okay.... where do I start...
the start was very slow, so slow that I felt like skimming, and that went for the better half of the book. At about 40 percent, it started to pick up and stuff started happening. I also wasn't really a fan of the writing style, but okay... oh and most of the time, the fmc was sooo repetetive... It was funny and I actually like the characters "chemistry". The ending was actually sweet. Brody was literally a golden retriever. Hated Kiki. Todd was like a "chad" you know.... Then we have our fmc that was okay, she was kinda funny and had some wittys comebacks....

This is the second book I’ve had the privilege of reading by Portia Macintosh and I want to read more!! This one follows a fake-dating trope which in my opinion is one of the best tropes. I do wish there was some more slow burn and build up to the relationship. I felt like they had a lot of moments but none of them were making me be like “ugh just kiss already”. Other than that I loved it. Jessa and Brody were everything and more. I also haven’t read one that took place on a cruise ship so I thought that was nice to read, although now I want to go on a cruise. I definitely recommend this book especially if you want a funny, quick summer read!

Thank you NetGalley and Portia Macintosh for this eARC of Going Overboard!

This book is absolutely hilarious, perfect read for the summer in the garden, on a boat (haha) or on holiday. It's lighthearted, it is a lot of fun and just a great romance in which you can really relate to the characters and just immerse yourself in. Also, it is a very quick read so the perfect book to pick up!

When I say this book is funny, I was laughing throughout most of the book and it has one of my favourite tropes in which is fake dating, which always makes things even funnier.

Portia Macintosh just creates amazing books, but this may be the best one yet.

I really loved this book, this author is fast becoming one of my faves. I just really enjoy her writing style it feels so real. It was full of emotion sad and funny and a great reminder that we shouldn’t overthink so much and just let fate run its course. I highly recommend this and look forward to reading her next book

What a gem this is! Loved it from start to finish. Going Overboard is a mix of romance, friendship and comedy and it's a fantastic page turner. The perfect holiday read!

I’ve read over 20 of Portia MacIntosh’s books, so I feel like I can accurately say that this is absolutely her funniest book to date. I was grinning basically the entire time I read this book, and laughed out loud multiple times. It’s such a fun, fast read as well that I truly did not put this down from the moment I started until I read the last page.

At this point I’ll read anything she writes, but a cruise ship storyline will always pull me in. Coincidentally, I found her books by literally searching for books set on a cruise ship, and found My Great Ex-scape. I read that one June 7 2020 & read this exactly 5 years and 1 month later on July 7 2025, and they are two of my favourites of hers.

Okay back to the actual story - it’s fun, it’s romantic, and it felt both kind of silly but also real. Breakups are hard, and I love that Jessa had such great people in her life to get her over it. Her friendship with Kelsey is one of my favourite female friendships I’ve ever read about. Honestly the friend group in general in this was so great! Brody was such a good MMC, I loved that he was so genuine about who he is, and how he treated Jessa. They just played off each other so well, and everything about it worked.

I cannot recommend this enough. I don’t know if I can even rank all of PM’s books at this point because there’s never a miss for me, her writing style will forever be for me, so let’s just say this is absolutely one of the top. I know I’ll be rereading it, and hope others pick it up too!

HUGE thanks to NetGalley & Portia Macintosh for this ARC in exchange for my honest review 🚢 I came for the cutest cover & stayed for the male MC!
If you’re looking for a lighthearted, quick-read, closed door love story then this author is for you! I loved the characters and story line of fake dating to get back at each others exes while on a cruise ship to their best friends wedding. Short chapters makes the book go by quick & a sweet ending wrapped in a bow

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for sending me a review copy of this book.

Going Overboard is a brilliant, quick-witted rom-com that has become one of my favourite Portia MacIntosh books to date.

The main character, Jessa, thinks her relationship with her boyfriend Todd is great. That is until he breaks up with her at another friend’s wedding. Brody is also left by his girlfriend who is now Todd’s new girlfriend. In order to get through a destination wedding on a cruise ship, the pair decide to help each other out by fake dating.

Jessa is a fun and quirky main character. There were many moments where I was laughing out loud because she got herself into some hilarious situations. One instance that stands out is when she mistakes Brody, a member of the wedding party, as the valet and throws her keys at him.

I liked how loyal Jessa was to her friends and how much the friendships she had was a solid part of the story. Her friends were also fearlessly loyal to her too, even going as far as offering to postpone the wedding. It wasn’t just a love story between her and Brody but also a story of the importance of friendships which was beautifully written.

Brody is a great love interest, he’s also funny and matches Jessa’s silliness. They have great banter throughout. The idea of them both being broken up with so their ex’s can get together makes for a unique and engaging plot point.

The cruise ship setting also makes the whole thing extremely entertaining and would make the perfect holiday read. I also thought the dialogue felt realistic and kept me gripped.

If you’re a fan of fake dating and the only one bed trope then this is the perfect book for you. I was so entertained by it that I finished it in one sitting. If you enjoy books by Lindsey Kelk, I think you’d love this one too.

I really enjoyed this fake dating, couple-swap romcom. The meet-cute was subtle – actually there are kind of two of them! Brody is a fun character, and the forced proximity set-up helped to move the story along. There were a couple of clunky and/or repetitive plot points, and both the main female characters were a bit irritating at times. But it had a decent pace and enough genuinely funny moments to keep my interest.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This was very much just fine. Parts were cute but overall just very middle of the road. The narrative style of knowing EVERY thought in the main character's head was a bit much for me and made it read a little younger/more juvenile than I think was intended. Also the mean girl was over the top mean in a way that was too unbelievable and borderline comical. Also the third act breakup made literally no sense? Like it could have been resolved with a single sentence and instead is supposed to be dramatic? But then also makes her realize she's in love with a guy she's been "real" dating for 24 hours? Nope nope nope.

.ೃ࿐ <i>Thank you to NetGalley & Boldwoods Books for the opportunity to read and review the ARC before release! </i>

.ೃ࿐<i> rating</i>

3✨

.ೃ࿐ <i>my thoughts </i>
<b>A quick read, but overall an annoying FMC.</b>
I really enjoyed Brody’s character. I thought he was a very realistic character but sadly the story didn’t show much of him. I also liked the fact that this story was only told through 1 POV, I think that prevented the ensign from being too obvious through both POVs.
I found Jessa’s internal monologue to be quite annoying and a little childish. I think for a 30-something year-old woman, she acted a bit too childish. This kind of put me off her character. I also would have liked to see more emotional development between Jessa and Brody so we could see <i>why</i> they fell for one another.
Overall, this book delivered a fun, quick read but it lacked emotional depth.

GOING OVERBOARD by Portia Macintosh
3.5/5 Stars

Huge thanks thanks to Boldeoodbooks and @netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book, evident by the spend I read it. Told from Jessa’s point of view, we meet her at a bar getting accosted by a drunk young lad and a guy saves her, then leaves without much of a comment.

Flash forward a few years and Jessa is in love at a wedding with Todd when it all goes belly up for her as she is dumped on the dance floor and then to top it off a few weeks later at another wedding things get worse as her ex shows up with someone new, Nikki, who also broke up with Brody at the same wedding!

But by chance she meets Brody, turns out he’s her best friends fiancés best man so they team up at the their wedding to keep everyone happy and of course to one up their ex’s. With lots of banter, sharing a room with the ex’s and other antics in between it’s all you can imagine from a fake relationship.

I must say, I liked that it took place on a cruise and gave them lots to do and kept it interesting!


Cards on the table there was predictable elements in the story and I personally found some of the repetition frustrating, but thinking about it I justify a lot inside my own head so maybe it shouldn’t frustrate me 😂 BUT honestly I loved it. It was such a nice, easy read and I was invested in Jessa and Brody.

So, I’m guess I’m saying yes it’s predictable in ways but in a good way, you can see things happening but you also enjoy being taken along for the ride. If anything, I wanted more. I always find with books I want more of an after. I’m hooked on the couple I want their life! Especially if you’re clumsy like Jessa!

So yeah 3.5 stars from me ❤️
Bring on another great read from Portia!

Oh and this is my July @bookshelfraiders pick, a book set in / featuring a different country.

This was totally and utterly hilarious.

Fake Dating and Portia MacIntosh at their very best.

It's wedding season and when Todd dumps Jessa at one wedding and then turns up to the next wedding with Nikki, well it hurts Jessa. Jess is already having an embarrassing sort of a day, with some hilarious realisations involving a person called Ryan.

So discovering that Brody has been recently dumped by Nikki at around the same time she was dumped and then realising that all four of them are due to attend some at least one more wedding leads to all sorts of shenanigans.

Especially while on a cruise ship when the rooming arrangements are rather interesting and Jess and Brody decide the best revenge they can get is to make their exes jealous and start playing all sorts of mind games with them.

I was totally there for all of it, and this is the author's funny bone at its very best.

Multiple weddings, a cruise, interlocked friendship groups, fake relationships and a whole lot more, this is a perfect summer read. Total escapist fun and games!

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

This is a good summer read that’ll make you wish you were on a cruise ship! I did find some of the dialogue to be a bit unnatural at times, but overall the book is enjoyable!

4.5
I loved this book! Did it help that I read it on the plane ride to my own cruise? Maybe, but truly it put me in the perfect summer mood.
I love the joy of the main male character, and how much they both genuinely enjoy their jobs and friends.
A couple plot points felt a little hastily resolved and could have used a bit more, but overall a very fun, very cute vacation romance.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an arc!

4.25 stars! Big thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the e-ARC!

I really enjoyed this one — it felt like a warm, hilarious throwback to a ’90s romcom, in the best way. The banter between the leads was top-tier: sharp, funny, and filled with chemistry. The situation they found themselves in was a little messy (as expected in a good romcom!), but I had such a fun time watching it all unfold. Both main characters were super likable and well-written, making it so easy to root for them. A delightful, feel-good read!

Going Overboard had me grinning from page one. The lovable leads bring just the right kind of chemistry - I was fully invested through every hilarious twist and turn. The supporting characters were just as entertaining. A lighthearted, fun read that left me smiling. Perfect for a sunny afternoon or when you need a romantic laugh-out-loud moment.

I always enjoy books by Portia MacIntosh and this one doesn’t disappointment! Another perfect summer read full of laughs, steam, and it hooked me right from page 1!

Going Overboard, by Portia MacIntosh, is another rom-com win! Both Jessa and Brody are dumped by their partners at the same wedding. All four share a friend group, and all end up on the same cruise ship, en route to another wedding. Things get a little crazy when the exes rethink their decisions. Fun abounds with many laughable moments.
I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for providing the ARC ebook that I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

Another cute romcom by Portia Macintosh. A quick read but funny and adorable. Fake dating plus one bed on a cruise ship. Not my favorite of this authors but definitely enjoyable.