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There\u2019s a lot of pressure riding on your first summer read<\/a>. Regardless of what your calendar looks like over the next three months, you want seasonal books that simply sweep you away. Obviously, a body of water is a necessity. A gripping plot is completely non-negotiable. And if I\u2019m being greedy, yeah, I want a romance<\/a> subplot that will have me kicking my feet. Oh, and all of it needs to be wrapped up in a setting that somehow makes even the hot NYC streets feel like a sea breeze is wafting in. That\u2019s a lot of boxes to check, I know, but our Book Club pick, Let\u2019s Not Go Overboard<\/em> Here<\/em>, checked them all and then some\u2014not to toot our own horn or anything.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s Not Go Overboard Here<\/em> is the absolute perfect read to kick off your summer reading list.<\/strong> It has a mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end, a gorgeous yacht setting, and it’s basically a love letter to pop culture fanatics and fandoms everywhere. Here\u2019s why it deserves a spot in your <\/strong>summer bag<\/a>, according to our Book Club<\/a>. <\/strong><\/p>\n In this twisty, uproarious debut, a pop culture obsessive uses her reality TV expertise to investigate a suspicious disappearance aboard a yacht… while falling for a hot deckhand and avoiding confronting her best friend’s untimely passing\u2014perfect for fans of The Wedding People<\/em> and Traitors<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n Pop culture aficionado Melanie Hoffman is great at spouting off random Hollywood fun facts, but not so great at quite a few, arguably more important things: maintaining a healthy work-life balance<\/a>, sleeping, and being a functioning adult who isn\u2019t completely destroyed by the death of her best friend, Ari. Spiraling, Mel\u2019s company mandates she take a two-week vacation.<\/p>\n Rather than spend that time alone with her thoughts, Mel joins her friend Vish on a yacht trip in Greece chartered by his rich tech company. For reality TV-obsessed Mel, it’s basically the trip of her dreams, complete with a cast of quasi-celebrities and posh rich people. After social media stalking her fellow passengers, Mel immediately typecasts the fabulous yet fragile Freya, her arrogant boyfriend Seb, and the hardworking and humble Ollie. Truly, Mel couldn\u2019t dream up a better distraction from her grief.<\/p>\n Mel\u2019s dream vacation quickly turns sinister when she overhears a conversation in the dead of night that convinces her Freya is in danger. The next morning, Freya turns up missing. With the skill only a rabid true crime fan could possess, Mel immediately clocks what happened: Freya was murdered, and Seb is the prime suspect.<\/p>\n While Mel\u2019s concern for Freya grows into obsession, no one else on board seems to think anything\u2019s fishy. Still, with her time on the yacht dwindling, Mel is determined to save Freya\u2019s life to cope with the fact that she couldn\u2019t save her best friend Ari\u2019s.<\/p>\n Use code ‘EGJune26’ for 15% off on Bookshop.org<\/a> and code ‘TEGBookClub’ for 30% off on Libro.fm<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n window.fd(‘form’, { What our Book Club may have loved most about Let\u2019s Not Go Overboard Here<\/em> is the beautiful friendship between Mel and Ari at the center of the novel. We meet Mel in the throes of grief after losing her best friend, and while Ari is never actually alive on the page, we get to experience her through Mel\u2019s loving memories and portrayal. Mel\u2019s journey through grief<\/a> felt messy and real, even when plotlines were out-of-this-world campy. This kept the story grounded in reality, no matter what shenanigans were unfolding on the yacht.<\/strong> Their friendship was so well-written and deeply felt that it wasn\u2019t hard to believe how extreme Mel\u2019s actions became. The loss was simply too great for her to process in any sort of normal way.<\/p>\n Mel is not a perfectly put-together character; she is a messy millennial with a capital M. And who wouldn\u2019t be after losing the person they\u2019re closest to? While our Book Club had healthy debates about when and where exactly Mel crossed the friendship line<\/a> in her investigation, we all loved watching a woman truly spiral on the page<\/a>, even when we were internally screaming at her. Mel\u2019s determination to save Freya after she couldn\u2019t save Ari contextualized just how desperate she was to be right about this crime and solve it, making us root for her despite her very, very frequent missteps.<\/p>\n “If you want a beach read that will have you so glued to the page that you completely forget to reapply sunscreen and are then left bright red, Let\u2019s Not Go Overboard Here<\/em> is the perfect pick.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Aside from one very talented Book Club detective (shoutout, Gia), not a single one of us was able to guess the ending. While it seems like we should leave the sleuthing to Mel, we all loved being along for the wild ride, with no clue where it was taking us. In fact, most of us thought Mel was in literal psychosis at some point, if that tells you anything about how crazy this book gets. If you\u2019re tired of guessing the plot twist before the book even hits the halfway mark, definitely pick up Let\u2019s Not Go Overboard<\/em> Here<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Perhaps the most unique part of Let\u2019s Not Go Overboard Here<\/em> is the countless pop culture references peppered throughout the novel. We asked the author, Erica Hendry, if she knew exactly how many there were, and even though she hasn\u2019t counted, it\u2019s definitely well into the hundreds. For pop culture fanatics and Bravoholics<\/a>, these references felt like a secret language shared between the reader, Mel, Ari, and the author. <\/strong><\/p>\n We all have what Mel and Ari would call a \u201cbroken brain\u201d\u2014one wired to care more about DeuxMoi\u2019s latest post than that work email you should really respond to\u2014and because of that, we can understand each other, our interests, and our motivations on a deeper level. It felt like discovering Easter eggs throughout the book that appealed to your unique brand of pop culture fixations. While some of our Book Club members found the references they didn\u2019t get a little distracting, for the most part, we agreed they felt like a fun treat to spot. And even if you didn\u2019t catch every single one, there were plenty of context clues to keep you in on the joke.<\/p>\n If you want a beach read<\/a> that will have you so glued to the page that you completely forget to reapply sunscreen<\/a> and are then left bright red, Let\u2019s Not Go Overboard Here<\/em> is the perfect pick for you. Whether you’re reality TV-obsessed<\/a> or simply love to support women’s wrongs, this book has something for everyone. <\/strong>It’s the perfect way to get into the summer spirit with a read that will have you laughing out loud on one page and surprisingly emotional on the next.<\/p>\n Like every good book club, our meetings strike the perfect balance between staying on topic and diving into plenty of bookish tangents. I mean, that\u2019s part of the fun, right? I left with about 10 new books added to my TBR that the girlies were raving about, and of course, I offered plenty of suggestions of my own. And with this read, the recs didn’t stop at just books. I have new reality TV shows on my queue and about 10 pop culture scandals<\/a> I will be immediately deep diving once I log off for the weekend. It was such a lively book and conversation to kick off summer reading on the best note.<\/p>\n Not only did we get to discuss Let\u2019s Not Go Overboard<\/em> Here<\/em> with our members, but we also got to chat with the author herself, Erica Hendry. Erica hopped on our Zoom to answer all of our burning questions, and trust me, we had many. Getting to hear just how much this book means to her was such a special experience, and we\u2019re so grateful she indulged our countless reality TV questions and shared her wonderful book with all of us.<\/p>\n The books we read may change every month, but the one constant in every The Everygirl Book Club meeting is a group of women eager to find community through our shared love of reading. Yes, it\u2019s a place to discuss our monthly pick, but it\u2019s also a space where you can take an hour and a half for yourself.<\/strong> It\u2019s a room where you can truly be yourself, geeking out over your recent reads, and take a much-needed break from the chaos of life outside of our Zoom. If you weren’t able to join for June, let this be your sign to start reading our July pick<\/a> with us.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0var skimlinks_settings = { \n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0var skimlinks_settings = { As an Associate Editor for The Everygirl, Lauren ideates and writes content for every facet of our readers\u2019 lives, from must-read books and behind-the-scenes interviews to beauty products she can\u2019t live without. When she isn\u2019t sitting in an AMC watching the latest buzzy release, she can be found scouring Goodreads for the perfect pick for The Everygirl Book Club<\/a>. There, she co-hosts discussions with members, debating plotlines, fancasting characters, and, of course, tossing in her own recommendations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nWhat is Let’s Not Go Overboard Here<\/em> about?<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>\n <\/div>\n\n\nErica Hendry<\/div>\n\n
\n Let’s Not Go Overboard Here <\/a>\n <\/div>\n\n\n Buy on Bookshop.org<\/a>
\n Buy on Amazon<\/a>
\n Buy on Libro.fm<\/a>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nExclusive offers for our June pick: Let’s Not Go Overboard Here<\/em>!<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\n
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\n });<\/p>\nThe Everygirl Book Club\u2019s review of Let’s Not Go Overboard Here<\/em><\/h2>\n
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So, should you read Let\u2019s Not Go Overboard Here<\/em>?<\/h2>\n
Let’s Not Go Overboard Here<\/em> discussion questions<\/h2>\n
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Everything else you missed at The Everygirl Book Club meeting<\/h2>\n
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\n <\/div>\n\nABOUT THE AUTHOR<\/div>\n\nLauren Blue, Associate Editor & Book Club Co-Host<\/h3>\n