Thank you to #macaudio25 for a complimentary ALC. All thoughts are my own.

3.5 out of 5 stars

I thought the premise of this book was very fun. I always love a fascinating setting and a cruise ship is definitely that. I thought the relationship came on a little quick but that was part of the appeal of the story. I didn't like the way that Felix communicated at times but I thought the story worked out the way that made sense. I thought the narrators did a great job with the emotions and inflection. I also thought the editing and mixing was done really well.

I would definitely read another book written by Doyle again!

Closed Door Mods: 5,6,12,14 (I think?)

Total Dreamboat by Katelyn Doyle
Hope has hit rock bottom. When her best friend invites her on an all paid cruise… There she meets Felix… a grumpy chef. Things start to bloom on the boat but when Felix sees the posts Hope’s friend added to social media… He is furious. What they don’t expect is to be stranded off the boat with no passports and together…

I do not like the miscommunication trope, it’s my least favorite ever…. I like that this one made sense as to why things blew up but still…. It annoys me but even with that.. I did enjoy this audio.

The saving grace… The characters! I loved the development alone and together. It was really well done and the best part for me is when they are stranded and how they have to work together to get home.

I thought the narration was well done and I actually thought the plot was clever… PLus the title… COME ON! That was enough to make me grab this one.

4 stars

I enjoy this author's writing style, and I appreciated the cruise ship setting (it really made me want to go on a cruise) but I didn't find that the plot was anything new/fresh. Even though the story was predictable, I did like the characters and I wanted to keep reading to see how everything was going to turn out. I'm glad that the FMC took some time to get to know herself and what she wanted before she rushed into a relationship again. Overall I think this was enjoyable fluff, and worth the read.

It can be difficult to make a romance feel like a real relationship when it happens in a bubble - or in this case on a ship. But this book was a sweet summer read with some bite and some depth. I really liked the beginning of this book. The ending wasn’t everything I wanted it to be - it went a little too sappy maybe for me, but still a fun read.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a romance set on a cruise ship, so I thought this was fun and unique! I was a big fan of Doyle’s debut last year and this one was just as good! She writes great dry humor and banter - totally my sense of humor! There was a bit of annoying miscommunication, but it made for a satisfying ending!

What to expect::
•Cruise ship/Caribbean setting
•Insta love
•Influencer bestie
•Fun sisters
•Forced Proximity
•One bed
•Duel POV
🔥Open door, a few scenes

Well narrated and I definitely would recommend on audio!

"Total Dreamboat" is a fun meet cute featuring Hope Lanover and Felix Seagrave, two people who have very good reasons to avoid getting into a relationship, yet fate seems to have other ideas.

Hope is still recovering from her last relationship, which ended disastrously when her boyfriend Gabe asked her to move in with him. She gave up her rent-controlled apartment, sold off all her possessions, and moved in. Then two weeks later, he decides he's not ready for such a big move. Devastated, her best friend Lauren rescues her and, later on, takes her on a cruise to help her.

Felix is a recovering alcoholic who hasn't dated since he stopped drinking three years earlier. He's established a routine that keeps him healthy and buries himself in work at his pubs. But when his parents and sisters insist he join them on a family vacation, he grudgingly agrees to go with.

When Hope accidentally flings crab into Felix's hair as he walks through the dining room, she is mortified, but it begins an amazing love story between them. Unfortunately, Gabe shows up on the same cruise, intent on winning Hope back, and the shenanigans continue from there.

I really enjoyed seeing Hope and Felix work through their anxieties and sharing their hopes and dreams with each other. A lot of their hang-ups were relatable and there was enough humor to offset the more serious moments so that the whole story felt well-balanced with a steady pace.

Thank you to Katelyn Doyle, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

The meet cute was adorable, there was a flying crustacean involved during dining hours. A true rom-com read with fast paced force proximity on a cruise ship. Hope and Felix fell hard and fast until Felix ruined it more than once. It was a whirlwind of entertainment, I would honestly be an anxiety mess of being left behind from the ship.

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this audiobook! These are my honest thoughts.

This is my first book by Katelyn Doyle, so I did not know what to expect. This story opened up on a flash forward, to when our main character's relationship had already fallen apart. By the time we arrived at this moment, it was about 70% into the book and we'd been ON A JOURNEY.

Hope has been recently dumped and kicked out of her shared apartment, working a dead end job, and feeling like a failure because she's in an industry she didn't even go to school for. She's following along with her bestie, Lauren, who is a social media influencer providing social media content for the cruise they're embarking on. Lauren's hoping to score a sugar daddy on the cruise (mostly in jest, that's part of her social media brand), and Hope's along for a little RnR.

Enter Felix. He's traveling to celebrate his parent's anniversary with his two sisters, and Hope is literally the first person he sees. His sobriety journey is a major focus of this story, and he's constantly reorienting himself and engaging in the world around him in an effort to do better than he had for 20 years, the reformed bad boy turning over a new leaf.

At first, Felix and Hope just find themselves in close proximity, and then they start flirting and hanging out intentionally, before they finally cave to their feelings. They have so much fun on adventures both on and off the cruise, capturing the joy and utter randomness that is forced proximity for hundreds of people and truly strange entertainment - from karaoke, to magicians, to Elvis impersonators, to tarot card readers. The cruise fling turns into something more real, and then the two find themselves in some unfortunate circumstances (twice in the same day), causing them to miss the cruise ship and to become stranded. What should have felt like a fairytale turned into a nightmare, and when it finally resolves, both characters have some work to do on themselves before they can or should think about starting a serious relationship, despite the feelings and connection being real.

Read if you:
- Right person, wrong time
- Vacation fling
- British MMC x NYC/American FMC
- Chef x Aspiring Writer who is actually a Publicist
- Sobriety rep
- Forced proximity
- Only one bed
- Stranded in paradise
- Social media
- Navigating family tensions

This audiobook was VERY easy to read. What are the chances that I read back to back books with Russ Bain at the helm? He was a lovely Felix, bringing some vulnerable moments to life in a way that felt authentic. Kelli Tager has popped up a few times for me, and I really enjoyed her as Hope, and especially as Lauren (the best friend) and the two Felix sisters. Overall, this audiobook was a fantastic way to experience the story. The 4 star rating, for me, comes from pacing and overall length of story. There was just a little slow down in the middle, and the end felt like it took forever. I expected something different when we opened on the flash forward to start the book, so the timing of everything and keeping track of the days on the cruise ship (which was really well done, with announcements every day about where the ship was going to port and what activities were available on-shore as well as the evening entertainment) was particularly challenging. A lot was crammed into a few days time. I also didn't particularly love some of the plot (the bff and the ex-boyfriend were particularly bothersome to me). That being said, I did this one in a work day and thought a lot of the story and shenanigans were fun and funny! I'd definitely recommend it, but only if you wanna catch the bug to take a cruise to the Bahamas!

Warning - this book will make you desperate for a tropical vacation!! Come for the cruise ship hijinks, stay for the friend and family dynamics that round out the romcom into a truly heartfelt story.

Read if you like: Vacation romances, guys with british accents, forced proximity, dual narration

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A tumultuous whirlwind romance between two perfectly imperfect individuals could never occur on a Caribbean cruise, could it?

In this book, the author pulls out all the stops with banter, tension, spice, longing, self love, and even an adorable adopted sheepdog. This book broke my heart and put it back together at least 4 times.

And the narrators? They absolutely nailed all the accents of the different characters on the cruise.

Highly recommend for you need a swoony, steamy romance with lots of character development and a fast plot!

Total Dreamboat
By Katelyn Doyle
Narrated by Kelli Tager; Russ Bain

Published June 24, 2025

This was such a laugh out loud romantic comedy while being perfectly charming. Perfect beach read this summer. This gives of such feel good vibes. I think that the narrators made Katelyn Doyle’s book absolutely stand out as a audiobook. It was so much fun to listen to and I couldn’t turn it off. I had fun listening to this upbeat audio and it kept a smile on my face the whole time.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC in exchange for my honest review. All words are my own.

🎧⛴️💙AUDIOBOOK REVIEW💙⛴️🎧

⭐⭐⭐✨

🥰Thank you to @macmillan.audio for the gifted audiobook! #macaudio2025

📖Title: Total Dreamboat
✍️Author: Katelyn Doyle
📅Pub Date: June 24, 2025
⏳Audiobook Length: 9 hrs
🗣️Audiobook Narrator: Kelli Tager & Russ Bain

💙I thought this one started out so cute. I was hooked by the first chapter and very excited to see where things would go! I've never been on a cruise, but it was described so well I felt like I was right there with them!

⛴️While I also think it ended very well, I struggled with the middle portion. I wanted more emotional depth from each of the characters and much of the time their attraction to each other seemed very surface level (water pun ✅). It was also spicier than I prefer, so keep that in mind as well!

👏I did love all the fun chapter names; we need more of that!

🎧I liked the male/female dual narrators, and especially loved Russ Bain's voice! I haven't heard much, if any, from him in the past and will definitely be on the lookout for more books read by him in the future!

This was okay. I liked it enough, though I do wish the male narrator would have looked up how to say a few words first. It was a fun book with cute banter and lovable characters.

Total Dreamboat is a charming and laugh-out-loud romantic comedy that delivers all the feel-good vibes. Katelyn Doyle’s witty writing shines in audio format, and the narrator brings the characters to life with great energy and personality. This was such a fun, upbeat listen that had me smiling the whole way through. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Audio for providing a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute book and would make a great beach read! The narrators were great and they made the book relaxing. 😎

The plot was interesting and the ending was so sweet! (Especially at the airport!)

🛳️ Bookish Thoughts
Total Dreamboat is a cruise ship romance with some fun vacay vibes. I really liked our FMC Hope! She was a bit of a Type B girlie but she felt relatable. Felix, on the other hand, just gave me the ick the whole time. And yes, I remain a forever hater of the third act breakup.

The audiobook narration was solid though! I enjoyed both narrators!

📖 What to Expect
• Cruise ship setting
• Forced proximity
• Vacation fling
• Dual POV
• Stranded together
• Family dynamics

📖 Final Score: 3.5 stars
🎧 Audio Score: 4 stars
🎙️ Narration Style: Dual
📅 Pub Date: June 24, 2025

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy. All thoughts are my own.

After a failed relationship Hope heads out on her first luxury cruise with her bestie. Although she’s not looking for love sexy chef Felix Segrave shows up and there’s an instant connection. Y’all I really enjoyed this summer rom com. The vacation fling got me. I’m not usually an instaLove fan but it worked on this cruise ship. Add some one bed, a meddling family and you’ve got a fun vacation read!

Never have I ever wanted to go on a cruise more than after devouring this book! I want to live out my boatmance too! This was a super cute meet cute on a cruise ship. Hope is overworked at a job she barely likes when her influencer bestie lures her on a much needed vacation on a luxury cruise. Lauren has been gifted a cruise on The Romance of the Sea to make content for the cruise line. Hope tags along on the voyage. As their Caribbean vacation sails on… Hope starts to fall for a British bombshell named Felix. Lauren has eyes for an Irish whisky maker. Can both their romance dreams come true?

I loved how this book started toward the end with its prologue and then dove into a flashback for rest of the novel. The narration was immersive and I enjoyed it!

If you need a nice romantic escape from reality - this is it!

Total Dreamboat was everything I want in a rom-com: witty, heartwarming, and just spicy enough to make me blush. Hope and Felix had instant chemistry, but what really sold me was the banter that was sharp, flirty, and laced with emotional depth.

The cruise setting? Iconic.
The side characters? Hilarious.
The sober MMC with a grumpy heart of gold? IRRESISTIBLE.

I laughed, and wanted to book a cruise immediately. Katelyn Doyle delivers a love story that feels equal parts cozy and chaotic in the best way. Add in the incredible dual narration by Kelli Tager and Russ Bain, and this audiobook becomes an unmissable summer listen.

This is a perfect summer read, quick, fun and set on a cruise! I listened to this book thanks to NetGallery and enjoyed the easy going pace of this book!