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!!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for the eARC, I always appreciate the opportunity to read and review before publication day!

As THE fan of friends-to-lovers (having lived it myself), I was immediately drawn to Never Been Shipped. This was painted as a story of reunited band mates / former best friends that have a second chance at what could have been, and who are still haunted by choices that they made when they were teenagers thrust into the spotlight. I expected the heavier themes around mental health and the discussions around what it's like to encounter fame so young, especially for Micah as the female lead singer. What I didn't count on was how the silly fandom events (complete with shapeshifter cosplayers), and the light absurdity of forced proximity on a cruise ship with Hollywood stars, turned Never Been Shipped into one of my favorite romance reads so far this year.

Beyond just the fantastic concept of a band reunion on a cruise ship with all the fun messiness that that entails, the use of dual pov is what really won my heart - Alicia Thompson's use of dual pov was masterful. The format was such a strong storytelling tool, often showcasing how John and Micah felt or thought similarly about something even after a decade apart, or highlighting that they both had done something in the past with similar intentions towards each other. I was blown away by this technique and how it really gave more depth to the character's shared history going all the way back to middle school. There's something special about the impact a friendship has on you during such formative years, the influence of the other person on who you will become down the road - this story felt like a love letter to that kind of friendship. All of this tangible history and the marks John and Micah's friendship made on one another really helped me root for them both right from the start, even through any communication issues or tensions they experienced.

Additionally: I loved our whole cast of characters in the band - they were so distinct and unique, all having taken different paths and ending up with different motivations and benchmarks for success and happiness. They were so fleshed out, it made me wish I could pop into this reunion and ask them dozens of more questions myself! Who did Steve marry? What stories does Frankie have from working with so many different bands? I want to know it all! I also appreciated the bisexual representation in Micah, and the nonbinary representation in Frankie, as well as the mental health representation in Micah's struggle with panic attacks. They all fit into the story naturally and seamlessly, and gave so much depth to all the characters and their dynamics.

A few small things that kept this from being a 5 star read for me:
- I felt like Micah's family was referenced several times as important in her life, her sister especially, and I felt like it wasn't really expanded on beyond John knowing this or that was important to her, and Micah leaning on her sister and the salon. Considering the role Micah's father played in the band's success and eventual breakup, I wish we had gotten a little more depth there. I also kept thinking about the moment where John's wondering about the ring her sister gave her and him wondering where it went. I'm sure there's something to be said about it symbolizing the passing of time and things changing while apart, but it felt like a few too many questions lingered because John didn't ask! I would have loved to see him actually try to bridge that gap in knowledge.
- Ryder's plotline felt like it had almost too quick of wrap-up, especially with the final full-band confrontation being off the page. I kept expecting him to pop back up after the final performance, while Micah and John were apart, or in the epilogue. I don't really mind that he didn't - but the fact that I kept waiting for it signaled to me that it felt a bit unfinished,
- In some ways I felt like the other band members (specifically Steve and Frankie) were a bit neglected, which made me sad because they had been friends with John and Micah for nearly as long as those two had been friends with each other! This was a very small thing for me, because there's only so much you can fit in one book, and I think it was actually a testament to how real the characters felt.

Overall I rated this book a 4.5 / 5 stars. This is a story of redefining yourself and reclaiming your passion, re-learning someone you once knew like the back of your hand, and how true bonds can't easily be severed (even after a decade apart). It was a romantic, yearning-filled story, with flawless use of both the friends to lovers trope and dual pov. If you love a thoughtful MMC, friends-to-lovers, band member power struggles and drama, and/or love stories about rediscovering passion for music or art, this is for you!

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.!

This was an overall fun and cute friends-to-lovers/second-chance romance. I love the cruise ship setting and the forced proximity that caused between Micah and John. Micah was a great anxiety/panic attack rep and I saw a little of myself in her in regards to that. It was clear that even though there was a lot of animosity between the two, there were still a lot of unresolved and complicated feelings there.
I adored Frankie as a side character and hope that they end up with their own story one day maybe!
I do wish Micah and John had their important conversation a tad earlier in the story but I don't mind a slow burn, and wouldn't have minded a little more of a "challenge" for them or some more deep conversations.
This was a fun combination of unresolved feelings, slow burn romance, music and millennial vibes.

I simply can’t express enough how much I ate this book up!!! This book was tender, it was longing, it was yearning, intimacy, best friendship and love!

If there is one thing that I’m always looking for in a read, it’s a Nick & Norah comp. Some of the most SACRED moments in my life, memories that will never leave me, revolve around connecting over music in a car. There is something so unbelievably special to me about an author who’s able to bottle up the thrill of meeting your musical match. Thompson certainly does that in John and Micah! They share musical jokes, write songs together, make mix CDs for each other, and find so many over points of connection through sound.

This book perfectly encapsulates the two types of musicians out there, in Ryder: the boisterous one motivated by ego who you likely want to stay far far away from, and the gentler souls found in artists like John.

Our main character Micah shares that she’s able to approach John out of the blue when they were young because he had safe eyes, and that tells me all that I need to know about this story. It is intimate moments and sensitive characters and a deep unbreakable bond. It is navigating adulthood and hardships and separation from those who once meant the most of you, but the inevitability of finding your way back to each other.

This story is set in the kooky environment of a TV show fandom cruise, but it is more than quirky. It’s sexy, fun, introspective and endearing all rolled into one! This story does so much to discuss bad relationships, and music industry struggles… all while maintaining the most incredibly realistic dialogue and creating laugh out loud hilarious scenes.

The author has crafted so many wonderfully engaging characters in room mates, to band mates and friends, highlighting identities such as bisexuality and gender non-binary folks without those traits ever being a focal point.
I absolutely loved every moment on sea and land with Micah and John, and I would love to read a spin-off book for any of the other characters in this world. I can not WAIT to read more from this author, and dive into her backlist!

Never Been Shipped is so much FUN and so deeply beautiful !!!! Great for any romance lover adjacent to or interested in the musical world.