Review: The Shippers by Katherine Center
Thank you St. Martin’s Press for my copy! All thoughts are my own.
Katherine Center is one of those authors that can be hit or miss for me. I’ve read a few I’ve LOVED and a few I could have done without. Sadly, this is one that didn’t work for me. I felt like I just never hit my stride with the characters or the stakes. Though i’ve heard from long time fans they loved it, so maybe it’s a me problem!
Synopsis:
“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 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.” —NetGalley
What I Liked:
The Pacing—The story moves and keeps you guessing!
The Humor—It’s funny and bright and enjoyable!
What Didn’t Work:
Just Didn’t Vibe With It/ Felt a Little Too Outlandish—I’m all for a Rom Com heavy on the Com, but I didn’t really vibe with this book overall. I didn’t want to reach for it!
Character Authenticity: 3/5 Spice Rating: 0/5 Overall Rating: 3/5
Content Warnings:
stalking, sexual harassment, violence