e-ALC, 11:07:49
Narrated by: Patti Murin
Release Date: May 19, 2026
Published by: Macmillan Audio
Read from: May 2-3, 2026
Stand-alone
Source: Netgalley (I received this e-ALC free from the publisher and Libro Netgalley. This did nothing to influence my review.)
Content Warning: Sexual Harassment, Blood, Abandonment, Injury/Injury Detail, Panic Attacks/Disorders, Confinement, Violence, Child Abuse, Sexual Assault
For Readers of: Audio, Adult, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Friends to Lovers, Most Anticipated, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Stand-alone, Summer Lovin, Texas Local ReadsOne of the hottest, fastest-rising rom-com stars delivers her latest swoon-worthy novel about a destination wedding on a cruise ship.
After a whole lifetime of being bad at love, JoJo Burton decides to solve her intimacy issues once and for all at her sister’s destination wedding on a cruise ship. With the help of a little pop psychology, she diagnoses herself with a fixation on the neighborhood guy who was her her first crush and first kiss (and who just happens to be a newly-divorced wedding guest ), and she decides to woo him during the cruise for some long-delayed closure. Only problem is, her sister’s a little busy being a bride at the moment—so JoJo ropes in her childhood bestie, Cooper Watts, to be her wing man. Cooper: who RSVPed no, but then showed up, anyway. Cooper: who left town without a word four years earlier and moved to London. Cooper: who was, if she’s honest, the worst heartbreak of JoJo’s life. It’s bliss for her to see him again, and it’s agony, too—and the more they team up for Project Conquest, the more she obsesses over questions she can’t bring herself to ask.
Shipboard antics ensue in this witty, heart-tugging, childhood-friends-to-lovers romance—as JoJo and Cooper fake flirt, slow dance, share a cabin, sing duets, treat sunburns, get jealous, rescue each other over and over, and finally, at last, figure it all out in the most blissful, swoony, romantic way.
No one does summer romance quite like Katherine Center. THE SHIPPERS will take readers on the cruise of a lifetime in a story awash with romantic longing, top-notch banter, long-held secrets . . . and true love rediscovered.
*MY THOUGHTS*
I absolutely needed this book after the heavy that was my last read. It did the job and then some. I thought the last one was going to send me into a slump and I wouldn’t like this one, but this one was a true rom com. I couldn’t stop laughing or swooning the whole time.
It’s been a long time since I read a Katherine Center book. I only read them when I want to read about my hometown without mention of the storm lol But this one was actually a lot of fun. Y’all know how I am, I will read EVERYTHING with a wedding, and this one was no different. The crazy thing is, this wedding was between her sister and her ex LOL But it opens with her fainting and calling off her own wedding. When I tell you this book was a hot mess LOL There was legit drama on every page LOL And I couldn’t stop laughing at it. Two things I will always read about are weddings and funerals because the more you try to make it perfect, the more it falls apart lol
Ok so the main character, Jo got on my nerves lol I need the kind of delulu she had because what in the world??? Ain’t no way she didn’t know that it was him. Like I knew as soon as the story broke. The only way she wouldn’t know it was him was if she didn’t want it to be him. But whatever lol And let me just say, the way they made the decision to decide that it was that other person was interesting af to me. Because where in the world did they get that information from? They just made this decision out of nowhere? She claimed it was a study but if that wasn’t the most far fetched thing LOL I was cackling.
The romance was so sweet tho. Again, ain’t no way she didn’t know. I wanted him to take some responsibility too tho. Because why in the world wouldn’t you have said anything? In this whole time? There were too many secrets from him and she is clearly dense, so she needed someone to spell it out for her. Because otherwise how did everyone know but you? LOL I mean it was in everything he did. Everything he did was for her. He was the sweetest and I was actually mad at her for not acknowledging him.
The ending kind of caught me off guard. It was so serious that I remember writing in my notes, wtf? That felt like it came out of another book. It just didn’t fit with the rest of the story. But I get it, it had to be something serious for her to make amends with someone and to have her miss that important thing she was supposed to do. So I guess it made sense, it just felt out of place.
This was a real deal rom com. It’s been a while since I’ve read one where I actually swooned and laughed the whole way. This one had me cracking up! This was definitely the right book at the right time. Definitely a pick me up type of read. I hope if you need a pick me up, that you choose this one too!
Overall, I give this
