I'm a big fan of Alicia Thompson, and much like With Love from Cold World, Never Been Shipped is a romance about fun, flawed individuals. If I have any complaint (and it's a minor one!) it's that the stakes with this one felt pretty low - I never had any real doubts that Michah and John belonged together. In fact, I really wondered why she had ever bothered with Ryder in the first place - it just really didn't seem to track. That being said - I was wishing for just a little something more to challenge them on their path to bliss, but otherwise, this one was a fun, romantic, sexy read in a highly unique setting. Will definitely recommend!

I loved most everything about this book. The setting, the main and supporting characters, the plot. Very readable! It got me to go back and read its predecessor… It was fine but Never been Shipped is much better!

I felt completely captivated by Micah’s journey and her complicated relationship with music. I admired her determination to face her past and set boundaries for herself as she reunited with her old band. I felt her struggle to balance her passion for music with the lessons she’d learned, and I found her resilience truly inspiring. I connected with John’s perspective as well. I felt his longing for the music and the friendships he’d lost, especially his unresolved feelings for Micah. I loved how his quiet strength and hesitation made him such a relatable and endearing character. I felt invested in his internal conflict as he decided whether to take a chance on both the music and Micah this time around.

Overall, I thought this book was beautifully written and full of heart. I felt completely immersed in the characters’ lives, and I couldn’t put it down. It’s a story that stayed with me long after I finished, and I’d recommend it to anyone who loves music, romance, and stories of personal growth.

I wanted so badly to like this book!!! I was so excited the cover is so cute and friends to lovers is just a nice trope. But maybe it was being on a cruise ship, the sparse amounts of Elvis compared to my expectations but this book just wasn’t it for me.

I do think there’s some good things to point out like this writing itself is good! I really liked the representation of sexualities.

But some characters just felt so flat and underutilized.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkeley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Overall, I really enjoyed this. I loved the dynamic between John and Micah. I loved the side characters (Frankie, you have my heart). I thought the push and pull between the two main characters was great and you could really see how they’d been best friends growing up, how it had all fallen apart, and why it needed to fall back together. I really loved Alicia’s prose in this story. The actual words that Alicia chooses to use and how they are used adds so much to the beauty and enjoyment of this story. I thought this was a great friends to strangers to lovers story, and it was incredibly well done considering the story starts for the reader in the strangers part.


Synopsis: Micah's relationship to music is complicated. As teenagers, her band took off after being featured on a popular TV show, but the group barely released their sophomore album before breaking up. Now, over a decade later, the band is reuniting for one more performance on a themed cruise, and Micah is determined to learn from her past mistakes -- no losing herself in the music, and no losing her heart along the way. 
 
John misses playing in a band, and mostly he misses Micah, who'd been his best friend until the music stopped. Back then, he didn't take the lead, either in his guitar parts or while he sat back and watched her date another bandmate. John's never been one to rock the boat, but he's faced with another chance now that this cruise has brought music -- and Micah -- back in his life.
 
Onboard, Micah can't help but see John with brand new eyes, and John's feelings only intensify as the discordant band's tension grows to a breaking point. With five days at sea, there's a ticking clock on anything that might develop between them, and they'll have to decide if their relationship is destined to be more than a one-hit wonder.

Absolutely stunning cover! Alicia Thompson is quickly becoming an insta-buy author for me. This wonderful standout best-friends-to-lovers story that follows Micah and John, former bandmates of ElectricOh!, as they reunite for a performance a decade after their band’s breakup. Micah still coping with a failed solo career, living of her old royalties, and John who has now built a new life, both struggling with sooo much pent up tension that is tighter than their guitar strings. With just 5 days on the cruise there is a ticking clock and they must decide whether to face their unresolved feelings or leave the past behind. Thompson masterfully combines heart, music, and undeniable chemistry in this steamy and emotionally charged tale. It's a perfect blend of vulnerability and confidence that had me hooked from start to finish.

3.75 rounded up to 4 stars

I thought this was a super fun and quick read! There were some heartfelt moments and humorous ones. I appreciated the anxiety rep and really liked how multi layered the characters were. I love second chance romances and this one was cute!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
i am a sucker for a friends to lovers story, and this one being a sort of ex-friends to lovers, book made me super happy. getting to see the relationship between john and micah rekindle and grow as they realized they had always been more to each other was so precious. both main characters were well written and ive never related to the idea of “fear of success” as much as i did while reading micah’s story. john was just so precious and his love for micah was apparent in everything he did. frankie, i think, was my fav like “side character” and everything they said and did was so perfect and i just adore them. the cruise was silly but i think it was written well and was a good place for micah and john to feel like they could explore the relationship between them. overall, i loved this book, the only problem i had with it was that with third person i don’t feel like i can connect with the character quite as much as i can in first person but it was still written extremely well!! im excited to read more by alicia in the near future :)

I loved this authors other books and this one was so cute! The cover drew me in and the story was precious! The characters have it bad and it was so fun to follow their stories! I gave this 5 stars because it had everything I look for in a rom com!

This was so much fun! I loved the sort of nostalgic emo vibes of the characters and how it was a childhood friends type of second chance. Micah and John really had a deep understanding of each other and I loved how they reconnected. The forced proximity was delicious, and I felt like the external conflict stakes were solid (the performances, Ryder, etc). Fun side characters as well! A great combo of heart, heat, and humor. Would absolutely recommend!

If you were that person in 2007 secretly (or not-so-secretly) shipping Hayley Williams with literally any member of Paramore… oh boy, do I have a story for you.

This book is like a love letter to that era of eyeliner-smudged band crushes, messy feelings, and slow-burning chemistry that makes your heart ache in the best way. Think: fiery frontwoman energy meets emotionally repressed bandmate vibes. It’s delicious.

Trust me—you’re gonna be obsessed.

what an electrifying romance from Alicia Thompson! this was my first read from her and it certainly didn't disappoint. if you're a fan of pop culture, childhood friends-to-lovers and DRAMA, this one's for you. 'Never Been Shipped' sets sail on June 10th 🚢

as teenagers, ElectricOh! took off after being featured on a popular TV show. A decade later, after a tumultuous break-up, the band reunites to perform on a cruise for fans of the TV show that launched their career. not only is Micah (lead singer) forced to reunite with her ex-boyfriend Ryder, but also her childhood best friend John.

i have never read a book set on a cruise, this was so fun and unique! i was hesitant about the third person, but it was dual POV and i still felt like we got a lot of insight into what Micah and John were thinking.

this was funny, self-aware and lively! i loved the parts about fame, performing, and fandom. i find there's often a fine line between being current and cringey when it comes to books about famous people and fandoms, and I didn't find this one to be cringey! i loved the part where Micah was reflecting on fan accounts, as someone who has always run fan accounts. Micah's love for music is a complicated one, and I loved delving into that. I could definitely see some Hayley Williams influence in Micah's character.

the spice is so good!! they have been WAIIIIITING for this, the tension is insane.

also the REPRESENTATION! Micah is bisexual and Frankie (another member of the band) is non-binary and i loved that rep a lot.

I am definitely interested in reading more from Alicia Thompson in the future!

thank you Berkley Romance for the eARC!

Alicia forever has my heart with her deep emo Paramore knowledge. It’s like we are kindred spirits.

It was impossible for me to NOT picture the members of Paramore during this (IYKYK) but oh man did I fall for John because he possesses everything I go feral for

✨ plays guitar
✨ super hot
✨ kinda a simp
✨ thoughtful
✨ good in 🛌

The tiny details that Alicia included with Micah and her anxiety were just the best. It made me relate to Micah and absolutely feel for her and everything she has gone through 🥹

Never Been Shipped is without a doubt my favorite Alicia Thompson book yet 🤘🏻🤘🏻

This book was actually everything I could have possibly wanted. It’s like I dreamt it up in my head. Love the setting of it, it adds a whole new level of fun

I've read a lot of romances set in the music world and this was a good one. I liked the characters, their relationship made sense, as did what had kept them apart.

If the cover wasn’t enough to suck you in… Rockstar Romance with an MMC who plays the guitar, need I say more? I didn’t think so.

Instantly obsessed with Alicia Thompson’s writing. 👏🏼 Micah and John’s chemistry was off the charts. I usually am not the biggest fan of second chance romance but their childhood-friends to lovers story had me in a chokehold and I legit could not put this one down.

Never Been Shipped had it all!!! - Swoony MMC, spice that is spicing, banter and character development that will have you cheering for the main characters until the very end.

Unfortunately this book didn't work for me. It felt like it dragged on and on and it was super slow. I can see how this would be enticing for some however I felt bored. I didn't get the chemistry that I was expecting. I don't like giving negative reviews but unfortunately I have to be honest. It was giving "camp rock" vibes but not in the way I would have liked.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Alicia Thompson for feeding us some good romcom food !!!!

Thompson is an auto-read author for me and she’s never let me down. I love how much Alicia Thompson loves Paramore and I’d like to thank her for giving me Tayley headcanon whether intentional or not. Weirdly enough I pictured Micah as Tamara from that MTV show Awkward. I loved getting to go back into Asa and Lauren’s world for a bit and explore their housemate John’s lore. John and his band were so much fun to read about and while a couple of plot points seemed to shake out very conveniently, I was so invested and having so much fun with them that by the end of things, I didn’t care. The entire time I was reading this, I was wishing I could be reading it while on a cruise…gonna have to reread when I book a cruise in 3-5 business years.

Never Been Shipped is a swoon-worthy friends-to-lovers romance between Micah and John, best friends when they were kids, former bandmates, and now basically strangers brought back together on a werewolf-themed cruise (unlikely, but it works!). Micah was the lead singer in ElectricOh! her band that took off when they were still in high school, and then she blew it all up by going solo, and hasn't really had a career in music since. She's reluctant to see her former bandmates--especially John--but the cruise in celebration of the hit teen werewolf drama "Nightshifters" seems like a pretty sweet gig. All she and her band have to do is perform a couple of songs, including the one they played at the Nightshifters prom that helped catapult them into stardom. They just have to figure out how to play together again without reigniting old arguments.

There's a lot of tension initially between Micah and the rest of the band, given that she hasn't spoken to them at all for years, and they've all grown up and apart. I appreciated that while there was definitely friction, Micah and John eased back into the easy camaraderie of best friends with their shared experiences and reminiscing. This time though, they find it's a lot harder to ignore the sexual tension between them. The whole story takes place over a pretty short period of time, with the tight quarters on the cruise and their performances giving the band a lot of time together again--unfortunately, including with her jerk of an ex, Ryder. (Readers will be very satisfied with how his story goes). Once Micah and John give in to a little bit of the attraction they've felt since they were teenagers, they're swept up in it, carrying the readers along for the ride.

This will appeal to a lot of fans of contemporary romance, especially readers looking for bisexual characters in their books. Fans of Alicia Thompson's With Love from Cold World will be pleased to learn the story of Asa's enigmatic roommate, but it isn't necessary to read that book to enjoy the high seas and romance here.

It gave Daisy Jones meets… Titanic?

I felt compelled to keep going to understand why Micah broke up the band, why she ran and came back a bit of a shell of herself. I love how despite what was done and not said, John was kind, understanding and patient,

Such a cute, fun read and perfect for any TBR!