This was such a cute book! This is my first from Portia Macintosh, but il glad to have a new beach read author to my arsenal!

My Rating: ⭐️ 2.5/5

Author: Portia MacIntosh
Pub Date: July 26 2025
Publisher: Boldwood Books

FMC: Jessa
POV: First
Narrative: Single, Central narrative
Timeline: Linear

Main Settings: UK, At Sea on Cruise ship, Sicily

Genres: Romantic Comedy
Romance: M/F
Spice Level: 🌶️ 0/5 - Closed Door with no Heat — no sex scenes, and no sexual tension

Tropes/Themes: rom-com, forced proximity, summer romance, encounters with jealous ex, vacation romance

CWs/Potential Triggers: sabotage, mean girl bullying

Summary: It’s the summer of weddings amongst Jessa’s friends. She thought she and her boyfriend Todd were happy and in a stable relationship until he dumps her out of the blue at one of her friends’ wedding. Knowing she can’t really escape him because he’s in the same friends group (because they were all her friends first), she puts on an act and tries to fake it til she makes it. At the next friends’ wedding a few weeks later she sees Todd with another girl who she learns is named Nikki. Chaos ensues and Jessa ends up falling in a fountain and spending the night in another guys’ room and wearing his clothes. That other guy? Nikki’s ex-boyfriend Brody. Rumors are spread and Jessa and Brody decide to lean into the rumors and put on a fake dating act. The following week is Jessa’s best friend’s wedding, Kelsey. They are all taking a cruise to get to the destination wedding in Sicily. Ex’s are encountered and lots of jealousy, sabotage, and bullying happens. Jessa and Brody learn that they are no longer putting on an act and may never have been faking it as their relationship becomes all the more real.

My Thoughts: I really liked the idea of this book and was coasting along, although at times my mind was wandering because the words weren’t grasping my attention. I realized at 70% through the book that Jessa and Brody really hadn’t done a lot of relationship growth and there was little to no chemistry. I didn’t get any sexual or romantic tension between the two. I was also really annoyed at just how vindictive Nikki was. Like really? Grow up already. I think the narrative focused too much on the petty, jealous attitudes.

It was also rather annoyingly repetitive how much we heard about Al being a giant body building hero but there was little character description of other side characters.

I did find Jessa’s internal dialogue to be funny and sarcastic. That was a lot of fun. But the story really, really needs a lot more romantic chemistry and tension between Jessa and Brody otherwise I would barely characterize this as a Romance novel. Additionally, I think it would’ve added more depth to the plot if we had Brody’s narrative too. We don’t learn much about his internal battles with his job and personal life. Just little snippets here and there touch on it, but just barely.

Overall, this story was a bit lackluster and didn’t have a lot of depth, character growth, chemistry, or romantic tension. Jessa’s narrative was witty and funny at times and I appreciated the idea of this book but there needed to be a lot more details with character and relationship development and a lot less petty mean girl attitude.

Thank you Boldwood Books for providing me a copy of this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

4 🌟
Spice: closed door
Format: ARC (releases 7/26/25)

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I'm gonna be honest, this took some time to get into. The beginning just felt so overly descriptive of the multiple weddings Jessa attended it became a snoozefest. Once we meet Brody properly though, everything clicks into place. Their chemistry brought the story to life and their banter had me giggling like a fool. While there isn't any on page spice, their tension was enough for me. I love their friend group, minus Todd and Nikki of course. This is a great summer read!

Going Overboard is a heartwarming, witty romance. After a traumatic breakup at a wedding, Jessa is reeling a bit, the prospect of two more weddings that will force her into her ex’s company hanging over her head. In steps Brody, who was also recently dumped, and when they find out their exes are dating, it seems a good time to pretend-date! I loved the banter between these two, as well as their budding relationship, and I loved that Brody was always there for Jessa. I hope to read more books written by this author.

I always look forward to Portia Macintosh's books! Going Overboard was a cute, fun story - the perfect beach read. If you're a fan of great chemistry and forced proximity, you'll enjoy this one!

I liked this one. It was a cute and light romance, perfect for summer reading. The story started strong and kept me interested the whole time. I loved the funny moments and the smart banter between Jessa and Brody. The fake dating and enemies to lovers tropes worked well and made the story fun to follow. The setting on the cruise ship was really cool and added a nice feeling like you were on vacation with the characters. Being stuck together in a small space made the tension between them feel real and interesting. Jessa was a great. funny, a little chaotic, and easy to like. Brody was more quiet and mysterious, and I wish we got to know him more because his side of the story felt a bit missing. Sometimes the story felt like it could be deeper. Even if it was not perfect, I still enjoyed the fast pace and the funny, romantic vibe. Thank you so much to the author and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read the book in advance, I received this for free and I'm leaving a honest review

Thanks netgalley for the arc! This books was hilarious! I really love the written comedy and the narrator’s voice. Soso much fun.

Such a fun read it had me in stitches. The whole set-up is hilarious and the narrator's voice was so entertaining. It's my first book by this author but I'll be checking out her backlist. It's the perfect uplifting holiday read!

I couldn’t wait to start this as I love Portia Macintosh and I really enjoyed and just couldn’t put it down.

Jessa was a really likeable character and I found her quite relatable while Brody was I think one of my favourite male characters of all Portia’s books. They had a great connection and I loved all the antics they got up to.

The story was fast paced, fun, romantic and parts had me laughing out loud.

A great summer read which I would definitely recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley, Portia Macintosh and Boldwood Books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing this book, with my honest review below.

Going Overboard is the latest book by Portia MacIntosh who I’m convinced is actually a collective of authors because how does she release so many books in one calendar year? Specifically how are so many of them different from each other and great? Suffice to say, I’m a fan.

This look at a fake romance for revenge was a hit for me. Jess’s is floating on cloud 9 in her relationship with Todd when the jerk dumps her at some mutual friends’ wedding, leaving her and Brody (who has rescued her before) to come up with a fake dating plot to save face and wreak a little revenge on their exes at the next wedding… on a cruise. While I came for the revenge I left with satisfaction at the relationship that bloomed between Jessa and Brody… though I was also fully happy with their plot.

Portia MacIntosh, or the bevy of authors who run this non stop writing machine, well done!

This is a fun, entertaining read. I enjoyed these characters and their romance. They are so much fun to spend time with – especially once the games begin and in some ways the tables are turned on them or rather their feelings. I loved the friendship aspect. Fake dating is one of my favourite tropes and this book did it more than justice. Brody and Jessa captured my attention from the very beginning and held it until the very end. I love an epilogue and the one we got here was the icing on the cake of their romance.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Super cute, quick read. Jessa's closest friends are getting married and she assumes she'll also end up with her boyfriend, Todd. But when he breaks up with her on the dance floor at a wedding, she's surprised to see him turn up just two weeks later to their friends' wedding with a new girlfriend, Nikki. What's a girl to do? Connect with single best man Brody who just happens to be Nikki's ex-boyfriend. It's just pretend. And she won't see him again, right? Except that her friend Kelsey's wedding includes a five-day cruise and Jessa finds herself assigned to a two room suite with Todd and Nikki. Brody and Jessa decide to fake date to show their exes that they're doing just fine. It doesn't take long before Jessa and Brody realize that maybe their romance isn't fake after all...

I honestly did not expect to love this book as much as I did! As someone who’s not a huge fan of the fake dating trope, I ate this one up. Their chemistry and banter was actually funny and I loved them together, as well as the friendship group dynamic and everything going on with their exes. I would have loved to see a tad more of them as an actual couple / some more romance but overall I thoroughly enjoyed it. This would be perfect as a holiday read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC.

✨Tropes you’ll love:
💖 Enemies to lovers
🛳️ Forced proximity (hello, cruise ship!)
👯‍♀️ Found family vibes
💬 Witty banter
🔥 Slow burn romance

📖 Blurb in a Blink:
Jessa’s stuck on a cruise with her ex’s new fiancée 😬—but when Brody (a handsome stranger with charm to spare) enters the picture, things get very interesting… Will sparks fly on the high seas or sink before they start? 💘🌊

📝 My Thoughts:
This was such a cute and fast-paced summer read! 💛
Jessa is an absolute QUEEN 👑—funny, confident, and so relatable. Brody? Total book boyfriend material 😍
I LOVED watching their relationship unfold, with Portia’s signature humor and heart on full display. 💬💞

Highly recommend for anyone who needs a sweet, feel-good escape this summer! 🍹📖☀️

Aaah, a lovely summery read that made me smile and made me laugh out loud. The main characters were awesome, loved how they rubbed along so easily together.. I didn’t put it down and read it in a day!

Get the sunbed and cocktails ready and enjoy!

I'll start off by saying I love bloody cruises! Obsessed. And this book made me wanna find this imaginary cruise ship company and book with them! Karaoke pods yes please!

I read this book quite quickly. It's an easy read that makes you wanna keep reading. I enjoyed the humorous banter between the "fake couple" and this was the main part of most chapters.

I was quite disappointed when we finally got to the kiss and it was all closed doors though! ☹️ But if you like a fun, closed door, banter filled romance then this is for you!

I would have liked more back story on everyone and more feelings though. There was a lot of explaining things happening, eg I key in the phone number for Emma, the wedding planner (or is she the wedding coordinator – I can never remember which one is which). I stare at the number for a second before pressing call, taking a deep breath like I’m about.....

The book had a great premise and good writing and banter but would have been great with a bit more depth to the characters

🚢 ARC Review:

3.75/5 ⭐️

At first I picked this up and then had to put it back down because I genuinely didn’t think I was going to enjoy it (but now I think maybe I just wasn’t in the mood when I first tried to start it).

We start with meeting Jessa and Todd who seem like a happy (read complacent) couple who are at the point they should be settling down. Jessa is happy in her relationship and believes Todd is ready to propose at any point…until he breaks up with her at a wedding.

A few weeks later, Jessa and Todd are set to join their friend group on a destination cruise. As fate would have it, they wind up sharing a space with each other, as well as Todd’s new girlfriend, Nikki, and Nikki’s ex-boyfriend, Brody.

We get forced proximity, fake dating, and one bed. It’s truly done pretty well. There were several parts of this book that had me laughing and I was truly rooting for Brody and Jessa to give their exes what they deserved.

The only thing holding me back from giving this a higher rating was that parts of it felt a little cheesy, like the fact that Nikki was like super-villain evil. And that we really didn’t get to see Brody and Jessa’s relationship develop. It was like they were faking dating and then suddenly it was real when they maybe had like 4 actual conversations together.

Overall, this book was cute and I did enjoy it. Thank you, Portia Macintosh and NetGalley for the ARC! 🫶🏼

This was SO damn good. This was my first book by Portia and it will not be my last! I will be reading

This gave me everything I’ve been missing from romance books lately. Proper British banter!!! I haven’t read a UK setting/characters/author book for the longest time and it gave me all the feels! I actually can’t put it into words…it just felt like home! Such a great cosy, romantic comedy read!

I felt connected to the characters from the first page and loved every moment until the last! The fake dating/revenge plot was done so well and it was the perfect amount of rom and com!

It also had many of my favourite tropes:
• fake dating
• forced proximity
• opposites attract
• one bed
• revenge plot
• ‘enemies’ to lovers (more like acquaintances to lovers but it still delivered)

Enjoyable story of two jilted exes stuck together in forced proximity with the exes who left them. Jessa was caught off guard when Todd suddenly dumps her at a mutual friend’s wedding. Around the same time, Brody gets dumped by Nikki, who leaves him for Todd. It’s messy, and Jessa is a hot mess who Brody helps out a few times post breakup. When all four are stuck in a suite together on a ship for friends wedding, Jessa and Todd figure a fake relationship and shenanigans will make Todd and Nikki regret breaking up with them. This book has some funny scenes and some heartfelt moments between misunderstood Brody and Jessa. It’s a closed door low to no spice story. Check it out.

Thank you, Boldwood Books, for providing this book for review consideration through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Jessa is headed on a week-long cruise to her best friend’s destination wedding in Sicily—but instead of smooth sailing, she finds herself in a shared suite with her ex-boyfriend, Todd… his new girlfriend, Nikki… and Nikki’s ex-boyfriend, Brody. Awkward doesn’t begin to cover it!

When Todd and Nikki assume Jessa and Brody are now a couple, the two decide to play along. What starts as a farcical arrangement soon leads to laugh-out-loud moments, flirty banter, and a surprisingly heartfelt connection.

I thoroughly enjoyed the chemistry between Jessa and Brody, especially their sharp-witted exchanges and the humorous situations they found themselves in. The tie-in with Jessa’s job as a high-end property stager added a fun and creative twist. The wider friend group brought quirky charm and genuine warmth to the story.

As someone who’s read several of Portia MacIntosh’s novels, I have to say—Jessa and Brody might just be my favourite couple yet. This is a light, breezy read with plenty of humour and heart—ideal for your beach bag or a cosy weekend escape.

Thank you to Portia MacIntosh, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the advance review copy.