Unfortunately this book didn’t appeal to me very much. It didn’t really captivate me and I wasn’t able to force myself to finish. I really wished I liked this book but I just don’t think that would have been possible. The writing reminded me of that of an inexperienced writer and I really do wish I had something nice to say about it. However, I do wish the author success on her current and upcoming books.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️3.5 stars 
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I loved Poppy’s character. She’s very strong-willed, loyal, and most importantly, fierce. Yet she’s able to almost always maintain a level of grace and composure. I also liked Isaiah’s character and their relationship, although I felt like we could have used a little bit more build up to their romance. It almost felt unnatural at first. I loved the murder mystery/romance mix, as I usually read one or the other, so this was a nice twist!
Overall, I think this is a great summer/vacation read. 

Thank you to NetGalley and CallaghanWriter for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for my honest.

If I could give half stars this would be 2 and a half. It was my first murder mystery romance book and overall it was enjoyable. The characters didn’t annoy me. I liked the cruise ship setting. It was wild all these events took place in the space of like 2 weeks? From going to strangers to confessing murders to saying I love you?? There was a couple parts that were contradicting, for example - Isaiah confessing he had a phone when he gave Poppy the charm bracelet but then her being shocked he had a phone a couple chapters later? Poppy says her aunt didn’t believe in therapy but a couple chapters later said her aunt put her in therapy? The entire death of the driver didn’t make sense either. I feel sorry for Mina getting left behind 90% of the time but at least she got a free cruise out of it. If you don’t look too much into the details it’s a fun/flirty book that would be good to read side of the pool!

The Situation Ship is a fast paced mystery/romance
That kept me both engaged and guessing the whole time. There were many times i thought i had it figured out but i was wrong each time!

Thank you for allowing me to read this arc!

The situationship is a fast paced story that blends mystery and romance, following Poppy Roe, the princess of pop, and Isahiah, a detective, as they set sail on a cruise ship.

However their time onboard is far from idyllic as death appears to shadow poppy wherever she goes.

I thoroughly enjoyed the combination of genres and I never guessed the ending. Although I did feel the romance between them developed a little too quickly and could have been developing slowly throughout the story alongside the mystery aspect of the book

The Situation Ship is a fast-paced, character-driven mystery-romance that had me hooked from the start, even if it left me scratching my head a few times along the way.

The story follows Poppy Roe, the so-called “princess of pop,” who seems to have it all on the surface, but her life is far from glamorous. Raised by her aloof, movie-star aunt after the loss of her parents, Poppy is emotionally adrift and looking for something real. Enter Isaiah Rivers, a detective with questions - and suspicions - about the trail of death that seems to follow Poppy wherever she goes. When she learns of a plot to kill her just before boarding a luxury cruise, she hires a new assistant and bodyguard, unaware that Isaiah is stepping in to investigate from the inside.

The premise is entertaining and kept me engaged throughout. The pacing is solid, the setup intriguing, and I genuinely liked the cast of characters even if they did feel a little too polished or perfect at times. There’s plenty of tension and romantic chemistry to enjoy, and the cruise setting adds a fun, dramatic backdrop.

However, I did find a few bumps in the storytelling. There were some plot holes and unanswered questions that left me feeling a bit unsatisfied by the end. The writing style also leaned more toward YA in tone, even though the themes and characters suggest an adult audience. That mismatch occasionally pulled me out of the story.

One note for readers: this is a standalone sequel, and while it can technically be read on its own (as I did), it does contain spoilers for the previous book. I wish I had known that going in, as it impacts whether I’ll pick up the first book now.

Overall, The Situation Ship is an entertaining, slightly chaotic ride with heart.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF at 30%

I will say I was excited to pick up this book, I thought a murder mystery romance would be really fun. But it didn't really make much sense from the start. In the very beginning, the FMC, Poppy, explains the circumstances of her aunt's death (which was clearly an accident from how she described it considering she didn't even touch her) but she says she killed her? Maybe this is a case of unreliable narrator or it would have been explained later, but off the bat I was confused.

Also, I'm all for suspension of disbelief, but Poppy hears about a plot for her murder and her solution is: I'm going to murder that guy first??? That was too crazy for me. And the random stranger who tells her about this murder plot is like: yeah, I'll help you murder that guy??? That's not being a "girl's girl," that's creepy and idiotic.

There were also some continuity errors: Isaiah tells Poppy that he snuck a phone onto the ship, yet two scenes later, she acts like she didn't know this information). Most of all, I just didn't get the sense that this story was going somewhere satisfying. The motivations didn't make sense to me, the first murder is just a random minor character, and none of the main characters seemed to know what they were doing. Maybe it would have ended up alright, but I didn't feel interested enough to find out.

Maybe you might like this if you like random murders and suspending your disbelief?

3.25⭐️
I love nothing more than a little mystery, and Kate Callaghan really delivered with The Situation Ship!

What charmed me most was the uniqueness Callaghan brought to the table. A murder mystery romance set on a cruise ship is such a fresh concept and unlike anything I’ve read before. I was immediately intrigued by the premise and that gorgeous cover. I really admire how Callaghan managed to include popular tropes while putting her own spin on them.

That said, my reading experience was a bit hindered by the third person point of view. It created a disconnect between me and the characters, making it hard to fully immerse myself in the story. I often felt as though I was being kept at arms length.

The murder mystery elements, however, were super fun. The suspense kept up right until the very end, which had me constantly guessing. I especially loved the slight anti-hero angle, it added some nice complexity to the characters. I did wish for more depth, particularly with Isaiah. His and Mina’s motivations for helping Poppy felt a bit underexplored. They’re essentially strangers to her, yet they're deeply committed to her cause. Some internal conflict or hesitation would’ve been great!

As for the romance, I wasn’t super obsessed. If Callaghan had leaned more into the "situationship" angle, I think it would've felt more authentic. The declarations of love felt rushed, especially given how underdeveloped their romantic bond was outside the spicy scenes. I would’ve loved to see more soft, tender moments between them. Maybe some room service breakfasts or walks around the ship to really build that emotional connection.

Overall, I think The Situation Ship was pretty great. While I had some issues in regards to the character development and narrative perspective, the plot was gripping and original. I’ll definitely be checking out more of Kate Callaghan’s work in the future, especially her Christmas reads!



Thank you to NetGalley and CallaghanWriter for an ARC in exchange for my honest review 🫶🏼

3.1⭐️
Honestly? The prologue had such a good hook. We follow a popstar named Poppy Roe and then detective Isaiah. For Poppy she was THAT girl even if it was a facade. A morally grey detective?? count me in.

I liked the idea of it happening on a cruise ship because I haven't read any other books with cruise ships so this seem like a unique place for me in a book.

However, I think they fell a bit too quickly could of add more tension and suspense. The ending could of been slightly different but it was cute that she finally gets a home.

___
"For being here with me. For not using my past against me."
"I only wish I had found you sooner."
THAT? Adorable.

Thank you to the Author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!
This book was such a fun read! I really enjoyed the suspense and the build up of the story and felt that the characters were well written. While I don't normally read murder mysteries, this one was the perfect mix of murder mystery and romance. I also quite enjoyed the anti- hero trope that was in the storyline!

I didn't love this book, some aspects were good and others were confusing. The good first! I think the FMC's background with her aunt was realistic and sad to read about. I also liked the romance aspect although it was a little fast for my liking. I thought the ending was pretty good as well- the resonating behind what the killer did was interesting. All that said, it wasn't perfect. I think the MMC's ignorance to the FMC's past was confusing because it didn't make sense with his line of work. I was just really confused how such a quick love for her could blind him to the things she did. Another thing was the FMC's best friends immediate eagerness to help her with some of the things she planned to do. That was concerning to me and I was questioning her morals even if the FMC's reason was somewhat justified. Some of the conflicts were also left unresolved I think like the FMC's best friends questionable relationship with a guy she met on the cruise. I don't really understand what that was or why it happened. It definitely made for an interesting read altogether though!

ARC Review — 3.5⭐️ rounded up

Summary:
Death seems to follow pop star Poppy Roe both on and off shore. When people close to her start turning up dead, detective Isaiah Rivers decides to investigate her—and instead ends up signing on as her bodyguard during a luxury cruise aboard the Midas. As more bodies surface, she and Isaiah must unravel the mystery before the killer strikes again. Along the way, sparks fly and the two are drawn into a steamy romance.

Review:
This was a fast-paced romantic mystery with steamy moments and a twisty whodunnit that kept me on my toes. I had my guess, but I was wrong—and the twist totally worked. Super satisfying!

The romance was compelling, but I wanted more time for their connection to build. A few more scenes showing their chemistry early on would have made the emotional payoff land stronger. Same goes for character depth - I would've loved more of Poppy's life with her evil aunt or Isaiah's relationship with his niece to humanize him. With the book being less than 300 pages, I think a couple more pages on their backstories wouldn't have hurt!

The sex scenes? 🔥 Steamy and well-executed. Some of the dialogue felt a bit clunky at times, but it didn’t pull me out completely. The pacing kept things moving, and I genuinely didn’t know where it was all heading.

Biggest complaint? I wanted more! The characters, the romance, the backstory—I'd love to read more about these two! I’d absolutely read a follow-up, and would love a book featuring Mina and Eckells next.

Thanks to CallaghanWriter and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The book is simpy amazing!!I loved every character and also I was shocked from the storyline !!The way they expressed their feelings and how fast paced it was!PERFECTION.I believe everyone should at least read this book for once in their life. So so good