Very sweet story!

Hope Lanover’s life is falling apart. She broke up with her boyfriend and things aren’t going well at work. When her best friend, a lifestyle influencer, invites her on a 10 day cruise, she jumps at the chance to get away. In the ticket line, she locks eyes with Felix Segrave who is on this cruise with his family to celebrate their parent’s anniversary. For a few fun filled days, Hope and Felix enjoy the island stops, dance lessons on board, and tasting all the gourmet food. A romantic fling is just what they both need right now. But all goes awry the day Felix sees an online post that destroys his trust in Hope. And to add insult to injury, the former lovebirds find themselves stranded in the Bahamas, depending on each other until they can be rescued. Can they find that spark that they had in the beginning of the cruise?

I really enjoyed this book. It was so descriptive I almost felt like I was on the cruise too!

The audio narration was fantastic performed by Kelli Tager and Russ Bain

Thank you Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and the author for this ALC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on June 24, 2025

“It’s not healthy for you to work so hard at something you hate.”

It was a fun romance novel, which obviously takes place on a cruise ship.

After a bad break up, hope agrees to go with her best friend on a cruise for a fresh start. She wasn’t expecting to meet a guy that could be the man of her dreams. She also wasn’t expecting her piece of trash ex to show up on the cruise ship with his grandmother, claiming his being on the cruise was a coincidence.

After a series of unfortunate events….will Hope find her true love!?! I mean it’s a romance novel so we know how this goes.

This was a fun and lighthearted books with some great personal growth thrown in.

A fun beach read for sure.

3.75 stars

This audiobook is the perfect book for summer and I really enjoyed it! It was a fun, cute ant enjoyable listen.

One of the things I loved most about this audiobook was the dual narration. Both Kelli Tager and Russ Bain were new narrators for me, and they did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life. Their performances definitely added to my enjoyment.

The plot itself was unique and entertaining. My main issue though, was that I didn't feel a lot of chemistry between the two main characters. While I liked them individually, I just wished there was more of that spark. On the flip side, I definitely appreciated the spice in the story.

Listen if you enjoy:
* cruise ship romance
* a British tattooed MMC
* sobriety representation
* forced proximity
* dual pov

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC of this audiobook. I voluntarily listened and gave an honest review.

Hope desperately needs a vacation: her relationship ended and her career plateaued, so when her bestie influencer invites her to a luxury cruise “to look for a rich husband,” she gladly accepts. Little did she know, Felix and his family would board the cruise ship as well. The two hit it off during the ten-day trip around the Caribbean, but after a series of unfortunate events, they find themselves stranded in the Bahamas. Will their fling also end in shipwreck?

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this book! Being on the cruise ship was such a unique spin on the #ForcedProximity trope, and the excursions afforded by a cruise only added to the thrill of the fling. I give major props to both Kelli Tager & Russ Bain, who had to be masters of an American (generalized), American Southern/twang, British, Bahamian, and other dialects as part of the story, and it truly added to the storytelling experience! This is such a fun beach read that will surely inspire you to look for love on a cruise!

Reviewed as part of #ARC from @NetGalley. Many thanks to @Macmillan.Audio for the opportunity to read and review.

Read this book if you like:
💂 proper banter (and tons of different accents in the audiobook)
🛳️ cruise ship romance (maybe #DoctorOdyssey?)
📼 Mary-Kate & Ashley’s iconic "Holiday in the Sun"

Spice warning: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ moderate

===
This review will be posted to Instagram @AutobiographiCole on or around the release date!

4.5 stars, rounded up.

This books is delightful, a perfect summer read!

We start in the middle of the story with something terrible happening, then flash back to the beginning and learn how we got there. I loved this because it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the events leading up to that point!

Both Hope and Felix embark on a cruise somewhat unenthusiastically, but when they meet each other, their vacations turn around for the better. When their vacation fling turns sour and they are left stranded, they have to work together to overcome a whole host of problems.

I loved the lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers storyline, unique forced proximity setup, and all the crazy things that happen in this book!

I received an ALC of this book, and I enjoyed the narration from both Kelli Tager and Russ Bain. The audio production is high-quality and made this book even more enjoyable to read!

Read this book if you like:
- a tattoed MMC
- a British MMC
- a vacation fling
- Going on a cruise
- Worst-case scenarios while traveling

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the free ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Fun listen! The narrator also made it easy to listen! An original rom-com that I really enjoyed! This would make for a great summer beach read/listen.

The narration was fantastic and the story line was so original! I loved the plotline though the romantic conflict felt a bit forced after they were stranded together. It felt like too many break ups before the happy ending.

“How much damage can we do in a week?”

Thank goodness for romance novels honestly. This was overall an easy breezy listen (with a small side of angst) that I consumed in one day. It’s a perfect summery read even for those of us who, like FMC Hope, would only set foot on a cruise if it was free.

Highlights included:
- Lauren, the southern belle bestie and influencer, pretending to be out to catch a sugar daddy.
- The P sisters, which is Pear and which is Pru? Doesn’t even matter!
- Hope and Felix being stranded in the Bahamas. Absolute perfection. (Seriously, how did we manage travel before smart phones?)
- Canadian lesbians helping Felix pull his head out of his ass.
- The sobriety rep.  
- Hope and Felix’s personal growth in the final act, making their HEA believable. 

I read the audio, narrated by Kelli Tager and Russ Bain. I appreciated all the character voices they created, and how they made the story come alive.

First book I’ve read, rather listened to by this author and I truly enjoyed it. The characters were well defined and well written. The narrators did an awesome job. I’ll now be looking for them when shopping for other audiobooks. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends. 4.5 ⭐️

This book was cute! Definitely worth listening to the audiobook for the British accent. The relationship was as up and down as the high seas and it was an enjoyable listen!

OMG I loved listening to this audiobook so much! I was laughing out loud to myself a lot. I'm sure people thought I was crazy in public. Hope goes on a luxury cruise with her best friend - an influencer of course. She needs this vacation to relax and destress from her breakup 8 months ago. Felix is on the same cruise with his family to celebrate his parents' anniversary. The flirty nature of their relationship is so smooth and cute. They decide to have some fun while on vacation but after a fight leaves them stranded on an island, they have to work together to get back on the boat. Will this break them or make them? I love the audiobook from start to finish. Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for allowing early access to this audiobook!

This was a great summer listen! I just have to talk about that this was one of the best narrations I have listened too. We have dual narrators. Each narrator made the different characters come to life! I didn't confused and absolutely loved it! I also enjoyed the snippets of the daily itinerary for that day's cruise activities.

Now for the story it was great! You get all the summer vibes from the locations and food described. I thought our main characters were great. They each had a stand out personality. Hope is trying to find herself again after a crappy break up and not so great job. Felix is a recovering addict trying to have a great trip with his family. They both find each other enjoyable and turn into a fling. However, once Hope's ex shows up on the ship they encounter some bumpy waters.

Thank you @macmillan.audio for the gifted audiobook!

Would definitely recommend it if you're looking for an easy beach read this summer!!

Overall, 3.5 stars, definitely a cute summer beach/cruise read! Hope was a very relatable and easy to like character. Hope and Felix's relationship developed as organically as possible while stuck on a cruise ship. I loved seeing both Hope and Felix be vulnerable with each other since they had a finite amount of time on the cruise so they could really be themselves. The story was just really sweet, the friendship between Hope and Lauren, the quips between Felix and his sisters, Hope and Felix's struggles, and how both Hope and Felix really found themselves.

Format: audiobook - it was good for the most part, but I really didn't like that the narrator gave certain people like Hope's parents and boss English accents. They're from NY and VT, not England.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced audiobook!

Fun and flirty summer romance DONE RIGHT!
This was the perfect start to summer reading and I cannot recommend this more for a perfect beach or pool read!

“𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗲ñ𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗴’𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁, 𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁. 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝘇𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝘂𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝘄𝗻. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴.”

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: 6/24/25

*Thank you @NetGalley and @Macmillan.Audio for sending this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆: Hope sets out on a cruise she doesn’t want to be on to play wingwoman to her best friend… and maybe to get over her own broken heart. She runs into Felix, a British bad boy who ends up making sure she has a vacation she will never forget!

𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
🛳️ Tropical setting
🌊 Forced proximity
🛳️ One bed
🌊 Wealthy meets middle class
🛳️ Dual POV/ MF Narrators

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
I liked the setting of a cruise ship and the Bahamas, I’ve been to Atlantis so I was able to see the places in my mind when listening to this story. The banter was cute, and there were some giggle out loud moments. The narrators did an excellent job of using accents and it was easy to know who was talking in a conversation. The overall connection between Hope and Felix felt bland to me, but I still found it enjoyable. Definitely recommend this one for the summer! ☀️🕶️

TW: Addiction-recovery

#TotalDreamboat

Hope Lanover joins her bestfriend Lauren, who is an influeancer on a luxury curise. It is mostly singles on this 10 day Caribbean cruise. Felix Segrave is on the same cruise with his parents , who are celebrating their wedding anniversary along with his twin sisters. Hope notices Felix during check in and then at dinner when the crab she was cracking flew out of her hand and landed in his hair. This starts their friendship and later sparks fly, until they fizzle out due to a misunderstanding. Now both Hope and Felix have missed the boat while on their excursions and without a passports and in Felix's case an ID and credit cards they are stranded in the Bahama's together. This was a really humorous and steamy audiobook to listen to. I loved the banter between Flex and his sisters and parents . Also the bantor between Hpoe and Felix. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for letting me listen to an advanced copy of this audiobook.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for an ALC of Total Dreamboat.
3.5 stars

Total Dreamboat as a very fun light read that is perfect for summer. It start with a snippet of the middle act of the story that gives enemies vibes that ended up setting the mood for what was coming afterwards.
Both our main characters were dragged to a crusie for older people by friends and family. The meet cute was straight out of a 90s romcom and the whole vibe of the story was quite light in the second act.

However, as we go through the cruise activities we also learn about the struggles each of our characters are facing, which gave them a lot of depth. The secondary characters were also great and I loved them so much.

My main issue with this book is that I didn't feel much chemistry between the FMC and MMC, maybe because it lacked some yearning/longing. They kind of got together fairly quickly in my opinion.

This was such an emotional read, one minute you are laughing and then the next your heart may be wrecked and you feel a tear roll down your cheek, but it is a Rom- Com and it is funny.

Main characters Felix and Hope meet on a cruise, she is there with her best friend who is an influencer, and he is there with his family. These two have a hot whirlwind of a romance, and neither of them want anything other than a cruise hip fling, but you know, if you read romances, that never happens.

I enjoyed both Hope and Felix, they were both very likable and cute together. I am to a fan of insta- love in romances, but I guess when you are on a 7 or 5 day cruise on a ship that has tight spaces, it could happen. After all, neither want love. I did enjoy watching their relationship grow, despite their protests of it being strictly NOT love. They enjoyed each others company, they had wonderful banter, and Felix's dry British humor resonated with me.

The secondary characters also add plenty to make the book enjoyable. Felix and his sisters give each other many cutting remarks that had me giggling, their back and forth with each other was classic.

Hope is there with her best friend, who as I mentioned earlier is a Tik Tok or Instagram Influencer, and that is the very reason her and Hope are on the cruise. Her entire spill on her Socials are how to snag a rich husband or sugar daddy. I enjoyed her big over the top Texas personality, but I will say I am sure she could easily get on many peoples nerves.

I listened to the audiobook ( Thank you MacMillan Audio ) and it was narrated in dual voices by Kelli Tager and Russ Bain. I enjoy the dual narration when it comes to female/ male characters over having a female reading the male parts. Both Tager and Bain really brought the story to life. Bain had the perfect soft almost shy like British accent for Felix, and Tiger's voice for Hope's best friend was a hysterical, almost text book over the top version of a twangy Texas accent. I loved it, but then again one half of my family is from East Texas. The two of them also gave the book a nice touch with just the right amount of banter bouncing off Hope and Felix, it felt very natural.

For the most part Total Dreamboat is a classic Rom-Com, it is light and fun, especially during the first part of the book, but later on there are some moments people could find heavy, the hurt that Hope and Felix feel, will feel real to most. It was sad.

Total Dreamboat takes place on Hope and Felix's vacations, so of course I think this is the perfect book to take on yours. It is enjoyable, easy to read, quick going, and entertaining. The perfect summer read to have with you when you need a break from all the fun.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC. The premise of Total Dreamboat sounded right up my alley, but unfortunately I was not a fan.

DNF at about 20%. I was just not interested in it. Had no incentive to read it.
Narration was nice.