I just love Alicia Thompson, and I have since the first chapter of Love In the Time of Serial Killers. This was a really great premise - a former teen band that broke up more than a decade ago is reuniting for a short stint on a themed cruise. ElectricOh! was famous in its own right, but got particular cult status after performing as a prom band on an episode of a CW-type show called Nightshifters, and they're back together again for a Nightshifters cruise. Frontwoman Micah and lead guitarist Ryder had an on again, off again relationship in their band days, and the end of their relationship was all wrapped up in the end of the band, and Micah made some pretty questionable choices before going out on her own. Her biggest regret in all that had nothing to do with Ryder (who is awful) or even bandmates Frankie and Steve (who are not), but everything to do with her childhood best friend John, to whom she hasn't spoken since the breakup. They tentatively try to rekindle their friendship during the cruise, but they've really always both been secretly interested in being more than friends, so things heat up pretty quickly. I love the setup here, and I really liked both Micah and John and was rooting for them to deal with their issues and get it together. As usual, Thompson's writing was funny but also heartfelt, and I absolutely loved that John was one of Asa's housemates from With Love from Cold World. Another winner from Alicia Thompson. Content warning for (off page) child abuse and alcoholism of a parent, and threat of image based sexual abuse.

This was absolutely amazing!! I think this will absolutely blow up in the book community when it gets released. This was my first book by this author, but it will definitely not be my last

I dived right into this story with Alicia Thompson's writing style. I enjoyed the reunion on a cruise ship vibe of this book. It provided an isolated setting for the characters to rediscover each other but was interspersed with fun cruise ship activities. Micah and John reconnected early on in the story which I appreciated but it may not be for all readers.

I adore Alicia Thompson. At first, I wasn't so sure about the premise of this one. A band reuniting to play on cruise? Didn't really feel like my kind of love story. I was so wrong. This was perfect. And I also adore that she tied this in to With Love, from Cold World. That is one of my favorite books and I also just love when authors connect their stand alone titles together by intertwining their characters in each others' lives. Cannot say enough good things. Cannot recommend highly enough. LOVED.

⭐️⭐️⭐️½

Gah! I have mixed feelings about this one. I thought the cruise ship setting was fun. I LOVED John! I haven't read With Love, From a Cold World yet but now I am going to have to so I can get a glimpse of him in that book.

Two things I didn't like about this one:

- I disliked Micah for most of the book. I don't need my heroines to be perfect, but I need to like them and to care that they get an HEA. I kind of felt like she didn't deserve it in this one. Perhaps she needed more of a redemption journey than this book had.

- I was over the band drama by about half way through the book. Eliminating some of that might have made more room for building depth to the romance between Micah and John.

Overall, it was enjoyable. I think this would be a really great screen-adapted book!

This was cute! Not quite a hit for me, but still a charming second-chance friends to lovers story with some fun nostalgic vibes.

Micah and John reconnect on a cruise themed after a TV show they used to be obsessed with (and mildly internet-famous for). There's a lot to love in theory... fandom drama, unresolved tension, and a sweet slow burn. but something about the execution didn’t totally land for me.

Micah was quirky and layered, and I appreciated the exploration of her anxiety and vulnerability. John was soft and loyal in that quiet, cinnamon-roll way. But I never fully bought into their chemistry? It felt more lukewarm than longing, and the pacing dragged in parts. I kept waiting for a big emotional payoff that never quite came.

That said, I liked the themes around friendship, grief, and reconnecting with who you used to be. The writing is warm and witty, and Thompson always delivers a unique twist on familiar tropes.

If you like slow-burns, nerdy nostalgia, and second chances at love, this might work better for you than it did for me!

3 stars — sweet but didn’t sweep me off my feet.

DNF The writing was extremely repetitive with no differentiation in cadence or sentence structure. I could not get along with the writing style.

"Even before they'd had the band, it had always been them."

4.5* stars

This book was so much fun. I was initially hesitant to read a book both on a cruise ship (my worst nightmare) and also about a "famous band second chance" plotline, but everything fit together so perfectly. Even though they were only on the cruise ship for a handful of days, nothing felt rushed or out of place. The plot flowed so perfectly, and the development was superb.

I am obsessed with the relationship development between Micah and John. The development from "right person, wrong time" into what they became by the end of the story was so good. And the YEARNING. The TENSION. I had to keep fanning myself during their scenes, because it was just so HOT. Alicia Thompson writes a phenomenal sex scene.

The playlist for this novel was spectacular. Each song was so perfect for the events and the characters. Scott Street by Phoebe Bridgers is this book's anthem. I was listening to it as I was reading and actually getting kind of emotional about it.

All of the characters felt so real. Their struggles, their hopelessness, everything. Micah's journey to overcome the self-doubt she had been dealing with for so long was perfect. I never thought I would say it, but I really thought the "third act conflict" that wasn't really a "third act conflict" perfectly fit the characters, and actually felt realistic.

I bumped down a half star because the book did lose a little steam after the culmination of the conflict with Ryder, around the 75%-80% mark. However, it slowly built back up to lead into a perfect ending.

I am so obsessed with this book and these characters. I can't wait to see what else Alicia Thompson comes out with.

Best friends who haven't seen each other or spoken in fifteen years?? He's been in love with her the whole time??And they have to spend four nights together with their band that broke up on a cruise ship. . . When a band gets back together after 15 years to perform on a cruise ship, tensions are high and old flames (or a flame that never died out) come alive. As John and Micah reconnect, they finally spill the secrets that they have kept from one another since the band split and secrets they have kept since they were children. This is a medium-paced novel, focused on a mix of the plot and the characters. The characters are likable, although the cast of characters is small, and they undergo some serious character development. Never been shipped is an emotional, light-hearted, and funny contemporary romance.

I found this relaxing and sweet. I love the rep, the whole reunited band story and I LOVED that John wasn't the front man for the band as well. It felt like a more unique take on both the second chance romance trope (well, that and friends to lovers) and the rockstar romance too! This is a good one to pick up for a vacation!

Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing Group for my ARC!

3.75 / 5

Alicia has become an auto buy author, and to be able to get in the good graces of Berkeley and get an early copy was a dream come true. But even better was getting to read John and Micah’s story. The childhood friendship to band mates to estrangement to fully realizing it’s always been you, has unearth in me all the feels and excitement and wonder that goes along with words and the author’s wonderful gift to us. I loved the kindness John leads with, matching Micah’s profound distrust of the music industry with a kind of patience that values her choice and decision. It was also great to Micah slowly come in to her own, being more assertive and vocal about what she wants. The ingredients of a perfect romance was all there, but what brought it to rare air was the mouth on that man. John really had me blushing.

The premise of this book sounds fun but unfortunately for me it was just kind of boring... I feel like a book set on a cruise ship has so much potential to be SO fun but I feel like the setting was not really well used. Also, I still don't really know why John loves Micah other than they jsut grew up together, which isn't enough reason for me. They're cute as a couple but I didn't feel a big connection.

Something about Alicia Thompson’s writing hits for me every time. This was sweet and romantic but also real spicy! 🌶️ Micah and John are two musicians originally achieving fame as a one-hit wonder band about ten years ago. They didn’t part on good terms and Micah hasn’t spoken to any of them since, even though John and her used to be best friends. When a short reunion opportunity comes up, they both decide to say yes. Suddenly the past comes rushing back and they have less than a week on a nostalgic cruise tour to figure it out.

This book was friends to lovers, musicians, former/current celebrity romance, plus YEARNING. Also bi FMC! This was a lovely story and the characters grew a lot!

I am brand new to this genre after spending decades up to my shoulders in fae wings and wyvern and let me just say, what a delightful introduction!
I read this from cover to cover in a single day because I just literally could not put it down. The story is fast moving without being confusing. The plot is very interesting and the world of cruise life is such a fun place to explore!
I greatly enjoyed the dual POV. By the end of the book I felt like I know these people and I'm really curious about where they will go from here.
The side characters were a delightful addition, too.
The entire story moved so well and not a word was wasted or felt excessive.
As my first foray into romance, Never Been Shipped really encourages me to want to keep going!
I really appreciate the opportunity to review this arc and am excited to watch it's journey in the world!

First, I want to preface this by saying I'm still an Alicia Thompson fan, and I really do consider her one of my favorite contemporary romance authors. With Love, from Cold World and Love in the Time of Serial Killers remain two of the best rom coms I've read of late. BUT. This book just did not quite hit for me, and I honestly think it's just because it's not what I want from a romance. One of the things I think Thompson has done best in her other books is build tension and show romance slowly unfolding, and a lot of that was missing from this book because it was a second chance romance. Both of our characters go into the story with so many feelings for each other that it doesn't feel like there's much tension there - even their climactic romantic scenes feel inevitable. And their revelations feel like they happen at a startling pace. I also didn't love how much their lust seemed to fuel their romance. It's not something that has really led Thompson's books in the past, and I was surprised to see it be such a driving factor of the plot here. I like my spice, but I like it to be part of the romance, not the start.

That said, there were some super fun parts of this book. One, I absolutely loved the playlist at the beginning. I wish I had had the patience to listen to them as I started each chapter like Thompson suggested, but I was so ready to jump into this book that I'll have to revisit that option later. Two, I loved the premise! Loved, loved, loved it. I was on a cruise while I read this, and I really could see how the forced proximity of a cruise really lends itself to a second chance romance like this. Having the added chaos of the Nightshifters reunion and the band drama was amazing, too. And I really do love John! Lovesick, curly headed band boys are my weakness, so I was a huge fan from the start.

Overall, I'll give this a 4/5 because I know so many people who will LOVE the pacing and the second chance romance aspects of the book. It's just maybe not my favorite trope. Thanks to Thompson, NetGalley, and Berkley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Alicia Thompson is one of my favourite writers in this genre, consistantly showing up with these stories of fun weirdos falling in love. This one was no exception to that, and an incredible linked story to her amazing With Love From Cold World. The characters are complex, the settings are vividly described and the dialogue is often laugh-out-loud funny.

Alicia Thompson does it again! I really love her contemporary romance and think this one was a home run. Loved the tension and the nostalgia that bound our two leads together. This is the second or third romance I've read recently where music is a big part of the story and I really enjoyed that as well.

I enjoyed the majority of the characters in this book (basically all of them except Ryder), and I absolutely loved learning more about their history together and the bands. I actually at one point had wished the book took place during their time in the band, but I think writing it this way did the story so much more justice. The readers were able to see how much the characters have changed and grown since then and how their lives continued on. There were certain topics I wish had a little more book time.

The one thing I didn’t really enjoy was the first sex scene. It felt like it came out of nowhere and was a bit jarring. At this point we know John has always been in love with Micah, but it mostly just seemed like Micah saw him as a friend before this cruise. It isn’t until after that first sex scene that we start to get hints that Micah always had a small crush on him, but those felt just as jarring. I did enjoy the two of them being a couple once I got over it.

The ending of this book was perfect. I really hope we see more of the other characters in later books (especially Frankie, Tatiana, and Kiki)!

absolutely OBSESSED!! I love Thompson's writing style and her characters! I just have such a good time in her stories and I can't wait to read the next one. If you read With Love, you'll recognize a few characters and this is John's story! and those spicy scenes! phew!! But for real, are there no cameras on this cruise ship?? 😅😅 This is gonna be released in June and I can't wait to get a physical copy!! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my digital ARC!!

I so deeply enjoyed getting back into the world of WLFCW! John was such a great character even jn the brief glimpses we got of him in the first book, and it was so fun to get a whole book (or, well, half of one!) in his POV. I loved Micah too, and all of the side characters.!