JoJo Burton has been bad at love her entire life and she’s decided to fix that once and for all at her sister’s destination wedding on a cruise ship. Her plan: woo the neighborhood guy who was her first crush and first kiss for some long-overdue closure. The problem? She ropes in her childhood best friend Cooper Watts to be her wingman — the same Cooper who left town without a word four years ago and broke her heart worse than anyone. Shipboard chaos, fake flirting, shared cabins, and a whole lot of unasked questions ensue.
Katherine Center is one of my favorites and most reliable authors. I can always count on her for a happy ending and a book that just makes me feel good, and The Shippers is no exception. I listened to this one on audio and Patti Murin was a perfect narrator for JoJo’s voice. If you’re deciding between reading and listening, go audio on this one.
I saw a lot of reviews saying JoJo is annoying and not the strongest leading lady. I didn’t really find that to be the case. Is she her own worst enemy? Absolutely. Does she jump to conclusions constantly? Yes. But she actually grows throughout the story and I appreciated that. She’s not the same person at the end that she was at the beginning and that’s what I want from a main character.
What I really liked was the friendship between JoJo and Cooper. Their history felt so believable. You can tell these two people actually know each other, not just in the “we grew up together” shorthand way that some books do. The banter is natural and funny and you can feel the years of inside jokes underneath everything. Normally the miscommunication trope is my least favorite thing in romance. It usually makes me want to throw my book. But it worked here because the secrets aren’t some massive life-altering revelations. It’s mostly about their feelings for each other and their relationship status, which felt realistic and not manufactured for drama.
The cruise ship setting is fun without being gimmicky, there’s a wedding that’s chaotic in exactly the right ways, and the ending is pure Katherine Center, swoony and satisfying and leaves you smiling. It’s not her absolute best but it’s a really solid, enjoyable read that does exactly what you want a summer romance to do.
If you have a cruise booked this summer, this is your required reading. If you don’t have a cruise booked, you might after finishing this.
See my other KATHERINE CENTER REVIEWS HERE
AMAZON | GOODREADS | BOOKSHOP |★★★★
The Shippers is out now. Huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.
