Cute lil slow burn romance. Enjoyed seeing Cam and Ruby fall in love. The idea of the fake dating on a relationship cruise was fun. Didn't love the best friend. 3.5 Stars!

Very much enjoyed this. A light hearted read about a singles cruise.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

2 ⭐️
Was not a fan, like the concept of the story nice but the ending just completely ruined it for me. Could’ve been a good solid 4 star read but just wasn’t for me
Only finished because I had the ARC. Just didn’t really vibe with the story. The MC and the flatmate irked me just meh. Flatmate was a shit friend

Pacing was also a bit all over the place

This is a cute, lighthearted read that manages to cover some serious themes in a relatable way. Ruby and Sam have both had their romantic mistakes (Threesome Pete, anyone?), but Sam isn't ready to give up. She registers them both (unbeknownst to Ruby) on a singles cruise, which is where the...ahem...fun...begins. But actually it does! With a series of misadventures that reminded me of an old I Love Lucy episode, Ruby and the new friend she makes on the cruise must somehow reconnect with their boat and make it to the end of the cruise. There are a number of surprises and reveals along the way, and everyone gets their HEA, naturally.

Ruby is happy being single and has been sworn off men for good. But when her flatmate tricks her into going onto a singles cruise, she is furious. Despite that, she is going to enjoy the cruise no matter what. She meets Cameron who also has no idea what he has let himself in for. So they both agree to pair up to avoid any other flirtatious advances from others. But Ruby finds him attractive at the same time. This was a really fun read with plenty of laugh out moments from start to finish. I always enjoy Phoebes books as her characters are so relatable. Another fantastic read!

Ruby and Sam have been best friends forever, they live together and share a cat. However while Sam is obsessed with finding her Mr Perfect, Ruby has sworn off men since her last ex. So when Ruby is tricked to going on a singles cruise, she doesn’t know how she is going to get through the ten days of torture, when romance is the last thing on her mind.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed this one and it was a fun romance with a bit of a different dynamic. I did feel at times that I was reading Sam’s story and not Ruby’s, but I really enjoyed the dynamic that Ruby and Sam had with each other. And I really did enjoy both romances throughout the book, but they just felt a bit rushed at times.

I love a story with a bit of a twist, so the missed ship storyline was fun. And who doesn’t love a forced proximity romance?

Thank you Phoebe MacLeod, Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

2 stars.

Ruby ends up in a singles’ cruise because her friend is constantly looking for her soulmate. Ruby meets Cameron and they become friends. Together they decide to fake date so their cruise becomes easier as they don’t have to pretend to search a partner any more.

This book was a bit of a disappointment to me. I ended up skimming when I got too irritated with Sam (she wasn’t a very good friend in my opinion). I think the balance between main characters and side characters wasn’t good - there was too much talk about Sam and her dating. I would’ve liked if the main characters had more chemistry a bit earlier; I felt that they felt more like friends and then suddenly Cameron want’s to date. There’s no Cameron’s POV, only Ruby’s, so we don’t actually know very much about Cameron’s thoughts.

I couldn’t understand why Ruby was so reluctant about dating and that got me a bit irritated. When she told Sam about her history, it made a bit more sense.

WHAT I LIKED: I liked Cameron. And cruise ships are also fun settings so I liked that!

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: Sam, she wasn’t a very good friend. I also didn’t understand the hate against the church in this book, it was in a weirdly big role in this book. The lack of chemistry between MCs was a disappointment.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

Pov: heroine, 1st person
Heat: fade to black
Pacing: slowburn
Communication: some miscommunication, but towards the ending some healthy communication too
Third act: hiccups (not a break up as they aren’t yet together)
Ending: HEA with an epilogue

Main characters:
* Friends to lovers

What?
* Fake dating
* Forced proximity
* One bed

Where?
* A cruise ship on Mediterranean
* Traveling together

Drama?
* Difficult past

Other vibes:
* ”We’re just friends”

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this Arc🫶🏼

I liked this book so a lot!
It was quick and fun but still had the time for some darkness and character development.

Ruby is a great FMC and I loved how witty and smart she was while still struggling with some hard stuff from her past.
I also really liked the friendship in this book and how it showed how important it is to have people who stand by you through it all.

I absolutely loved Cameron and he really had me swooning over him.
Who doesn’t want a Cameron in her life?

The cruise was a fun setting and I loved the locations they got to see and the side characters was also fun and had me rooting for them.

Overall, I was not a fan of this one. I think it just wasn't the right timing for me, and it didn't "hook" me quickly enough. I didn't connect with the main characters.

This book was cute _ I really enjoyed the grumpy/sunshine trope. From the friendship that starts it off to the romances that are built in the storyline, I really enjoyed reading this one from start to finish.

This book had me laughing quite a bit and I didn't put it down for an entire day.

Thank you for the ARC! Although the chemistry was great, I didn't really like how the story developed. It was good enough to keep me reading to finish but not something I will be recommending to my major romance fan friends.

This book was absolutely everything I had hoped for. It keeps you sucked in and wanting more. The characters had great chemistry and the story itself was even cuter than I expected it to be. A must read for romcom girlie's.

Ruby is always the supportive friend when Sam, her best friend and flat mate, has disastrous breakups with men. So when Sam suggests a cruise for a holiday getaway, Ruby agrees. What she doesn’t know is they are part of a singles group. While Sam is actively trying to find her soulmate, Ruby is on her own to visit the various ports. She strikes up an unlikely friendship with Cameron. As the days go by she realizes she likes Cameron but is forced to deal with her patsy to love forward. A fun and comedic story with a happy ending. I enjoyed Ruby and Cameron’s adventures at port. Having a phone being stolen and missing the boat are real life situations that could happen. Throwing in the nude beach was an interesting twist but worked well into the story.

Hook, Line, and Single is a standalone novel by British author Phoebe MacLeod. Ruby Johnson is co-owner of a unique bookshop in Margate, Kent, England, co-owner of a flat with her best friend Sam Thorncroft, as well as co-cat parent to Samson, the most handsome cat in Kent. Sam has had yet another bad breakup and says she is swearing off men and dating sites, but then talks Ruby into accompanying her on a Mediterranean cruise. As a travel agent, Sam presents the cruise she proposes as one in which they will have many perks, including private rooms with balconies. What Sam does not disclose is that she has signed them up for a singles cruise.

It would seem that while Sam may be ready to delete dating sites, she is definitely not discontinuing her search for the perfect mate. However, Ruby has said over and over that she has no interest in romance, which may stem from an incident in college. But on a cruise that is designed for match ups, how will they each be matched?

This is a fun adventure with a cast of interesting characters and a Mediterranean trek that will take the reader along on a journey of discovery. With laugh out loud moments coupled with heartfelt moments, I found this to be a very enjoyable story and I do recommend this book.

Another perfectly sweet, absolutely charming and delightful book by Phoebe MacLeod! This rom-com is a very quick and easy read. It is filled with hilarious moments and characters and a sweet slow burn romance. I really enjoyed reading this book. It brought smiles to my face especially when reading about the various characters on the cruise. Sam is such a hopeless romantic, it is hard not to get caught up in all her passion. Ruby and Sam are perfectly paired best friends. Cameron is more relaxed than Ruby and takes life one step at a time as it comes. He is another opposite to Ruby yet still perfect for their friendship and possibly more. 🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️

***** ***** *****
Ruby never imagined finding love. In fact, she swore she never would be more than single. Sam, her best friend is a hopeless romantic and always on the lookout for her perfect match which is how Ruby finds herself on a singles cruise under false pretense.

Despite being misled and finding the cruise has crazy activities in between the tours and sightseeing, Ruby meets Cameron. Since neither have interest in finding love, they make a pact to enjoy this cruise together. It all leads to fun, new friends and adventures. And somewhere in between all these moments, feelings of caring and love develop.

However, Ruby is not sure how to move forward. She is overwhelmed and a past experience holds her back from truly letting anything more happen with Cameron. Still, maybe with a little help from her best friend she might be able to move forward.

I struggled a great deal to finish this book. While the travel premise was inviting and the writing style perfectly acceptable, I had several issues with the book. The first third of the book was all about main character Ruby's best friend Sam and Sam's unfortunate dating luck. There were a few scenes that were very uncomfortable including one that takes place in a church. In this book, the author presents two rather extreme views of Christianity and their opinions on sex without presenting the middle ground. While I am not a religious person, I do think it is important to be respectful of people's religious beliefs regardless of the religion, and I can see how these scenes may be offensive to those who practice this faith.

Once Ruby finally meets her love interest, Cameron--which is not until thirty-five percent of the way into the book--the story focuses mostly on them. However, this slow burn is very slow and doesn't have much burn. There was no romantic tension between Ruby and Cameron, and the few moments of physical attraction that Ruby experiences are brief and shoved away. They are very sweet as friends, but they just feel like friends until they rush together at the end. I also struggled with Ruby's reasoning for not wanting a relationship. She makes it out to be this huge secret she has to keep from her best friend, but in the end, I didn't understand why. The reasoning was pretty typical, but then the author blows past a serious mental health topic in a passing manner. It felt as though that part was added in just to create a little more drama rather than actually commentating on an important mental health issue.

My biggest issue in this book, though, was the way Sam and Cameron treated Ruby--Sam, the best friend, especially. Both characters lie and manipulate Ruby into situations she doesn't want to be in for their own interest. I could understand this if it was part of Ruby's character development, like if she were learning how to stand up for herself, but Ruby is presented as this fiercely independent woman who knows what she wants, but she just takes the manipulation.

This book certainly was not my cup of tea, but there are some fun travel adventures and a few quirky tertiary characters. As always, reading is subjective and what doesn't work for one person may be a favorite for others.

3.5 stars

I’ve wanted to read this author for a while, and with my own very first cruise planned for this summer, I thought what a fun book to get started with! There was a lot of fun in this story. I enjoyed the characters relationships with each other. Ruby has some great friends, and her family members were fun to spend time with as well. The whole going to church to meet a guy for her friend Sam was hilarious! Besides knowing from the blurb that Ruby was being tricked into a singles cruise by her friend, it was obvious something was up when her friend was asking her how she would describe herself in a dating app bio. Although honestly I think her friend did a good job with what she said.

So many of the activities the singles group had going were ones that made me cringe and are part of the reason my introverted self would not want to be a part of those things. It was so realistic though for me, to see how her friend Sam kind of left her behind in finding her own perfect guy. That’s happened to me most of my life. My friends find a guy, then I get left behind, not even included as a third wheel. Cameron was a pretty nice guy and while we knew that Ruby had reasons and didn’t want to date anyone, we didn’t know the specifics, so I got a little irritated with her as she kept pushing him away. When we finally did get her reasoning, I could see how it made sense. However I was glad to see that she could see how much she was hurting him and it made her look at her reasons after finally sharing them with Sam. And honestly, as great as Cameron was, there wasn’t a ton of romance involved on his end either, other than doing lots of things to help her out. This is an instance where I think if we’d gotten half the book from his POV it could have made up for that.

Even though I’m a dog person, I do adore the stories with cats that are such a big part of someone’s life, just like my dogs are for me. So I loved their cat, and how it went to the bookstore for work with her! And the nude beach scene was funny, I did appreciate that! However, the part where she didn’t know about morning wood? That was a little unbelievable if she’d been in a serious relationship or had sex before. Especially at her age, and her talk about how a vibrator was a good enough stand-in for a man. I have no problem with that, just doesn’t sync up with not knowing that. Her jokes about “little Cameron” were funny though, and Frou Frou, those parts did keep me giggling.

A pleasant romance read that was set at the perfect pace to keep me reading in a short sitting. Hook, Ling and Single would be a great book for the beach (or a cruise) but I will say that I didn’t find the two main characters who were best friends, all that nice to each other. This was brought up a few times in the book too, but never really developed. Still, a pleasant and fast-paced, wholesome friends to lovers story.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Phoebe MacLeod for the opportunity to read this book before the publishing date!🤭

It took a little bit for the FMC Ruby to finding meet Cameron but once they do this is a super cute palette cleanser romcom on a cruise! 🚢

It’s total summer vibes. ☀️

I usually like Phoebe MacLeod’s books, but this one just did not hit right. Hardly any romance and the religion bashing was a no go.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this book. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~