A great second chance romance set on a cruise ship. The setting was a nice change from the typical romance settings.

Thank you to Berkley for the advanced copy of this book. All thoughts are my own!

The pop punk, let's get the band back together, book of my dreams!

Once I realized that this book starred John, one of my favorite side characters from With Love, from Cold World, I was completely on board. I was so so curious about his backstory.

I think this was a great friends to lovers romance with just a touch of second chance (they were never really together but they were always that what if ever since they were kids, so I think that it counts). Once you got to know Micah and John and their history, you couldn't help but completely root for them. The setting of the cruise ship was such a fun idea and I loved all the nods to the pop punk bands of my teenage years.

The sexual tension was soooooo thick, you could cut it with a knife. This book was so horny in the best way and the scenes between Micah and John were so HOT. The mutual pining really made this book a fun ride. I just really enjoyed myself with this one and I definitely think it's one of my favorites of the year so far.

Thank you to Berkley for my copy of NEVER BEEN SHIPPED.

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH! I know how much Alicia Thompson also loves Paramore and the timing of when I read this being the same time we got new music from Hayley Williams was just so perfect. I definitely had the perfect models for my versions of Micah and John. I can't wait to read more from Alicia Thompson and I highly recommend you do the same!

We're bringing the band back together! Two best friends and their band mates reunite for a final(?) performance years after a messy breakup. I was riveted the entire time and rooting for Micah and John! The writing was sharp and characters elicted a lot of empathy from me. Highly recommend!

3.5 stars!! Thank you so much for allowing me to read this copy! I really enjoyed this one! This was my first book from Alicia Thompson and I had a great time!! I really loved the setting of this book and the music/band element that it had! I also really enjoyed the romance and found myself smiling at little moments!!

Obsessed. Are you kidding me!?? I want more, I want an entire series. John and Micah are everything and then some! I already want to reread it.

A Alicia Thompson book never does me wrong. “Never Been Shipped” is such a clever title and had me kicking and screaming over Micah and John! The friends-to-lovers/second chance story was written so well, and I’m glad Micah & John both worked out their differences between themselves and band members. I think this is the spiciest book Alicia has written yet! 5 stars!!

This was not holding my attention at all. I didn't care about the bands dynamics so the tension/history didn't really mean anything to me and I didn't care about the reconciliation.

This one was ok. I enjoyed John and Micah reuniting and developing a relationship. This one just lacked anything to really hook me. Micah just wasn't likeable and I had a hard time rooting for her. John was an extremely likeable character though.

Micah’s past is soaked in music, fame, and heartbreak. Once a rising star in a band that soared after a hit TV show feature, her journey was cut short after a dramatic breakup of the band and personal relationships. A decade later, she's reuniting with her bandmates for one last cruise-ship performance, determined not to fall into old patterns. But among the familiar faces is John, her old bandmate, confidante, and the one who got away. As nostalgia and new sparks fly, Micah must face the music. Will this be a fleeting encore, or their chance at a forever duet?

Tropes & Themes
* Friends to lovers
* Second chance romance
* Band reunion/music setting
* “He was in love with her all along” trope
* Forced proximity (cruise ship!)
* One that got away
* Found family vibes
* Slow burn

Never Been Shipped is a soulful, swoony second-chance romance set against the bittersweet nostalgia of band breakups and buried feelings. Micah and John’s chemistry is the kind that sneaks up on you, comforting and familiar, yet full of tension that hits hard once it’s unleashed. The cruise ship setting adds a unique, closed-circle energy, with sunlit decks, awkward reunions, and late-night emotional confessions.

Thompson nails the nuance of revisiting old dreams and rewriting old narratives. Micah’s journey is especially resonant: from teen fame to adult clarity, she’s both relatable and deeply rooted in her passion. And John? The quiet, steady hero who finally finds his voice. The romance is tender and slow-burning, but when it hits, it’s electric. This book is perfect for music lovers, especially anyone who ever obsessed over band ships or teen pop drama in the early aughts.

Loved the setting and set up of this one. I also loved John and Micah individually as well as together. They definitely had chemistry and I enjoyed the little glimpses of their past.

Also, bonus points for all the Asa content because he will always be my favorite!

Anyway, even though this is won’t become my favorite of Alicia’s, I definitely enjoyed it and would recommend it.

Okay, I ate this book up!! I could not get enough of the band drama, the tension, the friends-to-strangers-to-lovers romance—every bit of it worked for me! Alicia Thompson really nailed that messy, nostalgic, romantic vibe of people with a shared past figuring out who they are now and whether there’s still something there between them in the present!

John? My sweet, quiet king. I wanted to bottle him up and protect him forever. He’s soft and warm and strong and steady in all the best ways! Absolutely swoon-worthy! And Micah! She’s wonderful, vulnerable, messy, and real. I was rooting for her the whole time as she worked through her complicated past with music, love, and identity. Watching her step into her power while still carrying so much heart was amazing!

The chemistry between John and Micah? Off the charts. The way they saw each other—really saw each other—as the people they’ve grown into, while still honoring who they used to be, was done so well. And the cruise setting with the band reunion backdrop just amped up the tension and stakes in the best way!

If you're into Tv shows, music reunions, delicious tension, and romance with a whole lot of heart, this one's for you!

A one-hit-wonder band reluctantly reunites on a cruise ship to perform their hit songs, and unresolved tension between the singer, Micah, and her former best friend, John, simmers.

Although Micah had previously dated one of the band members, I was happy this wasn’t a second chance romance. The band breakup felt messy and provided decent natural tension to their reunion. John was very sweet, and I wished he’d gone after what he wanted years ago.

This book started a little slow, but picked up once they were on the boat and performing. I liked it enough to visit my local bookstore and pick up other books by this author.

Never Been Shipped by Alicia Thompson
Overall - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
World - 🌎🌎🌎
Plot - 📖📖📖📖
Characters - 👫👫👫👫👫
Writing Style - 🖋️🖋️🖋️
Vibes - ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Spice - 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Are you a big fan of music romances? TV show Fandoms? Themed vacations? Paramore? Band drama? This one is for you!

We both really enjoyed this new release from Alicia Thompson! Never Been Shipped is primarily about Micah and John, two childhood friends who started a band in high school, blew up after having a song featured on a hit TV show, and crashed and burned after 3 vicious years in the music industry, all before they were old enough to drink. No one in the band has spoken for over 10 years until they are asked to reunite to perform on a cruise ship hosting a giant fan event for said TV show. They get talked into it and reunite for the first time as a band on the cruise ship.

Of course, there's band drama and history, and pining between these two childhood best friends, exploration of the creative process, and what fame means when the public facing version of you is a caricature of the real you. We ate it up! The uniqueness of that particular relationship - someone who knew every part of you before but knows nothing about you now, was handled so authentically and John and Micah's discovery of who they are now while simultaneously reminding one another of who they were, was so sweet.

John and Micah both jumped right off the page, feeling real and relatable delaite being c-list celebrities who don't have to work due to the continued royalties of their one-hit wonder. It had just enough high jinks to keep us interested but never veered into over the top for us.

We highly recommend this one for a summer beach read! Big thanks to author and publisher for providing an arc!

Never Been Shipped by Alicia Thompson
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5 rounded up to 4)

Daisy Jones meets second-chance romance—on a cruise ship. Micah ghosted her band, her ex, and her best friend John a decade ago. Now, she’s back (thanks to dad/manager pressure) for a reunion gig at sea. Cue unresolved tension, simmering chemistry, and emotional baggage at high tide.

John? A cinnamon roll with a guitar. I wanted to wrap him in bubble wrap and hide him from everyone, especially Micah—who made some big mistakes. But their connection is undeniable, and the close quarters force them to confront what was, and what still could be.

The band drama, forced proximity, and musical history all hit the right notes. Bonus points for the cruise ship chaos and a slow-burn romance worth sailing for.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

This is my first book from the author but their covers had always caught my eye. This felt very nostalgic- a band, band has a top song from a show, band breaks up, band reunites for a cruise- and I loved that aspect. I also really enjoyed the characters, messy dynamics are always fun. Solid writing and story telling, overall this really we a fantastic story!

Never Been Shipped has such an intriguing plot. A one hit wonder band who disbanded, coming back together once again on a cruise to sing their song for the show that propelled them into fame.

For me I was imagining an early 2000s band whose song was featured on The Vampire Diaries 😂 which helped me visualize it a lot more.

The MMC John & FMC Micah who were friends before band mates and have a history to them before the band break up have also been estranged and that drama really made this book sound so fun to me.

The execution? Not so much. It was okay. I could not for the life of me bring myself to want to pick this book up. The pacing and the lack of chemistry between the two was hard to stay concentrated.

I've been a big fan of Alicia Thompson's romance books since her debut, so naturally I wanted to read her latest. Never Been Shipped is full of nostalgic goodness, friends-to-lovers, and yearning that is palpable.

I was shocked he’s not her ex! When I saw this was about old bandmates reuniting, I fully expected the love interest to be Micah’s ex-boyfriend Ryder—but it’s actually her best friend John. And that twist makes this rockstar romance feel fresh and unexpected as the group comes back together to perform on a cruise ship.

The nostalgia in this story is practically its own character. From childhood memories and a Teen Wolf–style TV reunion, to the band’s Paramore energy (a dream for those of us who had Decode on repeat during our Twilight era), I was absolutely eating it up.

What really impressed me, though, was way the author mirrored John and Micah’s love for each other. They are constantly thinking about each other—without realizing the other is doing the same. She wonders about his hidden tattoos, and in the next chapter, he’s wondering about hers. He’s upset and doesn’t think anyone notices—she does. They both reflect on the same childhood memory, each thinking the other wouldn’t remember. It’s such a powerful way to show how deeply they see and care for one another.

This was my first Alicia Thompson book and now I’m a total John + Micah stan. Can’t wait to meet the author at SteamyLit Con!

As an older millennial I do love the idea of bands uniting and the nostalgia of it all. This book started out strong for me but about halfway I was not quite as interested. It seemed like the romance was rushed and even though it was a second chance it also wasn't because the two were always just friends? I feel like this book really needed a past and present timeline to tell the story to really get more of the angst and get me to care a bit more about these two being together. There was mention of the past but I really like to "live" more in those timelines too as a reader. Overall I liked a lot about this but it was just missing that extra piece.