I knew this book was going to be good based on the cover and the tropes listed because these are some of my favorite tropes and I really enjoy books with a ship or a cruise ship setting because I have a weird special interest in the Titanic. Don’t judge me. This book already gets points for mentioning the Titanic in a silly way in the beginning, but also just like doing it. Well I cannot tell you how many times I laughed in this book. It was so good.

The book starts out with the main character, chilling out on the seaside and trying to relax while she is bombarded with party goers are enjoying the beach and she very much wants to be left alone with her piña colada; a weird party goer ends up trying to get her phone number and hit on her and she becomes very uncomfortable.
This is when Brody our savior comes in as our fake boyfriend and tells this partygoer to go away the humor really kicks in here because we see that bro code is above a woman saying no thank you in fact this party goer calls Brody, a legend, so I’ll leave it at that.

Her actual boyfriend ends up coming back his name is Todd, and he is very occupied with his own activities and kind of just seems disinterested and not like a great partner initially and then we are hit with some conflict.

This main setting is the cruise ship and it’s also the friends wedding

So we have a friendship dynamic where the characters actually come off the page and are hilarious are frustrating. They’re good and bad very clearly labeled characters. If that makes sense there’s no like morally gray characters my opinion in this book it was all just it was exactly what I wanted and needed as a romcom, and I feel like this is really hard to find like these tropes are my favorite tropes and this book was inhaled, and I loved every minute of it.

The covers also adorable I really like the bright colors the writing style I really enjoyed. It’s first person POV and the character does make fun of herself, but it’s not in too much of a self defecating way. She is making fun of herself in self deprecating ways, but it is in a very relatable manner versus Being borderline to self abuse which I tend to see in a lot of of books, which is why I end up DN effing so many romance books. This one was fresh clever really funny made me giggle and I literally stayed up until 3 AM reading it because I could not put it down so if you need a good romcom, please get this and thank me later, you’re welcome.

Thank you so much for this treat! I loved this eARC I was approved for from Boldwood books and I am leaving this honest feedback voluntarily.

Unfortunately I was expecting more from this book. I've read more books by the author and loved them, but this one fell a little short of my expectations 🥲

The beginning started off very strong, very funny and I seriously thought it was going to be a new favourite, but unfortunately it started to get boring, nothing was happening. The only positive thing was Brody. He's just perfect 😍 I also really liked Jessa, but she didn't win me over 100 per cent 🥲

Now Todd and Nikki could do with less presence in this book. Nikki might not have even existed in this story.
The author's writing continues to be great and remains a strong point in her books. Funny writing, great characters, moments that make you laugh out loud.

Overall it was a good book, not perfect and the middle of the book could have been much better. It's a good read to read by the pool or on the beach, as most of the story takes place on a cruise ship on its way to Italy 😍

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing this copy in exchange for an honest review 🫶🏼

Read the book if you like:
❤️‍🔥 Fake dating
🛏️ Only one bed
✨ Forced proximity

This book can be described as nothing less than absolutely delightful. The whole book was super lighthearted and fun and the romance was so cute. Even though it’s a book with fake dating, the usual angst and miscommunication was almost entirely absent and there wasn’t an awkward and infuriating third act breakup. Going Overboard is pretty much the perfect beach read and I absolutely flew through it. If you’re looking for an easy and cute romance that will have you smiling throughout the entire book, this book is for you!

I have no idea how I haven’t found rom com author, Portia MacIntosh, until now! She’s been writing for a little over 10 years. MacIntosh’s writing style is witty and effortlessly engaging. The narrative closely mirrors Emily Henry novels. She writes as though you were having a heart to heart with her. I devoured this one up in a day and I’m eager to read more of her rom com books.

Going Overboard was a smart, funny, warm-hearted summer romance with a sprinkle of sports celeb flair. It centered around Jessa who was dumped by her boyfriend, Todd, during the first dance at a wedding they were attending. Unbeknownst to her, Brody, cricket celebrity, was experiencing the same heartbreak at the same moment. His girlfriend Nikki had just left him too. Fast forward a year later and they reunite on a wedding cruise and form an alliance-if they couldn’t win back their exes then they’d get revenge by pretending to be a hot new couple. Collectively this was an emotionally satisfying enemies-to-friends-to-lovers narrative with a perfect blend of humor and romance.

I absolutely loved following Jessa and Brody as they navigated love and revenge. Their relationship evolved from friends to something meaningful—and he was as transformed by it as she was.

I utterly adored Jessa! She was an upbeat protagonist with a quick wit and down-to-earth personality that made her so relatable and hard not to love. Opposite of Jessa, Todd, her ex, was self-centered, immature, unreliable and emotionally disengaged; and unlike Todd, Brody was a charming, charismatic and humorous man. Each of the characters were sharply drawn and colorful which brought added depth to this already layered tale.

All in all, I didn’t want this story to end. MacIntosh delivered a witty, engaging narrative with the most authentic characters. This tale was a charming feel good romance and I am so grateful to have received an advanced copy of Going Overboard, otherwise I wouldn’t have come across this ‘new to me’ author. In fact, I’ve added Portia MacIntosh to my ‘go to author’ list!

Thanks to Net Galley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Going Overboard is a breezy, feel-good rom-com perfect for vacation reading. Jessa’s heartbreak turns into hilarious hijinks when she teams up with Brody for a fake romance that might just be the real deal. With sharp banter, tropical vibes, and plenty of swoon, this is a charming escape with heart.

I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet, smart, summery, beach-read! If you are looking for something light, easy, cute and fun to read on your holidays, this book is it!

I loved our FMC Jessa from page one. She's like a modern day, slightly more self-aware Bridget Jones. A hot mess that can't help but root for from the start! And Brody was such a swoon-worthy MMC!

I really loved the fake dating aspect. Fake dating doesn't always work for me, but this was done in such a sweet way and it was clear from the beginning of their fake relationship that they had feelings for each other.

The romance aspect of this book was very much in the sweet/closed door category. Personally I could have used a bit more heat, even at that level, but that's more of a personal preference.

This book is also only one POV. I would have preferred to get some insights from Brody's perspective, but again, personal preference for me, nothing against this book.

This was just a perfect read for summer! I really enjoyed it!

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.

Portia does it better than almost anyone else! I am so grateful for yet another Portia ARC and thrilled to report its another winner!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date will be: July 26, 2025
Fake dating, a cruise and summer vibes, what could be better?
I really enjoyed the book and it was beautifully written. The setting on the cruise ship was amazing!
Jessa and Brody were great and I really liked their way with each other. It was a healthy and sweet relationship. I especially loved how Brody reacted to Nikki's revelation at the end and how they talked about their problems

I've just read this straight after Too Hot to Handle and I'm not mad about that. This author is fast becoming an auto-read for me. She is quick witted and writes engaging, entertaining plots. Jessa's friends are all getting married and she is eagerly anticipating her own engagement when her boyfriend ceremously dumps her during her friends' first dance...

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: July 26, 2025

This was a fun closed door summer romcom with a fake dating trope. Really enjoyed the male MC but the female MC repeatedly hinted at issues with weight, food, and body negativity. It was so casually thrown in throughout, completely unnecessary, and really took the book down for me.

A cute story of love through a revenge plan…

The book had loads of description, I felt myself glazing over some of the detail as it was a lot, but the storyline was fun.

Nikki is every version of mean girl I’ve ever met, I’m glad her plan to steal Jessa’s boyfriend because her boyfriend (Brody) wouldn’t ask her to marry him… and then got jealous that Brody and Jessa connected and had something special! Ugh!

Jessa and Brody are a little insta-love but in all the right ways - so cute!

Once again Portia Macintosh shows us why she is a five-star author. This one made me chuckle so much, there were so many moments that made me smile, I can think of nothing worse than being stuck in a cabin and suite with my ex, never mind my ex and his new partner. Jessa and Brody will make you chuckle with their escapades; the bedroom arrangement had me laughing so hard I nearly cried. The fact that Brody was a Cricket player made me smile, as you never really hear about Cricket as a sport in books, so it was nice to see that aspect being talked about. There were moments that were a little cheesy, but I loved every word.

This is a feel-good, lighthearted rom-com with an amusing storyline, which is quick and easy to read; so it may be an ideal choice for a beach read this summer. The writing is good and the story feels interesting, despite there being an abundance of tried and tested tropes:
~ Ex with new girlfriend at friends’ wedding
~ Fake dating
~ No spare rooms
~ Forced proximity
~ One bed
Overall it’s a fun, entertaining story, with charming characters who are trapped with their ex’s in a cruise ship setting. Thanks to Boldwood Books for the widget and to NetGallery for allowing me to get this early copy of the book - it is out on 26th July 2025, just in time for the summer holidays - I highly recommend it for a pool and beach read.

I will always read Portia's books! They're so witty and the stories always have something a little different in them. Portia does tropes well and she hit on quite a few in this one. Add it to your summer list - it's fun!

Trapped on a cruise ship Jessa and Brady began a fake relationship. With the witty banter, forced proximity, and only one bed this book made me laugh. It was a quick read but one that I am glad to have picked up for a fun summer read.

This was a fun, quick beach read filled with some of my favorite tropes: only one bed, forced proximity, and fake dating with a slow burn. I loved the premise of two couples breaking up and essentially trading. Jessa was a sweet and plucky heroine and I appreciated how complex Brody was, simultaneously carefree and incredibly thoughtful. The story featured some great friends as side characters too! Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood for the ARC.

This was a cute and lighthearted summer romance. It was entertaining and chaotic, even if it didn't fully deliver. 

Jessa gets dumped unexpectedly by her boyfriend Todd during a wedding. Two weeks later, he shows up with a new girlfriend, Nikki. She also broke up with her boyfriend Brody at the same wedding. Suspicious, right? 
After all four of them get stuck sharing a room on a cruise ship en route to her best friends wedding, one where Brody is the best man, Jessa and Brody decide to fake being in a relationship as a part of a revenge plot against their exes. But the more they fake it, the blurrier the line gets. The more time they spend together, the harder it gets to ignore their chemistry. 

I really loved the setting and the writing. Being on a cruise ship sounds so fun, I loved all the activities they did.
The messy situations they found themselves in were so funny. Fake dating and the one bed trope, what more could you ask for. 
I loved their friend group, excluding Nikki and Todd of course. Those two were the worst, especially Nikki.

The book really had some sweet and fun moments and the banter was great, but the romance between Jessa and Brody was honestly underwhelming. I didn't feel the connection between them at all. It felt forced and rushed. I really wish their story had more depth and emotion, I was left wanting more. Jessa and her inner monologue about Brody at the beginning was a little off-putting, at least for me it was. He deserved better. And I really wish we got some insight into him, we didn't get a chance to really get to know him.

I really wanted to like this, it sounded so promising, but truthfully it needed so much more.
I would still recommend it if you're looking for something quick and fun though!

Firstly, thank you so much for Netgalley & Boldwood Books for the arc of this book!

I loved this book! It's perfect for the summer months. It'a such a cute, easy read and i'm really grateful i got to read it before release date.
The book follows Jessa who has recently been dumped before her best friends wedding. The guy who dumped her is now dating somebody else in the friendship group, so Jessa and his new girlfriends ex, Brody, decide to fake date to get revenge and to make them jealous. Whilst they are fake dating, it soon becomes very real for them. It follows their journey to find love again and honestly it's heartwarming to read. I loved both Jessa and Brodys banter and chemistry.

It was romantic, cute, cozy and hilarious! It made me laugh out loud! I would highly recommend this book 💗

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

This was a fun romance novel, and I enjoyed it a lot. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.