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A review by beate251
Hook, Line and Single: A BRAND NEW hilarious, uplifting romantic comedy from Phoebe MacLeod for 2025 by Phoebe MacLeod
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.
Ruby co-owns a bookshop in Margate, Kent with gay friend Jono. She hasn't dated for 7 years, when she had a bad break-up from her college boyfriend Olly. Her flatmate and best friend Sam however is keen to find the one, so after trying to find a man in church but basically encountering a puritanical sect straight out of "Everyone Else Burns", she books both of them on a Mediterranean cruise. However, unbeknownst to Ruby, it is a "Single and mingle" cruise with nightly dating events that are almost impossible to escape due to coordinator Barry being relentlessly cheerful and believing in love, pushing people together.
So when she meets Cameron, a firearms enquiry officer with Kent Police, who is equally reluctant about the enforced dating games, he suggests to pair up and fake date to get Barry off their back. They become good friends and end up spending whole days together, with a day out in Barcelona not quite going to plan and forcing them to make alternative sleeping arrangements.
As travel escapism goes, this isn't the best as there are barely any descriptions of the places they see. There are tropes galore though, from friends to lovers to fake dating, forced proximity and one bed only.
Cameron is a nice guy but the problem I have with him is that he is basically a blank canvas we know hardly anything about. His job is about guns and their licences and his hobby is clay pigeon shooting. That is just a bit too much gun talk for my personal taste.
The romance is extremely slow-burn, which can be forgiven, but the very late revelation about why Ruby has sworn off all men came out of the blue and should maybe have been addressed sooner. I liked the scenes on the ship and the nudist beach scenes, though Ruby came across as a prude, also when she woke up next to Cameron and his morning glory, as if she'd never encountered this before.
As far as side characters go, there is a quirky mixture on and off the ship, with cat Samson possibly the cutest of the lot. Sam wasn't a good friend though and literally begged to be thrown overboard for her almost immediate abandonment of Ruby for a guy on the ship. Not cool. Sister Emerald on the other hand needs her own book!
Altogether, this is a light-hearted and funny story about friendship, second chances and self-discovery that can be read quickly.
Ruby co-owns a bookshop in Margate, Kent with gay friend Jono. She hasn't dated for 7 years, when she had a bad break-up from her college boyfriend Olly. Her flatmate and best friend Sam however is keen to find the one, so after trying to find a man in church but basically encountering a puritanical sect straight out of "Everyone Else Burns", she books both of them on a Mediterranean cruise. However, unbeknownst to Ruby, it is a "Single and mingle" cruise with nightly dating events that are almost impossible to escape due to coordinator Barry being relentlessly cheerful and believing in love, pushing people together.
So when she meets Cameron, a firearms enquiry officer with Kent Police, who is equally reluctant about the enforced dating games, he suggests to pair up and fake date to get Barry off their back. They become good friends and end up spending whole days together, with a day out in Barcelona not quite going to plan and forcing them to make alternative sleeping arrangements.
As travel escapism goes, this isn't the best as there are barely any descriptions of the places they see. There are tropes galore though, from friends to lovers to fake dating, forced proximity and one bed only.
Cameron is a nice guy but the problem I have with him is that he is basically a blank canvas we know hardly anything about. His job is about guns and their licences and his hobby is clay pigeon shooting. That is just a bit too much gun talk for my personal taste.
The romance is extremely slow-burn, which can be forgiven, but the very late revelation about why Ruby has sworn off all men came out of the blue and should maybe have been addressed sooner. I liked the scenes on the ship and the nudist beach scenes, though Ruby came across as a prude, also when she woke up next to Cameron and his morning glory, as if she'd never encountered this before.
As far as side characters go, there is a quirky mixture on and off the ship, with cat Samson possibly the cutest of the lot. Sam wasn't a good friend though and literally begged to be thrown overboard for her almost immediate abandonment of Ruby for a guy on the ship. Not cool. Sister Emerald on the other hand needs her own book!
Altogether, this is a light-hearted and funny story about friendship, second chances and self-discovery that can be read quickly.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting