This one was really cute. I like the enemies to lovers trope and this one was using that but in the way of two very smart, intelligent, nerdy kids bonding over a fictional TV show that was kind of like a cult classic like Firefly. It was really fun to follow along with their banter and just enjoy the comic con feels since I too am a huge nerd and love stuff like that. So that is me saying the vibes were on point and the love for a fandom was even more pronounced than the main romance between the two front running characters which I thought was cool since its not normally done that way. I also think that Stella had the organizational skills to run a company as a CEO. I wish I was that organized. There was a quote I really loved in this book too. "Success isn't one size fits all" That really struck home. I would definitely read more fandom/con style books like this.

My first ever ARC! Thanks to Net Galley!

I really enjoyed Shipped. It’s like a nerdy “You’ve Got Mail,” and I’m totally here for that. I love how the snippets from the cancelled Sci-Fi show that our two protagonists love (and bond over online) mirror their own IRL relationship. Both Stella and Wes have their flaws which they overcome to become better people. They were both truly enjoyable characters to see develop over the course of the book. I really enjoyed getting to read from both Stella’s and Wes’ points of view.

I also appreciated how even though this story is of course about the romance, other important topics are also addressed, such as the way female characters are written in male-centric Sci-Fi.

If you enjoy romcom, fandom, and pop-culture references, you must read this book!

DNF - I started reading this book but the formatting was very jarring and hard to focus on. Also, having a screenplay of the TV show they are obsessed with in the book as you read isn’t my favorite thing, I just wasn’t interested in getting a play by play of the show itself. This book just isn’t for me unfortunately.

BEYOND CUTE.

Two bitter rivals meet anonymously in an online forum for their favorite canceled sci-fi show—what could go wrong? “You’ve Got Mail” goes to Comic Con in SHIPPED, in a YA enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy. I couldn't stop reading once I had started and the novel left me with a silly grin plastered on my face at the end. Although the plot became a teeny-bit predictable at times - in that class 90's romcom kind of way - I still recommend it as a pick-me-up, feel-good read.

Thank you to Penguin Teen, MTMC Tours and Meredith Tate for a copy of the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much for granting my request for this title. Unfortunately I am struggling to get into this book. I have decided to not finish it at this time. I will not be be reviewing this work because of this. I think that many younger readers will enjoy this book and I do wish it all the best.

Kind regards,

Brittney

A lovely and joyous read. it touches on all the emotions and really well written. The main characters were trult dynamic and fun. Highly recomemd to romance/ comedy lovers. I really enjoyed it.

Wonderful story that had me laughing and rooting for all the characters. Meredith Tate is amazing with characterization and I adored this read.

Stars: 4

An absolutely belated review after the author was so kind as to give me an advanced copy. I'm so grateful for her enthusiasm and thankfulness to bloggers and I wish I'd gotten to this in time properly. Life, however, had other plans.

As for the story itself, this was an adorable read. It absolutely spoke to the way it felt sometimes being a female teen nerd was for me, from convention and cosplay zaniness to fanfiction to male absurdity within fandom. I connected very strongly to this aspect of the story; to this day I still talk regularly to friends made in forum fandom.

I also appreciated how the unveiling of the story's fictional franchise, Warship7, corresponded with the development of Stella and Wesley's stories. I would have enjoyed seeing more time at Sci-Con after all the countdown to it, but I surprisingly wasn't as miffed by its briefness as I normally would be. The author did a great job of making Warship7 and its fandom so prevalent through the story that I didn't need as much time at the actual convention.

On the note of the characters' development, I was so so happy to see how Stella's own class prejudices were called out and her sister stand up for herself. The message that success doesn't look like one thing is SO important, especially after a whole generation had fallen for the trap that it did and hurt because of it. Teens need to understand that prestigious four-year schools are not the only way to move forward with life after high school, and that everyone's paths will look different. That's okay and GOOD.

Cute story, and happy to see that some very good themes were included for the teens the story targets.

It has a fresh take on enemies to lovers trope, with dynamic character growth on both sides.

You've Got Mail is my comfort movie and I must have seen that movie over 50 times, so when I read this is You've Got Mail at Comic Con, I had to read it. This book is an attention grabber since the start and you can't not finish it in one sitting.

It starts with the show Warship Seven being cancelled and fans being distraught, told in the povs of Stella and Wesley who hate each other, because they're both competing for Class Valedictorian and scholarship. They keep ridiculing each other like the debate scene which was so funny.

They don't know that they love the same show, and talk to each other at online forums, when they decide to meet up at Comic Con they realize they have known each other all this time.

If you love Once Upon a Con series by Ashley Poston and If you have ever been a fan of anything and like to post, tweet, shout about it, go to comic cons, do cosplays, you will love reading this book.

This was an adorable read. I found both characters endearing and an interesting insight into fandoms and fanfics. I loved how they are "rivals" in real life but are only able to connect online. It was nice to see them being themselves. I thought it was a fun quick read and I read it in one sitting. The pacing was perfect and Ill be keeping an eye out for other books by this author.

Thank you Penguin Teen for my review copy of Shipped!

Shipped has been marketed as something for fans of Geekerella and I can definitely see the similarities between the two books.

The strong love both main characters have for a fandom is shown clearly through their fan forum interactions and passion for getting their cosplays right. This along with the TV script style sections worked really well for me and were were the similarities with Geekerella could be found.

The split POV was perfect for this book as it not only allowed us into the mind of both of the main characters but also showed us how they perceived each others actions.

I didn’t enjoy the childish pranks the main characters got up to as I felt it cheapened the story. This left me feeling frustrated and I’m sad to say I put the book down at 40%.

I am an adult who still reads a lot of YA and while I choose romances from this age category more carefully than I do fantasy aimed at the same age group I still enjoy YA romance on a regular basis. That said I think I would have found the tone of this one irritating even when I was a teenager myself. I wanted more depth and maybe that comes later on but I wasn’t invested enough to want to find out.

It wasn’t bad at all this one just wasn’t for me. What I read I’d rate as 3 stars - a happy middle but not something I’d be in a rush to recommend to other readers.

This was such a cute read. I couldn't put it down...I loved the romcom romance, tied into a cancelled Sci-fi TV show and the pressures of high school and academic success. ⁣
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I loved the themes this book addressed in the story and it touched on them so well, without dwelling on them or becoming contrived. ⁣
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Our two main characters, Stella and Wesley, are top of their class but this makes them enemies in their race to be the best and become the class Valedictorian. Both have dreams to become better than their families and they come from contrasting backgrounds. One thing they have in common is their love for a cancelled scifi TV show 'Warship Seven'. When they accidentally meet on a fanfic forum through alias names...a shared passion blossoms and they feel seen. But will their true identities ever be revealed? ⁣
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This book is for fans of - Enemies to lovers, scifi geekiness, romcom and contemporary romance. If you love the films - It's A Boy Girl Thing, A Cinderella Story, Princess Diaries or You've Got Mail...you will love this book! ⁣
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Thank you so much to @meredithltate24 for the e-arc!

BOOK REPORT for Shipped by Meredith Tate

Cover Story: Where's Waldo
BFF Charms: Yay? (Mirror Image), Love
Swoonworthy Scale: 7
Talky Talk: Enemies to Lovers, Fandom Edition
Bonus Factor: Fandom Love, Smart Kids
Anti-Bonus Factor: Gatekeeping
Relationship Status: I Don't Like You (Or Do I?)

Cover Story: Where's Waldo
Yet another instance of the cutesy illustrated cover movement, but this one, I love. It makes me feel like I'm standing in the Hall H line at San Diego Comic-Con surrounded by folks in costume. It's also nicely diverse and has an element of a suggested meet-cute with the two characters that are in full color and not quite looking at each other but are obviously meant to be.

The Deal:
Stella Greene and Wesley Clarke are enemies. They're both neck and neck in the running to be valedictorians, and they fight like cats and dogs when they're forced to be in the same vicinity. But they're also both secret stans of the canceled-too-soon science fiction TV series Warship Seven and participants of an online forum that celebrates the show. But they don't know that about each other, nor do they know that the person they're getting to know on the forum might be their worst IRL enemy.

BFF Charms: Yay? (Mirror Image), Love
I started feeling uncomfortable reading about Stella early on in Shipped. It was like looking back in time and looking in a mirror at the same time. She reminded me SO MUCH of myself—both during high school and since—that it was hard to truly ever consider her BFF material. I'd like to think that I'd be friends with myself, but if I'm being honest, I don't know that I could.

Wesley is an intelligent, attractive, wealthy, decent, popular guy with a secret soft side for science fiction shows and creating fan art. He's torn between wanting to make his parents proud and wanting to pave his own way in life, and he works hard for (most of; see: wealthy) the good things that come his way. Teenage Mandy would have been ALL OVER this dude. (And adult Mandy certainly can't discount his appeal.)

Swoonworthy Scale: 7
There's little I love more than a good dose of enemistry, and Stella and Wesley have that in spades. But I wanted more from their chemistry than just being told that they had it; I never quite got the butterflies I was hoping to get from their online interactions—the ones that should have been the swoony counterpoint to their heated dislike in real life.

Talky Talk: Enemies to Lovers, Fandom Edition
Stella and Wesley's love of Warship Seven felt very real—and very familiar—to me, someone who's loved and lost and still pines for shows long canceled. It seems obvious that Tate has experienced similar fandom frustration; no one could really capture the pain and suffering unless they've actually been there.

But as much as I appreciated that aspect of the novel, Shipped still fell a little flat and felt a bit formulaic; it's a rom-com but doesn't ever quite reach the full potential of either of those tropes. That said, it's fluffy and a quick read, which is sometimes exactly what you need in the moment!

Bonus Factor: Fandom Love
I'm always here for a book that celebrates nerds and their nerdy passions …

Anti-Bonus Factor: Gatekeeping
… Even when said nerdy passions are attacked, frequently, by people (*cough*men*cough*) who constantly challenge folks—especially women—to prove that they're a "real fan." Tate handled this aspect of fandom nicely without getting too deep into the more rage-inducing aspects. (Those would not have fit into this fluffy book.)

Relationship Status: I Don't Like You (Or Do I?)
We had fun, Book. And I like you, even though I will continue to assert that I don't. We have similar interests, similar personalities, and similar ideals, and all of those things make for great relationship material. Could I have used more passion? Sure. But that might come, with time.

Shipped follows two teenagers as they battle it out for valedictorian, while unknowingly becoming close friends online.
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To start, I absolutely loved the incorporation of fan culture in this book! Fan culture is something that is so important to so many teens, and I think it was incorporated very well!
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While this was a cute book, it was often times very immature. These two people who were expected to believe were seniors read more like jaded middle schoolers. The “pranks” were very hard to read, because they were just so unrealistic and they read better for a younger audience.
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Overall, I think this would have been better as a middle grade without the romantic aspect. The romance lacked chemistry, and again it was just so immature.
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read if you like: enemies to lovers, fun high school drama.
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This book was super fun and cute. I loved the drama, the competition, the nerdiness.
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Stella and Wesley were great main characters. They are both fighting for the spot of Valedictorian at their school in order to receive the scholarship, but they want the scholarship for different reasons. They have been rivals for so long that they are just so used to not liking each other, but they actually have a lot in common. I really liked how both characters were going through things that the other didn't know about, and that if they did they would probably have a lot more empathy and compassion for the other. Stella was spunky and Wesley was just super cute! Really enjoyed this!
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CW: teen pregnancy, abusive parent, divorce.

Thank you to the publisher, Penguin Random House Canada, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Stella Greene and Wesley Clarke are long time rivals and their battle reaches new heights this year as they are their high school’s top contenders for the prized position of valedictorian, and the scholarship that comes with it. While in real life, they can’t stand each other, they’ve unknowingly been chatting online in a forum for fans of a famous sci-fi TV show. When they realize they are both planning to attend SciCon this year, they make plans to meet in person for the first time. The end of the school year, and with it, SciCon, draw closer by the day, and when Stella and Wes are forced to pair up for a major class project, they start to realize that when they’re not fighting, they actually work well together and share more things in common than they realized.

I love books that delve into fan culture, and an enemies to lovers storyline is always a favourite with me, so it was no surprise when I flew through this book in a single sitting. This reminded me a lot of Geekerella and You’ve Got Mail, and there was a lot of discussion on fandom and respecting people’s differing opinions, while also touching on topics like parental pressure, the competitiveness and stress surrounding college admissions and more.

The characters were great and it was a good choice to narrate it from both Stella and Wes’ perspectives, which really made it easy to understand their motivations, choices and personalities. Their banter is great and while they are both extremely competitive, it was nice to see them begin to work together. Stella in particular was extremely relatable for me, and it brought to mind my own high school days which, while fun, were also a couple of very intense and insanely competitive years. While I didn’t like Wes initially, given that he seemed to be the stereotypical rich boy complaining about problems which seemed so minimal compared to Stella’s situation, he eventually became a much more likeable character, especially with the choice he made at the end of the book.

While it was really nice to see how the two of them bonded over their love of the same show despite their vastly differing opinions on some of the characters, I didn’t much enjoy the interludes from the show. Personally, I felt that the story was just getting interrupted over and over again to show us snippets from the show that we only know the barest outline of – though there are admittedly some interesting parallels between the main ship in the show and Wesley and Stella. Then there is the question of both their family problems which don’t really get a satisfactory ending.

To be completely frank, Shipped was a really cute read, and if I hadn’t read Geekerella before this, I might have even rated this 4.5 stars. Though the premises are different, there are a lot of similarities that make it near impossible not to compare the two and I am unfortunately very biased. However, this was a fast pace and enjoyable read and it is one that I would definitely recommend.

This academic rivals to lovers rom-com was so much fun! I loved how it dealt with different family dynamics, being your true self while also learning not to judge others too quickly and fandom culture. It had great character development and I loved the dual POVs. I even got invested in the show as there are extracts from the screenplay and also discussions from the fandom community platform which I really enjoyed. I definitely recommend checking Shipped out if you’re looking for a cute and quirky YA contemporary!

This is a really cute story that's a cross between You've Got Mail and the quintessential teenage nemesis to love interest trope that seems to be taking over YA this year. I love the super geeky slant that Shipped has. It makes the book stand out because it had the added element of passion for a geeky thing that those around the protagonists don't seem to understand.
Another thing that I really liked about how Tate wrote the characters is that she does a great job of showing how both sides of the economic divide have their own pros and cons. Stella's family is struggling and short on resources, but full of love. Wesley's family is rich, but impersonal and cold. They both have their reasons for striving towards Valedictorian and for enjoying the escape that Warship Seven provides. It really made for well-rounded characters.
Overall, it's a story that I've read before but with added elements and solid writing to ensure that it still reads fresh and enjoyable. It also helped that I'm as geeky as both Stella and Wes.

Many happy thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the early read!

This book is basically WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE meets GEEKERELLA. We get two rival students vying for valedictorian while falling in love through an online fandom forum. But, of course, they don't know the very person they're falling in love with is the person they most can't stand in the world.

I love a good secret identities books so I was really excited to read this one. I was especially happy that this one involved an external rivalry. It was fun to see Stella and Wesley act one way towards each other in real life and completely different online to each other. While their romance wasn't my favorite, it was still cute. It did feel like there was a bit of a spark missing from them, but I'm not overly disappointed by them.

Bridget! Probably the most underrated character in this book IMO. She is the sister of Stella and in a completely different place in her life than Stella wants to be. For most of the book, she's the example of everything Stella doesn't want to be. She dropped out of high school, has a kid with a dead-beat guy, and works at some minimum wage jobs just to get by. I knew the book was building to a certain point with her so I was really happy when Tate did Bridget's moment it justice. There are so many ways to be successful in life!!! Going to college doesn't mean you're going to be successful and happy in life. Not going to college doesn't mean you won't! I won't ruin it all here, but I was just so happy for Bridget's character and the lesson she was able to teach in this book.

The beginning was slow, but not in a completely uninteresting way. Not too much was happening as Tate established both Stella and Wesley's characters and circumstances and also the Warship Seven fandom. I always wish for things to start with a bang, but I wasn't bored at the beginning so I consider it a win.

Lastly, I wanted to see more of their friends! We only get a few scenes with each of their friends and even then, we don't see much of them. I like having more involvement from side characters so I was kinda sad we didn't get much from them. Also, one of Stella's "best friends", Em, is a character we almost never see. She's mentioned every once in a while and shows her face sometimes, but I just kinda felt like she was plugged into the story as an afterthought.

Overall, while this book isn't a new favorite of mine, I enjoyed it. It was fun, full of life-after-high school lessons, and had a sweet romance attached. Plus, I just really love the cover!

I really liked this ya contemporary romance! It was sweet and fun. The you’ve-got-mail trope is one of my faves, along with enemies to lovers, which this also had, so basically this is like the perfect book for me.

I loved seeing how completely nerdy and cool Stella and Wesley are.

There were a few inconsistencies I saw, which I’m sure (I mean I hope) will be fixed in the copyedit. Sometimes it felt like the author couldn’t keep track of who actually likes or says what. Stella’s and Wesley’s characteristics seemed to sort of switch at times. So it was sometimes confusing.

But I still enjoyed the story.