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Pop-culture aficionado Melanie Hoffman has accepted that nothing will ever fill the crater-sized hole that Ari’s absence has left behind, and the cork on her grief is stopped tight. But then her company requires Mel to take a mandatory vacation. Cue the explosion.
Desperate to avoid two weeks alone with her thoughts, Mel joins her friend Vish on a yacht trip in Greece chartered by his tech company. A luxurious yacht chockful of hot, rich Brits? Mel couldn’t dream up a better distraction from her sorrow. But Mel’s dream quickly plunges into nightmarish waters when a sinister conversation overheard in the dead of night convinces Mel that Freya is in danger. And when Freya turns up missing the next morning, Mel immediately clocks what happened with the skill of a rabid true crime fan: Freya was murdered, and Seb is the prime suspect.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I am currently watching season 5 of RHOSLC, Love Island USA, Love Island UK, In the City, and am still emotionally recovering from the insanity that was Summer House season 10 by listening to my favorite true crime podcast(s). And those are my credentials to review this domestic thriller book with pop culture crammed into every nook and cranny.

Let’s Not Go Overboard Here follows Melanie, an attorney in her 30s, who is grappling with the loss of her best friend of 25 years to cancer. It’s been almost a year, but Melanie is still operating in a fugue state, and it’s obvious to everyone around her. So obvious that HR gets involved, and insists Melanie takes some PTO to heal. And when Mel’s friend Vish invites her on a lavish, week-long yacht trip with his coworkers to celebrate their fintech IPO debut, Mel truly has no choice but to accept.

But as a true Bravo diehard, Mel is looking for drama around every corner. She wants to catch a stew and a deckhand making out, or see the captain lay into the bosun about stains on the teak. Instead, Mel finds her attention drawn to a missing girl. Mel’s convinced something sinister has happened, and is ready to put all of her (and her best friend’s intimidating older sister Kellie’s) skills to the task.

I really enjoyed this book for the soapy drama that it was. The dark and sardonic humor was a surprise, but was definitely the key factor for me. I adored Melanie, Kellie, and Haeyoon’s unique but strong personalities, and truly wanted to dive into the book so we could discuss all things bravo together.

Thanks to BookSparks and Grand Central Publishing for the free book in exchange for an honest review!