Tropes:
Forced Proximity
Fake Dating
Destination: Cruise!
Only One Bed

Overall, this was a fun book. I liked seeing how Brody and Jessica were thrown together, and how they worked though the awkwardness of seeing their ex's get together (wow, what a nightmare lol).

I always love a book that is set within travel, so the cruise aspect was also so fun to me.

I did find this book a bit all over the place at times, but that didnt hinder my enjoyment. It's a solid summer beach read!

Going Overboard
by Portia MacIntosh

This is my first time reading anything by Portia MacIntosh, and I must say, it starts off on a delightful note—it captured my attention right away and kept me engaged throughout the entire story. It was refreshing to dive into a narrative that revolves solely from one person's point of view.

The plot kicks off with Jessa, who finds herself blindsided when her boyfriend, Todd, unexpectedly dumps her during a lavish wedding reception. Just two weeks later, she is confronted with a bitter twist of fate when Todd shows up at another event with his new girlfriend, Nikki, who, coincidentally, also ended her relationship with her boyfriend, Brody, at the same wedding. The shared backstory adds a delicious layer of intrigue to the characters' interactions.

Feeling a mix of betrayal and determination, Jessa and Brody devise a plan to exact revenge on their exes. They decide to pretend to be in a relationship as they find themselves at another friend's wedding. To complicate matters, they are forced to share a cramped suite on a cruise ship, as all other accommodations are fully booked. The dynamic of their forced proximity leads to some humorous and unexpected situations.

While the book includes many sweet and light-hearted moments, along with witty banter between Jessa and Brody, I found the romantic development between them somewhat lacking. As a reader, I yearned for more depth in their emotional connection. Additionally, Jessa’s internal monologue often came across as quite grating and immature for a woman in her 30s, which detracted from my overall enjoyment of her character’s journey.

Overall, *Going Overboard* offers an entertaining mix of friendship, revenge, and romance, even if it sometimes falters in delivering a satisfying romantic arc.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this novel.

Jessa is part of a large friend group where everyone is coupled up and getting married. She is unceremoniously dumped at one of those weddings, ruining her future plans. At the next wedding, people mistakenly think she hooked up with Brody, a cricket player whose ex is now with Jessa’s ex. They decide to fake date, and the usual rom-com antics ensue.

While this was a pretty typical rom-com book, I did love seeing the exes as part of the story and not having the exes be superior. While I think some parts were a little unnecessary (the meeting at the beginning, Jessa’s work as a home stager), I loved seeing these characters spend a week on a ship together and seeing their friendships. A solid, fun summer read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Going Overboard is a lighthearted romcom that follows Brody and Jessa, who find themselves in an awkward situation after their respective partners abruptly break up with them—only to get together with each other after another friend’s wedding. Now stuck on a cruise to a destination wedding, Brody and Jessa agree to fake date to save face, all while sharing a two-bedroom suite with their exes-turned-new-couple.

This setup makes for plenty of forced proximity, delicious tension, and the classic one-bed trope, all set against a fun cruise ship backdrop. The chemistry and banter between Brody and Jessa are entertaining, and the group dynamic creates a lot of humorous (and cringey) moments.

While I enjoyed the premise and the tropes, the ending felt rushed and left a few loose ends unresolved. Overall, it’s a quick, easy read—perfect if you’re looking for a vacation-ready romcom with fake dating, forced proximity, and plenty of drama at sea.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5/5)

Going Overboard is Portia MacIntosh’s latest vacation romantic comedy, perfect for a beach read. While the characters are British and the story contains British phrasing, it is easy for Americans to understand. There is some mild profanity, and the sex scenes are “closed door.”

Jessa has been dating Todd for a year, and she expects that they will soon start making plans to move in together. Neither one is interested in marriage, but several people in their friend group are getting married this season. In fact, Jessa is the Maid of Honor at her best friend Kelsey’s upcoming wedding. It’s going to be a five-day cruise to Sicily for a destination wedding, and naturally Jessa and Todd are sharing a cabin. Until Todd dumps Jessa right on the dance floor of a friend’s wedding, just two weeks before Kelsey’s wedding.

Sadly, Jessa realizes that Todd is involved with Nikki, another member of their friend group. Nikki has been dating a cricket superstar named Brody Ryan. Jessa gets drunk while trying to figure out a way forward, complicated by the fact that she and Todd work together in interior decorating. When Jessa contacts the wedding planner, she’s told that it’s too late to change cabins on the boat. Jessa is even more astonished to learn that there was a booking mix-up and she’s sharing a two-bed suite with Todd, Nikki, and Brody. Jessa and Brody join forces in a hilarious revenge plot against their cheating exes. They fake a relationship, but the joke is on them because they fall for each other. Jessa definitely has more chemistry with Brody than she did with Todd.

Going Overboard is an enjoyable escapist romance that contains many hilarious scenes. Readers can easily relate to Jessa, who is heartbroken, but doesn’t want to disappoint her best friend or interfere with any wedding plans. While the story moves slowly at first, the descriptions are so vivid that it’s like watching a movie. Readers will laugh out loud while reading Going Overboard and want to plan their own cruise.

I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) from NetGalley and Boldwood Books for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

When Jessa got unexpectedly dumped at her friend’s wedding, she was rightfully humiliated. With several weddings to still attend, she was going to be forced to go solo. What better thing to do when you’re fresh off a break up and single at your friend’s wedding? Get drunk. Thankfully for Jessa, cricket superstar Brody had her back.

Jessa started her drunken night by hilariously thinking Brody was the valet guy and he graciously took her keys and parked her Fiat 500 - vowing to only give her the keys back afterwards if she could safely drive. Well we all know how that ended - Jessa couldn’t leave so she stayed the night with Brody.

Fast forward to the next wedding (on a cruise ship!!) and by some scheduling misfortune, Brody and Jessa ended up being stuck in a suite with their exes who were now a proper couple. How awkward! Jessa and Brody weren’t a couple but people had assumed they were since they stayed together at the previous wedding when in reality, Brody was just looking out for Jessa’s safety. AKA cue the fake dating!

Highly recommend this fun summer read! Portia has TONS of other titles available too if you’re looking for more books to add to your summer TBR!

Loved it! A funny and entertaining read.
Jessa and Brady make the best of a bad situation when they get dumped just before Jessa’s best friends wedding on a cruise ship . A wedding the dumpers are also attending. Utter chaos but great fun and a recommended read .
Thank you to Netgalley, Boldwood Books and Portia Macintosh for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

3.5 stars! This one had the potential to be a 5 star read – fun concept: fake dating – trapped together on a cruise ship with each of their (terrible) ex’s, but it fell flat. The main character development felt shallow, and didn't feel like they actually had a deep connection. I was left not really caring if they got together or not. This book is perfect for a summer beach/lake/pool side read.

Jessa’s boyfriend dumps her at their friend’s wedding and then he turns up with a new girlfriend two weeks later who, coincidentally also broke up with her boyfriend friend at the same wedding. Suspicious timing right? Jessa and Brody are ready to get back at their partners for dumping them so they decide to pretend to be dating when they have to all attend another friends wedding and are forced to share a suite when there are no more rooms available on the cruise ship to the destination wedding. But the more time they spend plotting their revenge against their exes, the blurrier the line gets and the harder it gets to ignore their chemistry.
The setting was loads of fun and if you’re a fan of fake dating/one bed trope you’re in for a treat with this one. The banter between Brody and Jessa was fun and their romance, while it could have used a little more depth, was sweet and fun to read.
Looking forward to a poolside or beach read? Look no further. Fans of Emily Henry are going to enjoy.
Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

This book turned out to be a good choice for my seaside holiday. Even though I am not a fan of the fake dating trope, I found the novel funny and entertaining. But it was also a bit chaotic and lacked depth. I'd still give it a go if you are looking for a lighthearted poolside read.

Synopsis: Jessa gets dumped by her boyfriend Todd at their friend's wedding. In the meantime, Brody is also being dumped by his girlfriend Nikki. A few days later Todd and Nikki are as a couple.

Jessa's best friend's wedding is approaching, which involves a cruise to Sicily. Jessa, Brody, Todd and Nikki have to share adjoining suites on the cruise ship. Jessa and Brody decide to pretend they are dating/in love to make their exes jealous...

Going Overboard was a quirky, quick read. I would give it 4/5 stars. Portia MacIntosh packs so much fun into her books, along with emotions.

This is a closed door/fade to black romance. The spice isn't really needed. Portia MacIntosh writes her characters so real. The "villian" in this book made me want to smack her across the face so bad.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the e-ARC. This review is my own opinion.

In Going Overboard, Jessa’s boyfriend Todd dumps her on the dance floor at a wedding. That’s bad enough, but to make matters worse? They’re both in the wedding party for Jessa’s best friend’s destination wedding just a few weeks after the breakup. When a room mixup makes it so that Jessa is staying in the same cruise cabin with Todd, his new girlfriend Nikki, and Nikki’s recent ex Brody, Jessa and Brody team up to make things as uncomfortable for Todd and Nikki as possible.

It took me a minute to lean into the goofiness of this book, but once I did, it was a great time! I laughed a lot at Jessa and Brody’s antics and their banter was top notch. It was a fun, lighthearted, summery read for sure. I feel like we didn’t get a lot of background and character development overall, but especially for Brody. I would have liked to see a little more there to really believe their connection beyond messing with Todd and Nikki. Overall though, this was a fun ride!

Give Going Overboard a read if you enjoy :
▫️Fake dating
▫️Forced proximity
▫️Only one bed
▫️Great banter
▫️Laugh out loud moments

Breakups, fake dating, and cruise ship chaos? Yes, please! 😍 In this hilarious rom-com, Jessa finds herself stuck in a cabin with her ex, his new girlfriend, and the charming (but infuriating) Brody. Cue revenge plans, steamy sparks, and nonstop laughs. 🤭🔥 A must-read for fans of fake dating and feel-good romance! 💕🌴

It was fun to see the fake dating on the cruise ship. Really enjoyed this light hearted funny read and liked the characters too. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

If you are looking for a fun lighthearted laugh out loud book, then this is definitely one to pick. I absolutely loved the concept of this story, 2 jilted couples all sharing the same friendship groups, find themselves having to share more than just being on the same cruise ship as part of their friend's extravagant wedding. Thanks netgalley and publishers for allowing me to read a copy of this book.

Jessa’s perfect evening is shattered when her boyfriend Todd dumps her mid–first dance at a wedding. Little does she know that across the room, cricket star Brody is dealing with his own heartbreak — his girlfriend Nikki just blindsided him too. Later, the pieces fall into place: Todd and Nikki are now a couple.

Jessa braces for awkwardness at her best friend’s destination wedding cruise to Sicily, but nothing prepares her for a booking disaster that puts her in a shared suite with Todd, Nikki and Brody.

With nowhere to hide, Jessa and Brody strike a deal: fake a sizzling romance to make their exes jealous. What starts as a revenge pact quickly becomes something more as sparks fly, tempers flare, and the line between pretending and feeling gets blurry.

The characters are well written: I loved the side characters, despised Todd and Nikki and ADORED Brody. Jessa took me a while to warm too - she definitely started as the grump in grumpy x sunshine relationship.

I found this started slow but once it picked up and they were on the ship I binged my way through the book in one sitting.

This was my first read by Portia MacIntosh but I've already added her other books to my TBR 📚

If you're looking for witty banter, fun romance and a happy ever after - this is for you.

Going Overboard by Portia MacIntosh is a charming and witty escape that had me grinning from the very first chapter. The cruise ship setting makes for a fun, breezy backdrop, and the characters are instantly lovable. I appreciated the blend of romance and laugh-out-loud moments—it never took itself too seriously, and that’s what made it such a joy. If you're in the mood for a lighthearted, feel-good read, this one definitely delivers.

This books is super light-hearted and funny with some faking dating thrown in. It was a quick easy read that I enjoyed. There are 3 weddings in this book each wedding gives Jessa something to deal with in her life.

The first wedding Jessa's boyfriend breaks up with her. And she gives relationship advice to a woman in a toilet cubicle because her boyfriend wouldn't commit.

The second wedding Jessa's ex boyfriend turns up with a new girlfriend who happens to be the ex of one of the grooms men, Brody. And while trying to catch the wedding flowers may or may not end up in a fountain.


And onto the 3rd wedding on a cruise Jessa and Brody end up sharing a suite with their ex's. From pretending to be together to real love is the journey of the rest of the book.

3rd act drama was definitely coming but I'm glad it didn't last long and was relatively easy to solve.


Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for this book✨

I love Portia’s books! They are so different to anything I would normally read but so far all the ones I’ve read by her I’ve really enjoyed! They are perfect holiday reads. So funny they are just so uplifting and good!
the FMC Jessa is happily crusing through life with her boyfriend Todd - Ew we hate him 🤣 At a friends wedding Todd dumps Jessa out of the blue and although she’s heartbroken they still have wedding season to get through with their friend group. Enter Nikki and Brody another couple who have recently broken up and Jessa’s life will never be the same again!!
This book is hilarious, I honestly loved every second of it! Highly recommend!
🌟🌟🌟🌟
Release date - 26th July 2025

I really love Brody, he is an absolute sweetheart as well as a stud! Jessa has some hilarious moments, but I also wanted to shake her several times!
I felt it was a bit of a slow burn to get to the exciting bit of the cruise where the fake dating trope promised to really come to the fore, but when it did get there it was comic relief galore.
I loved the friendship group they had, Kelsey especially was exactly the kind of bestie everyone deserves to have.
A light romance with some drama, fake dating and forced proximity, what's not to enjoy!