Known for its incredible wildlife and vast, icy landscapes, Antarctica is a dream destination for many.
Just not for Max Lapointe.
Yet after the most difficult year of her life, that’s exactly where she finds alone at the bottom of the world and ready to board the Polar Star on a twenty-three-day expedition cruise that will take her to Antarctica, South Georgia, and the Falkland Islands.
Angry and afraid, Max does her best to keep to herself. But in doing so, she attracts the interest of Reid. Popular, charming, and ridiculously gorgeous, he’s determined to bring Max out of her shell and figure out what she’s hiding.
Sparks fly and tension rises as playful banter turns into something more. The only problem? Max is a guest, and Reid is a member of the expedition crew. Which means that any relationship between them is strictly forbidden.
With Reid’s entire future on the line, should this onboard romance be left to fizzle and die?
Hannah Logan does it again with her second novel, and I absolutely LOVED this one.
First of all, the setting is so unique for a romance. You don’t see many love stories set on an expedition cruise to Antarctica, and it honestly made the book stand out right away. As someone who’s actually been there, this book completely took me back. I could picture everything so clearly and even smell it (penguin poo is no joke!). The scenery felt so real the whole time.
Max and Reid had me hooked. I loved the banter, the tension, and the fact that their relationship is off-limits because he’s part of the expedition crew. It’s a slow burn in the best way and felt really natural as it unfolded.
Just like If It Makes You Happy, this book is about more than just the romance. It’s about healing, taking chances, and finding connection when you least expect it. This one gave me all the feels and actually made me want to go back and do a longer Antarctica expedition.
If you love travel romances with heart, great chemistry, and a truly different setting, you should definitely read this one.
I received a complimentary copy of this book, and all opinions are my own.
Very honoured to be given an advanced reader copy of this book to review.
What a joy! I loved Hannah’s first book and was very excited when she announced she was writing a second. It did not disappoint. I found myself loving the characters more with every page, the complexities of grief, anxiety and confidence issues all dealt with beautifully and set against a rich and vibrantly described backdrop of an Antarctic cruise, complete with spectacular wildlife and daily adventures. I was hooked from beginning to end.
Thank you so much Hannah for sharing an ARC of this book with me.
This book had me on a chokehold! I couldn't put it down!! Hannah Logan does it again, she creates an amazing moving story with beautiful scenery in the background that will make you google how much a trip to the Antarctica costs. The story is beautiful and the struggles and emotions our FMC, Max, goes through are so real that you will feel for her. Amd the MMC, Reid, oh my goodness, Reid is amazing. And they have great chemistry together. And last, but not least, as a reader from Argentina, I have to give a shout-out to the way Hannah wrote the nuances and the difficult situation with Islas Malvinas. If you want to read a unique moving story, look no further, this is it. I adored this book.
'Polar Plunge' is Hannah Logan's second novel. I've followed her on Instagram for a long time and have always enjoyed reading about her travels. She published her first novel last year, a romance set in Greece ('If It Makes You Happy') and I enjoyed that too. So when I heard she'd written a second novel, this time set on a cruise to Antarctica - my dream and most-wanted destination - I couldn't wait to read it. Fortunately, I didn't have to wait too long as Hannah kindly sent me an ARC (advance reader copy) to read on my Kindle. I loved this book on so many levels. It's a romance and I tend to only like romances if they tell a good story as well - this definitely ticks that box. I learnt so much about what it's like to travel on a cruise ship to Antarctica just from reading about the day-to-day life on board. That's definitely going to come in useful one of these days. But it was the writing that really got me - Hannah definitely has a way with words. I was seeing reviews posted by other ARC readers within a day or two of them being sent out. They whizzed through the book. That was how I started too. As soon as I downloaded the copy I started to read a few pages, then a few more. Several chapters in and I had force myself to put it down as it was late and I had to be up early. As soon as I could I got back to it and raced through a bit more. And then it changed. I hit the emotional bit where Max, the protagonist, opens up to her companions about the real reason why she's on the boat. I found myself actually crying and when I came up for air at the end of the section, I felt exhausted, as though I'd actually gone through that traumatic bit myself. I had to put it down whilst I got myself back into the real world. After that I read it in shorter chunks and gave myself time to savour each section. You know a book is good when you get so lost in the writing that you think you're really there and get a surprise when you look up and realise that no, you're on the same sofa or bus you were on when you started reading. This is one of those books. I highly recommend it. If you're not interested in Antarctica, read it because it's a great story. If you are interested in Antarctica and are planning to go there, then this should be essential reading as part of your prep.
Hannah Logan does it again. I find it so hard to believe this is only her second book, it was THAT good.
Polar Plunge literally had me hooked from page one, and I finished it one day because I could NOT put it down.
I loved how Hannah wrote this. It was so easy to read, and I did not get lost at all. She captured Max, her grief, her self doubt, her anxieties so perfectly. She somehow wrote the side characters to feel like main characters. These were the people Max needed in her life. Her new friends, especially Jada, really helped pull her out of her comfort zone.
And can we talk about Reid? How he notices everything about Max? I quite literally mean EVERYTHING. He is a magnificent man, who knows what he wants, and isn’t afraid to go after it… even if it could cost him his job.
I also have to give a huge kudos to the amount of authentic information in Polar Plunge. While being a fictional, forbidden travel romance, you can guarantee the facts shared about Antarctica, the wildlife (I’m looking at you especially, stinky penguins), are accurate. Hannah puts so much thought and care into her writing.
She also managed to make me feel like I was right there in Antarctica, on the Polar Star, with the whole crew. And now I need to go visit Antarctica on a cruise, visit the various breeds of stinky penguins, seals, and maybe do some whale calling (iykyk 😂). Also the random plot twist at the end?! Girl. Outdid. Herself!!!!!
I will be thinking about this book for the foreseeable future, and so wish I could read it for the first time again.
Thank you Hannah Logan for the ARC copy. All thoughts and opinions in this review are authentic, genuine, and my own.
Thank you to the lovely Hannah Logan for the opportunity to review an early copy of this book.
Following a terrible year, Max begrudgingly embarks on a three-week expedition voyage to Antarctica. Despite the wall that she has built, her new friends and the incredible scenery gradually work their magic to help her open up and begin to live again and handsome crew member Reid certainly doesn’t hurt this healing journey. Through the literal ups and downs of the Drake Passage and exploring Antarctica will Max retreat into herself and keep going as she has, or will she take the plunge and find out what a relationship with Reid could offer?
Where do I even begin? I just loved this book. It’s just so well written and easy to read and fall in love with. The lovely characters, the stunning scenery, the sensitive way in which grief is dealt with are just all wrapped up in a wonderful package. I really liked Max’s new friends, they were well developed, kind and fun. Reid is the perfect mix of attractive, sweet, and nerdy. He just seems unproblematic and a genuinely good guy. The vivid descriptions of the Antarctic landscape and the ship The Polar Star made me feel as if I was there, though I’m not sure how eager I’d be to do the polar plunge myself. If I wasn’t eight months pregnant, I’d be frantically searching for an expedition of my own to go look for penguins! It certainly doesn’t help that I’ve been getting Antarctica voyage ads on social media since receiving this book! I highly recommend it and will definitely reread it.
This book! Hannah, I don't know what it is you are putting in these books of yours, but let me tell you I'm here for it!
I was SO EXCITED to learn that Hannah wrote a second book and even more thrilled to receive an ARC. Thank you Hannah for the advance copy of this 5 star read!
I was hooked with the first line. I did not want to put this book down. Hannah has a way of writing that makes you feel like you are truly in the book. Her descriptions of the locations, the characters and the experiences really make it easy to forget this isn't your reality. It's the perfect escape.
Tropes you can find in this book:
Grumpy/Sunshine Plus Size FMC Golden Retriever MMC Travel Found Family Forbidden Romance Close Proximity Slow-burn
This book follows Max as she heads on a 23 day expedition to Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falkland Islands. This is after the most difficult year of her life. This story does touch on grief, loss, panic and anxiety. Enter Reid who is a member of the crew, gorgeous, kind and charming. The GREENEST flagged MMC there is. The banter between these two, I love me a Grumpy/Sunshine romance and this hit! As well watching the FMC overcome all her obstacles and grow into herself was truly a rewarding reading experience.
Hannah created this wonderful world where the side characters become found family and you find yourself wanting all the glimpses into their stories as well. It just warms your heart.
I was laughing out loud at parts and crying in others. Hannah takes you on an emotional rollercoaster with the best view. It's so worth it. This book paints such a magical picture of the trip (so much so that you feel like you are there) This is top-tier writing. Add this to your TBR today and go pre-order it.
This was the most fun I have had reading a romance book in ages. Hannah Logan's stories are unique because they are heavy on wonderful descriptions of beautiful travel destinations that make you feel like you're on an adventure. This one was set in Antarctica, and I loved the words she used to paint pictures of the gorgeous scenery and wildlife, and the details of how the time on board the ship worked.
I loved Max! She is tough and sensitive. Hannah dealt tenderly with grief and healing. Reid is the golden retriever half of the grumpy/sunshine trope, but he had a lot of emotional depth. The supporting characters were varied and a lot of fun. It felt like a sort of found family, just when Max needed it most.
I read this in one day, and was disappointed when it was over. I enjoyed her first book, but think this second one is even better.
I was lucky enough to be a beta reader for Polar Plunge and even that first draft did not disappoint! Hannah has a way with her writing where she��s able to pull you in by just the first few pages.
Her writing is captivating, inspiring, relatable, and incredibly powerful.
Curvy FMC? ✔️ Green Flag MMC? ✔️ Perfect blend of travel and romance? ✔️ Anxiety? Grief? Self doubt rep? ✔️
Beta reading this was incredible and I truly did not think reading it the second time in the ARC copy would have the same effect but it was just as powerful, maybe even more.
Polar Plunge will have you wishing you were on a ship to Antarctica finding your very own Reid because he is the absolute greenest of green flags and I absolutely adore him!
(While this was provided to be as an Advanced Copy, that did not sway or impact my review. All thoughts and opinion are my own.)
Polar Plunge caught me off guard in the best way. Beneath its cool, understated surface is a story that aches with quiet longing and emotional honesty. Hannah Logan writes with so much tenderness that even the smallest moments feel heavy with meaning, and the characters feel deeply human—flawed, hesitant, and trying their best to be brave.
There’s something incredibly intimate about the way this book unfolds. It doesn’t shout its emotions; it lets them bloom slowly, settling in your chest and staying there. By the end, I felt softer, a little raw, and grateful for a story that understands how scary it can be to open yourself up. A beautiful, heartfelt read that lingers like cold air in your lungs—in the best way.
THIS is your cozy wintertime read with the perfect mix of action and spice.
Tuck under the covers with this book and get ready to travel to Antarctica where romance picks up. Hannah Logan's decade of professional travel writing really comes through in setting the scene -- sometimes I felt like I was on the ship itself, feeling the frosty bite of Antarctica and watching all the wildlife. I was absolutely sucked into the romance (and friendships) found aboard this ship... one of the best reads I've had all year!
I loved this forbidden romance! The setting of an Antarctic cruise was so unique and described in detail throughout the book that makes it feel like the reader is right there with Max and her friends. I liked the background on Max and how she got on the cruise, telling the story of how transformative travel can be for different phases of life and difficult things that get thrown our way. Loved both Max and Reid and how their story developed throughout the expedition (and the ending!!). This is the perfect light read to get lost in