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Let's Not Go Overboard Here
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Expected 2 Jun 26Win a free print copy of this book!
25 days and 01:00:58
20 copies available
U.S. and Canada only
In this twisty, uproarious debut for fans of The Wedding People and Traitors, 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.
This is a story about a definitely dead girl, a possibly dead girl and a living dead girl. All aboard.
There are a lot of things that pop-culture aficionado Melanie Hoffman is great at: rattling off storylines from The Real Housewives, reciting the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen filmography from memory, and quoting Gossip Girl like it’s The Godfather, to name a few. And then there are the things she’s not good at: maintaining a healthy work-life balance, sleeping (in general), and being a functioning adult who isn’t completely destroyed by the death of her best friend, Ari. Mel 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. It’s the Below Deck fantasy of Mel’s dreams, with built-in quasi-celebrities to fixate on in the form of the posh co-founders of Vish’s company. Mel has done enough social media stalking to immediately typecast the fabulous yet fragile Freya, her arrogant boyfriend Seb, and the hardworking and humble Ollie. 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.
But Freya’s disappearance doesn’t rock the boat in the way Mel is expecting. In fact, no one else onboard seems to think anything’s fishy. Mel’s concern for Freya grows into obsession, and she becomes dead set on saving Freya’s life like she couldn’t save Ari’s. Though her pop culture analysis skills uncover obvious cracks in the other passengers’ alibis, Mel’s desperation threatens to crack her own sanity first. With her time left on the yacht quickly dwindling, Mel must uncover what happened to Freya before going under herself.
This is a story about a definitely dead girl, a possibly dead girl and a living dead girl. All aboard.
There are a lot of things that pop-culture aficionado Melanie Hoffman is great at: rattling off storylines from The Real Housewives, reciting the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen filmography from memory, and quoting Gossip Girl like it’s The Godfather, to name a few. And then there are the things she’s not good at: maintaining a healthy work-life balance, sleeping (in general), and being a functioning adult who isn’t completely destroyed by the death of her best friend, Ari. Mel 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. It’s the Below Deck fantasy of Mel’s dreams, with built-in quasi-celebrities to fixate on in the form of the posh co-founders of Vish’s company. Mel has done enough social media stalking to immediately typecast the fabulous yet fragile Freya, her arrogant boyfriend Seb, and the hardworking and humble Ollie. 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.
But Freya’s disappearance doesn’t rock the boat in the way Mel is expecting. In fact, no one else onboard seems to think anything’s fishy. Mel’s concern for Freya grows into obsession, and she becomes dead set on saving Freya’s life like she couldn’t save Ari’s. Though her pop culture analysis skills uncover obvious cracks in the other passengers’ alibis, Mel’s desperation threatens to crack her own sanity first. With her time left on the yacht quickly dwindling, Mel must uncover what happened to Freya before going under herself.
- GenresFiction
320 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication June 2, 2026
1 person is currently reading
2725 people want to read
About the author
Erica Hendry
2 books17 followersErica Hendry is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and lives in Los Angeles, where she works as a creative director. LET'S NOT GO OVERBOARD HERE is her debut novel.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Unfortunately this did not work for me.
The plot is interesting, it is funny at times, and I liked some of the references, even though the pop culture aspect felt more like than the whole point of the book than a simple part of it.
But the characters were just bad. The secondary ones are flat and one dimensional, and the main character is just so annoying. Her internal dialogue is boring and repetitive, and her interactions with other are insufferable.
I believe it can be can be entertaining but I expected better writing.
Thank you Grand Central Publishing for this ARC.
The plot is interesting, it is funny at times, and I liked some of the references, even though the pop culture aspect felt more like than the whole point of the book than a simple part of it.
But the characters were just bad. The secondary ones are flat and one dimensional, and the main character is just so annoying. Her internal dialogue is boring and repetitive, and her interactions with other are insufferable.
I believe it can be can be entertaining but I expected better writing.
Thank you Grand Central Publishing for this ARC.
January 31, 2026
I LOVED this. This is a really humorous book, full of pop culture references, that could initially seem frivolous on a superficial level — but, “below deck,” it’s also a very moving and deftly wrought novel about grief and loss, millennial style.
Mel is an attorney in her 30s who’s been lost in a Bravo-tinged haze of grieving since Ari, her very best friend since childhood, died of cancer. Mel and Ari shared a very Diana and Anne of Green Gables-esque, Kindred Spirit type of friendship after first bonding through a heartfelt debate over the supremacy of NSYNC vs. Backstreet Boys.** They continued to indulge in this shared passion for all things pop culture throughout their relationship, leaning hard into it in difficult times and especially during Ari’s illness. Now, devastated and bereft, Mel endeavors to stuff her emotions and stifle her thoughts by filling her free time with mundane tasks like repeatedly snaking the shower drain — and, of course, obsessively wandering that shadowy Limbo that constitutes the Bravoverse.
Until, that is, with encouragement of her best law school friend Vish, her work wife Haeyoon, her handsomely nervous (or nervously handsome) HR rep Bobby, and her sort-of sibling-in-law Kellie (Ari’s intimidating older sister), Mel steps in as Vish’s plus-one on his work-related Grecian yachting corporate retreat arranged by the wealthy celebrity socialites of his company's C-Suite. Unfortunately, the tech startup Vish works for — some kind of elite online social forum that defies human understanding — is helmed by a possibly nefarious Adam Neumann type who looks like Dickie Greenleaf in The Talented Mr. Ripley. Things on the yacht start out cool, but quickly get all, like, uncool, and Mel soon throws her reality TV-fueled detective skills into unearthing Receipts! Proof! Timeline! Screenshots!
Have I mentioned that I adore this book? It’s very rare to find a novel that really nails the excruciation of mourning, litfic style, while remaining entertaining, thrilling, and a bit romantic, much less extremely funny. The writing itself is great, the characters are excellent and amusing, and there are really heartwarming and realistic friendships and found family elements. Most impressively, the pop culture references woven throughout are not merely schtick: They are relevant to the protagonist’s character development and backstory and to the plot and mystery at hand. They are like Miss Marple’s knitting, Kay Scarpetta’s cooking, Sherlock Holmes’s violin (or cocaine), or Harry Bosch’s jazz. They also serve to address how reality TV and other pop culture outlets can be seductive sources of distraction, escape, and soothing during trying or lonely times — especially for many millennials whose timing allowed them to be born right into the clutches of this emergent comforting brain candy.
In other reviews, I’ve called some books “cilantro” because people are bound to either love or hate them. This may well be the case here: if a reader has managed to evade multiple high pop culture moments over the past three decades, they may well require an annotated companion volume, as one might reference when reading Ulysses. More realistically, I suspect readers already aware of their dislike of or unfamiliarity with this content will simply choose not to order the entree that comes dressed in Aji Verde; the rest of us know who we are, and we’ll eat it up like dessert. If you love this type of material, even if guiltily so, or have turned to it in periods of hardship, this book is really something to be experienced and it will make you feel seen.
All that being said, I do feel it’s important to point out that many beloved novels profusely employ cultural references without becoming inaccessible or unenjoyable. There’s no way everyone who loves The Secret History was a Rory Gilmore Ivy League English major who understood its trillions of references to classical literature and philosophy. American Psycho, Ready Player One, High Fidelity, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow are also respected and appreciated novels that generously and purposefully integrate pop culture references and that are holding up over time.
All that being said, it may behoove you to have a passing familiarity with not only some of Andy Cohen’s stable of major Bravolebrities (oxymoronic as that may be), but also some of the salient pop culture happenings of, say, at least Taylor's ten main Eras to the present day, including but not limited to things like the Real Housewives and Below Deck franchises as well as (classic) Vanderpump Rules, reality competition shows like Survivor along with other contemporary TV series, pop music hits and moments, and celebrity feuds, breakups, and scams. You will likely appreciate this book more if you understand the character implications of someone looking like Jax Taylor, or why Mel was repeatedly triggered by hearing constant media mentions of the name “Ariana” throughout the final two thirds of 2023 in the wake of Ari's death. If you cannot grok the significance of Lindsay Hubbard talking about sandwiches or “being activated” in her T-Mobile commercial, some of this book may be lost on you.
While this book may be an acquired taste, it’s also diamonds and rosé, bananas, Gone With the Wind fabulous. There’s nothing grey about its gardens. I die.
Here’s hoping this could be the first installment in a series — the “Broken Brains” series, maybe? It has all the requisite components. I’d read them all!
**The correct answer is Backstreet, as “I Want It That Way” is one of the best key-changing, lyrically nonsensical bangers of late 90s pop.
Many thanks to the author, NetGalley, and Grand Central Publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Let’s Not Go Overboard Here is scheduled for release on June 2, 2026.
Mel is an attorney in her 30s who’s been lost in a Bravo-tinged haze of grieving since Ari, her very best friend since childhood, died of cancer. Mel and Ari shared a very Diana and Anne of Green Gables-esque, Kindred Spirit type of friendship after first bonding through a heartfelt debate over the supremacy of NSYNC vs. Backstreet Boys.** They continued to indulge in this shared passion for all things pop culture throughout their relationship, leaning hard into it in difficult times and especially during Ari’s illness. Now, devastated and bereft, Mel endeavors to stuff her emotions and stifle her thoughts by filling her free time with mundane tasks like repeatedly snaking the shower drain — and, of course, obsessively wandering that shadowy Limbo that constitutes the Bravoverse.
Until, that is, with encouragement of her best law school friend Vish, her work wife Haeyoon, her handsomely nervous (or nervously handsome) HR rep Bobby, and her sort-of sibling-in-law Kellie (Ari’s intimidating older sister), Mel steps in as Vish’s plus-one on his work-related Grecian yachting corporate retreat arranged by the wealthy celebrity socialites of his company's C-Suite. Unfortunately, the tech startup Vish works for — some kind of elite online social forum that defies human understanding — is helmed by a possibly nefarious Adam Neumann type who looks like Dickie Greenleaf in The Talented Mr. Ripley. Things on the yacht start out cool, but quickly get all, like, uncool, and Mel soon throws her reality TV-fueled detective skills into unearthing Receipts! Proof! Timeline! Screenshots!
Have I mentioned that I adore this book? It’s very rare to find a novel that really nails the excruciation of mourning, litfic style, while remaining entertaining, thrilling, and a bit romantic, much less extremely funny. The writing itself is great, the characters are excellent and amusing, and there are really heartwarming and realistic friendships and found family elements. Most impressively, the pop culture references woven throughout are not merely schtick: They are relevant to the protagonist’s character development and backstory and to the plot and mystery at hand. They are like Miss Marple’s knitting, Kay Scarpetta’s cooking, Sherlock Holmes’s violin (or cocaine), or Harry Bosch’s jazz. They also serve to address how reality TV and other pop culture outlets can be seductive sources of distraction, escape, and soothing during trying or lonely times — especially for many millennials whose timing allowed them to be born right into the clutches of this emergent comforting brain candy.
In other reviews, I’ve called some books “cilantro” because people are bound to either love or hate them. This may well be the case here: if a reader has managed to evade multiple high pop culture moments over the past three decades, they may well require an annotated companion volume, as one might reference when reading Ulysses. More realistically, I suspect readers already aware of their dislike of or unfamiliarity with this content will simply choose not to order the entree that comes dressed in Aji Verde; the rest of us know who we are, and we’ll eat it up like dessert. If you love this type of material, even if guiltily so, or have turned to it in periods of hardship, this book is really something to be experienced and it will make you feel seen.
All that being said, I do feel it’s important to point out that many beloved novels profusely employ cultural references without becoming inaccessible or unenjoyable. There’s no way everyone who loves The Secret History was a Rory Gilmore Ivy League English major who understood its trillions of references to classical literature and philosophy. American Psycho, Ready Player One, High Fidelity, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow are also respected and appreciated novels that generously and purposefully integrate pop culture references and that are holding up over time.
All that being said, it may behoove you to have a passing familiarity with not only some of Andy Cohen’s stable of major Bravolebrities (oxymoronic as that may be), but also some of the salient pop culture happenings of, say, at least Taylor's ten main Eras to the present day, including but not limited to things like the Real Housewives and Below Deck franchises as well as (classic) Vanderpump Rules, reality competition shows like Survivor along with other contemporary TV series, pop music hits and moments, and celebrity feuds, breakups, and scams. You will likely appreciate this book more if you understand the character implications of someone looking like Jax Taylor, or why Mel was repeatedly triggered by hearing constant media mentions of the name “Ariana” throughout the final two thirds of 2023 in the wake of Ari's death. If you cannot grok the significance of Lindsay Hubbard talking about sandwiches or “being activated” in her T-Mobile commercial, some of this book may be lost on you.
While this book may be an acquired taste, it’s also diamonds and rosé, bananas, Gone With the Wind fabulous. There’s nothing grey about its gardens. I die.
Here’s hoping this could be the first installment in a series — the “Broken Brains” series, maybe? It has all the requisite components. I’d read them all!
**The correct answer is Backstreet, as “I Want It That Way” is one of the best key-changing, lyrically nonsensical bangers of late 90s pop.
Many thanks to the author, NetGalley, and Grand Central Publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Let’s Not Go Overboard Here is scheduled for release on June 2, 2026.
December 5, 2025
The wit and the humanity will have you laughing and in the feels. Well researched and better executed. It was such a fun, suspenseful read with a lot to think about when it comes to grief, living, and our private lives.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.75
setting: Greece
rep: bisexual Jewish protagonist
this is a truly great debut and a fab addition to this genre of messy millennial meets mystery. I really enjoyed Mel's voice and how this wasn't empty-headed. there's a lot of heart in here with her grief and ari and I'll look forward to whatever Erica Hendry writes next!
setting: Greece
rep: bisexual Jewish protagonist
this is a truly great debut and a fab addition to this genre of messy millennial meets mystery. I really enjoyed Mel's voice and how this wasn't empty-headed. there's a lot of heart in here with her grief and ari and I'll look forward to whatever Erica Hendry writes next!
January 9, 2026
I love a debut novel! Mel’s internal dialogue and banter with her friends was hilarious and her actions were unhinged. Her constant terrible choices were both frustrating and entertaining. The story seems to use her grief over losing her best friend as a justification for her increasingly chaotic behavior but honestly everything went off the rails and just got very unbelievable the whole second half of the book. Was it realistic? No. Was it a good time and laugh out loud funny? Yes.
I received an ARC of this ebook from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
I received an ARC of this ebook from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A chaotic, over-the-top, cozy mystery, blended with a heart wrenching story of grief and resilience.
While this book is likely to be decisive, I personally loved it. The ability to capture the vulnerability and heartache of losing someone you love while still making the story fun and silly is a feat.
Two thoughts for potential readers:
One, if you are looking for a fun plot, this book delivers. If you read for characters you love, this might not be the book for you. Most of the characters are … not someone I want to befriend. Even the lead, Mel, is captured as self-absorbed and not a great friend to Vash. But hidden underneath all the pop culture references is a woman who deeply loved her best friend. Yes she’s struggling, making questionable choices, and clearly needs therapy. But she’s also relatable in her flaws, doing the best she can given the circumstances.
Two: you don’t need to be the biggest pop culture loving person to enjoy this book. While I didn’t understand all the references, I was still able to understand gist and enjoy the book. Now if you haven’t heard of the channel Bravo, it might be a bit harder for you, but if you can vaguely reference pop culture phenomena’s over the last 15 years, you’ll be fine.
Thanks to Erica Hendry, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
While this book is likely to be decisive, I personally loved it. The ability to capture the vulnerability and heartache of losing someone you love while still making the story fun and silly is a feat.
Two thoughts for potential readers:
One, if you are looking for a fun plot, this book delivers. If you read for characters you love, this might not be the book for you. Most of the characters are … not someone I want to befriend. Even the lead, Mel, is captured as self-absorbed and not a great friend to Vash. But hidden underneath all the pop culture references is a woman who deeply loved her best friend. Yes she’s struggling, making questionable choices, and clearly needs therapy. But she’s also relatable in her flaws, doing the best she can given the circumstances.
Two: you don’t need to be the biggest pop culture loving person to enjoy this book. While I didn’t understand all the references, I was still able to understand gist and enjoy the book. Now if you haven’t heard of the channel Bravo, it might be a bit harder for you, but if you can vaguely reference pop culture phenomena’s over the last 15 years, you’ll be fine.
Thanks to Erica Hendry, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Absolutely loved this. It was HILARIOUS, first of all, and I could not stop laughing the entire time, but Erica Hendry is also a gorgeous chronicler of grief, friendship, self-acceptance, and found family. The prose is lush, evocative, and punchy with a fast pace that left me unable to put this down. Since it's a mystery, it also had my heart racing - I don't typically read a lot of books like this, but I want to now, because I was hiding behind my hands breathless with what was going to happen next. What a knockout debut. If you're into women's fic with a mystery/thriller bent, pop culture references that are absolutely hilarious and seamlessly integrated into the narrative, and a story of a woman spiraling (and coming out whole) with grief, this is absolutely for you. Give me Erica's next book NOW!!!!
Review of advance copy received from Author
This book has a lot going for it. It reminds me of the importance of friendship as between Mel and her late friend. It also made me laugh out loud. It transported me to a very fancy world that I will not inhabit in real life. What a fun trip from beginning to end!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Hilarious and captivating murder mystery!!! I don’t even watch bravo but I was laughing and crying while turning the pages. Erica Hendry is a genius!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews