This was such a fun read. All the. Characters were engaging and the mystery had me hooked. I was totally captivated and trying to figure it out faster than the characters.

This was a cute mystery romance. I had a fun time but I wasn’t as invested as I thought I would be. Still crazy fun time.

I enjoyed The Situation Ship! I liked that it had romance but also had the mystery/suspense. I loved that Poppy & Isaiah worked as a team but also fell in love! I enjoyed the story setting. I felt it dragged along in some chapters. It was an easy read, & I would recommend it to friends.

⭐️⭐️½ – Fun Idea, Mixed Execution
Thank you to NetGalley and Callaghan Writers for this e-arc for my honest review. The Situation Ship had all the ingredients for a quick summer read—pop stars, a luxury cruise, a murder mystery, and a bit of romance. It definitely starts strong with a cool setup where the FMC, Poppy writes a letter to “set a record straight. Martha Roe was a monster, and since I killed her, she raised one too”. The prologue starts off with a behind-the-scenes peek into the world of fame and celebrity chaos.

But... the romance? It just didn’t do it for me. Poppy and Isaiah’s connection felt rushed and didn’t quite have the spark I was hoping for. Their relationship moved so fast that it was hard to feel emotionally invested. Also, some of the dialogue and internal monologue dragged a bit—at times, I found myself wanting the story to pick up the pace or dig deeper.
That said, if you’re looking for an easy, escapist read with a little bit of drama and vibes, this might still be worth a go. Just don’t expect deep character development or a love story that’ll sweep you off your feet.

Kate Callaghan is a refreshing author. I know when I pick up a book of hers I am going to have a good time. This was no exception.

We’ve got a cop who thinks he knows something but he doesn’t really. Our FMC is no damsel, but she may need the cop’s help because her baggage on the cruise is deadly.

I liked the story, the characters and the chemistry.

Thank you CallaghanWriter | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) for the ARC.

A fun vacation read! A little insta- love which was a bit cringey but I wasn’t too bothered. The mystery was a bit predictable and not as fun to read. I appreciated the romance aspect and thought it was sweet! Overall a fun fluffy read to enjoy while traveling especially!

Popstar Poppy Roe gets ready to go on a cruise with her new bodyguard, undercover cop, Isaiah, and her new friend Mina, after her aunt's passing. Not long after boarding we start to learn of a series of deaths that follow Poppy around, and as murders start to happen on board the ship, is Poppy the intended target?

Unfortunately this book didn't hit the mark for me, it's not my usual type of genre, but I thought I'd give it a go as the premise seemed interesting. Discovering who the killer was, was the reason I kept going and that part didn't disappoint.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The first half of this was great. It was fun, mysterious and the side characters were amazing. I loved the set up of the cruise, multiple murder mysteries and bodyguard romance. But then there was a fairly big reveal and the pacing shifted. It just started to drag on and the mystery lost its appeal. I also felt a bit less chemistry between the main characters, like before there had been tension and then it fizzled but somehow they still got together?

I think if this had ended at the 50/60% mark I would have loved it. But it just tried to add too many layers of mystery and ended up losing it.

I still really enjoyed the writing, and I would still love to read Mina and Eckells together, I already love them. The pacing of this one just lost me. But I am a bit hard please when it comes to mysteries, especially when they are trying to be good (if it’s a more lighthearted, not to serious or central plot then I’m less fussy).

I would like to start off by saying the cover of this book is beautiful. The colours; chefs kiss.
Right off the bat I loved that there is a spicy chapters list to give you the option to skip them as you come across them.
Also, I just have to say, this book was incredibly easy to read. It was fast paced and simple to understand. The concept of this book, aswell, was amazing. I've never read a book with this kind of plot but I absolutely loved it.
The start of the book was definitely the most hooking of the entire story. As the story progressed I do think the story got a little bit slower as the romance felt a bit to immediate and happened a bit fast.
However, overall I think this book is going to get a 3⭐️ from me as the ending was amazing!

3.5 ☆.

I loved the dynamic between the detective and the pop star. It had witty banter that made me laugh pretty loud haha. Also, I love how the author mixed romance with murder mystery. The writing is fine, but in some scenes, there were some pacing issues. The development could be better. But anyways, it is a enjoyable book with some suspense and spice.

The book was impressive, i didn't find out who the killer was. Its a good junction of romance and mystery.

3.5 stars

What I liked:

Poppy’s complex, self-doubting yet lovable character
Romance that felt earned and satisfying
Mystery that kept me reading, even if I guessed the culprit

What could be stronger:

Mina’s romance arc needed more depth
The mystery’s reveal was predictable
A few plot points could have been explored more fully

I really enjoyed this one it hooked me from the start and kept me flipping the pages. Poppy thinking she’s a monster instantly pulled me in. I was here rooting for her the whole way, even when she doubted herself. She’s layered, flawed, and relatable in a way that made me care about what happened next.

The romance? I already saw it coming, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment. It was sweet and fit naturally into the story’s rhythm. Mina’s relationship with the F1 driver, on the other hand, left me wanting more.

The mystery element added a nice edge to the narrative. That said, I had a strong feeling about who the murderer was pretty early on, and when the reveal came, I was literally, “I KNEW IT.” Predictable? Yes. But it was still satisfying to see it confirmed.

Overall, this was a fun, engaging read with a mix of romance, friendship, and intrigue

I love a book that mixes mystery with some romance. I thought the storyline was fun and the whole book kept me entertained and interested. I really hope the author will write more like this!

This was a fun mystery/thriller/romance that I enjoyed a lot! The storyline was great, the twists and turns were unexpected. I did predict the ending but not everything that happened and I did not take away from the story at all.

I enjoyed the characters. There were a lot of side characters to keep track of but it made the story that much more fun.
The FMC and MMC had great chemistry and an insta-love but given their situation I think it was understandable and justified. They go through so many challenges throughout their cruise and I loved watching their trust and relationship grow.


Thank you to for the copy of this arc. My views and opinions are solely my own.

I enjoyed this!

The setting was unique to most of the books I read and I loved the main character!

Highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the ARC!

This book hooked me right away! And started a little differently than I expected! It had twists and turns and also tension between Poppy and her bodyguard (who's also a detective) Isaiah.

And if you read Not Another Rockstar, you will be reunited with some characters! :)

Thank you for this ARC from NetGalley

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The main character Poppy was great and had depth along with many of the side characters. I loved the murder mystery plot and I think the murder mystery plot was done very well. I was very invested and curious about who the murderer was and the details that were given and not given was done well. However, I did not like the romance in the book because I feel like it was rushed and under developed. Isaiah and Poppy were attracted to each other physically but that was about it. Maybe if the first kiss scene would have been pushed off and they got to know each other better, it would be better romance wise. Don't let that deter you from reading this though if you like murder mysteries. Thanks again for this ARC.

📚Book Review📚
Book: The Situation Ship
Author: Kate Callaghan

The Situation Ship was so much more than I expected in the best way possible! I thought it would be more of a summer romance, but it had so many turns! Popstar Poppy Roe gets ready to go on a summer cruise after the passing of her aunt, with her bodyguard, Isaiah, and her new friend, Mina. Shortly after boarding the ship, we learn about a slew of deaths following Poppy around. We follow this trio on the cruise which ends up being filled with more murder, mystery and intrigue all the while Isaiah and Poppy are discovering a romance between them. Callaghan really builds depth in each of the characters as we learn more about their paths and how they come together to figure out who is causing all this mayhem. It was such a fun read with so many twists that I was not expecting!

Thank you very much to Kate Callaghan, and Net Galley for the ARC.

4.5 star!

I loved the setting of this story, making it a great summer read. It had everything I loved in a book- mystery, thrills, romance. The twists at the end were so good and I definitely didn't see it coming. Everything was so well thought out and fun to try to puzzle together!

I was so excited to pick this book up because I love books with romance, spice, and murder mysteries, throw in the addition of it being on a cruise ship, SIGN ME UP! This book was everything I wanted, a fun enemies-to-lovers romance, a Law-Abiding Citizen vibe, and it’s all wrapped up in one nice FUN entertaining read. I'm not sure how Kate Callaghan managed to maintain the suspense of "who did it", kept me guessing, all while thinking I'm on the cruise vacation enjoying my time, but she did it!

I was not expecting the twist at the end, came out of left field and knocked my brain off its axis for a minute until all the clues started coming together.

Thank you, NetGalley, IBPA, and Kate Callaghan for this advanced reader copy, I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this book.