First of all, thank you very much for the ARC.
What a good read to get me out of a reading slump.
I loved the author's writing and the story is super captivating. What a great read for the summer. I highly recommend it!

Portia MacIntosh writes slaps-stick laugh out comedy so well. The banter was entertaining and the gentle tension between Jessa and Brody built up slowly creating anticipation for them to get together. Fake dating to annoy their exes has never been more hilarious!

Thank you Portia MacIntosh for this new treat !

A perfect summer read. It started so bad for Jessa. I loved her character (her job, wow, never thought it existed but it makes sense !)

Brody is super green flag, i loved him too. But he seems very different from what we hear of him during the "cubicle incident" and in the end I am not sure we learned much about him as a real person (his past, family...). It's quite true about Jessa too.

One thing weird though : Neil and Kelsey don't seem to have invited any family to the cruise or the wedding (I don't think we talk about it). I guess it's strange to me to have only friends, and not uninvite Todd and Nikki (they were only Jessa and Brody's +1s, so I guess they could have been uninvited, leaving Jessa and Brody having each their room... which would have killed the story, yes I know !)

I am not used to love stories where no family appears but it wasn't really annoying as all Jessa and Brody's adventures happen outside of "ordinary life".

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun read perfect to get me out of a reading slump. I found myself laughing out loud during some moments while reading this book. The writing was entertaining and hilarious. I felt connected to the characters from the start and believe the plot was written very well. This was a true definition of what a rom com novel should be like full of wit and lightheartedness. A quick and easy read that is absolutely perfect for beachside summer reading! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review and feedback.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed these llight beach reads from Portia! They always have funny setups, and this one is no different! Grab it for your next summer trip.

This was such a cute and lighthearted summer romance! I loved the banter between the main characters and just really enjoyed the writing.

It’s the summer of weddings, and Jessa’s boyfriend Todd decides to dump her at the first wedding of the season. At the next wedding, Todd shows up with his new girlfriend, Nikki. Enter Brody, Nikki’s ex, who saves Jessa from the awkward encounter and enters a fake dating scheme with her for the remainder of wedding season.

I really enjoyed how the characters were written and the development they had over the course of the book. I only wish there was a little more development with Nikki and Todd’s relationship after everything that happened. It was such an easy ready which made it enjoyable for summer reading.

Thank you Net Galley, Boldwood Books, and the author for this ARC!

Omg I think I'm just in love with Portia Macintosh!! Her books are so good!!
This couple is sooo cute I loved them a lot!
Going Overboard is a fun summer romance. Jessa gets broken up with at a wedding during the first dance, whilst this is happening, Brody is being dumped by his girlfriend Nikki. A couple weeks later, the ex's show up at a wedding together, kinda sus!! 🤨 Jessa & Brody hatch a plan to fake date and fake fall in love to make them jealous, which works until they realise it might not be fake at all! 🥰
We have fake dating, forced proximity, only one bed 😉, revenge pact 🔥
Jessa was a funny, impulsive and amazing character she had a lot of mishaps at the beginning but after Brody it seems that she got back on track and dealt with things the way she needed. Brody is a lovable, funny and reserved MMC. he is in the spotlight a lot (he's a famous cricket player) but I love how he's so down to earth and tries not to let a lot of things bother him!
I really loved the relationship between Jessa & Brody! They were so cute and the way they met made me laugh so much!! They had chemistry kinda instantly and I love their banter as well!
The only this is that I would want it longer, with more depth to the couple but it's meant to be a short quick read so I get it!
I was so not expecting to be approved for the arc of this book!! Thank you to Portia Macintosh & Boldwood Books! 💗

A rom-com about being forced to get over your exam, revenge dating your ex's new girlfriend's ex, and a million weddings attended is a brief summary of this book.

To be honest, this fell flat for me. It is told in first person POV, from Jessa's perspective. All of her friends are getting married (the book centers around 4 couples). And she also gets dumped by her boyfriend during one of the weddings. Fast forward to a couple weeks later, and she sees her ex already dating another girl. Jessa starts to assume there was cheating involved, and that he (clearly and obviously) left her for this other woman. Turns out, this other woman is the ex of another friend is the friend circle, one that Jessa somehow doesn't know, named Brody. Jessa and Brody decide to fake date and being in love to make Nikki and Todd (the exes) jealous.

The reason why this book fell short for me is because everything felt forced. I'm a sucker for the fake dating and only one bed tropes. But there was so much forced fake love. And the fake dating was at the expense of trying to get a rise out of the exes. It felt extremely forced. The other thing I didn't particularly like is that there wasn't enough spoken dialogue. I would say 25% of the book is conversations, while the rest is inner thoughts and feelings of Jessa. I need more dialogue, that's just me.

I feel I should also preface this review by saying this is a closed-door romance. This is the first book I've read by this author, so I'm not sure if this is her usual romance style of writing. Which is totally ok! I just feel I should mention it because I know there are readers that was a little something spicy.

I enjoyed this book! I thought it was a cute story and perfect for a lighthearted summer read. I always enjoy a fake dating storyline.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC; I can’t wait for everyone else to enjoy it come July 26, 2025!

Portia MacIntosh’s Going Overboard is the definition of a feel-good, sun-soaked romance: equal parts fun, flirty, and heartwarming. From the very first page, it delivers everything I love the most about a romance read: sparkling chemistry, whip-smart banter, and a swoon-worthy male lead with a heart of gold.

What begins as a fake romance between main characters Jess and Brody soon blossoms into something deeply authentic. MacIntosh handles the growing connection between the leads with such finesse that it never feels rushed or manufactured. The emotional stakes are real, yet balanced with light, comedic moments that keep the story buoyant.

The antagonist, Nikki, stands out in a clever reflection of modern digital life; a character who prioritizes online popularity over genuine connection. It’s a subtle yet sharp commentary that adds depth to an otherwise breezy narrative.

Going Overboard is everything a summer romance should be—sharp, swoony, and sweet. If, like me, you love a feel‑good fake‑dating plot with real character, clever banter, and romantic payoff. MacIntosh delivers an absolute gem of a book with substance wrapped in sunshine and sass, I think Going Overboard should absolutely be on your summer list!

This was such a cute book! This is my first from Portia Macintosh, but il glad to have a new beach read author to my arsenal!

My Rating: ⭐️ 2.5/5

Author: Portia MacIntosh
Pub Date: July 26 2025
Publisher: Boldwood Books

FMC: Jessa
POV: First
Narrative: Single, Central narrative
Timeline: Linear

Main Settings: UK, At Sea on Cruise ship, Sicily

Genres: Romantic Comedy
Romance: M/F
Spice Level: 🌶️ 0/5 - Closed Door with no Heat — no sex scenes, and no sexual tension

Tropes/Themes: rom-com, forced proximity, summer romance, encounters with jealous ex, vacation romance

CWs/Potential Triggers: sabotage, mean girl bullying

Summary: It’s the summer of weddings amongst Jessa’s friends. She thought she and her boyfriend Todd were happy and in a stable relationship until he dumps her out of the blue at one of her friends’ wedding. Knowing she can’t really escape him because he’s in the same friends group (because they were all her friends first), she puts on an act and tries to fake it til she makes it. At the next friends’ wedding a few weeks later she sees Todd with another girl who she learns is named Nikki. Chaos ensues and Jessa ends up falling in a fountain and spending the night in another guys’ room and wearing his clothes. That other guy? Nikki’s ex-boyfriend Brody. Rumors are spread and Jessa and Brody decide to lean into the rumors and put on a fake dating act. The following week is Jessa’s best friend’s wedding, Kelsey. They are all taking a cruise to get to the destination wedding in Sicily. Ex’s are encountered and lots of jealousy, sabotage, and bullying happens. Jessa and Brody learn that they are no longer putting on an act and may never have been faking it as their relationship becomes all the more real.

My Thoughts: I really liked the idea of this book and was coasting along, although at times my mind was wandering because the words weren’t grasping my attention. I realized at 70% through the book that Jessa and Brody really hadn’t done a lot of relationship growth and there was little to no chemistry. I didn’t get any sexual or romantic tension between the two. I was also really annoyed at just how vindictive Nikki was. Like really? Grow up already. I think the narrative focused too much on the petty, jealous attitudes.

It was also rather annoyingly repetitive how much we heard about Al being a giant body building hero but there was little character description of other side characters.

I did find Jessa’s internal dialogue to be funny and sarcastic. That was a lot of fun. But the story really, really needs a lot more romantic chemistry and tension between Jessa and Brody otherwise I would barely characterize this as a Romance novel. Additionally, I think it would’ve added more depth to the plot if we had Brody’s narrative too. We don’t learn much about his internal battles with his job and personal life. Just little snippets here and there touch on it, but just barely.

Overall, this story was a bit lackluster and didn’t have a lot of depth, character growth, chemistry, or romantic tension. Jessa’s narrative was witty and funny at times and I appreciated the idea of this book but there needed to be a lot more details with character and relationship development and a lot less petty mean girl attitude.

Thank you Boldwood Books for providing me a copy of this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

4 🌟
Spice: closed door
Format: ARC (releases 7/26/25)

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I'm gonna be honest, this took some time to get into. The beginning just felt so overly descriptive of the multiple weddings Jessa attended it became a snoozefest. Once we meet Brody properly though, everything clicks into place. Their chemistry brought the story to life and their banter had me giggling like a fool. While there isn't any on page spice, their tension was enough for me. I love their friend group, minus Todd and Nikki of course. This is a great summer read!

Going Overboard is a heartwarming, witty romance. After a traumatic breakup at a wedding, Jessa is reeling a bit, the prospect of two more weddings that will force her into her ex’s company hanging over her head. In steps Brody, who was also recently dumped, and when they find out their exes are dating, it seems a good time to pretend-date! I loved the banter between these two, as well as their budding relationship, and I loved that Brody was always there for Jessa. I hope to read more books written by this author.

I always look forward to Portia Macintosh's books! Going Overboard was a cute, fun story - the perfect beach read. If you're a fan of great chemistry and forced proximity, you'll enjoy this one!

I liked this one. It was a cute and light romance, perfect for summer reading. The story started strong and kept me interested the whole time. I loved the funny moments and the smart banter between Jessa and Brody. The fake dating and enemies to lovers tropes worked well and made the story fun to follow. The setting on the cruise ship was really cool and added a nice feeling like you were on vacation with the characters. Being stuck together in a small space made the tension between them feel real and interesting. Jessa was a great. funny, a little chaotic, and easy to like. Brody was more quiet and mysterious, and I wish we got to know him more because his side of the story felt a bit missing. Sometimes the story felt like it could be deeper. Even if it was not perfect, I still enjoyed the fast pace and the funny, romantic vibe. Thank you so much to the author and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read the book in advance, I received this for free and I'm leaving a honest review

Thanks netgalley for the arc! This books was hilarious! I really love the written comedy and the narrator’s voice. Soso much fun.

Such a fun read it had me in stitches. The whole set-up is hilarious and the narrator's voice was so entertaining. It's my first book by this author but I'll be checking out her backlist. It's the perfect uplifting holiday read!

I couldn’t wait to start this as I love Portia Macintosh and I really enjoyed and just couldn’t put it down.

Jessa was a really likeable character and I found her quite relatable while Brody was I think one of my favourite male characters of all Portia’s books. They had a great connection and I loved all the antics they got up to.

The story was fast paced, fun, romantic and parts had me laughing out loud.

A great summer read which I would definitely recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley, Portia Macintosh and Boldwood Books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing this book, with my honest review below.

Going Overboard is the latest book by Portia MacIntosh who I’m convinced is actually a collective of authors because how does she release so many books in one calendar year? Specifically how are so many of them different from each other and great? Suffice to say, I’m a fan.

This look at a fake romance for revenge was a hit for me. Jess’s is floating on cloud 9 in her relationship with Todd when the jerk dumps her at some mutual friends’ wedding, leaving her and Brody (who has rescued her before) to come up with a fake dating plot to save face and wreak a little revenge on their exes at the next wedding… on a cruise. While I came for the revenge I left with satisfaction at the relationship that bloomed between Jessa and Brody… though I was also fully happy with their plot.

Portia MacIntosh, or the bevy of authors who run this non stop writing machine, well done!