One 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 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.

I love Katherine Center’s romcoms. She is one of my all-time favorite romance authors, and at this point, I’ll read anything she writes. I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet, entertaining, and funny summer love story.

I listened to the audiobook, and Patti Murin, one of my favorite narrators, did an excellent job. She brought the characters to life, perfectly captured the humor, and kept me laughing, swooning, and completely entertained from beginning to end.

As for content, there is some swearing but no spice. I really appreciate that Katherine Center continues to write closed-door romances, which makes her books an easy recommendation for readers looking for clean romantic comedies.

This is a childhood friends-to-more romance set aboard a cruise ship, which means it is packed with summer vibes and makes for the perfect beach read. I loved all the cruise ship activities and settings, and it brought back memories of a cruise I once took with a friend and her family.

I absolutely loved JoJo and Cooper together. The story kicks off with JoJo becoming a runaway bride after Cooper shows up at her wedding and tells her she is making a huge mistake. The scene gave me major The Graduate vibes and had me laughing right from the start. In fact, there were so many hilarious moments throughout the book that I found myself smiling constantly.

A few weeks later, JoJo boards a cruise ship for her sister’s wedding, and naturally, Cooper is there too. Romance, chaos, and plenty of comedy soon follow. When JoJo discovers that Finn, her childhood crush and first kiss, is also on board as a wedding guest and is recently divorced, she decides he might be her second chance at happily ever after.

Together, JoJo and her sister launch “Project Conquest” to win Finn’s attention. Since Cooper always seems to be nearby, JoJo recruits him as her wingman, and the two engage in some fake flirting to make Finn notice her. As you can imagine, things do not go according to plan. There were so many funny scenes, and the chemistry between JoJo and Cooper made every interaction enjoyable.

While the overall storyline is fairly predictable, there was a twist near the end that genuinely surprised me. I also loved the banter between JoJo and Cooper, which gave the romance so much charm. Another storyline I enjoyed was JoJo’s parents’ struggling marriage. I found myself just as invested in their relationship as I was in the main romance and was eager to see how everything would be resolved.

If I have one complaint, it is that the characters sometimes felt a little immature. Since they are in their twenties, some of their decisions came across as impulsive and lacking emotional maturity. However, there is meaningful character growth throughout the story, and I appreciated seeing both JoJo and Cooper learn and evolve.

This wasn’t quite a five-star read for me because I felt the comedy occasionally overshadowed the romance, and the characters’ immaturity frustrated me at times. Even so, I had a wonderful time reading it.

If you enjoy friends-to-more romances, fake dating, forced proximity, childhood crushes, wedding drama, and cruise ship settings, then this fun, sweet, and lighthearted romcom is definitely worth picking up. It is full of humor, heart, and summer vibes. Highly recommend, especially the audiobook.