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!

This is billed on Goodreads as a debut romcom, but it didn't give romcom. It was very emotional and bordered on depressing and was definitely, definitely heavier than I thought it was going to be when I picked it up. My heart and my mind weren't in the right place for this story, so ultimately it was a DNF for me at 20%.

Wow! I requested this book because of a few things: I hadn’t read anything by this author yet, the storyline seemed interesting, and the cover was gorgeous. Happy to report, I am not disappointed! I laughed and cried reading this and really resonated with Olivia. I will definitely be recommending this cute book to friends!

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Teen publishing for an advanced readers copy. All Opinions are my own.

Positives: This was super fast paced. The first half was a little slow and I never really connected with the characters, but by the 50% mark, I didn't put it down. The setting was really cute and I loved the tackiness of the ship. The side characters were really cute, and I enjoyed the positive representation that was casually mentioned among the side characters-- it was well done. Negatively, however, I found that the main character wasn't necessarily one readers would relate to or enjoy (maybe until the last 20% of the book). However, once readers understood her, she was more likable. That said, an unlikeable MC and a fairly shallow (shallow in the sense that he wasn't fleshed out) love interest made it so I wasn't as engaged with the plot. I would for sure say the setting and the deep and well done storyline of Olivia's brother and family dynamic was much more engaging and enjoyable than the romance, which was disappointing. However, that plot was really well done. I loved reading about Olivia's family and her parents, and their journey to the truth and healing together. I also really don't love the instalove trope. Although it was addressed as something that the characters noted to be genuine, that discussion doesn't really excuse a lack of chemistry. I found that the two leads just sort of met, and then Olivia became obsessed (that was relatable if not a little sad). But, regardless of that all, I really loved the well done and kind plot line about addiction, medicine, family dynamic, and love. I think if the book had been marketed more/centered more on Olivia and her self growth rather than a supposedly key romance, I think it would've been more my cup of tea (this is coming from someone who loves romance!). All that said, Kay is clearly a writer who is talented and uses a great deal of research and clear planning, so this was a great read and a great product of efforts!

This YA piece follows a type A, detail-oriented protagonist as her family foists a vacation on her. Along the way, we learn that her family lost her older brother and has never quite recovered. Kay creates an incredibly determined, yet insecure, young woman. Her protagonist, Olivia, worries and second guesses every decision. Kay is able to temper this trait so the character does not become overly obsessed and annoying to the reader. Choosing the cruise ship as a setting works for the growth she wants Olivia to gain. I enjoyed her commentary about the kitschy decor and activities on the ship.

I will be honest, this is not my genre. However, my patrons ask for it all the time, so I make an effort to search for the best books out there. The description of the book had me thinking about Jared Reck's Donuts and Other Proclamations of Love (which I actually liked - a lot). So, I dove in thinking this might be my next romance book recommendation. I do still see echoes of Donuts in this book, but actually think it is much more than a romance story, I think this is more of a coming-of-age novel. It is well-written, funny, and poignant. It wasn't what I thought it would be and that is sometimes the best kind of book. I will recommend this book often.

I had such a fun time reading this book. I didn’t expect it to have such heavy topics throughout. It felt very realistic.

I liked following Olivia, and how she came out of her shell. Sebastian was a great love interest, saying or not saying all the right things at the right times. I really felt connected to all the characters.

Overall I thought this was a very solid read. I thought it was well written and thought provoking. I got more out of it then I thought possible.

Again, any book with a cruise ship is enough to draw my attention and this one had a gorgeous one on the cover. Loved the concept and also the execution. It was a fun read and I would recommend this one to anyone who want something light!

This felt more than a light hearted romcom. There’s substance within these pages that can resonate with any one who has experienced loss. That aspect of the book was written really well and developed in a way that I felt truly captures grief.

The rest of the book felt more of a mess than a teenager finding her way and growing into her own person. Olivia had a lot of issues that plagued her, but romanticized her reality too much for me to see any growth. I felt this had the potential, and maybe with the correct audience, it would be a knock out book.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperTeen for this ARC

This was a wonderful story from start to end journaling a family's struggle to understand and communicate with each other through a tragedy. Setting the stage on a cruise ship is something I've never come across and it was very well tied together. Lauren is a wonderful author that has a way with words that weaves worlds in the imagination and really pulls you into the world of Olivia and her family. I loved this from start to finish and can't wait to see what other tales she shares with the world!

Type-A teen Olivia is forced to go on a cruise with her parents and younger brothers when she'd rather be working on an important project. She's focused on college, not disappointing her parents, and dealing with the grief of her older brother who passed away.

This rom-com is about far more than a teenage romance; it's about grief, absent parents, and figuring out what you want and who you want to be. I enjoyed Olivia's journey. She forced herself to be perfect and missed out on a lot of teenage experiences because she felt like she had to atone for her brother's death. Her parents caused quite a bit of damage, and I would have liked to see more groveling from them. The others characters were well-developed, but I didn't like Jules or Sebastian at all. They were selfish, as teenagers can be, but they were definitely realistic.

I think the teenagers were written well and I enjoyed the dialogue and banter. I was happy to see Olivia figure out what she wanted and stand up for herself by the end.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a good beach read for teens. The summer before lots of big life changes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing me with an ARC of We Ship It in exchange for a fair and honest review!

I found myself quickly caught up in this story. Having been on several cruises, I thought that the setting details were spot on, and this was the perfect backdrop for the development of Olivia's character from a total control freak to being able to live in the moment. The story of Olivia's brother was told realistically and really pulled on my heartstrings. This was a great "first love" story.

I'm not sure how many of my middle school students would be able to access this book; there are several sexual situations and lots of underage drinking, although I will say that the discussions about and reactions to these issues turned out to be mostly healthy.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book, and I think high schoolers will love it!

Wow. I did not expect the emotional rollercoaster this book was gon a take me on. I expected light-heart romance vacay, but this was so much more. The character, the story, the aesthetic of the book was even deeper than the cute little cover might show. The beginning felt very slow to me, but picked up about 30% into it.

Thank you to netgallery and the publisher for providing me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. It was a fun read.

Olivia likes to have everything controlled especially with losing her brother. Olivia and her family go on a cruise where she meets up with someone she hasn’t seen awhile and they meet another group of teens. Olivia discovers things about herself and her family along the way.

#WeShipIt #NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-arc copy of this novel. Cute romance, with lots of fun!