Book Review: Total Dreamboat by Katelyn Doyle

GOODREADS SUMMARY:

Hope Lanover needs a vacation. Her relationship has imploded, her creative ambitions have flatlined, and she can’t seem to locate the badass girl she used to be. So when her best friend—a lifestyle influencer looking for a rich husband—invites her along a luxury cruise, Hope goes along with it…despite hating cruises, and having no interest in a fling with their elderly clientele.

Felix Segrave can’t imagine anything worse than a cruise. Sober, determinedly single and a workaholic chef, he hates leaving his restaurant and routine. But when his parents surprise him and his sisters with tickets to celebrate their anniversary, he can’t say no—he’s disappointed them too many times in his troubled past.

Hope and Felix are prepared to grin and bear it—until they lock eyes at check in. Suddenly, a ten-day fling in the Caribbean with a sexy stranger doesn’t seem so bad, despite all the ballroom dancing lessons and cheesy karaoke nights. That is, until Hope’s romantic demons catch up to her, Felix learns that the woman he’s falling for has not been entirely honest with him, and they find themselves stranded together—and at each other’s throats—in paradise. Forced to work together, not to mention share a bed, they must either navigate the stormy seas of love, or face romantic shipwreck.

TEE'S THOUGHTS:

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.