Cruise vacations promise sunshine, adventure, and maybe even a little romance. Cruise Crush captures the excitement of life at sea with immersive cruise details and unforgettable ports of call—but did this vacation romance leave me ready to book another sailing, or counting down the days until disembarkation?

⸻

⸻

💜 The Premise

Cruise Crush immediately drew me in with its fun premise and immersive cruise setting. Delaney is a travel blogger and writer invited on the Pinnacle Cruise Line to write about her experience. Andrew is taking over from his dad as CEO of Pinnacle Cruise. They meet in an adorable and funny meet cute and spend the majority of the book exploring their new romance and relationship and experiencing the cruise together.

Kathleen Allen clearly did her homework, incorporating details like nautical miles, whether the ship was docked or at sea, and the day-to-day rhythm of life onboard. Those little touches made me feel like I was actually on the cruise alongside the characters. I also appreciated the extras at the end of the book, including the playlist and the full cruise itinerary, which added to the overall experience.

I especially enjoyed following Delaney and Andrew as they explored each destination. My favorite stop was San Juan, Puerto Rico, where they visited a local tobacco shop, Delaney rolled her own cigar, and later experienced smoking a cigar for the first time. Those moments made the destinations feel like more than just names on an itinerary—they became part of the story and they were the most romantic elements of the story to me.

⸻

💥 The Dynamic

Unfortunately, the romance itself didn’t work as well for me because so much of the conflict relied on miscommunication.

The characters intentionally agree not to share personal details like their last names, professions, or Delaney’s room number. Because those boundaries were established by mutual agreement, I struggled to understand why those same secrets later became a source of conflict. It felt like they were becoming upset over information they had both consciously chosen to withhold.

Several misunderstandings also felt like they could have been resolved with a simple conversation. For example, if someone tells me they have an important business call that should take about thirty minutes and then that person never shows up, my first assumption wouldn’t be that they’d ghosted me—it would be that the meeting ran long. Likewise, seeing the cruise director leaving someone’s room didn’t automatically strike me as evidence of cheating, especially after the story established that he regularly interacted with crew members throughout the ship. Those moments pulled me out of the story because the characters consistently jumped to the worst possible conclusion instead of the most likely one.

I was also distracted by what felt like a continuity issue. Andrew repeatedly sent Delaney flowers and notes, yet later in the story established that he didn’t know her actual name, room number, or even the correct floor she was staying on. I kept waiting for an explanation of how those deliveries were possible, but I don’t remember one ever being provided.

I also had a difficult time reconciling parts of the heroine’s characterization. She’s presented as someone with very little relationship or sexual experience, yet she seems very comfortable with a significant amount of physical intimacy with a complete stranger very quickly. That progression felt rushed to me in light of the repeated descriptions of Delaney as being relatively inexperienced. Additionally, one stylistic choice that repeatedly pulled me out of the intimate scenes was her use of the word chat (French for “cat”) as a euphemism for her vulva while using much more direct language for other body parts. It stood out enough that it became distracting.

I know content notes or trigger warnings are a relatively recent addition to publishing, and I don’t think every book needs them. However, I do think Cruise Crush would have benefited from including a brief note to readers. The story touches on topics like anxiety, past infidelity, fear of abandonment and being ghosted, and past injuries in gymnastics among other things that might be considered sensitive for some readers. None of these topics bothered me personally, but I think readers appreciate knowing what emotional themes they’re walking into before starting a book.

⸻

✨ Final Thoughts

Readers who enjoy romance driven by the miscommunication trope may have a very different experience than I did. While the cruise atmosphere was wonderfully done and I appreciated the immersive setting and bonus content, the central romance never fully clicked for me because the conflict felt manufactured rather than organic.

⸻

🔥 Rating & Spice Level

🌶️ Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️

⭐️ Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

⸻

📚 Where to Read

👉 Pick up a copy today!

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.