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.

This was such a great surprise! It’s my first book from this author and I requested it because of the cover and the synopsis! Who doesn’t like fake dating and summer cute cover?

I liked it a lot, it was fun fast paced read. We have Jessa, who gets dumped and humiliated at a wedding. Later she sees her ex with his new girlfriend in another wedding, where she figures out that Brody, was also dumped and his ex girlfriend is now the new girlfriend. Fun thing is, they need to go to another wedding but this one is abroad and they go to the destination on a ship. We love cruises, don’t we? Well Jessa and Brody love it too because what starts as a revenge for their exes with fake dating turns into something more. And they’re just so precious together! I love them 😍

Really, if you want something light and something short and fun, give this book a try. It’s perfect for being on the beach/pool and read about Jessa and her plans. I love this girl, she was fun and I loved to read through her.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC! I appreciate it! I’ll post my review on instagram next week too!

Going Overboard by Portia MacIntosh is a lighthearted romcom that you will want to add to your summer reading list.

Jessa and her boyfriend have broken up. While she is not exactly heartbroken, their new status complicates their attendance at the destination wedding of a mutual friend in beautiful Sicily. Staging a fake romance seems to be the best way to get through the wedding, particularly when Jessa's ex shows up with a new partner. Naturally, hilarity ensues, and Jessa discovers that sometimes life's setbacks can very often pave the way to what is really meant to be.

Pop this one in your beachbag for some relaxed waterside reading.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

I absolutely devoured this book.

Our main characters Jessa and Brody find themselves having to share a two bedroom suite on a cruise with their exes who have gotten together. They decide to fake date to make them jealous and honestly the level of pettiness these two went to had me laughing and kicking my feet. Add in top tier banter and we have a book that’s an adorable and hilarious read.

Books have always been my “happy place.” The genre that I can never get enough of is romance. There are definitely some “tropes” that I enjoy a great deal more than others. One of those is “fake relationship.” That is why I was so excited to get a chance to read this book.

This book was absolutely one that hooked me from the very beginning. I liked that it was told in first person. I really enjoyed the storyline as well. Slight spoiler, but I liked that they incorporated two plot points close to the end of the book. I liked having one of those “I knew it!” moments.

The only thing that prevents me from giving this book a solid “five” is that I feel like it could have used some POV from the MMC. Not having his POV takes away from the story a bit (at least I thought it did).

All in all, I really did enjoy this book, and would like to read more from the author.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you NetGalley for this arc. I really enjoyed Portia’s writing and this book! I’m a sucker for a good fake dating trope and this one was great. Jessa & Brody were perfect together.

What a great read, the perfect summer read. It’s funny, full of wit and little titbits of romance. Jessa is dumped by her boyfriend at their friends wedding. They have to go to another wedding in a couple of weeks, trapped in a cruise ship too. When they turn up at the ship, they find out they have a suite shared with the ex and his girlfriend, luckily Brody the hunk from the last wedding is ready to same the day. A fantastic feel good read full of fun. The characters are perfect with this plot, A 5 star read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

Huge thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and author Portia Maclntosh for providing me with the eARC of “Going Overboard”, in exchange for my honest review.
Publication date: July 26th, 2025
Reviewed on Goodreads

3.5 stars
This was a cute little summer romance. It was quite a fast-faced and simple read, and I enjoyed it.

Here we meet Jessa- an interior designer who stages homes to sell, and Brody- a professional cricket player.
Jessa and Brody meet each other after both having recently experienced a breakup. Shortly after, they attend a cruise travelling to a wedding in Sicily and are forced to be close to their exes throughout the entire trip.
Awkward encounters lead to a fake-dating scenario, and intense rivalry with their former partners.

I liked Jessa and Brody together! Although I do wish that the buildup to their relationship was a bit more defined. It felt like they went from not liking each other to really liking each other very quickly, without that much tension or near-romantic encounters.
However, the book is on the shorter side, so I think it was sufficient to make their love story happen a bit faster.

Things I think readers may enjoy:
- Fake dating
- Couples’ rivalry
- Only one bed scenario
- Summery

Overall, I liked the story! It was not something unlike anything I have ever read before, but I think it would certainly be enjoyable for the casual romance reader!

'with Todd I always used to say that my weaknesses were his strengths, and vice versa.
You know, my weakness like maths, and his weaknesses like staying in our relationship'.




It is a story about Jessa who just got dumped at a wedding (we are happy it wasn't her). She thinks her life couldn't get worse. It couldn't, right? RIGHT?

Well, it did. Her so happened ex-boyfriend is joining her on the sail to a wedding destination (her childhood best friend is about to tie the knot with the love of her life, aww!) and that's not the worst. the worst is, his new girlfriend is an ex of a 'bad boy of cricket' (aka a best man at the wedding) and she will be there too. Because of a weird mistake all four of them will share a suite... That is where a perfect plan forms in her head. Wouldn't it be a oerfect opportunity to get her revenge on the new couple? Her and Brody both decide to play a loving couple - just to show that they do not care about being dumped. It will always just be a game. But how can you be so sure about it? Will you be able to keep your feelings at bay if the one you're pretendig with seems like a perfect man for you?



I picked this book because i was in a need of a cute, summer-y romance and i think this is exactly what i wanted! I really liked that it was written like a diary - i could image Jessa talking to me as a best friend who will get all of her secrets. It was a nice form and i don't see that very often.
Nikki was getting on my nerves ALL THE TIME, she was like that annoying girl from your class who thinks she is the queen of everything and everytime she opens her mouth you roll your eyes very hard. But it was surely a plan from the author - she was supposed to be annoyig af.
The epilogue was very short and i would love to see some more glimpses of the future!

AND i surely had to google what cricket is, because i haven't heard that in my life.
It was my first book from this author, but it won't be my last!



All opinions are my own.

Going Overboard is such a delightful summer treat! This closed-door rom-com brings all of the feels, witty banter, and a flirtatious slow burn. When main characters, Tessa and Brody, devise a plan to fake-date and annoy their exes, sparks begin to fly. This is my first read by Portia MacIntosh and it will definitely not be my last!

What a hilariously swoony summer read! Ugh, I love the forced proximity trope! This was my first Portia MacIntosh and i already know she is going to be an autobuy author for me now! This story was so humorous and the fake dating trope was written to the tee! Loved the MMC Brody! This one definitely felt like an early 2000s romcom! Definitely a must read!
Spice: closed door!

Everyone who knows me knows I am a massive Portia fan and this has to be one of my favourites from her. It had it all charming, wit, humour, fake dating, forced proximity, friendship, a perfect summer read.

Portias writing is always so easy to follow and a joy to read. It has that lighthearted feel good tone written in an addictive way. My only problem is this book is so binge worthy I finished it too quickly.

I loved Jessas and Brodys chemistry and fun banter filled relationship. Jessas vulnerability but impulsiveness makes for an entertaining read whereas Brody is more reserved. The friendships Jessa has are written with such girl power, women supporting women (bar Nikki- which if you read the book you will see why!) The book was cleverly written with the activities on board keeping the book well paced and addictive.

I would have loved to see more of things from Brodys side- that would have made for an interesting POV however it doesn’t detract at all from a well written, entertaining, light summer read.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest views. Out the 26th July.

Another gem from Portia MacIntosh! She continues to cement her place as one of my all-time favourite authors with yet another laugh-out-loud, feel-good read. If you’re in the mood for a witty, closed-door romance that’s lighthearted but still packed with chemistry, look no further—Portia delivers every time.

The male lead, Brody, absolutely stole the show for me. I’m a sucker for easygoing, charming characters with great banter, and Brody ticks all the boxes. He’s effortlessly cool, funny, and the kind of character you can’t help but root for.

Even though it’s a closed-door romance, the tension and flirtation between the main characters kept me hooked. There were definitely a few moments where I was mentally yelling, “Just kiss already!”—the slow burn was perfectly done.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. It was light, funny, and just the right amount of swoony. I already can’t wait to see what Portia comes out with next!

Jessa and Todd; Brody and Nikki become Jessa and Brody; Todd and Nikki.

During the first dance at a wedding, Todd breaks up with Jessa.

Across the room, Nikki is breaking up with Brody.

The four of them then end up having to share a cabin during a wedding cruise.

The story has multiple tropes and was a cute-ish story but the writing just wasn’t for me. It was very repetitive, inconsistent and at times broke the fourth wall. NOTE: I did read this as an ARC so hopefully it will go through editing prior to publishing.