3.5 star
A grumpy-ish player mmc Felix and a heartbroken fmc, Hope start a no strings attached, friends with benefits type situationship. I wasnt wow-ed by the main characters but I need a book for all of Felix's sisters because they had the best quipy banter.

I wobbled throughout the entire book between 3.5 to 4 stars. I finally settled on 4 stars. I struggled a little bit in the beginning because there was very little conflict for the first part of the book, but the prologue promised major conflict. I knew it was coming. The back and forth between Hope and Felix during the last part of the novel got a bit redundant. I did really enjoy the ending. The writing was solid. There was good character growth. Both characters have past issues that they are fighting to deal with which helps bring the story along. The banter between characters was fun and witty. The plot was equally fun and a little bit different. I loved Hope’s best friend. She was hilarious! I loved the funny mishaps. This would be a great vacation read or listen. The narrators did a great job bringing this book to life! I’m definitely keeping this author on my TBR list for future releases! I received this book from Macmillan audio and Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This was such a unique book. I loved the cruise story line and how that changed the setting so dramatically.

I really felt for both characters. Feeling invested and cheering for their success.

Felix was so well written- to not only make mistakes but fully see where he went wrong and feel the regret of them.

The friend kind of drove me nuts- possibly because the southern accent in the audiobook was rough.

***While this is a very open door book- I found it easy to skip ahead of any racey scenes without feeling like I missed relationship growth.

Thank you to netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars. This was a fun strangers to lovers to enemies on a cruise ship romp. Definitely gave me all the summer vibes - vacation, islands, cruising, buffets, and all that you would expect from a cruise line vacation. Dual POV was a good addition for this storyline in particular - as the two MCs were very different in background and life experience and motivation. It was interesting to see how the two characters ended up with some common ground - but also how their backgrounds led to conflict and misunderstandings.

I enjoyed the travel aspect and the island setting and vibes. Overall, a great summer romance read!

The narration was very well done - I thought the narrators did a great job bringing the characters to life and infusing energy in the storytelling. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ALC.

I can't put my finger it on it but I didn't really love the romance between our MCs. I enjoued them as charavcters and thought the story was fun with some parts that made me laugh out loud. Truly, this is just a sweet summer contemporary rom-com and it meets all of those criteria. I just wish there was some more meat on the bones. Overall a nice solid 3.5

Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Setting: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Themes: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Emotional: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Enjoyment: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

✨ ARC Audiobook Review: Total Dreamboat by Kathleen Doyle
🎧 Out June 24, 2025

A fun, flirty rom-com set on a luxury cruise—with dual POV, forced proximity, and lots of laugh-out-loud moments. The FMC is a burned-out PR rep and aspiring writer; the MMC is a charming, routine-loving British chef staying sober. Sparks fly fast, but when they end up stranded in the Bahamas (with no ID, phone, or money between them), they have to rely on each other to get home.

There are a few spicy scenes (a little more than I usually prefer), but the flirty banter, emotional depth, and swoony moments more than made up for it. I especially loved that both characters were focused on following their own dreams before diving into a relationship.

🎧 Dual narrators made the audiobook extra enjoyable.

💘 Total Dreamboat is a flirty, fun cruise romance with dual POV, forced proximity, and a swoony Happily Ever Afters 🌴

This book was deep. The first half dealt w8th the usual meet cute situ on acruiseship, but the later half was very very real. Both Hope and Felix has a lot of deep rooted hurt and issues that they are forced to confront and even give up on the possibility of the nascent love developing into something meaningful. I loved the ending, loved how Hope chased after her dreams and gave herself some self care.

The narration was fab.

#netgalley #TotalDreamboat

What a perfect summer romance book! This was such a fun read and it was just a great vacation read. Two people meeting on a cruise and falling in love what’s better than that! I absolutely loved the characters and really enjoyed the character development. It was fun, romantic, spicy and hilarious. I really did enjoy this book from cover to cover. If you enjoy a good summer romance I think this will be a perfect read. The narrators were also very good and enjoyed the pacing of the book and how the story unfolded and concluded.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the advance listeners copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What a perfect summer read! This book is so fun from start to finish.

I absolutely LOVED the characters and their quirky natures. I enjoyed their getting together, and what kept them together. I liked how they bettered each other in the end—a sign of true soulmates.

The cruise ship was a fun backdrop for a romance novel, and I felt it was perfectly captured.

All the nuances of this story were great and fun to read, and the narrators did a fantastic job of bringing the story to life!

what a freaking joy this audiobook was. I was so invested in Hope and Felix. I was invested in their story and all the adventures they had on this cruise.
I've been itching for a cruise, and now i need to book one ASAP.
The narrators did a wonderful job, I truly felt immersed in the story and falling a little in love with both Hope and Felix.

I don’t really like how it started it since it was technically the middle of the book and then went back to the start of the actual story however it was over all well written and kept me wanting more.


The narrators did a fantastic job

I enjoyed the writing as the story was entertaining. Hope and Felix meet on a cruise and fall for each other. I did not always see their chemistry. There were points where it was there, and then it was not. I appreciated the little bit of spice, as it wasn’t over the top. The banter between Hope and Felix was great. The dual narration was perfect for this book. It was a bit too much insta-love for my taste and the ending was not quite there. I prefer things to seem realistic. With all that said, this was a fun summer read to listen to.

This was such a cute romcom! The first half felt like a very standard light, summery romance, but omg, the last half is an adventure! It got very real and emotional but so fun!

Hope and Felix meet on a cruise where sparks fly! They start a casual fling but things go awry. Then the real fun begins when they end up stranded after missing the ship at a port. I loved the way they had to work together and their hilarious banter!

The narrators of the audiobook were fantastic (I love a british accent so listening to Felix's pov was a treat!) I felt fully immersed in the story!

Total Dreamboat completely swept me off my feet—and listening to it as an audiobook made it all the more immersive. The narrator was fantastic, bringing so much personality and emotion to each character that I felt totally pulled into the story from the very first minute.

One of the things I loved most was how the book dropped us right into the middle of the story. It was such a clever and emotional hook—I was immediately invested and so eager to figure out what went wrong between these two characters. That slow unraveling, where the past catches up with the present, kept me fully engaged the whole time. It made every interaction between them feel loaded with tension, history, and heart.

Katelyn Doyle absolutely nailed the balance between romantic tension, vulnerability, and laugh-out-loud humor. The chemistry was undeniable, the banter was sharp, and the emotional beats hit me right in the heart. The characters felt real and relatable in the best way—messy, flawed, but deeply lovable.

This audiobook felt like a cozy, heartfelt escape. I was rooting for them the whole way through and didn’t want it to end. If you love second-chance romance, perfectly timed flashbacks, and characters who make you feel, this is one you don’t want to miss.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Flatiron Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an audio galley of this title to listen to and give my honest review .The opinions here are mine.
I recently listened to Doyle's Just Some Stupid Love Story and enjoyed it. I was excited to see she had a new title and I loved the idea of two people meeting on a cruise and having a fling that could turn to more. Close proximity is a fun trope!
I really enjoyed the female narrator for this book, Kelli Tager. I'd not listened to anything narrated by her before I she did the main character really well. As for the male narrator, Russ Bain, I really wanted to like him. I always feel like I'd love a British accent but, in all honesty, I just wasn't a huge fan. He was just ok for me. Not enough inflection or feeling in his narration. It fell flat for me and I didn't feel like he really was the character.
That being said, I did enjoy the story. I loved the baggage both Hope and Felix bring to the story. I found it quite easy to connect with their characters. Hope, being someone who couldn't find what she truly wanted for herself. Clinging to others to move her along rather than relying on her true self. And Felix with his addiction. This I really connected to having grown up in that environment. How he travels through his sober life and what that looks like. How hard it is. How he doesn't want to open up past that sobriety for fear it will push him over an edge and back to where he was before. I really felt that pain and how he'd worked so hard on his growth.
The romance was cute, even though it was quick. I get the time constraint seeing as they were on a cruise. So it had to happen fast. I feel like the connection could have been a bit deeper, this would have made the chemistry feel more believable.
I really enjoyed the side characters so much. The narrators gave then all their own unique personalities. I really enjoyed the relationship between Felix and his sisters, Pear and Pru. Lauren was a great friend, even if she did some things that were questionable. She did redeem herself overall.
I will say the miscommunication trope got a little old for me. I felt like we were running in circles a bit. When they resolved their first conflict about miscommunication they jumped right into another. I needed more growth from this. Why didn't they learn the lesson?
Despite those dips, the pacing held well. I wanted to keep listening to see how the story would resolve and I wasn't disappointed with where it went.
This one is a great summer read. It made me want to pack up and take a cruise (which I have never done). There's something about being on the water that is so romantic and soothing. If you're looking for a fun romantic read that dives into the world of recovery and self-exploration, pick this one up and give it a try!

Hope and Felix are just as cute as you might imagine. This book is sweet and funny and hopeful and real, and the dual narration of the audio is so much fun! The narration for Felix’s chapters were especially enjoyable.

What a delightful summer romance this one was! I loved sailing around the Caribbean with Hope and Felix, and I always love the American/British romance dynamic. This one made me giggle but was so sweet, too; it was spicy but managed to also be really hopeful and sweet.

This one also made me want to pack my bags for an adventure at sea, which I’ve never done but sounded like a great time!

Have you gone on a cruise or visited the Caribbean?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc and alc.

I really enjoyed Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle, so I was excited to be approved for this book. While her first book remains my favorite of hers, this book was so swoon worthy and fun it is hard to not fall head over heels for this book too! I also loved the narration by Kelli Tager and Russ Bain. Their voices were perfect together. Overall this book is super fun and the perfect book to pack in your beach bag this summer!

🎧 Title: Total Dreamboat-a standalone

✍🏾 Author: Katelyn Doyle-I read Just Some Stupid Love Story and gave it 4 ⭐

📅Publication date: 6-24-25| Read: 6-22-25

🗣️Narrators: Kelli Tager and Russ Bain voice all the characters with standouts from Hope, Lauren-great Southern accent, and Felix. The reading style brought the text to life, and the author and narrators worked together perfectly. The pacing and flow allowed me to get lost in the story. The narrators paused and announced new chapters and there was a table of contents which helped me follow along.

🏃🏾‍♀️‍➡️Run Time: 8:39

Genre:
* Rom-Com
* Adult Fic

Tropes:
*share 1-bed
*forced proximity
*insta-lust
*vacation/cruise ship romance
*miscommunication

👆🏾POV:1st person dual Hope and Felix

⚠️TW: alcoholism, recovery

🌎 Setting: NYC/London to The Caribbean

Summary: Hope is broken hearted after a recent breakup and hates her job. To cheer her up her BFF Lauren invites her to go on an all-expense paid Caribbean luxury cruise-The Romance of the Sea. Felix is a recovering alcoholic who takes his sobriety and work as a restaurant chef very seriously. His family sees how hard he works and surprise him with the same vacation cruise. When Hope and Felix meet, they are instantly attracted to each other and start a 10-day fling. They are accidentally left stranded in the Bahamas with no phones or identification, and they have to work together to get home.

👩🏾 Heroine: Hope Lanover-30's works in PR but wants to be a writer

👨🏾 Hero: Felix Segrave-32, British, 2 years sober

🎭 Other Characters:

* Hope's BFF- Lauren Rose Matheson, an influencer/was on a reality TV dating show
* Hope's ex-boyfriend-Gab Newhouse, broke up w/ her 8 months ago, on the same ship as Hope
* Felix's parents-Charles + Mary-a wealthy London couple
* Felix's sisters-Pear, Prue
* Hope's boss-Magda

🤔 My Thoughts: This was a great beach read that promoted self-improvement, recovery, and exploration. I didn't mind the miscommunication trope even though Felix acted a little pompous. Hope's ex Gab was just an annoying stalker who tried break her and Felix apart. Lauren and her Southern twang were adorable even though she caused Hope and Felix's 3rd act breakup. I loved that they took time separately to improve their lives before reuniting with a HEA.

Rating: 4/5 ✨
Spice level 4/5 🌶️ open door, explicit

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Katelyn Doyle for this ALC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

I found Total Dreamboat quite funny in the beginning. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough banter for my tastes to make up for Hope's best friend's influencer ickiness, Hope's ex's creepiness, or the rapid and extreme deterioration of Hope and Felix's vacation affair. My favorite romances/rom-coms include a lot of humor, characters I'm rooting for, and deep connections. I didn't feel deeply engaged here. I found Felix's sisters to be the most fun characters. The happily-ever-after is sufficiently satisfying.

Kelli Tager is at least a second-time narrator for me, while Russ Bain might be new to me. Both did a good job with their characters.

4⭐️ 1🌶️ 5🎧 This book had me laughing and damn near crying! I love cruising and jump at every chance to read a book about falling in love on a cruise!

Leo is a recovering alcoholic set in his routine and is afraid of anything that threatens his rhythm and sobriety. Hope is struggling after her last relationship ended unexpectedly and she feels like she is in a dead-end job with a terrible boss. They are in insta lust after a not-so-cute-but-equally-hilarious meeting at the buffet. This book through a couple twists at me that I was expecting and loved!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced listen!