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.
With a compelling author’s note, Katherine Center delivers the perfect escapist story in The Shippers. She shares that this novel was written for anyone who needed a hug, and that warmth shines through every page of this sweet friends-to-lovers romance. At its heart are two childhood friends who slowly come to realize something undeniable: they might be perfect for each other as more than friends.
Of course, getting there is half the fun. JoJo is standing at her wedding ceremony when Cooper unexpectedly reenters her life after four years away. No, JoJo doesn’t actually get married, but she also hasn’t let go of her romantic vision of what love and marriage should look like. Cooper may have saved her from what would have been a disastrous marriage, but now he agrees to help her pursue the man she believes is truly the one for her through a fake relationship scheme. Naturally, miscommunication and unresolved feelings complicate everything in the most entertaining way.
This delightful romp delivers exactly what Center promises. She achieves her goal, and readers get that much-needed hug and the satisfying happy ending every great romance deserves. With the wonderful narration by Patti Murin, this book was very enjoyable.














