liked the mystery aspect woven throughout but I didn't care for many of the characters and there was a lot going on, it was hard to focus on the important aspects of the story

Hooked on You was a fun little escape read, but it didn’t totally reel me in (pun very much intended). The yacht setting was giving ✨luxury vibes✨ and the premise had a lot of potential, but the chemistry between Ore and Daniel felt a bit more lukewarm than sizzling for me. I was hoping for more depth or tension, especially with the whole undercover journalist angle, but it all played out pretty predictably. That said, the banter was cute and the side characters gave it some charm, so if you’re into light romcoms with beachy settings and low-stakes drama, you might vibe with it more than I did. Not a bad book—just not one I’ll be daydreaming about later.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Okay, so this is the third or fourth book in this type of style and you would think I would learn my lesson. I don’t think I’m a romantic comedy type of woman or maybe it’s just the narration style. It put me in mind a “Tough Crowd” that I attempted to read last year and DNFed very quickly. Luckily I was able to finish this one but not without struggles.

First off, the FMC was insufferable. She was supposed to be this big and upcoming journalist. But yet it, she can be constantly quoted saying “her mind went blank with no questions to be asked” because she couldn’t think of any. I get it happening sometimes but it felt like every time the FMC went to interview someone this comment would appear.

The book also (this could change after release) needs a major edit. The timeline was a bit confusing and then there were times it had me scratching my head. For example, when Daniel and Ore met in person for the first time, Daniel already knew her name and had called her that but Ore introduces herself to him like he had no idea who she was. Also I’m not sure what the inspiration for the name Ore is.

The book also made comments such as this throughout its entirety and I don’t know but it just didn’t sit well with me.

“That’s not to say that she was immune to his good looks, but she’d had her fair fill of white boys at Columbia and the novelty had worn off.”

“Ore was no idiot, and she was a woman.”

“Then again maybe it was just always better received from someone who wasn’t white.”

“‘And it wasn’t some sort of jealous white-woman thing, well maybe a little bit, but mostly it was how easily you carried yourself.”

“Reciting her affirmations in the mirror every morning to reassure herself that being the youngest, blackest person in the investigations team did not mean she didn’t belong there.”

Overall, I did not enjoy this book and will not be reading any more of this author. The ending was a bit better but not by much. I don’t think this is writing style is for me and maybe the genre included. I was hoping for a more “Below Deck” vibe and got nothing even remotely in the same ballpark as that.

Hooked on You is a fun, flirty, and surprisingly heartfelt romance set on a luxury yacht off the coast of Australia, what more could you want in a summer read?

Ore and Daniel are both chasing their dream jobs, with one last gig standing in their way. But sparks fly, and soon, their carefully laid plans start to shift. I loved the chemistry between them and the “one last job” setup. The side characters were also a highlight, which I realise it's a constant with Ada Barumé's books: Carlos was lovely, and Mel felt so real and relatable.

I will definitely read more of the author's books!

Hooked on You by Ada Barumé is a warm, slow-burn romance that feels like a cozy hug. With lovable characters, tender moments, and emotional depth, it’s the kind of love story that reels you in and refuses to let go.

A refreshing summer read that plays out just like an episode of your favorite BBC mystery show. It has the right balance of mystery and intrigue couple with romance. There's the glamorous aspect of sailing along the Australian coast on this luxury yacht though the lifestyles of the rich and famous aren't quite what they appear. While Ore thinks she's there to do a celebrity profile she soon becomes determined to uncover the billionaire's secrets but there's a handsome captain that also has her attention.

Thank you @NetGalley and @HarperCollins for the ARC. I could not stop reading this book. It is a dual point a view between Ore and Daniel. Ore wants to be an investigative journalist and hopes that her new piece on a rich tycoon will be her ticket to a permanent job. She is asked to sail on a yacht for two weeks to conduct interviews, but she did not plan on meeting Captain Daniel, who is told to babysit her and to make sure she only sees the good things. Ore realizes that things are not how they seem and wonders if Captain Daniel is hiding something sinister.

First of all thank you for approving my request!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The authors writing style had me hooked throughout this book.

I didn't want it to end, a book I really couldn't put down.

This was an overall pleasant read, and I would definitely recommend it to those going on a beach holiday (and definitely to those going on a cruise)!

This book wasn’t for me. The puns were too much and came off immature. It was a struggle to get through the first half of the book. Unfortunately it was just not my cup of tea and I ended up DNFing.

Back in the world of charter boats from Ada Barumé we meet tenacious journalist Ore who joins a sailing in Australasia to compose a profile on a tech giant Chuck. What she discovers is mystery, intrigue, and love with handsome Captain Daniel.
I really enjoy learning about the boat world, and find the crew set up and boat life quite fascinating.
Ore was a great FMC who brought plenty of heart to the story as she battled with her insecurities and staying true to her beliefs.
I loved having an epilogue set 6 months later to just tie up some ends for other side characters.
This was a really enjoyable read that I'd absolutely recommend.

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



Hooked on You by Ada Brume? Super cute, fun, and full of chemistry.
This romance is everything you need for a light, feel-good read. The chemistry between the main characters? Off the charts. The enemies-to-lovers and slow-burn vibes kept me turning pages, and the banter? Perfection.

The story isn’t just about the romance, though—it’s got great character development and some sweet moments that made me root for them even more. It’s a bit predictable at times, but honestly, I didn’t mind because I was so hooked on the journey.

4/5 stars. Perfect if you want a book that’s light, flirty, and just the right amount of swoon-worthy:)


❤️shaye.readss

This book takes place on a mega yacht sailing around the Australian coast. Ore is an investigative journalist and Daniel is the captain of the yacht. Both of them are together on this trip hoping their careers will expand after this. Ore is there to investigate the owner of the yacht and hopefully break a big story. As she tries to pin point what the shady owner is hiding Daniel has been told to keep an eye on her so she doesn’t find out too much. How will this all turn out? I definitely had trouble connecting with these characters but they did grow on me and I was invested to find out how everything turned out.

I read this book while I was on a cruise vacation, and it was the perfect time to read about staying on a yacht! I'm always a fan of forced proximity, and this book didn't disappoint,

This is exactly the kind of romance that feels like a getaway in itself. Romantic in the aching, toe-curling sense, but also witty and grounded in two people who are struggling to choose between what they want and what they think they deserve. I devoured every moment.

This was very different to the first book. Had an almost mystery vibe to it and honestly it wasn’t what I wanted. I would have loved a similar vibe to the first book but honestly this just fell flat.
It took forever to me to read as I didn’t want to continue but I did.
As a book goes it wasn’t bad, however again, it just wasn’t anything like the first book and I kind of assumed it would be.
Ore is a journalist who finds herself on a luxury yacht interviewing a billionaire. She’s got some chemistry with the boat captain who’s very reluctant to get involved with anyone and anything as he’s got a new job lined up and doesn’t want to do anything to jepodise that future. However Ore thinks something doesn’t add up with her billionaire and is set on finding out what and exposing it. She soon discovers that having money means never having to face the consequences to your actions and is determined to bring him down. Can she make everyone agree with her?
🌟🌟🌟

This was a fun read with a lot of chemistry between our main characters - the premise discovers heavy topics and shady business dealings giving more suspense to a story filled with romance.

Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for the ARC of Hooked on You in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I really really struggled getting into this one. While I found the concept to be interesting, the plot line just moved so slowly that I often had to go back and reread previous pages when I would pick the book back up because I just couldn’t grasp onto the storyline to the point where I couldn’t wait to come back for more. I did enjoy our FMC, Ore, who was assigned to spend time on a personal yacht to complete an investigative journal piece on a tech billionaire during which she uncovers some shady information implicating her subject.

On the other hand, our MMC, Daniel, was too much of a strait laced so good-er for my liking. As the captain of the yacht, it’s understandable that he is a rule abider, but I just could not get a feel for Ore’s attraction to him or what even made their relationship work. She most certainly held the relationship up, which made Daniel come off as juvenile and sometimes rather pouty.

While it took awhile to get there, by the time I hit 75%, I was fairly invested and I could not wait to see how Chuck, the tech billionaire, and his investors were going to get their comeuppance and if Ore’s investigation and risk taking would pay off (I also wanted to see if Daniel would actually grow a pair by the end of the book for Ore’s sake). With equal parts romance and mystery, this book had a solid foundation at its core, but unfortunately there just wasn’t anything major that grabbed me and stuck with me after it had ended. And speaking of the ending, I really wish we would have gotten more insight into what happened with Chuck. We spent the entire book cheering Ore on in her pursuit to bring him down, but the ending fell flat in our investment! I’m going to go ahead and assume he’s rotting in cell block 1 next to Drake..

I loved her debut title Love Overboard
Hooked on You by Ada Barumé is another wonderful romance novel.
This is a really fun read, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
I loved the chemistry between the characters.
I adored the writing and the setting was just amazing.

Thank You NetGalley and Avon for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!