Going Overboard by Portia MacIntosh

My sincere thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read Going Overboard. I give my unbiased opinion of it in the following review.

What can I say, I really enjoyed this book. It is a fake dating forced proximity romance where the two main characters Jessa and Brody are fake dating to get to their exes who broke up with them on the same night at the same wedding. Of course, they start catching feelings as they learn more about one another. This is not a new idea for a romance, but I still really thought it was cute, and I was pulling for Jessa and Brody. I look forward to trying more Portia MacIntosh books in the future.

A fun, quick romance read that's great for vacation/the beach but not groundbreaking. I enjoyed this book; it was fun, and the chemistry between the FMC and the MMC was great and believable. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a quick, fluffy romance read. 4.5 stars!

This book was a really great read for me.
The author wrote characters in the book you know you will dislike but also rightfully so and in the end they get what they deserve.
Apart from this the main characters story and how they turned out was just awesome.
Interesting read in my opinion.

What fun it was going overboard with Jessa! I laughed out loud!

You know those characters you love to hate - and how satisfying it is when they get what's coming to them. Oh yes! This was that book!

Not to mention the romance was sweet and well-developed. I wanted to be on that cruise with them.

The friendships were really lovely, too. I loved how the characters supported each other.

I have to admit, I've only read one other book by Portia MacIntosh, and I thought it was just fine. But this one for me was 5 stars. I couldn't wait to get back to it!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Going Overboard is just so chaotically romantic and I loved it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When Jessa unexpectedly gets dumped in the middle of her friend’s wedding she never imagines that when she saw him again two weeks later at another wedding that he would turn up with his new girlfriend.

And his new girlfriend also broke up with her boyfriend at the same wedding. Definitely a little bit suspicious…

But the bigger challenge will be spending a week together on a cruise before her best friend’s wedding. So when the four of them find out they’re actually sharing rooms on the ship, the only thing for Jessa to do is pretend she’s gotten together with Brody. We all know how well fake dating plans go…

I really loved the setting and the writing, this one was so easy to pick up and get into. And honestly the reason it’s only four stars is just that it was a bit short! I really loved the banter between Jessa and Brody but I wish there had been a bit more romance.

Thank you Portia MacIntosh, Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book wow pls

Blurb

Tropes: 🤫 Fake dating 🛥 Forced proximity 🛌 Only one bed 💞 Revenge pact 🤭 Opposites attract 💖 Enemies to lovers

That ship has sailed… right?

Jessa is happily cruising through life - until her boyfriend Todd dumps her, out of the blue, at a wedding, during the first dance. She doesn’t know it but just across the room, cricket superstar Brody is also being blindsided by his girlfriend, Nikki. It suddenly makes sense in the days that follow - Todd and Nikki are now together.

Jessa wants to crawl under a rock, but with her best friend’s destination wedding on a cruise to Sicily - and her ex and his new girlfriend onboard - there’s no escape. She’s hoping the ship is big enough to avoid them but, unlucky for her, a booking mix-up means she’s sharing a two-bed suite with Todd, Nikki, and the handsome but infuriating Brody too.

With no choice but to ride out the awkwardness, Jessa and Brody hatch a plan. If they can’t win their exes back, they’ll get them back - revenge - by faking a red-hot romance of their own. That’ll show them. But the better they get at faking it - and the more undeniable their chemistry - the blurrier the line becomes. Either way, there’s going to be trouble at sea because true love is never plain sailing!

Portia MacIntosh always knows how to write a great book with hilarious scenes, cringe scenes, and lots of friendship and love. I'll never say no to one of her books. I loved the enemies to lovers trope and how everyone got what they deserved in the end, even if some people were way too nice to some people along the way.

This is about Jessa, she gets dumped by her boyfriend Todd while they're dancing at a wedding. But she doesn't know she wasn't the only one dumped at that wedding, a guy named Brody is also dumped by his girlfriend Nikki. And it is all so Todd and Nikki can be together. A short time later another couple from their friend group is getting married, a destination wedding and their friend group is going to it all together by cruise ship. Which means Todd and Nikki will be there, together. And after an attempted but failed room switch, Jessa is stuck in a double room with Todd, Nikki, and Brody. Jessa and Brody are still hurt by each of their breakups and now that they're in close quarters with their exes they come up with a revenge plan, to pretend to be a couple so they look like they've moved on and are happy. But they pretend so well, blend together as a couple so effortlessly, and compliment each other's personalities so well that the line of pretending begins to blur. This was the cutest romcom! I loved this storyline, it was so much fun to read and so enjoyable! I loved the setting on a cruise ship, the personalities of the characters, the shenanigans and chemistry between Jessa and Brody! This was a perfect summer read, I totally adored this book! 💜📚

Thank you to the author and to the publisher for this ARC of Going Overboard, in exchange for an honest review.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, sweet, lighthearted and kept me reading. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

Jessa gets dumped by her boyfriend, Todd, at a wedding at the same time Nikki is breaking up with Brody. Two weeks later Todd shows up to another wedding with his new girlfriend Nikki. The following weekend there's a cruise ) destination wedding and the four of them end up sharing a two bedroom suite on the boat. So of course, Jessa and Brody pretend to fake date.

A cute and cozy read.

Going Overboard by Portia MacIntosh is a fast-paced romance book, filled with humor, fake-dating and chaotic energy. Jessa gets unexpectedly dumped by her boyfriend Todd, just weeks before her best friend’s wedding. Two weeks later, Todd rocks up with a new girlfriend, Nikki, who had also just dumped her boyfriend. The four of them end up being stuck together in a room on a cruise ship, on the way to Jessa’s best friend’s wedding. As a result, Jessa and Todd hatch a plan to fake date in retaliation, to get back at their exes.

I absolutely loved the dynamic between Jessa and Todd. I loved the playful banter that they had and I also really just loved Todd as a character. I found myself laughing out loud from what both of the characters were saying, as well as the chaotic energy from other characters in the book. I absolutely loved Jessa’s friendship with Kelsey and loved their little moments throughout the book.

It was a charming, quick, quirky romance that I read within two days. The book got my attention straightaway and I was very entertained from the start, and continued to be hooked for the rest of the book. I absolutely loved the troops that were in the book and it was the perfect summer read. I did however, wish it was a little bit longer as I would’ve loved to have read more about the characters.

If you love a fun, witty, romance book, I would definitely recommend picking this up!

Rating: 3.75/5 Stars

Tropes:
Fake dating, forced proximity, one bed, revenge pact, opposites attract

Thank you @netgalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

After their exes start dating each other, home stager Jessa and cricket star Brody pretend to be a couple. When they’re booked in the same cabin on a cruise to Sicily for their friends’ wedding, will their fake relationship turn real?

This laugh-out-loud rom com is witty and charming with likable and relatable characters. Brody is a big sweetheart who treats Jessa with kindness and respect. The sweet, slow-burn romance is a heartwarming, feel-good escape. I loved the narration by Karen Cass.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Imagine being at a friend’s wedding, dancing with your boyfriend while he tells you it’s over. Shockingly Jessa thought she may have a breakdown, how could he do this? on the other side of the room, Brody is also getting dumped by Nikki. As it is wedding season, this just started, her best friend is having her wedding in Italy, so before the actual day, all of their closest friends are invited on a cruise. Todd is going to be there, so the awkwardness begins.
Hilarious novel from one of my favorite authors. Always a sure bet!

This was a fun read and the perfect book to read on my vacation. The characters were funny and relatable..

Jessa, 32, works as a house stylist readying a home to be sold. Her boyfriend, Todd, is an architect and that means sometimes they work together. Jessa is hoping that Todd will finally ask her to marry him. It’s when they are attending the wedding of some friends, he tells her that their relationship is not working out. And while he wants to marry, he doesn’t want to marry her.

So it’s when they are all at another couple’s wedding that Todd is with Nikki now and says he loves her. She has just broken up with Brody. He sees that Jessa has drunk too much and steps in to rescue her. The two plan to pretend that they have fallen in love with one another and are now a couple.

Jessa is to be the chief bridesmaid to her friend Kelsey who is marrying Neil in a couple of weeks. The plan is for the wedding party and friends to take a cruise ship for 5 days to Sicily where the wedding will take place. Now, Jessa has told the wedding planner that she will need her own room instead of the original plan that she would share with Todd. When she arrives at the ship, she finds that she and Brody have been assigned a suite with two bedrooms and one bedroom is for Todd and Nikki. But Jessa and Brody are determined to keep up the farce as they get through the cruise and the wedding but as the days go by, it doesn’t seem to be a farce after all. Could Jessa and Brody actually be falling in love?

This is a cute book with, admittedly, a bit of silliness but that’s rather how this author writes and it’s fun. Jess and Brody are adorable together and I loved them as a couple. A big Boo-Hiss to Nikki! Enjoy!!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was a fun, lighthearted romcom perfect for summer. The cruise ship setting added a unique twist, and I really enjoyed the fake dating and forced proximity tropes. Jessa and Brody were great together, their chemistry felt natural, and I liked how their relationship slowly developed. There were definitely some laugh out loud moments, and while the plot was a little chaotic at times, it kept things interesting.
I do wish the ending had more tension or wrapped up a bit quicker, it dragged slightly toward the end. Nikki wasn’t always what I was expecting with her childish behavior, and I would've liked a bit more character depth for both leads. Still, it was satisfying to see some real growth from Jessa and Brody. The revenge plot was fun, and even though things were a bit over the top, it worked for the story. Overall, a cute and easy read with plenty of charm perfect for the sunny days at the beach.
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy through NetGalley, opinions are my own

Portia MacIntosh always delivers when it comes to fun, charming romance books. This is the fifth book that I have read by Portia MacIntosh, and I have enjoyed them all. This book makes for great summer reading! Her characters are likeable, quirky, and get into some interesting situations.

Jenna gets dumped by her boyfriend, Todd during the first dance at a wedding! The nerve! At the same time, Brody is being dumped by his girlfriend, Nikki! Can you even imagine! Love is in the air at weddings but not for Jenna and Brody. Making matters worse, soon Todd and Nikki are a hot item. But wait, that is not all, there is another wedding coming up - a destination wedding! Guess who will be there?????? You guessed it! But wait, there is more - there is a HUGE booking problem on the cruise ship to Sicily and the four of them will be sharing a two-bedroom suite! Talk about uncomfortable!

As I mentioned, Portia MacIntosh likes to put her characters in interesting situations! You may say she likes to go overboard with it! If you like fake dating, forced proximity romance books, Going Overboard will be right up your alley!

Charming, light and breezy as a warm summer day! This was a short, fast, fun, enjoyable book!

This was such a fun book! I read it in one day and at times I was laughing out loud. The story is so funny and I loved how Jessa has a knack for ending up in embarassing situations. I also loved how Brody turned out to be a really great person. I liked the setting and the supporting characters (apart from the obvious bad guys) and there were just a few minor flaws for me. For one I would have liked to read more about how and why the relationship between Jessa and Brody changes and second I really would have liked to get an explanation why their exes were behaving the way that they were. I didn't mind too much though and would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a light and entertaining summer read!
It really is a great romantic comedy!

I was sent this book by love books tour as an ARC to review and this was Absolutely amazing! The cover drew me in straight away but wow the story was amazing! Absolutely loved it. Had me wanting more from the first page which kept me going and going. When I say I devoured this I absolutely devoured it! Couldn’t get enough of Jessa and Brody and kept wanting to know what was going to happen and when. I did guess the ending few chapters before the end but I was fine with knowing it that far ahead the book, it was kinda inevitable with where the story was going and with it being a love story. All in all this book was bloody fabulous and I loved every single word of it♥️ thank you love books tour for giving me the opportunity to review it♥️

I loved this book by Portia Macintosh. She never disappoints and her books are packed full of fun, issues which arise and are resolves and romance. This book was laugh out loud funny in places and lived up to the standard set by Portia in previous books. Definitely one for my holiday library.