I was kindly provided with the arc of this book by NetGalley and CallaghanWriter in exchange for and honest review, thank you ✨

4.5⭐️

Wow I had the most amazing time reading this book!! I was invested since chapter one on Poppy’s story and even when I had my suspicions I was gladly proved wrong because any of my suspects was the actual villain in this book and I loved being wrong in this case 🙂‍↔️

I loved Poppy, I hurt for her and all the things she had to endure growing up, all the things she has to quiet down and put on a smile until she were finally free, and I loved Isaiah 🛐 I loved how he went to suspect Poppy was the killer to “touch her and die” 😮‍💨❤️

This was my first book by the author but surely won’t be the last ✨🙂‍↔️

Romantic suspense with the Detective (aka The Bodyguard), with forced proximity and it's a slow burn. This book has all my favourite tropes, and has a summer vibe, with the action taking place on a cruise ship. I really enjoyed reading it on the beach while watching the cruise ships come and go from the harbour.

I want to start by saying how much I appreciate the atmosphere and premise of The Situation Ship—a moody, romantic suspense with a haunting vibe and a strong female lead. Kate Callaghan clearly knows how to build tension and emotional stakes.

That said, this one wasn’t quite the right fit for me, and I ended up setting it down before the end. The pacing felt a bit drawn out for my taste, and while the chemistry between the characters was there, I personally wished the spice was a little more detailed and lingered longer when it finally hit.

Still, I can see how fans of slow-burn romantic thrillers and emotionally complex plots would absolutely devour this story. Just because I didn’t finish doesn’t mean it won’t hit just right for the right reader. If you love cruise ship murder vibes, protective detectives, and a touch of darkness—this could be your perfect read.

this title had me hooked and wanting to read it. I enjoyed this book and had a good time reading it. I will read it again. I will find more books from this author.

A romance and a murder mystery?!? sign me up! I thought this was so great!! I loved the romance, the forced proximity, the cozy mystery, and even the spice!! All of my favorite things in one book. I didn't guess the killer and that's my favorite part of a mystery. This was my first book by Kate but it won't be my last because I really enjoyed this.

I wanted to love this one but I had to put it down around 30%.

The writing style is just not for me. It felt a bit immature almost and lacking? I grabbed this one partially based on the cover. I really love the cover and the concept though!

I appreciate the opportunity to leave honest feedback voluntarily. Thank you for the eARC!

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Kate Callaghan for this ARC!

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book at 15%. I didn’t find the writing style particularly engaging, but that is a personal preference, so I understand that some people could really love it! However, I also did not find Poppy likeable at all, which made me quite uninterested in her POV chapters, and combined with not being a fan of the writing style, that made this book really difficult to try get through.

I decided to DNF at 15% because of this, and also because I tried hard to suspend my disbelief at Poppy’s nonchalance about murder, but I just couldn’t and that did take me out of this story.

If you like romantic suspense, I would still give this book a chance! It just personally didn’t work for me.

I was so intrigued when I read murder mystery, but it didn't work for me. It was too slow and I was not able to get into it. I unfortunately could not continue and I had to DNF.

3.5/5 this was fun!

I think if you enjoyed My Killer Vacation or The Blonde Identity (or any book like that), I think you'd enjoy this.

This follows a pop star who finds herself in a not-so-great situation of being trapped on a cruise ship with a stalker. Luckily, there is a detective also on-board and she enlists his help.

We have a forced proximity sort of situation and a reluctant one at that. So this was very fun, I can see myself rereading this as well.

Was reading a book about a cruise immediately after watching the Poop Cruise documentary the best idea? I don't know, but it made for some weird thought s and vibes on my end. Which is kind of funny.

But overall, I had a fun time reading this. Who doesn't a lil vacation murder mystery rom-com? (I also think this would translate very well to a movie.) I would recommend looking up trigger warnings because some sensitive things are touched upon given the nature of the whole stalker situation.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

I’m not really a romantic girly but this was a sweet read fast fun paced read I enjoyed every page and I’m glad that I decided to read it

Thank you to NetGalley and Kate Callaghan for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Death and pop star Poppy Roe go hand in hand. Although the murders have gone unsolved, Detective Isaiah Rivers believes Poppy is the culprit. He finagles his way onto an exclusive cruise to get closer to her in an attempt to uncover her secrets and crack the case. But can he overlook her past to protect her from a stalker?

This is the last book in a trilogy but it can be read as a standalone. Although the unique premise seems dark, I was not put off by it and did not find it particularly gruesome. The backdrop on a cruise ship was interesting. The relationships were formed a little too quickly. There are a few rushed spice scenes and the author does a nice job of alerting the reader to their location (if you want to skip them). I enjoyed the character development and learning what made Poppy and Isaiah tick.

Overall this murder mystery/romance was a 3.75⭐️ read for me. I found the twists were particularly delightful and unexpected. Be sure to check out trigger warnings.

Poppy Roe is a celebrity known for her singing who has plans of making it big as an actress. That is, until a string of unfortunate and tragic deaths are left in her wake. As a result, Detective Isaiah Rivers is onto her. Did she kill these people or were they merely coincidence? The only officer who thinks there is more to the story is Isaiah. Presented with an opportunity to follow her on board a cruise as her bodyguard where he can follow her and search for evidence, he can't say no.

Having found out that her now ex-boyfriend and manager have plans to kill her, Poppy is hoping that this holiday is an opportunity to move on. What she doesn't expect is for more deaths to follow her around, leading to a murder mystery that only Poppy, Isaiah and her assistant, Mina, can solve.

I enjoyed this book and there were some elements that felt new and fresh for me within the romance genre. The idea of a murder mystery on a ship, the celebrity and detective as FMC and MMC, as well as love interests; these had lots more potential within the plot. However, the romance element felt a bit too fast progressing for me as they were pretty much in love within a week. Although I know that instalove is a trope that some readers enjoy, it isn't my personal favourite. All in all, I would recommend this as a summer or holiday read (as long as you aren't on a cruise yourself!)

2.5 Stars

I really enjoyed the premise of this book; a pop star who’s under investigation for murder heads onto a cruise with a detective tailing her under the guise of being her bodyguard. The first few chapters were great, I loved the sardonic humour of it and was excited for it to play out.

But after about the 30-40% mark, the writing felt like it devolved. It felt tonally very off, immature and lacked substance. The romance seemed very half-baked and dragged a lot of the murder-mystery elements down. They felt like teenagers in a CW show investigating and giggling and suddenly being totally into each other. It’s not that that is necessarily bad generally - it just didn’t fit here. I found it hard to invest in Isaiah and Poppy because they felt so surface level and difficult to take seriously.

Sadly, this dragged the murder mystery down too. They sprung back and forth between gruesome murders onboard and dinner parties - but the tension was broken up.

When the killer was revealed, and I admit I didn’t see it because we barely met any suspects, the motivation was compelling again. The story briefly felt like what it had been in the beginning and I was interested again in time for it to be over.

I also appreciated the cameos from the author’s other books (which I haven’t read) but I feel like they took up too much screen time and took away from the story.

Overall, I think this story (and romance) had a lot of potential but I didn’t like the execution.

We also never did find out why Mina lied about the F1 driver.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the eARC - this is my honest review*

Cover looks cozy, but looks are deceiving! Under the bright spotlight of fame are dark shadows, hidden agendas, long held secrets, and agendas of manipulation and control - abuse and murder! A twisty mystery with surprises you may not see coming - and weaving through it all a good bit of sizzle with a dash of spice!

Listen, I picked up The Situationship expecting messy romance, a little drama, and maybe some cruise ship cocktails.

What I got? MURDER. STALKERS. TRAUMA. Banter that made me blush. And an actual detective-bodyguard-man-of-mystery who deserves his own Spotify thirst playlist.

Our girl Poppy Roe is a famous pop star with a capital P, just trying to vibe on a luxury cruise (girl, same), but instead she gets trapped in a floating murder maze.

Then enters Isaiah Rivers: tall, brooding, and 100% not here for vacation.

He’s all “I work alone” energy until suddenly he’s in a shared cabin, protecting Poppy with his whole emotionally scarred heart.

If “grumpy detective falls for chaotic songstress while hunting a killer” isn’t a trope yet…it should be.

✨ Highlights:
* Banter that had me cackling and fanning myself.
* A ship full of red herrings (and I don’t just mean the seafood buffet).
* Suspense that kept me guessing and side-eyeing every side character.
* Isaiah. Just… Isaiah.

It’s Scooby-Doo meets The Bodyguard meets a deluxe Carnival cruise and I devoured every twisty, tropey page.

Could I spot the killer? No. Did I care? Also no.

I was too busy manifesting a spin-off novella where Poppy solves crimes on tour with Isaiah in a sparkly tour bus.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kate Callaghan for providing me with an e-ARC of this romantic murder mystery in exchange for my honest review.

A mystery book with a splash of romance on a cruise ship. Sounds like a dream, right?

Unfortunately, The Situation Ship by Kate Callaghan had a promising storyline but the execution fell short.

The story follows Pop Princess Poppy Roe after the death of her aunt. However, according to detective Isaiah Rivers, this isn’t the first mystery death that has followed Poppy. Before she even gets on the boat, a girl, Mina, informs Poppy that two men (including Poppy’s own boyfriend) have hatched a plan to murder her on the cruise.

With that knowledge, she hires Mina and enlists the help of a bodyguard, who just so happens to be a grumpy Isaiah “on holiday” to thwart off that attempt. While successful, there seems to be someone on the boat targeting people who have access to Poppy in the similar ways to the mysterious deaths that followed her before. As she and Isaiah investigate, they have seemingly found love within a few days. Now they must protect each other from Poppy’s stalker.

The mystery of the novel was nicely written as I kept finding myself wanting to learn more about Poppy’s past and who was stalking her. There were a few times, however, where things just seemed to be too convenient for them solving the case, like overhearing or having access to parts of the ship that would be difficult to gain access to as a passenger. The twist at the end made it all worth it though as I wasn’t suspecting the person who done all the killings.

As for the romance, Poppy and Isaiah had known each other for only a few days and were telling they loved each other. This is only after, mind you, Isaiah accused Poppy of killing the people in the past and the people on the ship. Meanwhile, Poppy just accepts his accusations and says she loves him too a few days after that???? She’s either a way more forgiving person than me or she’s crazy.

Which — hint, hint — after that twist ending, she might as well be.

I wanted to desperately like this book for the premise alone, but Callaghan’s writing style was too simple for me. I think this book could’ve been better by flushing out the details of Poppy’s past, making the crew on the ship more realistic, and for the love of all good things, stop making them overhear everything.

So much of the book was Poppy or Isaiah eavesdropping in on conversations. Sure we could give them the benefit of doubt — Isaiah’s a detective so maybe he was trained on this and Poppy had a rough upbringing so maybe she’s used to being too cautious — but it felt way too convenient for a mystery book.

Instead, I felt like this book should’ve had Poppy using more of her star power to gain information whereas Isaiah could’ve been cooperating with the crew on the ship with his detective status.

Overall, I did like the mystery of this book and thought it was decent. I wasn’t a huge fan of the romance as most of it felt rushed, but I wasn’t a huge satisfied with the ending. Therefore, I’m giving it three stars.

While I might not be too big of a fan, if you want a good mystery on a cruise with simple writing and an uncomplicated plot, I’d highly recommend this book.

This book is such a romantic team-up murder mystery between a pop star and detective on a cruise ship! Honestly, love the idea since I haven't seen many books take place on a cruise ship (we need more!!). This is definitely not a slow-burn since they fmc and mmc were very close from the beginning honestly but I enjoyed it! The twists got me every time!

Overall, I did really enjoy this book. Such a good summer read with the pub date coming up so I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and CallaghanWriter for the E-ARC!

Whodunnit? Well, throw a dart, I guarantee you will hit a suspect, and if not, then probably a body. This long and drawn out story is a bit tedious with a side of steam. A good read, be ready to give it a push to its inevitable finish.

Loved reading the entertaining and exciting story. When Isaiah becomes Poppy's bodyguard and gets to know her, he realizes she may not be the cold-blooded killer and protecting her and her friend becomes harder to do with a murderer on the ship. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written full of mystery and suspense, and a must read riveting story.

The Situation Ship is a cute murder mystery romance that had me hooked from the very start. I haven’t read about a murder mystery on a cruise ship before and I thought it was refreshing and unique concept. The twists had me questioning everything.

Our story follows Poppy, a pop star, where death seems to follow her. Multiple mysterious deaths have grabbed the attention of a detective, Isaiah. Poppy needs a bodyguard for her cruise vacation and Isaiah jumps at the opportunity. After more bodies start showing up on the ship, Poppy and Isaiah must team up to figure out who is responsible.

I liked the different combination of genres. However I thought the romance between Poppy and Isaiah moved too quickly. I wish it had been developed more throughout the story.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. I thought I knew who the murderer was but I was wrong. I think it this would be a great summer read!

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