Michelle Blanchard Ardillo

First of all, many thanks to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing Hardcover, and Erica Hendry for the ARC of this book just recently published (June 2, 2026).

While I loved receiving this ARC of a debut novel, I don’t think I am the target audience for Let’s No Go Overboard Here by Erica Hendry. This book is a an interesting combination of topics and allusions to things that typically draw in a certain type of reader or at least a reader of a certain age group. I am most definitely not that reader.

The protagonist of this novel, Melanie, is obsessed with reality tv, specifically the Real Housewives multi-series shows, Survivor, and most importantly, Below Deck. She is the queen of pop culture and knows what every single celebrity is up to all the time! She’s an attorney, but not like any attorneys I know. I’m sure she is good at her job, but her personal life is a total disaster.

This book also sort of defies genre classification. Is it a mystery, yes. Is it a romance, yes. Is it a book on grief and mourning the loss of a loved one, yes. Is it a travelogue of time spent on a luxury yacht exploring the Greek islands, yes. Is it a book about platonic love and friendships that are tested, yes. Is it a group of super wealthy, well-educated, young people who created a subscription-based virtual social club about to have an IPO, yes. Is it a burgeoning Sapphic love story, yes.

In my opinion, this is a bit too much for one storyline. Most of the celebrity mentions and the reality tv references went over my head, and the excessive partying and language of the young people on the yacht I could look past, but the chapters where Melanie was dealing with her <still> immense grief over the loss of her friend Ari a year ago were very challenging to read.

All that being said, kudos to Erica Hendry on her first novel being published. There will be a big audience for this book, people who love reality tv, people who dream of a free vacation aboard a luxury yacht floating off the coast of Greece.