I like what this book was trying to do. By trying to shed light on the painkiller crisis that’s happening, and how it impacts all ages, I think it is helping spread information on an important issue that continues to plague families today. However, I don’t think it was framed as well as it could be. With forgettable characters and subplots that didn’t really add anything or really propel Olivia forward other than to provide a mental distraction, I think the story got bogged down and lost its way in the middle third of the book.

I applaud the representation, as there weren’t just cis and straight characters presented in the group of teens readers meet. I appreciate the effort to center a story on such a pertinent issue. And, that is why the book gets 3 stars from me instead of 2. If there had been more development in that plot and more thought put into how the third act reveal happened, I think I would’ve rated this book higher.

We Ship It by Lauren Kay

I finished this book in two days while on vacation. It’s such a cute one! I loved reading it.

Olivia is an overachiever high schooler with a plan—get a fancy fellowship, go to medical school, become a doctor. Right as she’s in the midst of her fellowship essay, her parents drag her and her younger brothers on a week-long cruise, where, through her new friendships and romance, she faces the truth about her older brother’s death that her parents have long evaded.

My immediate thoughts upon finishing the book were 1) it’s still fun to read YA even in your 30s and 2) I would have especially adored this book if I had been able to read it in high school.

The book does a fantastic job of capturing how childhood grief manifests as children grow up. I lost my little sister when I was 10, and this book reminded me of how deeply identity-forming that kind of loss is as you grow up. Olivia is always analyzing things through the lens of losing her older brother, and it shapes nearly every decision she makes. Watching how her new experiences from the cruise empower her to speak up, embrace the truth, and fully feel her grief was honestly such a delight. I loved watching Olivia’s growth. The friendship dynamic was so pure too—I adored all of it. Really made me feel surprisingly nostalgic.

I highly recommend this one, especially if you’re looking for something youthful or wholesome. It blends kindness, grief, growth, and humanness beautifully.

Thanks to @harpercollinsch and @netgalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review. And happy belated publication day—it’s officially out now! 🙌🏼

📖: (5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rating: 3/5⭐️

Publication Date: June 20 2023

Author: Lauren Kay

Review: This book is very YA and it’s very out of the realm of book that I read now but something about it (the cover) drew me to and and I’m glad I read it. It’s an easy read but it does touch on some not so easy topics which helps with the book.

I’m out of my YA ERA but with that I’m not an emotional person I don’t show emotion easily so if you are this book might pull at your heart strings a little more.

Thank you netgalley and HarperCollins children’s books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

I thought this was a great YA summer read, that also touches on some serious topics. And I think the cover is really cute! Overall, I would recommend!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Between first loves and first heartbreaks, this book will give you feelings of nostalgia. I loved all the different characters and cruise ship romances we followed throughout this book. The story was heart-wrenching at times as the main character dealt with grief and at other points it was very light hearted and comical. I really enjoyed seeing the self discovery throughout the book. Thank you NetGalley for this e-ARC!

A young Jewish overachiever is forced by her parents to go on a family cruise ship vacation. With great reluctance she complies finding a new love interest and learning to loosen up a bit while also discovering a dark family secret that rocks her world. Great on audio read by Hope Newhouse, this book tackles some heavy topics including accidental overdose of a loved one, opioid addiction and mental health. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Super smart Olivia is fixed on her life plan when her parents announce they are going on a cruise. Needing to finish her presentation, Olivia does not have time for that. She only gives in when she realizes they are going to a place her and her older brother dreamed of.
While on the cruise, she learns to be a teenager and deals with the death of her beloved older brother, Logan.
Opinion
This book brought out strong emotions and left me in tears. Do not expect to be left unaffected while reading this book, and if you don't like crying in public, read it at home. The cry was definitely a good cry even though the reason behind it was not necessarily a good one.
This is a book that will tear you apart before piecing you back together. I highly recommend you read it if you are in need of a good cry or a restoration of faith in humanity.
Many thanks to Net Galley and HarperCollins Children's Books, HarperTeen for providing me with an ARC of this book.

3.5 stars! This is YA book that explores topics like grief and addiction in a great way.

Olivia is a straight-laced high school student who is forced to go on a cruise with her parents the same week that an incredibly important research paper is due to help her win an internship. She is determined to become a cardiologist after her older brother dies at 17 from a random heart attack. While on the ship, she has a strict schedule she wants to stick to in order to do her research project. However, she reconnects with her easy-go-lucky childhood friend Jules who is the complete opposite of Olivia and vows to help Olivia let loose and have fun. Then Olivia meets Sebastian and she's taken aback by how quickly she's able to develop feelings for someone she barely knows. She starts to use the cruise as a way to find out who she is.

I really enjoyed the premise of this. Olivia was frustrating at times, but I think that she will be a very relatable teenager to others who read it. Jules was more dramatized to me. Where Olivia is a prude, Jules is proud to sleep around and drink constantly (which makes it hard to believe she's 17).
While my heart hurt for Olivia and the death of her older brother, it felt like their relationship was a little too cringy for me, especially with the way she idolized him.
Her parents were incredibly blind to their kid's needs, which is shocking since both of them are supposed to be well educated lawyers.
I did love the topics explored, including autism and post traumatic stress disorder. The ending was such a great wrap up and I loved seeing the character growth from most of the characters. Overall, I would definitely recommend this!

Thank you to #netgalley, Harper Collins Children's Books, and HarperTeens for an eARC of this book! All opinions are my own!

I liked this but it's marketed as a romcom and it's not. The only qualifier for something to be romance is that it has a happy ever after and this doesn't. I think that does the book a disservice because I think it's a good book about a girl finally learning to deal with her brothers death. I like the journey that Olivia goes on in learning about herself and how to still talk about her brother.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperTeen for the ARC of this book. I devoured this book while on a flight and definitely almost bawled near the end. This was a romance and coming of age story that was extremely compelling. I went into this with few expectations but they were well exceeded. Seeing the growth of Olivia to be more open to the world and break out from the haze she lived under for so long was really well done. It even eschewed the ending I expected and did it well. 5 stars

Olivia has lost her older brother, who was also her hero and best friend, with whom she had a dream to one day go to the Antigua. That was many years ago, her family's dynamics changed completely; she's now the older sister of twins, her parents are always at home, and she's given up musicals. She now wants to be a doctor to research what could cause and what could prevent a teenager from dying from a heart attack. And when she should be concentrating on the research to secure an internship, their family needs to go on a cruise. That's where she meets Sebastian and starts living again.

3.5, rounded up to 4.

We know Olivia has many issues, issues I thankfully have never had to deal with, but I found interesting how it's dealt with. I like how this was all treated. Her life isn't one big drama, she is trying to cope. It's maybe what will happen to teens who go through such a trauma, it's probably more silent than books usually portray it. Olivia seems to be functional despite all. But is being functional enough?

This is a romance, but it's also a coming of age, a coming out of grief, or maybe coping better with it. But the romance is also interesting. It surprised me to be honest.

What I didn't like about this story is how new information would be added. Sometimes it would pop so randomly I'd think I already knew it and forgot, so it was a little confusing and made me stop reading to go back and check, which isn't ideal. It wasn't about the timing, because it made the plot thicken, it was exciting to learn those bits. It was really the way it was presented. Instead of giving it an oomph, it just threw me off every time.

Development and conclusion were good. I'm not sure it was a perfect ten, I did frown a tiny bit at her parents at the end, but it was okay. I just think it could have been better. I liked that we had some plot twists, not what you'd expect from a teenagers' romance, but I'm not sure I believed the big twist, so I frowned at it too. At the same time, though doubting, I liked the idea.

It's hard to comment much without spoiling the book, but you can see it's a book that makes you think and want to comment. Recommended read for YA lovers, especially if you liked something a little heavier without being really heavy like Tell Me Three Things and The Last Time We Say Goodbye.


Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

This book!

At first I thought oh no. When introducing Olivia she was completely study driven, no life living character. Very Paris Geller. But she was not! Thanks in large part to Jules.

This book was funny. This book was heartbreaking. You’ll be rooting for {almost} all the characters by the end of the book. Seeing new sides to them and cheering them on for their futures.

Definitely read it if YA with emotions is your thing.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review.

This is a beautifully written book that tackles the tough topic of loss and how to keep the memory alive. I enjoyed the vibrant cruise setting and the characters were well matched!

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read and enjoy this e-arc.
This is one of my favorite romances of the year. It was very cute, but I will admit some parts were cringy but that could just be a personal opinion and some people might like those parts. The cover design is also so freaking cute and represents the novel very well.

This is not your average rom com, but rather a contemporary YA story about a teen who is juggling a lot challenges (family issues, first love, anxiety, grief, etc.). Most of the story takes place on a cruise ship, which is a great creative constraint, and makes for a really interesting setting. While at times the instalove was a little hard to connect with for me (as someone who doesn't love that particular trope), I appreciate that it was actually called out and discussed in the book. There's a fun cast of characters as well!

The relationships in this book were very realistic and enjoyable, but I found the rest of the premise of this book to be pretty unrealistic; having a main character with such obvious symptoms of OCD but no assistance from her parents in that department was impossible for me to let go.

🚢eARC Book Review🚢

“If I had every single moment of my life planned out, there would never be any space for the unexpected—the magical moments that take your breath away, that you remember forever.”

We Ship It by Lauren Kay
Pub Date: June 20th, 2023
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟(5/5)
Spice: 🌶(1/5)

Review:

Olivia is a 17 year old obsessed with the idea of attending Brown for an 8 year combined undergrad and med school program. She is SOOO obsessed that she wants to spend her spring break writing a science fair paper instead of going on a cruise with her parents and 2 younger brothers. We quickly learn that Olivia is still grieving the loss of her brother who died 6 years ago from what she believes is a heart attack. Which is the main focus of her research paper.

Turns out Olivia does not get her way and is forced to go in the family cruise where she reconnects with her camp friend Jules and makes a few new friends along the way.

As it is pride month, there are queer relationships aplenty in this story. Gay, lesbian, non-binary love. It’s sprinkled in. This is the kind of book I wished I had in high school.

Also, I would be remiss to not mention the Jewish rep as well!! The bar mitzvah reference to formal night on the boat and sitting shiva. All make me so happy to read.

Semi spoiler:
Wow I read this entire book in one day, 2 sittings. This book has me in tears writing this review. Good happy emotional tears. This book hits close to home. There is a struggle with addiction that hits very close to home for me. Lauren Kay handles it beautifully.

If you like:
- Broadway
- Cruise ships
- Antigua
- Queer and non-binary rep

QOTD: What is your dream cruise destination?

Thank you to Net Galley and HarperCollins for proving me with an eARC of this novel.

This book may look like the perfect summertime beach read (and some parts of it definitely are), but the emotions at the end will knock you flat! I really enjoyed the battle Olivia deals with when she tries to balance all of the cruise shenanigans she gets up to with her crew and the presentation she is working on, it made her character more interesting. And then there are the EMOTIONS! Olivia is really put through the ringer at the end of the book and it really makes it clear just how incomplete her view of the story is. I really enjoyed this and think it is a great and emotional summer read! ☀️

I loved this book. I was not expecting that much romance though, I thought it would be more of a side topic. But the story was so inspiring and heartfelt, it was wonderful.

If I’m being honest I didn’t know how I was feeling about this book most of the time, it took me a long time to like the main character, but by the end I was in love with this book. It’s a cute YA coming of age book that the main goal to to show that balance is needed in anyone’s life. Hurt is unavoidable but it’s still worth it to try.

I love the idea of a cruise, one week can change a person’s entire outlook on life cause they are forced to re-examine everything they knew. The cruise ship seemed terrifying being NY themed but that could have just been cause I’ve never been on a themed cruise before, only regular ones lol

This book is perfect for a teenager but it also has some good reminders for an adult that I really enjoyed!