While the plot of this book is quite straightforward, I don't necessarily see that as a negative. As someone who enjoys the friends-to-lovers trope, I was excited about this story. However, I found it to be a bit predictable and basic in its execution.

One aspect that didn't sit well with me was the decision for the characters to go an entire decade without speaking. While I’m all for second chances in romance, this long period of silence felt a bit too much to overlook at times.

Thank you to Berkley for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

3 ⭐️
2 🌶️

“If this flops I stg” being the author’s opening line before the story started made me L O L and gave me high hopes for this story but alas, it was a (small) flop for me. While the chemistry and Micah and John was definitely believable, their story just wasn’t doing it for me. I felt I was skimming this story more often than not.

If you are a fan of (semi) second chance romance, friends to lovers, or getting the band back together, this is the book for you!

Thanks NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing for an ARC of this one!

At first glance, you settle in, ready to read a great nostalgic trip down “used to be in a famous band” lane, but Never Been Shipped is so much more. It’s about growing up, digging yourself out of years of self doubt, or of pining for someone/something and realizing that the time is now. Hands down, this book has incredible and inspired music references, particularly fantastic chemistry, is damn funny and even includes a deserved punch to the face. A love letter to the notion that a person can be your home, even when you try to escape it. Be right back, I’m absolutely gonna read this book again, while on a cruise in full emo aesthetic. Author’s playlist for each chapter was absolute fire. Pitchfork would give it a 10.

I've read all of Alicia Thompson's romances and I think this is my new favorite of hers, dethroning With Love, From Cold World (and in case you're interested, my least favorite is The Art of Catching Feelings). But there are some things I don't love about it, such as 1) the trope of best-friends-not-talking-to-each-other-for-10-years, and 2) characters starting a physical relationship without a strong emotional build-up or connection. I am a reader who enjoys lots of meetings and conversations, witty banter, and yearning from my main couple, and Micah and John were missing that when they reunited. It didn't make sense that they suddenly wanted to jump each other out of nowhere. I'd much rather read a slow burn, but the good thing is that Micah and John do have a genuine romantic relationship by the end. When they finally open up about their feelings and talk things through, it's magical. It's smooth sailing to a HEA! The ending made me feel hopeful and that's how I want to remember the book, without the messy miscommunication. It was also wonderful to see Asa and Lauren from With Love, From Cold World, even briefly! Granted, I forgot which point in time we were and what everyone was doing for a living and what was going on. But I figured it out. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC!

If you are an elder emo, this book is for you!

I absolutely adored this story. Personally would not go on a cruise, but reading about a cruise for fans of a paranormal tv show was FUN.
The dynamics of the band members was so interesting and relatable, the characters themselves were just so cool.

This was a fun second chance (ish?) romance. Micah and John were previously in a rock band that became famous for a song aired on a popular TV show. They broke up ... but are now reuniting for a themed cruise. Using this time together to reconnect, this story follows Micah and John and them growing back together. I really enjoyed this writing, the characters were great ...

I just felt that the five days on the ship was a little quick for a true reuniting. The end takes place over more time.. but that felt rushed to me a little bit.

But entertaining and loved their romance.

2.5 spice

OH MY GOD! If you’ve been looking for the PERFECT second chance romance, ‘Never Been Shipped’ by Alicia Thompson delivers a romance so electric, im surprised the cruise ship was still floating because my heart was sinking with all that pure angst🤩

Micah is determined not to fall for her former besti friend who has frankly been in love with her for like ever, John. John’s character will have you absolutely swooning. He quite literally proved what the definition of yearning is and I don’t think I’ll ever get over him. He was the best.

With five days at sea, unresolved band drama, and a whole lot of smoldering looks later? YEAH, it ate.

This book has everything I was looking for- from second chances, rockaband, and enough tension to make even the ship they were on to sink. A five-star must-read for anyone who loves romance, humor, and angst👏

This was another great read from Alicia Thompson! I loved the unique setting of the cruise ship and thought it was a really cool angle to write about a band that was no longer touring or recording together. This book kept me interested and wanting to know what happened next, with the perfect amount of drama and romance smattered in. Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

Thanks to Alicia, her publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an electronic ARC of her book Never Been Shipped.

4.25/5 ⭐️
2.5/5 🌶️

I have read several of Alicia’s other books and was just a fan of how she told her stories. As soon as I saw she was releasing another book, I immediately added it to my TBR.

This story follows a band the reunites to play a few songs on a cruise ship. However it mostly focuses on childhood best friends: lead singer Micah & rhythm guitarist John. While in present day on the 5 day cruise we learn how the band forms, breaks up, doesn’t speak for 10+ years, and how they reunite to play this cruise. All the while following the evolving love story between Micah and John and how it had changed in the 20+ years they’ve know each other.

🏳️‍🌈 rep. Pronoun rep. Mental Health rep.

The characters didn't have as much chemistry as I hoped and I felt the conflict was forced. Not my favorite read but a very fun and easy one!

Alicia Thompson is becoming one of my “must buy” authors. Micah and John’s story is a sweet, slow burn romance, with a fun backdrop of a flash in the pan band getting back together. Very entertaining with a surprisingly emotional feel

Thanks NetGalley for approving me for an ARC of this book! As a lover of "With Love, from Cold World," I was really excited to read Alicia Thompson's new book.... and this was before I realized that it was Asa's housemate, John, as the MMC! Look, this book was basically made for me. 2000's alt-rock band a la Paramore? Check. Late 2000's-2010's CW-style teen paranormal drama? Check. A pining best friends? Check. Smut? Oh, you better believe that is a check!
Was this the best book in the world? No. Are there aspects that could have been a little more fleshed out? Sure. But, could I put it down? Not even for a second. If you have read an like her other stuff and/or are a fan of any of the aspects I mentioned above, then this book is a big recommend from me.

3.5 stars!

Thank you to netgalley for this early copy in exchange for an honest review! this was really cute and fun! overall i enjoyed it and thought it was a pretty good romance book! I liked both of the characters, and some of the side characters as well and I thought the idea of a cruise ship setting was fun and unique! I did feel like it could have benefited from being a little longer, which is not something I typically say, but I felt like a number of the conflicts weren’t really developed enough to be believable, and they were resolved so quickly and easily for the size of them. Additionally, I think it would have been nice to explore the cruise ship setting, and the main relationship’s foundation and depth, a little bit more in exchange for the portion at the end of the book that took place off the ship. Overall it was a good vibe and I liked it decently enough!

I don’t really know what to make of this one. On the one hand, it’s a fun book about old friends getting the band back together for one last show, and on the other hand it’s about people who don’t seem to like each other being stuck on a boat. We know that Micah left the band to pursue a solo career in kind of a shitty way but our only insight into her thought process is that she feels bad about it. John has always been in love with her (or at least her nipples, which are referenced no fewer than 30 times (I checked)) but we aren’t told why he just, like, never said anything, or why he keeps telling her the sun shines out of her ass when it objectively doesn’t. John and Micah do hook up but it sort of happens out of nowhere, which is weird considering they never once discussed a mutual attraction despite being having been friends forever? I can’t imagine casually suggesting that my childhood best friend and I bang while on a cruise but maybe I’m just a prude. There isn’t really much conflict except for one comic book villain who leaves halfway through and Micah’s warring arrogance and imposter syndrome. I dunno, by the end I was just like ???

This book was just the perfect amount of spicy and romantic.

There were so many good parts. Micah and John rekindled their friendship in such a believable way. There was awkwardness and insecurities, but inevitably they couldn’t stop themselves from falling back into their old comforts, but inevitably a good way, not a toxic way.

And I really liked seeing Micah figure life out, to see past the bullcrap of her ex, to look back on what had happened in her life and realize that maybe things hadn’t happened exactly as she remembered, and that her bandmates weren’t the teenagers they had once been.

I also really appreciated that John didn’t push her but also didn’t hide from her. He put his truths out there and let her handle them as she needed. And then he GENUINELY waited for her. He remained her friend even if there was the possibility that that’s all it might ever be.

The whole thing was just sweet and comforting and made me happy.

My only criticism is that it started out a little on the slow side, making it hard to want to keep up with the characters. But once it picked up, it did so in the best way.

Sometimes I read a book where it feels like the author wrote it while staring me dead in the eye and seeing into my soul (metaphorically - bit hard to write that way and definitely creepy!) Never Been Shipped is a delightful look at the intersection of creative fulfillment and commercial success, both the ways that they overlap and how they can come into conflict. It focuses on the music industry, but as an author with a debut out myself next year, I can safely say anyone working in a creative field will see themselves in these pages.

I found myself thinking both of Paramore and No Doubt as I read. Both bands share in the issues that plague ElectricOh!, with a female lead signer singled out by the media in a way that bred resentment. I loved how adeptly Alicia wove the business side of the music industry into both the plot and the character arcs, offering the kind of critique that only comes from someone who both knows and loves something dearly.

The romance between Micah and John is equal parts swoon worthy, scorching hot, and touchingly tender, colored by nostalgia for what often feels to the characters like simpler days, with Alicia's signature talent at highlighting mental health struggles. At times Never Been Shipped reads like a love letter to live music, perfectly capturing the way that a show can light you up if you’re willing to let it, but also how temporary that experience is. I found myself thinking a lot about shows I attended, unearthing memories of tiny packed venues, late nights, and the kind of giddy wonder that comes from watching an artist perform their craft live.

Alicia's talent for layered and flawed characters that are so achingly real they pop off the pages really shines here - and now that she’s added song lyrics to her repertoire, she’s cemented her place in my auto-buy-author list for good!

After the lead singer of ElectricOh! Broke up the band and went solo over a decade ago, none of the band really spoke to each other again. Now they are all back together on a cruise, performing their top hit that was featured on a paranormal tv show. Micah, John, Ryder, Frankie and Steve all parted ways and lived their lives relatively lowkey after the famed European tour that promptly ended their careers, seeing them all back together and learning the dynamics of the band and their relationship- gave me major Daisy Jones and the Six vibes. I absolutely adored every second of it and found myself “shipping” John and Micah after the first chapter!! Alicia Thompson did a great job of stringing along the story of how the band broke up and the circumstances surrounding it- I actually physically had to read this book in one sitting, because I had to know how it ended. The yearning was god- tier and I loved all the silly anecdotes and inside jokes they all had with each other. I have to say I also loved the werewolf fandom themed cruise (if there was one in real life, absolutely sign me up). Overall if you love forced proximity, friends to lovers and second chance romances- I HIGHLY recommend!!

Such a sweet love story of two friends from school who should have been together from the start. But, 20 years later reconnect on a cruise ship where they reunite with their band and fall in love.

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Romance, and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read an e-ARC of Never Been Shipped!

I was hooked from the very beginning and couldn’t put this book down! I’m a sucker for the childhood best friends-to-lovers trope and a good musician romance, so this one was right up my alley. Josh and Micah’s tension was so much fun, and the spice? So good! Their chemistry absolutely delivered.

That said, I lost some interest toward the back half when the story slowed down a bit. While the book touched on some deeper topics, I felt like we only skimmed the surface—I would have loved to see those moments explored in more depth.

Still, I really enjoyed this book overall! It was a fun, steamy read with great banter and a sweet romance. If you love childhood best friends, musician love interests, and a couple with electric chemistry, this is definitely one to check out!

Alicia Thompson's stories are so triumphantly joyful and sweet, with an emotional edge. Her heroes are just the definition of "good guys", I really loved John here and his absolute adoration and admiration of Micah. This book was so fun, with humor and what I'm sure are a ton of pop culture/music/band references (I'm not in those fandoms but I'm sure there are readers who will absolutely clock and love the references).

(Also, look at the cover. HEART EYES.)

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a digital review copy via NetGalley.