The Shippers by Katherine Center
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.
Review: Thank you to St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for an ARC!
After a lifetime of poor life decisions, JoJo finds herself on a destination wedding cruise for her sister and is determined to use this as her chance to address her intimacy issues. She has decided that she needs to lock down her childhood crush and first kiss, and she enlists her childhood best friend Cooper to be her wingman.
Well, this was an absolute delight. I felt absolutely giddy reading this! This story was so fun and funny. This is classic romantic comedy. Katherine Center says in the opening that she wanted this book to feel like a warm hug and she delivered. This made me happy. It's a little bit silly and a little bit fun but that is the point! It made me feel good and entertained me. I have read nearly all of Center's books and this is a new favorite.
Most (almost all) of my love for this book lies with Cooper. What a MMC! Cooper is a dream. I usually am a sucker for books where childhood friends become something more and this book worked so well in this regard. These two were so close for years before having a bit of a falling out. Now, Cooper reappears, mysteriously attractive and accomplished.
I did like JoJo a lot less than Cooper. She is 30 but reads as much younger and more immature. I kept thinking she didn't really deserve Cooper. But I think that's where the book feels relatable - he loves her anyway, despite her flaws, despite the times she messes up. He still shows up for her. I did think her obsession with her first kiss and the whole imprinting theory was a bit silly, but you know what, I'll let it pass because it was a great excuse for JoJo and Cooper to get closer.
There were also some miscommunication trope bits towards the end of this that may irk some readers but it all resolved happily.
This was swoony, closed-door romantic comedy with great banter. I loved it.
Favorite quotes:
"There is no universe where you call me for help and I don't come running."
"The whole ship has been shipping you this entire time."
"He just showed up at the front door of my life like he had his own key - and let himself back in."
"I think you could've been designed by a focus group. That's the kind of handsome you are. You could have any woman on this ship."
"He'd flung his shirt up and raised his arms like a great blue heron stretching its wings so the sleeves could slide down over them - and I arrived just at the apex of all this and got a sight of Cooper's fully exposed, remarkably naked torso."
Stars: 4.5
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